Escambia citizens demand tougher laws against data centers

Escambia County Commissioners are actively considering an ordinance to ban data centers, following strong public opposition at their July 23 board meeting. Over a dozen citizens expressed concerns about the environmental impact and strain on utility infrastructure, advocating for explicit prohibitions rather than relying on the current Land Development Code (LDC).

While the LDC doesn't currently list data centers as a permitted or conditional use, residents like Sarah Blankenship argue this "neutral" stance is insufficient and could still allow data center development. They are pushing for stronger language, such as "exclude" or "prohibit," to ensure no data centers of any size, including AI data centers, are allowed in the county. Some citizens also proposed a temporary one-year moratorium on all data centers, citing similar actions by the city of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County.

County officials, including Commissioner Steven Barry, voiced similar opinions against data centers, acknowledging the need to finalize strategies to keep them out of the community. The county's draft ordinance cites potential demands on utilities, water, and wastewater as reasons for opposition, outweighing the limited job creation. The board passed a resolution affirming their stance that data centers are inappropriate for the county and scheduled an August 6 public hearing to refine the ordinance's language to strengthen protections.