ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Isle of Palms city crews are working diligently to restore the beach after it experienced heavy erosion during Tropical Storm Idalia.

The loss of tons of sand to erosion means the drop off between the access points and the beaches can reach several feet, making it dangerous for people to reach the beach from these points.

Until the restoration of the beach is completed, Public Beach Access 1B, 2A, and 3A will be closed until further notice.

“The cleanup will happen over the next couple of days and then next week we’ll start doing scrapping at low tide to bring some of the sand back up,” Isle of Palms Mayor Phillip Pounds said. “And build a dune in front of these people’s houses to protect them for the rest of the hurricane season.”

Not only is it hurricane season, but it’s also sea turtle nesting season. Inclement weather can leave turtles exposed, but Pounds said the city is doing all it can to keep the turtles protected.

“You’re not in the dunes and hopefully not disturbing the nest,” Pounds said. “Our turtle team does a great as far as marking the nest or moving them when they feel like they’re in harm’s way. So, it’s very coordinated with our local turtle team as well as the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to make sure they’re aware of what’s going, you know?”

Despite the city not receiving federal funding, city leaders have managed to receive an emergency permit from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management to begin restoration work Tuesday.

Pounds stresses the importance of maintaining safety before heading into Labor Day weekend.

“So, we just ask folks to be respectful of the workers that’ll be coming in and out of here. There’s going to be trucks and bulldozers and all kind of stuff going on. So just watch out and be careful,” Pounds says. “Our guys will be out here next week with the bulldozers when most of our summer crowd is gone. So, the timing is decent from that standpoint, we just need to get protection on the beach for these folk’s home as soon as we can.”

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Some parking tickets on the Isle of Palms have reached $100 for minor infractions.

Now people say they’re concerned the island is price gouging.

From January 2020 to December 2022, records show that 14,000 parking tickets were issued on the Isle of Palms.

The majority were for $100 dollars, but none were issued for less than $50 dollars; prices members of the Charleston Beach Foundation say are way too high.

“I did an analysis, and found that the average ticket statewide is $30, not $100,” Founder of the Charleston Beach Foundation, Myra Jones said.

Jones filed a lawsuit against the Isle of Palms in 2020 over the ticket prices.

A judge eventually ruled that the city had the right to set the price at what they think is necessary.

“The judge noted that the state law, the South Carolina state law allows $100 fines,” IOP City Councilmember, Blair Hahn said.

However, Jones is fighting prices again, calling them excessive and unnecessary.

Jones said, “For comparison, tickets on Sullivans Island are $50 and on Folly Beach they’re $60.”

Jones is also concerned the high ticket prices could backfire and damage the island’s economy.

“We’ve hear from thousands of people who will not go to the Isle of Palms because of the $100 tickets,” Jones said.

Councilmembers aren’t concerned about the ticket prices driving people away.

Hahn said, “If you come out here on any weekend, the island is full. So, if our goal is to keep people, stop people from coming to the island, we’re doing a terrible job.”

Leaders say the ticket prices are a minor price to pay to keep the roads and citizens safe.

“We were not strictly enforcing parking, not as strict as we were this year. People were double parking, parking close to the road. Fire trucks couldn’t get through in a safe manner, police couldn’t get through in a safe manner,” Hahn said.

The Charleston Beach Foundation says they plan to take the issue to the Statehouse and introduce legislation that would not allow municipalities to write unreasonable tickets for minor parking infractions.

A total of 1,173 people on the Isle of Palms signed a grassroots petition to cap the number of investment short-term rentals on the island at 1,600.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - A total of 1,173 people on the Isle of Palms signed a grassroots petition to cap the number of investment short-term rentals on the island at 1,600.

Petition creators, Catherine Malloy and Brian Duffy say it all started as a way to preserve the balance of people enjoying the town.

“We are absolutely in favor of short-term rentals. But we want to balance to maintain the equilibrium that we’ve had through the years. So it seemed like a good time to get involved with this,” Malloy says.

