The Florida Senate passed consumer protections from increased utility costs of data centers.
The Florida Senate passed Senate Bill 484, Data Centers, by State Senator Bryan Avila, a Republican representing Miami Springs. The legislation creates what Republicans call strong consumer protections to safeguard Floridians from the negative impacts of large load data centers.
SB 484 creates reasonable guardrails to protect Florida consumers from increased utility costs associated with large-scale data centers and other large electricity users.
“In numerous states, we have seen the cost of electricity skyrocket when large data centers drive up demand and usage, creating a huge affordability issue for residents. We want to ensure Floridians are protected from these significant financial impacts,” said South Florida Republican State Senator Bryan Avila, who represents parts of Miami-Dade County. “This legislation creates important safeguards that will ensure data centers cover their own costs and do not impact utility rates and service for Floridians. Additionally, the bill would make sure dangerous foreign regimes cannot own or control data centers in our state.”
Specifically, the bill related to Florida data centers:
- Maintains the authority of local governments to exercise the powers and responsibilities
for comprehensive planning and land development regulation for large load customers. - Requires the Public Service Commission to develop minimum large load tariff
requirements for public electric utilities. The tariff requirements must reasonably ensure
large load customers pay for their own cost of service, minimize the risk of nonpayment
of such costs, and include provisions to prevent a public utility from providing electric
service to a foreign entity large load customer. - Prohibits public electric utilities from knowingly providing service to large load facilities
owned or controlled by foreign countries of concern. - Establishes distinct large-scale data center consumptive use permit (CUP) requirements
and application process. The bill also authorizes water management districts or the
Department of Environmental Protection to require large-scale data centers to use some
portion of reclaimed water as part of a CUP approval.
View the text of the legislation online.
