Monday, March 9, 2009
News Soapbox: Jekyll Island Authority 'at it again'
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 2:25 PM
State Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, has been the most vocal critic of developer Linger Longer's plans for Jekyll Island, the idyllic state park on Georgia's coast. In this op-ed, entitled "They're At It Again," the senator says the governor-appointed board tasked with overseeing the island either misunderstands a recent study of the proposal or is misleading the public.
The Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) is at it again, this time endorsing a density study conducted by the Bleakly Advisory Group, which claims that the proposed 150 percent increase in the state park’s year-round residences and rental accommodations by the year 2023 would still make Jekyll “significantly less developed than other comparable coastal destinations in terms of resident and seasonal population, housing density and traffic volumes.”
Truth be told, Bleakly based his calculations on a U.S. Census Bureau Report that includes more than 5,000 acres of marshland, most of which surrounds the six-mile long Jekyll Causeway, as part of Jekyll Island. By artificially doubling Jekyll’s real size, Bleakly attempted to show that, on a per acre basis, the built-up Jekyll of the future would not be overdeveloped or overcrowded, when, in fact, the exact opposite would be true.
But Bleakly’s misrepresentation of the truth does not end there. He ignored the fact that 65 percent of Jekyll Island must, by law, remain in its natural state. When population and housing units per acre are calculated on the basis of the legally developable portion of the island, Jekyll would rank at the top of the list in virtually all density categories with regard to the other coastal vacation sites selected by Bleakly as comparable.
The JIA has tried to lend some support to Bleakly’s misrepresentations by claiming that the proposed massive increase in the number of the park’s lodging and housing units will simply restore the park’s built environment to its peak level, which was reached back in the 1980s. The truth is that during its peak years the park had 2,300 lodging/housing units, not the 4,000 units forecast by the JIA.
Enough of the exaggerations and misrepresentations. The public deserves to know the truth. Jekyll Island is, after all, a state park set aside for the plain people of Georgia; it is not a private resort as the JIA would have us believe. The people, as the true owners of the island park, should have a say in Jekyll’s redevelopment. Instead, they are continually misled by a JIA board that seems determined to slip one by the public and allow a private developer to commercialize the people’s park.
(Courtesy Senate Press Office)
Comments (246)
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I’m grateful to Senator Chapman and Creative Loafing for bringing to light the JIA’s apparent attempt to manipulate the math in order to show that the build-up they’re planning for Jekyll Island State Park will not affect the park’s character or natural assets, and that the people of Georgia will just love the new Jekyll. As I see it, there is only one reason for the JIA to sanction the poorly conceive density study done by its consultant, the Bleakly Group, and that is to defuse the inevitable public opposition to a development plan that would jam 4,000 rental and housing units and 15,000 people into the tiny area of Jekyll Island that is eligible for development. Sure if you double Jekyll’s actual land area, as Bleakly did, and forget about the law that says only 35% of Jekyll is eligible for development, you can come up with density figures for housing, rental accommodations, population, etc. that will make Jekyll look not all that densely developed compared to other coastal resorts. But the truth is that a Jekyll Island of the type forecasted would be a mess - the developable part of the beachfront would be solidly lined with condos, time-shares and hotels, which, according to the JIA’s new height ordinance, can be up to 6 stories tall. In the AJC Jekyll article a week ago or so, I can see that the JIA is not exactly raking in a ton of money from the development projects it has approved. The deal with Linger Longer is particularly bad, with the JIA settling for a mere 1 percent cut of the hundreds of millions of dollars to be made by Linger Longer in its Jekyll town center project. I have to wonder if the JIA is settling for a small slice of the developer profit pie so that more and more development will seem to be needed in order for the JIA to get the bucks its says it needs to run the park and make it a better place. If this is so, then Linger Longer would truly have a sweetheart deal, since they have been given a monopoly on new development projects for Jekyll Island for the next 25 years. The public, on the other hand, would be getting a deal that is anything but sweet. What Senator Chapman has apparently uncovered, bless his heart, is a plan that would make Jekyll look like the other overcrowded vacation sites along the southeast coast and to cover up this fact until after the damage has been done. Jekyll can be improved, renovated, without killing the goose that lays the golden egg. The JIA needs to accept this fact and draft a redevelopment plan accordingly. What really surprises me is that Senator Chapman seems to be the only legislator who is trying to see that Jekyll is improved AND to guarantee that the public gets a fair deal in the process. I don’t think he’s making too many friends among the Republican leadership these days for doing what he’s doing, but he sure has impressed me (I’ll bet he’ll be thrilled to know that) and probably a lot of other people who want what’s best for JI State Park.
