Escambia County Bans Data Centers

Rick Outzen

1 hour ago

Escambia County Commission

Escambia County Commission Bans Data Centers, Sets Aug. 6 Hearing to Lock It Into Code

Commissioners voted 5-0 Thursday night to declare large-scale data centers off-limits under the county’s current land rules, then scheduled a public hearing to put the prohibition into a formal ordinance.

The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners took a unanimous, two-pronged swing at data centers Thursday night, adopting a resolution that declares the facilities not a permitted use under the county’s Land Development Code, then scheduling an Aug. 6 public hearing at 5:31 p.m. to write that prohibition into a standalone ordinance.

The vote was 5-0.

A Ban, Not a Moratorium

Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger opened by asking whether a moratorium, similar to the one the City of Pensacola recently passed, was still on the table. Commissioner Mike Kohler said he would prefer the county line up with the city and go the moratorium route “so it would look more united.”

Commissioner Lumon May pushed back hard, arguing the resolution already does the job.

“It clearly said that they’re banned. And so I support, uh, what we already have in place. We don’t have to change anything right now.”

County Attorney Alison Rogers explained the legal mechanics: the resolution (Option A) can take effect with Thursday’s vote, while the ordinance (Option B), scheduled for the Aug. 6 hearing, is a “belt and suspenders” step that formalizes the language and leaves room for edits.

Commissioner Steve Stroberger noted the county can’t permanently tie the hands of a future board, calling the resolution an “executive order” that a later commission could theoretically undo. But he backed the current approach anyway, saying the code is clear: if a use isn’t listed as permitted, conditional, or accessory, it’s prohibited.

What’s Protected

The board was careful to spell out what the ban does not touch. Rogers confirmed the prohibition applies only to data centers as a principal use. Server rooms and similar infrastructure tied to hospitals, banks, universities, and the county itself, uses she classified as accessory, remain allowed.

Hospital technology/server rooms
Bank and credit union server rooms (Navy Federal was named specifically)
University server infrastructure (UWF was named specifically)
County government server rooms

May said that distinction mattered to him directly, wanting assurance that online banking and electronic health records wouldn’t be swept up by accident. Rogers also noted the state’s definition of a large-scale data center, 50 megawatts or larger, has already been folded into the county’s approach, though commissioners indicated they want the ordinance to cover facilities of any size, not just the largest ones.

What happens next: The Aug. 6 public hearing at 5:31 p.m. gives commissioners a chance to fine-tune the ordinance language, including a possible carve-out that specifically targets AI-driven data centers rather than smaller commercial operations that already exist in the county.

The board’s vote sends the resolution into immediate effect. The ordinance heads to a public hearing on Aug. 6 at 5:31 p.m., where commissioners can still adjust the language before a final vote.