TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Florida Capital Bureau) – Florida, known for its sandy beaches and theme parks is not commonly associated with manufacturing.
However, Tallahassee leaders want to change this with the development of the first Tesla gigafactory in the Southeast region of the country.
They suggested that Tallahassee operate as the center along with a freight rail that will connect the entire panhandle to this project.
Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet is leading the charge as the president of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.
He hopes that this proposal will bolster Tallahassee’s economy and reduce “brain drain” from the graduates at Tallahassee’s universities.
He said Tallahassee is prime location because of the city’s resources.
“There is no better place than the Capital Region. Florida State University, Florida A&M university, Tallahassee State College, Lively Technical College, and the most powerful magnet, at the MagLab, in the world. You add I-10, an airport that continues to expand and will have the capabilities to ship internationally, the ports in our surrounding communities. I think this region is perfect,” Loumiet said.
He continued that outside of the construction of a gigafactory, with Tesla as a potential vendor, this endeavor is more about moving the community forward.
He says Tallahassee does not have to be the only location considered as Jefferson, Gadsden and Wakulla counties have plenty of space and need job creation as well.
On the other hand, Terry Ryan, the president of the Tallahassee Regional Environmental Group says that the creation of such a large-scale factory will be detrimental to Tallahassee and surrounding counties’ environments.
He talked about the dangers of the “gigafactory” being built in Tallahassee’s “public lands” which are often defined as the Apalachicola National Forest.
He described that the quality of sand in Apalachicola is porous, allowing nutrients and contaminants to travel quickly through to our aquifer which supplies drinking water to the entire region.
This could be dangerous if wastewater were to seep into the aquifer and contaminate the supply.
“We already have an area that has 200 contaminated sites in Leon County, plus many more in Wakulla, Gadsden, and Jefferson counties… Even though we are very much in favor of attracting businesses that are going to provide numerous, nice high-paying jobs, let’s address these other concerns first, “Ryan said.
He suggested that the focus be on building local businesses up first.
Ryan is not alone in these sentiments.
Sean Thomas, the president of the Leon County Democratic Progressive Caucasus, shared his perspective as a long-term resident of Tallahassee who also lived in Austin, Texas during his high school years−a city that has its own Tesla manufacturing factory.
“It was promised to the community with large promises of trees being around it and it’s gonna look beautiful, but if you look at the building today it’s a concrete slab, and if you ask the community around, they don’t like the building today,” Thomas said.
“They don’t like how it looks they don’t like that the promises weren’t kept… the noise pollution, the air pollution, the light pollution. It’s concerning that they want to bring it here to Tallahassee,” he continued.
While there is no clear timeline for completion of this project. Loumiet said this is mostly about moving the region forward.
“Many members of the private sector have come out and said, hey, we may not agree that we need a gigafactory, however, we like where this is going. We like the creativity, we like the innovation, we like the willingness to tell our story to others,” he said.
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