Ga. lawmakers back changes to Jekyll Island

ATLANTA (AP) Lawmakers in the Georgia Senate have joined their colleagues in the House in supporting legislation to change a key policy guiding development on Jekyll Island.

The Senate voted 49-0 on Monday in favor of legislation that would insert a fixed number of acres available for development on Jekyll Island. Previously, state law had mandated that 65 percent of the state park's land remain undeveloped.

Both conservation groups and the state authority that manages Jekyll Island support the change that would limit total development to 1,675 acres. Most of that land has already been used, and future development would be limited to just 78 acres.

The House voted 156-1 last week in favor of its version, which closely mirrors the Senate bill. Now each chamber will consider the other's legislation.