Update IOP Paid Parking

UPDATE!  Happy Friday to you all,

Most of you are probably aware that on Tuesday, Aug 25, the Isle of Palms City Council voted to make the remaining 383 free parking spots pay only spots and to charge a rate higher than anywhere else in SC.  They intend to require payment from March 1-Oct 31 seven days a week between 9 am and 6 pm.  Only one councilman voted against it, John Moye, who said he is afraid the City is souring relationships with other local governments, particularly Charleston County.  Mr. Moye is more right than he knows.

Now is not the time to stop putting pressure on all of your elected officials.  Now is the time to increase that pressure.  They must be made to understand that whether they act to stop the beach islands from all of their actions designed to exclude non-residents from the beach will be the decision point in whether they get our votes next time they come asking.

The legal question as to whether these islands can impose pay parking at high rates is just one of the questions here and it is not the biggest issue.  These islands do not have large permanent populations.  They depend on the rest of us to help them pay for all manner of things – road maintenance, managing beach goers, beach renourishment and a host of other things.  Even more important, our beaches, unlike some parts of the country such as New England and New Jersey are the sole property of all the people of the state.  All of us have a constitutional right to enjoy the beaches in SC.  The General Assembly, when it reconvenes has the absolute power to override all of these actions by beach island governments.  And they must be told do to so. 

Again, there are discriminatory and unconstitutional questions that are important, and they are actively being addressed by the legal team for the Facebook group (Charleston Area Public Beach Access and Parking Group), which has now become The Charleston Beach Foundation!  They continue to raise money through their go-fund me page and are doing a fantastic job targeting these islands directly.  I am in direct communication with them and they will continue with legal action against all 3 until we all achieve a united goal.

As part of a multi-pronged approach to achieving that goal, political leverage is the mission of this petition.  This is about money.  They can’t survive without ours.  All of us “non-residents” have received positive support from many local politicians, and I will constantly be watching to ensure that support does not waiver.  

Chip Campsen did finally respond, but his response was what is commonly referred to as “waffling.”  He lives on Isle of palms and clearly doesn’t want to offend his neighbors.  He’s a waffler.  That’s fine and he can continue to be a waffler, but he may end up a waffler with no political future.  

THE OBJECTIVE:

-          The main objective of this petition is to ensure that funding to these islands is cut off at every level until they agree to restore all public parking to exactly the way it was in 2010 and leave it that way.  This is a very specific demand and for Isle of Palms and Folly Beach especially, means a great deal of reversal.  But they made this bed and now they can lay in it.  If these islands don’t agree then the voters of this state should demand that not a single cent of outside funding be given to any of these municipalities.  Early in 2021 when the General Assembly reconvenes our House and Senate need to all be aware of the political consequences of failing to address this issue. 

NEXT STEPS:

-          CALL and WRITE all of the below (or just pick a few) and don’t let up.   The pressure needs to be measurable and consistent.  A long term solution will not come until legislation can be passed at the state level in 2021.  Remember that and remind them that we will all be watching them very closely

-          SHARE THIS petition with everyone you know concerned about this issue.

-          There has been a lot of interest from our neighbors in the upstate and I will soon be sharing this with them.  Stay tuned and keep up the pressure on all our local representatives!!

 

Best wishes to you all this fall.  I will continue to update as needed.  Stay safe and healthy, and wear your mask!

Michael Barnett

 

Legislative Delegation   Charleston County

Senate  District #
 
34
Stephen L. Goldfinch
Post Office Box 823
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

(843)357-9301 (Business)
(803)212-6116 (Columbia)
(843)385-4302 (H)
(843)357-9303 (Fax)
37
Larry Grooms
148 Etiwan Park Street
Charleston, SC 29492

(803)212-6400 (Columbia)
(843)825-4671 (Fax & H)
38
Sean Bennett
121 South Cedar Street
Summerville, SC 29484

(803)212-6116 (Columbia)
(843)821-3009 (O)
(843)821-3352 (H)
(843)851-0516 (Fax)
41
Sandy Senn
Post Office Box 12279
Charleston, SC 29422

(803)212-6172 (Columbia)
(843)556-4045 (O)
(843)556-4046 (Fax)
42
Marlon E. Kimpson
P. O. Box 22403
Charleston, SC 29413

(843)216-9199 (O)
(843)216-9440 (Fax)
(803)212-6132 (Columbia)
43
Chip Campsen
360 Concord Street, Suite 201
Charleston, SC 29401

