Project Tango Datacenter Sparks Environmental and Community Pushback in Western Palm Beach County

Developers PBA Holdings, Inc. have applied to build a 600 MW hyperscale datacenter—dubbed Project Tango—on a 202-acre parcel about 16 miles west of the Mar-a-Lago estate, near the northern edge of the Florida Everglades. The site is adjacent to a pump station that feeds freshwater into the southern Everglades and lies roughly 1,200 feet from a local elementary school. The project would draw power comparable to half a million U.S. homes and required $20 million in county-approval expenses, according to regulatory filings.

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Local environmentalists warn that the datacenter’s waste heat could raise water temperatures in nearby canals, potentially intensifying toxic cyanobacterial (microcystin) blooms that have already covered nearly half of Lake Okeechobee. On July 30, the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issued a health alert about cyanobacteria in the lake. Reinaldo Diaz, founder of the nonprofit Lake Worth Waterkeeper, argues that even a 1-2 °C rise in air or water temperature could “fuel bacterial blooms” in the watershed. Emerging research cited by critics indicates that smaller datacenters can increase downwind air temperature by up to 2 °C.

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Earthjustice attorney Christina Reichert, representing the Western Palm Beach Community Alliance, highlighted the risk of heat-driven algal blooms that could compromise drinking water and Everglades restoration. President Donald J Trump, at a press conference, downplayed neighbor concerns and reiterated his non-binding pledge that developers bear their own electricity costs. Project manager Ernie Cox told the Palm Beach County Commissioners that the facility would employ a closed-loop cooling system to recirculate water, reducing overall water consumption. In a written statement, Cox expressed disappointment with the commission’s decision and affirmed the company’s commitment to meet regional infrastructure needs while evaluating next steps.

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• Power demand: 600 MW, equivalent to ~500,000 homes.

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• Land area: 202 acres (82 hectares).

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• Restoration funding: Federal and state agencies have invested a combined $6 billion in Everglades restoration.

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• Developer spending: $20 million on county approvals and power-reliability measures.

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• “One of the concerns we had about this location is the risk of increasing the heat in this area because it could lead to algal blooms in that canal that could compromise drinking water and Everglades restoration,” — Christina Reichert, earthjustice attorney

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• “What is all of this going to do?” — Loyzelle

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• “There’s nowhere in Palm Beach county where it would be acceptable to put one of these,” — Reinaldo Diaz

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Palm Beach County commissioners are slated to vote next month on a moratorium against large-scale datacenters, a measure already adopted by several other Florida counties. Community groups and local officials argue that additional regulatory “guardrails” are needed before any hyperscale facility proceeds.

The Guardian