Chapter-391

I want to start by acknowledging something important. One Leon County commissioner (TJ Foley) has already come out publicly and said: He is against the data center coming here He is not in favor of granting a tax abatement But if the company were to build anyway and later request an abatement, he would reconsider in order to do what’s best for the county That kind of clarity matters. Whether people agree with him or not, it shows leadership. ...

Leon County is not facing a single project. We are facing at least four proposed data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, with strong indications that more could follow. That distinction matters. Why this moment is different for Leon County One large industrial project is hard enough to evaluate on its own. Multiple large industrial projects — especially when they are: power-intensive water-intensive long-lived and regionally connected …create cumulative impacts that no single agenda item or court vote can fully capture. ...