Lawsuit alleges DeSoto County violated zoning rules in data center approval

A former DeSoto County commissioner has filed a lawsuit against the county to prevent the development of a data center on Northeast Roan Street in Arcadia, claiming the approval process violated legal rules and zoning requirements. "The commission kind of wandered off course substantially, I think, in their decision-making and violated a number of those rules," John Johnson, a former DeSoto County commissioner, said. Johnson believes the county commissioners broke their own rules when they approved the data center plan in March. He is asking a judge to determine whether the county's approval for the location is legal. "When I saw this thing getting off course, I knew something was wrong," Johnson said. The lawsuit alleges that residents were not given proper legal notice, the county ignored rules related to power plants, and the zoning for the data center does not align with the surrounding property. "I think the place where they want to put it is not a good place. I think the impact on too many people is too great," Johnson said. This legal action comes weeks after DeSoto County commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data centers. However, the project Johnson is challenging is exempt from the moratorium because it was approved before the measure was enacted. "I hope it educates a lot of people. I hope it educates five commissioners that basically you have to play with the law," Johnson said. DeSoto County officials have not yet responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.