PocketLaw | Georgia Code | Master Plan as to Jekyll Island;

Master Plan as to Jekyll Island; Maintenance; Contents; Adherence to Plan; Amendments

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The authority shall maintain a master plan for the management, preservation, protection, and development of Jekyll Island. The master plan shall delineate, based upon aerial survey, the present and permitted future uses of the land area of Jekyll Island and shall designate areas to be managed as environmentally sensitive, historically sensitive, and active use areas.
The authority, in the exercise of its authority to develop, manage, preserve, and protect Jekyll Island, shall be guided by and shall adhere to the master plan as the same may from time to time be amended as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section.
The authority may, from time to time, amend the master plan but only in compliance with the following procedure:
1. Any proposed amendment to the master plan shall be described in written form and, if capable of such description, in visual form and presented publicly at a regular meeting of the authority;
2. After the proposed amendment is presented publicly at a regular meeting of the authority, a brief summary of the proposed amendment shall be advertised in the legal organs of Glynn and Fulton counties, distributed to the media by news release, and published in appropriate publications of the authority. Each such advertisement, news release, and publication shall also contain:
  1. The time and place of the public hearing on the proposed amendment, which public hearing shall be held no earlier than 15 days after the latest publication of the advertisement in the legal organ of Glynn or Fulton County as required by this paragraph;
  2. Directions as to the manner of receiving comments from the public regarding the proposed amendment; and
  3. The date on which the meeting of the authority at which the proposed amendment will be considered for approval or rejection, which meeting shall not be held any sooner than 30 days after the meeting of the authority at which the proposed amendment was announced pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;
3. The authority shall transmit by certified mail or personal service copies of the information required by paragraph (2) of this subsection and a complete copy of the proposed amendment to the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, members of the Jekyll Island - State Park Authority Oversight Committee, and Office of Legislative Counsel at least 60 days prior to the date of the meeting at which the proposed amendment will be considered. The presiding officers of each house, or the Office of Legislative Counsel if a presiding officer is unavailable, shall then provide copies to any member of the General Assembly who makes, or has made, a standing written request;
4. In the event the Jekyll Island - State Park Authority Oversight Committee files an objection to a proposed amendment to the master plan with the chairperson of the authority prior to the authority's taking action on the proposed amendment, then the same shall be stayed. Thereafter, by introduction of a resolution to consider the committee's objection within the first 30 days of the next regular session of the General Assembly, the objection may be considered for ratification by the General Assembly. In the event the resolution is adopted by a vote of two-thirds of the members of each branch, the amendment to the master plan shall not be adopted by the authority. In the event the resolution is ratified by a vote of less than two-thirds of the members of either house, the resolution shall be submitted to the Governor for approval or veto. In the event the resolution fails to pass both houses or is vetoed by the Governor, the amendment to the master plan may be adopted by the authority and the stay of the committee shall be lifted. In the event of the Governor's approval of the resolution, the amendment to the master plan shall be prohibited;
5. Any proposed development of the 78 acres available for development under subparagraph (a)(1)(B) of Code Section 12-3-243 shall be surveyed and marked at least seven days prior to the public hearing required by paragraph (2) of this subsection in such a fashion as to be readily discernible on the ground by members of the public; and
6. At the meeting of the authority which has been identified in the advertisement required by paragraph (2) of this subsection as the meeting to consider the approval or rejection of the proposed amendment, the authority shall consider in an open and public meeting the proposed amendment to the master plan which, if approved, shall become a part of the master plan, subject, however, to the provisions of paragraph (4) of this subsection.

(Code 1981, §12-3-243.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1995, p. 105, § 13; Ga. L. 1996, p. 6, § 12; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 12; Ga. L. 2007, p. 711, § 8/HB 214; Ga. L. 2014, p. 64, § 3/HB 715; Ga. L. 2014, p. 69, § 3/SB 296.)

The 2014 amendments. The first 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, in subsection (a), substituted "shall maintain" for "shall, on or before July 1, 1996, cause to be created" in the first sentence, deleted "which lies above water at mean high tide" following "Jekyll Island" in the second sentence, and deleted the third and fourth sentences, which read: "The master plan shall also delineate the boundaries of the area or areas delineated on the master plan as the 65 percent of the land area of Jekyll Island which lies above water at mean high tide and over which the authority has no power to improve, lease, or sell pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 12-3-243. If the aerial survey demonstrates that the percentage of undeveloped land on Jekyll Island is presently less than 65 percent, then no further development of undeveloped land shall be permitted in the master plan."; deleted former subsection (b), which read: "In the creation of the master plan, the authority shall, after preparation of a preliminary plan, give notice of the existence of the preliminary plan in the legal organs of Glynn and Fulton counties and in at least two newspapers of state-wide general circulation not less than 60 days prior to the meeting of the authority at which the preliminary plan is to be considered for final adoption. After giving this notice, the authority shall hold a public hearing at a convenient location on Jekyll Island and receive and consider such oral and written comments on the preliminary plan as may be presented."; redesignated former subsections (c) and (d) as present subsections (b) and (c), respectively; substituted "subsection (c)" for "subsection (d)" in subsection (b); and substituted "development of the 78 acres available for development under subparagraph (a)(1)(B) of Code Section 12-3-243" for "changes to the boundaries of the area or areas delineated on the master plan as the 65 percent of the land area of Jekyll Island which lies above water at mean high tide and over which the authority has no power to improve, lease, or sell pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 12-3-243" in paragraph (c)(5). The second 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, made identical changes.

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 2007, p. 711, § 1/HB 214, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "The Georgia General Assembly finds that Jekyll Island is home to some of the state's most treasured natural and cultural resources and it is the expressed intent of this body to ensure the preservation of these resources for the enjoyment of all Georgians now and for future generations to come. For this reason, the state shall continue its commitment that not less than 65 percent of the land area of Jekyll Island which lies above water at mean high tide shall remain undeveloped. Jekyll Island proudly displays one of Georgia's largest stretches of barrier island property. It is the expressed intent of this body that the beach areas of Jekyll Island will remain free and open for the use of the people of the state. Commercial improvement is intended to better existing and future development of the remaining 35 percent of Jekyll Island while retaining public access to the beaches for the pleasure of all of Georgia's citizens. The General Assembly further finds that the deteriorating conditions of public and commercial facilities is of great interest to the legislature and to the public and that by significantly extending the existing lease authority for the island's property, the state will thereby help to secure and encourage future investments and provide a basis for long-term revitalization of the island. Jekyll Island is recognized by this body as 'Georgia's Jewel,' and its remarkable beauties are hereby preserved so that they may continue to shine for all citizens of Georgia."

Law reviews.

- For annual survey on administrative law, see 66 Mercer L. Rev. 1 (2014). For article on the 2014 amendment of this Code section, see 31 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 1 (2014).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Mean high tide controls.

- Jekyll Island State Park Authority does not have discretion to adopt the "65/35 Task Force" Recommendation to the extent that it uses a measurement reference point other than Mean High Tide. Any proposal to modify the 1996 Master Plan so as to increase substantially the measured land area of the island be thoroughly evaluated in a public process and finally adopted only after the General Assembly has been given the opportunity to weigh in on the proposal. 2013 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 13-2.

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