Palm Beach County enacts moratorium on large-scale data centers

Palm Beach County commissioners voted 6-0 to enact a one-year moratorium on the planning and construction of new large-scale data centers. The restriction applies to facilities with an anticipated peak electrical load of at least 50 megawatts.

The decision follows local concerns regarding the environmental and economic impacts of data centers, including potential increases in electricity bills, noise pollution, depletion of water resources, and effects on local wetlands. The moratorium is intended to allow county leadership to conduct thorough environmental impact reviews and update zoning rules before future developments are approved.

The move occurs despite President Donald Trump’s public support for expanding data center infrastructure to accelerate artificial intelligence development. The President has previously characterized communities that reject such facilities as risking economic decline.