Florida’s Data Center Moment: Power, Policy, and Potential

Oct 14, 2025

Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Loudoun County Economic Development, and Lila Jaber, founder of Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum, dive into Florida's exciting rise as a data center hub. They discuss Florida's energy advantages, including excess capacity and proactive utilities, which set it apart from areas like Loudoun County. The duo also highlights Florida’s attractive tax incentives, its strategic location for Latin American connectivity, and how local universities are gearing up to provide top tech talent for future growth.

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ANECDOTE

Loudoun's Transformation Example

Buddy Rizer recounts Loudoun County's two-decade transformation driven by data center growth.
He notes the community reduced its tax rate by 48 cents thanks to that industry expansion.

INSIGHT

Regulatory And Political Certainty

Florida combines constructive regulation, political alignment, and proactive utilities to signal certainty for investors.
Lila Jaber emphasizes regulatory and political alignment as critical to attracting large-scale data center investment.

ADVICE

Prioritize Fast Time-To-Market

Make predictable, fast time-to-market a local priority to attract hyperscale data center projects.
Buddy Rizer advises communities to streamline permitting and zoning to reduce development friction.

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Florida is emerging as one of the most promising new frontiers for data center growth — combining power availability, policy alignment, and strategic geography in ways that mirror the early success of Northern Virginia.

In this episode of The Data Center Frontier Show, Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent sits down with Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Loudoun County Economic Development, and Lila Jaber, Founder of the Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum and former Chair of the Florida Public Service Commission. Together, they explore how Florida is building the foundation for large-scale digital infrastructure and AI data center investment.

Episode Highlights:

Energy Advantage: While Loudoun County faces a 600-megawatt deficit and rising demand, Florida enjoys excess generation capacity, proactive utilities, and growing renewable integration. Utilities like FPL and Duke Energy are preparing for hyperscale and AI-driven loads with new tariff structures and grid-hardening investments.
Tax Incentives & Workforce: Florida’s extended data center sales tax exemption through 2037 and its raised 100-megawatt IT load threshold signal a commitment to hyperscale development. The state’s universities and workforce programs are aligned with this tech growth, producing top talent in engineering and applied sciences.
Strategic Location: As a digital gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, Florida’s connectivity advantage—especially around Miami—is attracting hyperscale and AI operators looking to expand globally.
Market Outlook: Industry insiders predict that within the next year, a major data center player will establish a significant footprint in Florida. Multiple campuses are expected to follow, driven by the state’s power resilience, policy stability, and collaborative approach between utilities, developers, and government leaders.

Why It Matters:

Florida’s combination of energy abundance, policy foresight, and strategic geography positions it as the next great growth market for digital infrastructure and AI-ready data centers in North America.