This was forwarded to me from a prof in the history dept at GSU - sign the electronic petition if you like.
The Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island State Park at www.savejekyllisland.org has an electronic petition you may want to sign if you oppose the development of this beautiful coastline.
You may have followed the story in the news. George W. Bush's cronie Mercer Reynolds and his Linger Longer Development Company that owns the Ritz Carlton and Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, was awarded by Sonny Perdue's appointed Jekyll Island Authority a multimillion dollar contract to develop this barrier island that is owned by the people of Georgia.
While it is true the state has allowed limited development under its authority since Georgia purchased the 13,500 acre island in 1947 (for $650,000), the hotels have been of an average quality so that all of Georgia's public could gain access to the beach. This had once been the home of the Millionaire's Club and the clubhouse still stands today.
Developers want to return Jekyll to the millionaires. The current plan accomplishes the privatization of the island by removing much of the public access and placing it in the hands of a private developer who proposes going upscale with condos and a fancy town center. The average priced hotels would be done away with as would much of the public access to the beach.
Georgia legislator Jeff Chapman who represents Jekyll Island and surrounding counties has taken this on. The website link, www.savejekyllisland.org, tells you about the fight and Chapman's proposals in the Georgia General Assembly to halt the proposed development. I encourage you to follow the link and if so inclined, to fill out the online petition and email it back or print it out and mail it in.
Much of Georgia's coast has been spared the terribly overbuilt sprawl that scars the land down in Destin, Florida and up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When the citizens of Georgia acquired this island, they did so with the intent to keep it free from such development and to keep it affordable for all Georgians. Your input today might help us keep it that way.
