On April 28, 2026, the Town of Pembroke Park’s Planning and Zoning Board heard a draft ordinance that would set local rules for data centers and AI training facilities before any named hyperscale project appears on a public application. For landlords, brokers, and operators watching Broward industrial corridors, the useful product is not a scorecard. It is a cost-and-process map: what numbers were put on the table, what zoning path the draft would require, which colo buildings already publish specs in the county, and how Floridas Chapter 2026-65 (SB 484) layers statewide large-load rules on top of municipal land-use authority.
This Gazette package stays factual. It does not argue for or against data centers. It tracks public process and operator-published facility facts so owners can underwrite parcels, LOIs, and power assumptions against the record.
What Pembroke Park Put on the Table
Secondary synthesis published at FloridaDataCenters.org (tip page for this package) states that the Town Commission authorized its planner in February 2026 to draft a local data-center regulatory framework, timed against the statewide SB 484 track. The same synthesis says the draft went before Planning and Zoning on April 28, 2026, without naming a specific data-center project in the ordinance text.
As of the tip page’s September 8, 2026 update, a final Town Commission adoption vote had not been independently confirmed in public reporting. The Town’s Municode library shows the Code of Ordinances codified through Ordinance No. 2026-008 (adopted February 16, 2026) as of Supplement 43 (online content updated May 26, 2026). Owners should treat the April package as a heard draft until Commission minutes, an adopted ordinance number, or a Municode update shows otherwise. Agendas and minutes are the control documents: the Pembroke Park CivicClerk portal and the town’s posted meeting materials.
The Draft Fee and Bond Numbers Owners Underwrite
FloridaDataCenters.org’s Broward brief lists the following figures as appearing in the draft framework presented at the April 28 hearing. Until the Town publishes a final adopted text, treat these as draft underwriting inputs, not billed invoices:
| Draft line item | Stated amount |
|---|---|
| Electrical / community impact fee | $1,000,000 per megawatt |
| Water capacity mitigation fee | $500,000 per acre |
| Performance bond (minimum) | $10,000,000 |
| Annual backup-generation fee | $100,000 per megawatt per year |
Owner translation is arithmetic, not advocacy. A 16 MW nameplate under this draft electrical fee line would be modeled as $16 million in impact fees before groundbreak, plus water fees scaled to acreage, plus the bond floor, plus annual generator fees while operating. Counsel and fee counsel should verify whether any final ordinance indexes, phases, credits, or refunds those lines—and whether they apply only to new “data center / AI training” definitions as drafted.
Zoning Path: Special Exception in M-1
The tip synthesis states the draft would prohibit data centers as a permitted (by-right) use in M-1 Industrial and require special-exception approval—public hearing, community input, and a Commission vote. That is a process change relative to jurisdictions where industrial districts allow similar uses by right. For LOIs, the practical fields are: (1) is the folio inside Pembroke Park city limits; (2) is the zoning M-1 or another district; (3) does the use definition in any adopted ordinance match the proposed program; (4) what hearing calendar and noticing rules apply.
Existing industrial occupancy along Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Pembroke Road is already part of the local land-use pattern. Cogent Communications publishes a colocation facility at 3924 Pembroke Road, Pembroke Park (marketed as the Hollywood / Pembroke Park site). A Cogent brochure lists roughly 2,480 square feet of colo space, 42U cabinets, Cogent and Inrange connectivity with ports up to 100GE, one 90 kVA UPS, and one 275 kW Cummins-Onan generator with 2,500-gallon diesel storage. That is an existing network/colo node, not proof that a future hyperscale campus is entitled on any adjacent parcel.
Broward’s Existing Colo Map (Operator-Published)
Broward’s carrier-neutral footprint is smaller than Miami-Dade’s interconnection cluster. Operator pages and South Florida facility guides that limit themselves to published specs converge on three verified multi-tenant colo buildings, plus the Cogent Pembroke Park room:
Flexential Fort Lauderdale — 5301 NW 33rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Flexential’s facility page lists a Category 5 hurricane-resistant design claim, about 64,164 square feet of data-center footprint, 3.15 MW critical power, and N+1 UPS and cooling with a 100% SLA on power, cooling, network, and bandwidth (operator marketing; confirm current SLA attached to any order).
365 Data Centers Fort Lauderdale — 3250 W Commercial Blvd, Fort Lauderdale. The operator page lists roughly 11,400 square feet of data-center space, geographically diverse fiber entry, N+1 UPS with a dedicated generator class described on-site, and carriers including AT&T, Comcast, Crown Castle, Lumen, and Windstream, with FL-IX peering access noted in marketing copy.
Volico FLL1 / Vault Networks — 500 Green Road, Deerfield Beach / Pompano Beach market labeling varies by brand page. Volico’s Fort Lauderdale product page publishes Category 5 hurricane-resistant design language, current floor capacity on the order of 20,000 square feet with a larger future-build figure, and multi-megawatt utility and generator expansion claims (including a 2 MW class with large expansion capacity in operator copy). Directories often double-count this building under two brands; underwrite it as one physical plant unless you have two separate leases.
Cogent — 3924 Pembroke Road, Pembroke Park — as above, brochure-scale colo rather than a hyperscale campus.
Directories that list nine or more “Broward” facilities often recycle retired brands (for example, Peak 10 → Flexential) or split one Deerfield building into two. For acquisition or DR-site diligence, prefer operator URLs and a site walk over spreadsheet counts.
