County leaders are advancing a permanent, county-wide ban on large-scale data centers in unincorporated Volusia County, opting for the most restrictive regulatory route available rather than a temporary pause while the issues get sorted out.
At an Aug. 17 meeting, officials chose to pursue an outright ban instead of a moratorium, and the county has already stopped accepting new applications for such facilities in unincorporated areas while the ordinance works its way through the approval process.
County Councilman Matt Reinhart, who has been vocal in support of the measure, acknowledged the facilities are in demand nationally but argued Volusia shouldn’t be the one hosting them. “Nobody sees that we need this here in Volusia County,” Reinhart said. “They see the need. But they don’t see it here in Volusia County.” He noted three or four other counties have already enacted similar bans, suggesting the policy reflects a broader NIMBY trend spreading among Florida localities rather than a Volusia-specific problem.
The process ahead is notably not fast-tracked: county staff must still draft the actual ordinance, which then goes before the Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission before the County Council holds two separate public hearings. No dates have been set, leaving the fate of any data center project in the county in limbo for the foreseeable future — a regulatory uncertainty that itself may be enough to send investment and the jobs that come with it elsewhere before a single hearing is even held.
County officials cited concerns over electricity and water use, noise, infrastructure strain, cooling systems and backup generators. Dan Myers, a computer science professor at Rollins College, confirmed electricity demand is the most significant factor, though he noted the actual impact varies considerably depending on the local power source — a detail that suggests a blanket ban may be a blunt instrument for what could be a more targeted, site-specific concern. Myers also noted the current data center boom represents the largest infrastructure build-out since the 1990s, meaning communities that opt out now may be forgoing a wave of investment and tax revenue other jurisdictions are moving quickly to capture.
The ban would apply only to unincorporated parts of the county; cities and towns within Volusia would retain their own authority to approve or reject such projects, meaning the practical effect may simply push development — and its associated tax base — into neighboring municipalities rather than eliminating it from the region entirely.
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