Criminal Defense Attorney inSeabrook Island, SC

SEABROOK ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - An ongoing battle over short-term rentals is brewing on Seabrook Island, where homeowners say uncontrolled growth of properties is affecting their quality of life.

Homeowners Ted Flerlage and Paul McLaughlin said although they do not want to end short-term rentals on the island, the effects of recent growth have prompted them to call for a cap on short-term rentals.

“If you come here in July, around July Fourth, as a resident walking out boardwalk one, let’s say, to north beach, there’s no space, and that is a rental issue,” Flerlage, who has lived on the island since March 2020, said. “That is a noise issue. It is a parking issue because every spot on the limited parking area is taken.”

The two homeowners have spearheaded the Preserve Seabrook effort. A letter sent to residents as part of the effort says concerns “center on the uncontrolled growth of short-term rentals, especially on streets where there are many full-time and private residential properties.”

“We aim to retain a reasonable offering of properties that can be rented by guests who love to visit and vacation on our beautiful island, while ensuring Seabrook does not gradually morph into a resort community,” the letter states. “We believe adding a cap on the number of resort properties on Seabrook would protect the unique qualities of our island while allowing revenue generated through rental properties to continue to flow back to the town through state and county accommodation taxes that the renters pay.”

Over 300 residents have signed a petition to cap the number of short-term rentals on the island, according to McLaughlin.

The petition seeks a single question on the Nov. 2, 2021 ballot that asks if voters support:

“Seabrook, when I bought here in 2002 and built our house here in 2009, it was more like ‘Cheers,’” McLaughlin said. “Everybody knew your name. Now, with the influx of 500 rental properties and growing, it’s changed a lot, and the quality of life on the island has changed a lot.”

Seabrook Island Mayor John Gregg said a petition from those calling for a cap has been sent to a committee, which will conduct a factual inquiry and then report to town council with recommendations.

“The object for the ad hoc committee was to identify inquiries of factual matters that could inform council as it considers whether or not it is warranted to do further regulation,” Gregg said.

The mayor added that to operate a short-term rental on the island, homeowners need to have a business license and a permit from the town.

McLaughlin and Flerlage said they welcome the data-driven effort but want more communication from the town and to work with them on a solution.

“Our question to them: What is the tipping point? If 500 isn’t the tipping point, is it 600? Is it 700? Is it 800? So, in the meantime, we need to figure it out,” McLaughlin said. “We need to halt what’s going on. Everybody keeps what they currently have, and we study the problem, and we figure out what the solution would be. We don’t make the problem worse while continuing to study it.”

“These are people who live in South Carolina and vote in South Carolina who live on the island and vote on the island,” Flerlage said. “These are the people who are their direct constituents – the people who vote for the mayor and the town council. It’s more than 300 of those people who signed up, which is nearly as many as who voted for them in the last election on Nov. 2, and in our opinion, there has been no communication and we’ve been getting fairly short-tripped on the issue.”

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A French-inspired restaurant is adding a fourth location in the Lowcountry while a new Mediterranean-themed diner is now open and another is on the way.

Saveurs du Monde Café plans to open in mid-March in the former McCann’s Irish Pub at 1001 Landfall Way on Seabrook Island, according to restaurant CEO Thierry Chateau.

“We will serve breakfast, lunch and diner in a casual atmosphere — French-inspired, of course,” he said.

It will be open 7:30 a.m.-11 p.m. with a band on Fridays. Alcoholic beverages, including local draft beers, will be offered.

Chateau’s three other café sites include two in Mount Pleasant in Belle Station and Seaside Farms and in Charleston in the WestEdge development on the peninsula.

Now serving

A new South Florida-based restaurant chain that plans to have four locations in the Lowcountry is now serving diners with its first South Carolina location on James Island.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opened Feb. 14 at 1417 Folly Road in the Publix-anchored Riverland Market Shopping Center.

Another location is coming to northern Mount Pleasant in The Bend at Carolina Park, a retail center of five buildings across the street from Costco.

The new Charleston-area locations are owned and operated by franchisee Scott Willis and his family.

The menu includes homegrown recipes and traditional gyros along with lamb, steak and chicken souvlaki platters. The new location is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.

On the way

Also in the realm of Mediterranean fare, a restaurant chain based in the nation’s capital is in the works for the Charleston area.

Cava is set to open later this year in the former Zoë’s Kitchen space at 1242 Belk Drive in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

The Washington, D.C.-based company also plans to open its second South Carolina location in Greenville. Opening dates have not been announced for either location.

What’s cooking?

A fast-food chicken restaurant chain is adding a second location in Moncks Corner.

Bojangles plans to build a 2,858-square-foot dining venue at 2605 Highway 52 in Foxbank Town Center near Waffle House and Parker’s Kitchen convenience store. An opening timeframe has not been announced.

The chicken chain currently has 11 locations in the Charleston area.

The new restaurant will be close to a previously announced Dunkin’ donut shop.

