Pasco County’s Planning Commission has moved forward with a temporary hold on data centers – for now. 

The decision came after over three hours of public comment. 

The Planning Commission passed a temporary, yearlong moratorium on applications for data center facilities in unincorporated Pasco County.

Just last week, the Pasco County city of Zephyrhills moved forward with a similar moratorium. 

The proposal moratorium faced plenty of support during public comment, with some even calling for a permanent ban. 

Cyndi Skarda is a Pasco County Resident. 

“We are built on limestone – very porous. Our aquifer is already under massive stress because of our population growth.” Skarda said during public comment.

Marilyn Holloren is the president of the Pasco chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida.  

“Pasco County is on the frontline of climate change. Rising seas, record heat, worsening storms. And hyperscale data centers are among the largest single source of new carbon emissions.” Holloren said.

An analysis from Axios showed that Pasco is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state in recent years, benefiting from migration into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the centers are “resource ravenous”, and a mid-sized data center consumes as much water as a small town. 

The moratorium still needs approval by the board of county commissioners.

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