Update: After publication of this story, a Camden County spokeswoman emailed The Current to clarify the county’s position. The story was updated on Aug. 20 at 5:35 p.m.
Correction: St. Marys is the home of the U.S. nuclear submarine force at Kings Bay, about 12 miles from the land in question.
For years Coastal Georgia Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter has struggled to sell a 471-acre waterfront property in Camden County that is covered with live oaks and pines and that he bought for $2 million as a fishing camp.
The future of the asset could become clearer next month. According to documents filed with Kingsland’s planning commission, an Atlanta-based developer is seeking zoning changes to build 750 new homes on Carter’s property and on a nearby plot owned by a prominent Jacksonville family.
The developer of Carter’s tract, Drapac Investments LLC, is petitioning Kingsland to annex the combined 571 acres that currently are located in an unincorporated part of Camden as the most efficient path to securing the massive infrastructure necessary to support its ambitious residential project.
The plans would change the rural marshland surrounding the city of around 19,000 residents that is also near the home of a U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine base. It would also provide a significant windfall for the five-term Coastal Georgia congressman who is now running for the U.S. Senate.
Carter’s net worth was estimated at $27.9M, the 41st highest in Congress, as of Sunday, according to Quiver Quantitative, a stock trading group that tracks members of Congress.
The multimillionaire Congressman’s property was listed for $4.95 million last year. For months, real estate records have shown that a sale is pending. Richard Stevenson, the vice president of Drapac’s asset management arm, said that his firm has put offers on the congressman’s land as well as the property owned by the Schifanella family.
Drapac Capital is a privately held international property investment group that started in Melbourne, Australia before expanding to the United States. Its founder and chief executive officer are Australian, as is Stevenson who is the agent for the property holders, according to the property annexation request.
Property proposed for annexation
Drapac owns hundreds of acres of residential property across Georgia, and says its U.S. investments represent a gross development pipeline of more than $8 billion in 18 markets.
Stevenson said that talks with Kingsland officials about developing the Camden properties started in January. He said that both city and county officials are onboard with the plans to build premium single-family housing on the lands. “We are incredibly excited about this very unique set of properties, especially the waterfront access,” Stevenson said.
Camden County spokeswoman Kristen W. Kennedy said Stevenson’s characterization of the county’s position was inaccurate.
“While county officials listened to the presentation of the idea on August 14, 2025, the County has not expressed support, taken a position, or provided feedback indicating endorsement of the proposed development,” she told The Current.
Rep. Carter’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Angela Schifanella, the manager for the family trust that owns the second property, did not respond to requests for comment.
In 2018, when Carter bought the undeveloped marshfront property, Camden County was trying to develop a spaceport around 10 miles down the same road as his land.
Carter did not include the property on his Congressional financial disclosures because he said it wasn’t an investment but a personal hunting and fishing retreat. He never put it in a conservation easement — a common method of restricting development rights in exchange for a tax break — and instead sued the county to reduce his taxes, ultimately freezing his property tax for three years and saving himself over $75,000.
In the spring of 2023, shortly after the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the decision of Camden County voters to scuttle the spaceport project, Carter put the tract up for sale for $4.25 million. He took the property off the market, and then relisted it for $4.95 million in May of 2024.
By late January of this year the property was under contract. [See a video of the land at this link.]
The listing describes “242 upland acres, with the entire upland area covered in a pristine natural forest that features beautiful live oaks and virgin pines. The property is bordered by 14,000 ft. of marsh and deepwater frontage on Saddlers Creek, with an additional 1400 ft of bluff frontage on the creek.”
Carter has a tough battle ahead to win the Republican primary for the 2026 U.S. Senate race. He has already plowed $2 million into his campaign, after spending more than $2.5 million in the Atlanta area to increase his name recognition, the congressman told conservative radio talk show host John Fredericks last month.
As of June 30, his campaign committee had more than $4.07 million cash on hand, according to reports submitted to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).
Incumbent Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, ended the reporting period with $15.5 million in cash on hand.
Carter, who was born and raised in Port Wentworth, was mayor of Pooler and a state senator representing the Savannah area before running for Congress. In 2023 he moved to St. Simons Island.
Public hearing
- The City of Kingsland Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to review the application at 6 p.m. Sept. 2 at Kingsland City Hall. The Kingsland City Council will vote on the commission’s recommendation at its 6 p.m. Sept. 8 meeting at Kingsland City Hall, 107 S. Lee St.
While he frequently meets with constituents in Camden County, there is little public information indicating that he has spent much time at his sprawling property there.
County property records indicate Carter’s land is located about three miles north of the closest current Kingsland boundary.
The agenda of the Kingsland Planning Commission says the purpose of the annexation would be to allow water and sewer access to the parcels. As there are no adjacent city parcels, the applicant said it will pay for the costs to connect those city services to the land currently owned by Carter and a company associated with the Schifanella family of Jacksonville.
Stevenson said that the goal of the planned new housing community would be to preserve as much of the native forest as possible while designing the enclave with respect to its coastal location. He said he and his team will be proactive in reaching out to neighbors to address concerns and questions.
The Current GA’s Craig Nelson contributed to this article.
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