Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for September 2, 2025

Congress created the United States Treasury Department on September 2, 1789.

With the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, the American government established a permanent Treasury Department in hopes of controlling the nation’s debt. President George Washington named his former aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, to head the new office. The former New York lawyer and staunch Federalist stepped in as Secretary of the Treasury on September 11. Hamilton soon outlined a practical plan for reviving the nation’s ailing economy: the government would pay back its $75 million war debt and thus repair its badly damaged public credit.

Former Vice President Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason on September 1, 1804.

Atlanta Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city to federal forces on September 2, 1864.

Calhoun’s two-sentence letter, directed to Brig.-Gen. William Ward stated: “Sir: The fortune of war has placed Atlanta in your hands. As mayor of the city I ask protection of non-combatants and private property.”

On September 1, 1865, Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood withdrew his troops from Atlanta, destroying supply depots and setting ablaze 81 railcars loaded with ammunition.

The cornerstone of the Georgia State Capitol was laid on September 2, 1885.

The last hanging in Atlanta took place on September 1, 1922 outside the Fulton County jail.

Approximately 5,000 people gathered outside the Fulton County jail to witness the hanging.

Japan surrendered to the United States on the deck of USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

On Sunday, September 2, more than 250 Allied warships lay at anchor in Tokyo Bay. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China fluttered above the deck of the Missouri. Just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government. General Yoshijiro Umezu then signed for the Japanese armed forces, and his aides wept as he made his signature.

Supreme Commander MacArthur next signed, declaring, “It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past.” Nine more signatures were made, by the United States, China, Britain, the USSR, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand, respectively. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed for the United States. As the 20-minute ceremony ended, the sun burst through low-hanging clouds. The most devastating war in human history was over.

Author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien died on September 2, 1973.

On September 1, 2004, United States Senator Zell Miller, a Democrat, spoke at the Republican National Convention.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Police Blotter: Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins said police misconduct involving two officers was identified, according to WTOC.

In a Tuesday news conference, Higgins said a Wayne County investigator named Brad Kicklighter made false statements in a police report, falsely testified at a preliminary hearing, and made false statements to the GBI.

The GBI Special Agent in charge of looking into the initial investigation took to the podium to announce their findings, saying “We conducted numerous interviews and investigative acts and at the conclusion of our investigation we were unable to establish probable cause to make any arrests.”

Higgins also made statements aimed directly at Kicklighter saying “I won’t sweep police misconduct under the rug. I will address it and in looking at this particular case the evidence is there that Brad Kicklighter provided a cheat sheet of bullet points to the undercover officer from the Chop House investigation for her to use in preparing her report.”

A key piece of evidence used to arrest Yonkosky was a sting operation where investigators said Yonkosky drugged an undercover officer, sending her to the hospital.

Higgins says that sting operation did not happen as described by investigators.

Higgins says an undercover officer was flirting with Yonkosky at the Chop House restaurant and left her drink unguarded on multiple occasions.

The next day a hospital test turned up traces of oxycodone in her system, but that drug is different than the drug they later found in Yonkosky’s vehicle.

Higgins also said there is video evidence of that officer groping Yonkosky and that she was coached into writing a false report after the fact by a sheriff’s office investigator.

That investigator, going on to falsify other victim statements. “I’ve actually personally talked to [the victim] as early as this morning with regard to that and she verified that she never made these statements ever to anyone and so when Brad Kicklighter said that she said something, it just isn’t true,” said Higgins.

While pursuing charges against Yonkosky, investigators said that several women came forward with stories of being drugged by Yonkosky.

Higgins said he looked into the statements of those women and they do not match what investigators claim.

With the title “false narrative” on a presentation screen, Higgins laid out that over a dozen written statements collected during the investigation do not match the summaries that investigators made about them.

The Yonkosky case ties into the case against Lawson. Investigators claimed that Lawson raped a woman at Yonkosky’s home and that this was backed up by victim testimony.

Police Blotter: Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #08.29.25.01, suspending from office Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Mae Taylor. From Fox5Atlanta:

Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor has been suspended from office following her indictment on charges of destroying public records and violating her oath of office.

