Data Centers in Orange County: What Is Next?

Written by Kevin Seraaj

Orange County commissioners are scheduled to discuss whether to pause applications for large artificial-intelligence data centers. The immediate decision may be procedural. The larger issue is not: What will a developer have to prove before the county commits land, water, power infrastructure and public resources to a project of that scale?

by Kevin Seraaj, OrlandoAdvocate.com

Commissioner Kelly Semrad requested the Sept. 15 discussion, listed as Item 26-1106 on the county’s public agenda. The item was scheduled as a discussion, not a final vote. That means commissioners could direct staff to study the issue, seek legal advice or schedule a future hearing. County agenda record

If Orange County later considers a pause, residents will need to know which projects the pause covers, where it applies, when it takes effect and whether it affects applications already in progress.

A proposal before applications arrive

Semrad told the Orlando Weekly she supports a pause of at least a year for large facilities built to support AI, giving county staff time to study their potential effects. She said, to her knowledge, Orange County did not have data-center applications in the pipeline and that the county’s land-use rules do not explicitly address facilities of this scale. Orlando Weekly reporting

That timing is significant. Orange County may have an opportunity to create and put some rules in place before an applicant asks for an exception, a rezoning or a major infrastructure commitment.

The challenge currently facing the county is not simply whether it favors or opposes data centers. It is whether its existing land-use rules can distinguish a conventional data-processing operation from a large facility with substantial electrical demand, possible water use, round-the-clock equipment noise and major transmission or substation needs.

Semrad’s proposal is about large AI-oriented facilities, so not every building that stores or processes data would be covered. That distinction should remain central if the county moves toward a formal ordinance.

The questions developers should answer

Florida’s data-center policy debate has increasingly focused on whether the facilities’ infrastructure costs could be shifted to existing utility customers. The Orlando Weekly reported that the state’s new data-center law includes utility-related guardrails and has been interpreted by some local officials as preserving local authority over land-use regulation. Enrolled legislation

But statewide rules are not a substitute for local disclosure. Before Orange County approves a major facility, commissioners and residents should be able to see clear answers to basic questions:

How much electricity will the project require at buildout, and what new substations, transmission lines or other infrastructure will be needed?
Who will pay for that infrastructure, and what protections will prevent costs from reaching ordinary utility customers?
Will the facility use water for cooling, and if so, how much will it use in normal and peak conditions; and what happens during drought restrictions or when water supply runs short?
What noise limits will apply at nearby homes, what hours will testing be permitted, and who will enforce violations?
Apart from temporary construction work, how many permanent jobs will the project create?
What public commitments will be placed in a development agreement, permit condition or other enforceable document?

Those are not anti-development questions. They are the minimum questions a county should resolve before approving a project that could operate continuously and require significant public infrastructure.

Eatonville’s warning

Eatonville’s dispute with HostDime offers a more limited but useful lesson: a large investment announcement is not the same as a completed and accountable project. Let’s back up.

Wikipedia notes that HostDime operates one of the largest networks in the Central Florida region. In 2020, HostDime broke ground on the $35 million data center and corporate headquarters outside of the Orlando metro area. In 2016, HostDime purchased a 5-acre land parcel fronting I-4 in the Town of Eatonville, combining its headquarters and data center in one structure.

The project was originally pitched as an economic anchor with promises of free town Wi‑Fi, up to 200 jobs, and a $1M scholarship fund. But as of mid‑2026, the project is now five years behind schedule. HostDime CEO Manny Vivar has blamed the COVID‑19 pandemic and the demolition of the nearby Hungerford School Site as key causes. What he has not been able to do is provide a projected date for securing a Certificate of Occupancy– which he must have before the facility can open.

Central Florida Public Media reported Sept. 2 that Eatonville leaders postponed a vote on increasing the $250 per day fines being levied against HostDime. Those penalties had reached $99,250 as of Sept. 1.

HostDime CEO Manny Vivar said the company understood residents’ frustration and was working to complete the project. Mayor Ruthi Critton said concerns about noise, water and flooding had been addressed, while some infrastructure issues remained unresolved.

The dispute does not establish the data center’s current opening status, whether the fines were collected or whether Orange County could regulate the Eatonville project. It does show why local governments should tie development promises to specific deadlines, measurable conditions and meaningful enforcement tools. Without them, a project can be announced with a lot of fan fair and an impressive investment figure and still leave a community waiting for promised improvements, answers or compliance.

What Orange County needs next

Other Florida counties are also considering or using temporary pauses while they study data-center rules. Marion County, for example, advertised a hearing on a proposed moratorium affecting specified data-center-related applications in unincorporated areas. A public notice does not mean an ordinance has been adopted, but it reflects a wider effort by local governments to establish rules before development accelerates.

Orange County’s discussion should produce more than a broad statement of concern. Whether commissioners choose a temporary pause, new zoning standards or neither, residents should be able to identify:

The agency responsible for review.
The information a developer must disclose.
The enforceable conditions attached to approval.
The consequences if a developer misses a commitment.

That is the practical test for Orange County’s next step. The county does not need to decide every future data-center proposal on Sept. 15. It does need to decide whether developers will face clear, public and enforceable standards before the first major application arrives.

Kevin Seraaj, J.D., M.Div., is a 1975 graduate of Northwestern University School of Law. His considerable civic engagement includes 8 years on the Orange County Planning & Zoning Commission, and years of experience in writing, negotiating, managing and administering complex Department of Defense contract agreements dating back to 1979.

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