David Jolly, in Orlando, blasts Byron Donalds over support for data centers
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly criticized Republican opponent Byron Donalds for supporting large-scale data centers at a news conference in Orlando. Jolly pledged to impose a one-year moratorium on hyper-scale data centers if elected, while Donalds argued that a moratorium would discourage business investment.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly used an Orlando news conference to attack Republican opponent Byron Donalds over data center development, an increasingly prominent issue in Florida's governor's race. Jolly renewed his pledge to impose a one-year moratorium on hyper-scale data centers on his first day in office and accused Donalds of shifting positions and accepting support from data center interests.
Donalds has expressed conditional support for the facilities and criticized New York's temporary large-scale data center moratorium as harmful to investment. Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson joined Jolly in opposing the developments, while a University of North Florida poll found that 68% of Florida voters disapprove of data centers being built in their communities. Jolly also cited potential public health and community impacts after visiting Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley.