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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Florida’s Data Center Law
Coverage from Florida Legislature, Carlton Fields, and others
Florida’s SB 484 establishes safeguards for large data centers, including facilities supporting artificial intelligence.
It directs the Florida Public Service Commission to set tariffs and service requirements intended to make large customers bear the full cost of their electricity service, while preserving local governments’ planning and siting authority. The law also addresses water permits and the use of reclaimed water where feasible, and allows certain local governments to keep project discussions confidential for up to a year. Together, these provisions shape how data-center projects are evaluated and how their infrastructure and resource costs are allocated.
Looking Back
153 Day Timeline
May 7
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All Articles47 articles
Important
Florida lawmakers enacted Section 373.262 in 2026 to regulate large-scale data-center water allocations statewide through conservation requirements and mandatory hearings.
8/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida Senate Bill 484, effective July 1, 2026, creates 50 MW large-load tariff rules, restricts water allocations for large-scale data centers, and increases public transparency.
7/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484, directing Public Service Commission tariffs for large data center load costs while allowing NDA confidentiality up to one year.
5/12/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 directing the Florida Public Service Commission to set tariffs ensuring large data center customers bear full electricity costs.
5/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida's Senate Bill 484 took effect July 1, 2026, establishing utility, water, disclosure, and local-planning rules for large data centers statewide.
10/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Governor DeSantis signed a Florida law on May 8, 2026 establishing new consumptive water use permitting requirements for qualifying large-scale data centers starting July 1, 2026.
7/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Ron DeSantis signed and Florida implemented a new data center regulation law effective now, expanding transparency and local authority as counties raise water and electricity cost concerns.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida enacted a large-scale data center law in 2024 that adds consumer protections and local rejection authority amid local concerns in Eatonville and a Lake County moratorium proposal.
7/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida implemented Senate Bill 484 on July 1, requiring large-scale data center permitting changes and ratepayer protections while expanding local siting authority.
7/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 on May 7, directing local planning oversight and Florida Public Service Commission rate rules for data centers with 50 MW monthly peak load or more.
5/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Lakeland, expanding local permitting and planning controls and shifting utility and infrastructure cost responsibility for data centers effective July 1.
5/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida updated data center sales and use tax exemption rules via HB 7031 effective August 1, 2025, raising critical IT load and investment thresholds.
6/23/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Walt Trierweiler and Florida Office of Public Counsel dispute Duke Energy tariff compliance with SB 484 for hyperscale AI data centers in Florida, with the Florida Public Service Commission deciding next steps.
6/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 requiring large-scale data centers to pay utility costs and face tighter water permitting, approved by 9-in-10 voters in a Sachs Media poll.
5/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida enacted SB484 in 2024 to require data centers and other large electric users to bear high energy-related costs rather than residential and small-business ratepayers.
5/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida enacted SB 484 in 2024 under Gov. Ron DeSantis, requiring the Florida Public Service Commission to ensure large-load AI data centers pay full electric cost of service.
5/10/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Lakeland, requiring data centers to pay their own utility costs and directing state studies by July 1, 2027.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 484 on Thursday in Lakeland, adding water-permit denial rules, reclaimed-water requirements, and full cost-of-service protections for large data centers.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 in Lakeland, requiring the Florida Public Service Commission to create tariffs so large AI data centers pay full electricity costs.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 in 2024, requiring water management districts to deny large data-center permits that harm local water resources.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 at Florida Polytechnic University to require large data centers to pay their own electric service costs and to tighten water-permit approvals.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 in Lakeland, directing Florida regulators to require large AI data center customers to pay full electric and transmission infrastructure costs.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Polk County to add approval and operations rules for hyperscale data centers, emphasizing power, water permitting, and utility rate impacts.
5/7/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 on July 1 effective rules that require consumptive water permitting and utility tariff protections for hyperscale data centers.
5/7/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 484 at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland on Thursday, revising data-center regulation and residential permitting.
5/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 in May, requiring large-scale AI data centers to pay full utility service costs instead of shifting costs to residential customers.
6/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Lakeland directing the Florida Public Service Commission to require large data center customers to pay grid upgrade and infrastructure costs rather than residential ratepayers.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida SB 484, signed after the 2026 session, requires AI data centers to pay their own utility costs under Public Service Commission oversight.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 484 regulating data center water permits and electricity cost responsibility in Lakeland, impacting facilities using at least 50 megawatts.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
Florida lawmakers and utility regulators established large-load cost rules in May 2026, while NextEra Energy said the framework could attract data centers across Florida.
7/30/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 on July 1 for large data centers, adding power cost, utility, and reclaimed-water requirements.
6/26/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida legislation requiring regulated utilities to structure rates so large-scale data centers pay electric service costs and risks.
5/17/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida signed legislation directing regulated utilities to design rate structures so data center load pays electric service costs and risks, effective for large-load projects.
5/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Lakeland directing the Florida Public Service Commission to make AI data center customers pay full grid upgrade costs instead of shifting expenses to residential ratepayers.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Scott Bores of Florida Power & Light says Florida should not subsidize electricity costs for hyperscale data centers, while warning grid, water, land-use, and labor constraints remain unresolved.
6/13/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Scott Bores of Florida Power & Light links Florida data-center rate policy to broader grid, water, land-use, and workforce constraints as demand accelerates.
6/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed a Florida bill directing the Florida Public Service Commission to require data centers and other large power users to bear their own electricity cost of service.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed Florida utility rate legislation in 2024 requiring large-load data centers to bear electric service costs instead of shifting risks to other customers.
5/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida's large data center law took effect Tuesday, directing utility regulators to reasonably ensure cost bearing by data centers and requiring water and impact studies through July 1, 2027.
7/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 484 in Lakeland, preserving local rejection authority and adding cost and water protections for hyperscale data centers.
5/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed a Florida bill in 2024 requiring public utilities to ensure qualifying 50-megawatt data centers pay their own service costs, limiting ratepayer cost shifting.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in 2024 requiring public utilities to charge large data centers with 50 MW monthly peak loads for their own service costs.
5/8/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ron DeSantis signed a Florida bill late Thursday requiring tech companies to pay data center utility costs and restricting facility build locations.
5/7/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB484 into law in 2020s-era state action, restricting data center development in Nassau County while NextNRG maintains a microgrid-based power plan.
5/9/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB484 into law Thursday, adding restrictions on hyperscale data center electricity impacts as Nassau County considers a one-year moratorium.
5/9/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council published a Florida data center proposal evaluation resource page to support local zoning, environmental review, and infrastructure capacity assessment.
7/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Florida Power & Light president Scott Bores argues Florida large-load pricing should not substitute for planning grid, water, land use, and labor capacity for AI data-center demand.
5/30/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General