--- title: HR 812. Coach Carl Middleton Bridge; Chatham County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr812 cite_as: HR 812, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr812 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr812.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr812/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71798 date: 2025-03-28 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr811.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr813.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr812.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 812 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Carl Gilliard text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR812/2025 upstream_id: 2016184 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - bridge dedication - Chatham County - Interstate 95 - commemorative resolution - Savannah high school athletics --- # HR 812. Coach Carl Middleton Bridge; Chatham County; dedicate ## Text 25 LC 39 4784 House Resolution 812 By: Representative Gilliard of the 162nd A RESOLUTION Recognizing the life of Coach Carl Middleton and dedicating a bridge in his memory; and1 for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Coach Carl Middleton was a pillar of the Alfred Ely Beach High School athletic3 program for over four decades and he dedicated his life to upli fting and inspiring young4 athletes to achieve their dreams; and5 WHEREAS, during his tenure at Alfred Ely Beach High School, Coa ch Middleton led6 athletes as a basketball coach, softball coach, head football coach, track and field coach, and7 athletic director; and8 WHEREAS, his 1967 men's track team placed second in the state and set a 440-relay team9 record that lasted over ten years, while his women's track team s won twelve city10 championships, six region championships, and placed in the top ten at state championships11 on four occasions; and12 WHEREAS, as coach of the men's junior varsity basketball team, Coach Middleton amassed13 an incredible career record of 154-10; and14 H. R. 812 - 1 - 25 LC 39 4784 WHEREAS, he was recognized as Coach of the Year six times by the Georgia High School15 Association, was inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame, and was further16 honored with the establishment of the Carl Middleton Male Athlete Award to annually honor17 Alfred Ely Beach High School's most outstanding male athlete; and18 WHEREAS, Coach Middleton served as a role model to countless young athletes who have19 gone on to make contributions both in the field of athletics and in their communities and it20 is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and disti nguished Georgian be21 recognized appropriately by dedicating a bridge in his memory.22 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL23 ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the bridge on Interstate 95 over the O geechee River24 Tributary in Chatham County is dedicated as the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge.25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and26 directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge.27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized28 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the29 family of Coach Carl Middleton and to the Department of Transportation.30 H. R. 812 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A House resolution from the Georgia General Assembly would name a bridge on Interstate 95 over the Ogeechee River Tributary in Chatham County the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge, honoring a longtime Alfred Ely Beach High School coach. ### Plain-language summary This resolution honors Coach Carl Middleton, who spent more than four decades leading athletic programs at Alfred Ely Beach High School in Savannah as a basketball, softball, football, and track coach and as athletic director. It recounts his coaching achievements, including a record-setting 1967 men's track team and a 154-10 career record as junior varsity basketball coach, along with honors such as six Coach of the Year awards from the Georgia High School Association and induction into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame. The operative part of the resolution names the bridge on Interstate 95 over the Ogeechee River Tributary in Chatham County the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to put up and maintain signs marking the dedication, and directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Middleton's family and to the Department of Transportation. ### What it does - Dedicates the bridge on Interstate 95 over the Ogeechee River Tributary in Chatham County as the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the bridge's new name. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Middleton's family and the Department of Transportation. ### Who it affects The resolution primarily affects the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must post and maintain signage, and the family of Coach Carl Middleton, who receive formal copies. It also has symbolic significance for the Alfred Ely Beach High School community and Chatham County residents who use Interstate 95. ### Why it matters While largely ceremonial, the resolution results in a permanent, physical change: new signage on Interstate 95 in Chatham County naming the bridge after Coach Middleton, formally memorializing his decades of coaching and mentorship in the local community. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail Coach Middleton's four-decade career at Alfred Ely Beach High School and his coaching and athletic director roles. - The first resolving clause dedicates the Interstate 95 bridge over the Ogeechee River Tributary in Chatham County as the Coach Carl Middleton Bridge. - The second resolving clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate signs. - The third resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Middleton's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-28) - Sponsors: Carl Gilliard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71798 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr812.md?full=1