Senator Moody backs bill to shield Florida ratepayers from data center costs

Senator Ashley Moody is co-sponsoring federal legislation aimed at preventing everyday Floridians from bearing the cost of massive data center construction and operation. The Ratepayer Protection Act, introduced by Ohio Senator John Husted, passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming 417-3 margin but has stalled in the Senate after Democrats blocked its advancement, according to a press release issued today.

The bill would require state utility regulators and unregulated utilities to ensure that large data center operators pay the full cost of any power grid upgrades needed to serve their facilities—including generation, transmission, and distribution improvements. It would also mandate that data centers provide financial guarantees before utilities make those upgrades and cover costs if they exit their power contracts early.

"I'm cosponsoring the Ratepayer Protection Act to ensure Americans are protected from increased costs associated with new data centers," Moody said in a statement. "If billion-dollar tech companies want to build a massive data center, Floridians should not be left to foot the bill."

Moody has previously staked out a firm position on data centers, consistently backing local community control over where such facilities are sited. As artificial intelligence and cloud computing drive demand for data centers nationwide, the question of who pays for infrastructure upgrades has become increasingly contentious, particularly in states like Florida where growth pressures are mounting.