(843)722-0123 (O)
(843)886-8454 (H)
(803)212-6340 (Columbia)
(843)881-2960 (Fax)
44
Paul Campbell
150 Loganberry Circle
Goose Creek, SC 29445

(843)296-1001 (Business)
(843)569-0089 (H)
(803)212-6016 (Columbia)
45
Margie Bright Matthews
P. O. Box 1764
Walterboro, SC 29488

(843)549-6028 (Business)
(843)549-6107 (Fax)
(843)212-6056 (Columbia)
House of Representatives

District #
 
15
JA Moore
P.O. Box 62103
North Charleston, SC 29419

(843) 640-0130 (Cell)
(803) 212-6890 (Columbia)
94
Converse A. “Con” Chellis, IV
437 North Main Street, Suite Cbr> Summerville, SC 29483

(843) 754-2202 (Cell)
(803)212-6871 (Columbia)
99
Nancy Mace

295 Seven Farms Drive, Ste. C-186
Daniel Island, SC 29492

(803)212-6717 (Columbia)
(843)580-6223 (Cell)
108
Lee Hewitt
Post Office Box 928
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

(843)651-2121 (Phone)
(843)652-4235 (Business)
(803)212-6927 (Columbia)
109
David Mack, III
P. O. Box 70337
North Charleston, SC 29415

(843)225-4869 (O)
(843)760-0198 (H)
(803)734-3192 (Columbia)
(843)225-4869 (Fax)
(803)734-8711 (Columbia Fax)
110
William S. Cogswell, Jr.
701 East Bay Street, Suite 310
Charleston, SC 29403

(843)577-2088 (Business)
(843)577-2800 (Fax)
(803)212-6956 (Columbia)
111
Wendell G. Gilliard
Post Office Box 31641
Charleston, SC 29417

(843)402-9710 (H, O, Fax)
(843)209-3123 (Business)
(803)212-6793 (Columbia)
112
Mike Sottile
132 Sparrow Drive
Isle of Palms, SC 29451

(843)886-8759 (H)
(843)884-3159 (O)
(843)881-8891 (Fax)
(803)212-6880 (Columbia)
(803)212-7334 (Columbia Fax)
113
Marvin R. Pendarvis
Post Office Box 60715
North Charleston, SC 29419

(843)740-5855 (O)
(803)212-6716 (Columbia)
114
Lin Bennett
231 North Ainsdale Drive
Charleston, SC 29414

(843)571-6330 (H)
(803)212-6948 (Columbia)
115
Vacant
116
Robert Brown
5925 Highway 162
Hollywood, SC 29449

(843)889-6440 (O)
(843)889-8835 (H)
(803)734-3170 (Columbia)
(843)889-9035 (Fax)
117
Krystle Matthews
234 Miami Street, Lot 27
Ladson, SC 29456

(843) 735-0971 (Cell)
(803)212-6879 (Columbia)
119
Leon Stavrinakis
1 Cool Blow Street, Ste. 201
Charleston, SC 29403

(843)724-1060 (O)
(843)853-7816 (Fax)
(803)734-3039 (Columbia)
(803)753-9244 (E-Fax)

P&C article about IOPs vote:

“The Isle of Palms moved ahead with plans to eliminate all free beach season parking for non-residents starting in 2021, and would charge more for parking than many beach communities in South Carolina.

Pending final approval by City Council, the rules would convert the city’s remaining 383 free parking spots to paid parking seven days a week from March 1 to Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Councilman John Moye cast the lone vote against the plan at Tuesday’s meeting. He said the city’s parking restrictions have soured relations with other local governments — Charleston County in particular — and he suggested the paid parking rules should only be in place on weekends, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Details of Isle of Palms’ regulations could change as an ordinance is developed — the expected parking ordinance would need two votes of City Council — but the current plan received an 8-1 vote Tuesday, indicating strong support.

Councilman Randy Bell pointed out that money from new paid parking areas is already anticipated in the city’s adopted budget for the 12 months that began July 1.

“This plan wouldn’t take place until March,” he said. “There’s plenty of time for more discussion with the county.”

Council members had previously been told by City Administrator Desiree Fragoso that a decision was needed this month to give the city staff enough time to prepare for paid parking next year. Tuesday’s vote directed the staff to move forward with those preparations.”