U.S. Senate · Florida
Side-by-side comparison of candidate stances on AI hyperscale data center moratoriums, electricity rate hikes, water depletion, and Super PAC funding.
Candidate Position
- Incumbent U.S. Senator cosponsoring federal ratepayer-protection legislation to stop hyperscale data centers from passing massive energy transmission and grid upgrade costs onto residential households (Moody Senate Press Release).
- Opposes a blanket state ban or corporate tax subsidies, advocating strict local community veto power: “It needs to be up to the people of a community or a state to decide what works best for them” (WPTV), insisting developers prove facilities will not deplete the Floridan Aquifer (Florida Politics).
- Declares that “if billion-dollar tech companies want to build a massive data center, Floridians should not be left to foot the bill” (Florida Politics).
- Supported by $3.2M in independent expenditure advertising from Public First Action; congressional financial disclosures show no individual data-center or tech stock holdings. Focuses AI policy on consumer fraud, senior voice-cloning scams, and cybercrime enforcement.
Sources & Verified Statements
“If billion-dollar tech companies want to build a massive data center, Floridians should not be left to foot the bill.”
“It needs to be up to the people of a community or a state to decide what works best for them, what they want for their state.”
“Come and make the case to us. Tell us why this is a good idea. And they can decide whether it works for them.”
Candidate Position
- Running on a statewide data center moratorium, pledging to co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders’ federal data center moratorium bill (S.4214) (Florida Politics).
- Demands an end to municipal tax abatements, arguing hyperscale server farms consume millions of gallons daily from the Floridan Aquifer and destabilize hurricane-prone grids while delivering negligible local jobs.
- Famously declared in an interview: “I think there needs to be a moratorium until more research is done. Or if people want to build a data center, they should put it on Mar-a-Lago” (Newsweek).
- Proposes an “Alaska-style” community dividend funded by existing data centers to reimburse residents facing higher electric bills (Newsweek); subject of a conservative watchdog ethics complaint regarding disclosure of personal debts (Florida Politics).
Sources & Verified Statements
“I think there needs to be a moratorium until more research is done. Or if people want to build a data center, they should put it on Mar-a-Lago.”
“Do we do what they do in Alaska, which is like, they give dividends to people who are impacted by the pipeline? Do we do the same thing for the now existing AI data centers?”