Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to social media to tout the state’s latest law targeting data centers.

That law — SB 484 — took effect over the summer, and it makes the following changes:

• Power Costs: New agreements must ensure large data centers pay for their own cost of service, keeping power costs from getting passed to residential and small business customers.
• Foreign Countries: Public electric utilities are forbidden from providing service to major data centers owned or controlled by foreign countries of concern.
• CUP Permits: Establishes a “consumptive use permit” (CUP) for large-scale data centers.
• Reclaimed Water: Water Management Districts and the DEP may require large-scale data centers to use some portion of reclaimed water as part of a CUP approval.
• Non-Disclosure Rule: Agencies may not enter into non-disclosure agreements about potential data center development, which would restrict the agency from disclosing such information to the public.
• Not Substations: Data centers that use exceptionally high volumes of power may not be considered an electric substation under state law, which would otherwise give them special protections.

Beyond all these changes, the law also preserves local governments’ authority over zoning, permitting and land use regulations. This power allows communities to set stricter standards or even deny projects.

[RELATED: Orange County weighs temporary moratorium on AI Data Center applications]

On Thursday, DeSantis — a vocal proponent of the legislation — responded to several other users on X while discussing the law.

Some critics of data centers point to the higher power usage employed by these centers, which could result in higher costs for nearby consumers.

DeSantis says the law prevents utility companies from doing so, even requiring that additional costs be borne by hyperscalers via a tariff from the relevant utility.

Not true. Utilities in FL have sought (unsuccessfully) to apply 20% of the added cost to individual ratepayers. Our recent law blocks such a proposal. https://t.co/ycuYyhf5U5

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 1, 2026

“How about we don’t let utilities pass on costs to consumers due to servicing hyperscalers so that the citizens have more resources to invest/save/spend as they see fit?” he wrote.

SB 484 officially took effect on July 1, alongside more than 100 other new laws. You can find the full list of those laws here.