(PENSACOLA, FL) –-- A proposed battery factory promising over 1,000 jobs paying $63,000 annually may be “dismantled” after February emails detailing the project were made public, Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler said in a follow-up interview.
The commissioner spoke with OpGov.News after the news outlet’s June 28 report on a string of Feb. 1, 2026 emails showing Kohler, FloridaWest CEO Chris Plate, and others coordinating with Nanda Bhagi, President of Tesla Group, on a “Smart City initiative” that included a BESS Gigafactory and an AI data center.
Can you set the record straight on these emails? Were there any talks of a data center?
“We’ve never had a conversation about an AI data center,” Mike said. “I was blind CC’d on that and did not pick up the AI data center in the email.”
The commissioner said his discussions with Tesla Group President Nanda Bhagi focused on manufacturing.
He also said there is a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) regarding the proposed project, which is why he did not disclose it at the last Board of County Commissioners' meeting, which drew dozens of residents protesting a data center.
“We’ve talked about a manufacturing company which could bring over 1000 jobs paying over $63,000 a year,” he said. “I hope this (talking about it now) doesn’t hurt it because that’s more than the median income for most of Escambia County.”
As a resident, he said he’s traveled internationally with Bhagi for a separate battery project.
“He stayed at my house twice; he’s a friend,” Kohler said. “I think I would know if he were trying to do something covert with a data center here.”
Why didn’t you just come out and talk about this deal to the public? Why not have more transparency from the beginning?
When asked, the commissioner said this doesn’t make sense to him either but cited nondisclosure agreements as standard practice.
“When there’s an NDA with any business in Escambia County, there’s protection that, until the business happens, the public is not notified,” he said. “That’s not my rule, so that’s the reason why I haven’t really talked about it, and it’s because I thought they were protected under NDA.”
He said the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission (PEDC) handles such agreements, and he does not sit on that board.
“This is standard practice; you can ask Chris Plate," Kohler said. "When Amazon was trying to build out at OLF-8, and then that got leaked to the public, we don’t even get that information."
Why were David Bear, the Escambia County Utility Authority, OLF-8, and others involved in this?
Kohler said Bear, the former Triumph president, was included to explain the grant process for $800 million in oil-spill funds from the Triumph grant.
“We had one lunch meeting for him to share what needed to happen to apply for a Triumph grant,” he said. “That was the only thing that happened.”
The commissioner said OLF-8 was mentioned because Tesla Group was exploring sites, but he did not think the battery factory would work there.
“They’re doing mixed-use development in there, and I don’t think that would work," Kohler said.
How did you feel when you saw the full chambers at the June 17 Board of County Commissioners meeting?
“I believe in a public forum,” Mike said. “I’m the one who brought back three minutes at the podium for public speaking; I’m the one who brought back the Committee of the Whole meetings.”
Will you vote for the data center ban?
“I’ve already been on record against data centers,” the commissioner said. “I will vote for whatever legal brings forward, whether it’s a ban or moratorium, since it’s too early to invest in anything like that right now because the public doesn’t want it.”
He said it again.
“There is no interest from the board in a data center to be built in Escambia County anytime soon, and you really don’t have to worry about that,” Kohler added.
What do you want the public to know?
“I want the public to understand that we’re trying to bring a clean energy business to Escambia County,” Kohler said. “The water footprint would be exponentially smaller than an AI data center for this BESS factory.”
He said Champion uses “a million to a million and a half gallons of reclaimed ECUA water a day that they have to get rid of.” Right now, he said, “that water is watering pine trees out in the bluffs.”
What happened because the deal was made public?
“Normally, we would never ever talk to the public about this until there was a deal, and FloridaWest CEO Chris Plate would bring this to us after the deal is done,” Kohler said. “Now that it’s out there, I can assure you there will be all kinds of community lobbying to bring this to their counties all over the country.”
He said there are only two BESS factories in the United States, with the other in Texas.
“We were not on the hit list," Kohler said. "The only reason they’re even considering Escambia County is because I am friends with Nanda."
“I haven’t asked Nanda yet to see if this deal will still go through,” he added. “This is a huge deal that may have gotten dismantled.”
He reiterated his position ahead of the July 23 hearing: “Watch how I vote on the 23rd, and you’ll be able to answer the question that I told you the truth last time, I told the truth now.”
A public hearing is set for July 23 to place an “environmental ban."
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