How Chapter 2026-65 Layers on Local Rules
Florida’s CS/CS/SB 484 became Chapter 2026-65 (approved May 7, 2026; chaptered May 8, 2026), with an effective date of July 1, 2026 except as otherwise provided. The enrolled act’s land-use clause is direct: local governments keep authority over comprehensive planning and land development regulations relating to large load customers, and a large load customer is not to be treated as an electric substation for the purposes of the cited substation statute. In plain English for Broward owners: a state large-load tariff chapter does not erase Pembroke Park’s (or any city’s) zoning calendar.
On the utility side, the act creates section 366.043, Florida Statutes, directing public utilities toward minimum tariff and service requirements so large-load customers bear their own full cost of service without shifting costs to the general body of ratepayers, with related nonpayment, foreign-entity, and curtailment/interruption provisions. The statute’s “large load customer” definition turns on anticipated monthly peak load of 50 megawatts or more at a single location (including colocation arrangements that meet that peak). Public utilities face a filing deadline of October 1, 2026 for compliant tariffs at the Florida Public Service Commission.
Separately, the act addresses consumptive-use permitting for large-scale data centers and directs an OPPAGA-contracted study. Operators and landlords should keep three binders: (1) city/county zoning; (2) utility large-load tariff / interconnection; (3) water CUP / SFWMD or DEP path. Do not collapse them into one “Florida data center bill” checkbox.
Adjacent County Process (Not Broward Code)
Palm Beach County’s separate Large-Scale Data Center moratorium track (final reading noticed for September 24, 2026, in unincorporated Palm Beach County, with a ≥50 MW anticipated monthly peak load definition in draft materials) is not Broward law. It matters to SoFla owners who hold land on both sides of the county line or who underwrite DR pairs between Broward colo and Palm Beach industrial edge. Process checklist for that hearing lives here: Palm Beach County Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium — Sep 24 Owner Checklist. Do not paste PBC freeze language onto a Pembroke Park or Fort Lauderdale folio.
Owner Checklist — Parcels, MW, and Public Record
- Confirm jurisdiction: Town of Pembroke Park vs other Broward municipality vs unincorporated Broward.
- Pull zoning district and any pending Comp Plan or rezoning file numbers from the town/county portal.
- If underwriting Pembroke Park, obtain the April 28, 2026 P&Z packet and any later Commission agenda item that carries the data-center ordinance—do not rely on a secondary blog alone.
- Model draft fee lines only as sensitivity cases until an adopted ordinance number and fee schedule are on the record.
- Write anticipated monthly peak load (MW) from utility or PE letters; flag whether the program could meet the state’s 50 MW large-load customer definition under §366.043.
- For colo or edge deals, prefer operator-published addresses above: Flexential, 365, Volico/Vault, Cogent Pembroke Park.
- Calendar utility tariff filings due by October 1, 2026, under Chapter 2026-65.
- If the folio sits in Palm Beach County instead, use the Sep 24 PBC checklist—not this Broward map.
What This Story Is — and Is Not
This is an owner-facing process and facility map for Broward: a Pembroke Park draft fee/zoning stack as reported, existing colo plants with operator specs, and the state large-load chapter that preserves local land-use authority. It is not a vote recommendation, not a claim that the Pembroke Park ordinance is already codified, not a directory dump of unverified “data center” pins, and not a narrative for or against data-center development.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
- P&Z hearing (draft): April 28, 2026 — Town of Pembroke Park Planning and Zoning Board (per FloridaDataCenters.org synthesis; pull agenda from CivicClerk).
- Commission adoption: Not independently confirmed in Municode as of Supp. 43 / Ord. 2026-008; tip page Sep 8, 2026 likewise unconfirmed—verify before underwriting.
- Draft fee stack (as reported): $1M/MW electrical/community; $500k/acre water; $10M minimum performance bond; $100k/MW/year generator fee.
- Draft zoning path: Data centers not by-right in M-1; special exception process (as reported).
- Existing Pembroke Park colo: Cogent, 3924 Pembroke Road (operator brochure specs).
- Verified Broward multi-tenant colo (operator pages): Flexential 5301 NW 33rd Ave; 365 Data Centers 3250 W Commercial Blvd; Volico/Vault 500 Green Rd.
- State layer: Chapter 2026-65 (SB 484); local zoning authority preserved for large load; §366.043 large-load tariffs; 50 MW single-location peak definition; utility tariff filings by Oct 1, 2026.
- Not Broward: Palm Beach County ≥50 MW moratorium track — separate checklist.
Sources
- FloridaDataCenters.org — Broward County / Pembroke Park brief (tip): FloridaDataCenters.org Broward County
- Town of Pembroke Park CivicClerk portal: CivicClerk
- Town of Pembroke Park Code of Ordinances: Municode
- Florida Senate — CS/CS/SB 484 (2026): SB 484
- Laws of Florida — Chapter 2026-65 PDF: Chapter 2026-65
- Florida Statutes §366.043 (2026): §366.043
- Flexential — Fort Lauderdale data center
- 365 Data Centers — Fort Lauderdale
- Volico — Fort Lauderdale / FLL1
- Cogent — Hollywood / Pembroke Park colo brochure (3924 Pembroke Road)
- Sundaze Gazette — Palm Beach County Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium Sep 24 checklist: Palm Beach County checklist