Kickin’ Chicken recently opened on Charleston’s upper peninsula and will begin serving lunch at 11 a.m. on weekends starting Feb. 19.

The restaurant at 45 Romney St. offers evening service starting at 3 p.m. each day.

“We will expand our hours to include weekday lunches when staffing allows,” co-owner Chip Roberts said.

Plans are in the works to add a covered patio area as well. Construction should be completed by the spring, Roberts said.

Gassing up

A convenience store and gas station is in the works in the Johns Island area.

A 4,940-square-foot store with a canopied fueling station is being proposed on Main Road at McLernon Trace near Marsh View Trace Apartments. Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurant is to the south about one block.

The development is referred to as McLernon Trace Fuel Station. Site plans do not indicate the brand of fuel.

Now open

Two new dining concepts now serving in downtown Charleston will celebrate their grand openings with entertainment at 7 p.m. Feb. 17.

Uptown Hospitality Group, an offshoot of New York bar and restaurant group Eat Drink & Be Merry Hospitality, launched Bodega and Share House at 23 Ann St. on Feb. 15.

The two venues are set up in an 8,000-square-foot former train depot with large garage doors that open onto a block-long pedestrian walkway between Ann and John streets.

Bodega, which started as a pop-up in 2020 in the group’s Uptown Social venue on King Street, offers New York-style sandwiches and charcuterie while Share House brings a coastal cantina vibe with snacks and sliders on the menu. Alcoholic beverages also are available.

Uptown Hospitality Group is a product of New York transplants Keith Benjamin, Kara Graves, Bryn Kelly, Brian Dodd, Kat Moore and chef Alec Gropman.

“Although we are still under the Eat Drink & Be Merry umbrella, we felt it was important to develop a local brand with its own identity,” said Benjamin, group co-founder and senior operating partner.

Bodega will be open 7 a.m.-2 a.m. each day while operating hours for Share House will be 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday and noon-2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Art walk

A Kiawah Island retail center is looking to welcome spring a bit early with an annual outdoor event.

The Art Walk is set for 4-7 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Harris Teeter-anchored Freshfields Village Shopping Center at the end of Betsy Kerrison Parkway.

Residents and visitors can watch live art demonstrations and view works from local and visiting artists in participating retail shops while enjoying live jazz music during the free event.

For more details, go to freshfieldsvillage.com/event/art-walk-2022.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 13, 2022) –The Medical University of South Carolina Foundation has received a commitment of $1 million from the Town of Kiawah Island in support of MUSC Health’s Sea Islands Medical Pavilion.

“We are grateful to the Town of Kiawah for its major investment in our mission and their ongoing partnership to help us enable the right care, in the right place and at the right time,” said David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, MUSC president. “This donation will make a significant difference as we seek to improve the well-being of the Sea Islands community, expand access to appropriate care, and bolster connectivity to the state’s only comprehensive academic health system when patients require the most complex care.”

The donation has been designated for a healing, restful green space and garden immediately adjacent to the new facility. Construction on the Sea Islands project is expected to begin in early 2022 and conclude in fall 2023.

“The Town is proud to invest in MUSC's Sea Islands Medical Pavilion and excited about the emergent care services it will provide to Kiawah, Seabrook, Johns and Wadmalaw Islands, and the broader community,” said Town of Kiawah Mayor John D. Labriola. “Our geography has always been a challenge and concern. This new facility will make a crucial difference in life-threatening emergencies and provide the Sea Island communities with greater ease of mind. We are grateful to MUSC for their pursuit of this project, to Kiawah Partners for donating the land, and to the other community partners who have made this possible.”

During the next five years, double digit population growth is anticipated in the Sea Islands community. This growth, along with the islands' geographic isolation, demographics, and community health profiles, has created an urgent need for additional health care services in this part of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The area also accommodates a large seasonal population of tourists, many of whom have trouble navigating local health care services.

To meet this growing need, MUSC Health is building a new medical facility on Johns Island in the immediate vicinity of Kiawah and Seabrook islands. The facility will provide residents and visitors alike with convenient and rapid access to MUSC Health’s emergency care services, select outpatient services, and some of the nation’s top providers in primary and specialty care.

“People living in this area have to travel 30 or 45 minutes to reach the nearest hospital, sometimes more depending on traffic. That’s a big problem for someone having a stroke or cardiac event,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and vice president for Health Affairs, University. “This new facility brings that care directly into the community. We’re extremely grateful to the Town of Kiawah and Kiawah Partners for helping to make that possible.”

The project was made possible in part by Kiawah Partners, which donated six acres of land to the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUSC Health), valued at $4.85 million. The project is estimated to cost $24 million. Of that amount, MUSC is working to raise $15 million in private support.

The 22,740-square-foot facility will be located at 1884 Seabrook Island Road, near Bohicket Marina. The ED will include four exam rooms, two trauma rooms, imaging and lab services and a helicopter pad. The medical office will offer primary and specialty care. A telemedicine network will connect the entire facility to MUSC Health providers in downtown Charleston for additional care and consultation, if needed.

