Florida lawmakers are looking into regulations for massive data centers used to power artificial intelligence.
A Florida Senate proposal would acknowledge that local governments do have local authority over data center regulation and would mandate public hearings. It would also enact requirements for large data center water use permits and require the Florida Public Service commission to develop tariffs and rate structures to make sure companies that own the data centers foot the bill for extra energy needs, not other consumers.
Hialeah Gardens Republican Senator Bryan Ávila is sponsoring the bill, SB 484.
“This is a balance between making sure that we are still leading the way on tech, but also laying a foundation and protecting our consumers, and particularly making sure that our local governments in rural areas have a voice and a seat at the table with that discussion,” he said.
Heaven Campbell with the group Solar United Neighbors Action said during public comment on the bill that it addresses concerns about the environmental footprint of these large data centers.
“In both red and blue states, we're seeing public service commissions and legislatures really thoughtfully engage on the planning around this, on data center accountability and doing more to ensure that data centers are bringing solutions to the table,” she said.
Adam Basford with Associated Industries of Florida said he agrees protections are needed, but he thinks the bill is too stringent and needs some changes before adoption to prevent it from discouraging tech investment in the state.
“Hyper scale data centers are not abstract concepts. They are the backbone of modern technology. They support health care, systems, aviation, logistics, banking, agriculture and the everyday technology that Floridians depend on. If the US is going to continue to compete globally in artificial intelligence and advanced computing, states like Florida must be able to build infrastructure that makes that possible,” he said.
The bill has passed one committee so far. It is one of several proposals moving in the legislature to address artificial intelligence.