The subject of surrendering the worthless FAA Spaceport Site License to the FAA was on last night’s Camden County Commission Meeting Agenda. Confusion boggling the mind prevailed from a comment made by Chairman Ben Casey.
After the Motion to surrender the license was presented by Commissioner Jim Goodman, a second to the motion could not be found from Chairman Ben Casey or Commissioners Lannie Brant and Martin Turner. Trevor Readdick did not vote because he was absent from the meeting. Readdick also failed to attend remotely which was his option. Commissioner Goodman's motion died from lack of a second.
As an after-thought to the failed Motion, Chairman Ben Casey stated that the County had “Reached a settlement with [Plaintiff] 100 Miles in February”. That was news to virtually everyone in the County Administrative Building, including Commissioner Goodman.
It just sounded really wrong since the FAA License case is being adjudicated in a US District Federal Court. Camden County is not a defendant in that case having voluntarily joined the case which was specifically between Defendant FAA and Plaintiff Little Cumberland Island Homeowners Association and several environmental organizations. Info about that lawsuit is here:
The FAA License revocation case appears to have merit and remains very much alive. If Camden County voluntarily surrenders the FAA license, the case would be moot and the County's fruitless and wasteful spending on spaceport lawyers should finally end.
A quick call to the Plaintiff settled the facts of the matter.
Chairman Ben Casey appears to be confused about which case was settled in February. Or did he clutter the air with an unrelated comment?
The lawsuit Mr. Casey spoke about settling appears to be the 100 Miles' 2020 lawsuit against Camden County government for failing to follow Georgia’s Open Records Act.
This link goes to a story about the lawsuit that we think Mr. Casey mentioned
although it has nothing to do with surrendering the Spaceport license.
(The Plaintiff's attorney has confirmed the Open Records lawsuit has been dismissed.)
The Open Records lawsuit was opened in 2020. That case could not involve surrendering the Spaceport License because:
the FAA license was not issued until December 20, 2021; and,
the 2022 Special Referendum nullifying Camden’s purchase of the Union Carbide property did not occur until two years after the Open Records case was filed in Camden County Superior Court. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that Camden County could NOT purchase the spaceport property.
So is it possible that Chairman Ben Casey is so confused about the spaceport lawsuits that he confused their subjects and also confused the Camden County Superior Court with US Federal District Court and judges?
Does Camden County government simply need more brainpower?
Or did Mr. Casey confusingly try to show they were doing something finally to resolve the County Commission's spaceport lawsuits and stop the bleeding?
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