Does Byron Donalds support data centers? Why they're controversial

• Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds was elected as Florida's first Black governor.
• Byron Donalds supports data centers but wants developers, not residents, to cover the utility costs.
• Data centers, which house technology for services like AI and cloud computing, are controversial due to their high energy and water consumption.

History was made last night, when Florida voters elected the state's first Black governor, Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, by a margin of less than 2 percentage points.

"Gov. DeSantis has done a great job leading Florida these last eight years," Donalds said during his victory speech. "We are going to make sure that Florida remains the very best state in all of America."

But for many Donalds critics, data centers are top of mind after his win. Within the hour that reports of Donalds' projected win released, "what are data centers?" and "why are data centers controversial?" became breakout trending searches on Google in Florida.

After all, Florida is one of the Top 10 states for data centers, with more than 110 in the state. But what are data centers, exactly? What do they do? And if the tech companies that use them aren't covering the energy costs, who does?

Here's what data centers are, why they're controversial and Florida governor-elect Byron Donalds' stance on them.

Who won Florida governor?

Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won the race for Florida governor against Democratic candidate David Jolly, and is officially the first Black governor in Sunshine State history.

Does Byron Donalds support data centers?

Yes, Florida governor-elect Byron Donalds does support data centers, but not in the way they currently impact the communities they're built in. Donalds argues that instead of a total ban on data center development, local governments and municipalities should have the final authority to approve or deny data centers in their communities and encourages ratepayer protections.

As a congressman, Donalds introduced a "Protecting Ratepayers Act" that aims to place the energy and water usage costs of data centers on private developers and protect households near data centers from rising utility costs.

The legislation "requires all new and existing data centers to generate and use their own power and water," Donalds said.

"The next wave of technology and innovation shouldn’t come at the expense of hardworking Americans. Our outdated energy grid is already in desperate need of modernization and is not prepared to take on the power demands of data centers without impacting the wallets of our citizens," Donalds said when he introduced the bill in July.

Why are data centers controversial? What does a data center do?

Data centers are large physical sites that house the technology needed to support digital infrastructures like generative AI and "the cloud."

"Previously, these types of computing resources were dispersed across businesses, which was far less efficient and secure," the Data Center Coalition website says.

"In 2010, nearly 80 percent of data center computing was done in smaller traditional computer centers, largely owned and operated by non-technology companies. By 2018, approximately 89 percent of data center computing took place in larger cloud data centers."

Simply put, anything that takes place online "in the cloud" or is created with generative AI is powered by a physical data center.

The environmental repercussions caused by data centers are the biggest sticking point for those who oppose them, with rising opposition to the resource-guzzling centers emerging among voters and some lawmakers.

"Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people," according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. "With larger and new AI-focused data centers, water consumption is increasing alongside energy usage and carbon emissions."

What happens when a data center is built near you?

The main way data centers affect the communities they're in or near is by driving up utility costs for residents through water and energy use and putting more strain on the power grid.

"When data centers are built, they raise utility rates for nearby communities," according to a study from the University of Michigan. "As demand surges, utility companies often pass the costs of infrastructure upgrades and increased energy procurement onto residents and small businesses through higher rates."

Here are seven ways data centers affect communities in the U.S., from the World Resources Institute:

• Soaring energy demand, higher utility bills: "As technology advances and computing demand grows, data centers are becoming increasingly energy hungry. A single modern AI data center can use as much power as 100,000 homes; many of the larger ones now being built are expected to consume up to 20 times that amount."
• Local water supply impacts: "Recent estimates project that by 2028, AI-related data centers in the U.S. could require up to 32 billion gallons of water annually. This is enough to support roughly 360,000 households’ indoor water use."
• Air pollution and climate impacts: "Data centers need a constant and reliable power supply. Many facilities rely on gas-fired generation for routine operations alongside diesel generators for emergency backup. Both come with climate and health risks."
• Noise pollution: "Data center construction, rooftop cooling systems and backup generators can be disruptively noisy. Smaller diesel generators reportedly reach 85 decibels, levels that can harm hearing. Larger industrial units can approach 100 decibels — equivalent to a motorcycle or jackhammer."
• Competition for land use: "Massive data centers are reshaping how land is used in many communities. In 2024, the average data center site covered about 224 acres or 0.35 square miles — roughly the size of 450 football fields."
• Pressure on marginalized communities: "(Many data centers) are in census tracts with above-median environmental burdens, such as air pollution, park access and water pollution, as measured by the Center for Disease Control’s environmental justice index. Many were located in areas with social vulnerability indicators, such as poverty and lower education levels."
• Limited job opportunities: "Data center development can create real economic opportunities ... Yet these positions are fairly limited. A review of more than 1,200 U.S. data centers found that even the largest employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, and sometimes as few as 25."

Who owns the most data centers?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) owns the most data centers in the U.S., according to ABI Research, a tech intelligence and advisory firm based in New York. According to ABI, Meta comes in second place.

"dcmap.us has 307 US data center facilities and projects associated with Amazon: 130 operational, 44 under construction, and 127 planned, plus 2 paused and 4 inactive or historical," the US Data Center Map website says.

How many data centers are in Florida?

According to the World Resources Institute, Virginia is the state that houses the most data centers. In January, the World Resources Institute reported 566 data centers in Virginia. As of November 2026, Data Center Map, an online data center tracker, shows 708 data centers in Virginia.

In the World Resources Institute's January report, Florida had the tenth-most data centers in the U.S., with 107. As of November 2026, Data Center Map shows 112 data centers in the Sunshine State.

If you want to see where Florida's data centers are located, you can use the interactive map on the Data Center Map website.

Lianna Norman is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.