Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Good morning! Today we take a look at McIntosh County’s recent decision to sidestep complications with its already messy zoning litigation. Next we examine how legislation to protect the Okefenokee is faring in the legislature. Then it’s Georgia shrimp on our menu, with lab testing to see if it’s homegrown. Finally, we offer an update on long-delayed elections the results of which can hit Georgians right in the pocketbook.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: COMMUNITY
Sapelo zoning vote postponed
McIntosh County on Monday backed off a plan to “reaffirm” its controversial 2023 zoning code that allowed for larger houses to be built in Sapelo Island’s Hogg Hummock community. The county commission instead postponed zoning hearings to avoid interfering with an upcoming Georgia Supreme Court case related to last fall’s aborted referendum on Hogg Hummock zoning. The Current’s Mary Landers reports.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Okefenokee bills gets a hearing
A state House subcommittee on Monday considered two bills, HB 561 and HB 562, aimed at protecting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from future mining projects encroaching on North America’s largest blackwater swamp. Opponents of the bills testified, including influential Charlton County landowner Joe Hopkins, whose timber business controls 5,000 acres near the swamp. Also speaking was Hopkins’ nephew-in-law, Drew Jones, a county commissioner. Stanley Dunlap of the Georgia Recorder reports. Watch a video of the hearing here.
EXPLAINER: ENVIRONMENT
Where did that shrimp come from?
Coastal Georgia restaurants often imply their shrimp is fresh off the trawler, but DNA testing suggests in many cases it’s traveled a lot farther. Only 10 of 47 samples from shrimp dishes served at 44 Savannah restaurants were American species, while the rest were shrimp imported from other countries, according to tests conducted for the Southern Shrimp Alliance. These results bolster an effort by state Rep. Jesse Petrea, a Savannah Republican, to help local shrimpers by requiring Georgia restaurants to tell customers where they source their shrimp, as The Current’s Margaret Coker reports. See the story for a list of restaurants that passed the test.
EXPLAINER: GOVERNMENT
Back on ballot: Panel that regulates Ga. Power
If you’ve lost track of elections for the powerful Georgia Public Service Commission, there’s good reason for that. Statewide voting on the five-member panel has been delayed for years thanks to several lawsuits as well as decisions by the General Assembly. The PSC oversees utilities like electricity, gas, and telecommunications companies, including regulating Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric provider. But this year Georgia voters can again elect commissioners for two seats, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports.
Action items:
- Join Green Drinks Savannah from 5-7 p.m. March 13 at Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center, 340 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Savannah. Learn about Reef Ecologist Daniel Gleason’s work on Gray’s Reef. The event is free, but Vici Rooftop Bar will be donating a portion of their drink proceeds to the sanctuary.
- Keep Golden Isles Beautiful is holding salt marsh and adjacent cleanups almost every day this month for its annual “Marsh Madness.” Three cleanups are set for Saturday morning, including from 9:30 – 11 a.m. March 8 at Harrington Boat Ramp, 500 S. Harrington Rd., St. Simons Island. All supplies are provided. Arrive early to sign in and receive instructions/supplies. RSVP here. See the complete list of cleanups here.
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McIntosh moves toward ‘reaffirming’ Sapelo zoning, then rethinks it
McIntosh County is poised to postpone a planned readoption of its controversial 2023 zoning code that allowed for larger houses to be built in Hogg Hummock, amid ongoing legal action against the county.
Public Service Commission elections resume for Georgia voters
Georgia voters can elect commissioners for two seats on the state’s powerful Public Service Commission this year, after years of delays and canceled elections.
Legislative hearing examines bills to shield Okefenokee Refuge from mining
Two House bills, HB 561 and HB 562, are being considered by a state House subcommittee to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from future mining projects encroaching on North America’s largest blackwater swamp.
DNA tests reveal which Savannah restaurants do, don’t serve local shrimp
A Georgia bill sponsored by Rep. Jesse Petrea aims to require restaurants to disclose the origin of their shrimp. According to a recent scientific study of shrimp served in Savannah restaurants, the truth in advertising may be long overdue.
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