1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand an immediate moratorium on new data center development in Florida until the public has a full accounting of the water, energy, environmental, and public health costs. Florida is already living with a water crisis. Our aquifers are overstressed by overdevelopment, pollution, saltwater intrusion, and mismanagement. Residents are told to conserve, springs are degraded, wetlands are disappearing, and communities across the state are left wondering how much clean water will remain for future generations. Under these conditions, approving water-hungry data centers is reckless and indefensible. These facilities do not simply appear without consequences. They consume enormous amounts of water for cooling, demand massive amounts of electricity, and place new pressure on already fragile infrastructure. That means greater strain on our aquifer, greater risk of contamination, and higher utility costs pushed onto ordinary people. Floridians should not be forced to accept poisonous water, depleted groundwater, and rising electric bills so that some of the richest corporations in the world can expand their power. Let us be clear: we will not sacrifice what remains of our aquifer for billionaires and their drive toward surveillance capitalism. We will not hand over public resources so private companies can build the physical backbone of systems that profit from data extraction, behavioral tracking, and social control. These projects are often sold as progress, but the benefits are concentrated at the top while the harms are socialized onto working families, local communities, and the environment. A data center moratorium is not extreme. It is the minimum responsible action. No new approvals should be granted until there are independent impact studies, enforceable limits on water consumption, binding guarantees against rate increases, full public transparency, and meaningful community consent. Anything less is a giveaway of essential public resources to private interests. Florida’s water is not expendable. Our aquifer is not a corporate reserve tank. Our electric grid is not a subsidy program for speculative tech infrastructure. Public officials have a duty to protect the people of this state, not to gamble away our clean water and affordable power for the benefit of billionaires. I urge you to enact an immediate statewide and local moratorium on new data center projects until these risks are honestly assessed and the public interest is protected. Florida cannot afford another round of approvals that leave residents paying more while our water grows more scarce and more unsafe. Put people before profit. Protect Florida’s water now.