Florida’s governor race heads to Virginia, as Jolly highlights data center debate

Por Kylie Williams — POLITICO – TOP Stories

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Amid a mounting national frenzy of artificial intelligence worries, Democratic nominee for Florida governor David Jolly visited northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” this week, pointing to the region as proof of why Florida should pump the brakes on data center development.

The former Republican congressman has made data centers a key part of his campaign to be the Sunshine State’s first Democratic governor elected in more than three decades. And in a contest with continued tight polling, Jolly visited communities in northern Virginia — which has the densest concentration of data centers in the world — with just seven weeks left until the midterms, saying in an interview that he wanted to “see what massive hyperscale data centers really do to a community.”

“I visited with a family in their home, and it was kind of a sensory experience,” Jolly said in an interview. “The moment I opened the door to leave, you’re hit by the sound waves. You’re hit by the obstruction that the hyperscale data center has created.”

Florida has yet to host a hyperscale data center, but the facilities’ impacts on other states’ natural resources and communities have stoked fears for many residents. Northern Virginia has more than 250 data centers, and some are located just a few hundred feet from nearby homes.

Greg Pirio, who lives about 150 yards from a data center in Sterling, Virginia, said the noise has driven away birds and kept neighbors from wanting to leave their homes. Pirio, who spoke with Jolly on his visit, said any data centers built in Florida shouldn’t be near residential areas or schools.

“You have to have all the guardrails in place,” he said. “You have to have transparency.”

Some of the data centers in northern Virginia are powered by gas turbines, which have caused negative effects for residents and constant noise. On Friday, Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanbergerannounced a slew of new guardrails for data centers, including a crackdown on on-site power plants using natural gas. The same day, GOP Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed an executive order to put new regulations on data centers seeking state tax breaks.

Nationwide calls for stricter AI regulation intensified this week, after former employees of the nation’s largest AI companies warned the technology’s power and rapid development could eventually destroy humanity. Democratic and Republican state officials, including top politicians in Florida, have pushed for stronger controls on the industry.

If elected, Jolly has pledged to institute an immediate one-year pause on hyperscale data centers in order to study their impact. He’s also left the door open to the possibility that a moratorium would result in a permanent ban.

“There appear to be local community leaders, politicians, elected officials, who now feel as though they can’t unwind what they’ve just done,” Jolly said of the northern Virginian communities he visited.

“They’ve just given it all away, and once it’s been given away, you can’t get it back,” he added “It’s really sad to see. What I saw wasn’t progress. … What I saw was blight.”

While he’s aimed to position himself as the anti-data center choice for Florida governor, Jolly has often slammed his opponent, Rep. Byron Donalds, for his stance on the technology and for accepting five- and six-figure campaign contributions from the data center industry.

Jolly accused Donalds of shifting his position “every week” on data centers “based on being out of step with where voters are.”

Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, has previously said Florida should be open to data centers and AI as long as there are guardrails to protect people and the environment. Recently, he’s emphasized that local governments should maintain authority over data center development.

Donalds’ campaign spokesperson, Gates McGavick, said in a statement that Jolly “is a political insider who made his career talking out of both sides of his mouth.”

“Byron Donalds’ position is clear: no protections for ratepayers and water resources means no data centers,” McGavick said. “And, local control is key and will be upheld — if local communities do not want data centers, they will not have them.”

Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories