Sarasota joins at least 15 Florida counties pursuing moratoriums.
By Noah Lechtenstein
Original Air Date: July 8, 2026
Host: On Wednesday, Sarasota joined the fast-growing ranks of Florida counties slamming the brakes on data centers. To be sure, the county does not have a lot of open space left, and there are no applications by data center developers. But there has been one inquiry. Noah Lechtenstein reports.
MIchelle Norton | Photo: N Lechtenstein
Noah Lechtenstein: At the July 8 meeting in the County Administration Center in Venice, the Sarasota County commission chambers were filled to the brim with residents eager to have their voices heard.
The agenda item that drew many was an update on large-scale data centers.
Before the presentation by a county planner and discussion by commissioners, Sarasota residents took to the podium to express their concern with data centers.
Noise pollution, water use and energy use were among the most cited issues among the public speakers.
I got to speak with Aimee Villella McBride, a Sarasota County resident who has major concerns.
Aimee Villella McBride: There are families who literally have to put mattresses up against their wall in order to sleep at night because of the sound—the tonal noise—the light. Everything’s so disruptive. There’s a lot of terrible impact for the surrounding areas.
NL: So far, there has only been one inquiry in Sarasota County by a data center developer.
Michelle Norton, assistant director of planning and zoning, gave an overview of the impact of data centers.
Michelle Norton: For perspective, a 50-megawatt data center can consume the power equivalent to roughly 35,000 to 50,000 homes. A 500-megawatt AI campus may approach the demands of a medium-sized city.
NL: Energy and water use are big drivers of the opposition to data centers. Norton explained how their water consumption could range anywhere from 1 million to 1.5 million gallons per day. They are allowed to use up to 4 million gallons of water per day at full capacity.
Staff report: “Many zoning codes struggle with the Industrial vs Office character and classification.…That policy conversation is now unfolding nationwide because the scale, utility demand, and land consumption are unlike traditional commercial development.”
Norton said the county’s zoning ordinances do not take into account the new generation of data centers, classifying them as “office use.”
The intent behind Norton’s presentation was to seek guidance from the county commissioners, and clear guidance they gave.
Before the item was even presented, Commissioner Ron Cutsinger set the tone, apparently suggesting the issue was a no-brainer.
Ron Cutsinger: Do we have to go to number 6?
NL: All his four colleagues seemed to agree.
At least 15 Florida counties have already proposed or passed moratoriums, permanent bans or rejected projects.
Commissioner Joe Neunder was first to comment after the presentation.
Joe Neunder: The large consumption of water—up to 5,000,000 gallons a day plus—is a huge red flag. The large consumption of electricity and the draining of our power grid is another huge red flag. Not to mention the possibility of negative impacts to our very delicate ecosystem and environment. I don’t really think this is overly complicated in my mind. Again, in one guy’s opinion, we need to do something along the lines of a moratorium.
NL: Commissioner Teresa Mast added this:
Teresa Mast: For me, there needs to be no applications accepted at all.
NL: The commissioners voted unanimously to consider a 12-month freeze on any data center applications. The final vote is expected in August or September.
Commissioners Cutsinger and Neunder. | Photo: N Lechtenstein
Last month, neighboring DeSoto County agreed to move forward with a moratorium proposal. That moratorium, however, would not apply to an application that could create Earth’s biggest data center near Arcadia, 40 miles from Sarasota. This week, Palm Beach County followed suit with a year-long moratorium on data centers.
Villella McBride, the Sarasota resident, said she was happy with the commissioners’ vote and that other counties in Florida are doing the right thing by moving forward towards moratoriums.
AVM: We’re in a major drought, so for us to move ahead with this would have been disastrous.
NL: Stormwater management followed data centers on the agenda. The commissioners approved a $15 million dredging project at the Hudson Bayou, near downtown Sarasota.
Commissioner Mark Smith relayed anxiety by Hudson Bayou residents about the long wait. Under the current timeline, dredging will not begin until 2029.
Smith asked stormwater director Ben Quartermaine if the process could be quickened.
Quartermaine responded that they’ll work with the engineering firm to see if some things can be done at the same time or be condensed.
Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Lechtenstein.
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