Benjamin Flores, Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner recently shared his views on the office and the state’s future, saying the General Land Office should return its focus to public education, improve transparency and use state land to help reduce the impact of data center development on Texas communities. Flores discussed his campaign platform during an interview with the Double Mountain Chronicle just before the Independence Day celebrations, outlining proposals tied to the Permanent School Fund, disaster recovery, veterans services, water infrastructure, renewable energy and rural Texas.
The Texas General Land Office manages state land, oversees revenue tied to the Permanent School Fund, administers the Veterans Land Board, plays a role in disaster recovery and oversees historical assets, including the Alamo. Flores also noted how many Texans do not know what the office does or how closely it is connected to public school funding. “The original mission was managing state land to provide for free public schools,” said Flores, adding that while office has expanded over time, he believes its central purpose should remain tied to education. “What most folks don’t know is that this can help offset some of your property taxes,” Flores continued. “When you ask Texans everywhere, ‘How do we fund public schools?’ they always say, ‘My property taxes.’ Well, that was not the original intent.” Flores said revenue generated from state lands flows into the Permanent School Fund, which helps support public education. His campaign plan calls for increasing revenue from state lands through energy leases, including oil, gas, solar, wind and geothermal development.
He said he also wants the state to reconsider how education-related money is distributed and protected.
“The way the state funds public education needs to be reworked, period,” Flores said.
Flores criticized recapture, commonly known as Robin Hood, and said money generated for education should remain dedicated to education. He believes the Permanent School Fund should be evaluated to determine whether it can provide more money for schools without damaging the fund.
“I want to refactor the way the money gets spent so we don’t lose the fund, but we are able to draw more money out of it,” said Flores. “Instead of a set number, set it as a percentage.”
Flores connected that education funding discussion to the state’s long history, referring to Article VII of the Texas Constitution, which states: A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of the state to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.
“It’s right there,” Flores said. “It doesn’t say charter schools. It doesn’t say vouchers. It doesn’t say anything else.”
A component to the state’s future and also affecting property taxes is the increase of wind and solar projects as well as data centers, issues that have also become increasingly important in Fisher and Stonewall counties as large technology and energy projects consider rural West Texas locations.
Flores said he is not opposed to data centers but believes the state should look for ways to reduce their impact on communities. The General Land Office already manages millions of acres of state land, including a large concentration in West Texas, and he believes that land could provide alternative sites for data center development.
“The GLO has properties in about 125 counties, and most of them are in West Texas. So, there’s no need to acquire anything else,” said Flores. “What if, instead of having these data centers right next to a school, right next to people’s homes, we pull them out here?”
Additionally, he said companies should also be encouraged to generate their own power, capture and recycle water where possible and locate facilities in ways that avoid unnecessary community disruption.
He said rural infrastructure and local concerns should be considered when renewable energy, data center or other industrial projects are placed on or near state land. Flores said he is a proponent of cleanup guarantees and financial protections or contingency funds in case a company walks away from a project.
“There need to be provisions for what happens if the owner or company disappears,” said Flores. “How is it going to be taken care of? Maybe an insurance bond. That helps mitigate some of that possible risk.”
Although, as more and more data centers projects continue to be planned throughout the state, Texas are also concerned about the depletion of water, what is arguably becoming the most prized resource in the state. Flores warned that Texas is underinvesting in water infrastructure and needs to consider reservoirs, land swaps and better rain capture as long-term solutions.
“The power goes out, I can bring big generators tomorrow and you’ll have power,” Flores said. “I cannot do the same thing with water.”
Flores said he believes reservoirs should be part of the state’s future water planning. He said if he wins the election, the GLO works with legislators and communities to evaluate where state land or land swaps might help support future water projects.
“Sometimes I joke with people, ‘What if I start as the land commissioner, but end up being called the water commissioner?’” said Flores. “Because that really should be our focus. It’s not going back in the ground at the same rate. It just isn’t, and we just don’t have enough water as it is.”
While the Texas drought is not a declared disaster, Flores said disaster recovery is another area he has identified for improvement. Texas Department of Emergency Management is responsible for immediate response, while the GLO becomes more involved in recovery.
“I’m not saying there’s fraud, waste and abuse going on, but there are probably things we could be doing better,” said Flores.
Flores said disaster recovery dollars should be directed first to the communities most affected. If elected to office, he said his administration would create a public dashboard showing when disaster funds arrive, where they are allocated and when they are spent.
“When Texas gets the money, and you’ll know exactly when it goes out,” said Flores.
He said he would also pursue public dashboards for leases, disaster recovery, data center agreements, and other major GLO functions. He said public information should be available without forcing citizens to repeatedly file open records requests.
“There are ways the government behaves that are legal, but not as forthcoming as it could be,” said Flores. “What if, instead of being asked for it, we just put it out there?”
Flores said candidates and officeholders should spend more time listening to rural communities, including commissioners courts and city councils. He said too often rural Texans are treated as an afterthought by statewide officials.
“What I want to tell rural communities is that your voice is just as important as a Texan living in the city,” said Flores. “Your voice is just as important.”
Flores is running for Texas land commissioner in the November 2026 general election. Incumbent Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is seeking reelection.