Pasco County weighs moratorium on AI data centers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Pasco County commissioners are considering a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers.
Why it matters: These sprawling campuses house thousands of servers that power AI, cloud computing and data storage, but concerns over water use, pollution and noise have drawn pushback throughout Tampa Bay.
- Pasco County commissioners say they've received a deluge of emails from residents concerned about the facilities.
Driving the news: If approved, the moratorium would halt permitting for large-scale data centers in unincorporated Pasco County for a year.
- County staff said it would allow time to evaluate the impact that data centers have on infrastructure, natural resources and the environment.
- The planning commission will discuss the moratorium at a public hearing scheduled for Thursday at 1:30pm. It will then go before the Board of County Commissioners for a vote on June 16.
What they're saying: These facilities can have "a lot of implications on not only our infrastructure but also our natural resources," county administrator Mike Carabella said at a meeting last week.
- "Our land development code provisions right now don't really regulate the use of data centers," he added.
- Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano told Axios that any potential revenue from a large-scale data center must be weighed against concerns that its electricity demand could drive up consumer costs.
The big picture: Opposition to large-scale data centers is growing across the region — and nationwide — as more projects are proposed.
- Hundreds of Citrus County residents attended a recent town hall meeting to voice their opposition to a data center industrial park proposed in Holder, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
- In Hernando County, commissioners voted last week to advance a one-year moratorium on data centers, with a final vote expected in July.
- A Pinellas County commissioner floated a similar pause earlier this year.