Commercial Electrician in Isle of Palms, SC

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – The ribbon was cut early Tuesday morning on the newly renovated Isle of Palms Marina market, The Outpost.

Michael Shuler, whose company took over the lease for the Isle of Palms Marina store months ago, said the new shop will offer a “little bit of everything” whether you are a local or visitor.

“It’s got exactly what you need at a marina. It’s part convenience store, part boutique, part kitchen- and it’s convenient, it’s quick, it’s easy whether you come by boat or by vehicle, it’s a little something for everyone,” he said following Tuesday’s opening celebration.

Isle of Palms city leaders and residents gathered for the ribbon cutting. Shuler promised that although the business is open, it will remain a work in progress. “We’re not stopping now. We’re listening, we’re going to keep getting this right,” he said.

Shuler said he’s been coming to the Isle of Palms Marina since he was a child and understands its significance to the community.

“This place is very important to me. I think what we’ve done here is going to give us another forty years of fun times at the Isle of Palms Marina and we welcome everyone to come enjoy it with us,” he added.

After obtaining the lease earlier this year, Shuler’s team went to work renovating the space and reconfiguring the parking lot to make it more efficient. Inside, you’ll find the ship store, a deli, and plenty of opportunities to pick up a souvenir.

“We dove right in,” said Shuler. “We knew that we had a renovation on our hands so we tried our best to get it done and make sure we could open and serve the public this summer.”

The Outpost is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

“We’ve got to be here to meet the needs of people first thing in the morning when they are out fishing with the sunrise and we’ve got to meet the needs of people when they are coming back off the boat in the evenings,” said Shuler.

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.

Isle of Palms residents are taking action and want to show how many people support limiting the number of investment short-term rentals on the island.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Isle of Palms residents are taking action and want to show how many people support limiting the number of investment short-term rentals on the island.

Catherine Malloy and Brian Duffy have lived on the island for nearly 30 years. Duffy is a former city council member who worked to create occupancy limits for rentals when he was in office.

“What’s happened is there’s been this proliferation of real estate investment funds that are now beginning to focus on residential communities for short-term rentals as a return on their investment. Well, that’s not what we’re about,” Duffy says.

He and Malloy stress that while they welcome a balance of short-term rentals and residents but don’t want one to overpower the other. Malloy says there is a beauty to the neighborhoods that deserve to be protected.

“We love watching the kids get off the bus because right now we have a lot more families than we used to have. So, you see the kids getting off the bus, watch the kids with their fishing poles going down to the marina since we live closer to the marina, and you see them on their skateboards and basically that really thrills us,” Malloy says.

According to the city in mid-March of 2023, Isle of Palms has 1,777 total units with short-term rental licenses. That number is 89% investment short-term rentals and 11% owner occupied. The petition would limit investment STRs to 1,600 and would not affect owner occupied properties or applications. That means the 195 resident rentals would not be included in the total and residents can still apply. The remaining 1,582 investment rentals would be allowed to exist, and the cap would begin at 1,600 licenses.

“The state allows 72 days without losing your 4% tax status. So that is not to be affected by this. So, this is really to control those short-term rental licenses for the investors,” Duffy explains.

Councilman Blair Hahn is one of five representatives who voted against a cap, in favor of monitoring the current rentals.

“But we only are showing a little over 1200 of those licenses as being active. And so, what council decided to do is monitor the situation. Let’s look at it again and six months and let’s see where we are instead of having a knee jerk reaction,” Hahn says.

He believes enforcing traffic laws and noise ordinance rules will preserve quality of life on the island.

“We just don’t see it as something that we need to take action today. We would rather just wait and monitor the situation and if we have to take action at some time in the future, we’ll certainly take that up with council,” Hahn says.

Mayor Phillip Pounds also voted against a cap and in favor of monitoring and enforcement. He says the city’s budget for this year includes a short-term rental coordinator position and two additional enforcement officers to the city’s current one. He also says all licenses need to be renewed by May 1 of each year.

“This renewal cycle will give us a good sense for how many licenses are really out there, how many license we’re going to renew, how many people just want to grant a license last year because we were talking about moratoriums or caps or changes. So, I think, you know, part of this STR coordinator position and these other compliance positions are look at the data, make sure we have good data,” Pounds explains.

He says, once those roles are in place and the renewal process is complete, the city will have a better idea of the short-term rental scope and impact. He says if a petition comes before the council, he will gladly consider its contents.

“That’s the beauty of the democratic process. Quite honestly, you know, council voted one way if there’s enough citizens that want to put a petition together and bring it back to council will have - we’re obligated obviously to take a look at that,” Pounds says.

Councilman Scott Pierce is one of the four members who was in the minority of the 5-4 council vote. He voiced his support for maintaining a balance and advocated for a new position in the city to handle the short-term rental market.

“My wife Jenny and I, we chose the Isle of Palms because of the Healthy Mix and community between short term rentals which are you know, a lot of a lot of fun. And activity on the island, permanent residents and part time residents and the businesses that were located here. So, it was a great mix,” Pierce says.

He says since then, he has seen the increase in rentals and heard the concerns from his neighbors. Pierce says he thinks 1,600 is a reasonable limit and it’s something he would support if the ordinance makes its way before council.

“The nonresident licenses are at about 1,570. The limitation that was being proposed is at 1,600. So nobody’s trying to take anything away from it. As a matter of fact, there was actually headroom in the proposal that I saw. So that is a critical piece of information,” Pierce explains.

Pounds says short-term rentals are top of mind for leaders and they do generate revenue for the island.

