In a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the right of McIntosh County residents to vote directly to repeal a controversial zoning decision that would allow larger houses in a traditional Gullah-Geechee enclave on Sapelo Island.

Attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit over the October 2024 Sapelo Island dock collapse that killed seven attendees of a Gullah Geechee culture festival.

Oyster shells are sourced from Atlanta restaurants, among other partners, and require a monthslong curing period in the sun to eliminate bacteria.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments about a controversial zoning decision that threatens to change the character of an historic Gullah Geechee enclave in McIntosh County.

Early voting was already underway when a judge canceled the grassroots referendum last fall.

New zoning is put on hold while the Georgia Supreme Court weighs the validity of a referendum on the same issue.

The mental state felt by some survivors “will make the living jealous of the dead,” one attorney said.

McIntosh’s legal fees for two cases related to zoning on Sapelo Island have topped $170,000 and continue to grow. 

A special legislative hearing on the dock collapse has been scheduled for next week.

JR Grovner said that he told a Georgia DNR captain last summer that the Sapelo Island dock's gangway was “going to collapse.”

The gangway was installed in 2021 but maintenance and inspection records are unclear.

A dock collapsed at Sapelo Island, leaving several dead and many injured. The island was celebrating its annual Cultural Day.

“The zoning has an ability to eradicate more of the population, as if it hadn't already been destroyed enough,” one Gullah Geechee resident said.

More than 800 McIntosh residents have already cast their ballots regarding the repeal of Hogg Hummock zoning.

McIntosh County voters are scheduled for a countywide vote on the single issue of Hogg Hummock zoning on Oct. 1, 2024, even as the county heads to court to prevent the referendum from taking place.