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Hampton Island investors fighting
Posh subdivision in Liberty County
tree-lined road
As it was being built developers said they wanted to leave the land as natural as possible. - photo by Courier file photo
Greg Bluestein
Associated Press Writer
Updated: Oct 26, 2007, 9:00 AM
Published: Oct 11, 2007, 5:00 PM
ATLANTA -- Some of Georgia's most powerful investors are butting heads over who controls ritzy Hampton Island, an exclusive coastal resort that's home to two mansions owned by actor Ben Affleck.

Two groups vying for control over the property — Liberty Capital and Hampton Island Founders — made their claims Tuesday before the Georgia Supreme Court.

Lawyers representing the warring factions say some $30 million is tied up in the deal, which involves developers Wayne Mason and John Williams. It's also attracted some of the state's most notable attorneys. Former Gov. Roy Barnes is among a dozen attorneys taking sides against Founders.

Hampton Island — actually a collection of islands near Riceboro, covering about 4,000 acres — was purchased in 2002 by a group of investors known as the Founders headed by Atlanta developer Wade Shealy, who said he wanted to preserve the coastal property's rugged character while marketing it to upscale buyers.

One of the first buyers to sign up was Affleck, who helped Hampton Island make national news in 2003 when he was seen nearby with then-fiance Jennifer Lopez. Locals speculated the pair was planning an island wedding.

But after the Founders entered into a joint venture with another group of well-heeled investors called Liberty Capital, a dispute soon arose over who had management control over the property.

The Founders filed a lawsuit in December asking a judge to declare that Liberty failed to live up to its end of the bargain, and asked for an injunction to ban the other investors from seizing control of Hampton Island. Liberty Capital soon countersued.

In January, a judge ruled that the Founders and Shealy no longer managed Hampton Island, but that the new joint company did. Lawyers representing two of Founders' members then moved to intervene in the case, arguing that Founders should not interfere with their meetings.

A Cobb County judge agreed, but the Supreme Court issued a last-minute stay, landing the case in the Supreme Court Tuesday.

During the arguments, Founders attorney Steven Hall asked the justices to reverse the trial judge's order, saying it "was a profound abuse of discretion."

But Carlton Kell, representing shareholders who invested $7.5 million in the island, asked the court to dismiss the argument so the judge can return to the crux of the case.

"There is an urgency for this case to be heard. There's a lot of money involved," he said. "But because of all the procedural morass that's been created, the trial judge has been unable to hear it."

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Georgia Supreme Court: http://www.gasupreme.us

Hampton Island: http://www.hamptonisland.com/

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GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided
Staff Report
Updated: Apr 17, 2018, 1:07 PM
Published: Apr 17, 2018, 1:08 PM

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

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