DeSantis Amplifies Warning on ‘Real Perils’ of AI, Data Centers and Pushes Regulation

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ratcheting up a campaign against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and data centers, resisting President Donald Trump’s effort to block states from meddling with Big Tech.

DeSantis, a two-term governor who’s barred from seeking reelection in this year’s contest, used his last state-of-the-state address to warn about the risks of the data-center buildout and renew his call for AI regulation. He has already proposed legislation that would ban minors’ chatbot access unless they have parental consent and restrict tech companies from selling or publishing personal data.

“This technology threatens to upend key parts of our economy in ways that can leave many Americans out of work and with consumers footing the bill for the cost of power-intensive data centers,” he told Florida lawmakers Tuesday. “It presents real perils for children and parents.”

DeSantis’s warning positions him as an AI skeptic in sharp contrast to many fellow Republicans including Trump, who signed an order last month aimed at thwarting state-level regulation of the technology through lawsuits and funding cuts. DeSantis, 47, has been sounding the alarm on AI’s perceived threats to jobs, the electricity grid and the minds of children as he weighs his next steps in politics.

“I’d hate to see what happens after a big hurricane when you try to get the power turned on. Imagine if you want to have the power turned back on in Fort Lauderdale, and the data center comes first.”

The governor, who dropped out of the 2024 GOP presidential primary against Trump amid cratering poll numbers, used his address in the state capital of Tallahassee to amplify a critique he’s been making for months. He has said he’s concerned that data centers catering to AI would put the electricity grid at risk of collapse because they use so much power.

“We are going to make sure Floridians are not roadkills of AI,” he said Monday at a news conference about insurance rates.

Concerns about power costs have been intensifying, including in the White House. Earlier this week, Trump said tech giants must bear the costs for data center electricity. That drew praise from DeSantis.

“We’ve been beating this drum for months: no passing on electricity costs to consumers for AI data centers,” the governor said on X.

Still, his cautious approach in Florida stands out as many states rush to win more investment in the projects. In Texas, another big Republican-led state, Governor Greg Abbott has rolled out the red carpet, luring at least $50 billion of planned investments in data centers just since November. He touted the plans of Alphabet Inc.’s Google at an event about two months ago, saying “Texas moves at the speed of business.”

In Texas, data centers now consume enough electricity to power 3.3 million homes, with plans that will boost their needs tenfold, according to a Bloomberg analysis of data from DC Byte. In Florida, data centers use enough energy to power 100,000 homes.

“I’d hate to see what happens after a big hurricane when you try to get the power turned on,” DeSantis said at this week’s insurance event. “Imagine if you want to have the power turned back on in Fort Lauderdale, and the data center comes first.”

As the governor weighs his next move in politics with about a year left in office, there are signs that AI skepticism has growing appeal across party lines in the US. At least $98 billion of data center projects were blocked or delayed by a wave of local opposition in the second quarter of 2025, according to Data Center Watch, an advocacy group that tracks opposition.

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