RFI 2026-007-LARGE-SCALE DATA CENTER REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI No. 2026-007

Due Date: September 3, 2026

LARGE-SCALE DATA CENTER REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

1. TITLE & SUMMARY

Development of a Future-Ready Regulatory Framework for Large Load Data Centers and Emerging High-Intensity Industrial and Technology Uses.

Palm Beach County is seeking information from qualified planning, engineering, legal, economic development, utility, environmental, and/or multidisciplinary consulting firms regarding approaches to developing a modern regulatory framework for large load data centers, including hyperscale, artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing, and other high electrical demand computing facilities, as well as other emerging industrial, technology, and infrastructure-intensive land uses.

Consistent with direction from the Board of County Commissioners, and in light of chapter 2026-65, Laws of Florida (SB 484), which expressly preserves local government authority over comprehensive planning and land development regulation with respect to large load customers the primary focus of this effort is the evaluation and regulation of large load data centers and hyperscale computing facilities, which present unique and significant demands on electrical, water, wastewater, telecommunication, transportation, emergency services, other critical infrastructure systems, and fiscal, and community compatibility.

Respondents should note that chapter 2025-190, Laws of Florida (SB 180), restricts impacted local governments from proposing or adopting more restrictive or burdensome comprehensive plan amendments, land development regulations, and development review procedures through October 1, 2027. The final product must address how the recommended framework is consistent with those limitations, including the interaction between chapter 2025-190 and the local authority expressly preserved in chapter 2026-65.

At the same time, the County recognizes that technological innovation is rapidly changing the types of operational characteristics of industrial, technology, and employment uses seeking approval within local jurisdictions. Consultants are encouraged to provide recommendations for a broader, future-ready regulatory framework capable of addressing other emerging technologies and industrial uses with similar infrastructure and operational characteristics.

The County is also interested in exploring how Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs), development agreements, or similar public benefit mechanisms to determine where and under what circumstances, these tools may be appropriate for and may be incorporated into the regulatory or approval process for large load data centers and other uses. Respondents should address the legal limits on such commitments including, but not limited to, constitutional and statutory restrictions on exactions.

Traditional land use classifications and property development regulations may not adequately address operational characteristics, scale, infrastructure demands, cumulative impacts, environmental impacts, or community compatibility issues associated with these evolving uses.

2. PURPOSE

This RFI is intended to identify qualified firms and multidisciplinary expertise, gather information on best practices, and solicit recommendations regarding project scope, methodology, innovative regulatory approaches, deliverables, and schedule and costs for developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for large-load data centers, that may ultimately lead to an RFQ or RFP.

3 BACKGROUND

Palm Beach County is evaluating amendments to its Comprehensive Plan and Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) to address large load data centers, hyperscale computing facilities, and other emerging high-intensity industrial and technology uses.

The County seeks a durable, technology-neutral and legally defensible regulatory framework capable of adapting to changing technologies and future industries while protecting public infrastructure capacity, environmental resources, surrounding community compatibility, and the public health, safety, and welfare.

The County is looking for a regulatory approach that focuses on measurable operational characteristics and impacts rather than on traditional land use and zoning categories. Such characteristics may include electrical demand, water consumption, generator capacity, energy density, building scale, noise, infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, employment characteristics, and other measurable factors.

The County recognizes that different regulatory and implementation mechanisms may be appropriate for different impacts. The County will be looking for information regarding matters that are appropriately addressed in the Comprehensive Plan and ULDC and which may include development agreements, utility agreements, conditions of approval, infrastructure planning, building and fire codes, environmental regulations, or other regulatory mechanisms.

4. OBJECTIVES

• Evaluate existing Comprehensive Plan and ULDC provisions applicable to large load data centers and related infrastructure-intensive uses.

• Identify regulatory gaps and potential implementation challenges.

• Research national and international best practices.

• Evaluate methodologies for defining and classifying data centers based on measurable characteristics, including electrical demand, water consumption, building area, generator capacity, energy usage, infrastructure demand, and operational impacts.

• Develop a future-ready and technology-neutral land use framework that adapts to emerging technology and industry.

• Create flexible, performance and impact-based regulations.

• Protect and preserve infrastructure capacity (electric, water, wastewater, transportation, emergency services, and other critical infrastructure).

• Support economic competitiveness.

• Maintain legal defensibility under Florida law.

• Evaluate Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) as a potential implementation tool.

• Establish effective mechanisms for monitoring, enforcement, and continuing compliance with performance-based standards.

