CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Residents of Clay County made their voices heard during a board of commissioners meeting on Tuesday about proposed data centers in the unincorporated portions of the county.
After hearing more than an hour’s worth of testimonies, Clay County Commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data center facilities. This means that any rezoning, permits or site plans related to these facilities will be temporarily on hold while staff does more research on their potential impacts.
“There’s got to be better ways to increase our revenue without destroying our land,” one resident said.
“These things have real impacts; they’re not morally neutral technologies,” another said.
Though the majority of those who spoke were for the moratorium, meaning against any data centers, not all agreed on the decision.
“If you drive your car, send your kids to school or receive medical care, you use a data center,” another resident said. “Take it to its extreme, and there will be no county in Florida where we can store all of our vital records.”
Locally, Nassau County enacted a one-year moratorium earlier this month. Further south, Hernando County, Lake County, and the city of Zephyrhills also passed moratoriums, while Jackson County banned them entirely in unincorporated areas.
During the meeting, one resident said he hopes Clay County will follow suit, though the commissioners questioned its legality at the beginning of the hearing.
Action News Jax reached out to all five Clay County Commissioners to hear more on their decision, but has not yet received a response back.
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