February 25, 2026

Good morning! In the news today: A building pause continues on Sapelo, a longtime environmental gatekeeper announces her retirement, and Golden Isles restaurants reign supreme for local shrimp.

Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org

NEWS: COMMUNITY
A yard sign in front of the Graball Country Store in Hogg Hummock encourages McIntosh voters to vote yes and repeal rezoning on Sapelo Island.
A yard sign in front of the Graball Country Store in Hogg Hummock encouraged McIntosh voters to vote yes and repeal rezoning on Sapelo Island. Credit: Jazz Watts/SICARS

Sapelo zoning pause extended

The McIntosh County Commission last week extended until May 21 a moratorium on building in the Gullah Geechee enclave of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports. The extended moratorium will allow time for the county to get input from residents to create new zoning for the neighborhood. The county has organized three listening sessions to collect public comment on the issue in March. See the story below for details on these meetings.

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NEWS: GOVERNING
Georgia Rep. Lynn Smith Credit: Georgia House of Representatives

Natural resources leader leaving

State Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, the long-time chair of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, has announced plans to retire at the end of the session, reports Mark Niesse of Capitol Beat.

Smith has had a fraught relationship with environmental groups like the Sierra Club who see her as protecting the interests of Georgia Power, the Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia EPD, as the Sierra Club’s Mark Woodall told The Current GA.

Josh Marks, an environmental attorney and long-time advocate for the Okefenokee Swamp, told The Current Smith’s impending exit provides an opportunity for her to burnish her legacy by allowing a vote on the bipartisan Okefenokee Protection Act.

“(W)ith her retiring, and presumably no longer having to worry about political ramifications, she can redeem herself and finally allow passage of this critically needed legislation, especially in light of the UGA study proving that mining would damage the swamp and the pending listing of the Oke as a World Heritage Site,” Marks said.  “What better legacy for her leadership of the Natural Resources Committee than to help permanently protect our state’s greatest natural treasure?”

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NEWS: BUSINESS
A basket of freshly caught Atlantic white shrimp ready to be put on ice.
A basket of freshly caught Atlantic white shrimp ready to be put on ice. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current

Homegrown shrimp

The southern half of Georgia’s coast shines as a place to dine out on wild-caught American shrimp, according to a consulting company that uses DNA testing to determine the origin of shrimp in restaurant dishes.

“Golden Isles was at 98% authenticity, and yes, has had the best results so far in the eight-state study commissioned by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, SeaD Consulting spokeswoman Glenda Beasley wrote in an email to The Current GA.

In December, we reported that DNA testing of shrimp served in Golden Isles restaurants showed 43 of the 44 restaurant dishes sampled were wild-caught American shrimp, as advertised or implied. The results contrasted sharply with findings from the Savannah area where only 10 of 47 samples from shrimp dishes served at 44 restaurants were American species. The remainder were shrimp imported from other countries. SeaD Consulting recently continued its testing up the coast in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, SC, which each had significantly more imported shrimp than did Golden Isles restaurants.

Georgia lawmakers have taken notice. Earlier this month, they approved House Bill 117, authored by Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), that requires all food service establishments in the state to identify foreign imported shrimp on menus and placards. The measure needs only Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature to become law.

Also noted

As of Feb. 23, 2026 the Sea Camp Campground at Cumberland Island National Seashore is closed to campers to allow the septic system to be replaced. There will also be no trail access to the beach from Sea Camp for walkers or bicyclists.

Developers are invited to submit proposals for the redevelopment of land and facilities on Captain Wylly Road on Jekyll Island to include approximately 70-room hotel with grill or lounge-style restaurant at the Jekyll Island Golf Club. The project was envisioned in the 2022 Jekyll Island Golf Improvement Plan. 

Georgia Rivers offers scholarships for women, people of color, recent immigrants and lower-income individuals and families to participate in one of more than two dozen canoe/kayak adventures. Scholarship values range from $100 for day trips to nearly $500 for the week-long Paddle Georgia as well as kayak fishing trips and kayaking classes. Access applications for scholarships here. View the slate of paddle trips here.

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Mary Landers is a reporter for The Current in Coastal Georgia with more than two decades of experience focusing on the environment. Contact her at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org She covered climate and...