Gov. Sonny Perdue forgets to claim Jackson Lake vacation home

Gov. Sonny Perdue is no stranger to controversy when it comes to real estate. In 2004, a firestorm erupted — one that continues to this day — over Oaky Woods, a 19,200-acre tract of land in Houston County that critics say was a sweetheart deal for the governor’s developer buddies.

But it’s a different piece of land, a home along the shores of a lake created by Georgia Power, that had CL scratching its head over the weekend.

Located in Butts County, Jackson Lake is a 4,750-acre reservoir created in 1910 when the Central Georgia Power Company dammed the Yellow, Alcovy and South Rivers. The lake sits downstream upstream from Plant Scherer, Georgia Power’s carbon-belching coal plant in Jolliet Juliette (Thanks to Victor for the correction). Located halfway between the Gold Dome and the governor’s home in Houston County, it’s considered a recreational hotspot — the lake is nice and full, there’s waterskiing aplenty, and if you use the proper bait, you’re likely to catch bluegills, largemouth bass or redar sunfish.

And according to the Butts County Tax Assessor, Perdue and his wife purchased two lots on the lake in Sept. 2007. There’s one problem: He never claimed it on his annual finanical disclosure, which would be a no-no according to the State Ethics Commission.