Taylor, who was indicted July 31, faces two counts of destruction of public records and two counts of oath violations.

According to a copy of the indictment obtained by FOX 5, Taylor is accused of telling an employee to delete a folder on her computer titled “Passport,” which contained accounting records related to passport services provided by Taylor’s office.

Taylor is also accused of telling the same employee to delete an email from her to Taylor with the subject line “Expedited Passport Revenue Analysis 2021-2022” that officials say contained an attached report prepared by the employee.

She was booked earlier this month at the Cobb County Jail and released on her own recognizance.

The backstory:

The charges stem from a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe, which revealed that superior court clerks across Georgia can legally pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in passport processing fees because of a loophole in state law. Records show Taylor collected more than $220,000 from those fees in 2021 alone.

Earlier this year, Taylor agreed to reimburse Cobb County more than $83,000 after being accused of keeping expedited shipping fees that clerks are not entitled to retain.

Concerns about her handling of public funds were raised as early as 2022. In a letter that year, attorney Stacey Evans alleged Taylor berated a court employee for questioning her about passport funds and insisted the fees were “her money.”

The Georgia Attorney General’s Office is now prosecuting the case after the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office recused itself.

Governor Kemp also addressed his deployment of Georgia National Guard members in support of ICE, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.

The Georgia National Guard will deploy about 75 soldiers and airmen to help support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across the state, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday.

The request to support ICE in Georgia is not related to President Donald Trump’s recent decision to deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.

Kemp also emphasized that assigning the Georgia National Guard to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies is nothing new. The governor sent Guard troops to the Texas border with Mexico early last year, accusing the Biden administration of failing to secure the border.

“Under the bad policies of the prior administration, every state became a border state,” he said. “I was one of the first to mobilize both personnel and policies to crack down on illegal immigration. … Georgia has led on this front for years and will continue to do so through this latest measure while still meeting all responsibilities and duties the Guard has to the state.”

The Georgia Guard troops will not conduct law enforcement functions or make arrests. Rather, they will be providing administrative and logistical support including appointment scheduling, biometric collection, data entry, and performing basic vehicle maintenance in order to free up ICE personnel for law enforcement activities.

Nonetheless, Democrats criticized the deployment decision as unconstitutional and unsustainable.

“As a retired naval officer, it goes against my core values and principles to use Georgia’s National Guard for purposes beyond its lawful duties,” said Georgia Rep. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone, one of several Democrats vying to succeed the term-limited Kemp as governor.

“I believe the brave men and women in uniform did not take an oath to use force against our citizens in the United States. Let me be crystal clear: the purpose of the Georgia National Guard is to defend against foreign threats and aid in natural disasters.”

The Guard members assigned to the mission are scheduled to receive training in mid-September be on duty shortly thereafter.

Governor Brian Kemp endorsed Derek Dooley for United States Senate, according to Atlanta News First via WTOC.

Gov. Brian Kemp chose an opportune and appropriate moment to officially make his endorsement in Georgia’s nationally watched 2026 U.S. Senate race.

On Saturday, while speaking with reporters ahead of the University of Georgia (UGA) football opener in Athens, Kemp endorsed Derek Dooley, his longtime friend and fellow UGA grad.

Dooley — a first-time candidate who has never run a political campaign — launched his Senate campaign earlier this month. He and two other Republicans, U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, are seeking the GOP nomination to face Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in next year’s midterms.

Flipping Ossoff’s Senate seat is a priority for national GOP leaders, who unsuccessfully tried to entice Kemp to enter.

Dooley, 57, played wide receiver at the University of Virginia from 1987-90. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia. His first head coaching job came at Louisiana Tech from 2007-09.

He then moved on to the University of Tennessee as head coach from 2010-12, becoming the first son of a Southeastern Conference (SEC) head coach to become a head coach in the SEC himself.

From 2013-17, Dooley was a wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Then he was the offensive coordinator for the University of Missouri from 2018-19 and the University of Alabama’s offensive analyst in 2020.

