Hillsborough County commissioners vote to draft one-year data center pause

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - The Hillsborough County Commission took the first step toward a moratorium blocking the controversial data centers until their impact on communities and the environment can be studied.

 Hillsborough County Commission Action

What we know:

Commissioners originally asked county attorneys to draft a five-year moratorium, but because of legal issues, lawmakers agreed unanimously to ask for a draft of a one-year moratorium.

 They are also insisting on a study to help understand how county water could be used by centers if they are eventually built here.

 Hillsborough Leaders Express Concern

What they're saying:

"There are very clear and imminent risks to the community that until you determine those engineering requirements, or more importantly, the data centers need to come up with those engineering requirements themselves," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal. "And they need to do proof of model themselves. And until all of those things are accomplished, I'm fine with an indefinite moratorium. It's up to them to make sure that they're not going to be a nuisance and burden on our community."

Concerns for the commissioners ranged from noise to water to electricity and the impact on wildlife.        

The county has no pending applications for a data center, and they're insisting it stays that way.

"I certainly don't want to see us considering any of these until we've got a lot more information," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen. "I voted in favor of a potential moratorium because we are just not in a place right now where we can evaluate these applications. There's tremendous public fear about what they could mean. And we know that our water supply is very, very precious, and these facilities are enormous."

Regional Data Center Moratoriums

Dig deeper:

Hillsborough County would join Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties in having a moratorium, along with the City of Lakeland.

Data center operators insist they can create jobs and build tax revenue, and have succeeded in winning approval for one in Fort Meade.       

State officials have spoken out against that, and it still has several regulatory steps to go.

Hillsborough County's moratorium would be written by the county attorney's office, then voted on by a future meeting.