“Not that that drives every decision you make, but it keeps our tax rate really low. So, it’s a delicate balance for sure. And I know we need a balance of businesses and rentals and full-time residents and second homes,” Pounds says. “Council makes a decision, citizens don’t like it. They can put together a petition, get the right numbers, bring it back to council and you know if it winds up being a referendum great. I mean, again, that’s just how the process works.”

Duffy says people can expect to see the grassroots process come through their neighborhood soon. He and others who live on the island have worked out walking paths and contact systems they are about to deploy to get in touch with as many people as possible to figure out their stance.

“Look forward to some of your neighbors knocking on the door to see if you are interested in signing the petition. Because this is what gives every resident a voice in their government,” Duffy says.

For the citizen petition to appear before council as a considered ordinance, the petition must get verified signatures from 33% of the current population, which is about 700 signatures. The county would be tasked with verifying the signatures and then the item could appear before council.

Click here to learn more about the petition.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ISLE OF PALMS — Islanders here may have to learn to live with the resident coyotes as shooting the species is illegal on the island, and trapping is the only other option.

Officials don’t know exactly how many coyotes live on Isle of Palms, but most of them linger near the Wild Dunes area.

Twelve sightings were documented so far this year. And 59 were counted in 2022, according to Ryan Warren, an animal control officer on the island.

But the invasive predators have a presence in each of the state’s counties. The species is extremely adaptable and detrimental to deer, turkey and other native animals.

Between 20,000-25,000 coyotes are taken annually in the state.

Summertime is when Isle of Palms animal control officers get the most calls about coyote sightings. Visitors often report the coyotes because they don’t realize the animals are residents on the island, Warren said Feb. 22 at a meeting on how to deal with the animals.

“We’re definitely pushing for people to call more,” Warren said. “So maybe that might be why we have more sightings or maybe there’s more out there.”

The city tries to alert residents and visitors of the animals through its website and occasionally on Facebook. And Warren said they will consider adding signs in the area, too.

Coyote dens might be spotted in a number of locations.

In flat areas like Isle of Palms, it is common to see a den dug up under roots of a fallen tree, in brush areas and on the sides of banks, according to Jay Butfiloski, the furbearer coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources.

The animals are also known to wander in the dunes on the beach here.

In 2021, a 2-year-old Boykin Spaniel was attacked by four coyotes in the sand dunes on Isle of Palms.

Also in 2021, a Mount Pleasant man said coyotes were to blame for the death of two of his cats in the fenced Sandpiper Point II neighborhood.

Missing or deceased pets are good indicators that coyotes could be nearby.

Officials believe the coyotes on Isle of Palms could be coming from Mount Pleasant and other areas.

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms is not a barrier for the animals, as they can easily cross it, Butfiloski said.

He recommends people do a number of things to protect themselves and their pets from coyotes.

First, people should keep pets on short leashes and don’t leave them unattended outside where coyotes are known to roam the area.

Habitat management can be considered as a control method, too, Butfiloski said.

Clearing out brush in areas that are highly traveled, like in parks and even yards, could prove beneficial. It will reduce the habitat for the small mammals that coyotes prey on and also prevent them from hiding.

The biggest issues with coyotes in developed areas is typically food and trash-related, though. People are encouraged not to leave food outdoors for feral cats, pets or other wild animals.

“That allows a free meal, it allows them (coyotes) to kind of get habituated to people, and that’s where things get to be a problem,” he said.

While more calls come in about coyote sightings on the Isle of Palms during tourist season, statewide coyote sightings are typically higher in the wintertime, partly due to vegetation, lost foliage and increased breeding activities and movements.

There tends to be a decrease in sightings in the summer when the animals are pup rearing.

“When the pups are young, they’re like kids. They don’t care if they’re very visible whenever a den is nearby,” Butfiloski said. “But it might not be an indicator (that) you’ve got a whole bunch more.”

No hunting license or permit is required in South Carolina for people to shoot coyotes on their property within 100 yards of the home. But local municipalities may have other regulations.

Night hunting is permitted on registered properties or with a depredation permit. Trapped coyotes may not be relocated.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Two women visiting the Isle of Palms recounted the frightening moment when they witnessed a child at the bottom of the pool at a local resort.

Tiffany Ross and Abby Ham have spent the last few days vacationing with their families at the Wild Dunes Resort.

The ladies said they were at the Sweetgrass Inn pool on Wednesday when they noticed a panicked mother looking for her child. The family jumped into action immediately and called the child’s name.

“A dad spotted him at the bottom of the pool and jumped in and picked him up and put him on the side of the pool,” Ham told News 2.

Ham said her husband and another bystander began performing CPR on the child. According to officials with the Isle of Palms Fire Department, they responded just before 5:30 pm. They provided treatment before the child was taken to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital for further evaluation.

The families said the situation was unlike anything they had seen before.

“I think that was the most shocking thing. There’s not a lot of chaos, there’s not a lot of commotion. He was just down there,” Ross said.

Signs around the pool indicate there is no lifeguard on duty, but Ham said she was left wondering if the resort has a medically trained staff member ready for incidents like that – and if they do, where were they?

“I feel like when you have that many children in one location there should be some kind of medical personnel. If it’s not lifeguards, it should be a medic on staff that could be at the ready if something were to happen,” Ham suggested.

The situation served as a reminder about the realities of drowning.

“This can happen to any family. And I think it’s terrifying to even envision, but it can happen, and it can happen fast,” Ham said.

News 2 went inside the Sweetgrass Inn to talk to management. A staff member said they were not able to provide information.

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