It was a historic day in Ocilla as we kicked off the very first meeting of the South Georgia Energy Authority (SGEA) — a brand new, multi-jurisdictional development authority focused on improving natural gas infrastructure in Ben Hill, Coffee, Irwin, Tift, and Turner Counties.

Thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 206 (SB 206) and the leadership of our incredible legislative delegation — Senator Carden Summers, Senator Blake Tillery, Representative Angie O’Steen, Representative James Burchett, Representative Leesa Hagan, Representative Noel Williams, and Representative Jaclyn Ford — our cities now have a powerful new tool for long-term regional growth.

The Cities of Ashburn, Douglas, Fitzgerald, Ocilla, and Tifton will each appointed members to the Authority, with a shared mission of upgrading and maintaining natural gas infrastructure to support future economic development.

I’m honored to serve alongside such a strong and experienced team:

 Congratulations to Matt Seale, our new Chairman, and Mayor Melvin Harper of Ocilla, our Vice-Chair.

 I’m especially proud to work with fellow economic developers like Jason Dunn and Charles Davis, as well as Adam Cobb and Tom Calhoun, who bring deep operational expertise.

A big thank you to Representative Angie O’Steen for joining us today in person and for helping shepherd this bill through the House. And thank you to all the members of the SGEA — I’m truly excited to get to work with you as we tackle infrastructure improvements and create new opportunities for South Georgia!