How Florida can prosper during new golden age of American innovation
To meet the demand of AI data centers, Florida cannot be reliant on only one or two sources of fuel.
A return to American global leadership was a resounding theme of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and he wasted no time in rolling out the specifics. Joined by Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Open AI’s Sam Altman and Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, the president announced his plan to assert global U.S. dominance in AI through the Stargate Project, which has the potential to be the most ambitious and important project of our era
The project, fueled by a combined investment of $500 billion from the trio and a cadre of American tech giants, will lead to robust AI infrastructure across the nation to meet the massive surge in energy demand that it will generate.
Trump expects the project to create well over 100,000 American jobs, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. An undertaking as expansive and ambitious as Stargate could truly reshape the American economy, and the communities at the receiving end of this massive investment will be poised to become the engines of the new American tech machine.
Florida is already business-friendly and central to the president’s political apparatus, making our state well-poised to fulfill his call to action and support our nation’s data center expansion. The benefits of such an investment in our state are wide-ranging, especially to the rural communities that would likely become hubs for data centers and the jobs that come with them. It’s simply up to us to position ourselves to seize on this historic opportunity by making sure our generation capacity is in line with the high energy demand these data centers will bring with them.
Three ways we can accomplish this are by diversifying our energy sources, modernizing our transmission grid and removing regulatory barriers.
Florida residents and businesses currently have access to safe, reliable and affordable energy due in part to significant investments made into diversifying our energy portfolio by our state’s energy companies. As of 2024, Florida has installed 17,055 megawatts of solar, or enough to power over 2 million homes and account for 8.15% of the state’s electricity. Our state’s vibrant solar industry has not only become a critical source of revenue and job creation but it is also our primary driver of energy diversification.
To meet the demand of AI data centers, Florida cannot be reliant on only one or two sources of fuel. By continuing to foster the growth of solar and utilizing other reliable and affordable energy sources, Florida can ensure investors that we have the diversified energy portfolio needed to power their data centers. The ability to consistently generate high volumes of energy from various sources is vital to powering the tech economy, but it means nothing if we can’t reliably send the power to where it’s needed.
Skeptics question whether the aging American energy grid is capable of reliably and securely transporting the massive energy loads needed for a project like Stargate. Last year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission outlined the need for reform of transmission planning to meet these demands. By investing in upgrades to our own grid, Florida can separate itself from the pack as one of the few states with the transmission capabilities necessary to get the job done.
In Florida, we pride ourselves on cutting red tape and letting our innovators and job creators do what they do best. There’s a reason our state’s GDP growth consistently outpaces the nation’s at large, and our unemployment rate is consistently better. We must continue to find ways to get government out of the way and make it easier to build, invest, hire and work in our state.
Stargate presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Florida to power the next era of the American economy. Let’s make sure we don’t miss out on it.
Zachary Colletti is the executive director of Conservatives for Clean Energy-Florida and local leader residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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