Criminal Defense Attorney in Tybee Island, GA.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. —

An iconic landmark on Tybee Island is getting a facelift to help preserve its history.

And, a new grant will help with some of the costs.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse has been a beacon of light since 1773, and as you can imagine with a structure that old, it has seen its share of wear and tear.

An assessment conducted late last year found the lighthouse in urgent need of restoration at an estimated cost of $1.7 million.

Of that, $7,500 will be covered thanks to a grant the Tybee Island Historical Society recently received from The Americana Corner Preserving America.

"We are taking down the paint and stucco, going down to the brick and having to re-do that whole with the tower, repaint it, re-stucco it and everything," said Nicole Thompson, director of operations, Tybee Island Historical Society.

But that is just the next step of the restoration process for the lighthouse. It's currently closed to the public until March 13 after months of repairs.

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"They took down one layer of brick around the top and replaced it," Thompson said. "They also repaired roof seams at the very top of the lighthouse and they also repaired all the glazing around the windows that housed the fresnel lens."

And the Tybee Island Historical Society is also getting financial help for the restoration of the lighthouse by the sale of special license plates that were authorized by the Georgia General Assembly just two years ago.

"The license plate fund has been very successful for us," Thompson said. "We get about $10 per plate, and we do have a very large site that dates back to 1773, so these $10 go into preserving the site when we have some sort of rehabilitation or restoration like the lighthouse. It's definitely helpful in that area as well."

The final phase of the restoration project should be completed sometime in June.

If you would like to help the Tybee Island Historical Society with the upkeep of the lighthouse a gofundme page is now available.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. —

Orange Crush 2024 has been tentatively scheduled for April. But a looming unpermitted events bill that's about to become law is making one promoter back out.

George Ramson Turner III said he's owned Orange Crush since 2006. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows Turner filed for the trademark of Orange Crush Festival in 2021.

Turner said he did that to help protect his brand from others: "It's been a wild goose chase for me as a trademark owner, honestly, trying to track down how many different people are using the brand name in different areas."

Turner also said he hasn't hosted an event in Georgia in the last five years.

Senate Bill 443 is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp's signature. Once signed, cities like Tybee Island will have the power to sue unpermitted events for damages.

That's why Turner wants to make it clear he isn't hosting any events come April. He said his focus is to keep Orange Crush in Florida.

"It doesn't benefit us to have chaos in Tybee and in Georgia when we were trying to establish and make a better event in Florida," Turner said.

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Turner did try to apply for a permit to use Tybee Island's Pier, which is owned by Chatham County, for an Orange Crush-related event but canceled after the permit was denied.

But Turner warned WJCL Wednesday that just because he's pulling out, doesn't mean that other promoters using the name will do the same.

WJCL found that not only were there multiple social media accounts using the name Orange Crush and advertising it, but the website Eventbrite shows certain organizers charging admission for events on Tybee Island.

WJCL 22 News

Orange Crush admission prices via Event Brite

However, Tybee Island Mayor Brian West said those promoters will meet the same fate: "We know who they are. If those events take place and these promoters don't try and cancel those events, then yes, there will be, you know, active lawsuits against those promoters."

Tybee Island won't have the power to sue the promoters until Gov. Kemp signs the bill into law.

Tybee Island may be adding another national historical district soon.

The chair of Tybee Island's Historic Preservation Commission, Holly Grell-Lawe, announced at last night's city council meeting that an application for a designated national registered historic district for the central island area was submitted this week.

The City of Tybee Island currently has three national historic districts listed the Fort Screven Historic District, listed in 1982; Strand Cottages Historic District, listed in 1999; and the Back River Historic District, listed in 1999. The new proposed district will be designated as Strand Summer Cottage, Central Tybee Island Residential District.

According to Grell-Lawe, the new district is roughly bounded by Sixth Street to 12th Street, and Jones Avenue to the Atlantic Ocean.

"What is particularly exciting about the proposed district is that it includes structures that together represent all three phases of development on Tybee," Grell-Lawe said.

The first of the three phases are from 1890-1922, represented by St. Michael's Catholic Church, the second phase was the "Golden Era" of resort on Tybee, following the completion of the Tybee Road in 1923 which featured the unique architectural style of raised cottages. The third era was the period from 1940-1973 when Tybee transitioned from a seasonal beach resort to a year-round seaside community, and dozens of American small houses and ranch house were built.

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"It is especially notable that the proposed district encompasses the majority of the remaining raised Tybee cottages on the island," Grell-Lowe said. "Also, that 79% of the buildings in the proposed district are historically contributing."

The State Historic Preservation Office typically takes 60 days to review these types of applications. The review and approval process is lengthy, and includes review by the state level Georgia National Register Review Board and the National Park Service. Grell-Lowe is hopeful that the proposed district will be accepted and formally designated by the end of the year.

