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ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Organizers announced changes Friday for the LOWVELO fundraising event due to inclement weather.

The annual cycling event raises funds for cancer research. But rain and gusty winds associated with a coastal storm will pose a threat during the event Saturday morning.

“I’m disappointed in the weather, but I’m really excited about what everyone is doing to fight cancer,” said MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Director Dr. Raymond N. DuBois. “Raising money for lifesaving cancer research is an overarching effort that far exceeds the weather. We appreciate everyone’s support.”

The event is still on: Those who signed up for the two longer routes, 57 and 100 miles, can switch to the 43-mile route that leaves from the Isle of Palms rather than Hagood Stadium at The Citadel.

“Unfortunately, expected high winds tomorrow means it’s unsafe to go over the Ravenel Bridge,” organizers said.

The 43-mile route will leave from the Isle of Palms at 8:30 a.m. and go out to Bethel AME Church and then return to the Isle of Palms. It will require riders to cross the Isle of Palms Connector going out and on the return ride back. “The first call for this ride will be at 8 a.m.,” said organizers.

“Our shorter ride still will leave from the Isle of Palms. Riders may choose to do one or two laps of it. The start time for that – whether you are doing one or two laps – will be 9 a.m. with riders needing to be off that course by 11 a.m.The first call for riders on that route will be 8:30 a.m. “

You can also choose to join a stationary cycling class held under a covered tent or participate virtually.

Riders are encouraged to dress for the chilly, windy weather in the morning, and all riders must wear a helmet.

Isle of Palms parking options:

Option 1 – please park in the Isle of Palms County Park 1 14th Ave Isle of Palms, SC 29451

Option 2: Municipal Lot B Public Parking 1490 Ocean Blvd Isle of Palms, SC 29451

All volunteers should report to the Isle of Palms venue. The LOWVELO team will reassign you a post if you were scheduled to work at Hagood.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Dead jellyfish are lining the sand along Lowcountry beaches and now many are wondering what’s causing the problem.

Dozens of dead jellyfish have been spotted both in water and along the sand at the beach on the Isle of Palms raising the question for beach goers: why are so many washing up? Experts say it’s not completely unusual.

“Yesterday we saw maybe four or five,” said a beach goer.

Experts say the jellyfish showing up are ‘Cannonball Jellyfish’. They’re a more mild type of the species than the ones that generally sting people.

The flowy creatures by nature begin showing up in waters off the coast of Charleston as the weather and water warms up.

“They really rely on wind and water currents to and tide to move them horizontally through the water,” says Erin Weeks, a Media Coordinator with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s Marine Division.

Weeks says Cannonball Jellyfish stranding’s are common May through August, particularly after storms.

“So anytime we see periods of strong onshore winds or storms offshore that would cause currents pushing jellyfish onto the beaches we’ll see stranding’s,” says Weeks.

Weeks says while the purple and clear blobs are fun to look at, they should be left alone if encountered on the beach.

“They are typically considered harmless to humans, if you do get stung by them it’ll be mild it’s more like a skin irritation,” says Weeks.

And while this type of jellyfish showing up on the Isle of Palms are mainly harmless. Weeks says other types of jellyfish packing stronger stings have also been known to call the Carolina coast home.

“So if you’re not able to identify the jelly in the water or on the beach it’s best just to avoid them because actually dead jellyfish can still sting you after they’ve been beached,” says Weeks.

Weeks says the Department of Natural Resources does not require sightings of Cannonball Jellyfish to be reported. They say beach goers can expect to stranding’s from time to time over the next several months.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCIV) — The South Carolina Professional Firefighters Association said the wages for the Isle of Palm Fire Department are not high enough.

The city of Isle of Palms said the lowest paid firefighter earns $12.55 an hour.

"They are not paying well. And they are not paying down the road, people are realizing it," said William Pesature, Vice President of the SC Professional Firefighter Association.

Pesature said in the firefighting world you want to build a team that has experience, training and standing.

He said the Isle of Palms is not doing that for their firefighters and a change needs to be made when it comes to pay.

He said the department has two problems: no fire chief for the last eight months and the firefighter pay rate.

"You should be able to afford a decent wage for your firefighters so that they want to stay there. If you have one of the richest cities in the state, and you are not taking care of your first responders? What's going to happen to your in an emergency situation?" he said.

Pesature said the issue should concern taxpayers on the island because when someone leaves the department the city has to pay to train a new employee.

"Training is very expensive. Because they have to pay for a person to go to school and then when they are supposed to be in the fire house (and) they have to pay someone overtime to cover their spot to maintain the standards of staffing," he said.

