New Smyrna Beach, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- Florida gubernatorial candidate Frank J. Russo has called on Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg to personally commit $250 million and help raise an additional $1 billion from Florida billionaires to modernize the state's data center infrastructure.
The challenge expands Russo's Florida Data Center Community Responsibility Act, proposing a voluntary Florida Data Center Modernization Fund structured as a public trust independent of government control. Russo cited Zuckerberg's reported $170 million South Florida home purchase as justification for the ask, framing it as a matter of civic responsibility tied to residency.
Fund would finance five-year infrastructure upgrade deadline
Proceeds from the proposed fund would help existing Florida data centers modernize water and energy systems within five years, matching the deadline in Russo's broader legislative proposal. The initiative targets facilities' growing strain on the state's power grid and water supply.
Broader plan includes capacity-based tax and subsidy elimination
Russo's Florida Data Center Community Responsibility Act rests on five pillars: a Community Responsibility Tax scaled to electrical capacity; a Host-Community Fund keeping data center revenue in local jurisdictions for roads, water infrastructure and parks; the five-year modernization deadline; an energy self-sufficiency requirement for new and upgraded facilities; and elimination of existing state tax credits and incentives for data centers.
Candidate signals ballot initiative if legislature stalls
Russo said his preference is to negotiate the proposal with lawmakers from both parties, local governments and industry leaders. Absent legislative action, he said he would pursue a direct ballot initiative to let Florida voters decide the policy.
Russo, who has spent more than 40 years in business including over 30 years in the insurance industry, said he has visited data center facilities across Florida in recent months to assess their infrastructure demands.