Georgia Trend Daily – March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026 Georgia.gov

Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Tuesday welcomed the announcement that Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has officially decided to move its U.S. headquarters to Kennesaw, Georgia, opting to relocate out of California following roughly 50 years of operation there. This decision follows a meeting between the governor and Yamaha executives in October of last year at the Southeast U.S./Japan (SEUS-Japan) annual gathering in Tokyo.

March 11, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!

Jennifer Hafer reports, infrastructure improvement has long been a cornerstone of the work done by Community Improvement Districts (CIDs), and while that work continues, mobility projects that build connections and improve quality of life are now sharing center stage. As one historic road construction project ends, the Perimeter, Buckhead and Alpharetta CIDs are creating new ways of moving around north metro in the form of new parks, paths and trail extensions.

March 11, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thad Moore reports that Cox Enterprises on Tuesday said it had taken steps to protect thousands of acres in a fast-developing corner of the South Carolina coast, a move that conservationists say will protect a key link for waterfowl migrating to the Savannah River. The conservation easement granted by Sandy Springs-based Cox, one of the nation’s largest family-owned companies, is “the most valuable single easement ever donated in the history of the United States,” said Adam Putnam, chief executive of the conservation nonprofit Ducks Unlimited.

March 11, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee reports that the second straight meeting, the Columbus Council heard residents’ views about a proposed data center, with over a dozen people speaking for and against the project during the public agenda portion of Tuesday’s meeting. Choose Columbus president and CEO Missy Kendrick announced Project Ruby last month, after the Development Authority of Columbus and Habitat Real Estate Partners secured a site in northeast Muscogee County for the $5.18 billion project.

March 11, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times

Staff reports that the City of Valdosta has received $98,250 in grant funding through the Georgia Rivers Grant Program to support continued efforts to improve local waterways and reduce debris in area streams.  The grant, which City staff applied for in November 2025, funded the installation of a new and improved debris interceptor on Sugar Creek.

March 11, 2026 Macon Telegraph

Margaret Walker reports, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made a stop in Macon on Monday to talk with the community about the natural gas pipeline expansion project that cuts across the state, including much of Middle Georgia. The pipeline project, called South System Expansion 4, or SSE4, is a $3.5 billion project by Kinder Morgan designed to help meet “growing power generation and local distribution company demand in the Southeast,” according to Kinder Morgan’s website.

 

March 11, 2026 State Affairs

Beau Evans reports, in 2017, the metro Atlanta real estate agent helped the tech giant Switch secure 13 parcels in Douglas County for a $2.5 billion data center. The company promised jobs, affordable housing and a tax windfall for local schools.

March 11, 2026 Savannah Morning News

Jillian Magtoto reports that the Senate unanimously approved changing the state’s flower last week from one white flower to another—the Cherokee Rose to the Sweetbay Magnolia. It’s a move that will join 40 of 50 states with flowers that are native to their soils.

March 11, 2026 Rome News-Tribune

Staff reports, Democrat Shawn Harris and Republican Clay Fuller are heading to an April 7 runoff in the U.S. House District 14 special election to serve the unexpired term — through Dec. 31 — of Marjorie Taylor Greene. The district covers all of Floyd, Polk, Chattooga, Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Paulding, Walker and Whitfield counties, and a slice of western Cobb County.

March 11, 2026 Augusta Chronicle

Joe Hotchkiss reports, a former Augusta state legislator and a leader of a local religious community appear headed for an April 7 runoff to fill a vacant seat in the Georgia legislature. Democrat Sheila Clark Nelson and Republican Thomas D. McAdams won the top two vote totals Tuesday evening in a special election to replace Democratic state Rep. Lynn Heffner in Georgia House District 130, according to figures posted by the Richmond County Board of Elections.

March 11, 2026 Georgia Recorder

Maya Homan reports that State House lawmakers approved new requirements for families applying for food assistance in what was one of the final votes on a key legislative deadline day, with the proposal passing after midnight Saturday. However, advocates have pushed back on the legislation, arguing that the changes would not adequately address errors within the system and urging lawmakers to instead increase funding for the department that oversees the program.

March 11, 2026 Capitol Beat News

Mark Niesse reports that the slate of candidates for this year’s Georgia elections is now set, sparking a fierce competition before primaries in two months and general elections in November. Voters will have many choices up and down the ballot, including elections for governor, Congress and all 236 seats in the General Assembly. Qualifying to run for office ended Friday.

March 11, 2026 Healthbeat Atlanta

Rebecca Grapevine reports, several public health bills have made significant progress toward passage in the Georgia General Assembly, including help for nurses facing addiction, a pathway for foreign-trained doctors to practice, and a measure allowing pharmacists to prescribe HIV drugs. They are among the bills that survived Friday’s “crossover day” deadline, when they move from the House of Representatives or Senate where they originated to the other chamber for debate.

March 11, 2026 Brunswick News

Gordon Jackson reports that Georgia Senate Bill 568, proposed legislation with sweeping election reforms, failed to win approval this General Assembly session, but it doesn’t mean lawmakers have given up on election reform this year. Last year, SB 214 stalled in the House after passing in the Senate, but the legislation is still on the table.

March 11, 2026 Georgia Recorder

Alander Rocha reports, the Georgia House of Representatives approved a $38.5 billion state budget for next year on Tuesday with significant spending aimed at improving childhood literacy across the state. House Bill 974, which will fund state government beginning on July 1, passed with a 159-4 vote and now moves to the Senate.

March 11, 2026 Capitol Beat News

Ty Tagami reports that the Georgia House completed its work on the budget that will control state spending for the fiscal year starting in July, sending a $38.5 billion spending plan to the Senate Tuesday. House Bill 974 proposes a 2% increase over the current budget approved this time last year, although lawmakers increased the remaining portion of this year’s spending significantly — to $43.7 billion — in the amended current-year budget that Gov. Brian Kemp signed in early March.

March 11, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, sometimes a lawsuit is more than a lawsuit. Sometimes it’s a campaign attack. Republican Rick Jackson filed a defamation suit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones that appears aimed as much at grabbing attention and sending a warning shot to his GOP rival for governor as it is at winning in court.