David Jolly gains in governor's race as he focuses on data centers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Florida governor's campaign got a jolt after a new poll showed Rep. Byron Donalds and Former Rep. David Jolly are locked in a tight race.

Deadlocked gubernatorial survey

What we know:

The survey of 900 voters shows that Donalds has 43.5% support, while Jolly has 43.4% support. The survey shows Jolly winning with independent voters 48% to 36%.

The Donalds campaign agreed to three televised debates on Friday, while the Jolly campaign says the schedule is still being worked out.

Debate schedule negotiations

What we don't know:

Campaign officials have not confirmed the exact dates or media networks hosting the potential debates.

Contrasting candidate roadtrips

The backstory:

Donalds held a news conference this week on his home insurance plan, while Jolly visited Virginia to explore the impact of data centers.

Virginia has the highest concentration of data centers in the world. The campaign provided pictures and videos, which show Jolly touring a neighborhood in Sterling, Virginia. He viewed an 18-acre campus that houses an 800,000 sq. ft. data center.

Data center placement clash

What they're saying:

Jolly spoke with neighbors who complained about the noise and the impact on health, including a family who says the air quality is now jeopardizing the health of their children.

"We saw firsthand the disruption of communities, the economic degradation of communities. But most importantly, we saw families and lives disrupted," said Jolly. "When voters across Florida go to their commissions and their councils and say, please don't, let's do this. Politicians need to start listening.

Jolly says he would like a statewide moratorium on their construction in Florida, and that a full ban should be on the table. Donalds said earlier this week that he wants strict regulations on placement and how they use water and electricity.

"We want to protect children. We want it to protect families. That's number one," said Donalds. "It'll be up to local governments, whether they allow a center or not. We are going to make sure that utility rates in our state do not go up and we're going to protect water resources."

Florida property insurance reform

Dig deeper:

Earlier this week, Donalds focused on the insurance plans for himself and his opponent. Donalds is calling for insurance report cards, to reduce or eliminate the state's catastrophe fund, in hopes of lessening what insurers charge, and to beef up home hardening programs.

"We believe that all these reforms will push down costs 20 to 25 percent," Donalds told the roundtable of over a dozen.

He also bashed Jolly's plan.

"It just shifts it onto the backs of Floridians," said Donalds.

Jolly says by taxing insurance profits and taking in some tourist dollars, the state could absorb the hurricane and wind risk.

"The math right now is not working for homeowners," said Jolly. "I'm trying to achieve a 60-70% savings. Byron wants to defend the status quo."

RealClearPolitics average trend

What's next:

The RealClearPolitics polling average shows that Donalds has a five-point lead.

St. PetersburgPolitics