Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 12, 2026
Feb. 12, 2026 Georgia Ports Authority
Kevin Price to join Georgia Ports reporting to CEO Griff Lynch
Staff reports that Georgia Ports Authority has appointed Kevin Price as President reporting to CEO Griff Lynch effective July 1, 2026, with a longer-term transition plan to assume the role of President and CEO in mid-2027. Price is a proven operations executive with exceptional credentials and currently serves as President of Gateway Terminals in Savannah and has over 30 years’ experience in multiple leadership roles, and most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Virginia International Terminals, prior to Gateway Terminals.
Feb. 12, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
Say Yes to Tax Relief
Brian Robinson writes, with affordability ranking as voters’ top concern, elected officials are looking for ways to bring relief, but there are no easy answers for the rising costs of groceries, energy, childcare, homes and health insurance. On the local level, concerns have focused on rising property taxes.
Feb. 12, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Fortune 500 firm faces probe into potential racial discrimination
Mirtha Donastorg reports, Genuine Parts Co., the Atlanta-based Fortune 500 parent of NAPA Auto Parts, is under investigation for allegations it violated federal law by discriminating against Black job applicants, according to new court filings. The investigation, started under the Biden administration and continuing under the Trump administration, dates to 2024.
Feb. 12, 2026 The Current
Bryan County development authority ends negotiations with Westwin
Margaret Coker reports that the Development Authority of Bryan County voted Feb. 10 to formally end negotiations with Westwin Elements about the private company’s plans to build America’s only nickel refinery amid widespread community backlash to the project. The move appears to shut the door on plans by the company to receive subsidized financing for the construction of the refinery in Richmond Hill, but the Oklahoma-based company said they remained committed to buying the $35 million abandoned industrial property situated close to public schools and homes.
Feb. 12, 2026 The Brunswick News
Mining threat near Okefenokee “still alive”
Gordon Jackson reports that a downturn in the titanium market has reduced the interest in mining near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Josh Marks, an environmental lawyer in Atlanta, said the titanium market “has collapsed, at least temporarily,” and it sends a signal to other landowners interested in selling the mining rights it might be a long wait.
Feb. 12, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Increase in Spalding County data centers could cause future water concerns
Larry Stanford reports that future permits for water withdrawal from the Flint River by the City of Griffin could be in danger, depending on the number of data centers Spalding County allows, according to a Flint Riverkeeper. Gordon Rogers, executive director of the Flint Riverkeeper, spoke against the Wallace Jackson Data Center project at the Spalding County Board of Commissioners’ zoning hearing on Jan. 22.
Feb. 12, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Rick Jackson entered governor’s race. How much is his company worth?
Vanessa Countryman reports, an Alpharetta-based health care company led by CEO and Chairman Rick Jackson is reporting billions in annual revenue, according to figures published by Forbes in December 2025. Jackson Healthcare is a major provider of health care workforce services and supports medical facilities across the country.
Feb. 12, 2026 State Affairs
House bill would guarantee HBCU seats on Regents board
Beau Evans reports that House lawmakers are weighing a measure that would reserve two seats on the Board of Regents for graduates of historically Black colleges and universities. Only one graduate from Georgia’s three publicly funded HBCUs has been appointed in recent decades to serve on the governing board that oversees the 26 schools in the University System of Georgia, said Rep. Floyd Griffin, D-Milledgeville, the sponsor of House Bill 203.
Feb. 12, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Student athletes would be freed from permanent sponsorship contracts under legislation in Georgia
Ty Tagami reports that student athletes who sign sponsorship contracts in high school would not be stuck with those contract terms after graduation, under legislation approved unanimously on Wednesday by the Georgia House of Representatives. House Bill 383 would nullify contracts to use a student’s name, image, or likeness soon after the student either earns a diploma or leaves their high school for some other reason.
Feb. 12, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Jaha Howard files bill to ban biometric use in immigration enforcement
Staff reports that last week, Sen. Jaha Howard, D–Smyrna, introduced Senate Bill 464, which would prohibit federal immigration enforcement agencies from using individuals’ biometric data, such as facial recognition software, voice prints, or retinal imaging, to verify immigration status. “We must slow down ICE,” Howard said in a press release.
Feb. 12, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Lawmakers praise, rebuke affidavit used to justify Fulton County election raid
Maya Homan reports, revelations from an unsealed affidavit used to justify an unexpected FBI raid on Fulton County’s elections hub quickly reverberated through Georgia’s political ecosystem, which is gearing up for a contentious series of statewide elections later this year. The day after a federal court unsealed the document, lawmakers at Georgia’s state Capitol issued sharp statements of encouragement and rebuke that have largely fallen along party lines.
Feb. 12, 2026 Healthbeat Atlanta
Georgia lawmakers consider first steps to streamline public health system
Rebecca Grapevine reports, citing historic underfunding of public health in Georgia, a legislative committee studying how the system is structured and financed has issued five recommendations for change. In forming the committee, the House resolution noted that less than $1 of every $10 spent on Georgia’s three health agencies goes to the Department of Public Health, which is tasked with disaster and outbreak preparedness and response, air and water quality, disease prevention, and many other areas of population health.
Feb. 12, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia craft beer makers back bill to allow more sales outside of breweries
Mark Niesse reports that breweries are asking Georgia lawmakers to loosen restrictions on selling to retailers and on the amount individuals can buy to drink at home. Craft brewers said their businesses are suffering because state law prohibits direct sales to bars, restaurants and stores. Georgia also limits to-go orders to individuals at 24 cans of beer per day.
Feb. 12, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After ICE shootings, Georgia mulls stiffer penalties for obstructing police
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, Renee Good died last month in Minneapolis after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer shot her during an encounter while she was in her vehicle. Now, Republicans in Georgia are working to make it a felony to use a vehicle to obstruct police operations.