In mid-June 2021, McMillan Pazdan Smith (MPS) was chosen to design the project. MPS is also one of two architectural firms working on designs for a new MUSC Health hospital in rural Williamsburg County.

Renderings of the Sea Islands medical pavilion are available upon request.

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About the MUSC Foundation

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Foundation was chartered in 1966 as a charitable educational foundation to support the education, research, patient care and other programs at the Medical University. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, contributions to which are tax-deductible.

Since its beginning, the MUSC Foundation has encouraged such worthwhile academic enterprises as endowed professorships; scholarships; the acquisition and development of campus facilities to serve student, teaching, research or clinical needs; and awards in honor of academic excellence. In addition, it has encouraged achievements in biomedical research.

The Foundation is governed by a 31-member board of directors. The president of the Medical University is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the board. Three members of the MUSC Board of Trustees also serve on the board. The remaining 27 at-large directors are not directly affiliated with the university. Five are alumni of MUSC. The foundation’s funds are invested and managed by professional money managers selected by the foundation’s Investment Committee. This committee uses a professional investment advisor to assist in evaluating its managers.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than $327.6 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2021, continuing to lead the state in obtaining federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safe patient care while training generations of compassionate, competent health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and five additional hospital locations in development, more than 300 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $4.4 billion. The nearly 24,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.

I was age 7, growing up on Johns Island, South Carolina, when a ruby-throated hummingbird showed up in our yard on a spring day and began flitting amongst the blooms in my mother’s garden.

For several minutes, I watched in fascination as the tiny bird zipped from flower to flower. It kept coming back over the next several days and I developed an attachment to it — as if it were returning just for me. From then on, I was a devoted bird lover. Now, some 70 years later, I have learned this lesson: Even seemingly everyday moments in nature can inspire a youngster to a lifelong commitment to conservation.

I tell this because four young neighbors on my street in Decatur have become hooked on birds — Ella Ballard, 11; Eden Ballard, 9; Declan Pease, 8; and Elias Parga-Tang, 7. Calling themselves Lil Birdie Rascals, they teamed up to compete in this year’s annual Youth Birding Competition (YBC) administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

In the event, birding teams of four youngsters each vie statewide by age group to find the highest number of birds within 24 hours — without help from the adults chaperoning them. The Lil Birdie Rascals tallied 33 species in or near our neighborhood, earning them the award for Top Rookie Team in the Elementary Division. They also received the Top Fundraising award for raising $735 to expand bird habitat at a neighborhood church.

Their 24-hour count started on my backyard deck overlooking woods along Burnt Fork Creek. They were thrilled right off when a red-shouldered hawk landed in the creek to take a bath, which Elias said was his favorite part of the count. Eden said her favorite part was seeing all of the biodiversity around a lake, including fish and turtles; Declan’s favorite was a close-up view of a mallard mother with two ducklings. For Ella, it was the total of 33 species — when her team’s goal was 25.

As Tim Keyes, the DNR’s coordinator for the YBC, noted: “This event always gives me great hope for the future of birding and conservation.”

IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this weekend at about 60 meteors per hour in the eastern sky. The moon will be first quarter on Sunday. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (rising around midnight) are all low in the east a few hours before sunrise.

Residents to gain access to critical health care services closer to home

The project is made possible in part by a commitment from Kiawah Partners to donate six acres of land to the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUSC Health). MUSC Health will build a free-standing emergency department (ED) and medical office on the land, which has been valued at $4.85 million.

“After seven years of working side by side with MUSC to bring this important project to fruition, we could not be prouder to donate the six acres of land needed for the development and to continue our partnership with the MUSC team,” said Chris Randolph, Kiawah Partners. “This new facility will bring vitally important world-class medical care to Kiawah, Seabrook and the Sea Islands residents, which will only add to the exceptional experience that comes with living here.”

The 22,740-square-foot facility will be located at 1884 Seabrook Island Road, near Bohicket Marina. The ED will include four exam rooms, two trauma rooms, imaging and lab services and a rooftop helicopter pad. The medical office will offer primary and specialty care.

A telemedicine network will connect the entire facility to MUSC Health providers in downtown Charleston for additional care and consultation, if needed.

“People living in this area have to travel 30 or 45 minutes to reach the nearest hospital, sometimes more depending on traffic. That’s a big problem for someone having a stroke or cardiac event,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and vice president for Health Affairs, University. “This new facility brings that care directly into the community. We’re extremely grateful to Kiawah Partners for helping to make that possible.”

The project is estimated to cost $24 million. Of that amount, MUSC is working to raise $15 million in private support.

In mid-June, McMillan Pazdan Smith (MPS) was chosen to design the project. MPS is also one of two architectural firms working on designs for a new MUSC Health hospital in rural Williamsburg County.

Construction on the Sea Islands project is expected to begin in early 2022 and conclude in fall 2023.

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About MUSC Health

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 2,000 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eleven hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Fairfield, Florence, Kershaw, Lancaster, Marion and Richland counties. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

Founded in 1824, MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 20,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.