Dooley has a law degree from the University of Georgia. He is the son of legendary Vince Dooley, former UGA head football coach and athletic director.

Ossoff was elected in a runoff election in 2021, unseating David Perdue, who is currently the U.S. ambassador to China.

From the Associated Press via WJBF:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Saturday endorsed Republican Derek Dooley in Georgia’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, arguing an outsider without congressional experience can best critique Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s record.

“I’m a firm believer that we need a political outsider to do that, someone that can stay focused on his record, but also someone who has a vision for our state in the future,” Kemp said. “That is not a politician.”

Kemp’s choice of Dooley is hardly a surprise — he told other Republican candidates that he would back Dooley before the former University of Tennessee football coach even entered the race. But Kemp’s appearance with Dooley on Saturday before a University of Georgia football game in Athens underlines the investment of Georgia’s second-term governor in a political novice — along with Kemp spending on Dooley’s behalf and detailing his closest political aides to run Dooley’s campaign.

Kemp agreed to back the 57-year-old Dooley after deciding not to run for the seat himself. Georgia Republicans are looking to topple Ossoff, considered the Senate’s most vulnerable Democratic incumbent seeking reelection next year. The GOP field also includes U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, as well as activist Reagan Box.

Dooley has focused on attacking Ossoff and backing President Donald Trump, tactics that unify Republicans. He argued Saturday that Ossoff’s history of support for former President Joe Biden and his opposition to Trump disqualify him from another term.

“What’s amazing is he wants to be our quarterback for the next six years,” Dooley said. “And where I come from, when you deliver results like that, your ass goes on the bench. So I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves. I’m going to earn the support every day from the people and Georgia and give this Senate seat back to them.”

But Dooley has a scant history in politics — he didn’t vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections when Trump was a candidate. Still coaching at the time, Dooley has said he was too busy and distracted to vote. But Collins says that will repel Republicans whose votes are needed.

“If we nominate someone who didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, never registered as a Republican, and hasn’t lived in Georgia for 25 years, the base will not show up, the low-propensity Trump voters will stay home, and Jon Ossoff will win again — period,” Collins said in a statement posted online Friday pushing back against Kemp’s reasoning.

Collins said that backing Trump’s agenda in Congress won’t be a “liability” in a general election and argued his record shows he gets things done.

Kemp and Trump met and said they would try to agree on a preferred candidate.

Kemp said Saturday that he has talked to Trump about backing Dooley and that Trump “respects my decision.” But Trump isn’t yet ready to endorse, and all the candidates are vying for Trump’s nod.

“There’s only one endorsement that matters in Georgia — and will all due respect, it ain’t this one,” Carter spokesperson Harley Adsit said.

Democratic Party of Georgia spokesperson Devon Cruz said Kemp is “fanning the flames of an already chaotic GOP U.S. Senate primary.”

Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley and was a lawyer before he went into coaching. Derek Dooley compiled a 15-21 record with the Tennessee Volunteers before he was fired in 2012. After that he was an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Missouri, the New York Giants and the University of Alabama.

 

Columbus City Council member Byron Hickey announced he is running for Mayor, according to WTVM.

Hickey will run against five other candidates, including former City Manager Isaiah Hugley, whom he along with other councilors, voted to fire. The other candidates are Steven Kelly, Kia Legette, Mark LaJoye, and Joanne Cogle.

Hickey was appointed to the council after the death of former District 1 Councilman Jerry ‘Pops’ Barnes. He is credited for initiating a truce between rival gang members during his 26 years on the force.

He also settled a discrimination lawsuit he filed against the city of Columbus in 2007, claiming the police department retaliated against him with a false performance evaluation after he stood up for a fellow officer.

The election for mayor will be May 2026.

Municipal candidates qualified in Columbia and Richmond Counties qualified for this November’s election, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Some state legislators are preparing for yet another attempt to legalize gambling, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.

For more than a decade, supporters of legalizing gambling in Georgia have pitched casinos, pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, and – more recently – sports betting to the General Assembly but come up snake eyes.

But gaming industry lobbyists and their legislative allies believe 2026 could be different because Georgia faces several daunting financial challenges that legalized gambling could help address.