For former council member Duffy, it’s about being proactive, and he fears it’s already getting close to waiting too long to take action and be reactive.

“We’re just really asking the city to manage short-term rental licenses because you don’t know. Currently, there is no management of short-term rental licenses, there are no limits. So we could turn from the 1600 that we proposed in this ordinance to 3000 and no controls,” Duffy explains. “So that’s all that we were ever asking for. It is a little bit of management, a little bit of foresight, a little bit of planning.”

Under South Carolina Law, a petition signed by 15% of the voting population and verified by the county has to be considered by city council. The signatures on Preserve IOP’s petition represent about 27% of the island population, according to 2020 census numbers. City Council can approve the ordinance in the petition, or make amendments and put it to a city-wide citizen vote.

“The next steps really are in the hands of counsel. We as the group, Preserve IOP, have submitted this we are pretty much standing down, it’s their choice,” Duffy says.

Over the course of their work to gather signatures, Malloy and Duffy say they and the many volunteers who went door to door learned a lot about their island and their neighbors.

“They were so interesting the stories they told way before Hurricane Hugo before the connector bridge, and before even Wild Dunes when it was feature racquet club and that was all developed,” Malloy says. “So we’ve kind of really enjoyed it if you want to know the truth. Usually it’s not, it’s kind of labor. But it was a labor of love because these people were so fun, and so interesting.”

On July 11 at the Isle of Palms Recreation Center, the city council will hold a special meeting to address the petition.

On the agenda there will be public comment followed by discussion of the petition, consideration of sending petition to the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration & Elections for certification of signatures and consideration of first reading of the ordinance in the petition.

“It’s up or down vote, really it’s simple. It’s up or down. This is our wonderful gift to them because this is what residents want. And they all say when they got when they ran for office, we are for the residents. Well, the residents want this overwhelmingly so,” Malloy says.

Once the signatures are verified, council must accept the ordinance or put it to a island-wide vote. They have between 30 days and one year to schedule a public vote from the date city council takes any action on the verified ordinance.

You can read more about the roots of the petition and prior city council members’ reactions to the start of the campaign here.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Officials are addressing safety preparations for beachside communities ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Public safety officials are addressing safety preparations for beachside communities ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia, which is set to hit the Lowcountry late Wednesday.

Representatives with the Isle of Palms and Folly Beach say high winds, heavy rainfall and high tides could mean bigger concerns for safety along local beaches.

“Being out here on the edge, we are very susceptible to flooding issues and storm surge,” Folly Beach Director of Public Safety Andrew Gilreath said. “We have to be extra cautious to make sure we communicate with our citizens and visitors.”

Live 5 News meteorologists are tracking the storm and say we can expect 4-8 inches of rain, along with eight-foot tides.

READ MORE: FIRST ALERT HURRICANE CENTER

They say the abnormally high tide is due to a combination of the effects from Idalia and the potential for a King Tide.

King Tides happen during a full moon and can heavily influence the strength of tides, rip currents and waves.

“We’re approaching a full moon as we get to the end of August here,” National Weather Service Charleston Representative Steven Taylor said. “Influences on the tides are at its greatest. Unfortunately, even without wind, without heavy rain, our tides would have already been causing problems.”

Beach officials warn residents and visitors to avoid entering any flood waters during the storm.

“90% of the island is on septic so the water is not something you want to play in or be in just by the nature. That’s something we try to keep people up to speed on,” Gilreath said.

They also strongly urge people to avoid the ocean during this time due to strong rip currents and high tide.

“With rip currents projected and the marine environment looking extreme. Please stay out of the ocean,” Gilreath said. “In certain situations, I will not put my employees at risk just to save someone out there to have fun.”

Gilreath says Folly Beach is already in the early stages of prep, which includes sandbagging operations, securing beach access areas, and monitoring bridge spaces for high winds.

The Isle of Palms released the following statement earlier today:

City of Isle of Palms officials are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Idalia and its impact on the island. According to the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall and tropical storm-force winds are expected to reach the South Carolina coast on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Other risks along the coast include rip currents, high surf and the potential for beach erosion. The city is resuming normal operations until further notice.

