County Commissioners Support Data Center Moratorium Plan
The Palm Beach County Commission gave initial approval to a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data center applications, with a final vote pending. This action follows significant community opposition to data centers and aims to allow county officials time to research and develop stricter, permanent regulations. The moratorium defines large-scale data centers as facilities requiring 50 megawatts or more, and will exclude properties affected by recent hurricanes from the moratorium.
The Palm Beach County Commission has given initial approval to a one-year moratorium on accepting applications for large-scale data centers, with a final vote scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24. This decision was prompted by increasing opposition to artificial intelligence data centers and a recognition that the county's current unified land development code (ULDC) is inadequate to regulate the rapidly evolving technology infrastructure.
The proposed moratorium defines a large-scale data center as a facility with an anticipated monthly peak load of 50 megawatts or more. County staff included provisions to prevent project fragmentation to evade the 50-megawatt threshold and to exclude properties affected by hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton from the moratorium's scope. Officials plan to use the pause to conduct research and develop more stringent, permanent regulations, with a focus on electricity demands, water usage, cooling impacts, and sound concerns.
Residents, including Sue Loyzelle from Arden and Lisa Johnson representing the Acreage Landowners’ Association, voiced strong support for the moratorium, urging officials to address loopholes, protect water and infrastructure, and ensure enforceable codes. Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter, Commissioner Maria Sachs, Commissioner Joel Flores, and Vice Mayor Marci Woodward expressed interest in creating a task force to further study the issue and develop new regulations. The moratorium follows recent opposition to "Project Tango," a hyperscale AI data center project that was voted down by commissioners in July, although the developers have since challenged that ruling in court.