Any artificial intelligence data centers coming to Brevard likely won’t be eligible for tax breaks form Brevard County.
Concerns around water and power usage and a lack of return on investment prompted county commissioners to unanimously vote to prohibit any property tax abatement for AI data centers.
The county must draft an ordinance on the matter and hold anther hearing. No date for that has been set.
Those abatements are designed to drive growth and create jobs for long-term economic stability for the county, goals that commissioners said data centers are unable to achieve.
“I’ve seen communities benefit greatly from data centers, but they’re totally different from Brevard,” Altman said, adding that the Space Coast may not be a desirable location for future data centers due to hurricanes and other conditions that could limit their viability.
Delaney, who had pushed hard for the measure, said the infrastructure demands of data centers often cancel out the job creation and other benefits.
“These facilities can place strain on electrical infrastructure, affect long-term utility planning, and occupy large parcels of land while providing limited secondary economic activity,” Delaney added.
Analysts in a report issued earlier this year wrote that data centers and energy costs are expected to be a major factor in politics going forward, USA Today reported.
“It is not just an issue at the state and local levels but a federal topic as the election narrative forces the subject in every domain,” they said.
Staff reports from Brevard County indicated that “while data centers often involve significant capital investment, they typically generate a limited number of permanent jobs once operational. As a result, the cost per job created is comparatively high relative to other targeted industries.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez.