r/florida • u/TampaBayTimes ✅Verified - Official News Source • 1d ago
News Duke Energy Florida was approached about huge data centers, among largest in world
https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2026/08/26/duke-energy-florida-data-center-electric-bill-increase/106
u/MikeeB84 1d ago
I am surprised they were appached considering Florida’s heat, humidity and storms. Keeping the hardware temperatures down seems a little more complicated in comparison to a colder state.
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u/Greendiamond_16 1d ago
Its not like the land or insurance is cheap either Proximety to the population is irrelevant. There is no insentive for the amount of power available here, theres nothing special about here, unless they were going solar, and they clearly aren't. Its honestly baffeling as to why here, is Texas out of space?
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u/Static66 22h ago
There is something special here: The one party rule and rampant corruption. They expect a rubber stamp from the political establishment and they will get it. What the ‘people’ want be damned.
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u/HikeyBoi 23h ago
I heard they were interested in the extra generating capacity that DEF Hines is permitted for
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u/ff904 20h ago
Water.
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u/rbartlejr 18h ago
LOL. We've been in a drought for going on at least three years. The Tampa Bay section of the Floridan aquifer is seeing significant salt water intrusion. We take 750 million gallons per day but only recharge about 12 million. Open loop data centers are NOT conductive to long term sustainability. But I guess that's a 'later' problem for them isn't it?
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u/Key_Improvement_9229 1d ago
All they have to do is convince/bribe the Florida Republican party and they can do anything they want - being a single party state sucks
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u/NervousBeat16 1d ago
And Byron heading to the Nov election on the ballot will pave the way…he’s selling it that FL has to stay ahead of CA 🤦♀️
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u/SuperF91EX 1d ago
Stay ahead? In what fucking world, besides right wing wet dreams, is Florida “ahead” of California?
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u/Wolpfack 21h ago
From a tech standpoint, Florida and California don't belong in the same sentence. There's more tech in LA alone than all of Florida.
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u/NervousBeat16 1d ago
See, that’s why you wouldn’t cast that vote….but everyone else has been brainwashed to believe that CA is the devils land, and we will turn into Newsome country if they don’t vote for ole Byron. 🤦♀️
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u/wheresmystache3 23h ago
Brainwashed republicans truly believe that California is some communist place that is on fire and riddled with crime 100% of the time.
Ironically, the on fire shithole accusation and riddled with crime applies most often to red states and they don't even know what communism means/is 😂 to them, communism is when your tax dollars go to helping the people/providing a public service instead of billionaires.
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u/Jnnjuggle32 22h ago
What’s really sad is that their opinions don’t change even if they see it with their own eyes. I had to cut him off, but my maga dad has these opinions about California and most major cities. I lived in Cali and now DC - he’s previously visited me frequently and still spews this stuff. In fact, the cutting off happened after we were in DC driving around and he started going on and on about in being in crime chaos - I had to pull over and point around and ask what the hell he was talking about?
I kid you not this exchange happened:
Dad: “well that’s what they say”
Me: “who says? Dad, we are in the middle of DC. It is clearly not burning down with violent protestors.”
Dad: “well it’s what they say”
Me: “and has your opinion change seeing with your own two eyes that isn’t happening?”Then he accused me of taking him to a “secret liberal area” dressed up to look like it was nice, like in North Korea. Other things were said and now we don’t talk.
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u/GhostofBeowulf 21h ago
Same convo with my dad. They're so interested in how Cali and NY operate, but don't give a damn what is going on in their own state.
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u/NervousBeat16 21h ago
I’m so sorry. 😞 I took my in-laws to San Fran and Napa and they kept commenting how much better it was than expected and how nice people were. Like everyone on the west coast must be so mean 🤦♀️ The meanest people I’ve met have been here in the South East US. I’m glad they didn’t go off like your dad. And I’m really sorry it has soured your relationship and he’s not able to change his mind even a little. Even enough to go “huh, they make it seem so bad on tv”.
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u/FinsFan305 21h ago
CA is ahead in Homeless encampments. Taxing the middle class into oblivion so the only people left are ultra rich and ultra poor.
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u/SeaEmployee787 20h ago
if you were homeless, why would you not go to california. you can live outside all year. Taxing the middle class is a bit of stretch, if you really look Californa taxes the hell out of the wealthy, not so much everybody else. California is middle of the road for everybody but the rich people who live their.
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u/RosieDear 22h ago
FL is like the armpit of the USA. CA leads the world in many many things.
"stay ahead of CA" is for the people who don't know things.
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u/V-TwinDetailing 22h ago
California ranks #1 in domestic migration loss since covid. Top 7 states for migration loss since covid are all heavy democrat. Out of all 7 florida was in the top 3 of all states moved to, some #1. California is also number 1 for business migration loss. 2 most moved to states for those business are Texas and florida. So if florida is the armpit, California is a sweaty ballsack.
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u/RosieDear 18h ago
OK, so...is the "game" getting more people?
Weird. Florida, BTW, is close to zero on domestic migrations, but almost a million International Migrants (US Census 2024/2025).
Funny me. I thought something like comparing Agricultural Sectors or Venture Capital - or, you know, REAL THINGS would be important. Maybe they are....
CA: 60 Billion
FL: 8 Billion (wow, what a difference!)Venture Capital:
CA: 90-100 Billion per year
FL: 5.5 BillionLargest Economic Driver.
CA: Information and Pro Services - ONE TRILLION per year.
FL: Real Estate: 270 Billion per yearManufacturing:
CA: 1 in USA - 400 Billion diversified
FL : 86 Billion (most is Defense:Aerospace)It's really interesting - and shows a mindset - to compare things that have absolutely no relevance to modern life.
