Pensacola Councilman Drafting Ordinance to Prohibit Data Centers in City Limits

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Pensacola City Councilman Charles Bare says he's working on an ordinance that would prohibit data centers from being built inside city limits — and plans to bring it to council for consideration in July.

Bare announced the effort Monday at the city's agenda conference, pointing to Walton County as the model. The Walton County Commission recently passed an ordinance banning data center construction within its boundaries, and Bare says he wants Pensacola to follow suit.

The move comes after weeks of sustained public opposition to a proposed AI data center that has been floated for Escambia County. Residents have packed public forums at both city and county meetings to raise concerns about water consumption, aquifer impacts, and what they see as a lack of transparency from Florida West, the county's economic development organization. Mayor Reeves has already stated publicly that he will not advocate for data centers in Pensacola.

The proposal is still in development and has not yet been formally filed. If it moves forward, Pensacola would join Walton County as the second local government in the region to formally prohibit data center development through local ordinance.