A Florida county has rejected a proposal for a hyperscale data center following months of public opposition.

The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners voted 5 to 1 Wednesday night against Project Tango.

Hundreds of residents attended the commission meeting, which lasted for approximately 12 hours.

Many of them wore shirts that read “Stop Project Tango.”

“The Palm Beach County Commission’s decision to deny Project Tango moving forward shows what can happen when residents, environmental advocates, scientists, and local leaders stand together to protect what makes the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County special,” Democratic congressional candidate Bernard Taylor said.

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“Throughout this campaign, I’ve been clear: economic growth should never come at the expense of our environment or the voices of the people who call this region home. We can create good-paying jobs, attract responsible businesses, and strengthen our economy without sacrificing the ecosystems that protect us from flooding, support our wildlife, and preserve our way of life,” he added.

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The proposed data center drew criticism from neighbors who were concerned about its location near Saddle View Elementary School and the Arden community, as well as its potential impacts on groundwater, noise, energy use and the environment.

The commission vote comes after the Palm Beach County Zoning Commission earlier this month denied a revised application that would have expanded the already approved 202-acre site.

If the proposal had been approved, Project Tango would have been the first hyperscale data center in Florida.

“This one is proposed to be 600 megawatts of power across five buildings, about a million square feet, with the latest technology not only on the computing side, but on the cooling side,” said Ernie Cox, project manager for PBA Holdings, according to WPLG Local 10.

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Developers say the site was chosen because it sits just a few hundred feet from a major power plant.

“You have one of the most connected pieces of electrical infrastructure in Florida with the largest power plant in the state of Florida immediately next to a site that’s been zoned and used for industrial uses for decades,” Cox said.

But it’s that location that is generating fierce opposition.

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Project Tango borders the Arden residential community and an elementary school, both just outside Wellington.

Project Tango’s original master plan was approved 10 years ago. Developers are now seeking permission to expand that plan by 1.5 million square feet, mostly for warehouses but, they say, space that could also be used for additional data centers.

Dozens of data centers already exist in Miami-Dade County, including Iron Mountain, which is set to open later this year. None, however, are hyperscale data centers requiring 50 megawatts or more, like Project Tango.

The potential environmental impact is driving most of the opposition, with concerns centered on water use, heat and constant noise.

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