Duct Cleaning in Tybee Island, GA

GDOT says several intersections on Tybee rank among the top 10 most dangerous in Chatham County

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. —

The daily drive to and from Tybee Island could soon look very different. The Georgia Department of Transportation is considering shrinking Highway 80 down to a single lane in each direction — a move they say would make the route safer.

On Monday night, the agency revealed where the plan stands and what changes could be coming.

GDOT said several intersections on Tybee rank among the top ten most dangerous in Chatham County, with high numbers of serious injuries and deadly crashes. Leaders insist that lane reductions would calm traffic and cut down on wrecks. But many Tybee residents believe it will do the opposite — slowing traffic to a crawl and creating new problems for commuters, workers and businesses.

Officials say crashes along the corridor continue to rise. According to GDOT, there have been more than 680 wrecks on the stretch of Highway 80 between 2013 and 2024 — one of the main reasons the state is pushing to narrow the road.

“The average increase in travel time only increases about three to 10 minutes on top of the regular travel time,” GDOT project manager Samuel Hunt said.

GDOT presented three updated designs for Highway 80. Hunt said Option 1 is the agency’s preferred approach. That plan includes two lanes heading onto Tybee, one lane heading off the island, a center two-way turn lane, a shared-use path and parallel parking.

“Now you have dedicated space for people to take left-hand turns,” Hunt said. “We do have a fair number of crashes with people hitting each other from the back end, but it also creates a dedicated space for emergency personnel to get off the island."

While some residents said they’re worried the changes will worsen congestion, others argued the current setup is already dangerous.

One business owner expressed concern that traffic backups would keep workers from getting to their jobs:

“All of our employees are coming off the island. They’re not going to come to work. We’re going to lose business by not having enough employees on the island," resident Frank Kelly said.

But another resident said safer crossings and fewer open travel lanes are long overdue.

“We cross Butler every time we go to the beach, and it’s pretty scary. What we have now is not adequate," Melissa Johnson said.

GDOT said it will not move forward with any option unless the city of Tybee Island approves it. City leaders say they’re leaving that decision up to the community.

“We’re elected to represent the people,” Tybee Mayor Brian West said. “If the majority says no, then no — we don’t do it.”

GDOT expects to finalize a design sometime next year.

You can see all three proposed plans — and submit your feedback — here.

People have until Dec. 19 to submit.

Tybee Alliance, a group of property management companies and STVR owners, filed a motion of summary judgement in August 2025, seeking a decision on the claim that Tybee’s STVR ordinance is unenforceable because it violates state codes limiting municipal powers on regulation of residential rental properties.

The motion also asks for a permanent injunction barring the enforcement of the ordinance, preventing any further enforcement of STVRs in their entirety. The City of Tybee Island also filed a motion for summary judgment in November, stating that the defendants are asking for the court to curtail access to information it is entitled to.

The motion hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m., Dec. 18, in Courtroom 4B of the Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse on 400 W. Oglethorpe Ave.

What is the argument in the lawsuit?

Tybee Alliance argues that the City of Tybee Island is violating two Georgia codes, O.C.G.A. § 36-74-30(b) and O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19. The codes prohibit local governments from requiring registration or conducting inspections of residential rental property unless there is probable cause to believe there has been violations of applicable codes, and prohibits local governments from regulating rent amounts for privately owned residential properties, respectively.

The city introduced STVR regulations in May 2016, with the approval of its first ordinance. It has since been amended 17 times, including most recently, in June 2024, an ordinance further limiting STVRs in residential areas by dissolving STVR permits upon sale or transfer of the properties.

In the amendments since its introduction, Tybee's regulations include requiring annual renewal registration of properties that are not in the R-1, R-1-B or R-2 zones, (STVRs are not allowed in these zones) and submitting an occupational tax certificate to obtain a permit. The regulations also revoke STVR permits if properties aren't rented for at least 60 days the previous year at “full market value."

Tybee Island does not require routine inspections but can conduct complaint-based inspections, random compliance checks, violation follow-up checks and certificate renewal reviews.

In its motion, the City of Tybee Island responds to the claims of Tybee Alliance, saying that their arguments have no basis in Georgia law. The city also states that STVRs, as regulated by Tybee, aren't residential rental properties and aren't subject to the codes that are referenced in the lawsuit.

"Simply put, vacation rentals...are commercial ventures," Tybee states. "Not residential uses implicating state laws concerns about privacy."

The city also says that Georgia law explicitly provides for local government licensing and regulation of vacation rentals and requires that vacation rental owners keep and provide records to local governments for tax purposes, under penalty of misdemeanor. The city also claims that it neither requires registration or investigates property the way Tybee Alliance is implying.

Background on the Tybee Alliance lawsuits

As stated in the most recently filed motion, the City of Tybee Island has long been a vacation destination. The debate between preserving community and catering to the tourism industry has existed since it was renamed Savannah Beach in 1929 as way to draw tourists to the destination. (The community's name returned to Tybee in 1978.) Over the last five or so years, residents in neighborhoods on the island have complained about losing community and loud STVR neighbors.

In an attempt to recover residential neighborhoods on the island, as city councilmember Bill Garbett once put it, the city passed amendments in 2022 to its STVR ordinance, which has existed since 2016. The biggest change occurred in October 2022 when an amendment was approved that banned new rentals in Tybee’s residential neighborhoods, which make up over 80% of the island.

Tybee Alliance filed two lawsuits against the city in October 2022, before the vote to ban new rentals in residential areas, and in November 2022. The first lawsuit sought a declaratory judgment, which clarifies the rights of the parties in a legal dispute, regarding the regulation of STVRs as invalid and unenforceable.

The second lawsuit claimed that the city did not follow local and state rules when it adopted the amendments to the ordinance that year. The Alliance says the city did not state the ordinance in its final form during the second reading and made oral revisions.

Tybee Island filed a motion to dismiss both lawsuits, but Chatham County Superior Court Judge Christopher Middleton rejected both motions.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for the Savannah Morning News, covering the municipalities, and community and cultural programs. You can reach her at DAmbus@gannett.com

City of Tybee Island offers free ice skating and free parking to boost business in winter months

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. —

For the first time, Skate by the Sea officially opens Wednesday on the Tybee Pier Pavilion — offering a new, family-friendly winter attraction designed to help island businesses overcome the holiday off-season slowdown.

The synthetic ice skating rink — not real ice, but a durable artificial surface — will be free for all ages from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 26, and running through Dec. 14. Skates will be provided on-site and the activity will be managed by pier staff.

Skaters are encouraged to bring their own socks, or they can purchase them for $10. While skating is free donations of canned goods for local food pantries is encouraged.

Officials say the beachfront twist aims to bring holiday cheer to Tybee’s temperate climate.

City of Tybee Island leaders believe Skate by the Sea could provide a boost to local dining, retail and tourism — transforming Tybee into a “nonstop holiday playground” with a lineup of seasonal events.

Among the holiday activities planned under Tybee for the Holidays:

To further encourage visitors, the city also announced that parking will be free across all municipally managed lots and meter spaces from Thanksgiving Day through New Year’s Day.

City officials note that while the rink is modest in size — “not a big ice rink,” said one — it’s meant to offer a fun, accessible and festive experience without the expectation of a traditional indoor ice arena.

For many island businesses, the hope is that Skate by the Sea — paired with free parking and a full slate of holiday events — will help revive visitor traffic and support the local economy during the typically slow winter months.