Palm Beach County to weigh "Project Tango" AI data center: what IT teams should know
Palm Beach County commissioners will take up a controversial AI data center proposal known as Project Tango on Wednesday. The 202.67-acre site sits at Southern Boulevard and 20 Mile Bend, next to protected environmental land and the growing Arden community.
At the latest meeting, commissioners recommended expanding the project from 3.28 million to 3.69 million square feet. The current plan splits roughly 1.79 million square feet for data centers and 1.9 million square feet for warehouses. Notably, the zoning resolutions did not directly address noise and water usage-two issues residents have flagged.
People living near the site raised concerns about noise and pollution. In response, the developer said the county has ordered a noise study to reduce impact and invited nearby residents to tour the site.
Florida's broader push for data centers
Project Tango is one of several Florida data center proposals. Another-Sentinel Grove Technology Park in St. Lucie County-would be the largest in the state if it moves forward. At a Tuesday meeting, the State House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee discussed the expected influx of facilities and the infrastructure required to support them.
Tiffany Cohen with Florida Power & Light spoke after a rate settlement was approved, addressing the cost of new electric infrastructure for data centers. "We're a fast-growing state with a growing tech sector, which means digital infrastructure isn't just welcomed here, it's needed," Cohen said.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called for a direct conversation about environmental impacts. "I would love to hear what steps you're taking to proactively mitigate the environmental consequences of this type of expansion, because I don't think we can ignore the fact that those exist," she said. Dan Diorio with the Data Center Coalition pointed to studies on water usage, noting, "In Virginia, the largest market globally, 83% of data centers use as much or even less water as a large commercial office building."
Technical angles IT and engineering teams should watch
- Power and grid timelines: Clarify substation build lead times, interconnection queues, redundancy (N/N+1), and demand charges. Understand curtailment risk during peak load or storm events.
- Cooling and water strategy: Ask whether designs favor air-cooled, adiabatic, or liquid cooling; whether reclaimed or potable water is used; and if there's a water usage effectiveness (WUE) target and drought contingency plan.
- Noise controls: Look for modeled dBA limits at property lines, generator and chiller acoustics, and construction-hour restrictions-especially near residential and protected lands.
- Network and latency: Verify long-haul and metro fiber routes, dark fiber availability, diversity, and target round-trip latency to key exchanges and cloud on-ramps.
- Resilience and storm hardening: Evaluate wind ratings, floodplain status, elevation, fuel storage for generators, and continuity plans for hurricanes.
- Energy mix and sustainability: Check options for renewable PPAs, hourly matching, and emissions reporting. Align internal ESG requirements with the operator's roadmap.
- Design and operations: UPS chemistry (e.g., lithium-ion variants), hot/cold aisle containment, fault domains, and maintenance windows that won't disrupt SLOs.
- Logistics and spares: The attached warehouse component could speed parts access. Ask about on-site spares, lead times, and incident response SLAs.
- Compliance and community fit: Zoning near protected land may add constraints. Ensure permit conditions don't hinder future expansion or change management.
Why this meeting matters
The commission's direction on square footage, noise, and water policy will shape how fast capacity can come online-and how operators design for Florida's grid, climate, and community standards. For teams planning AI and high-density deployments in the state, track approvals and utility timelines closely.
If you want a broader view of data center water considerations and efficiency practices, see resources from the Data Center Coalition and ENERGY STAR for Data Centers.
Next steps
Commissioners take up Project Tango on Wednesday. We'll be watching for concrete outcomes on noise mitigation, water use policy, and any conditions placed on the site plan. Those decisions will signal how Florida intends to balance digital infrastructure growth with environmental and community priorities.
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