Are More Data Centers Coming To North Alabama? What Local Leaders Are Saying

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• Sep 23
  ZONING·Jefferson Co., AL

  Alabama mayor who signed data center NDA loses seat to challenger in runoff election

  Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley lost his reelection bid Tuesday to former state legislator Louise Alexander, who garnered 54.5% of votes in a runoff election dominated by debate over a controversial $14.5 billion hyperscale data center project that Gulley had backed and signed non-disclosure agreements about.

  AL.com · Jefferson Co., AL
• Sep 23
  LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., AL

  Louise Alexander defeats Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley as runoff caps election shakeup

  Louise Alexander defeated incumbent Mayor Kenneth Gulley in a Bessemer mayoral runoff Tuesday with 54.53% of the vote. The election was marked by significant turnover across city government, including three new City Council members and five new school board members.

  WBMA · Jefferson Co., AL
• Sep 23
  MORATORIUM·Florida

  Political Connections Florida September 22 2026

  Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds received Lt. Gov. Jay Collins' endorsement Tuesday and held campaign events in Central Florida, while opponent David Jolly visited Virginia's "Data Center Alley" to promote his planned statewide data center moratorium. President Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly, defending his decision to start a war with Iran and defending his recent White House media ban.

  Bay News 9 · Florida
• Sep 23
  MORATORIUM·Florida

  Northport commissioners weigh data center moratorium

  Northport city commissioners voted Tuesday on whether to impose a temporary moratorium on data centers following months of debate. Residents expressed concerns about infrastructure capacity and water availability, with Manatee County also considering a similar ban.

  ABC7 WWSB · Florida
• Sep 23
  MORATORIUM·Walton Co., GA

  Baltimore County Council unanimously extends data center moratorium for another year

  Baltimore County Council unanimously voted Sept. 22 to extend its data center moratorium for another year while the county studies potential impacts of the industry, including electricity and water usage concerns raised by residents and environmental groups.

  WBFF · Walton Co., GA
• Sep 23
  PERMIT·Richland Parish, LA

  Letters: Do Entergy customers want to share the grid with data centers?

  A letter writer questions whether a proposed battery energy storage facility at Southern University will effectively address grid strain from data centers or primarily serve to rebuild Entergy's reputation following backlash over Meta projects. The writer expresses concern that the partnership structure could incentivize increased energy production rather than solving grid problems.

  NOLA.com · Richland Parish, LA
• Sep 23
  LAWSUIT·Shelby Co., TN

  Family files wrongful death suit one year after worker’s fatal fall at SpaceXAI data center

  A family is suing SpaceXAI subsidiaries and a contractor after their relative died from a fall at Memphis's Colossus II data center. The lawsuit alleges the mezzanine where Alexis Vicent worked lacked proper safety systems, including adequate tie-off points for fall protection equipment.

  Action News 5 · Shelby Co., TN
• Sep 23
  HEARING·Shelby Co., TN

  Mayor McClendon speaks on future, growth of data centers in West Memphis

  West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon said his city will approach data center development differently than Memphis, having learned from xAI's earlier unsuccessful bid and requiring commitments such as water recycling and electric-system upgrades from Google's planned facility, which he said could generate 600 permanent jobs.

  fox13memphis.com · Shelby Co., TN
• Sep 23
  MORATORIUM

  Baltimore County extends data center moratorium to December 2027

  Baltimore County Council extended the county's data center moratorium through December 2027, providing additional time to develop regulations. The Planning Board previously released a Data Center Study Report outlining potential regulatory frameworks.

  wbal.com · also at WBAL-TV
• Sep 22
  MORATORIUM·Miami-Dade Co., FL

  Florida Democrats want data centers to be halted, while Republicans believe it's the future

  Florida Democrats called Tuesday for a moratorium on data center construction, citing impacts on water and energy costs and quality of life near sites like a planned Iron Mountain facility. Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, support data centers and enacted legislation this year requiring transparency and local zoning authority while preventing utility costs from being passed to nearby residents.

  NBC 6 South Florida · Miami-Dade Co., FL
• Sep 22
  NEWS·Florida

  Florida Democrats speak out against data centers

  Headline onlyNBC 6 South Florida · Florida
• Sep 22
  NEWS·Shelby Co., TN

  SpaceXAI subsidiary failed to pay $4.2M, contractor alleges

  Daily Memphian · Shelby Co., TN