Commissioners hold first hearing on proposed data center moratorium

BRADENTON — On Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission held the first of two required public hearings on a proposed 12-month moratorium that would temporarily halt new data center and other large-load development applications in unincorporated Manatee County.

The board took no action Tuesday, but the proposed ordinance will now head to its final adoption hearing scheduled for Oct. 6.

If approved, Ordinance 26-42 would temporarily prevent the county from accepting applications for building permits, site plans, development orders, development agreements, special permit uses, rezonings and comprehensive plan amendments related to data centers, large-scale data centers and other large-load customers.

The proposed moratorium is intended to give county staff time to study how to address these facilities in the county’s land development regulations and its Comprehensive Plan.

Among the issues staff are expected to examine are what would be appropriate locations for data center facilities, including compatibility with existing properties or surrounding areas. It also includes noise, buffering, environmental impacts, and electricity and water demand concerns.

The proposed ordinance says data centers can require substantial amounts of water for cooling and electricity to operate computer equipment. It also notes that some facilities can cover hundreds of acres and place significant demands on water supplies, wastewater systems, and the electrical grid.

Commissioners directed staff to begin preparing the moratorium in July, after the Florida Legislature approved new legislation to regulate data centers and other large electricity users.

Senate Bill 484, which took effect July 1, maintains local governments’ authority over comprehensive planning and land development regulations involving large-load customers.

The county’s Planning Commission held its hearing on the proposed ordinance Sept. 17 and voted 6-0 to recommend it for approval by the county commission. Planning Commissioner Matt Bower was absent.

The proposed moratorium would last 12 months or until the BOCC repeals it by majority vote. The ordinance also allows the board to extend it by resolution to the extent permitted by law.

The moratorium itself would not permanently ban data centers in the county. Instead, it would give the county time to develop regulations governing where and how such facilities could be built, if they are built. 

The second public hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Oct. 6 at the downtown Manatee County Administration Building, in board chambers on the first floor.|

To replay the public hearing presentation on proposed Ordinance 26-36, regulating simulated gambling devices, click the video below.