Judge blocks Camden County from buying Spaceport Camden land, temporarily

Georgia Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett Sr. issued a temporary restraining order to block Camden County from buying the land for Spaceport Camden Tuesday. The land acquisition now could depend on the results of a special election.

As reported by the AP, a south Georgia judge issued a temporary restraining order on Camden County. This follows a petition, signed by over 3,800 county residents, to hold a referendum (special election) that would decide if the county could purchase the land. The order now means the county will have to argue why they should be allowed to purchase the land without a vote early next year. Spaceport Camden has been a decade-long project that would be based near Woodbine, Georgia should the county acquire the land. The spaceport was just issued its Launch Site Operators License by the FAA this week, but further reviews will be conducted before any company is launching from the spaceport.

Opponents of Spaceport Camden have spent years trying to delay or destroy this project. These delays have cost taxpayers many dollars in additional work related to incessant records requests, litigation, and significant missed opportunity. The current litigation is just more delay at the expense of wasted time, needless bad publicity, and its chilling effect on job creation and economic opportunity.

Gary Bount, Camden County Commission Chairman

News4JAX, a Jacksonville, Florida news outlet reached out to the developers of Spaceport Camden for comment on this latest delay.

Camden County never intended to purchase the Spaceport Camden property before the holidays. The decision by Judge Scarlett moves the issue past the holiday season and we look forward to presenting our side to the court at that time.

John Simpson, Spaceport Camden Spokesperson in response to a News4JAX request.

The FAA previously received a letter from the US Department of the Interior stating their concerns about Spaceport Camden. They stated that the chance of rockets exploding with fiery debris raining down on Cumberland Island creates “unacceptable risk” with the area being home to wild horses and nesting sea turtles.

Enjoy reading Space Explored?

Help others find us by following on Apple News and Google News. Be sure to check us out on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, join our Discord!