Manatee County has paused a type of project no one is currently trying to build there.
County commissioners voted Thursday unanimously to impose a 12-month moratorium on new data center-related development applications in unincorporated Manatee County. The pause covers building permits, site plans, development orders, development agreements, special permit uses, rezonings and Comprehensive Plan amendments tied to data centers and other large-load facilities. State law generally defines a large-scale data center as one with a peak electrical load of at least 50 megawatts.
County officials say they need time to decide how such facilities fit into the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code, which don’t currently define data centers as a land use. Commissioners plan to study the effects on energy, water, infrastructure, and neighborhoods. The moratorium isn’t a permanent ban, but the board can extend it if it decides it needs more time.
No data center projects are currently planned in the county. A data center component of the Bradenton Crossings development, submitted in October 2025, was withdrawn July 16. Commissioners first directed staff to draft the moratorium on July 28, and the Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0 in September.
Manatee is following its neighbors. Sarasota and Pasco counties have imposed 12-month pauses, North Port has approved an 18-month moratorium, and Lakeland and Hernando County have also acted.
Residents have pressed for action. Local resident Martin Hyde said data centers belong on uninhabited land, not near homes.
Water, power, and neighborhood impact are fair questions for any large facility. But for landowners and businesses weighing investments in Manatee, the county has now closed the door for a year, with no project on the table and no firm end date. The county has said it wants to understand where data centers fit. A temporary pause shouldn’t quietly become a permanent ban.
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