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The Bleakly group is nothing but a hired gun for the JIA and the politcal powers backing the "revitalization" of Jekyll Island. The JIA says they need $100 million dollars to "fix" Jekyll but they provide no rationale of justification for that amount. Then they ask Bleakly to be their consultant...no they did not bid the job out...and yes, this is the same Bleakly they hired to help them "pick" their private partner. So now Bleakly does a "study" that says Jekyll needs a 150% increase in housing and lodging units to give the JIA the revenue it needs and to PROVE that Jekyll will still be the island famed for its natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere. They use bogus numbers to determine how dense the island will "feel" when all those buildings and people are added. The crying shame of all of this is the public is the loser over and over again because the JIA board of 3 years ago had a good plan: First, fix up the oceanfront hotels, then see what is needed revenue wise and move forward from there to rebuild the convention center and retail area. Instead we have a board that gave away the farm in the contracts they made with developers. Hence, the JIA's revenue stream to run the island will be paltry and they will...need more development...to run the island. The governor "helped" the JIA by providing bond money...that the JIA will have to pay back...with what?...guess that means the public will pay the interest and the debt to provide more profit for the developers. What a mess! Thank you Senator Chapman for having the courage to continue to expose the underhanded dealings of the JIA. Shame on the political power brokers who care more for their careers and money going into their campaign funds then they care for making Jekyll be the BEST oceanfront state park in the country and not a development boondoggle for their friends. The connections between the big players in this drama are really interesting. We have heard about the Perdue/Mercer Reynolds (Linger Longer) connection for 2 years now. Do you know about Eric Johnson picking Jamie Reynolds, as in Linger Longer to be his campaign finance chair...or that Steve Croy, vice president of the JIA board and crony with the Republican incrowd is Casey Cagles campaign finance chair? There are other connections too and the public deserves an investigation into the giveaway of their state park!
Thank you to Sen. Chapman for continually speaking out! We need more eyes and ears on our side. I'm glad that, even though he isn't winning a popularity contest, he is willing to speak out for what he knows is right. We need to continue to protect one of our last great family vacation spots, for the many people who don't like overcrowding and overbuilding.
Has anyone here read Carl Hiassen's book "Sick Puppy"? Well, give it good read, and you'll see some humourous analogies. It's about the saving of a fictional island off the Florida coast. Everyone can see that something's being pulled on the citizens of Georgia via the contract with Linger Longer. Now, if they're doing that to us, what do you think they're doing to the flora and fauna on Jekyll? This is another of Ol Son's appointed boards, and they are well-versed in the use of the rubber stamp. If you want to stand by and watch the Great Jekyll Land Grab of 2009 in which the Governor's friends, who'd profess to do what's right for Georgia, give a huge profit margin and future taxes away and attempt to write into the margins notes which will mis-use the facts and make it possible to, one day, develop all of the island because they figured in wetlands as a part of the usable area for development. Write this blog, that's for sure, but don't stop there. Call the Attorney General. Call Casey Cagle. Casey has to run for Governor, and he can't dodge the issue, but he's already on record at the Gold Dumb for having blocked Jekyll issues before. If Jekyll Island Authority won't agree, in all of the controversy which has arisen, to stop and look at the matter one more time in the light of day, then there's something wrong and everyone knows it. If you are pro-evironment or just hate government arrogance and corruption, join this fight. You won't be alone. Check out this website: www.savejekyllisland.org We can only save Jekyll Island NOW. Later, we nor anyone else will have the opportunity. Don't let his pass without your observation and citizen response. WE still run the State of Georgia,and (Hallllooooo Georgia Dumb)...we aint goin away, yall!
