Palm Beach County commissioners on Thursday decided not to move forward with a proposed data center consultant. Instead, they directed county staff to present more options before selecting a firm.
The board first voted to hire Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., known as VHB, under a nine-month contract worth up to $224,900. Commissioners later reconsidered after questions about the company’s experience with data center clients. Several residents urged the board to reject the proposal, arguing the firm could not give independent advice.
A VHB representative said the company has provided engineering, environmental and utility services to data center clients. He said he was not aware of any current data center clients in Florida or Palm Beach County. He also told commissioners the firm has not previously written an ordinance specifically for data centers, and he said it would act as an objective third party.
County staff defended the recommendation, calling VHB qualified and its price practical. Staff said six other proposals came in during an earlier information-gathering stage, with prices ranging from $100,000 to $2 million. Staff also warned that delays could make it harder to finish new rules before the county’s one-year moratorium on large-load data centers expires. Without new rules, applications could be reviewed under the current code, which staff described as limited.
Staff will check with the county procurement office on whether a formal competitive process is required and how it would affect the schedule. Commissioners also asked staff to return with a proposal for a resident task force, possibly with one representative from each commission district. That proposal is expected Nov. 18.
