YULEE, Fla. — A new draft report from Nassau County gives a first look at how the county could regulate data centers, and residents are divided over whether they want them at all.
A committee of five county staff members, including County Manager Taco Pope, published the 66-page draft report this week.
The committee did not recommend a ban. In fact, the county says a new state law would not allow one.
Instead, the report proposes “strict rules” for where and how data centers could be built.
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Those rules include:
- A special zoning district
- Limits on noise and light
- Water and power reporting
- No county tax breaks
- Developers paying for their own infrastructure
County leaders interviewed more than a dozen experts in conservation, water, power, economic development and other fields.
Action News Jax went to Yulee on Friday to ask county leaders about the report. The station was told no one was available on a Friday afternoon, but someone will talk to the station Monday, ahead of the public discussion.
Resident Andrew Turcott said he supports the idea.
“It’s just a concept at this point,” Turcott said. “But I think it’s a good thing for the county.”
Deb and Chuck Lewis, also Nassau County residents, said they are not convinced.
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“I don’t think it’s something Nassau County needs at this point,” the couple said.
“We have good growth. We have excellent schools. We have, you know, local jobs, local people,” Deb said. “We don’t need the influx of something like that in our county.”
Andrew Turcott thinks data centers would help the area. “I think that it will help the area a lot with taxes and funding for schools and development,” he said.
On noise, Turcott said: “Once it’s built, it’s built, and then the only noise is really when you go inside because of the air conditioning and everything that’s running.”
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The report is only a draft. County commissioners will ultimately have the final say.
The county’s moratorium on new data center applications remains in place through the end of next summer.
Monday’s meeting is for public discussion only—no vote is scheduled. The public can weigh in on the draft from 3 to 5 p.m. A second session is set for Nov. 9.
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