From Mother Jones · Laura C. Morel · · 1m 40s
Byron Donalds and Data Centers
Florida governor candidate Byron Donalds supports data centers and owns stocks tied to their growth.
In brief
Florida governor candidate Byron Donalds supports data centers and owns stocks tied to their growth. Florida governor candidate Byron Donalds backs data centers and holds $390,000 in stocks linked to data center companies. Originally reported by Mother Jones.
Byron Donalds supports data centers
Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida's Republican gubernatorial candidate, has been enthusiastic about data centers throughout his campaign.
“We have actual land in our state that is still pristine, available to use”
Donalds dismisses data center bans
Donalds claims there are no bans coming for data centers, saying it sounds good on TV or social media.
“There ain't no bans coming”
Erika Donalds backs AI education
Erika Donalds, his wife and education chair for America First Policy Institute, says teachers are the biggest obstacle to AI in schools.
“The biggest challenge I see with adopting these new technologies and the desire to ban them”
Donalds owns $390,000 in data center stocks
Byron Donalds and his wife own up to $390,000 in stocks connected to data center companies like Microsoft and Amazon.
Erika Donalds earns from X Corp
Erika Donalds earned income from X Corp., owned by Elon Musk, who endorsed her husband in November.
“X pays creators like her a share of ad revenue based on engagement with their content”
Donalds uses broker for investments
Donalds says his broker manages his stocks because he gave the authority to do so, not because he chooses the stocks.
“My broker does it on my behalf because I gave him that authority and that authorization when I opened up the accounts”
Ethics concerns over conflicts
Campaign Legal Center says Donalds could face conflicts of interest if his official decisions benefit companies he invests in.
“A claim that an official is not involved in the day-to-day trading of their stocks does not in any way remove the conflict of interest or the ethical issues”
Donalds violated STOCK Act
Donalds failed to disclose up to $1.6 million in stock trades, violating the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act.
Data centers threaten voters
Residents in Citrus and Sarasota counties say data center expansion threatens their communities and could sway election outcomes.
“Everything for this election, for me, is based on the data centers at this point”
The bottom line
Florida governor candidate Byron Donalds backs data centers and holds $390,000 in stocks linked to data center companies.
