LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter confirmed to WPTV's western Palm Beach County reporter Michael Hoffman on Tuesday that the Palm Beach County Commission passed a moratorium on AI data centers in the county.
The moratorium, however, will not apply to the controversial Project Tango proposal in Loxahatchee.
The Palm Beach County Planning and Zoning Commission previously recommended that county commissioners deny Project Tango.
Commissioners are expected to make their decision on July 15.
Ahead of that vote, Hoffman spoke one-on-one with Project Tango manager Ernie Cox, who took him on a tour of the proposed site — offering a firsthand look at the location where the hyperscale AI data center would be built.
Cox said the data center would bring 1,700 jobs over the course of the five-year, $2 billion construction project, along with 500 to 600 permanent jobs. He said the county would also see a significant financial benefit.
"Potentially as much as half a billion dollars a year of tax revenue to Palm Beach County," Cox said.
The site was already approved in 2016 for a data center and warehouse space. The vote on July 15 looks to modify that original plan, as Cox and his team are asking for additional data center and warehouse space.
Cox tells WPTV the past eight months have been an uphill battle.
"I think, Michael, one of the important things is we've got to do a better job of explaining what we have done and how we're doing it," Cox said.
The revised plan includes expanding the data center buildings from just over 1 million to 1.5 million square feet and relocating cooling equipment to reduce noise levels.
When asked why the project is proposed in this location and so close to a community and a school, Cox pointed to the nearby power plant.
"The West County Energy Center is one of the biggest in the entire United States. This is a very resilient piece of electrical infrastructure, and data and information processing needs to be able to stay connected. The power has got to be on," Cox said.
Cox said the data centers and cooling equipment are being placed on the portion of the property farthest from Arden and Saddle View Elementary. He added that their location near the FPL power plant, combined with a closed-loop cooling system, is expected to help absorb sound while minimizing water use and environmental impacts.
Cox said neighbors' concerns about noise and water consumption were addressed by replacing the original evaporative cooling system. The closed-loop system will use about 5,000 gallons of water per day.
"I mean, these computers will be inside concrete insulated buildings. When they're built, you won't know what's inside the building. It'll look like a modern business park," Cox said.
The county Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the project. Residents have raised concerns that while the current proposal asks for data center and warehouse space, Planning and Zoning staff reported that "the site could end up with 100% data center uses totaling 3,594,564 sq. ft."
When asked directly whether he had any intention of doing that, Cox said no. Asked if that was a definitive no, Cox again said no.
The Palm Beach County Commission vote on Project Tango is scheduled for July 15.
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