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ABC News 4 reached out to the city for comment. Desiree Farago, the city administrator said in part, "The City is in the process of finalizing a wage and compensation analysis with the goal of identifying market based and competitive wages for all City positions. We expect the report and recommendations for adjustments will be in place before the end of the year."

"We have also collected feedback from every member of the fire department regarding how we reward high performance and increase wages throughout their tenure with the city that will be incorporated into new compensation policies," John Moye, an IOP councilman, said.

Moye said the consultant's leading the wage compensation plan should be presenting to council sometime in September.

ISLE OF PALMS — The city will recognize a man affectionately known as Beach Santa this week for his efforts in keeping the coast clean and bringing attention to the litter crisis plaguing beaches and waterways.

Howard Hogue will receive the Isle of Palm’s Signal 30 Award at a city council meeting on July 27. The award is given on a limited basis with the approval of the city council for special citizen service.

Hogue, of Moncks Corner, has become a staple on the beach at the Isle of Palms. He is known for his big white beard and is often seen wearing red swimming trunks and a red muscle shirt as he walks along the shore with a litter grabber and bucket.

He picks up litter as he walks and regularly stops to take pictures and talk with beachgoers.

From the summer of 2018 to the end of May 2021, Hogue documented collecting more than 55,000 litter and debris items from the Isle of Palms Beach and more than 75,000 items from the streetscape and parking lots in the island’s Front Beach commercial district.

But his cleanup efforts expand farther than the Isle of Palms and includes other parts of the Charleston region, too. It is believed that he has collected more than 425,000 litter items across the Lowcountry.

“Beach Santa has done an incredible service by helping to keep our island beautiful and protect the coastal ecosystem and public health from pollution,” said Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll in a news release.

Carroll said Hogue is an inspiration and great role model, and he thanks him for his volunteer efforts.

Susan Hill Smith, a city councilwoman and the Isle of Palms Cleanup Crew co-founder, said the 425,000-plus items collected by Hogue was done with “a twinkle in his eye.”

“This kind crusader gladly talks with those on the beach who ask about what he’s doing, ready to share a message for all who will listen about the importance of doing our part to protect the environment and shared public spaces,” Hill said.

To help prevent some of the beach litter, Isle of Palms began restricting smoking on the beach and beach access points in 2020, plus prohibited single-use retail plastic bags, plastic straws, balloons, and Styrofoam coolers, cups and food containers.

Hogue is continuing to document his litter sweeps and anticipates exceeding half a million litter items by the end of 2021.

To the public, a future plan for beach parking on Isle of Palms may as well be buried in the sand.

Isle of Palms City Council members this month spent 246 minutes — or four hours and six minutes — behind closed doors receiving legal advice about how to proceed in negotiations with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, according to a review of Isle of Palms City Council meetings.

In the process, Isle of Palms City Council also might have violated the state’s open meetings law, which is meant to ensure transparency in government.

Area residents, hopeful beach-goers and at least one council member say the lack of transparency is eroding public trust in how Isle of Palms is handling beach parking, as tourism season quickly approaches.

The hours council members spent in executive session this month come after the state Department of Transportation revoked its previous approval of the barrier island’s 2015 parking plan.

The plan had largely banned nonresidents from using parking spaces on most streets near coveted beach access points. A Feb. 1 letter from Transportation Secretary Christy Hall sent to the mayor and council said the barrier island’s parking rules are potentially unconstitutional.

Isle of Palms, which is located across the Intracoastal Waterway from Mount Pleasant, has become the nexus of South Carolina’s beach parking drama that has sparked debates over who deserves access to state’s public sands.

The city is facing a lawsuit over its 2020 decision to temporarily block nonresidents from using more than 750 parking spots near the beach, leaving just 10 free spaces for visitors. A state bill about beach parking was drafted by state Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, with the barrier island’s actions in mind.

After four City Council meetings this month, local leaders have yet to openly discuss what parking options might look like, as temperatures in the Charleston area begin to tick back up and the busy summer season approaches.

Council had an opportunity to talk about the matter in detail on Tuesday, with beach parking scheduled as a public discussion item on its agenda.

Instead, council members deviated from their agenda, added previously-public items to their executive agenda and unanimously voted to go into executive session, which is held out of the public’s view.

One of those discussion items was the city’s managed beach parking plan.

South Carolina Press Association attorney Taylor Smith said it was inappropriate for Isle of Palms City Council to indicate an agenda item was going to be discussed in public and then not do so.

By law, the council should have taken a specific vote on changing the beach parking discussion item on its agenda, Smith said.

