Erika Donalds spent Wednesday knocking on doors in Palm Beach Shores, making the case that a Byron Donalds governorship would look a lot like the one Florida has now. Her message to voters was blunt: no big changes are coming if her husband wins the race to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis. “He's going to continue those DeSantis policies,” she said, adding that Floridians love the way the state is run.
According to WPBF, Erika Donalds is the wife of Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who has President Donald Trump's endorsement in his bid to face Democrat David Jolly this November. The campaign has been a grind for roughly 20 months, the outlet reports, with Erika Donalds saying she, her husband and his running mate sometimes visit as many as 10 cities in a single day. She planned to join him on the campaign bus Wednesday afternoon as the stretch toward Election Day continues, with additional stops scheduled across the state.
Data Centers Become a Flashpoint
One of the thorniest issues on the trail is artificial-intelligence data centers, and Erika Donalds used her Palm Beach Shores stop to lay out conditions under which her husband would welcome them. She said he supports the facilities as important infrastructure for Florida's economy, but only with safeguards to protect residents, per the same WPBF account. Among those safeguards: “They cannot raise our electricity rates. They cannot affect our environment,” she said, adding that the facilities should have their own water supplies, avoid affecting Florida's aquifers, and be subject to local control over where they are built.
That local-control emphasis tracks with what Byron Donalds himself has said on the issue. As reported by News4JAX, he has argued that siting decisions should remain with local governments because county commissioners, not the governor, issue building permits. Florida's data-center proposal, CS/CS/HB 1007, did not become law. Its description, available through the Florida Senate, says local governments would retain authority over comprehensive planning and land-development regulations tied to large-load customers like data centers.
A Shift Jolly and Fact-Checkers Have Flagged
Erika Donalds said critics are trying to manufacture controversy around her husband's data-center position, but the record shows some movement in his public stance. WUFT reports that Byron Donalds previously supported AI infrastructure development, calling it important to the state's growth, a position the outlet says he has taken a step back from in recent months. Tallahassee.com separately describes his current view as treating the facilities as vital to Florida's economic and technological growth while insisting they cover their own power and water costs, a framing consistent with what his wife told voters Wednesday.
Jolly has staked out a far more restrictive position. News4JAX reports he would impose a one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers on his first day in office, while the WPTV account notes his proposed statewide pause would give Florida time to study environmental protections, long-term economic effects, and privacy and security concerns connected to AI. The contrast gives voters a clear choice heading into November: Donalds's safeguards-with-growth approach versus Jolly's halt-and-study plan.
Property Taxes and Insurance Dominate the Pitch
Data centers aside, Erika Donalds said affordability remains one of the biggest concerns she hears from voters, particularly property taxes and homeowners insurance. She said she and her husband support Amendment 3 as a step toward property-tax relief, and the campaign has said Byron Donalds intends to pursue further tax reductions regardless of whether that amendment passes, with a taxation and budget reform commission tasked with finding additional relief for homeowners. Tallahassee.com reports separately that he favors eliminating property taxes entirely but recognizes many smaller Florida counties could suffer steep revenue shortfalls as a result.
On insurance, Erika Donalds pointed to her husband's background in the industry as an asset, saying his experience would help him pursue further reforms aimed at lowering premiums. He has told WPTV that regulatory changes could push costs down in Florida by another 20 to 25 percent, and Tallahassee.com reports he also supports stabilizing the insurance market and creating a scorecard to help consumers compare insurers. Jolly, for his part, has made affordability his top priority, according to WUFT, and has proposed a state disaster fund he says could cut homeowners' premiums by 60 to 70 percent.
A Potential First Lady's Priorities
Beyond policy, Erika Donalds used the stop to talk about what role she would play if her husband wins. She said serving as Florida's first lady would be a great honor and that she would welcome an active role, particularly in education and helping vulnerable children. She named parental empowerment, educational opportunities, foster children and students with special needs as causes close to her heart.
The campaign's fundraising has been substantial: Politico reported that Byron Donalds, who launched his bid in February 2025, had raised more than $90 million as of July. With Election Day approaching, both campaigns are racing to define the data-center debate and affordability fight on their own terms before voters decide who succeeds DeSantis.
