FRANCESCA YABRAIAN WROTE THE FULL AI DATA CENTER BAN—NOW ESCAMBIA COUNTY NEEDS TO GROW A SPINE

Wakulla County commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with a full data-center ban.

Escambia County should do the same.

Instead, Escambia County’s current proposal bans only “large-scale data centers” beginning at 50 megawatts. That leaves an obvious loophole for a commercial facility using 10, 20, 40, or even 49 megawatts.

That is not a full ban.

That is a loophole written into the ordinance.

I Did Not Sit Around Waiting for County Staff

Time is short, and residents cannot afford to wait while Big Tech looks for ways into our community.

So I wrote my own comprehensive Escambia County AI Data Center Ban Ordinance and submitted it to the County Attorney and commissioners.

My ordinance does what residents actually demanded: it bans both hyperscale and non-hyperscale commercial data centers.

It closes the 50-megawatt loophole.

It prevents developers from splitting one project among multiple buildings, parcels, phases, utility accounts, or affiliated companies.

It stops developers from rebranding data centers as:

• AI campuses;

• Technology parks;

• Cloud-computing facilities;

• Digital-infrastructure projects;

• Research centers;

• GPU facilities; or

• High-performance-computing centers.

It protects ordinary technology used by hospitals, schools, police departments, fire departments, government offices, farms, small businesses, and residents.

It also protects our water, private wells, electrical grid, ratepayers, taxpayers, emergency responders, fishing communities, oyster resources, waterways, beaches, neighborhoods, and public infrastructure.

A 49-Megawatt Data Center Is Still a Data Center

One megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts.

A 49-megawatt facility represents 49,000 kilowatts of potential electrical demand.

That is not a small server room.

That is not ordinary hospital or school technology.

That is a massive commercial computing operation.

The threat does not suddenly begin when a facility moves from 49 megawatts to 50 megawatts.

If the County truly believes data centers threaten our water, power, infrastructure, and communities, then it must ban the land use—not merely one size category.

Wakulla County Took a Stand

Wakulla County listened to its residents and moved toward a full ban after concerns were raised about water consumption, noise, waterways, fisheries, and oyster farms.

Their commissioners voted unanimously.

They did not hide behind a 50-megawatt threshold.

They acted.

Escambia County now has a choice.

It can adopt a weak ordinance that Big Tech can design around, or it can adopt a real ban that protects residents.

Escambia County Needs to Grow a Spine

Residents have already done the work.

We spoke at meetings.

We organized.

We canvassed.

We warned officials about water, electricity, infrastructure, surveillance, noise, emergency response, and public costs.

Now I have written and submitted the stronger ordinance myself.

There is no excuse left.

Escambia County needs to grow a spine, close the 50-megawatt loophole, and ban all hyperscale and non-hyperscale AI data centers.

No deals.

No loopholes.

No 49-megawatt escape.

No project splitting.

No rebranding.

No Big Tech carve-outs.

Wakulla County took a stand.

Escambia County must do the same.

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