TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill impacting data centers across the state, adding it to the list of nearly 200 laws approved so far this year.
The data center law — SB 484 — will take effect on July 1, and it will make the following changes:
- Power Costs: New requirements must ensure that large data centers pay for their own cost of service, keeping power costs from getting passed to residential and small business customers.
- Foreign Countries: Public electric utilities are forbidden from providing service to major data centers owned or controlled by foreign countries of concern.
- CUP Permits: Establishes a “consumptive use permit” (CUP) for large-scale data centers.
- Reclaimed Water: Water Management Districts and the DEP may require large-scale data centers to use some portion of reclaimed water as part of a CUP approval.
- Non-Disclosure Rule: Agencies may not enter into non-disclosure agreements about potential data center development, which would restrict the agency from disclosing such information to the public.
- Not Substations: Data centers that use exceptionally high volumes of power may not be considered an electric substation under state law, which would otherwise give them special protections.
Beyond all these changes, the law also preserves local governments’ authority over zoning, permitting and land use regulations. This power allows communities to set stricter standards or even deny projects.
SB 484 is set to take effect on July 1, alongside over 100 other new laws. You can find the full list of those upcoming laws here.