Palm Beach County commissioners gave initial approval Aug. 27 to a one-year moratoriumon large-scale data centers as officials develop new regulations governing the facilities.
The move follows the commission's controversial rejection of the proposed Project Tango data center earmarked for western Palm Beach County. And it comes as the county's most famous resident, President Donald Trump, said in an interview this month that communities that rebuff data centers are making an error.
The county's enactment of a 12-month stop to data center consideration is not unique in Florida. While there is no current statewide moratorium on data centers, there has been a wave of local temporary bans that either have been adopted or considered by counties and
cities as concerns grow over electricity demand, water use, noise and land-use impacts.
Nassau, Clay, Hernando, Citrus and Lake counties — all of them in northern or Central Florida — are among those jurisdictions that have either approved or advanced moratoriums while studies are done on their impacts.
Trump wants data centers but his adopted home county moves slowly
The moratorium here follows a commission decision on July 15 to deny Project Tango, the 1 million square-foot hyperscale data center that PBA Holdings is looking to build near the Arden residential development in Loxahatchee.
Concerns were raised over the project's noise, water use, traffic and compatibility with the surrounding rural community.
Data centers have become a political and economic hot potato across the country. Not just because of their impact on local communities but also because they are required for large-scale data handling, including artifical intelligence functions, that create anxiety about massive job losses.
Trump has called for broad construction of these facilities nationwide, noting In an interview earlier this month that entities that reject data centers are "making a mistake."
What happens now to Project Tango's proposal?
PBA Holdings has filed an appeal, calling on a county magistrate to review the commission's decision by a 5-to-1 vote to deny its request to build its data center. The magistrate will conduct a court-like hearing to determine if the decision should be overturned.
While the moratorium is in effect, the county commission will create a task force to assist in developing the new plan to regulate hyperscale data centers like Project Tango.
Gary Brown, a member of the Planning Commission, called on the county government to require a data center developer to disclose the name of the client company that would operate a data center. Project Tango's proponent, PBA Holdings, has refused to do so, claiming its client does not want to be identified while the project is under consideration.
Darren Leiser, a lawyer for the county, said legal staff will explore whether it is legal for the county to include a requirement that a developer disclose the operator that use the data center.
During the moratorium's timespan, the county will not accept, process, or approve any application relating to the zoning approval of a large-scale data center.
Any application submitted during the period of the moratorium must be for a data center with an anticipated monthly peak load of less than 50 megawatts. Project Tango was a 600-megawatt data center.
The moratorium will allow staff to conduct additional research and analysis of existing data and information related to large-scale data centers. Staff is expected to propose revisions to the county's zoning code. Those changes may include requirements related to increased landscape buffers and sound studies to protect surrounding communities from adverse impacts.
Why would Project Tango be exempt from moratorium?
Because the moratorium applies only to new applications, Project Tango's pending appeal would not be affected.
County Mayor Sara Baxter called for the moratorium, saying residents have demanded one. She said the pause will allow the county staff to understand the impacts of data centers more clearly and prepare rules to keep them from creating problems.
Mike Diamond is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County advances 1-year moratorium on data centers
