Competitive Offerings Research For Laurel Island (PDF)

This is a study done by the Parker Group (http://www.parkerassociates.com)

To attempt to summarize this report I pulled the following paragraph out of the property impact section of the report:

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From the Times-Union and www.jacksonville.com store by Gordon Jackson. Click Here for full text

ST. MARYS – The city known as the gateway to Cumberland Island could have another moniker in coming years – gateway to the Georgia Keys.

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Mr. Drury says that his project will in no way involve eminent domain. While that may be true of his proposed project, in order to establish a TAD, the City must first pass a referendum to approve redevelopment powers, which include TAD, among other things. In order to implement the program, if approved, the City must then appoint a Board or Authority to oversee the program. This board has the power of eminent domain and is not elected by the public. Once established, the board/authority can approve other redevelopment projects without bringing them before the voters for approval; and they can exercise the power of eminent domain on any of these other projects, as they see fit. Once established, the board/authority and its powers do not go away, and we have no control over what they do. There is a number of other problems inherent in Mr. Drury's proposal, but it's all too much to try to address in a single comment posting. Reference GA code section 36-44-6-(c).

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Dear Winston Barlow and other members:

I would like to talk to you about this initiative. No municipalities – the county, city, or otherwise – will guarantee Tax Allocation District bonds, or any other bonds, associated with this initiative. Instead, the bonds would be backed by the ad valorem revenues above what is being paid to the county now on the ~ 2,000 acre Laurel Island Tract, which is currently in unincorporated Camden County. Instead, the bonds would be funded by a private investor.

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