The Drey Dossier
Lyin' Country Safari
Why It Matters
Understanding who controls the physical backbone of AI—massive data centers—is crucial as these facilities shape energy consumption, local ecosystems, and regional economies. This investigation reveals how billionaire tech interests may obscure large‑scale projects, prompting communities to demand transparency and accountability in the era of rapid AI expansion.
Key Takeaways
- •Larry Ellison bought Lion Country Safari for $30 million.
- •Purchase price exceeded assessed value by over two‑fold.
- •Nearby Project Tango proposes massive data center near zoo.
- •Community opposition cites water use and zoning concerns.
- •Oracle bound to deliver compute capacity after Abilene cancellation.
Pulse Analysis
Larry Ellison’s $30 million acquisition of Lion Country Safari has sparked intense speculation about a hidden AI data‑center agenda. The Florida zoo, valued at $11.8 million by the county, was purchased through a layered corporate structure that raised eyebrows among investigators. Ellison’s history of luxury real‑estate investments and his role in Oracle’s AI hardware rollout suggest the purchase may serve more than conservation interests, potentially positioning the 600‑acre site as a future compute hub for the stalled Stargate project.
Adjacent to the zoo, developers have filed plans for Project Tango, a 3.7‑million‑square‑foot data‑center spanning 202 acres. The site sits next to the FPL West County Energy Center, a 3,750‑megawatt natural‑gas plant, offering an ideal power supply for hyperscale AI workloads. Funding trails, political contributions—such as $25,000 from Stephen Ross’s entity and $10,000 from PBA Holdings to Palm Beach County Commissioner Sarah Baxter—and a complex web of shell companies point to a coordinated effort to mask the end‑user, likely Oracle, while leveraging Ellison’s recent land grab. Local residents have mobilized, filing petitions and demanding water‑usage safeguards, as the project would consume 1.7 million gallons monthly in an already stressed aquifer.
The controversy reflects a broader national pushback against massive AI infrastructure. After the Abilene Stargate campus collapsed due to financing disputes, cooling failures, and shifting hardware needs, Oracle redirected gigawatt‑scale capacity to new sites, with Florida emerging as a prime candidate. State‑level legislation like HB 1007 aims to curb hyperscale data centers near residential and agricultural zones, echoing successful opposition in Michigan and other states. Whether Project Tango proceeds or pivots, Ellison’s Safari purchase underscores how billionaire tech leaders are leveraging real‑estate assets to secure the power and bandwidth essential for the next generation of artificial intelligence.
Episode Description
Larry Ellison owns a private island in Hawaii, a Forbes Five Star oceanfront resort in Palm Beach that he paid $277 million for, and a wellness retreat in Rancho Mirage where 22 rooms sit on 230 acres and the cheapest night runs $2,500.
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