TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, is making Northern Virginia’s sprawling data-center corridor a central feature of his campaign’s warning about artificial intelligence infrastructure. Jolly visited “Data Center Alley” this week, meeting residents who live near hyperscale facilities in Loudoun County and pointing to noise, energy demand and the proximity of industrial sites to homes as reasons Florida should proceed cautiously. “I wanted to see what massive hyperscale data centers really do to a community,” Jolly said in an interview. Jolly said a visit to one family’s home made the effects immediately apparent. “The moment I opened the door to leave, you’re hit by the sound waves,” he said, also describing what he called the visual obstruction created by the facility. Northern Virginia has more than 250 data centers, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, making the region the world’s largest concentration of such facilities. Some are located only a few hundred feet from residential properties. Greg Pirio, a Sterling resident who lives about 150 yards from a data center, told Jolly that persistent noise has driven away birds and discouraged neighbors from spending time outside or leaving their homes. He said any future Florida facilities should be kept away from residential areas and schools. “You have to have all the guardrails in place,” Pirio said. “You have to have transparency.” The debate has become increasingly focused on the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence. Some Northern Virginia facilities use natural-gas turbines, which residents have criticized for noise and other impacts. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, announced new data-center restrictions Friday, including tighter limits on on-site natural-gas power plants. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, also signed an order requiring additional regulations for data centers seeking state tax incentives. Florida has not yet built a hyperscale data center, but proposals and political debate around the industry have grown as demand for computing power accelerates. Jolly has pledged an immediate one-year pause on hyperscale data-center construction if elected, followed by a review of the industry’s effects on communities, water supplies, energy systems and ratepayers. He has not ruled out making the pause permanent. The issue has given Jolly a prominent contrast with Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee and a Trump-endorsed congressman. Jolly has criticized Donalds for taking large contributions from the data-center industry and accused him of changing his position to follow public opinion. Donalds has said Florida should welcome data centers and artificial intelligence companies if they meet safeguards protecting residents and the environment. More recently, he has stressed that local governments should retain authority over development decisions. Donalds campaign spokesperson Gates McGavick said Jolly’s position was inconsistent, while describing Donalds’ stance as opposition to projects that lack protections for utility customers and water resources. “Local control is key and will be upheld — if local communities do not want data centers, they will not have them,” McGavick said. The fight over data centers is emerging as a national midterm issue, with officials in both parties weighing limits on the industry amid concerns about electricity consumption, water use, pollution and the effects of large industrial campuses on nearby communities. In Florida, the dispute could help define a closely watched governor’s race less than two months before Election Day.