Spending cuts in the budget bill President Donald Trump steered through the Republican-controlled Congress in early July will slash billions of dollars in federal aid to states for vital services including education, health care, and social services.

Under the Gold Dome, Georgia lawmakers are considering eliminating the state income tax, which supplies more than half of the state’s revenues. There’s even a push for Georgia to join 48 other states in establishing a need-based college scholarships program.

“They all know they have to figure out a way to bring more money to Georgia,” said Rick Lackey, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based City Commercial Real Estate, who is backing several proposed casino resorts around the state. “They’ve got to find the money somewhere.”

The enthusiasm for legalizing gambling in Georgia was on full display Aug. 25 when a parade of casino and sportsbooks executives and consultants went before a state House study committee during a hearing that lasted nearly six hours.

Two legislative measures legalizing gambling in the Peach State are before the General Assembly for consideration, both covering sports betting but not casinos. House Resolution 450 is a constitutional amendment that would put sports betting before voters in a statewide referendum in November 2026, while House Bill 686 is an “enabling” bill spelling out details on how sports betting would operate in Georgia.

While the two measures made it through House committees this year, neither reached the floor of the House let alone moved to the state Senate.

Georgia lawmakers don’t have to look far for an example of sports betting. The North Carolina legislature passed a sports betting bill two years ago, which took effect last year, allowing both online betting and three retail sportsbooks.

During its first year, sports betting generated $116 million in tax revenue for the Tar Heel State, far outpacing projections, Jason Saine, a former North Carolina state representative, told members of the study committee.

“Georgia could see similar surges,” he said. “Our states are very similar. The population is very similar.”

Tennessee legalized sports betting back in 2019 but limited it to online wagering. Last year, sports betting yielded $97.1 million in tax revenue to the state, a figure projected to increase to $108.7 million this year, said Tom Lee, former vice chairman of the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council.

Saine said the North Carolina bill also legalized pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, but it has yet to take off. The horse racing industry has been on the decline in recent years due in part to animal welfare concerns.

Saine said North Carolina lawmakers decided not to include casinos in their bill, conceding casino gambling is more difficult to pass.

But casinos make a lot more money than sports betting. Slot machines and table games generated nearly $50 billion last year nationwide compared to $13.8 billion from sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.

The more than 40 states with land-based casinos generated $16 billion in taxes in 2024, said Josh Swissman, founding partner and managing director of GMA Consulting, a leading gaming industry consultant with offices in Las Vegas and Denver.

Casinos also create a lot more jobs than sports betting. The typical casino generates about 1,700 jobs, while the larger casinos can create up to 10,000 jobs, Swissman said.

A key argument casino supporters have long used is that states without legalized betting lose tax revenue when their residents head to neighboring states that have casinos. Georgians travel north to tribal casinos in North Carolina, west to their counterparts in Alabama or south to Florida.

“Casinos serve as a great mechanism to capture consumer spending that might otherwise cross state borders to adjacent states or beyond,” Swissman said. “They also do a great job of attracting out-of-state residents with out-of-state dollars.”

A major reason legalized gambling legislation has failed to make headway in the General Assembly is opposition from faith-based groups.

Joseph D’Angelo, director of the church ambassador network for Frontline Policy Council, told the House study committee legalized gambling contributes to crime, while gambling addiction destroys families.

“Domestic violence, child neglect, bankruptcy, and crime all increase when gambling expands,” he said. “For every $1 state governments collect in gambling revenue, taxpayers spend $3 to $5 addressing the societal fallout.”

But several witnesses who testified at the Aug. 25 hearing pushed back on that argument. Jay Albanese, a criminology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said most studies have found casinos have no impact on local crime rates.

“The average age of casino patrons is 32,” he said. “These people do not commit street crimes. They are not considered to be a high-risk group.”

Jeremy Kudon, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, which includes Draft Kings, FanDuel and several other major sports betting operators, said gambling addiction rates across the U.S. have held steady at 1%, compared to 7% for alcohol addiction and 70% for those hooked on tobacco products.

