Guest Author
On Nov. 5, Florida’s political landscape will shift as nearly 14 million eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots for 120 State House of Representatives members and 20 State Senate seats.
The victors of this electoral contest will convene in Tallahassee on March 4, marking the commencement of the 2025 Legislative Session. As these newly elected officials take seats in the state capital for the sixty-day Session, technology and innovation are poised to dominate the agenda.
As Florida continues to position itself as a hub for technological advancement and innovation, the decisions made in legislative offices, committee rooms, and voting chambers will likely have far-reaching implications for the state’s future, affecting everything from job creation and economic growth to education and quality of life for Floridians.
Arguably, the most prominent issue legislators will face in 2025 is Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically, how AI technology should be regulated as it becomes more widely used and touches every aspect of daily life.
Last Session, the Legislature held off on passing any extreme AI laws, enacting legislation requiring watermarks on political adverts that use AI and combat the distribution of sexual deepfakes, particularly those involving minors, promoting AI use in education, and establishing a government modernization council to explore how the state government can embrace emergent technology.
However, those elected in November will face pressure to do more.
Owing to misguided concerns that AI is displacing workers or discriminating against marginalized communities, there are calls to implement stringent reporting and transparency regulations on AI, similar to those recently passed in Colorado and vetoed in California. Such a move could have significant consequences for Florida’s reputation as a state that embraces innovation and entrepreneurship and its standing as a bastion of limited government.
As Florida’s 2025 Legislative Session approaches, lawmakers face a pivotal challenge in addressing the proliferation of data centers — the silent powerhouses of our digital age. These facilities, crucial for everything from artificial intelligence to cloud computing, offer significant economic benefits through job creation and tax revenue.
However, their rapid expansion has sparked concerns about the strain on local power grids, prompting some municipalities nationwide to consider special taxes and zoning restrictions.
Unfortunately, these local attacks on data centers undermine critical computational infrastructure needed for consumers and businesses. To address this, lawmakers could preempt municipal regulation of data centers, which would have the added benefit of creating universal rules across the state.
Finally, lawmakers will be forced to address the critical topic of cybersecurity, especially in the wake of a data breach that saw the names of “4,000 HIV-positive persons” leaked to the press. Unfortunately, the leak from Florida’s Department of Health is just one of the countless examples where cybercriminals have targeted governments in the Sunshine State, with North Miami Beach suffering a cyber incident in August that shut down city services for several days. A priority for the Legislature must be to enhance state and municipal cyber protections to ensure that when nefarious actors target these critical entities, government offices can protect themselves, remain operational, and ensure the data they hold on all Floridians remains secure.
As the election and the 2025 Legislative Session approach, the newly elected representatives and senators face a pivotal moment in shaping the state’s technological future. The challenges are multifaceted and complex: balancing AI regulation with innovation, managing the growth of data centers, and bolstering cybersecurity in the face of increasing threats — to name just a few. These issues demand thoughtful, forward-thinking legislation that preserves Florida’s reputation as a hub for technological advancement and limited government.
The decisions made in Tallahassee will impact Florida’s economic growth and job market and set precedents for how states can navigate the complex landscape of emerging technologies.
As such, the upcoming Session represents a critical juncture in Florida’s journey to become a leader in the digital age, with far-reaching implications for the state’s future and the quality of life for all Floridians.
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Dr. Edward Longe is the director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at The James Madison Institute.
