ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County leaders may soon hit pause on new artificial intelligence data centers, as one commissioner pushes for a temporary halt while the county evaluates how the sprawling facilities could affect local communities, infrastructure and land use.
Vice Mayor and District 5 Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad is urging the Orange County Commission to take up a proposed moratorium that would stop new data center applications for at least one year.
“We have to push pause. We have to get the county time to figure out what we’re signing up for,” Semrad said.
The call for a slowdown comes as demand for large-scale data centers continues to surge, driven in part by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence technology. According to Semrad’s report, Orange County does not currently have specific provisions in its land development code aimed directly at regulating data centers, which are generally allowed by implication in industrial zoning districts.
“We’re starting from ground zero,” Semrad said.
Under Florida law, large-scale data centers are facilities anticipating monthly peak loads of at least 50 megawatts.
[RELATED: Here’s what Florida’s new data center law changes]
The commissioner’s concerns include the amount of water and electricity these facilities can require, as well as their size.
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The report cites research from the World Resources Institute and 1000 Friends of Florida stating that a single modern AI data center can use as much power as 100,000 homes. It also says the average data center site in 2024 covered about 224 acres, roughly the size of 450 football fields.
Water use is another concern. The report cites the Environment and Energy Study Institute as saying large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day. It also says Orange County Utilities relies on groundwater for its primary drinking water supply and cites a projected regional groundwater shortfall of 96 million gallons per day by 2045.
“Right now is the time period to push pause to figure out whether or not we have the existing resources to support facilities like this,” Semrad said.
The proposed moratorium would give county staff time to study the environmental, social and economic impacts of data centers, consult with experts and residents, and review the county’s existing policies and development standards.
“A moratorium is not anti-business, it’s not anti-technology. It’s a timeout to give our local government time to get policy, get regulation, to determine if we can even host these facilities,” Semrad said.
Semrad’s report recommends that any moratorium apply to prospective data center applications in Orange County and last at least one year. It also calls for research into natural resources, community character, the economic landscape, zoning implications and energy capacity.
The discussion is scheduled for Sept. 15.
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