Kudon said legal sportsbooks do a far better job of policing wagering than overseas illegal operators players turn to in states that don’t allow sports betting.

“They don’t care whether a customer is 21 or over,” he said. “They don’t care if the customer is on the verge of bankruptcy or addiction.”

Legalized gambling advocates also argue that supporting casinos and/or sports betting is not political suicide for state legislators.

“None of the people who supported sports betting (in North Carolina), who voted for it and were on the bill as sponsors, lost their primary or general election,” Saine said. “It wasn’t even an issue.”

Georgia lawmakers who back legalized gambling have the additional cover of arguing they are only voting indirectly on the issue. Since any move to bring casinos or sports betting to the Peach State would require a constitutional amendment, the issue ultimately would be in the hands of voters.

“This is not something that will cost (legislators) seats,” Kudon said. “Let’s give Georgians the right to choose.”

The House Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 heard testimony on Georgia’s 911 system, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

State lawmakers are exploring how to update Georgia’s 911 system, which experts say isn’t equipped for the world of smartphones. A House study committee that met for the first time last week is part of a broader effort to better prepare the state for major disasters.

Georgia is still using 911 technology built for landlines, the lawmakers explained in Wednesday’s meeting, but most emergency calls now come from cell phones. That can create a host of problems, starting with location: While landlines are tied to a fixed address that 911 dispatchers can send help to, a cell phone could be calling from anywhere.

“I’m often asked, ‘Can you explain to me why Domino’s and Uber can find me, or I can watch my rideshare approach and know when they’re stopped at traffic lights, how much longer until they arrive, but when I called 911 because my home was on fire, they couldn’t find me,’” said Aleisha Rucker-Wright, deputy director of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority.

The aging 911 system is also getting increasingly hard to maintain, Rucker-Wright said, likening the challenge to trying to find parts and technicians to repair an eight-track player. With limited backup options, the current system can be knocked offline and take days to repair.

Hurricane Helene was a telling example of the need for improvements and redundancy, she said.

Some state legislators suggested Georgia should eliminate automatic voter registration, according to the AJC.

Republican Georgia legislators are reconsidering the program that registers voters when they get their driver’s license after hearing complaints that it results in felons attempting to register, duplicative applications and more voters than the national average.

Supporters of automatic registration say it ensures election officials receive accurate voter information from driver’s license offices, which verify those registering are eligible citizens.

Criticism of automatic registration has come from a Republican Party official and a county election director during recent meetings of a House election committee that will recommend changes to state laws this fall.

Paulding County Election Director Deidre Holden told state representatives that Georgians shouldn’t be registered to vote without thinking about it. Through automatic registration, people sign up to vote at driver’s license offices unless they click a button to opt out.

“Something needs to be done in that system so people realize what they’re doing,” Holden said. “I don’t want to see our registration numbers go down, but we also have people who sit here and never vote. They registered and didn’t know they registered.”

When felons inadvertently try to register to vote before their parole sentences are completed, Holden said she’s required to report them to prosecutors, putting them in further legal peril.

But Bartow County Election Director Joseph Kirk said automatic registration should be preserved. He said it keeps voters’ addresses updated after they move and prevents problems when people show up at the polls and are told they’re not registered.

“We are light-years ahead in terms of not turning people away from voting,” Kirk said. “There may be some extra work for election offices, or some addresses are hard to identify, and some felons that we still need to identify because of the way the process works. But my role, my staff’s role, is to serve the voters, and if it means a little bit of extra work, we’re happy to do it.”

Implemented under Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2016 when he was secretary of state, Georgia voter registrations have soared to 8 million. About 92% of the state’s voting-eligible population are active voters, according to 2024 data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the University of Florida’s Election Lab.

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Athens) introduced legislation that would allow members of Congress to carry guns in the District, according to AccessWDUN.

House Resolution (H.R.) 4788 was introduced on July 29 and specifically looks to require the District of Columbia to permit members of congress who have a valid license which is issued “pursuant to the law of a State which permits the member to carry a firearm” or who is “otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in the State in which the Member resides” to conceal carry in Washington.

