Wakulla County FL data center prohibition ordinance (2026)
Wakulla County, FL — County Commission Unanimously Adopts Land Development Code Ordinance Prohibiting Data Centers in All Unincorporated Areas (September 2026)
Wakulla County, FL · Wakulla County, Fla. — Ordinance amending LDC Sec. 2-4 and creating Sec. 6-40 (data center prohibition), adopted Sept. 2026
- Status
- In effect
- Applies to
- Data center developers in unincorporated Wakulla County
- Enforced by
- Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners / Planning & Community Development
Wakulla County commissioners unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting data centers throughout the unincorporated county. It amends Land Development Code definitions (Section 2-4) and creates a new Section 6-40 stating that data centers are not allowed as a permitted or conditional use in any county zoning district. Staff noted data centers were already not listed as allowed uses; the ordinance makes the ban explicit. Commissioner Valerie Russell, who brought the measure, said it gives the county time to learn about impacts on water and the power grid, and that the county could revisit it later.
Who is protected: Residents of unincorporated Wakulla County
Legal detail
Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners, final public hearing Monday night, September 21, 2026 (WCTV story published Sep. 21, 2026 9:48 PM EDT; weekday checked). Unanimous. Amends LDC Sec. 2-4 (definitions); creates LDC Sec. 6-40: 'Data Centers are not allowed as a permitted or conditional use in any County zoning district. For the avoidance of doubt, Data Centers are prohibited within all unincorporated areas of the County.' Permanent (no sunset stated). Possible legal exposure under Florida SB 180; Russell cited recently passed SB 484 as leverage (WTXL). NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number; effective date per the ordinance's own terms; definition of 'data center'. Status 'effective': both WCTV and WTXL report the ordinance is 'now in place'; no formal effective date stated.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Wakulla County, FL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | September 21, 2026 |
| Citation | Wakulla County, Fla. — Ordinance amending LDC Sec. 2-4 and creating Sec. 6-40 (data center prohibition), adopted Sept. 2026 |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located sources |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Wakulla County commissioners approve ordinance prohibiting data centers — WCTV |
More AI rules in Wakulla County, FL
- Wakulla County FL schools AI policy (2026) · In effect
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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