A Strange Alliance: Conservative Retirees and Liberals Unite Against Data Centers in Florida

On a humid Saturday morning in Spring Hill, Florida, about a dozen retirees gathered outside the local library to protest a hyperscale data center. Carol, a 71-year-old retired country radio host and staunch conservative, wore a flag T-shirt dotted with sea turtles and a bejeweled visor. She and her group, No Data Centers Hernando County, want a permanent ban on these facilities, not just a one-year moratorium. Their fears: noise pollution, environmental harm, and the social costs of AI. Carol claimed data centers hurt bees, cause stillborn calves, and even drive people to ditch friends after consulting ChatGPT.

This small protest was one of nearly 150 organized by Humans First, a conservative group that wants to keep AI in everyday hands. The backlash is deeply bipartisan — a Gallup poll found 70% of Americans oppose local data center construction, including nearly two-thirds of Republicans and three-quarters of Democrats. While environmental and quality-of-life concerns unite both sides, conservative protesters also worry about Chinese infiltration of US tech. Organizer Patti Zirhut, a lifelong Republican, feels betrayed by Florida’s GOP leadership, including Governor Ron DeSantis, who she says has become too pro-development.

The fight has created strange bedfellows. Zirhut says she would vote Democrat if pro-data-center candidate Byron Donalds wins the gubernatorial primary. Donalds, who wants to make Florida the financial capital of the world, has accepted millions from pro-AI super PACs — a fact that now fuels attack ads. More than 20 Florida counties have passed or discussed moratoriums on data centers. For Zirhut, it’s not about party anymore. “It’s about human life,” she said, as her group debated zoning codes and eyed an article from a progressive website. The data center debate is forging unlikely alliances across America.