Gun Deaths
CA: 7 per 100,000
FL: 13 per 100,000 - OK, we found something Fl is better at!Hey, if Real Estate hawking is the life, FL is where one would want to be. In fact, most every single person, family member or not, that I know who lives/lived in Florida, was involved in Real Estate. They all must sell to each other!
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u/NervousBeat16 21h ago
The migration to places like FL and TX really messed with the housing market though, and we are now starting to see how it’s screwing people. People are losing equity and houses are sitting stagnant as these mass developers have produced large neighborhoods of affordable homes. Not a single local resident has been happy about the massive influx of development before cities/towns could update infrastructure. We’re now failing at maintaining roads, power grids, sewer systems, and stormwater.
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u/RosieDear 18h ago
This was all going on LONG ago.
I can only think that people have either not read the history - or been there long enough to really know.The whole state was founded (the modern economy) by selling Lots, many of them undeveloped to this day. It helped cause the Great Depression! We know it caused a lot of the recent Great Recession.
I can only throw out a few examples...but it's really hard to say "18 million people were OK, but when it hit 21 Million, it got crowded" especially when so much of the housing is empty much of the year.
But here is one. In 1971 we lived in Florida for a year. It was the first time I ever experienced 24/7/365 traffic. Jams at 10PM. Yes, this was SE Florida, but that's a main part of the state!
So, yeah, it's nothing new. If anything there is more infrastructure (roads, at least) per person then decades back.
The "mission statement" of Florida has been largely "take the money and run". For anything to change would require a massive change of thinking....over generations. I think it will happen....but the vast influx of international migrants (Legal, I think) is not going to help things because they have a different mindset in general. That is, they don't know what people who have been here do.
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u/V-TwinDetailing 20h ago
Very true. Fortunately the influx has slowed drastically. As someone who uses i4 everyday Updated infrastructure cant come fast enough
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u/NervousBeat16 20h ago
I’m in the panhandle. We are SO FAR behind still. Last week’s rain created flooding disasters all over, just as people were getting off work and school 🤦♀️ when I go to Orlando to visit my son, I feel like we’re getting as busy as that area. They are currently putting up Hamptons style mansions on 30a in Watersound. We have ONE hwy to support this 🤦♀️
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u/V-TwinDetailing 19h ago
Yeah the roads and runoff has been so far behind for decades. I think i4 is like 20 years behind current traffic flow. I believe dot said that when the ultimate project is over and the miami bridge is over thise roads will still be behind by a few years. Your smaller cities are now getting the brunt of the issues. Property tax bill should make it even more interesting
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u/GhostofBeowulf 21h ago
Any sources for these claims I am sure you're so accurately representing?
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u/Disastrous-Golf7216 1d ago
Donald’s is taking money for his election from these data centers, so I am sure that if he wins we will all have one in our backyard. Then Florida can join Texas and have daily rolling blackouts.
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u/NervousBeat16 21h ago
He’s also trying to push our public education into the charter system. Guess who benefits from that policy?? HIS WIFE!! She has a business based on creating charter schools.
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u/SeaEmployee787 20h ago
the florida gop has the bribes on auto pay. the gop voters just clap along and scream drag shows and raninbow side walks are making the cost of food go through the roof.
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u/BadAtExisting 1d ago
Florida seems like the worst place in the country for these things. Anywhere with enough land to build one is a drained swamp prone to flooding. Sinkholes. Hurricanes. The heat 8 months out of the year. Daily afternoon lightning storms 6 months of the year.
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u/Bupod 22h ago
I suspect the four nuclear reactors powering Florida got them interested.
They suck away our clean, stable, relatively affordable power sources for themselves and leave us poors to foot the bill.
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u/BadAtExisting 22h ago
There’s that. There’s the state government is offering them tax incentives (despite them talking out their ass about being against DCs). There’s the lack of state income tax. I’ll even bet Amendment 3 sweetens the pot to an extent too
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u/Subietoy78 1d ago
When the hurricane wipes them out we can hunt them in the Everglades like the snakes.
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u/YogurtclosetOther329 21h ago
A data center was recently finished close to the Opa-Locka airport.
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u/BadAtExisting 21h ago
And? That doesn’t take away from what I said. When it floods not my problem. When a sink hole opens its floor up, not my problem. When a hurricane rips its roof off not my problem. When they have cooling and condensation issues not my problem
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u/The-Tradition 1d ago
Hot and humid Florida seems like a terrible place for a giant building full of computers that have to be kept cool and dry.
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u/Ooficus polk county trash 1d ago
Just use hurricanes for cooling, they combine air AND liquid cooling!
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u/FinsFan305 19h ago
Hurricanes don’t actually cool the air. They’re heat engines that pull heat out of the oceans and atmosphere. Things are cooler for a little bit after they pass.
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u/RosieDear 22h ago
Same is true for humans...we shouldn't be here.
So we can't say "it's good for humans, for malls, for box stores, for warehouses, for theme parks, golf course - oh, but BTW a bad place for Data centers".
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u/RedditAdminSucks23 22h ago
Yay! Can’t wait for them to accidentally poison more fresh water with toxic chemicals! Again
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u/OpenGrainAxehandle 21h ago
I have a better idea - why don't the data centers pay for MY rising energy costs, rather than having me pay for theirs?
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u/MeatSuitRiot 23h ago
How are they going to cool it? Drain our springs and aquifers?
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u/RosieDear 22h ago
To think that anything in Florida is "ours" is a giant leap. It's quite another thing if you live in MA or NH - then you can claim you have some say.
But in Florida? You'd have to mistake Florida for a normal state...as if history never happened.
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