A historic vote took place on Tuesday 20 January 2026 in a coastal Georgia county, with profound implications for one of the South's last remaining Gullah-Geechee communities. Residents of remote Sapelo Island, a community founded by freed slaves, are deciding whether to permit the construction of significantly larger homes, a move Black landowners fear will make their property taxes unaffordable and threaten their very existence.
A Community's Fight for Survival
This crucial referendum, driven by island residents themselves, seeks to overturn a controversial 2023 decision by McIntosh County commissioners. That ruling doubled the maximum permitted size of residences in the small Hogg Hummock community from 1,400 to 3,000 square feet. For three decades, stricter building restrictions had helped protect this culturally significant Black population from the property tax hikes that often accompany larger, more valuable constructions.
The tension between Hogg Hummock's Black landowners and county officials has simmered for over a decade. It has intensified as external buyers acquire land to build holiday homes, driving up property values. Native islanders, including 93-year-old Cathleen Hillary, the community's oldest resident, worry that their tax burdens will become unsustainable, forcing them from land their families have held for generations.
Legal Battles and a Threatening Tax Revaluation
Black residents and supporters took their fight directly to the electorate after gathering more than 2,300 petition signatures and challenging commissioners before the Georgia Supreme Court to force this special election. Organiser and Hogg Hummock descendant Jazz Watts expressed hope for victory but acknowledged the legal uncertainty that will follow, regardless of the outcome.
County officials have presented residents with a stark choice. Commissioners have stated that if voters repeal the zoning changes, they may consider Hogg Hummock to have no development limits at all, rather than reverting to the protective rules of the past. "This could lead to another court fight," noted Dana Braun, an attorney for the landowners, who accused the county of pushing a "ludicrous argument" to defeat the referendum.
Simultaneously, a separate threat looms. County assessors are proposing to recalculate the taxable value of Hogg Hummock properties for the first time since 2012. Chief Appraiser Blair McLinn predicts painful increases, with half-acre lot values potentially jumping from an average of $27,500 to $145,000, citing recent sales of similar plots for up to $210,000.
A National Treasure Hangs in the Balance
Located about 60 miles south of Savannah, Sapelo Island remains largely unspoiled. The state of Georgia owns most of its 30 square miles, and it has no bridge to the mainland. Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, occupies less than a square mile and is home to between 30 and 50 Black residents living in modest homes along dirt roads.
This community, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, is part of the Gullah-Geechee cultural corridor stretching from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars note their relative isolation helped preserve unique African heritage, including a distinctive dialect. Yet, for practical protections, residents depend on the local McIntosh County government, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white.
"People worked hard to get this land on Sapelo and they worked hard to preserve who they are," said Maurice Bailey, an island native running a community farming programme. "Without this land, all of our descendants lose their connection." The current struggle echoes a 2012 dispute when sharp tax increases were rolled back after protests, leading to a lawsuit and a 2022 settlement that froze property assessments. Residents felt blindsided when commissioners moved swiftly in 2023 to weaken the very zoning ordinance that had shielded them.
The vote on 20 January 2026 may not be the final chapter. Commissioners could attempt to pass a new zoning law, and Chairperson Kate Pontello Karwacki indicated a willingness to consider a moratorium on zoning changes. For now, the descendants of freed slaves on Sapelo Island await a result that will shape the future of their ancestral home.
