Broward Votes to Draft a Data Center Moratorium as Martin Holds Its Final Hearing. Palm Beach's Is Already in Effect

Broward County commissioners voted unanimously on October 20 to begin the process of imposing a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers in unincorporated Broward, and Martin County holds the second and final hearing on its own moratorium on October 27. Palm Beach County already has a one-year ban in place that runs through September 2027, according to Local 10. Across all three, the rules apply to data centers with an anticipated peak electrical load of 50 megawatts or more, not to warehouses or manufacturing.

Broward: a drafting vote, with a final vote still to come

The commission directed the County Attorney to draft the ordinance, as proposed by Commissioner Lamar Fisher. Commissioners cited the potential effects on nearby neighborhoods, water supplies and electricity costs, Local 10 reported. The moratorium is not in effect yet. Fisher expects the ordinance to return for a final vote next month, though it could slip to December.

The measure would cover only unincorporated Broward, much of which lies in the Everglades, because the county does not control zoning inside its cities. Vice Mayor Robert McKinzie, whose district includes affected areas, cautioned against discouraging smaller technology companies from investing in communities that need it.

Martin: what the final hearing decides

Martin County’s second hearing, file 27-0109, asks commissioners to adopt an ordinance pausing new applications for large-scale data centers in unincorporated Martin County while staff writes new rules. Commissioners voted unanimously to advance it on October 13. The county’s official text confirms that applications the county has already deemed complete before the ordinance takes effect may continue under the rules in place when they were found sufficient. A data center application received on October 12 was deemed sufficient, according to the County Attorney.

That detail matters. Eligibility for the exception depends on the county’s written completeness determination, not on the date an application was filed.

What this means for you

If you own land in an unincorporated area and have heard interest from a data center developer, confirm which jurisdiction controls your parcel and where any application stands before pricing that interest into a deal. If you are a warehouse, distribution or manufacturing user, none of these measures restrict ordinary industrial development. If you are buying land for a power-intensive use, ask for the county’s written completeness letter and the adopted ordinance text, and confirm the utility’s commitment separately, since power is its own approval.

AXCESS Commercial tracks these decisions county by county for owners and buyers, and helps clients with leasing, listing land and buildings for sale and managing industrial property.

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