Palm Beach County pauses data center approvals for one year

Palm Beach County, Florida, has approved a oneyear moratorium on new data center planning and construction while officials review the facilities’ potential effects on the environment, noise, water use, and electricity costs. The 60 vote on Thursday does not ban data centers permanently. Instead, county leaders plan to study the impacts and then update zoning rules for where such projects can be built. The decision comes amid local concern over a proposed AI data center project known as Project Tango, which was first approved in 2016 and is planned about 20 miles from MaraLago. Residents at the meeting said the project helped drive support for the pause, citing worries about power bills, environmental damage, and neighborhood disruption.