Orange County is on track to become the next community in a growing list of Florida counties and municipalities to stop AI data centers from developing in their backyard.
On Tuesday, county commissioners were in support of a temporary moratorium on building large data centers used to power AI technology.
“Our land use code and comprehensive plan, including Vision 2050, are devoid of any regulatory strength to control the impact of these facilities on our communities. And it's simply because they came onto the market so fast, and we see counties and municipalities trying to catch up now,” said Kelly Martinez Semrad, the District 5 commissioner.
If Orange County did impose a moratorium, it would join a list of 16 Florida counties that have placed a ban on the large data centers. Three of which are permanent bans.
Public opposition to data centers
Martinez Semrad requested a commissioner's report on “hyperscale” data centers after receiving over 800 emails requesting a moratorium on the development of the facilities before the county receives any applications to do so.
Dozens of people gave public comment also in support of a moratorium, such as Orlando resident Justin Harvey.
“No one wants these environmentally destructive facilities in their backyard that will lower property values, and you won't be able to sell your house,” Harvey said. “We just don't want to wipe out what's left of what we have of old Florida for something that produces virtually no jobs, no benefit, and is a health hazard for nearby residents.”
Power, water and noise
Hyperscale data centers are massive facilities that house AI technologies and are, on average, about 30,000 square feet. Aside from the size of the facilities, much controversy swirls over the environmental impact large data centers create.
“Large-scale data centers exceeding 50 megawatts can each consume up to 5 million gallons per day, which is the equivalent of 1.5 Winter Parks or 50,000 people per day,” Martinez Semrad said.
The servers housed in data centers produce a lot of heat and require cooling systems to maintain operations. Some of those methods involve using a community’s water supply. In 2023, U.S. hyperscale data centers consumed 17.4 billion gallons of water, according to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. By 2028, that consumption is expected to become 32.8 billion gallons.
The water consumption of such a facility could be particularly draining for a community like Orange County, which is facing a 96-million-gallon water shortfall by 2045, Martinez Semrad said.
On top of the water and electricity consumption, there are environmental and light pollution concerns, as well. Martinez Semrad also pointed out that these large data centers are noisy. Operations can be as loud as 100 decibels, or as loud as an Orlando City soccer game.
“Only it's not going to be people that are cheering; instead, it's a very loud, annoying noise,” Martinez Semrad said.
According to a 2024 study, there are 3,000 data centers in the U.S. However, the “Data Center Map” website puts the number closer to 4,700. Florida has around 110 data centers, but doesn’t have any hyperscale facilities.
A bipartisan concern
Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 into law, which hands over the reins of data center regulations to local governments.
“I don't think that policy was strong enough, but at the very least, it did not preempt local governments, and so I'm grateful that you have the power and opportunity to do this,” said State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, who spoke during public comment in favor of the moratorium.
“Once you build a data center, it's very hard for that land to ever be something else again, and we don't have endless amounts of resources. We have to protect our planet, protect our county, and so putting this into place is going to be good bipartisan policy,” Eskamani said.
Tuesday’s discussion didn’t greenlight a moratorium just yet. First, county staff will have to weigh all the concerns (long-term zoning districts, electric loads, impacts to water, noise, and so forth)
The length of the moratorium will be determined by how long the staff decides it will take to study those concerns.
The commission could take up the moratorium issue again in early December.
“A moratorium gives us, the county, time to choose the rules that protect the residents of Orange County,” Martinez Semrad said.
