Jekyll deal draws critics' ire

The state board that controls Jekyll Island has approved a 25-year agreement giving a controversial developer the right of first refusal for any new project on the island. The far-reaching deal was approved on Monday after five-minutes of discussion in a special telephone meeting publicly advertised on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The agreement gives developer Linger Longer the right to overhaul Jekyll Island facilities for $100 and gives Linger Longer the right of first refusal for all future projects on the state-run island for the next 25 years. Critics of the state-appointed Jekyll Island Authority blasted the meeting and called the deal a sweetheart for a politically-well connected developer.

Brunswick State Senator Jeff Chapman is calling for an investigation, saying the public had no time to review the deal or comment on it. Chapman calls the deal corporate welfare. A Jekyll Island Authority spokesman could not be reached. The J.I.A. has said previously that the Linger Longer deal will bring in more than $40 million annually to the state.

UPDATE: Jekyll Island Authority spokesman Eric Garvey writes, "The J.I.A. Board was briefed last week once the agreement was completed and had time to review the documents and ask questions of our legal counsel and financial consultants, as well as staff... While Jeff Chapman may be a critic, Rep. Jerry Keen and Sen. Eric Johnson, who sit on the J.I.A. Board as advisory members, support the agreement, which will generate over $40 million in direct revenue to the J.I.A. over the first 25 years."  An earlier version of this story incorrectly noted the contract's term at 50 years.