Florida governor signs data center regulations into law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 into law on Thursday, establishing new regulations for large-scale data centers across the state. Governor DeSantis highlighted the legislation as the first of its kind in the U.S., emphasizing its aim to mitigate the impact of data centers on Floridians and protect natural resources. The new law imposes significant restrictions on water usage by data centers. It mandates that water management districts must deny permit applications if a data center's water use is deemed detrimental to local resources. Governor DeSantis cited the ongoing drought in Florida as a key reason for these protections. Additionally, the bill requires data centers to utilize reclaimed water when available. Beyond water, the legislation also addresses the electricity consumption of data centers. It stipulates that data centers bear full financial responsibility for their electricity costs, preventing these expenses from being passed on to the public. These regulations specifically target data centers that consume a minimum of 50 megawatts of electricity at peak usage, a considerable amount compared to average residential consumption.