St. Petersburg’s existing zoning rules prohibit standalone data centers, according to an Oct. 9 memo from Planning Director Derek Kilborn to Mayor Ken Welch explaining how a new Florida law relates to the city’s regulation of the facilities.
The city’s land development code does not list data centers as a permitted use or special exception, and uses that are not listed are presumed prohibited unless they are similar enough to an approved use to qualify. Kilborn found no basis for treating data centers as an existing permitted use, including under the classifications for utility plants and substations.
His determination follows the passage of Senate Bill 484, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 7, which preserves local governments’ authority to regulate facilities with substantial electricity and utility demands. The law also prevents large-load customers from being treated as electric substations under a state provision governing substation approvals, a distinction relevant to the city’s existing zoning classifications.
To determine whether an unlisted use qualifies, St. Petersburg’s zoning code relies on the American Planning Association’s land-use classification system and the North American Industry Classification System. Kilborn wrote that neither provides a clear basis for treating data centers as similar to an existing permitted use.
“For these reasons, Data Centers generally, and Large-Scale Data Centers explicitly, remain prohibited as a permitted, principal (P) or Special Exception (SE) use in the City of St. Petersburg,” Kilborn wrote.
The new state law defines large-scale data centers as facilities with an anticipated monthly peak electrical load of at least 50 megawatts, calculated using the highest average load over a 15-minute interval. St. Petersburg’s determination also covers smaller standalone data centers that fall below that threshold.
The restriction does not apply to data centers that serve as ancillary parts of otherwise permitted businesses, allowing supporting data infrastructure to operate alongside an approved primary use. Kilborn’s memorandum does not propose any changes to the city’s zoning code.