SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County doesn’t have any large-scale AI data centers — and there are no concrete plans to build one. But county commissioners aren’t waiting for that to change before asking a critical question: Should they have rules in place before one arrives?
This week, commissioners began discussing whether a moratorium on data centers is needed as they plan for the county’s future.
First step: Does Seminole County even need a moratorium?
Seminole County officials are weighing whether to pursue a moratorium on data centers following a public comment at a board meeting earlier this month, where a resident mentioned restrictions being implemented in neighboring jurisdictions.
At this week’s board meeting, county attorney Kate Latorre recommended that, before any moratorium moves forward, staff should conduct preliminary research to determine whether the need even exists.
“If that’s what the board wanted, I think it would be appropriate to direct the county manager to have staff start this process to see if it’s even warranted,” the attorney said.
The county attorney told commissioners that Senate Bill 180, which places restrictions on counties regarding moratoriums and other land use regulations, does not prohibit Seminole County from implementing one. However, it can’t happen overnight.
“You don’t just implement a moratorium. You have to build the groundwork to support the need for it,” the county attorney said.
The attorney also noted new state legislation set to take effect July 1 that gives local governments explicit authority to regulate “large load customers” — a category that expressly includes data centers — under their land use and comprehensive planning authority.
The first step the county is taking is reviewing its existing code to determine what rules are already on the books and whether any gaps exist.
Commissioner Amy Lockhart urged the board to think beyond just data centers.
“This would be a great time to not only do the research on the data centers but also look at what’s next — so that we’re not playing whack-a-mole if possible,” Lockhart said.
Commissioners also emphasized they don’t want to shut the door on economic opportunity.
“I think we also have to be careful that we are not hindering business development and where there is an opportunity for economic development that does not negatively impact our citizens and our environment,” Lockhart said.
The county echoed that theme in a statement sent to News 6 following the meeting, saying commissioners stressed “the importance of balancing the protection of residents and community resources with maintaining Seminole County as an attractive location for appropriate economic development.”
Other counties already moving
Seminole County isn’t alone in grappling with this issue. At least 12 applications for major data centers have been submitted around the state, according to leaders in Lake County, which is already pushing for a moratorium of its own.
[WATCH: Lake County moves forward with proposed 1-year ban on data centers]
“These are huge centers that don’t fit the character and the feel of Lake County,” said District 1 Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini.
Sabatini elaborated that his main concerns include:
- potential strain on public utilities
- higher utility costs
- heavy water use
At the commission meeting on Tuesday, commissioners unanimously agreed with Sabatini to create an ordinance to put a moratorium in place.
Multiple Florida counties have passed or are considering similar moratoriums — including Nassau, Pasco, and Jackson Counties.
A data center in a neighboring county
You’ve probably seen the building going up in Eatonville if you drive down I-4 in Orange County. When it’s finished in August — it will be filled with equipment that powers the internet and artificial intelligence.
Manny Vivar is the founder and CEO of HostDime, a company that has been building data centers since 2003. His company already operates a facility just down the block. He says many of the concerns people associate with data centers are tied to outdated technology.
“A lot of the data centers from the ’80s and ’90s did have a lot of water consumption and were inefficient,” Vivar said.
He says newer facilities operate very differently, using hybrid air-cooled and closed-loop water systems that dramatically reduce water demand.
“We want more of these new data centers. They’re more power efficient,” Vivar said.
“We need to do a better part of broadcasting that technical data, because when people see it and compare the old designs to the new designs, you will want more of these,” he said.
[WATCH: Eatonville council weighs transparency push as data center raises resident concerns]
‘The hidden infrastructure of our digital age’
For many residents, the basic question is: What even is a data center?
Vivar says he understands the confusion.
“Data centers are what I call the hidden infrastructure of our digital age,” he said. “Anything that’s basically online — cloud, streaming, email applications, blockchain and now AI — has existed as well.”
He compared the facility to a digital mall, where the “stores” are computing equipment — GPUs and TPUs stacked in racks — that power everything from everyday apps to cutting-edge artificial intelligence.
“AI runs in data centers,” Vivar said. “The future, especially the way AI is moving — we want infrastructure like this because it’s going to allow for humanity to progress, when done right.”
Jobs, taxes — and honesty about the numbers
Vivar acknowledged data centers are sometimes oversold as major job creators — and he pushed back on that narrative directly.
“There is also a misconception that it creates 1,000 jobs. That’s not reality,” he said. “As the facility grows, it’s not proportional to the human capital, because once you install the computer, it sort of just runs itself.”
But he said the jobs that are created are high-quality and well-paying — and that the economic benefits go beyond employment.
“Specifically, here in this property that was unbuilt for over 100 years — the town is benefiting from a tax credit they didn’t have before,” Vivar said. “There’s also tangible property tax they’re going to collect from. So, there is definitely a tax roll that benefits, especially in this part of Orlando that’s sort of been deprived of tax roll.”
[WATCH: Dollars & Sense: Why states want guardrails on your AI addiction]
Not all data centers are created equal
Vivar also drew an important distinction between types of data centers — one he says gets lost in the broader public debate.
He described three categories: legacy edge data centers, which tend to be older and less efficient; hyper-edge facilities like the one being built in Eatonville, ranging from 1 to 30 megawatts; and hyperscale facilities — massive complexes of 500,000 square feet or more — mostly found in the Midwest.
“Just the sheer size does create sort of an impact on the infrastructure,” he said of hyperscale centers. “But that’s not what we’re building here.”
The Eatonville facility is approximately 120,000 square feet and will be a Tier 4 data center — a designation Vivar says only five facilities in the United States currently hold.
He described the facility’s potential impact on Central Florida’s digital infrastructure using a transit analogy.
“I call it the Penn Station effect,” Vivar said. “This facility is going to have over 15 fiber carriers that run globally. Right now, a lot of that data actually lives out of state or goes to Atlanta or Miami. So, Orlando lacks that infrastructure.”
He said the benefits would be felt by everyday users — from faster streaming to private cloud options for local businesses.
“There are enormous benefits in this infrastructure being localized here in Central Florida,” he said.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are already more than 4,400 data centers in the United States — and there are plans to build hundreds more.
What’s next for Seminole County?
At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, commissioners directed staff to evaluate whether current regulations adequately address data center facilities and determine whether additional actions — including a moratorium — may be warranted. If additional steps are needed, staff will return to the board with recommendations.