Clay County holds first hearing on proposed data‑center moratorium as residents raise water and power concerns

Clay County commissioners on June 9 opened the first of two public hearings on a proposed temporary moratorium on land‑use amendments for data‑center facilities in unincorporated county areas. The moratorium — presented by county planning staff — would pause acceptance, review or approval of comp‑plan amendments related to data centers while staff studies environmental, infrastructure and code implications and returns recommendations.

The hearing drew more than two hours of public comment. “Data centers are coming,” Bruce Jackson told the board, urging a careful review of cooling and power needs and arguing modern facilities use closed‑loop cooling that is more efficient than older systems. “They use closed‑loop cooling and that is tremendously more efficient,” Jackson said.

Opponents stressed local water supplies and environmental risk. Bruce Reynolds, a retired environmental protection specialist, told commissioners that Clay County currently uses about 30 million gallons of water per day and that larger AI training hubs can consume millions of gallons daily. “Private wells can dry up or the aquifer can drop enough that sediments can enter drinking‑water supplies,” Reynolds said, urging a moratorium. Multiple speakers cited recent local drought conditions and said the county’s aquifer and wetlands are at risk.

Speakers also raised concerns about electric‑grid strain, emergency backup generators, noise and the long‑term economic tradeoffs of permitting large industrial footprints in rural areas. “I think we really should be thinking critically about draining our natural world to create this artificial stuff online,” said Will Williams, a resident who asked commissioners to consider a multi‑year pause.

Other commenters urged study rather than an outright ban. Marsha Garcia, speaking in favor of a measured approach, asked the board to permit applications during the study to allow staff to assess real proposals and engineering plans. “If we have applications, we can talk to those engineers,” Garcia said, adding that recent state law intends local governments to retain zoning authority.

Commissioners framed the item as a pause for study. Planning staff said this was the first of two hearings and that no vote was required on June 9; the second hearing is scheduled for June 23, when the board may adopt or amend the temporary moratorium ordinance. Several commissioners said the point of the moratorium is to fill gaps in the county’s land‑development code and to give staff time to propose enforceable standards covering groundwater withdrawals, noise, emergency‑power emissions and financial assurances.

Commissioner comments echoed the public split. One commissioner said Florida has examples where communities later regretted early approvals; another noted that some modern data centers have taken steps to reduce water use and to fund required utility upgrades. Several commissioners asked staff to coordinate with neighboring counties and regional agencies.

The board did not vote on the moratorium on June 9. Staff and commissioners indicated they will use the intervening weeks to examine technical reports, stakeholder input and state guidance and to return proposed ordinance language and possible thresholds or prohibitions. The meeting record shows the item will return on June 23 for potential adoption or modification.

If adopted, the moratorium would be temporary and intended to give staff time to draft land‑development code changes and comp‑plan text that could include limits on groundwater withdrawal, requirements for closed‑loop cooling or alternative siting standards; staff told the board it would return with specific regulatory options.