St. Johns County Officially Enacts One-Year Data Center Moratorium

St. Johns County commissioners unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new medium and large-scale data centers Nov. 3, formalizing a pause first proposed by Commissioner Ann Taylor in June.

The ordinance takes effect Nov. 15 and remains in place through Nov. 15, 2027. It temporarily suspends applications for new data center projects while county staff develops recommendations on land-use rules, including site location, compatibility and the utility and infrastructure demands of such projects.

Deputy County Attorney Kealey West said staff will work with utility providers, the St. Johns River Water Management District and other stakeholders during the pause. The county also expects to consider a state study, required by the Legislature, that is due in July 2027.

The moratorium is a planning measure rather than a response to a pending proposal. Commissioners previously said no major data centers are operating in St. Johns County and no applications for one have been submitted.

Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said he had not heard of any active data-center prospect in the county and had been told by Florida Power & Light that St. Johns County was unlikely to be a candidate for a large facility over the next 20 years.

He voted for the moratorium, but not before taking a shot at some data center opponents he said were being being hypocrites.

"To post AI-generated memes and images while arguing against data centers is the height of hypocrisy," Whitehurst said. "You are generating more need for data by doing that."

The board’s 5-0 vote gives staff a year to examine potential rules for facilities that can carry substantial electricity, water, noise, traffic and emergency-management implications. County officials had emphasized during earlier discussions that state law limits the county’s ability to permanently prohibit data centers outright, making a temporary planning moratorium the available route for studying and regulating the use.

The action places St. Johns County among a growing number of counties statewide that have enacted temporary pauses, including Nassau and Clay counties in Northeast Florida.