Places listed on the National Register of Historic Places means they have been identified as somewhere worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value." The National Register does not have a grant program itself, however there are grants that historic places can apply for through the National Park Service.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

A group of concerned residents challenged the Tybee Island voter roll in a letter to the Georgia Secretary of State's Office two months after the November 2021 election. Now, a hearing will be held at the State Election Board's regular meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 19 in Atlanta after an investigation by the Secretary of State's Office into their concerns.

They alleged that the list of registered voters on the island was too large to be true and they believed that people who appeared to not live on Tybee full-time as their permanent residence were still voting in elections, a right many believe should be reserved for full-time residents only.

An investigation got underway by in March 2022, and while no such accusations have been raised again in the aftermath of the Nov. 7 election this year, the issue will finally have a resolution, at least for now.

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The letter, which was signed by Mack Kitchens, who previously ran for mayor of Tybee, and, John McMasters, a former Chatham County commissioner, noted they had two main areas of concern: irregular voting on Nov. 2, 2021 and an excessively large voter list. They noted that information received through open records request suggested that Clerk of Council Jan Leviner may not have been carefully maintaining the voter list.

Voter registration list maintenance is the process election officals use to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter lists. Removing ineligible voters from that list is a job that city clerks happens at a local and state level, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

The Chatham County Board of Registrars conducts a cleaning of the roll before municipal elections. A registered voter can submit challenges to the registrars at their monthly board meetings of other voters' eligibility to cast votes on election day.

Clerks and registrars can remove voters from the rolls for a number of reasons like dying, serving out a felony sentence, or not having had contact with election officials for around nine years.

Chatham County Board of Registrars Chairperson Colin McRae said in a letter to the City of Tybee Island at-large that "Ms. Leviner has shown great persistence and professionalism in her pursuit of ensuring an accurate voter roll for Tybee Island."

As recently as July 2023, the last time the registrars updated their meeting minutes, the city has been working to verify the city's voter roll, with six challenges to Tybee Island residents.

The residents, in the letter from the residents, supplied a list of 120 voters out of the 700 they audited (1,300 voted in that election) were "irregular" or people who did not live on the island but had just voted in the 2021 councilmembers. Brian West, who was just voted mayor, was among the three voted in that year.

In June 2022, after Leviner and Kenneth Williams — who no longer lives on the island — challenged the residency of some islanders, the Chatham County Board of Registrars ruled that a total of 27 registered voters on the island likely do not live there as their primary residence and would have to prove their residency when voting in future elections.

At the meeting, investigators will present findings of their investigation, and whether or not they believe a violation has occurred, however the board has sole discretion over whether or not there was a violation of state election law or State Election Board Rules.

If the board finds there was no violation, the complaint will be dismissed. Punishment for election crimes in Georgia are fines, jail time, or both by discretion of a trial court.

The meeting will be livestreamed on their website.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

Some visitors said they were concerned to hear of a major storm headed to the island ahead of their vacation plans but were determined not to let that ruin their fun (Credit: Christian Felt/WTGS).

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTGS) — In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Idalia, many families are still looking to enjoy their Labor Day weekends.

The storm brought rain and strong wind gusts, but overall impacts were minimal.

Allen Newkirk, the owner of Tybee's Boardwalk Ice Cream, said the impact goes beyond the physical damage to the island, affecting the foot traffic coming in and out of local businesses.

"It's usually packed," Newkirk said. "Obviously, with the weather, we've had some visitors cancel some plans, and some locals aren't coming out due to the storm the past few days."

Some visitors said they were concerned to hear of a major storm headed to the island ahead of their vacation plans but were determined not to let that ruin their fun.

"We were a little stressed. I think everyone was a little freaked out about it, but we just watched it," said Tori Harvey. "We drove down Wednesday. We left Wednesday night. We were just watching it pass by.

Others say the conditions on the beach itself have been mild post-storm, but they are glad to avoid the usual summer crowds.

Savannah tourism officials say hotel occupancy is usually around 80-85% around Labor Day weekend, and that number could have taken a hit due to the storm.

Jerome Del Soldato, the manager of the Rock House, said this weekend wraps up the summer tourism season on the island.

He said he is glad those who did decide to come can experience the best Tybee has to offer now that Idalia has made her way through.

Coming up into this weekend, it slows down a little bit so people can enjoy the beach and enjoy all the amenities that are out here without being totally mobbed like it is mid-summer time," Del Soldato said. "A little less people, a little easier for you to shop at the stores, and a little bit easier for you to get a seat at a restaurant without a wait."

Del Soldato said he expects business to pick up as the sun continues to shine throughout the weekend.