Currently, members of congress are allowed to keep firearms in their offices on Capitol Hill. If they want to carry them out in Washington, they have to abide by the district’s strict firearm laws.

That includes getting a license in Washington to conceal carry, while open carry is prohibited. It is also illegal to possess a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Washington also does not honor concealed carry permits from other states.

Rep. Clyde sponsored the legislation, and has nine cosponsors as of the writing of this article.

The resolution would look to apply the member of congress’ state’s carry laws to Washington.

The legislation is currently in committee, as it was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform the same day it was introduced.

 

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Glynn County will offer ICE training to many additional personnel, according to The Brunswick News.

FLETC has been tasked with training 10,000 new ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel and 1,000 ICE Homeland Security Investigations personnel recently hired as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants illegally in the country.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office announced five new speed cameras, according to 13WMAZ.

The sheriff’s office said the cameras will be turned on Wednesday, Sept. 3. They added the cameras will be issuing warnings through Friday, Oct. 3.

However, the sheriff’s office said, on Saturday, Oct. 4, the cameras will go live and start issuing citations.

According to the sheriff’s office, the cameras will only run during school hours when the lights near the cameras are flashing. They added that deputies will be patrolling these speed zones to help keep students safe.

Valdosta City Council adopted their FY 2026 property tax millage rate, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Approved millage rates: — 6.254 mills for the City of Valdosta’s general property tax rate. This is the rollback rate computed in accordance with the Georgia Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

— 5.000 additional mills for property located within the Central Valdosta Development Authority (CVDA) district to fund ongoing downtown revitalization and economic development.

— 13.304 mills set by the Valdosta City School System to provide critical resources for students, teachers, and staff.

“The millage rate is established annually to ensure we continue to provide vital services to residents, support the vibrancy of our downtown, and invest in the future of our children through a strong public school system,” said Mayor Scott James Matheson. “The Council’s approval reflects our commitment to both progress and fiscal responsibility.”

Brunswick City Commissioners will be updated on progress on their microtransit service, according to The Brunswick News.

Rather than operating a standard bus line, the city elected to use a ride-share system similar to Uber or Lyft. The city of Valdosta operates one such system, as it was the primary inspiration for City Hall officials.

Several five- to seven-passenger vans will make up the fleet, all equipped to serve riders with disabilities. They won’t service dedicated stops. Riders instead book pick-up and drop-off times, with drivers potentially picking up and dropping off multiple people at a time, Planning, Development and Codes Director John Hunter explained at a past city commission meeting.

Bulloch County Commissioners named Christopher Eldridge as the sole finalist for City Manager, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Valdosta City Council member Nick Harden hosted a Town Hall meeting, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The economic impact of Georgia’s ports is surging, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Statesboro Herald.

Trade through Georgia’s ports supported 650,965 full- and part-time jobs across the state during the last fiscal year, the Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday.

The number of statewide jobs grew by 41,770 in fiscal 2024, up 7% from the previous fiscal year. Georgia ports now help sustain 12% of total state employment.

“Georgia has been recognized as the No.-1 state for business for over a decade in part because we’re also the best state for reliable infrastructure,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “As powerful economic drivers, the ports of Savannah and Brunswick are a key part of the pro-job creator environment we’ve fostered to ensure every part of our state can thrive.”

“Georgia’s ports are one of the strongest economic engines, fostering the development of virtually every industry,” added Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, which conducted the economic impact study.

“The ports are especially supportive of other forms of transportation, logistics, wholesale/distribution centers, warehousing, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, and mining.”

According to the Selig Center study, Georgia’s two deep-water ports accounted for $174 billion in sales in the last fiscal year, up 2% from fiscal 2023, and contributed $77 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, a 7% increase over the previous fiscal year. The ports also generated $43 billion in income, up 7.5% compared to fiscal 2023.

The top three exports were forest products, food, and automotive cargo. The top imports were machinery, retail goods, and furniture.

Activity at the ports also yields $10 billion in federal tax revenue each year, $3 billion in state taxes, and $3 billion in local taxes.