Brantley County commissioners awarded the development of Satilla Plantation to development company Skipper’s Bluff of Glynn County during Thursday’s County Commission meeting.
The January 8 announcement came after both Scott Spires of Pierce County and Skipper’s Bluff developer Roger McCants of Glynn County spoke during the Tuesday, January 6 work session.
Spires notified County Manager Joey Cason via text at 4:17 p.m., prior to Thursday’s monthly meeting, he was “withdrawing from consideration.”
Spires and the team of McCants and Speedy Tostensen had presented their ideas to the Brantley County Development Authority during a called June 18, 2025 meeting of how they invisioned developing the property.
Spires and the McCants-Tostensen duo were the only contractors/ developers to put up the $250,000 cash bid or an alternative proposal for the project. Another part of the bid proposal included the posting of a $5,000,000 performance bond to be maintained for five years or until project completion.
“The Development Authority has the right to take the highest and best offer,” Cason said during a Friday, January 9 interview. “What was established was there would not be any bidding war in the offer. So a set price of $250,000 was established. This allows the county to work with the Development Authority to create a development.” The property, located east of Atkinson, is approximately 864 acres of dry land and 124 acres of wetland. There are approximately 225 private owners with lots ranging from ½-acre to just over an acre.
The BCDA requested plans to include 3- to 10-acre parcels to allow mini farms and estate development which were presented June 18.
Key requirements for the project in the first year includes a drainage plan to be completed and the repairing of all washouts and potholes, cleaning all roads and right-of-ways of grass, debris and small trees by mulching and bush hogging from the pavement edge to 20 feet or to the tree line and maintain the road edge until the HOA (Home Owners Association) assumes responsibility.
During the January 6 meeting of commissioners, Spires said he intended to combine the four sub-divisions into one while McCants said he hoped to create a gated community hub during their five-minute presentations.
Spires used his time to speak of his history, heritage and work ethic, reminding the board of the rough contract they collaborated on with the BCDA. He also spoke of his family doing business in Brantley County for 75 years before his alloted time expired.
McCants spoke about how he and Tostensen, who both have family ties to Brantley County, intended to use Satilla Plantation if granted the property. He suggested putting five crews on the property as soon as possible to begin clearing the roads, fixing the drainage and rebuilding the community center.
McCants said he would like to “put a couple of pickleball courts in there and other areas for recreation” as well as “donate land to the fire department” finishing just under the five-minute time limit. The commissioners asked no further questions nor provided any comments.
According to Cason, Spires was given the vote to develop Satilla Plantation on the recommendation of the Development Authority board following the June 18, 2025 presentations.
However, there was an issue concerning siding to be used on the homes. Spires had spoken of his desire to only use vinyl siding which was not approved “Working with the Development Authority gives us a little more authority in creating a development,” explained Cason. “The state has guidelines for the way a government can sell property. It goes to the highest bidder and the county has very limited control.
“The county has no authority other than what’s currently zoned and no ability to limit a builder of what they can put out there. The Development Authority, however, has the ability to set the criteria.”
Cason said a five-page document of the criteria was developed setting the standards to be met. It included the standards of building homes, roads had to be redone and drainage had to be done.
Cason said a meeting was held to develop a development plan with Spires about six weeks ago.
“In a meeting with myself, our attorney (Steven Blackerby), Spires and his attorneys, and Commissioner Randy Davison, he (Spires) got up and said if he couldn’t put vinyl on the houses that was a deal breaker and left,” Cason said. “I could not get him to put that (statement) in writing of him withdrawing. So, he had a verbal withdrawal right in that meeting.”
The county attorney told Cason and Davison to get Spires’s statement in writing or negotiate with both parties because of the siding disagreement.
With Spires pulling out just before the scheduled monthly meeting, a motion was approved to go with Skipper’s Bluff as the developer.
“This will now go back before the Development Authority board,” said Cason, “and then we’ll begin negotiations between the Development Authority and most likely our attorney. We will put a development plan together that we can all agree on.
“Then we’ll get a contract. They’ll (Skipper’s Bluff) have a contract with the Development Authority. The board (commission) would give approval and then we’ll convey the property to them.”
