Palm Beach County halts data centers for one year

Palm Beach County commissioners have officially enacted a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data center projects, a decision unanimously approved during their recent meeting. The ban prohibits the county from accepting, processing, or approving any large-load data center applications, defined as those with a monthly peak load of at least 50 megawatts.

The moratorium, which will expire on September 24, 2027, or once the county's code is updated, whichever comes first, aims to give local officials time to study the community impact of such developments. County staff, led by Whitney Carroll, the county's planning, zoning, and building executive director, will revise the county's code to include new rules and guidelines for hyperscale artificial intelligence data centers, potentially covering increased landscape buffers, sound studies, and utility coordination. Commissioners opted to pursue hiring an expert consultant for this process, rather than forming a nine-member advisory committee, emphasizing the need for specialized technical input.

This action follows the county's rejection of a 600-megawatt project known as Project Tango, located west of Loxahatchee. The project was denied due to concerns about the county's outdated rules, incompatibility with the area, and potential issues regarding noise and water usage. Commissioners stressed the importance of community involvement in the code revision process, with Vice Mayor Marci Woodward suggesting multiple workshops to discuss specific concerns like water and sound. Palm Beach County joins other Florida counties, including Pasco, Holmes, Clay, Nassau, Leon, Bay, and Citrus, in adopting similar moratoriums.