Politics

Florida Republicans Protest Data Centers Despite Trump Admin Push

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Some Florida Republicans are protesting the promulgation of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers while President Donald Trump advocates a rapid buildout and “one rulebook” to ensure states cannot block their development.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and gubernatorial candidate James Fishback have been looking to safeguard consumers from the potential AI dangers and block data center expansion in their state, respectively, while the Trump administration pushes to accelerate federal permitting for the facilities. Trump posted Monday on Truth Social that he will sign a “one rulebook executive order” later this week to help ensure that America wins the AI race and is not hampered by state actors slowing development.

“An executive order doesn’t/can’t preempt state legislative action. Congress could, theoretically, preempt states through legislation,” DeSantis wrote on X on Monday in response to Trump’s announcement. “The problem is that Congress hasn’t proposed any coherent regulatory scheme but instead just wanted to block states from doing anything for 10 years, which would be an AI amnesty. I doubt Congress has the votes to pass this because it is so unpopular with the public.”

Trump signed an executive order on July 23 to “to facilitate the rapid and efficient buildout of this infrastructure by easing Federal regulatory burdens.” Additionally, the Trump administration encouraged $92 billion in the private sector aimed at AI.

“There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in Al,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS. THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS! AI WILL BE DESTROYED IN ITS INFANCY!”

“Today, I proposed new legislation on artificial intelligence and AI data centers to protect Floridians’ privacy, security, and quality of life,” DeSantis said on Thursday, when he unveiled his Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights proposal.

In DeSantis’ Thursday announcement, he noted his prospective AI plan would protect consumers from data center proliferation through blocking taxpayer subsidies for Big Tech and prohibiting state utilities from charging consumers to back data center development. Meanwhile, Fishback has been campaigning on blocking data centers, promising to stop the construction of “*any data center* that jacks up our electric bills or threatens our water supply.”

Fishback reacted to Trump’s announcement Monday, writing on X that “I respect President Trump, but as Florida Governor, I’ll take a full states-rights view of AI so our state — not the tech bros — decides what gets built on our soil.”

“We will *block* any AI data centers that would drive up our electric bills, and we will push back against any AI scheme that tries to shape the minds of our children. Florida will stand its ground,” Fishback wrote.

In contrast, the Trump-endorsed Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has echoed Trump’s point of vaulting America forward in the AI race.

Fishback claims that AI data centers are driving up energy demand and prices, pointing to Georgia and Tennessee’s rising electricity rates as prime examples. While some forecasts — including from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — project that data center and cryptocurrency demand will push electricity costs higher, a widely cited October study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory argues the opposite, suggesting that regions with heavy data-center activity may actually see lower prices as utilities distribute costs across the facilities.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright previously said that producing more electricity for AI will bring costs down.

Some local communities across America including in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida have been protesting data center promulgation over fears of skyrocketing utility costs and potential environmental damages. Meanwhile, some energy policy experts have warned that America should move forward with AI development while safeguarding consumers.

“These profitable giants can afford it and should pay their own way,” President of Truth in Energy & Climate Frank Lasee previously told the DCNF. “Let’s win the AI race with China — without hiking bills for everyday electricity customers. Antitrust violations should only come into play if Big Tech uses their monopoly status on needed services they provide to gouge their customers or collude with their competitors to limit competition among themselves. A hospital or bank needs their data services, they are served best by a competitive, fair market for those services.”