St. Petersburg Bans Standalone Data Centers Under Existing Zoning Code
St. Petersburg’s planning director says the city’s existing zoning code prohibits standalone data centers, including large facilities serving artificial intelligence workloads, because they are not listed as permitted uses. The memo comes as other governments in Pinellas County consider new restrictions, including a one-year pause in Pinellas Park and limits on large facilities in unincorporated areas.
St. Petersburg Planning Director Derek Kilborn told Mayor Ken Welch that the city’s land development code prohibits standalone data centers because the use is absent from the city’s permitted-use matrix and cannot qualify for a special exception. The determination applies regardless of whether a facility meets Florida’s 50-megawatt threshold for a large-scale data center.
The memo follows a state law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that preserves local control over data center land-use decisions while acknowledging infrastructure and environmental concerns, including electricity and water demand. Elsewhere in Pinellas County, Pinellas Park approved a one-year pause on data center development, while county commissioners adopted limits on large standalone facilities in unincorporated areas. St. Petersburg has not said whether it has received a recent proposal or plans to amend its zoning code.