AI growth is framed as a strategic race with China, and the author argues Florida’s edge will come from local data center buildout backed by reliable, affordable power.
The piece positions data centers as job engines, emphasizing construction trades, facility ops, cybersecurity, and long-term technical roles that bolster local tax bases without raising resident taxes.
Energy is the core constraint: the author pushes models where hyperscalers and data center operators bring their own generation or fund grid upgrades so AI load doesn’t spike retail rates.
Georgia is held up as the reference case where data center-driven investment supported a rate freeze and improved reliability, with other states using special tariffs, coordinated planning, and demand response to keep prices stable.
The political signal is pro–Trump, pro–AI, and pro–private investment, with a clear message that Florida should welcome large-scale digital infrastructure tied directly to new power capacity.
For AI infra watchers, the article highlights Florida as an emerging, policy-friendly target for data center and GPU buildouts, conditional on energy-aligned project design.
Worth a read to understand how local business groups are selling AI data centers as both grid assets and economic development tools.
Source: Column: Jobs, affordable energy in Florida start with data centers | News | tampabeacon.com
