The head of a St. Simons boating club that manages the St. Simons Marina told Glynn County commissioners Tuesday that his organization posted increased revenue since January. The elected officials recently voted to spend millions of dollars to make the marina facility safe.

• RELATED: Glynn County pays $5 million for marina repairs amid criticism it operates as a ‘good ole boys’ club

Clement Cullens defended the St. Simons Boating and Fishing Club and its management of the county-owned marina. The club has the exclusive lease to run the public facility at 1000 Arthur J. Moore Drive and told the specially called meeting that the first six months of the year the club saw a 63% increase in revenue after raising rates for its members and for the public to launch and store boats.

The increase comes despite the significant areas of the facility being closed because of an engineering survey that showed significant safety concerns.

Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker

The Current has reported ongoing violations of the club’s lease and the safety issues, as well as criticism that the club prioritizes members instead of the public. The club pays $25,000 a year to the county in rent to run the marina facilities. For years, the lease was $1 per year.

Commissioner Allen Booker from District 5 questioned the priorities of the club that has been reliant on public funds for decades.

In June, the commissioners approved $5 million in public funds to address the renovations outlined in an assessment from Environmental Marine Civil Survey Engineering Services, Inc. (EMC). A report given to the county in January concluded that  “the marina should be taken out of service for the safety of the public and consider a full demolition and rebuild of the marina.” 

The $5 million from county coffers will replace the bulkhead, reconstruct the concrete decks, repair the structural elements of the boat hoists, and construct a small marina office, all elements that an outside engineering firm says are vital to running the operations safely. Around $2.2 million of the funding will be paid from the county’s settlement in the Golden Ray cleanup. The remaining $2.8 million will come from Glynn County’s share of the Accommodation Excise Tax fund. 

The boating club was required to address the repairs raised in an original EMC report from 2017, but it has not.

“I just don’t think that’s fair, and it seems like we’re perpetuating something that may not be completely public, even though we say it’s public,” Booker said.

Booker raised questions about how the club prioritizes Glynn County residents versus its own members. Cullens previously told The Current that the club had 240 members. He told the commissioners on Tuesday that some of those people live as far away as Atlanta and Tifton. 

The entrance to the St. Simons Marina on St. Simons Island on July 25, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight Local

Cullens also said that the club has a one-year waitlist for boat storage, as it has reached capacity for its wet and dry storage.

“The way we’ve operated is not exclusively, but first-come, first-served,” he told the commissioners.  

Commissioner Booker also scrutinized how the club has handled public outreach, especially as people in the county seem to only know about it via word of mouth. Commissioner Bob Duncan, however, softened the implied criticism, saying that people interested in boating and fishing should be aware of the marina and its openness to the public. 

“Clement, that is, as you begin to push forward to help those who want to know about it, but they probably may have never used the facilities, just tread lightly on that, because it’s not necessarily going to generate more customers by putting out information there,” said Duncan.

District 1 Commissioner Sammy Tostensen asked Cullens whether the club holds any events for the public, given the marina’s status as a county facility. Cullens said the club organizes a fishing tournament that both members and the general public attend. 

Glynn County Commissioner Bo Clark

Assistant County Manager Danny Smith asked Cullens to respond to The Current’s reporting of a Glynn County fisherman, Michael Gill, being denied access to the docks. Cullens said that he did not doubt that the incident happened, but added that it was probably outside of operational hours or due to Gill not having a boat that the club serves.   

Bo Clark, the At Large Post 1 commissioner, praised Cullens and the club as a local institution, saying that both he and his father have used the club “quite a few times over the years.”

“The commission here, and myself, we’re all about partnerships and your club has had a 76-year partnership with the Glynn County Board of Commissioners, and it speaks volumes,” he said.

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Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.