Florida 2026 Election & Infrastructure Intelligence

# Florida 2026 Election and Infrastructure Overview ## Election status Florida's partisan primary is August 18, 2026. Mandatory early voting runs August 8-15. The general election is November 3, 2026. This package is therefore a qualified-candidate, pre-primary snapshot rather than a final November matchup file. ## Contests - Special U.S. Senate election for the seat held by appointed Senator Ashley Moody - Open governor and lieutenant-governor election because Ron DeSantis is term-limited - All 28 U.S. House districts under Florida's 2026 congressional plan - Attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner - Selected legislative and local contests where direct infrastructure consequences are identified ## Praevoium thesis Florida is no longer simply a growth-friendly state for large digital infrastructure. SB 484, signed May 7, 2026, created a new policy baseline: large-load customers must bear their own utility costs, local governments retain siting authority, foreign-country-of-concern ownership is restricted, water permits receive distinct scrutiny, and statewide agencies must study cumulative impacts. The election question is now how aggressively the next administration enforces, expands, or narrows those protections. ## Core planning fault lines 1. AI and hyperscale data centers 2. Utility tariffs and large-load cost allocation 3. Water withdrawals, reclaimed water, and aquifer stress 4. Local zoning authority versus state preemption 5. Nuclear generation, natural gas, solar, storage, and grid expansion 6. Hurricane resilience, property insurance, and hardening 7. Ports, aerospace, defense, logistics, and semiconductor recruitment 8. Everglades restoration, coastal resilience, and permitting 9. Foreign investment and national-security screening 10. Workforce, university research, and AI governance ## Data-center law baseline SB 484 requires utilities to develop large-load tariffs designed so ordinary ratepayers do not absorb data-c

Candidate	Office	Posture	Confidence	Evidence summary
Ashley Moody		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Chris Gleason		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Neelam Taneja Perry		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Ernie Rivera		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Angie Nixon		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Alex Vindman		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Neil J. Gillespie		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Byron Donalds		**Conditional**	Confirmed	Supports AI leadership with private-cost discipline / Supports with conditions:
Jay Collins		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
James Fishback		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Paul Renner		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown
Rachel Rodriguez		**Unverified**	Limited	Unknown / Unknown

Race	Status	Candidates	Impact	Key issue

# Florida Race and Candidate Dossiers This file is the editorial research layer accompanying the structured CSV and JSON files. ## Statewide candidate comparison ### Byron Donalds - Alignment: Republican, Trump-aligned - AI/data-center: Supports AI infrastructure growth but argues hyperscale facilities should privately source or fully pay for electricity and water rather than shift costs to residents. - Planning implication: Expansion-oriented with strict cost-allocation and resource conditions. - Confidence: Confirmed through direct 2026 proposal and public statements. ### David Jolly - Alignment: Democratic coalition candidate and former Republican member of Congress - AI/data-center: No comparably detailed direct project-siting platform verified as of the checkpoint. - Planning implication: Treat as conditional/unknown until a formal infrastructure plan is released. - Confidence: Limited. ### Ashley Moody - Alignment: Republican appointed incumbent senator - Relevant authority: Federal AI rules, energy permitting, cybersecurity, defense and disaster policy. - AI/data-center: No detailed Florida siting platform verified in this pass. - Confidence: Limited. ### Angie Nixon - Alignment: Progressive Democrat - Relevant record: Consumer, environmental-justice and community-accountability orientation. - AI/data-center: No complete federal infrastructure platform verified in this pass. - Confidence: Strong indication for consumer/community emphasis; limited on data centers. ### Alex Vindman - Alignment: Democratic national-security candidate - Relevant record: Defense, cybersecurity, foreign influence and critical-infrastructure security. - AI/data-center: Likely strong national-security framing, but detailed Florida siting position remains unverified. - Confidence: Strong indication on security; limited on siting. ## District presentation rule Each district page should show: 1. 2026 map label 2. current representative, if different 3. qualified primary field 4. open, vacant, renominated or incumbent-relocation status 5. major infrastructure assets and policy stakes 6. polling, or “No verified public poll” 7. candidate dossier cards with direct evidence links 8. district forum thread ## Priority dossiers for immediate enrichment FL-01, FL-02, FL-06, FL-08, FL-11, FL-14, FL-16, FL-19, FL-20, FL-23, FL-24, FL-25, FL-27 and FL-28. ## Standardized AI / Data-Center Posture Index | Candidate | Office / District | Posture | Confidence | Evidence summary | |---|---|---|---|---| | Ashley Moody | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Chris Gleason | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Neelam Taneja Perry | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Ernie Rivera | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Angie Nixon | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Alex Vindman | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown | | Neil J. Gillespie | | **Unverified** | Limited | Unknown / Unknown