Read the full story: wwno.org/politics/2026-10-26…

The property-tax exemption alone is worth nearly $23.8 billion. The payments cover about 3 cents of every tax dollar SpaceX would otherwise owe. Records also show a SpaceX executive signed a notice of lease five days before the board voted.

The public notice for the board’s meetings? A piece of paper posted inside the courthouse. At the board’s first meeting, a lawyer explained that notice could be posted somewhere in the building. “Back door?” a member joked. “Doesn’t have to be the front door,” the lawyer said.

Hours later, Gov. Jeff Landry announced the spaceport at an invitation-only event. The lawsuit alleges the secrecy started weeks earlier, when parish officials revived a board dormant for nearly 30 years. The board wasn’t on the agenda until jurors added it during the meeting.

On Aug. 25, a local board approved a key piece of the deal for SpaceX’s planned $100 billion spaceport. The agenda called it “Project Osprey.” Less than 30 minutes after the meeting began, the board unanimously approved the tax agreement. No public comment.

“Back door?” a boardmember jokes. “Doesn’t have to be the front door,” a lawyer laughs. Recordings I obtained capture how a dormant Louisiana board approved SpaceX’s $100B spaceport with a codename, one notice on a courthouse door and no public comment. Now residents are suing.

Story from July (including a database of elected officials who signed NDAs I made that you can download a copy of them from) here: wwno.org/politics/2026-07-24…

after the announcement, I asked Landry about the NDAs. he said: You think I want Texas to steal my thunder? You think I want other states to know what we're working on? Quite frankly, that's what has continued to happen to Louisiana before I became governor.

the $100 billion @SpaceX spaceport @elonmusk is building in Louisiana is the first new project @LAGovJeffLandry has announced since my reporting on his administration’s widespread use of NDAs to conceal negotiations behind large industrial developments wwno.org/economy/2026-09-02/…

metadata in records I obtained show an Entergy executive wrote motions Louisiana Public Service Commissioners entered into the record as their own in support of large industrial projects — including the Meta data center wwno.org/local-regional-news…

new from me: @RepJuliaLetlow signed an NDA with @Meta — then she bought stock in Meta wwno.org/local-regional-news…

For a more specific breakdown on @JeffLandry's NDA he hand-signed with @Meta, here's an analysis, along with a link to download the document: wwno.org/politics/2026-07-24…

This story is the result of months of reporting with support from @typeinvestigate. Landry's office did not comment on the NDAs. But one legal expert described them as chilling speech "around a vast, ill-defined area — an unlimited group of topics and information — forever"

Since @LAGovJeffLandry took office, at least 121 state employees have signed NDAs. Landry also personally signed an NDA directly with Meta. Read about it, see the NDAs, and download them here: wwno.org/politics/2026-07-24…

.@SenBillCassidy says changes to Louisiana's May 16 election have caused confusion and disenfranchisement as some voters received different ballots or believed the election had been canceled altogether. wwno.org/politics/2026-05-15…

LED, the state agency that attracts businesses, says the NDAs are vital. Critics argue they aren’t needed for economic development and only benefit corporate interests at the expense of the communities where developments involving public money are planned without public knowledge

This is a new practice under @GovLandry. No elected officials signed these one under former Governor @JohnBelEdwards The list includes state senators and representatives, Lt. Gov. @BillyNungesser, city councilmembers, mayors, a sheriff -- even a school board superintendent.

My latest investigation found that least 50 elected officials in Louisiana have signed NDAs related to large developments like data centers

Did your Louisiana elected official sign an NDA? Find out in our database and interactive map! wwno.org/local-regional-news…