Pasco Planning Commission recommends 12‑month moratorium on large data‑center applications

The Pasco County Planning Commission on May 27 voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners adopt a 12‑month temporary moratorium on the submission and acceptance of applications for data centers, large‑scale data centers and other large‑load customers in unincorporated Pasco County.

Planning staff presented the proposed ordinance as a pause to allow the county to evaluate land‑use compatibility, electricity demand, potable and wastewater impacts, and environmental concerns before new large‑scale facilities are permitted. "A moratorium preserves the status quo while we research impacts and draft any needed land‑development‑code changes," said Vasilios Vocolis, planning development and economic growth staff member, during the commission meeting.

The presentation cited state law definitions used elsewhere in Florida and explained the county currently lacks a local definition for data centers. Staff described statutory thresholds that some jurisdictions use to distinguish small, local server facilities from large‑load operations and noted the state has used a 50‑megawatt large‑load metric in related language; staff also said utilities and industry conversations suggest operators often treat 20 megawatts as a practical dividing line between lower‑impact and higher‑impact facilities. David Engel, planning and economic development director, told the commission that staff needs time for stakeholder engagement and a technical review before drafting specific performance standards or a local definition.

Residents who came to the hearing urged the commission to act. "Data centers often occupy large tracts of land that could otherwise be used for housing, parks or small businesses," said Ryan Broom, a Pasco County resident, calling for full transparency about environmental impacts and infrastructure costs. Marilyn Hollerin, president of the Pasco chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, urged quantified greenhouse‑gas accounting and said, "Approving one year without a climate impact study is a decision this county would feel for generations."

Other speakers emphasized water and aquifer vulnerability, noise and visual impacts, and uneven local benefits: "These facilities tend to bring profits that flow out of the county while pollution and infrastructure costs stay concentrated in nearby communities," a resident said. Several asked the county to require renewable energy sourcing, to mandate public carbon accounting, or to adopt caps tied to measurable electricity or water use.

One potential developer who addressed the commission described a smaller, 19.9‑megawatt concept for a site in an industrial park and said his design would use substantially less potable water than large hyperscalers. He told commissioners his team expects roughly 30 onsite employees and said the operator could commit to performance measures; staff and the commission noted any such proposal would still require full technical review during site‑plan permitting.

During deliberations commissioners focused on tightening the moratorium's proposed exemption for server rooms that are accessory to another primary use (for example, a school or hospital). Commissioners voted to remove the phrase "located internally to a building" from the draft exemption language to avoid creating opportunities to reclassify large facilities as accessory uses. The commission also directed staff to pursue broad stakeholder outreach, seek technical input from utilities and water managers, and consider performance‑based thresholds (for example, megawatt or water‑use caps) when drafting a recommended ordinance for the Board of County Commissioners.

The commission's motion to recommend a 12‑month temporary moratorium carried by voice vote. The action is a recommendation; the county commission must take final action. Planning staff told the commission the moratorium period would allow the county to gather research and to align any local rules with forthcoming state work on large‑load customers.

Next steps: staff will continue public engagement and technical analysis and return to the planning commission and the Board of County Commissioners with draft land‑development‑code language and recommendations before the moratorium expires.