Best Moving Company in Folly Beach

This issue stems from a citizen petition looking to cap short-term rentals – these are things like Airbnb listings or rented out condos.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Folly Beach could lose $1.5 million in revenue if they decide to limit short-term rentals – that’s according to a project manager who talked at a community meeting on Wednesday.

At the same meeting residents discussed the pros and cons of capping short-term rental licenses on the island to 800.

This issue stems from a citizen petition looking to cap short-term rentals – these are things like Airbnb listings or rented out condos.

Another major concern came from some real estate agents that spoke Wednesday night. They say they’re having major trouble closing deals because of this potential cap.

Others, like Michael Riffert, say it’s affecting their overall livability.

“Even though it hasn’t even gone to vote yet, I am being impacted right now,” Riffert said.

Riffert has been a builder on the island for more than 16 years. Since the short-term rental cap is still up for debate, he says he’s had to pull two of his homes off the market from buyers’ concerns.

“They see that our property rights are being stepped on and they’re like, ‘We don’t want any part of it. We don’t want to move to this community,’” Riffert said. “And that’s what we’re up against right now.”

Riffert’s livelihood is not the only thing being affected. Others brought up concerns that their lifelong home might slip out from under them. Due to the current license law and moratorium in place, some say their homes might not be able to be passed down to their kids.

Tom Powers is another resident that is against the short-term rental cap.

“To take that away without trying to really make enforcement work that’s just what’s got us trying to fight back against that,” Powers said.

A majority of people at the discussion were against the short-term rental cap. A few people pro-cap were in attendance, but those associated with the Folly Beach Resident Association said they did not feel safe going on camera for fear of personal attacks.

They provided this statement:

Pro-Cap supporters and Folly Beach Resident Association members have been bullied and harassed both in person and online and, therefore, we do not feel safe attending this one-sided event, which could provide the forum for more personal attacks for us and our families.

It is our understanding that officials from the City of Folly Beach will not be in attendance. Without experts from the City present to factually answer residents’ questions, we don’t feel this forum is a beneficial one and that it could fuel further divisiveness and misinformation. Therefore, FRA will not be participating in this event.

All Folly Beach voters have access to the facts on our Facebook page, Folly Beach Residents Association and by contacting the City directly with specific questions.

Riffert says he avidly agrees with what city council has done to support their side for the last couple months. He says he understands where the opposing side is coming from.

“We want enforcement,” Riffert said. “We don’t want people to have an issue with a bad house next door.”

Powers says he wants everyone to come together and find a solution.

“Our approach is let’s surgically deal with that instead of, I’ll give my analogy: ‘You got a problem with your big toe, you don’t need to cut off your leg,’” Powers said.

Permanent residents on Folly Beach can cast their ballots on Feb. 7 in favor or against the short-term rental cap.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Folly Beach is using new marshfront data to update its 2023 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan.

The barrier island floods more and more every year due to sea level rise. That’s why the city hired a local coastal geologist to map the marsh and see how it plays into the landscape.

Elko Coastal Consulting President Nicole Elko and those working with her spent the summer of 2022 surveying and mapping what’s called the critical line of the marsh. They took satellite measurements every 20 feet to the elevation of where the marsh ends and where the upland ecosystem begins.

“In our survey of the critical line, we found that the critical line sits at an elevation of about eight feet relative to our tidal datum. So, if you’re out here on Folly, we talk about six-foot tides, we talk about eight-foot tides-- that’s normally your king tide. It’s that one that’s starting to come up over the marsh, perhaps cause some flooding on the island,” Elko explains.

This information can be used to map sea level rise and understand how the landscape will change in coming years. For the city, they will use the information to adjust irrigation, assess the seawall and plan infrastructure to grow with the changing environment.

“The guidance tells us that events that we’re seeing now are going to happen 10 times more often by 2050. So, in less than 30 years. We are going to be seeing these inundating king tides which are happening once a month now happen 10 times a month. So it’s going to have a significant impact on all coastal property as well as the way the city is managing the infrastructure here on the island,” Elko says.

For people who live on the island, like Kristen Phillips Kappel and her daughter Drayton, the natural wonders are what drew them to Folly.

“I like when we walk down the beach and find like different kinds of animals like one time we found this really weird thing and we looked it up. It was called like, an onion...a sea onion,” Drayton says.

The mother daughter duo believe cataloguing, protecting, and growing with nature is essential to Folly’s community.

“It’s absolutely enhanced our life to be able to have this beauty of nature around us and kind of live in synchronicity with it. We take a lot of walks and we probably have our best talks when we’re walking,” Kristen says.

Elko says while the State and Army Corps of Engineers along with hired coastal geologists have surveyed the beaches and replenished that land for year, there hasn’t been the same focus on the marsh. Yet, the marsh also has a significant impact across barrier islands.

“The marshes are the nursery grounds for all of the fish that end up in the ocean as well as oysters, crabs, etc. It’s very important resource for us to maintain with sea level rise with climate change over the next five to 10 years. We’re already seeing some more routine flooding on the island. So, the ocean is kind of crossing that critical line boundary more often than it has in the past,” Elko says.

Elko will present her findings to Folly Beach City Council at Tuesday’s regular meeting. Her advice to the city is to collect new data every three years on the marsh.

You can read her report in the agenda on pages 3-18.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCBD) – Folly Beach is gearing up to welcome in the new year with a flip flop drop and Bill Murray look-a-like polar plunge.

The annual tradition of the flip flop drop has ushered in the new year at Folly Beach since 2011. A giant pair of sparkling flip flops will descend from high above Center Street as a crowd of celebrators count down to the new year on Saturday, December 31st.

Crews with Folly Beach Public Safety were practicing for the big event on Wednesday.

