A data center developer has withdrawn its application to build a campus in Florida in response to a proposed data center regulation bill.

SB 484 would require data center developers to shoulder the cost of utility upgrades; fine government agencies that enter into non-disclosure agreements (NDAs); prevent governing boards from allowing uses of water that are “harmful” to the resources of the area; prohibit utilities from providing electricity to large-load customers that are a “foreign entity”; and more.

Some of the bill’s provisions – including those related to permitting and water use – apply specifically to “large-scale data centers”, defined as data centers with an anticipated monthly peak load of 50MW or more.

Even though the bill has yet to receive the approval of the Florida Senate and House – both of which need to approve the bill in order for it to be signed into law – the applicants behind a proposed 1GW, 1,200-acre data center campus called Project Jarvis are choosing to hold back and watch the legislative process play out.

The proposal called for the construction of a data center at the Sentinel Grove Technology Park, located on the east side of Minute Maid Road, extending approximately 2,600 feet (792 meters) north of Orange Avenue, and south and east of the South Florida Water Management District’s C–25 Canal.

But it seems that the applicant is choosing to wait and see how the legislative process plays out. This is because the bill, if passed into law, would make it more financially onerous for data centers to set up shop in the state.

News of the applicant’s withdrawal came from St. Lucie County Commissioner Cathy Townsend, who told WPTV that the “data center pulled out because they knew that there was going to be legislation coming out in Tallahassee.”

It is common for developers to withdraw data center applications in light of changing circumstances, and it is also common for applications to be reformulated and resubmitted.

The proposed location of the data center – St. Lucie County – is located on the Sunshine State’s eastern coast, around 70 miles (113km) north of Palm Beach.

Most of Florida’s data centers are located in Miami.