WELLINGTON, Fla. — The Village of Wellington has become the first municipality in the area to publicly oppose Project Tango — a proposed hyperscale AI data center near homes and a school in Palm Beach County's western communities.
Wellington's mayor and town council sent a letter to Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez asking him to support state legislation that would "provide essential guardrails for hyperscale data center development that … can pose significant risks."
WATCH:
The move comes ahead of the end of Florida's legislative session and follows months of opposition from residents across the western communities.
Wellington's Mayor Michael Napoleone said the village's equestrian identity is central to its concerns.
"We are the winter equestrian capital of the world, and we are concerned that the noise and vibrations it might generate could impact our equestrian community, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars every year," the mayor said.
Residents like Rachel Smith have been vocal in their opposition to the project, confronting county leaders directly.
"At what point did our elected officials forget that they work for us?" Smith said.
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Smith and other neighbors have raised concerns about the unknown effects of a hyperscale data center so close to residential areas.
"Nobody wants to live next to a data center," Smith said.
Other residents have raised concerns about the impact on animals.
"I'm concerned about my horses hearing that sound all day long. They're going to be going crazy," one Royal Palm Beach resident said.
The mayor said Wellington's decision to speak out goes beyond its own borders.
"When we call ourselves the western communities, we are a community. So we care about what happens out in Arden, in that area, even if you're not one of the residents," the mayor said.
Full letter from Wellington to Speaker Perez:
More of WPTV's coverage of Project Tango below:
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Western residents raise new concerns about Project Tango
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'We don't want it': Communities push back as AI data centers expand across US
Royal Palm Beach
Palm Beach County residents rally against Project Tango
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WPTV listens to concerns about proposed data center ahead of town hall
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WPTV brings Project Tango concerns directly to DeSantis
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