I write in support of Sen Chapman. The density reports are not credible. Developers have a vested interest that is not aligned with the future generations of Georgians.
Thank you Senator Chapman for having the courage to stand up to the JIA and greedy developers. One thing the people of Georgia DON'T deserve is another overcrowded, overpriced resort--especially when it will financed largely by taxpayer dollars.
We had to know when this started that corruption and misleading the public was ineveitable; after all, this is Georgia! Thank you, Senator Chapman, for continuing your fight for OUR Jekyll Island. I am trying to get things in place to move to Brunswick and when I do----you have my vote every time. Keep up the great work! Don't let the bad guys get away with ANYTHING!!!!
Thank you, Senator Chapman, for continuing to bring this important issue to the people of Georgia. The JIA would like nothing more than to move forward with their over-development plans behind closed doors, and only involve the public when they make misleading press releases such as this one. The deal they have forged with Linger Longer is shady and possibly illegal. People who love Jekyll all agree that redevelopment is necessary, but not the way they want to do it. Jekyll Island represents some of the rarest and most threatened habitat on the Atlantic coast for many animals, including critically threatened species of turtles and birds. Bringing thousands more human beings here - especially during nesting season - will spell disaster for these animals. Senator Chapman - we support you as you continue to fight this horrendous attempt to spoil one of Georgia's Jewels.
Thank you Sen. Chapman. You are one of the few politicians we have here in South Georgia actually serving in the public interest. Jekyll Island has been under attack for years; movie sets on the beach, new golf courses in maritime forest. But this recent onslaught is the most threatening of all. We MUST do something to stop Linger Longer's current plans to develop Jekyll Island for profit. The current members of the JIA should be horsewhipped for abuse of power and public theft. Sonny is history after 2010. Who comes next? And Republican opponents are already lining up to challenge Sen. Chapman, the best representative we have had in YEARS! It is a sorry state of affairs in Georgia politics.
Jekyll Island, an "idyllic" state park? Not if the JIA has its way, and what a tragedy that would be. Thank you, Creative Loafing, for drawiing attention to the consistent manipulation and misreprestation of facts by the JIA. Sen. Chapman's efforts to protect the best interests of the island and the citizens of Georgia deserve praise and support. The political machinations behind the Linger Longer deal reek to the skies.
Thank God for Sen. Jeff Chapman! He is the only one in Atlanta that remembers or cares that Jekyll Island is a State Park, not Gov. Sonny/Mercers Reynolds private playground. Not only will Linger Longer make boatloads of cash for the rape of our State Park, we Georgians have to pay them to destoy it.
Thank you for the excellent article that calls attention to the shameful political dealings surrounding the Jekyll Island contracts! We need a lot more politicians as honest and courageous as Senator Chapman who has shed light on the questionable details of the Linger Longer contract that JIA political appointees of the Governor have created to benefit Linger Longer and to harm Georgia taxpayers. Let's not let Jekyll Island end up as a profit center for Linger Longer developers instead of a magnificent retreat for all Georgians!!
Thank you, Senator Chapman, for championing the one thing that we all need more of - the truth. Jekyll Island belongs to the people of the state, not to the pocketbooks of the developers. I dread the day that I take my niece to Jekyll, fight through the asphalt jungle for a parking space, elbow my way to the walking paths or the beach, and tell her "once upon a time" stories about the enchanted, natural, beautiful, and honored place that the island once was. Please keep up the fight and keep exposing the "real" truth.