“The crowds, they keep coming to the Flip Flop Drop- they normally stop off at the business establishments and get revved up as we get closer to about 11 o’clock or so. The crowds begin building up around the ladder truck in anticipation of the flip flop drop,” said Deputy Director Rocky Burke with Folly Beach Public Safety.

There will also be a Bill Murray look-a-like polar plunge that happens on New Year’s Day. Participants are encouraged to dress in their best Bill Murray costume before jumping into the cold Atlantic Ocean in front of the Tides hotel.

“A lot of brave souls come out for that and jump in that cold water,” said Burke. “You know, on January 1, dressed in bikinis and things of that nature and a lot less clothing, braver than me.”

And of course you can always enjoy the brand new Folly Beach Pier which opened on the day after Christmas. A lot of people are already taking advantage of what is once again another beautiful place to spend some time enjoying Folly Beach.

“We just want people to come have a good time. Spend your money, have a good time and do it in moderation- be safe about what you’re doing and enjoying the flip flop drop,” Burke said.

Festivities for the Flip Flop Drop start at 11:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve with the drop happening at midnight. Meanwhile, the Bill Murray costume contest takes place New Year’s Day at 10:00 a.m., following by the plunge at 11:00 a.m., and a party at the Tides hotel at noon.

Over 75 vendors gathered on Folly Beach Saturday to bring locals and visitors to the city during what they call the slow season.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - Over 75 vendors gathered on Folly Beach Saturday to bring locals and visitors to the city during what they call the slow season.

Taste of Folly kicked off Friday with a cocktail competition, and Saturday was named “Savory Saturday,” bringing out over 5,000 people. The event on Center Street included bands, arts and crafts vendors, and even hot dog eating and oyster shucking competitions.

Marquise Bowens, a chef at Folly Beach Crab Shack, says the event gives locals in the industry a chance to put love into the food.

“It really gives a kick to the rest of the year,” Bowens says. “Everyone on Folly comes out and displays what they have to offer. A lot of people in Charleston don’t really know that Folly Beach has this much to offer. It’s a good thing for Folly Beach and for Charleston.”

The organizer of the event, Kelly Travers, says Taste of Folly has been highlighting small businesses on the island for over 10 years.

“We’re just trying to kind of stimulate the Folly businesses in the offseason when it’s a little bit slow and highlight Folly’s eclectic food scene,” Travers says.

Folly Island resident Bill Hotz shares that he comes to Taste of Folly every year that it is happening.

“It’s fun to see friends, and you get to try a variety of foods, where you get a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” Hotz says.

Although the weather was a little chilly on Saturday, organizers say they had such a good crowd and lots of smiles and happy faces. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds goes to Pet Helpers, an adoption center in Charleston.

“Our locals on Folly Beach always made sure that it’s never a slow season for the businesses; they really take care of us,” Bowens says. “We just out here trying to give back and represent Folly Beach and Charleston as a whole.”

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCIV) — You won't be hearing the sounds of turtles splashing their way to the ocean yet from Folly Beach and surrounding sea turtle hot spots.

But efforts continue to make sure when sea turtle season kicks off on May 1st that the creatures' path to a long life is as clear as can be.

It’s pretty darn critical. We’re constantly, every season dealing with disorientations with the turtles. Where they get distracted by the lighting on the beachfront," said Eric Lutz, the City of Folly Beach's Director of Public Works.

Lutz says the City's ordinance 151.45 deals directly with artificial nighttime lighting coming from properties right off the beach.

That lighting can impact a hatchling's travels during hatching season.

City officials and marine biologists say the light draws the turtles toward that source instead of following the horizon and straight into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Lutz, “we’ve seen tracks of 40 and 50 turtles heading the wrong way, not towards the ocean, dead turtles on the beach the next morning. It happens more often than people would think.”

The City's Business License Official, Stacee Ritche said, “We have a very active turtle season here....Mothers are 30 years old before they can come to nest. And if there are lights on or you know, noise or holes or anything that, that could hamper them nesting they will turn around and go back to the ocean.”

Both Lutz and Ritchie say they want enforcement of the ordinance to include warnings and education about what needs to be done instead of just giving out fines.

The rules impact homeowners, property owners, property managers and renters.

Ritchie says, "the guests can receive a citation. The property manager can receive a citation, as well as the owner.”

According to Ritchie at least five violations led to convictions in court last year. Those convictions came with a $500 fine.

However, Ritchie says all of those convicted have fixed up their homes to comply. And many more warnings were given.

Lutz tells us it's not necessarily locals who violate the ordinance, "in fact the majority of our issues most years tend to be with the rental properties because they have new guests coming in every week that don’t know the rules. They may not be from the coastal areas.”

Lutz and Ritchie say it's up to the owner or manager of the property to inform any guests about the rules of the beach.

Some of the injured turtles find their way to the South Carolina Aquarium.

Cait Crosby, the Senior Sea Turtle Biologist tells us, "any sea turtle that is found on our coastlines or in our waterways is brought to us the by the South Carolina Department of Resources Marine turtle program."

Crosby says it's important to keep turtle movement during the night free of artificial factors if possible.

Crosby and the Folly Beach officials say compliance can start now, months away from May and there are tips to handle the situation while walking the beach this Summer.

"If you're going to be out on a beach, a sea turtle nesting beach specifically, you want to have a red flashlight. with you if you can. Or a red filter on your cellphone," says Crosby.

Meanwhile Lutz has several tips that should be followed to get your property ready:

"After 10 pm during turtle season they have to have lights out or they have options for shading on the interior of the windows, blinds. They make special blinds you can use to black it out, or you can actually switch to low wattage bulbs, similar to like a bug type bulb.”