DeSoto County FL 1-year data center moratorium (DCIP exemption)
DeSoto County, FL — Board of County Commissioners 1-Year Data Center Moratorium (DCIP Exemption)
DeSoto County, FL · DeSoto County, FL Board of County Commissioners data center moratorium (adopted 4-0, July 29, 2026; one commissioner recused)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- July 29, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking applications in DeSoto County, FL (DCIP Group's existing project is explicitly exempted)
- Enforced by
- DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners; DeSoto County Planning Department
The DeSoto County, Florida Board of County Commissioners voted 4-0 on July 29, 2026 (with the fifth commissioner recused) to impose a one-year moratorium on acceptance, processing, review, and approval of all data center applications, running through approximately July 29, 2027. The vote came after months of intense public opposition to a massive proposed data center campus. The moratorium contains a significant exemption: it does NOT apply to rezoning applications tied to DCIP Group's existing project at a decommissioned power plant site, where DCIP had already received rezoning for 34 acres in March 2026 and had applied for over 800 additional acres as part of a planned 1,300-acre, 12-facility campus.
Who is protected: DeSoto County, FL residents
Legal detail
DeSoto County (FL) Board of County Commissioners 4-0 vote (fifth commissioner recused), July 29, 2026. One-year moratorium on acceptance, processing, review, and approval of data center applications countywide; expires approximately July 29, 2027. Key exemption: moratorium does not apply to rezoning applications related to DCIP Group's existing project at the decommissioned Payne Creek power plant site (34 acres rezoned March 2026; 800+ additional acres applied for; total planned: ~1,300 acres / 12+ facilities). Adopted after months of sustained public opposition. DeSoto County is in southwest-central Florida; county seat is Arcadia.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | DeSoto County, FL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | July 29, 2026 |
| Citation | DeSoto County, FL Board of County Commissioners data center moratorium (adopted 4-0, July 29, 2026; one commissioner recused) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | DeSoto approves data center moratorium, but controversial project can advance — WGCU Public Media |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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