In July 2025, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners unanimously rezoned 719 acres of residential land in north Valdosta to light manufacturing, opening the door for a hyperscale data center campus by DC Blox, one of the largest data center developers in the Southeast.

More than a year later, residents still do not know how much power the facility will consume, how much water it will need, or what it will do to their property values. Landowner Pope Langdale signed a non-disclosure agreement with DC Blox, keeping the details secret from the community, the county, and the press.

What residents do know is alarming. The site sits on limestone, an area known to be prone to sinkholes. A geology assessment by consulting firm Terracon is currently underway, but results have not been shared publicly. Data center fire suppression systems use PFAS, so-called "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment. If those chemicals reach the limestone below, they can travel directly into the aquifer, contaminating a source of drinking water for millions of people.

The community group Lowndes County Against Data Centers now has more than 1,200 members. Residents have submitted a community-drafted ordinance to commissioners covering noise, cooling, and generator standards. They have held town halls, attended every commission meeting, and put up billboards. They have received only silence in return.

No data center application has been filed yet. There is still time to stop this.

Sign this petition to demand Lowndes County Commissioners commit to rejecting any data center application on this site until the Terracon geology report is made public, a protective ordinance is passed, and the community's questions are fully answered.