'Not compatible': Palm Beach County rejects controversial Project Tango AI data center
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners denied the development order amendment for Project Tango, a controversial hyperscale AI data center. The decision followed a 12-hour public hearing and extensive community opposition regarding the project's size, power consumption, noise, and water usage. The vote effectively blocks the proposed 3.6-million-square-foot campus near Loxahatchee's Arden neighborhood.
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners has officially denied the development order amendment for Project Tango, a controversial hyperscale artificial intelligence data center proposed for western Palm Beach County. Following months of tension and a 12-hour marathon hearing that drew massive public crowds, commissioners voted 5-1 to block the 3.6-million-square-foot campus, which was slated near Loxahatchee's Arden neighborhood.
Vice Mayor Marci Woodward stated the development was "not compatible" with the county's comprehensive plan due to its extensive conditions required for approval. Commissioner Maria Sachs noted the Project Tango team failed to provide comparative analyses with other Florida data centers. Commissioner Maria Marino cast the lone dissenting vote, citing the developer's agreement to all county conditions to protect the nearby Arden neighborhood and Saddle View Elementary School. District 6 Commissioner Sara Baxter, representing the project district, recused herself due to prior public opposition.
The decision aligns with a unanimous recommendation for denial from the county's Zoning Commission and marks a significant victory for local community groups and school advocates who actively protested the project. The proposed 202-acre site, located at 20125 Southern Boulevard, was criticized for its proximity to the Arden community and Saddle View Elementary School. Developer PBA Holdings, which already had approval for a smaller data center and warehouses, sought to expand the project into a massive AI campus projected to draw 600 MW of power, far exceeding Florida's 50 MW regulatory threshold for strict review.
Concerns were also raised regarding water usage, with developers claiming a need for 100,000 gallons of potable water daily for a closed-loop cooling system, and noise impacts. An independent review by Dr. Santiago Lattanzio heavily influenced opposition by challenging the developer's noise claims as inaccurate. Developers had offered concessions, including scaling back the AI data center by over 40% and proposing significant setbacks and sound buffering, but these were insufficient to sway the commission. In a separate action earlier this month, Palm Beach County commissioners voted 5-2 to enact a moratorium on new data center applications countywide to draft new regulations for this asset class, though Project Tango's application was filed prior to this moratorium.