Three Duval County Democrats stood near the St. Johns River this week and declared that Florida's data center fight has officially landed in Jacksonville. Jacksonville City Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, state House candidate Audrey Gibson and agriculture commissioner candidate Joey Atkins held a news conference attacking Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds over his approach to AI data centers, standing behind a sign that read “Data Center Donalds.”
The event is the latest flashpoint in a statewide debate that has turned data centers into a defining issue of Florida's governor's race, as reported by Action News Jax. Peluso argued that an AI data center sited near the St. Johns River's tributaries could poison the waterway, harm its ecosystem and make life harder for Jacksonville residents. Gibson went further, saying data centers “will be the death of Florida's environment.”
Democrats Say Donalds Would Allow Unchecked Growth
The Democrats argued that Donalds would allow data center construction to proceed with few guardrails, and they pointed to his campaign's fundraising as evidence of industry influence. According to Action News Jax, the Donalds campaign has received millions of dollars from data center developers. That claim lines up with reporting from Politico, which found Donalds has received six- and seven-figure contributions from Florida-based data center developers and pro-business political committees.
Atkins, for his part, offered a more measured read on Donalds' position, saying the Republican nominee is not calling for a ban or moratorium on data centers but is instead adapting his message to polling and trying to balance two factions within his coalition. Atkins' framing suggests even Democrats see nuance in how Donalds has approached the issue, even as the news conference cast his platform in starker terms.
Donalds Points to Local Control and Utility Protections
Donalds has repeatedly said that decisions over whether data centers get built belong to cities and counties, not the governor's office. “Governors don't issue building permits. Local governments do,” he said, according to the Miami Herald. He added, “As governor, I'm going to respect the decisions they make.”
County commissioners, not governors, are the officials who issue building permits, a distinction Donalds has used to argue he would not preempt local authority over data centers. He reiterated his support for building AI infrastructure, including new data centers, during a University of Central Florida Turning Point event last month, according to the Orlando Sentinel's account at the time. At that same event, he said the Florida Public Service Commission cannot allow utility rates to rise because of a hyperscale data center, and he has said data center companies should cover their own costs rather than pass utility charges on to local residents, per the Floridian Press.
Donalds has also said he supports keeping data center facilities away from homes and using water-conserving cooling systems, according to WPTV. He has pushed back on suggestions that financial support from the tech industry shapes his views, saying that money “has no bearing on my decisions” and insisting his position has been consistent, per the Orlando Sentinel.
A Shifting Position, or a Consistent One?
The Miami Herald's reporting captures a central dispute in the race: whether Donalds has softened his stance since early in his campaign, when he touted data centers as important to Florida's future and said the state should be wide open to development, or whether, as he claims, his position has not changed. The Herald also reported that Donalds acknowledged 27 Florida cities and counties have either imposed moratoriums on data centers or are considering them, while the Florida Phoenix cited FloridaDataCenters.org's count of 19 local governments that had paused or banned them — a discrepancy neither outlet resolved.
Jolly, the Democratic nominee facing Donalds in November, has staked out a sharply different position. He has said Florida should immediately pause data center development rather than keep moving quickly, telling reporters, “This is moving too quickly,” according to News4Jax. He has vowed to institute a one-year statewide moratorium on data center development, including a pledge to halt hyperscale projects on his first day in office, per the same News4Jax report.
Polling Shows Broad but Inconsistent Opposition
Public opinion data has become a weapon in the debate. A University of North Florida poll conducted in July found that 68% of likely Florida midterm voters opposed an AI data center in their local area, with 28% in support, according to WPTV; that survey polled 848 likely voters from July 8 through July 17. Action News Jax reported that the same UNF poll found Republicans, independents and Democrats alike registered more than 50% opposition to data center development.
Other polls tell a more mixed story. WLRN reported that Florida polls over the past several months have shown opposition ranging from 49% to 89%, depending heavily on question wording. A July James Madison Institute poll found 49% opposed data center investment in the state while 40% supported it, and a May Change Research poll found about 79% opposed a new AI data center in their community versus 14% in support, both per WLRN's review. By contrast, a February poll from Associated Industries of Florida found 64% supported building data centers when the question cited lower property taxes, local jobs and data security — a reminder that how pollsters frame the trade-offs can swing results dramatically.
That gap between hyper-local opposition and broader economic-benefit framing is shaping campaign strategy well beyond Jacksonville. Politico reported that top Democratic candidates statewide are taking tough stances against data centers in hopes of winning over Republican voters who share local concerns, including state Senate nominee Angie Nixon, who met with Fort Meade residents opposed to a nearby data center proposal. Local governments have already begun acting on their own: News4Jax reported that Nassau County commissioners approved a 12-month moratorium in June on accepting, reviewing or approving data-center-related applications.
With the news conference near the St. Johns River, Duval County Democrats signaled that the fight over data centers, water and ratepayer costs will keep playing out in Florida communities through November, as the candidates offer voters starkly different visions of who should decide where the next data center goes.
