(TALLAHASSEE, FL.) -- Jackson County, which is less than an hour drive from Tallahassee, just voted to temporarily cease production on an A.I. Data Center.
The Jackson County Commissioners met on May 26, and were greeted by a full crowd with many public speakers who were adamantly against the potential center.
231 South Partners LLC was inactive for over a decade before filing to be reinstated as an active corporation in April of 2025, 20 years after the LLC was first founded.
The company was named after U.S. 231, the highway next to the land currently under discussion.
With A.I. data centers requiring billions of dollars for construction, it is likely a high-profile tech company is attempting to break into the community. By hiding the name of the true company involved, the goal may be to avoid scrutiny and land costs increasing due to name value.
Jackson County residents believe 231 South Partners have been deceptive. Developers originally depicted a solar panel field to the county developers, a project with drastically different regulations.
After reviewing developer plans and finding discrepancies, planning officials made the information public.
A key detail that helped the officials discover the true use of the land was the energy direction. The developer's plans did not intend to direct any energy outside of the facility, which would be needed to provide solar power to homes and other development ventures. Officials realized the plan was not consistent with a project to add energy into the community, but to use the energy on-site.
The county commissioners will meet again on June 9 for a public hearing to determine the future of the project, which has already faced strong community opposition.
Photo Credit: Talgov.com | County Attorney Clayton Knowles
“What I think we need to do is a one-year moratorium. That'll give us enough time to allow Senate Bill 484 to come into effect, which will give the county the ability to regulate these data centers in a more comprehensive manner through the comp plan and the land development code.”
A large source of community disruption is the environmental impact the data center would have on local water sources.
A.I. data centers require millions of gallons of water for daily cooling and maintenance, an issue that is exacerbated by the proximity to the Econfina Creek.
Jackson County had recently lifted its burn ban for residents.
Econfina Creek is responsible for providing drinking water and well water for neighboring counties. If the data center were to utilize the water for cooling, resources could quickly and notably deplete.
Photo Credit: from jacksoncountyfl.gov | County Commissioner Jamey Westbrook
“Once farmland and rural land are gone, they are gone forever. We have to protect what makes this county what it is."
More than 75% of the water used for cooling will evaporate and likely be displaced by wind, traveling miles away from the source. Although the water will never disappear, it may also never return to the source, jeopardizing a crucial water source for many Floridians.
The local community is also concerned with what happens to the leftover water, which does not evaporate.
After most of the cooling water is evaporated, what remains is a hot liquid condensed with minerals such as calcium and potassium, which will not evaporate.
The leftover water will have to be treated and likely transported. As of today, Jackson County does not have a treatment center or designated place for waste to be deposited.
If you have any questions or concerns, please comment and reach out to jason.f@lead4earth.org.
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