In spaceport defeat, Georgia county blames bare minority'
Source: Associated Press
In spaceport defeat, Georgia county blames `bare minority
By RUSS BYNUM
March 9, 2022
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) Georgia county officials Wednesday blamed a bare minority for forcing a referendum in which voters defeated plans to buy land for a commercial rocket launch pad by a margin of nearly 3-to-1.
Commissioners in coastal Camden County said they were weighing options the day after an overwhelming majority of voters in a special election supported halting efforts to develop a spaceport for sending satellites into space. The county at the Georgia-Florida line has spent the past decade and $10.3 million pursuing the project.
Camden County is assessing the results of last nights outcome on the future of Spaceport Camden and is working to determine the best way to preserve taxpayers investment, commissioners said in a statement Wednesday.
Commissioners gave no indication they plan to abandon their pursuit of a spaceport despite unofficial returns showing 72% of voters opposed buying 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) for the launch pad and related facilities. The county elections board said 17% of registered voters cast ballots.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-georgia-special-elections-referendums-83c6123324a99405bad4b16bdf2c0453
FILE - This artist's sketch provided by Spaceport Camden shows the launch pad complex of the proposed Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Ga. A Georgia county's plan to build a launchpad for commercial rockets is going before voters in a referendum forced by opponents of the project. The special election Tuesday, March 8, 2022 in coastal Camden County gives voters a chance to block county commissioners from purchasing 4,000 acres of land for the planned Spaceport Camden. (Spaceport Camden via AP, File)