Anyone who visits Jekyll Island will agree that it needs refurbishment. The type of development the JIA hopes to bring is staggering as it more than doubles the current capacity and chews up public beachfront property. The southeastern seaboard has enough properties like that. The JIA also gave the developers a deal that hurts the Island's revenue picture. Read the facts for yourself. Thank you Sen. Jeff Chapman for continuing to fight for the "people's island" and to creativeloafing.com for giving the issue publicity.
We the people of Georgia are being continually sold a bill of goods by this administration and its minions. It would be very nice to get a tasteful cost effective update of Jekyll that will reflect its proper role. JIA, Linger Longer, and their cohorts are not the solution. Please, everyone, let's keep working to do right by the people.
The people who visit Jekyll Island do not want shopping centers, condos, and an overcrowded park. We want a quite, tranquil place to enjoy nature. Go to St. Simons or Hilton Head if you need shopping, lots of folks, and noise. The JIA should be removed from controlling this park - their approach is unacceptable! Signed a 15+ year annual vistor to Jekyll
The JIA Board continues to operate in secret and by distributing false and misleading information to the public about Jekyll Island. We can be certain that JIA is not a friend of Jekyll Island State Park nor is it a friend to citizens of Georgia. Their coziness with Linger Longer will result in hundreds of millions in profit for LL and millions of dollars in taxes for Georgia citizens and taxpayers. Taxpayers provide the funds so a wealthy private developer--Linger Longer--can turn Jekyll Island from a state park into an enclave for the wealthy. Is that to be the future of ALL our state parks in Georgia. It will be unless Georgia legislators support Senator Jeff Chapman in his efforts to save Jekyll.
Haven't Georgia Republicans learned a thing from the collapse of their national party? The Linger Longer deal over Jekyll Island is just another case of corporate welfare that doesn't appeal to anyone who's not in on the deal. Obviously Sen. Chapman "gets it", but he sounds far too much like a lone voice crying in the wilderness to me. Hey Republicans, it's about smaller government, not using the police power of the state as an instrument of plunder on behalf of your supporters.
Georgians and citizens of the planet, Jekyll Island is our jewel. All the way up and down the Eastern seaboard are industrial businesses, residential development and unsightly McMansions. Very little unspoiled beach is left for the present or future generations to savor and enjoy. Jekyll remains mostly undeveloped as was intended by law for the people of all stations of life. Linger Longer andBleakley have a vested self interest in development and making money. The opportunity to expand THEIR intersts is clouding their vision. Yes, some of the businesses need upgrades. However, the extent to which Linger Longer wants to take this upgrade process is too much of a land grab. Hasn't the worship of money why we are in this exploding economy in the first place? Greed is not good, despite what many business people believe. Greedy plans for our dear Jekyll Island could change it forever to an unrecognizable wasteland filled with the trash of fast food restaurants. Discipline, creativity and balance are needed to properly preserve and upgrade Jekyll.
Jekyll Island is a state PARK. There is no need or desire for this type of development by anyone other than those who stand to profit it from it. Simple as that. Jekyll is of significant historical, environmental, and natural value -- it is not a place for shopping centers, condos, or anything of that kind. Anyone who would believe otherwise is absolutely mistaken. If only we had a governor who was not party to this corruption -- this sad saga might come to the abrupt end that is so deserves. I expect it will drag on until the people of Georgia wise up and elect a better leader.
We spent a weekend on Jekyll two weeks ago and are again delighted and relaxed. So much of the coast is high-end developed already - please save a little area for the rest of us...by which I do NOT mean a $450/night luxury hotel. In addition, Adoptive and Foster Parents' Association of Georgia, the group sponsoring the annual conference, would be unable to afford another venue. Please leave us something!
Huge thanks to Sen. Chapman for exposing the "density data" manipulation by JIA. JIA's development vision is a nightmare that will turn beautiful and accessible Jekyll Island primarily into a playground for the well-to-do. The ecology will be changed, and the public will have less access to this remarkable island. Privatizing public spaces is not the way to go. Hang in there, Sen. Chapman. Many of us who oppose this corruption are with you all the way.
