Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025
Good morning! And welcome to October. First up, we have decision from the state Supreme Court regarding Sapelo’s Hogg Hummock. We follow with an update on federal incentives to install EV chargers in Georgia. And we round out our coverage with a foraging opportunity that begins today all along the Georgia coast.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: COMMUNITY
Sapelo referendum returns
The Georgia Supreme Court handed the Geechee Gullah community a victory Tuesday with an opinion upholding a referendum affecting the Hogg Hummock neighborhood of Sapelo, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports. McIntosh County changed the modest enclave’s zoning in 2023, allowing larger houses. Residents objected, fearing they’d be taxed out of their ancestral home. Relying on a little-used provision of the Georgia Constitution — the same one Camden used to scrap the launch of its spaceport — they forced a referendum on the issue.
But the county objected and the dispute landed in the Georgia Supreme Court. With the court’s decision Tuesday, Sapelo advocates are gearing up to get out the vote a second time for the referendum. The date for that election has not yet been determined.
ANALYSIS: ENVIRONMENT
Charging ahead
Georgia can keep spending $135 million in federal funds allocated by the Biden administration for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including sections of Interstates 16 and 95 in Coastal Georgia, according to an edited plan approved this month, as The Current GA’s Maggie Lee reports.
That’s good news for Coastal Georgia EV drivers, who could be forgiven for the range anxiety they feel on lengthy stretches of those interstates that are seriously short on charging stations, including Savannah to Brunswick on I-95 and Savannah to Macon on I-16.
The project to install EV chargers on unserved Georgia interstate and highway corridors has survived largely intact, but state officials deleted language that referred to equity and safety, according to an analysis by The Current GA.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Happy as a clammer
Today marks the opening of Georgia’s recreational and commercial shellfish harvest season at 7 a.m., the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division reports.
The opening applies to authorized shellfish areas along Georgia’s coast and includes wild and aquaculture-produced oysters and hard clams harvested in accordance with state and federal health and safety regulations.
Permits are required and shellfish harvest is only allowed in approved areas, with harvest limits applied. Find maps of recreational shellfish harvest areas in each coastal county at CoastalGaDNR.org/Shellfish/Recreational. Check here for more details and how and where to harvest clams and oysters in Coastal Georgia.
Also noted
Georgia was named the best state for business for the 12th year running, Gov. Brian Kemp announced last week. But water-guzzling industries may want to look elsewhere. Area Development magazine produces the rankings based on 14 criteria. Georgia ranked in the top ten states in all categories but one: water availability.
Skidaway Marine Science Day, a free, family-friendly event for all ages runs from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sat. Oct. 11, at the University of Georgia Skidaway Marine Science Campus, located on the north end of Skidaway Island. The UGA Aquarium will have free admission, featuring behind-the-scenes tours, a hands-on reptile exhibit and lab demonstrations. On the bluff behind the aquarium, environmental organizations and coastal researchers will host interactive exhibits that let visitors explore Georgia’s coastal ecosystems and marine life up close. Read more about the event here.
Green Drinks Savannah is celebrating its first anniversary since its relaunch at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14 at Deposito’s Seafood, 3501 Macceo Dr., Thunderbolt. The group’s free monthly gatherings (patrons simply cover their own food and drinks) encourage like-minded individuals to share ideas, foster partnerships, and spark collaborations that address local environmental challenges.
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Ga. Supreme Court upholds citizens’ right to vote to repeal Sapelo zoning
The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the right of McIntosh County residents to vote directly to repeal a controversial zoning decision that would allow larger houses in a traditional Gullah-Geechee enclave on Sapelo Island.
Feds OK updated Georgia plan for electric vehicle charging stations
Millions in federal money is still set to flow to Georgia’s program for building EV charging stations on highways that lack the infrastructure. But an updated plan mandated by the Trump administration erases talk of equity and safety.
Report: Ending Affordable Care Act subsidies could raise Georgia health costs by $2 billion
If Congress ends Obamacare subsidies, Georgia residents will face an estimated $2 billion in higher costs for health insurance, and hospitals in the state will lose $1.6 billion in revenue, according to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.
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