Palm Beach County rejects plan for Florida AI data center. Here's why

Palm Beach County commissioners rejected Project Tango, a 2.4-million-square-foot hyperscale AI data center, citing incompatibility with nearby residential areas including a school. The rejection reflects mounting local opposition to AI data centre expansion in Florida driven by concerns over power costs, water consumption, and infrastructure strain on communities. If you're building AI infrastructure, local zoning boards now have a proven template to block you: water use, power cost pass-through to residents, and proximity to schools. The rejection signals that political risk in real estate siting just became material to your capex model.