His Republican opponent, Congressman Byron Donalds, has previously supported data center development in the state and said Florida is “wide open” to build without destroying the state’s beauty. He’s more recently changed his tune though, and while he still doesn’t want to outright ban data centers, he’s tried to assure voters that he’d support policies protecting them from associated risks like higher energy costs. In July, Donalds introduced the Protecting Ratepayers Act, which would require data center developers to fund the energy and water needed to run their operations. He’s also supported a state law with some similar requirements and environmental guardrails. “In my Florida, if you don’t protect our pocketbooks and our people, you won’t build data centers, period,” he assures voters in one ad. Energy experts have warned, however, that Donalds’ pledge to lean on nuclear and natural gas could actually raise costs for consumers.
