By Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
AI data centers will be required to pay for their own utilities and not shift the costs to customers now that SB 484 is law.
Appearing Thursday in Lakeland with Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly, Gov. Ron DeSantis thanked the Legislature for passing the bill, even though it was less expansive than what the governor advocated.
“Thanks to the folks in the Legislature for passing this. I think it’s good. I think it’ll make a difference. And I know a lot of people in Florida can breathe a sigh of relief, given what they’ve seen happen in other parts of the country.”
SB 484 does not ban artificial intelligence companies from signing secret nondisclosure agreements with state agencies. The law allows data centers that plan to expand or move in Florida to keep their intentions quiet for a year.
That is contrary to what DeSantis pushed for. The governor championed strict regulations to increase transparency and prevent these companies from taking over Florida’s financial and environmental resources.
And while the Senate was willing to deliver to the governor the bill he coveted, the House was not.
The new law requires the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to study construction and operation of data centers and submit its findings to the governor, Senate president, and House speaker by July 1, 2027.
The law puts an onus on the Florida’s Public Service Commission to ensure that data centers pay for their own utilities, and that those costs aren’t shifted to consumers. The law also continues to allow local governments to regulate land development with respect to data centers.
SB 484 appeared as though it, like so many other bills, would fall victim to what one seasoned Senate Republican described as potentially one of the worst sessions he’s experienced.
But the Senate agreed in the 11th hour of the 2026 session to approve SB 484, rewritten by the House following conversations between the pro-AI White House and state House members, Florida Politics reported.
President Donald Trump, like most Republicans, has embraced expansion of artificial intelligence. The Department of Defense used AI to both capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and to carry out strikes in Iran.
DeSantis, however, is wary of AI and has pushed for strict regulations, making him a standout among the GOP.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Banner photo: A Google data center (chaddavis.photography, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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