The Hilton Head Town Council meeting has just concluded, and I want to share some important updates with all of you who have supported this petition.

✅ Community Opposition Was Loud and Clear

Dozens of members of the community spoke against the proposed ordinance. The common themes were:

• The need for a true economic impact study before making sweeping changes.
• Calls to exclude gated communities from the ordinance.
• Strong support for better enforcement of the current rules instead of adding arbitrary new ones.

✅ Occupancy Caps Removed

From the outset, Councilmember Steve DeSimone proposed removing all occupancy-related caps from the ordinance. His motion received overwhelming support. Only Patsy Brison and Steve Alfred opposed it.

Importantly, DeSimone’s motion included deferring any future discussion of occupancy limits to the upcoming Land Management Ordinance (LMO) update. While it’s not yet clear whether this is binding, it effectively takes occupancy caps off the table for now.

✅ Fire Alarm Requirements Scaled Back

The original requirement for commercial fire alarm systems was modified. The ordinance now requires a residential alarm system that integrates all smoke detectors and is monitored by a third party. This means solutions such as SimpliSafe should qualify.

• The requirement for manual fire alarm pull stations was also removed.
• Fire alarm requirements will only apply to homes over 3,600 sq ft. Some details remain unclear — such as whether this means heated square footage only, or what data source will be used (county records vs. owner-supplied measurements). These questions should be clarified by staff before implementation.

⚠️ Councilmembers Alfred and Brison

If you live in their wards or own an STR there, now is the time to reach out. Thank them for their service, but let them know clearly that supporting occupancy caps is out of step with the community and unsupported by data.  

To make this easier, I am working on an update to OpposeTammysTantrum.com. Soon, you’ll be able to generate and send a tailored email to these councilmembers with just a few clicks. I’ll share the link as soon as it’s live.

📅 What’s Next

The second reading of the ordinance will take place on October 21st. Before then, the Town will publish the revised ordinance text reflecting these changes. 

This is a major step forward, thanks in part to the many voices that spoke out and the growing pressure from this petition. Let’s keep up the momentum. Please continue to share the petition widely so that Town Council knows residents, property owners, and visitors are united in support of common-sense enforcement — not arbitrary caps.

I’m also updating OpposeTammysTantrum.com so it can do two things with just a few clicks:

• Send a letter of thanks to the council members who voted to remove occupancy caps.
• Send a message of opposition to the two members — Steve Alfred and Patsy Brison — who still support them.

This way, supporters can easily let Council know that the community is paying attention, rewarding good governance, and holding outliers accountable.