Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, elated over the choice of Sea Island to host the 2004 Group of Eight (G8) Summit, told islanders Wednesday, "Company's comin'. Let's get ready."
Perdue said the G8 Summit will bring more than $250 million in economic benefits to the barrier island, located about 60 miles south of Savannah.
The presidency and host of the summit changes each year. Next year, President Bush will bring his counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom to Georgia.
His choice of Sea Island beat out Mount Washington in New Hampshire, Keowa Island in South Carolina, Greenbriar Island in West Virginia, and Biltmore Estates in North Carolina.
A White House official and the planning director for the 2004 G8 Summit joined Perdue at the exclusive coastal community Wednesday to boast of the upcoming gathering.
While they have no specific plans yet to deal with protesters who normally target the summit, protesters will not be allowed on Sea Island or nearby St. Simon's Island, Perdue said.
"If they want to do it in a legal way, we are very tolerant. If they want to do it in an illegal way, our intolerance grows," Perdue said.
State officials have said Sea Island would be ideal for keeping away protesters. Thousands of anti-globalization protesters have had a growing presence at the annual summits.
While the island will remain open, vacationers were also advised to avoid the island from June 8 to June 10 due to tightened security. It's expected that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including the Secret Service, would oversee the security measures.
A senior White House official told 11Alive News that President Bush wants the G8 Summit to be more informal and more focused than in years past. The topics for the summit meeting have not been chosen.
Sea Island Company Chairman and CEO Bill Jones III said Sea Island offers 75 years of hospitality and a relaxed and unspoiled atmosphere. President Bush's parents spent their 1945 honeymoon at Sea Island and returned in 1995 for their 50th anniversary.
Most recently, Perdue pitched Sea Island to Bush when he visited Georgia to attend a GOP fund-raiser in June. Perdue detailed Sea Island as "a great venue for security... a casual, pleasant environment."
Sea Island is a private, 5-mile-long resort island about halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla. It is near federal military and law enforcement installations, as well as the King's Bay submarine base.
The area is a host to prestigious gold championships, beach cottages carrying million-dollar price tags and the legendary 75-year-old Cloister Hotel.
Denver hosted the last G8 summit held in the United States, in 1997. Houston hosted the meeting in 1990.
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