Fans that are part of a cooling system are seen on the roof of a data center April 27, 2026, in Hillsboro, Oregon. | Jenny Kane, AP
Published on November 3, 2026 at 3:07 pm
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Large-scale data centers are not welcome in St. Johns County, at least not until next year.
The county’s elected officials on Tuesday approved a one-year moratorium that will expire Oct. 31, 2027.
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During that year, the county will look into the potential effects that data centers could have on St. Johns County’s utilities and infrastructure.
Polls have shown bipartisan opposition to data centers. St. Johns joins a growing number of municipal governments across the state blocking the development of the facilities, which power technology like generative artificial intelligence used by the likes of ChatGPT.
Nassau County approved a moratorium in the summer, as did Clay County. Other counties that have passed bans include Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties.
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No legislation has been filed to ban data centers in Jacksonville, but several City Council members have floated the idea.
Data center denial
St. Johns County commissioners are concerned about the effect of large-scale data centers on the area’s water and electricity. Data centers use both to fuel technology like cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Some on the County Commission have expressed concern about whether the power grid could withstand such a development.
County Commissioner Ann Taylor first brought the proposal to the board in June. At the time, she urged St. Johns County to take up the issue as quickly as possible.
“By doing nothing, St. Johns County has a massive target on our back,” she said in June. “If our neighboring counties shut their doors to AI data centers, we become the path of least resistance, and we are turning ourselves into sitting ducks to the exact projects our neighbors were smart enough to reject.”
County commissioners approved the measure unanimously.
County Commissioner Christian Whitehurst was originally skeptical of the need for the moratorium, but he wound up supporting it. He said St. Johns County is unlikely to be targeted for data center development, and he also encouraged people to be aware of how their own activity may influence the demand for such facilities.
“As we all know, the power on whether or not data centers are even necessary, more data centers, bigger data centers, lies with we the people,” Whitehurst said. “To post AI-generated memes opposing data centers is the height of hypocrisy. You are generating more need for data by doing that.”
The data center ban goes into effect immediately.
