NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Nassau County commissioners approved a 12-month moratorium Monday night on accepting, reviewing or approving applications tied to data center facilities — giving the county time to study potential impacts before deciding how to handle future projects.
The moratorium covers rezoning requests, site plan applications and other submissions related to data center development.
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What’s driving the pause?
The county says interest in potential data center development has grown in recent years and so have questions from residents about what large-scale projects could mean for Nassau County’s rural character.
Data centers are large buildings filled with servers and computers that store and process information — the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that powers apps, websites, cloud storage, banking, health records and more.
Residents who spoke before Monday’s vote urged commissioners to keep data centers out of Nassau County and leave rural areas undisturbed.
During the moratorium, officials will study whether changes are needed to the county’s comprehensive plan, land development code and/or county ordinances.
Fact-finding committee takes shape
Alongside the moratorium, Nassau County has set up a Fact-Finding Committee on Data Center Development. The goal, according to the county, is straightforward: gather facts, hear from experts and take public comment before commissioners decide what local rules should look like.
The committee is scheduled to run a series of publicly noticed workshops where experts present information and residents can weigh in.
Topics expected to be covered include:
- Environmental and conservation impacts
- Water supply and water use
- Power demand and electric generation
- Land use and community planning
- Roads and other infrastructure capacity
- Economic impacts and local tax questions
- How state law affects what the county can regulate
The committee is not a decision-making board. Instead, the expected outcome is a memo or report summarizing expert testimony, public comment and policy options for commissioners.
After the committee’s report is submitted and the committee sunsets, the Board of County Commissioners could choose to take additional steps — including more workshops, more research or directing staff to draft proposed rules.
What Florida law says
Nassau County is also navigating a new state law on the issue. Florida Senate Bill 484 (Chapter 2026-65), approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 7 and set to take effect July 1, confirms local governments can adopt reasonable regulations to reduce negative impacts — but they cannot ban data centers outright.
The law also spells out rules for how large power users like data centers are billed for electricity and creates a separate water-permit process that could require some reclaimed water use.
Upcoming fact-finding workshops
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026 — 5 p.m.— West Nassau High School Cafetorium, Callahan
- Thursday, June 18, 2026 — 9 a.m. — BOCC Commission Chambers, Yulee
- Monday, June 29, 2026 — 5 p.m. — BOCC Commission Chambers, Yulee
- Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — 5 p.m. — BOCC Commission Chambers, Yulee