Unincorporated Lutz and Odessa could face a freeze on data center construction as early as Oct. 1, 2027, after Hillsborough County commissioners voted 7-0 on Wednesday, Aug. 5, to order staff to study AI data center impacts and directed the county attorney to draft a moratorium ordinance.

The unanimous vote came while the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage Order remains in effect through Thursday, Oct. 1, covering Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Under the order, all residents in unincorporated areas including Land O' Lakes and Lutz are limited to one-day-per-week lawn watering, with hours restricted to midnight–4 a.m. or 8–11:59 p.m. Even homeowners on private wells must comply. The district reported a regional rainfall deficit of 11.4 inches as of May 2026, with river, lake and aquifer levels continuing to decline and public water supplies described as "extremely low."

Outdoor irrigation accounts for more than half of household water consumption in the district's region. The SWFWMD also extended an emergency order to Tampa Bay Water to lower the Tampa Bypass Canal's Middle Pool from 12 feet to 10 feet and the Lower Pool from 6 feet to 4 feet to supplement the City of Tampa's Hillsborough River Reservoir.

Against that backdrop, the commission's vote also follows Pasco County's 12-month moratorium adopted July 15 that already covers Land O' Lakes and all unincorporated Pasco areas.

Commissioners passed two separate motions, according to Tampa Bay 28. The first, brought by Commissioner Chris Boles, directs staff to research water conservation tools under state laws SB 180 and SB 484 and recommend changes to the county's land development code and utility requirements. The second, brought by Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda, orders the county attorney to draft a moratorium ordinance and evaluate a land use framework for data centers, including a potential ban on using county potable water for cooling.

"This is bigger than just data centers," Boles said at the meeting. "Today it's AI. Tomorrow, who knows what's going to be? We have to consider the idea that we have to look at all water-intensive industries."

Cameron Cepeda originally proposed a five-year moratorium but revised her motion after the county attorney's office advised that SB 180, enacted in 2025, prohibits local governments from adopting more restrictive land development regulations through Oct. 1, 2027, and gives affected parties the right to sue. Florida Politics reported the drafted moratorium would take effect after that date, or sooner if SB 180 is struck down in court.

No data center applications are pending in Hillsborough.

Adam Gormley of the county's Development Services Department told commissioners that data centers are not an approved use under the current land development code and are not eligible for development. Any proposal would require a planned development rezoning with case-by-case review.

Still, about a dozen residents packed the commission chambers urging the board to act. Resident Susan Craunis cited the January 2010 freeze in Plant City, when heavy groundwater pumping caused more than 750 residential wells to go dry and approximately 140 sinkholes to form. Commissioner Joshua Wostal said staff need tools to restrict permits during drought, noting that developers pressurize water lines and irrigate lawns for up to 30 days before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

The action mirrors a broader statewide trend. At least a dozen Florida counties and municipalities had enacted temporary data center moratoriums as of July 2026, including Sarasota, Hernando and Citrus counties and the city of Zephyrhills. Jackson and Walton counties enacted permanent bans.

The county attorney's office will draft the moratorium ordinance and return it to commissioners for review. No specific date was announced. Residents can monitor upcoming commission agendas at hillsboroughcounty.org or attend meetings at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.