5. INFORMATION REQUESTED

Respondents should describe:

1. Relevant Experience and Qualifications. Relevant experience with planning, zoning, data centers, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, utilities, economic and fiscal analysis, environmental planning, performance-based zoning, future-ready planning, Florida land use law, and Community Benefit Agreements. Identify comparable projects completed for local or regional governments and describe lessons learned that may be applicable to Palm Beach County.

2. Recommended Project Approach. Recommended project approach, including existing conditions analysis, Comprehensive Plan and ULDC review, legal review, infrastructure assessment, stakeholder engagement, regulatory drafting, implementation strategy, and public outreach. Identify recommended project phases and any tasks that could be performed concurrently or separately.

3. Land Use Classifications, Thresholds and Approval Framework. Innovative regulatory concepts such as technology-neutral standards, infrastructure demand thresholds, overlay districts, performance standards, adaptive review processes, emerging technology use classifications, and Community Benefit Agreements. Evaluate alternative regulatory approaches, including permitted uses, conditional uses, planned developments, overlay districts, special districts, administrative approvals, public hearing approvals, and tiered review processes. Discuss appropriate methodologies for determining suitable locations and separation from residential areas, schools, environmentally sensitive lands, and other sensitive receptors. Identify circumstances under which expansion or modification of an existing facility should trigger additional review.

4. Future-proofing strategies that regulate operational characteristics rather than specific industries and anticipate emerging technologies over the next 20 years.

5. Infrastructure planning approaches addressing electric, water, wastewater, transportation, telecommunications, emergency services, fuel storage, back up generation, battery energy storage systems, environmental resources, and community infrastructure. Review potable versus reclaimed or alternative water supplies, peak and average infrastructure demand and phasing, redundancy, and cumulative impacts associated with multiple facilities within a service or geographic area.

6. Legal considerations, including state preemption, Bert Harris Act implications, takings, constitutional issues, and enforceable development conditions.

7. Public engagement strategies involving residents, industry, utilities, municipalities, environmental organizations, and elected officials.

8. Recommended deliverables, including Comprehensive Plan amendments, ULDC amendments, policy recommendations, performance standards, implementation roadmap, model conditions of approval, and Community Benefit Agreement templates.

9. Recommend mechanisms for studies, pre-construction, post-construction, and periodic reporting, third-party certification, monitoring, compliance investigation, enforcement, corrective action, and continuing compliance with performance-based standards. Identify specialized equipment or technical expertise for implementation.

6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUESTED

Interested firms should provide:

• Firm qualifications and areas of expertise

• Team composition and identification of professional disciplines considered necessary for the project

• Relevant project experience, including comparable data center or infrastructure-intensive land use regulatory projects

• Suggested scope of work and project phases

• Recommended schedule, including duration by phases

• Estimated budget ranges by task or phase

• Innovative ideas for regulatory or implementation concepts

• Lessons learned from comparable projects

• Comparable project examples by jurisdictions, regulations, and studies

7. COUNTY VISION

Palm Beach County seeks a flexible, technology-neutral, legally defensible regulatory framework centered on large-load data centers while remaining adaptable to future high-intensity industrial and technology uses. The County encourages innovative planning tools that provide certainty for applicants, protect public infrastructure, and support long-term community interests.

8. DEADLINE FOR RESPONSE

Responses are due on or before September 3, 2026. Responses must be in .pdf format and submitted to:

David Juhe, Senior Buyer Palm Beach County Procurement Department 50 S. Military Trail, Suite 110 West Palm Beach, FL 33415 Email: pur-purchteam2@pbc.gov AND djuhe1@pbc.gov

IMPORTANT NOTES: This RFI is not a Request for Proposal, Request for Submittal, and

Request for Quotation, Offer, or an Invitation for Bid, nor does its issuance restrict PBC on its eventual disposition activities. This is an RFI only, and all information received will be used for informational and planning purposes only. Your response may be releasable to the public under Florida Public Records Law (Section 119.07, F.S.). If you wish PBC to consider any portion of your response exempt from disclosure under the Florida Public

Records Law, you should clearly mark that portion as “confidential information” and state the portion of the applicable statute that meets the exemption you are seeking.

Respondents will not be notified of any results derived from a review of the information provided. This RFI should not be construed as a commitment by PBC, and PBC does not intend to award a contract on the basis of your responses. All information contained in the

RFI is preliminary and is subject to modification and is in no way binding PBC. PBC will not pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this RFI are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

mailto:pur-purchteam2@pbc.gov mailto:djuhe1@pbc.gov