Thank you Sen. Chapman and thank you IPJI for fighting for Jekyll Island and the people of Georgia. We must save and protect the Island. Once it is destroyed by development, there is no returning it to the Island we all love. There are a lot of overdeveloped Islands and coastal areas, but there is only one Jekyll.
This abuse of power is really outrageous. Just what “comparable coastal destinations" can these people have in mind? Jekyll Island is a public PARK, not a development zone. What part of PARK do these people not understand? It's time to fire the members of this out-of-control Authority and put in people who will represent the PUBLIC instead of their fat cat deveolper buddies.
As Mark Twain (and others) said, there are three kinds of falsehoods: "Lies, damned lies and statistics." The Jekyll Island State Park Authority has no shame about bending the truth to the breaking point in it's bumbling and heavy-handed campaign to turn this beautiful, fragile barrier island, given by law to the plain people of Georgia, into a resort for the wealthy. They and their friends in the legislature (Pearson, Rogers, Keen, Cagle, Johnson, Williams)and the Governor, have made it all too clear that their eventual aim is to get rid of most of the modestly priced accomodations and the modestly styled homes (and their owners,) to make way for Linger Longer to take over the island and make it into Reynolds Plantation by the Sea.
As annual vacationers to Jekyll Is., we do not want to see further major development. A little updating and refurbishing is all that is needed. We vacationed at Daytona Beach for several years, but now come to Jekyll after so much development was done there. Please don't do that to Jekyll.
My comments on the development plan submitted by LLC are: 1) No development plan should be considered until the residential leases are renewed. 2) The only hotels that should be built are to replace hotel rooms lost due to demolition. If 100 rooms are demolished, only 100 room should be rebuilt. There is no need to expand/increase the number of hotel rooms. The existing plan and other development initiatives violate this principle. 3) Will Jekyll Island become another over-developed St Simons Island or will people be able to enjoy its natural beauty? 4) Is the other LLC development in Georgia accessible to all Georgians or just the wealthy? 5) There is no environmental impact analysis associated with the LLC plan. What are the effects of the massive development on endangered species, dunes, beach erosion, water supplies, air quality, etc.? 6) What is the financial viability of LLC to complete the project if cost overruns emerge? What constraints exist to prevent LLC from coming back to the bargaining table in 2010, 2011, or later requesting additional development to provide more revenue? What constraints exist to prevent LLC from abandoning the project if cost overruns occur or revenue projections are revised to lower levels? 7) An independent public report needs to be prepared describing the professional and personal relationships for the past 15 years and any proposed professional or personal relationships between Governor Perdue, any current member of the Jekyll Island Board, and/or any principal of LLC. The development plan must be untainted by any actual or perceived conflict of interest.
Thank you to Senator Chapman who continues to fight the destruction of Jekyll Island. Jekyll does not need to become another St. Simmons. One is enough. JIA needs to be investigated for their sale of Jekyll Island. And I wish I could use Bleakly Groups math...I would own a lot more property.
Comparing Jekyll to Cape San Blas and other tourist destinations is outrageous. Cape San Blas is 3 to 4 deep in homes on the ocean and have been empty for years due to over development. The big issue is who will reap the financial wind falls if the development occurs? You can bet moon pie Sonny and his list of appointment of stooges are on the pay day somewhere. Someone has to pierce the corporate veil to find all of the players. Thank you, Sen Chapman, for standing up to these thugs. You have our support.
