The Case Against Pre-Emptive Moratoriums, From the Head of Florida's Rural Development Association

Richard Williams, chair of the Florida Rural Economic Development Association, argues that a growing wave of county moratoriums is sidelining rural Florida before communities have evaluated what's actually on the table. His distinction is the one that matters: rigorous local review, hard questions, resident input, and enforceable standards are a county's right and responsibility; refusing to hear proposals at all is something else.

The evidence he points to is fiscal, not speculative: in Catawba County, North Carolina, a single data center became the county's largest taxpayer at roughly 5% of the entire tax base, and Grant County, Washington paired data-center revenue with a new school, hospital, and fire station, while cutting residents' property tax rates.

Attribution: Guest column by Richard Williams, Chair of the Florida Rural Economic Development Association, originally published in the Tallahassee Democrat, June 24, 2026.

Read the full column → https://floridapolitics.com/archives/804827-richard-williams-rural-florida-cant-afford-to-sit-this-one-out/