Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly blasted his GOP opponent, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, over his support for data centers Monday at an Orlando news conference, highlighting the stark disagreements the two have on what is becoming one of the defining issues of the governor’s race.
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Jolly, speaking near Camping World Stadium, reiterated his promise to enact a one-year moratorium on hyper-scale data centers on his first day in office and criticized Donalds, who he said has repeatedly changed his stance on the issue and took donations from groups that encourage their development.
“Byron has basically become a vessel for every special interest that’s controlled this state, ” Jolly said. “Can we trust someone who has changed his position two or three times and is funded with over $10 million of data center money? I don’t think we can.”
Donalds, who has offered some conditional support for data centers, which are used as massive hubs of network infrastructure, has criticized the one-year moratorium on the large-scale facilities the state of New York issued in July.
“But you also have to understand that when you start doing stuff like what New York just did, that’s a signal to the business community that this is not a place to invest capital,” he said. “This is not a place to invest in businesses, and so we have to be balanced and be mindful about that.”
The tech industry and data center developers have been a major supporter of Donalds — with $6 million in direct donations and advertising support from donors such as utilities like Next Era and Duke Energy, as well as firms like Google and Meta, according to the state government watchdog website Seeking Rents.
Jolly and Florida Democrats quickly used the issue as they work to win the governor’s mansion for the first time in 30 years, dubbing the the GOP congressman as “Data Center Donalds.”
Jolly said he had called the news conference on the state’s first day of early voting to highlight the differences between him and Donalds on an issue he said is important to voters — and could help him secure the votes of disaffected Republicans and allow him to overcome the GOP’s voter registration advantage in the state.
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“Voters are frustrated. They’re concerned about the economy. They’re concerned in the story of data centers that politicians just aren’t listening to them,” Jolly said. “So I think the lesson in this cycle is you don’t have to be a Democrat to vote for a Democrat.”
Jolly spoke at the news conference alongside former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, who represented Florida in the U.S. Senate for 18 years. Nelson also spoke out against the facilities.
Polls show voters dislike large-scale data centers.
A July University of North Florida poll found 68% of Florida voters disapprove of data centers being built in their area, including 84% of Democrats surveyed and 52% of Republicans. 76% of voters with no party affiliation also don’t support them.
Jolly said he’s toured communities with data centers in other states and has become concerned by their potential impacts on public health.
“After visiting Data Center Alley in Northern Virginia, I left having met with families where young kids have been treated for respiratory conditions, adults were complaining of hearing loss,” he said. “…We’ve seen the destabilization of communities, the devaluation of real estate, the extraction of traditional commerce.”
Jolly held the news conference just hours before his scheduled 6 p.m. rally in Eatonville.
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