{"id":188914,"date":"2026-03-12T16:54:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/188914\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T16:54:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:54:22","slug":"florida-house-weakens-transparency-requirement-in-data-center-bill-sends-to-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/188914\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida House weakens transparency requirement in data center bill, sends to Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The Florida House Wednesday scaled back transparency requirements in a data center regulation bill prized by Gov. Ron DeSantis, sending the new version back to the Senate for final approval.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the latest example of the lower chamber moving away from the governor and toward the Trump administration, which has broadly embraced the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. DeSantis, who\u2019s pushed for SB 484 for months, is one of few GOP leaders cautioning against unfettered AI.<\/p>\n

An eleventh hour addition by House bill sponsor Rep. Griff Griffits would let state agencies sign non-disclosure agreements with data center companies. These businesses can keep secret their plans to locate or expand in Florida for up to a year, the new bill language says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concern is these are multi-billion dollar corporations or companies, and [there\u2019s] some proprietary information when they\u2019re doing site selection, so we\u2019re making sure that information [is] private,\u201d Griffitts, a Bay County Republican, explained.<\/p>\n

He later told reporters he is trying to follow the White House\u2019s \u201cRatepayer Protection Pledge<\/a>\u201d released last week, which is designed to shield Americans from AI data center utility costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to mirror that best we can so we can line up with the White House,\u201d Griffits added.<\/p>\n

But Griffitts\u2019 amendment specifically strips language the Senate\u00a0added<\/a>\u00a0just weeks ago to \u201cincrease transparency\u201d between public officials and residents.<\/p>\n

The bill passed, 92 to 16, with six Republicans joining 10 Democrats in opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another change requires the Office Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to study the construction and operation of data centers \u2014\u00a0warehouses designed for large-scale artificial intelligence processors \u2014 and submit their findings to the governor, Senate president, and House speaker by July 1, 2027.<\/p>\n

The House didn\u2019t completely overhaul the bill: It would still require Florida\u2019s Public Service Commission to ensure data centers pay for their own utilities, not the general body of ratepayers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also retains local governments\u2019 authority to regulate land development with respect to large-load customers.<\/p>\n

The House\u2019s bill revamp \u2014 just two days before the 60-day regular session is scheduled to end \u2014 comes\u00a0amid reports<\/a>\u00a0of the White House contacting the Florida House to oppose over-regulation of AI. The new bill is the result of a \u201ccompromise<\/a>\u201d with the Trump administration, Florida Politics reported.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has had a markedly different approach to AI than DeSantis. He\u2019s embraced tech titans like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, and supported the Department of Defense partnering with AI companies to destabilize authoritarian regimes.<\/p>\n

The AI company\u00a0Claude<\/a>\u00a0was involved in both the kidnapping of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and waves of airstrikes on\u00a0Iran<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 although the White House and Claude have parted ways after the software company refused to empower autonomous weapons.<\/p>\n

DeSantis, meanwhile, has repeatedly insisted on regulating AI. He had pushed for an \u201cAI Bill of Rights\u201d passed by the Senate \u2014 which would have severely restricted companion chatbots \u2014 but the House refused to consider it.<\/p>\n

Christine Sexton contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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