City leadership encourages its residents and visitors to prepare for the storm now. Residents should remove or secure any items around the home that could cause damage due to the potential for strong wind gusts. It is recommended that citizens assemble an emergency supply kit that includes at least a three-day supply of water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, prescription medications, batteries and other essentials. More information on emergency kits and overall storm preparation is available on the city’s website: iop.net.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Grab your bestie and let the games begin.

James Brian “Huddy” Hudson did just that when he saw an ad on Twitter advertising a trip of a lifetime to an adult summer camp with your best friends. The Isle of Palms resident didn’t know it was for a new CBS show hosted by “Transformers” actor Josh Duhamel.

Hudson and his three best friends from Oklahoma will be among the first six teams to take on the taxing mental and physical challenges in Duhamel’s “Buddy Games.” The first episode of the new game show airs at 9 p.m. on Sept. 14 on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.

Charleston Scene

Viewers will watch as Hudson and Team OK will compete against five other teams for a cash prize of a yet-to-be-announced amount, a trophy and bragging rights. Hudson’s team includes Justin Palmer, Stephen Craig and Yue Pun Szeto from Edmond, Okla. Hudson grew up in Oklahoma and has lived in the Charleston area for about a decade. Other team names include Derby Squad, Chicago’s Finest, Team Pride, Pageant Queens and Philly Forever.

The four Oklahomans sport cowboy attire in promotional material for the show filmed in Bogota, Colombia.

“We grew up in Oklahoma so we got a little cowboy in us,” he said.

The new series on CBS adapts Duhamel’s own real life feats of strength he grew up doing every year with his friends into a reality TV game show. The “Las Vegas” actor later turned the experience into the 2019 gross out comedy film of the same name starring himself, Olivia Munn and Dax Shepard. A sequel, “Buddy Games: Spring Awakening,” was released earlier this year. Both were rated R, but the new show on CBS scales back from raunchier bits in the films for network television.

The series has ties to “The Real World” and “The Challenge” through Bunim Murray. Murray, who was a producer on both shows, helped create this show for CBS.

Hudson said a highlight of the trip last November was spending time with Duhamel, who had a habit of getting in trouble for “distracting” the cast offscreen.

Poetry and community go hand-in-hand. Sometimes lacking a defined form but always full of heart, they create a space for discussing, relating, exploring, expressing, healing.

This year’s Free Verse Poetry Festival, returning for its seventh year from Oct. 18-22, is doing just that.

Events at this year’s rendition of Charleston’s poetry festival include readings from locals on Ohm Radio 96.3 FM, two writing workshops, a film night, and a combination yoga and live music event focused on relaxation, said festival founder Marcus Amaker. All events are free.

Charleston Scene

A key theme in curating this year’s festival has been conveying how poetry shouldn’t be a passive experience, said Amaker, former poet laureate of the city. Free Verse, outside of its October festival, looks to use poetry as public art and make participation accessible with regular open mic nights across venues in the Charleston area.

Programming outside of October has been key to the festival’s success so far, with open mic nights gaining a steady following, he said. The artist collective strives to put poetry front and center in daily life, showcasing and exploring its ability to process the big issues of today’s world.

Poetry isn’t limited to the page, but words have been strewn across Lowcountry sidewalks and billboards. Teaching and sharing at libraries and schools has also been a focus.

“This year’s poetry community has grown immensely from last year,” said Amaker.

What has made it successful, even through the tumultuous years of the pandemic, is its focus on staying grounded to supporting and providing a platform for the people and poets of Charleston, steering away from the book-talk model of many conferences and festivals. Amaker looks for regular new voices — those often overlooked by conferences, academia and public forums. Then, he amplifies them.

The city of Charleston helps Free Verse secure funding and support through grants and other national programs. Scott Watson, director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, said Amaker’s practice of making spaces of “radical inclusion” keep Free Verse focused on the people who call Charleston home.