7,500 jobs promised, zero delivered | Fort Valley still waiting on electric car plant, 2 years later

FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Two years after Fort Valley leaders announced a deal with Imola Automotive to build a electric vehicle factory, the site remains untouched, the jobs have not materialized and questions about the company’s credibility are stacking up.

The project, touted as an economic lifeline for a community where Mayor Jeffrey Lundy says nearly 30% of residents live below the poverty line, once promised up to 7,500 jobs at $45 an hour and a 200-acre campus that included a factory, solar farm, and workforce housing.

Lundy, who spearheaded the deal, said the city is still waiting.

"Imola is gonna provide some good-paying jobs in a community that needs a boost," Lundy told 13 Investigates. "Because like I say, 30% of our city lives below poverty."

In September 2023, Lundy received a