No new data center projects will advance in unincorporated Pasco County for at least a year, and the freeze already applies to a controversial proposal near State Road 52.

Pasco County commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday, July 17, to impose a 12-month moratorium on all data center development in unincorporated areas, including Land O' Lakes, Odessa, and Lutz. The ordinance freezes building permits, site plans, rezonings, development agreements, and comprehensive plan amendments related to data centers, large-scale data centers, and other large-load customers.

The moratorium is retroactive to Wednesday, May 27, the day the county first advertised the public hearing.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told commissioners the moratorium can only legally remain in place for one year under Florida law, though incremental extensions can be added if the board decides it needs more time to study the issue.

Residents push for permanent ban

Nearly two dozen residents spoke during a roughly one-hour public comment session. No one opposed the moratorium.

Spring Hill landowner Angela Rene Camenzuli told commissioners her family owns a 100-acre farm and was "aggressively" approached about selling it for use as an AI data center. She identified herself as a Pasco County citizen and asked for a three- to five-year moratorium, saying she doesn't think residents are "safe with a mere one-year moratorium."

San Antonio resident Cindy Skarda cited a case where a Meta AI data center contaminated wastewater in Wyoming with a rare bacteria and called for a permanent ban on data centers in Pasco.

Jeff Roberts, a retired U.S. Central Command portfolio manager who also worked for NASA, warned commissioners that a global "land rush" for AI-driven hyperscale data centers could take three to five years to shake out.

Double Branch proposal blocked

Planning and economic development director David Engel confirmed the moratorium stops a long-debated data center proposal near Interstate 75 and State Road 52, known as the Double Branch project. "The proposal over at Double Branch is inside this moratorium and cannot proceed," Engel said at the July 17 meeting.

The developer had asked at two previous meetings for an exception for smaller facilities, claiming his project drew 19.9 megawatts. Commissioners responded by tightening the small-facility exemption, capping power draw at 2.5 megawatts instead of the earlier 10-megawatt threshold. They also added e-waste disposal requirements to any future data center agreements.

Chairman Jack Mariano praised staff for moving quickly. "I think what you've isolated is this moratorium is rock solid for us, and we don't have to worry about any data centers for a year," Mariano said.

At least 25 other Florida counties and two cities have considered or enacted similar halts, according to county planning staff member Amanda Hill.

The moratorium's one-year clock runs from the May 27 retroactive date, putting the scheduled expiration at approximately May 27, 2027. Whether commissioners extend the moratorium or pursue a permanent zoning prohibition will be decided after the study period concludes. Residents can track updates through the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners' regular meeting agendas at pascocountyfl.gov.