Approve a smaller data center campus with negotiated restrictions, or face a lawsuit and an even larger development.
That is the choice Ryan Hughes, principal partner of Florida-based Sailfish Investors, has presented to Hood County officials over the proposed Comanche Circle project near Dinosaur Valley State Park, according to reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
His warning includes millions of dollars in potential damages and a development footprint he says would be 83% larger if the county refuses his proposed agreement.
The Star-Telegram reports that Hughes outlined the proposal in an October 1 email to Censured County Attorney Matt Mills, copying Precinct 1 Commissioner Kevin Andrews. The censure came from the Hood County Republican Party Executive Committee.
Under the proposed deal described in the report, Hughes would reduce the project to 1,375 acres and voluntarily accept conditions addressing setbacks, cooling systems, lighting and damage to county roads.
Without an agreement, Hughes said he would sue and pursue the larger development without those negotiated restrictions.
That distinction matters. Rejecting a settlement does not, by itself, establish that a developer can disregard applicable laws. The threatened damages and larger project are Hughes’ stated position, not an established court outcome.
The email also brought national political pressure into a local development fight.
Hughes warned officials that opposing the project would put them alongside national Democrats rather than President Donald Trump.
“You’d find yourself on the side of Bernie and AOC instead of President Trump. Please, let’s just make a deal,” Hughes wrote, according to the Star-Telegram.
He also argued that blanket opposition to data centers would amount to an unlawful moratorium.
Residents opposing the development are issuing a legal warning of their own.
Joanne Carcamo, co-founder of Protect the Paluxy Valley, told the Star-Telegram that the organization would take immediate legal action if commissioners approved the plans. She said nine data centers have been proposed in Hood County and warned that the Comanche Circle decision could affect how officials handle the others.
That is the group’s concern about precedent. It does not establish that approving one project automatically requires approval of every other proposal.
The public hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, October 13. The published notice identifies permit appeals involving Comanche Circle, Project Lion and Project Panther.
Hughes did not respond to the Star-Telegram’s Monday afternoon request for comment.
Hood County now faces litigation threats from both directions, with residents left to weigh what a settlement would protect and what it would permit.
The central question deserves a public answer: What does the law actually require Hood County to approve, and what is the developer asking officials to surrender to avoid a lawsuit?