“That did not happen here,” Smith said. “The public was unable to learn what they could anticipate their public body going behind closed doors to discuss.”

Instead, the public was forced to wait.

Multiple attempts to reach Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll for comment were unsuccessful.

More than one-third of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, which lasted just shy of four hours, was spent in executive session. One council member could not hide his frustration as he prepared to enter the closed-door portion at 8:25 p.m. The meeting, held virtually, had started at 6 p.m.

“This is freakin’ ridiculous,” Councilman Ryan Buckhannon said moments before his video screen switched to black and an image of the city seal appeared on the meeting’s live-stream.

At 9:05 p.m., some 87 viewers were still watching the meeting on the city’s YouTube page. Andrea Schroder, 54, was one of them.

She has been following the issue of beach parking closely because the beach is more than a place to visit for her family.

“It grounds us. We have that to look forward to each week. People can run and scream as loud as they want to scream, throw sand, run up and down the beach and just let go,” she said.

Schroder and her husband are foster parents, and she said their family goes to the beach “weekly, if not several times a week.”

From her home in Mount Pleasant, Schroder kept the meeting’s live video playing on her cellphone as she put her kids to bed and did some laundry. She had hoped council would only be in executive session for 10 or 15 minutes.

It took 90 minutes.

“My husband and I, we were just watching and waiting — hoping they would give us something, and then we could at least know what the next steps need to be. But when they came back, it was so scripted,” Schroder said.

A motion made almost immediately after the council’s executive session — without any public discussion among council members — suggests city leaders are not throwing out their existing parking plan, despite state transportation officials’ criticism.

Councilman Randy Bell appeared to be reading the motion as he said it. “While affirming the current 2015 parking plan and subsequent amendments, we will continue to work with S.C. DOT to optimize available beach parking,” he said.

The motion received a quick second from Councilman Jimmy Ward and the mayor, who held up two fingers to signal he, too, had seconded the motion. Council then voted unanimously to adopt it without the agenda’s promised discussion.

When Schroder heard it, she had to go back and play it multiple times in the video, she said. She called it “a word salad.”

Reached by phone Wednesday to clarify what the motion meant, Bell said it was intended to uphold the city’s position that its 2015 parking plan remains “the valid ordinance” for the city.

“We affirmed the plan by a 9-0 vote that it is our plan of record. Now, that doesn’t mean we can’t add parking to it, and we are having constructive conversations with S.C. DOT about that,” Bell said.

Yet when Hall, the state transportation director, addressed City Council members Feb. 10 in a special meeting, she said the transportation department had made a mistake in approving the beach parking plan six years ago. She also said she did not believe the 2015 parking plan would be approved today.

When pressed about the confusion created by the city’s motion to keep supporting its 2015 parking plan and the rejection from transportation officials, Bell did not deny it.

“It can be very cryptic,” Bell said.

It has led to confusion and frustration this week among Charleston-area residents who watched Tuesday’s meeting thinking they would get a taste of what’s being discussed about beach parking.

“They say they’re going to work with S.C. DOT, but we haven’t heard any examples about how they want to work with them. They’re not giving us anything,” said Ellen Williams, a 47-year-old who lives in Mount Pleasant.

She watched the Isle of Palms City Council meetings this month and has grown tired of waiting for updates that never seem to come.

“It erodes the public trust in what they’re doing. I think the public deserves better communication, even if they can’t share legal counsel with the public,” Williams said.

Buckhannon, the councilman whose own frustrations were caught on a hot mic during Tuesday’s meeting, said he received multiple calls the day after the meeting. Many residents, he said, were upset.

“People want to be updated, to have a feeling of transparency and to know what’s going on. They want to know this is where the city stands, this is what we’ve done and this is what we’re doing,” Buckhannon said. “With any corporation or in any type of job, that’s the best way to operate, and I think that was taken away from the residents Tuesday night.”

He also said it wasn’t the first time a meeting took a turn from its stated agenda.

During the Feb. 10 special meeting, Buckhannon said he was under the impression that council would get to ask Hall some questions after her presentation.

“It was all the sudden moved into executive session to discuss that. I don’t get it,” Buckhannon said. “We have the secretary of transportation in front of us, which doesn’t happen very often. Why are we not afforded the opportunity to ask questions?”

In a statement provided to The State newspaper Thursday evening, Isle of Palms city administrator Desirée Fragoso said the city is working with Hall and the S.C. DOT team on “a unified strategy to optimize parking and traffic for beach visitors and residents.”

She added, “We expect to share a joint plan within the next month.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2021 8:54 AM.