State Sen. Brandon Beach announced he will resign as the chairman of a small Fulton County agency that has substantial power to grant property tax breaks to developers and expanding businesses.
Beach, an Alpharetta Republican and vocal ally of Donald Trump, said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Development Authority of Fulton County that he will resign Sept. 12. A special-called meeting that day will include elections for new board leaders.
“I’ve been on this board for about 8½ years, and I’ve enjoyed it,” Beach said. “But I’m just really busy with some things nationally and with my own campaign. It’s time for me to step back.”
Beach, a state senator since 2013, was elected DAFC chairman this year after his predecessor, Michel “Marty” Turpeau, died following a brief illness. Vice Chairman Kwanza Hall thanked Beach for his “commitment and dedication” to the nine-member board during his tenure.
DAFC Executive Director Sarah Elizabeth Langford said the impact of Beach’s service “will be felt for years to come as we continue to build on his dedication to ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ and his work to ensure businesses knew we were always ready to be a strong partner.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
DAFC, which recently rebranded to become Develop Fulton, has been the center of controversy and scandal in recent years.
Critics say the board plays fast and loose with tax breaks, offering developers and companies incentives for projects that would have happened anyway. In the past year or so, the board has passed multiple tax breaks for controversial projects, including data centers, despite community pushback.
Beach was among the board’s most vocal proponents of many of those deals. When data center developer Quality Technology Services asked for a $45 million tax break for an expansion that was already under construction, Beach encouraged the company to come back despite the incentive request sparking intense local opposition and ultimately being withdrawn.
Beach said he would notify Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis, who appointed him to the DAFC board. Beach didn’t further elaborate on why he was resigning at this time, and he didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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