Thanks to Sen Chapman for his support.Just take a drive over to St Simons or Hilton Head if you want to be in chaos,lots of development and high traffic.Jekyll Island is a state park for "we the people", not "we the developers" or "we the JIA". Yes, there are things that can be improved on, but improvement doesn't mean new development as an excuse to do so. The JIA was wrong from the beginning to do this underhanded deal and it smells more and more. I just renewed my decal for the year and plan to do so every year no matter how much it goes up.But will we still be able to even go onto the island one day should the state decide to sell it? That's absurd sounding, but then so is the Linger Longer deal.People love Jekyll for the atmosphere of relaxing on the beach or enjoying the non-developed portions riding bikes or hiking and camping.At this rate the rich will once again own the island while the rest of us are left waving to them and paying their way to enjoy what was once ours.
Isn't it time that someone in authority put a stop to the plans for enormous overdevelopment and damage the Jekyll Island Authority has for the people of Georgia's state park? The Linger Longer private development company's deal with JIA is gross, but the latest outrage is this study by Bleakly Advisory Group that illegally comes up with a ridiculous new density figure that it claims can be accommodated by the island. Thank heavens Senator Jeff Chapman keeps publishing these sneaky destructive moves against our Jekyll Island. Is anyone listening?
Come on, Georgia legislators! Wise up before it's too late. Put a moratorium on the Jekyll development and call for a thorough investigation by an independent party of all the deals that have been made. Georgians deserve better than this! We have visited Jekyll for 25+ years and have to desire to see it turned into another crowded, overdone island. Please stop before it's too late!
Thank you Senator Chapman for working to preserve Jekyll Island. We have a real "jewel" and want to keep this serene and beautiful island for generations to enjoy as we have. The politics in Georgia has become an embarrassment. Thank you for standing up for what is right!
It's been an on-going battle to protect OUR island from the greed of 'our' governor and his cronies. Thanks, Mr. Chapman, for your courage in bucking the powers-that-be in fighting to keep Jekyll for the people of Georgia, as it was intended. A state park shouldn't be a source of revenue for private developers. If the state isn't making a profit on it, that's beside the point. State parks are refuges for the citizens, not 'golden geese' for politicians. Let's have an unbiased review of everything that's been done thus far concerning Jekyll. We all know that statistics can be manipulated to show whatever the people doing the math want them to show. The Island Authority is a joke and a sham. They care nothing about the island, unlike those of us who've loved and enjoyed Jekyll for a lifetime. The JIA is a prime example of 'the fox guarding the henhouse'. I will never vote Republican in our governor's race again, thanks to Sonny's behavior over the Jekyll Island issue. Mr. Chapman, keep on doing what you were elected to do - represent the PEOPLE of your district and of our state. The governor and the JIA have forgotten about the 'public service' part of their jobs. As they say, money talks, and Georgia's governor and his cronies are certainly listening.
Regarding Jekyll development. We have seen enough overdevelopment and misuse of natural habitat. Thank you Senator Chapman for representing the real rights of the people and the future generations to come.We need this natural way preserved and protected as the need to overdevelop only fills the greed of man....not the feeding of the soul so many of us now experience on Jekyll the way she is.Please keep this Jewel pristine & affordable the way it was originally promised to the people of this state of GA. Thanks for caring....... Sincerely..Ben R. McGowan
Thanks so much to the honorable Senator Jeff Chapman continuing to represent his constituents and Georgians. It was bad enough that the governor packed the JIA with developers! This study is so flawed and we need to make sure that Jekyll Island does not become what it is NOT meant to be. This is our state park, not private property for the JIA to hand over to Linger Longer. It is amazing what can be accomplished with integrity and honesty, because I keep seeing that the JIA is being exposed for what it is, aside from the recent post of Ed Boshears. Let's hope this leads to an investigation or an audit and that the Jekyll Island Oversight Committee do their job! No right to steal the island from the people and we do not want an overpopulated Jekyll and we need to look at the natural habitats there and what the Bleakley study leaves out.
Thank you,thank you,Senator Chapman! Your steadfast refusal to accept misleading justifications about Jekyll development plans is a great service to your constituents and all Georgians who love Jekyll Island.
