County votes against allowing data centers in non-city areas - The West Volusia Beacon

County votes against allowing data centers in non-city areas - The West Volusia Beacon

After almost three hours of talk from the public, county planners, lawyers and themselves, the Volusia County Council Aug. 17 unanimously adopted a total ban on the location and development of artificial-intelligence complexes, known as large-scale data centers, within the unincorporated portions of the county. The council’s agenda described the then-pending measure as a moratorium, or timeout for county officials to draft regulations for such n…

Privacy, Growth Concerns Fuel Florida Backlash Against Flock Cameras, Large Data Centers

Two separate debates over technology are drawing growing resistance from Central Florida residents, as officials in Volusia County move toward banning large-scale data centers while Oviedo leaders reconsider the city’s use of Flock automated license plate readers. Although the issues involve very different technologies, both disputes have centered on concerns about how rapidly expanding technology […]

Volusia County, Florida is moving from a six-month data center pause to a permanent code-level ban, using authority the state handed local governments in May 2026 through SB 484

The Direct Message Tension: Volusia can either accept the tax base a hyperscale data center brings or the grid, water, and ratepayer risk it imposes — and county council members are signaling they would rather forfeit the first than absorb the second. Noise: The easy frames are ‘anti-tech NIMBY’ and ‘ratepayers under attack.’ Both skip the specific authority Florida’s SB 484 confirmed for local governments in May 2026 and the legal precedent set…