WECT INVESTIGATES: Local governments spend over $250K fighting harbor project

BALD HEAD ISLAND, N.C. (WECT) – Two local governments have spent more than $250,000 on legal expenses related to the $1.3 billion Wilmington Harbor Deepening Project, invoices obtained by WECT show.

In the last 12 months, Bald Head Island has paid more than $244,000 to Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, L.L.P., a firm based in Greensboro. That includes three payments of more than $50,000 since November, including a payment of $76,178.20 dated Nov. 24, 2025.

The city of Southport has spent an additional $12,000, invoices show, with five different payments since October, all under $4,000. The city used the same firm as Bald Head Island, and also utilized the services of TI Coastal Services, an engineering firm based in Wilmington…

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