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PETITION FOR A MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS IN JACKSON COUNTY, FLORIDA
At the May 12, 2026 meeting of the Jackson County Board of County Commissioners there was discussion of a possible data center making proposal/inquiry to come to JACO. In the video of the meeting it sounded like the company was attempting to disguise itself as a “solar/battery” farm.
There are many known and unknown negative impacts these facilities have on local community residents and resources.
This is written to respectfully petition the Jackson County Board of County Commissioners to immediately enact a moratorium of no less than ten (10) years on the approval, permitting, negotiation, consideration, rezoning, incentivizing, or construction of any large scale data center facility as defined categorically in the petition within Jackson County, with 1-1,000 MW or greater capacity. Many counties across the nation have enacted moratoriums to allow time to evaluate and understand the negative impact these facilities have on a community.
Average drug trials take 6-15 years to fully evaluate, so 10 years to fully understand these facilities and negative “side effects” is absolutely reasonable.
This requested moratorium is necessary to allow adequate time for the County and its citizens to fully understand and evaluate the long-term impacts these facilities may have on our community, economy, infrastructure, natural and financial resources, agricultural lands, water supply, public utilities, and quality of life of the residents they represent.
Please sign and share to make your voice heard.
From Jackson County, Florida Commissioner Jamey Westbrook:
I want the people of Jackson County to know where I stand. I do not support bringing a large-scale data center project into our county.
Jackson County was built on agriculture, small businesses, rural communities, and family values — not massive industrial developments that could place heavy demands on our power grid, water resources, infrastructure, and land.
Projects of this size can permanently change the character of a community while creating very few long-term local jobs. Once farmland and rural land are gone, they are gone forever.
I strongly encourage every citizen to attend the upcoming meeting on May 26 and make your voice heard. Whether you support or oppose the project, your input matters and deserves to be heard before decisions are made that could impact Jackson County for generations to come.
Please come out and participate in the future of our county.
Commissioner Jamey Westbrook
