Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly said Tuesday he would seek a statewide halt on new data center construction if elected, arguing Florida should pause development until it adopts stronger environmental, economic and privacy safeguards.
“I’m calling for a stop to AI data centers until Florida has a responsible plan to protect our water, our workforce, and our way of life,” Jolly said.
He also claimed that Florida’s laws do not provide sufficient environmental protections, fail to establish the economic benefits of data centers and lack adequate privacy and security rules governing artificial intelligence systems.
The announcement also targeted Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, whose campaign and allied political efforts have received nearly $5 million in support from data center industry interests, according to Jolly’s campaign. Donalds has previously said Florida should embrace data center development, citing the state’s available land. Jolly criticized those remarks, accusing Donalds of prioritizing industry interests over environmental and local concerns.
