Trump has pushed for AI. But plans for a data center in his Florida backyard have residents fuming

Residents in Palm Beach County, Florida, are protesting Project Tango, a proposed AI data center near Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, citing concerns over water contamination, environmental damage, and proximity to a school. The project, which claims to generate $561 million in annual tax revenue, faces a key county commission vote amid organized opposition.

Trump has pushed for AI. But plans for a data center in his Florida backyard have residents fuming The project claims it will generate more than $500 million in tax revenue per year, but residents are worried the sprawling ‘hyperscale’ data center could pose a risk to water supplies - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Palm Beach County, Florida, boasts an airport /news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-airport-palm-beach-b3012053.html and a boulevard named for Donald Trump /news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-airport-palm-beach-b3012053.html , but if local residents have their way, another Trump-aligned project will not find a home in the area: a sprawling artificial intelligence data center. The Trump administration /news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-uae-ai-chips-iran-b3015169.html has pushed to speed up data center construction and block local regulation efforts, but locals have voiced heavy opposition to Project Tango, a proposed data center near the community of Arden, about 20 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and estate. On Wednesday, residents in bright green shirts with the slogan “NO to Project Tango” packed an auditorium where county commissioners are holding a key vote on the plan that would allow the data center /news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-uae-ai-chips-iran-b3015169.html to move forward. "We are hopefully going to convince the county commissioners that this just doesn't belong here," Corey Kanterman, an organizer with the group Stop Project Tango, told WPBF https://www.wpbf.com/article/palm-beach-county-commissioners-set-decide-fate-controversial-project-tango-data-center/71935265 . Critics /tech/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-electricity-water-sustainability-b2988832.html have a variety of problems with the 3.5 million square foot project, ranging from its location near an elementary school to questions about the environmental impact of the 5,000 gallons of potable water per day developer PBA Holdings says will be required for the development. “Project Tango poses serious risks to public health, school and community safety, environmental protection, and local finances,” according to Stop Project Tango. “Residents could face long-term costs from health issues, infrastructure strain, emergency response needs, environmental mitigation, and declining property values if this project moves forward.” Many of the rural properties surrounding the proposed data center draw their water from private wells, while others worry over the impact of the center on nearby canals and environmental areas. “I’m on a well,” one resident told Inside Climate News https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14072026/florida-everglades-ai-data-center-opposition/ . “If the aquifer were to get contaminated due to potential deep-well injection, I’m out of luck.” A petition against the project has more than 8,400 signatures https://www.change.org/p/say-no-to-the-construction-of-project-tango-ai-data-center-in-palm-beach-county?utm source=share petition&utm medium=mobileNativeShare&utm campaign=share petition&recruited by id=91f301b0-d303-11f0-b571-5530b7aa1765 . The developers of the project say a closed-loop water system will be used, though plans also include a water-treatment building on site. John Boyd, a site selection expert unaffiliated with the project, told CBS 12 https://cbs12.com/news/local/project-tango-setback-palm-beach-county-zoning-board-recommends-denial-concerned-residents-environmental-impact-central-park-commerce-center-florida-news he sees plenty of upside and notes that a nearby Florida Power and Light gas plant means the AI data center will have ample access to power. "You would hate to look back a decade from now and say, ‘Geez, we missed an opportunity for a multi-billion dollar economic engine,’" he said. The project says it will generate an estimated $561 million in annual tax revenue https://x.com/tiffanyrizzo /status/2077394904330768500/photo/4 and upwards of 500 permanent jobs. The developers argue the center is being proposed on a site that is already affiliated with industrial uses, including the nearby gas plant and a rock mine. The Independent has contacted PBA and its attorney for comment. “We clearly understand the concerns, and they are legitimate concerns,” Project Tango manager Ernie Cox told Bloomberg https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2026/07/15/ai-backlash-builds-in-president-trumps-mar-a-lago-backyard/ . “We have designed this to mitigate those impacts.” Tweaks have included scaling back parts of the data center, moving facilities further from the nearby school and calling for cooling equipment to be placed inside a concrete building to reduce noise. In early July, the county’s zoning commission unanimously recommended denying the project in the face of widespread public opposition, though the commission’s professional staff recommended moving forward with the data center. Opposition to the project in Florida comes amid a wave of anger over data centers sweeping politics across the state and country. At least 10 Florida localities have passed data center moratoria, and candidates in the Republican primary to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis are largely against data centers. DeSantis himself signed a law https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2026/governor-ron-desantis-signs-law-protect-floridians-subsidizing-data-centers preventing large data centers from passing on utility costs. In New York, meanwhile, the governor enacted a year-long moratorium on large data center construction, the nation’s first statewide pause. The grassroots and bipartisan opposition is at odds with the stance in the White House, where President Trump has pushed to speed up data center construction and preempt local regulation. The enormous demand for AI and data centers is straining power supplies across the world and imperiling a variety of climate goals, according to experts /tech/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-electricity-water-sustainability-b2988832.html . Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments comments-area