Once again they underestimate the watchful eye of Sen. Chapman and the friends of Jekyll Island. The island needs to be respected for the jewel it is, and not prostituted for the gain of a few. State Park should mean something when it comes to accessibility and affordability. Thank you Sen. Chapman for once again shedding light on the shady tactics of the JIA and its' partners in crime.
Thank Goodness for Sen. Jeff Chapman! I agree with Ray above 100%. Clearly the Senator is the only one in Atlanta that cares that Jekyll Island is a State Park!!! It is not for the rich to make their paradise playground. It is not Hilton Head Island (which is basically what Linger Longer wants to turn it into). It is a State Park. It's beautiful just the way it is and it doesn't need greedy politicians fouling it up. Your already doing that with the rest of the country. Leave Jekyll alone.
Dear Jekyll Island Authority and Senator Chapman, Linger Longer's plans call for too much density as far as I can see. Don't just go by their figures but look at Sen. Chapman's figures also, and any independent source of figures. A Jekyll Island over developed will be no Jekyll Island at all - just a Panama City in Ga.
Mr. Chapman, You are an intelligent, honest and brave man, keep up the good fight. The JIA's battle plan for this battle is: Lie, deceive and then blatantly lie some more. Then, when they are done and get their way, they will give a sweetheart deal to their Linger Longer buddies and raise the cost of visiting Jekyll for the real owners of Jekyll Island, the citizens of Georgia. Face it, The JIA and "Funny" Perdue will not be happy till Jekyll looks like Saint Simons.
Jekyll Island has a long history as a political football. With seven miles of pristine beach on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, many hands have reached out through the years to take possession of this valuable slice of coastal real estate. Dubbed “Thompson’s Folly” by his successor Herman Talmadge, Jekyll Island was purchased by Governor M. E. Thompson in 1947 from the members of the Jekyll Island Club, who had acquired the island in the 1880s as a southern winter haven for America’s greatest financiers. Even before he became Governor, Thompson envisioned Jekyll Island State Park as a beach resort for all citizens of Georgia, required by law to remain self-sustaining and to operate at the most reasonable rates possible for people of average income. His vision became reality with the Jekyll Island State Park Authority Act of 1950. In political football parlance, Jekyll Island State Park’s future is resting on a politically charged 50 yard line, while the biggest bruisers in Georgia state government huddle on the field, ready to tackle anyone and anything that gets in the way of the goal. That goal is the awarding of a 300% return on investment to Linger Longer Communities, owned by Mercer Reynolds, the largest campaign contributor that the Republican party has probably ever seen, and one of the most successful developers of elite resort communities in the nation. Linger Longer Communities, selected by the Jekyll Island State Park Authority as its Private Revitalization Partner, is charged with rebuilding the island’s aging convention center, erecting two new hotels, and constructing 160 condominium units which Linger Longer will sell as time share vacation rentals. The development will be on 5 acres of oceanfront land that Linger Longer will not pay a dime for, and the cut of the action for the JIA, which must remain self-sustaining, will be only 1% of the revenues, with 99%, or over $100 million, going to Linger Longer. To score this goal, the Governor has put up $50 million in general obligation bonds to cover the project’s infrastructure costs. So if no one wants to buy a time share on a South Georgia beach in January, the taxpayers of Georgia will take the hit. Senator Jeff Chapman’s offense has been to object to this arrangement and to offer the suggestion to the JIA and his colleagues in the Senate that perhaps Linger Longer Communities, which also has right of first refusal on all future development opportunities on Jekyll Island, would settle for a smaller percentage of the profits. To hear the outcry from the local Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, which refers to Jekyll Island State Park as an “economic engine” for Glynn County, one would think that Chapman is an enemy of the people. Now Chapman has the courage to infer that the Bleakly Group’s report to the JIA might have understated the impact of doubling the density of this fragile barrier island. I am sure that Chapman will score no points in Brunswick or with the head honchos in the Senate with this article. But he deserves cheers and applause from those of us who are in the stands, because he understands that Jekyll Island belongs to all of us. Unlike many of his colleagues and the state’s top leadership, Jeff Chapman’s actions defy personal political ambition because he seeks to do the greatest good for the people with the power that the people have entrusted to him. More power to him.
