Dumb Data Center Decisions & Taking on the Flock – Top 3 Takeaways – August 28th, 2026
Takeaway #1: Unanimously ignorant
I'd prefer to start Friday with a more positive and upbeat takeaway, however I'd also prefer county representation that would operate with good policy in place. That's just not the case, hence unanimously ignorant is my top takeaway (and I'm potentially being generous with that characterization). Here's the sum total number of Palm Beach County Commissioners who can be counted on to make intelligent and well-informed decisions in the face of public resistance. Zero. That's what last month's vote to kill Project Tango indicated and it's what yesterday's unanimous vote on the first reading for a one-year moratorium on data centers in Palm Beach County proved. Despite Florida's law which as I stated yesterday in my third takeaway... It's tough to talk truth when so many have become devotees in the community for anti-data center policies. Every time I speak up with truth regarding data center projects, the backlash I hear from listeners is real. The facts don't seem to matter to many. But as always there are two sides to stories and one side to facts. And the facts are these...under Florida law all power needs must be paid for by the data center operator with no impact on communities. All water must be reclaimed - there can be zero impact on existing residential water resources. That in terms of noise and other potentially harmful effects, they can't be any different than existing businesses zoned for industrial complexes. But those are the facts, and the commissioners can choose to observe them or do the politically expedient thing. Real leaders inform themselves on issues and lead on the issues informing their constituents along the way. Real leaders have the courage of their convictions to do the right thing regardless of whether there may be controversy. Real leaders in politics don't worry about which way the wind may be blowing politically – they vote in the interests of constituents. What's clear based upon the ignorance that's been on display during the entirety of the AI debate is that there are no real leaders on the Palm Beach County Commission - just varying degrees of ignorant politically expedient politicians. Their decision to vote forward an artificial one-year moratorium on AI, is the technology equivalent of COVID lockdowns for the next year. The decision to kill Project Tango, which btw, the backers are currently trying to appeal, adjusted for inflation over the next decade killed an estimated $5.15 billion in tax revenue to the county, $2.15 billion in construction investment, 2,300 jobs that would have paid the employees $1.3 billion - meaning there's also $1.3 billion in lost local wages...and again that was just Project Tango – let alone the county now putting up the "We're Closed" sign when it comes to the age of AI. And right behind PBC comes Martin County, which just voted 4-1 to advance the issue of a potential one-year moratorium too. It is genuinely sad to see a community I love have so many citizens misinformed and propagandized against AI and data centers specifically. And it's even sadder to see the people that shape policy playing right into the hands of that Chinese propaganda policy. As I mentioned yesterday...If you're a county commissioner and the vote that you make is exactly the way that Xi Jing Ping would vote for Palm Beach County if he had a vote – what are the odds you're doing the right thing?
Takeaway #2: Addressing the Flock
Just as I've heard a steady stream of disagreement from many who've been upset about my data center position, that runs counter to propagandized popularized positions...I've started to receive regular flack for my support of Flock cameras (or AI enabled camera systems generally). The temperature on this issue has been raised considerably this week as Manatee County banned Flock cameras, and Governor DeSantis expressed concerns about their use too. But just as there are always two sides to stories and one side to facts...how about we consider these. First question. Do you want safer communities? Would you prefer for law enforcement to be able to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively? Now consider this... A new study of 216 U.S. law enforcement agencies which implemented Flock cameras produced these results. Vehicle thefts declined by 11%. Arrests and vehicles recovered from thefts increased by about 16%. The average length of time saved by law enforcement during investigations was seven hours per case. A side benefit that was observed was that overall property theft declined in all studied communities too. And why would that be the case? It's not hard to see...
Takeaway #3: Criminals aren't as inclined to operate in communities that have implemented flock cameras generally
But of course the concern is about surveillance that goes too far. But what does that really mean? Driving is a privilege not a right, you have a license plate to be identified at any time for any reason by law enforcement. You also don't have a right to privacy in public spaces which are already filled with cameras filming everything all of the time anyway...so why is it that if there were a more effective way for law enforcement to use that video to solve criminal cases would that be an issue? And the best argument I've heard to date is that the problem is that through all of these cameras and all of these systems allow us be tracked everywhere we go. And perhaps, at worst that's true, however if you're already on camera anyway (and have been for years), and if you don't have any right to privacy in public spaces (which you don't)...why is it that now is the time that you care? No rights are being violated because you have no privacy rights in public spaces. This isn't a privacy issue. And here's the much greater irony that I'll leave for all who disagree with me on this one to chew on. Where is it that you do have a right to privacy? Your property of course. And what is it, regarding privacy, data and tracking that you personally have chosen to do all of the time and everywhere you may go in non-public spaces? You've agreed to let every technology company gather all of the data about you, everything you search, everything you watch, every website you visit, every app you use and everywhere you do all of these things no whatever what location you might be in. What's more is that most have agreed to not only to do all of those things but also (often unwittingly) agreed to allow all of those companies to bundle that data about you and to sell it to whoever will pay for that data on you...or in other words entities that you might say operate with a touch less integrity than most law enforcement agencies. So, it's a tough putt from a put of consistency and intellectual honesty to say that you what to stand up and fight for privacy where those rights do not exist in public places...when you're already giving and selling so much more about you and your entire family every single day to endless numbers of tech companies and all who buy information from them.