Georgia Code Title 12. Conservation and Natural Resources § 12-3-443

(a) There is created a body corporate and politic to be known as the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority, which shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the state, a public corporation, and a public authority, and by that name, style, and title may contract and be contracted with, sue in all courts and be sued in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, as provided in Code Section 12-3-451 of this part. The authority shall have all the rights afforded the state by virtue of the Constitution of the United States and nothing in this part shall constitute a waiver of any such rights. The authority shall have perpetual existence.

(b) The authority shall not be deemed to be the State of Georgia or an agency thereof.

(c) The authority is assigned to the Department of Natural Resources for administrative purposes only.