(PENSACOLA) --- The vote was about data centers; the testimony was about surveillance.
At the Thursday, July 16, Pensacola City Council meeting, elected officials passed a moratorium on data centers that use 50 megawatts or more of power and continued to hear protestors reject Flock cameras. As for the moratorium, the legal move puts a one-year pause on large-load facilities while staff does a review.
While the public was pleased with Councilman Charles Bare sponsoring the ban, many are concerned that 50 MW is not enough protection.
(Photo: Councilman Charles Bare discussing moratorium on data center at the July 16 Pensacola City Council meeting)
John Moore started with math.
"One megawatt can power 600 to 1000 homes," Moore said. "Calling a moratorium on data centers while leaving the doors wide open for data centers that dwarf the city's own footprint isn't protection, it's theatre."
Moore continued to let Barew know that, while he believes Bare has the area's best interests in mind and appreciates the effort, he rejects it.
"I appreciate that offer, but I don't think it's acceptable, and knowing that hospitals and schools are in the single digits of megawatt usage," Moore said. "Unless FloridaWest and PEDC have something cooking under an NDA (Nondisclosure Agreement), there's no need for this right now."
Moore asked for the item to be tabled until numbers that make sense are brought back.
(Photo: Resident John Moore says Councilman Charles Bare's data center moratorium is not sufficient)
During public comment, the conversation went back to Flock cameras, with Sarah Blankenship saying money matters.
"We’ve been told continuously that the mayor acted within his power at the time of signing the Flock contract,” Blankenship said, pointing to the use of Opioid Abatement funds to pay for the Flock contract. "The 108,000 he (Mayor Reeves) used for the mass surveillance of Pensacola took away money from people who suffered during the opioid crisis.”
Blankenship also warned about where this leads.
"1984 was meant to be a warning, not an instruction manual," Blakenship said.
Girasol Alfonso connected Flock to federal immigration enforcement.
“I know that Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom has said that Pensacola doesn't directly use FLOCK cameras to track immigrants," Alfonso said, adding he has made multiple records requests only to find Florida Highway Patrol can access Flock networks.
Declan McGurk said the city vote is only half the fight.
"The chances of a large data center being built within the bounds of Pensacola City are low anyway," McGurk said. “We need precedent, and the real fight is also at the county level.”
McGurk called for stronger language.
(Photo: Declan McGurk says data center moratorium language not strong enough)
“Let's just go ahead and make it a really strong language; that way we can bring that to the County," McGurk said.
Bare said Tallahassee ties his hands.
"Senate Bill 484 doesn't give us the ability to go lower; it actually specifies large load only. I think we have to go with that for now," Bare said.
Bare read from the bill.
"Local governments shall maintain the authority to exercise powers and responsibilities for comprehensive planning and land development regulation, granted by law with respect to large load customers," Bare read.
"So, when I asked staff to put this together, we based it solely on what was in Senate Bill 484, which was the 50 MW that they authorized us to continue to regulate through our land development code," Bare said, before highlighting the public push. “I wanted to get something on the books, and for me, the biggest threat would be the large load"
City Attorney Adam Cobb confirmed the same.
(Photo: Pensacola City Attorney Adam Cobb at July 16 meeting)
"Senate Bill 180 places restrictions on local governments passing moratoriums, additional restrictions, additional, heavier criteria for development or redevelopment," Cobb said.
Cobb added, "I don't think we can currently go below 50 MW," before the council unanimously passed the 50 MW moratorium.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please get in touch with me at c.wimer@lead4earth.org
0
0
Comments