Former Florida Republican U.S. Representative David Jolly, who is running as a Democrat for Governor of Florida, criticized the leading GOP candidate, current U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, for his stance on data centers.
Jolly wrote: “I’m calling for a moratorium on data centers until Florida has real protections for our water, air, communities, economy, and privacy. Byron Donalds wants to rush them onto pristine land while dismissing the consequences. That is not leadership. It is proof he is out of touch.”
[NOTE: New York recently became the first state to declare a moratorium on new hyperscale data center construction, which Gov. Kathy Hochul said “threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty” for New Yorkers.]
Donalds replied to Jolly: “Nope. No protections for ratepayers and the environment = no data center. That’s the law on the books in Florida, and that’s the legislation I’ve introduced in Congress. Look it up. Cheap talk and being ‘pretty far-left’ (your words) may have worked on MSNBC, but it won’t work now.”
Nope.
No protections for ratepayers and the environment = no data center. That’s the law on the books in Florida, and that’s the legislation I’ve introduced in Congress. Look it up.
Cheap talk and being “pretty far-left” (your words) may have worked on MSNBC, but it won’t work… https://t.co/N98yxaJ7NP
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) July 22, 2026
Conservative Trump critic Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project who lives in Tallahassee, replied to Donalds: “Sure, Byron. Then refund all the data center money you’ve taken, and tell the Big Tech superpacs to stop their ads for you. Simple. But you won’t.”
After reviewing FCC records, The Miami Herald reported that American Mission, the “pro-AI” political action committee that has spent at least $500,000 on TV ads in Florida promoting Donalds for governor, is funded by Leading the Future, “a national political committee whose primary financial backers, according to federal campaign finance records, are tech moguls Benjamin Horowitz, Marc Andreessen and their venture capital firm a16z Capital Management; as well as OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna.”
[NOTE: American Mission describes itself online as “Supporting Republican candidates dedicated to advancing AI innovation in America.”]
Jolly is using clips of Donalds saying “you’re gonna have data centers, you need to embrace that, not run away from that,” and that there is “pristine land” in Florida to build them, in his campaign ads.
Gwen’s reaction says it all. Byron Donalds wants to build data centers on Florida’s pristine land while taking money from the industry. We’re fighting to protect the Florida we love, not sell it off to the highest bidder. pic.twitter.com/AkE64YKlmW
— David Jolly (@davidjollyfl) July 21, 2026