For more than a decade, the county has worked to bring a cargo container terminal to 1,863 acres owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Last month, Jasper officials reached an exclusivity agreement with SSA Marine, one of the world's premier port developers, and filed for condemnation of the land.
The State Ports Authority responded with a lawsuit in the S.C. Supreme Court seeking a judgment that it has the sole or superior right to develop a port on the Savannah River.
Georgia responded last week by challenging the condemnation and filed a countersuit against Jasper in federal district court.
Davis, a former chief of staff and personal attorney for Gov. Mark Sanford, said the state took another look at Jasper County after a "history of neglect" when residents of Daniel Island in Charleston were overwhelmingly against a planned State Ports Authority 12-berth terminal on their island.
"I understand how suspicious this looks," Davis said of the authority's timing on going public with its Jasper intentions immediately after county officials struck a deal with SSA Marine. "Why at the last hour is the state snatching victory from Jasper?"
Davis outlined three reasons why he thinks the Jasper County and SSA Marine plan won't hold under a legal test:
The crucial component of condemnation is whether the action satisfies the public good.
In September 2003, Jasper County lost its first bid to condemn the Georgia-owned land in the S.C. Supreme Court. The high court ruled that the then-agreement with SSA Marine -- a 99 year lease -- resulted in a state surrendering land to a private enterprise.
"I regret the fact that this thing is tied up in district court, circuit court and the Supreme Court, but I think in one month, I'll be able to stand here and say these things are behind us," Davis told the chamber members, repeating that the state should lead a Jasper port project.
But despite the effort, skepticism ran high.
"Why would they build with taxpayer money a Jasper County and Charleston port concurrently?" Hardeeville Councilwoman Bea Jones asked after the meeting, citing the ongoing $600 million development at the Navy base in Charleston. "The dredging and the cost of a the Charleston Port expansions are three times what a Jasper port would be."
Many Jasper residents simply want a port in their county, regardless of ownership.
"We're open to both sides of the coin," said Jim Crowley, president of the Greater Hardeeville Chamber of Commerce. "No matter how it falls, Jasper County will be the recipient of a major windfall. I wish everyone would quit bickering and get down to business."