Byron Donalds backs data-center expansion while holding sizable AI-related stock holdings

Byron Donalds, the Republican contender for Florida governor, has consistently advocated for unrestricted data-center construction, arguing the state still has "pristine" land available. He has attacked opponents who propose moratoriums, insisting no bans will be enacted. Donalds and his wife, Erika—who leads a charter-school network and advises the America First Policy Institute—both profit from AI-related ventures, with Erika receiving ad-revenue shares from X Corp. Their August 2025 congressional financial disclosure lists roughly $390,000 in stocks tied to data-center developers and tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon, as well as construction firms such as Monolithic Power Systems.

Although Donalds says a broker manages the portfolio, ethics scholars say the holdings still pose a potential conflict of interest for a future governor. A 2024 complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics alleges Donalds breached the STOCK Act by failing to disclose $1.6 million in trades, though the outcome remains unknown.