Thank God for Mr. Chapman. My wife and I spent a weeded recently on Jekyll Island. The Club Hotel was booked solid, so we stayed at a delightful Best Western. Reasonably priced, clean, beautifully landscaped. All that would disappear with Linger Longer's proposals. As anyone listening?
Kudos to Sen. Chapman and Creative Loafing. I agree completely with Sen. Chapman and thank him for all his heroic efforts. Jekyll could use improvements, not a massive overhaul. What is Jekyll? It is casual, quiet, beautiful, affordable, ecologically rich. That's what we need to preserve and protect for current and future generations. It is unique and therefore priceless that it remain so. I think this is the view of the majority and that concerned Georgians must speak up and push back rather than let Jekyll fall prey to commercial interests.
Thank you Senator Chapman for your unrelenting efforts to expose the JIA's attempts to fool the public into accepting a plan to giveaway one of Georgia's best state parks to private land developers. When will the rest of our public officials wake up and start serving the majority of their constituents, who want to protect Jekyll Island from overdevelopment, instead of serving the narrow interests of the well connected? The Bleakly study is a blatent attempt to circumvent the law and should be treated with scorn by everyone who wants Jekyll Island to remain the way it was originally promised to the people of Georgia.
Many thanks to Creative Loafing for giving Sen. Chapman a "soapbox". He's telling it like it is - a bunch of good ol' boys making sweetheart deals at the expense of average Georgians. Everyone I have talked with wants a rejuvenation of Jekyll. Build new hotels on the footprint of the ones torn down, but not 6 stories high and certainly not adding hundreds of condos. Shame on the JIA board!
Thanks to Thomas Wheatley for continuing to spotlight Jekyll. Sen. Chapman is doing an outstanding job of trying to prevent a complete overreach by the JIA, and in the process protect GA citizens. Unfortunately, he has been attacked and ridiculed every step of the way by the JIA, pro-business-at-any-cost groups and people in his own party. He is absolutely correct about Bleakly's study. But it's unsurprising, considering they are the ones who conducted the JIA's original RFP. How convenient that their study justifies the development they helped guide. And just how much have the Reynolds donated to Sonny Perdue and Republicans around the state?
As winter residents and relative newcomers to JI (we have only been coming to the Island for 36 years, I guess that still makes us newcomers!) We return each year for two reasons, the beauty of the Island and the great people we meet who live year round in the Brunswick area. As an outsider I always thought that "Chicago Style" politicians were some of the slickest politicians around. Then, after reading about the exploits of the Governor, The JIA and their Good Ole Boy buddies Linger Longer, I realized that Slick "Chicago style" politicians have some real competition. Good people of Georgia, your State Parks are an important part of your resources. Protect your resources, when they are gone, they are gone for good. When your states' resources are used to enrich a few polically well connected individuals or groups it is an even bigger crime. Mr. Chapman, Stand tall.
I am a permannent resident of Jekyll-I would be absolutely disgusted if this island changes! This island does not need more hotels or businesses-like someone said before me, the people that live or visit here are looking for something special. If not they would go to St. Simons or Hilton Head! Please leave Jekyll alone-I recently had a hard choice to make whether or not to leave this island and I chose to stay-this is like heaven everyday! This is not something the average person realizes-My family and I have uncovered so many "Jewels" on this island-it has so much to offer-like driftwood on the northend or the bird sanctuary on the south.
Why are the JIA and Gov. Perdue so intent on changing the density and character of Jekyll Island? Haven't enough "real people" signaled that what we want there is a low key, low density, family type island, not the glossy, expensive resort developed mainly for the wealthy that Linger Longer seems to envision.
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