JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We’ve seen data center moratoriums passed in local counties including Clay, Nassau, and Putnam, and the topic has been brought up in St. Johns County as well.
But in Duval, the conversation hasn’t generated much steam… Until now.
“It’s something that I heard everywhere from the Beaches to Baldwin,” said Councilmember Moné Holder (D-Group 1 At-Large).
Fresh off the campaign trail, Councilmember Holder said voters frequently raised concerns about data centers, and she’s hoping to see what can be done to address data center development as a result.
One of the things Holder said she’s learned early on is that data centers are already here, with about a dozen smaller-scale facilities operating in Jacksonville.
“And they serve different purposes, but of course it is to store data, servers, other things depending who operates them. But there could be a calling for a large-scale one to come,” said Holder.
And Holder argued the concerns around hyperscale data centers in Duval are similar to those in more rural counties, like water and electric usage.
But she noted Duval’s mix of urban and rural communities poses its own unique set of considerations.
“When you drop one in a mixed area such as Duval County, those impacts can just quickly trickle into residential areas. It’s not as compartmentalized as if it were in a fully rural city or county,” said Holder.
In the coming weeks, Holder is hoping to get feedback from her fellow council members and the community to help craft legislation.
“And then we can figure out next steps on whether or not we want move forward with a moratorium or not, or put some protections in place so everyone feels like their communities are taken care of,” said Holder.
Holder plans to kick off the data center debate in a public meeting she’s holding on October 7th.
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