Alliance endorses uniform beach rules in Myrtle Beach area
Alliance endorses uniform beach rules in Myrtle Beach area
Measures now in hands of cities, county for approval
By Dawn Bryant
dbryant@thesunnews.com
Beachgoers would have restrictions on where and when they could set up beach tents if area cities and Horry County approve a proposal endorsed Wednesday by a group of area mayors.
Rules for tents were among the 23 proposed beach regulations the Coastal Alliance endorsed Wednesday, aiming to make rules the same along all Grand Strand beaches, "so if you cross from one jurisdiction to another, you know what to expect," said Philip Cain, a beach patrol officer in Myrtle Beach who helped develop the proposed rules.
If approved, tents would not be allowed on the ocean side of the established umbrella line, couldn't be set up before 8 a.m. and must be down by 7 p.m., according to the proposal, which was patterned after the tent rules adopted last year in North Myrtle Beach.
The proposed regulation would solve problems that have emerged as the tents have become more popular, officials said. Beach patrol officers say the tents have nearly blanketed the beach in some areas, making it hard for lifeguards to see and emergency personnel to get around them.
"This is certainly going to be better than what we were dealing with in the past," said George Lack of Lack's Beach Lifeguards.
The Coastal Alliance, made up of area mayors and Horry County Council Chairman Tom Rice, doesn't have the power to set new beach rules, only endorse them. The members said they would take the proposal to their cities and county councils for consideration, aiming to have the new rules in place by the summer season. Representatives for North Myrtle Beach missed the meeting because they were in Columbia.
The group discovered that most of the rules are the same or similar, with the tents creating the most discussion. A committee of beach patrol officers, beach services officials and a campgrounds representative came up with the proposal that covers rules on the beach for topics including dogs, fireworks, fishing from the piers, sleeping on the beach and the tents.
Under the proposal, dogs would have to be on a hand-held leash that's not longer than 7 feet, but they wouldn't be allowed on the beach between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 1 through Labor Day. Horry County Beach Patrol officer Jack Stewart, who was part of the committee that came up with the proposed beach rules, has said he often gets calls from beachgoers asking whether dogs are allowed and if there are any regulations for them.
It will take at least a month before the proposed rules work their way through the government process, including the required votes for approval at multiple meetings.
"It is going to be picked apart by each council," Mayor Allen Deaton of Surfside Beach said.
Spreading the word about the regulations is crucial so tourists won't be surprised when they head to the beach this summer, alliance members and others said. Officials plan to update the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association so it can help, and they will urge the campgrounds and hotels to give out a list of beach rules at check-in or when they send confirmation of the reservation.
"It would save a lot of headaches for beach services and beach patrol," said Skeeter Nash, chairman of Myrtle Beach's Beach Advisory Committee, which will review the proposed rules before they go to the City Council.
Ocean Lakes Family Campground, one of the oceanfront campgrounds where tents have especially become crowded on the beach, included a blurb about potential changes to tent rules in the newsletter sent this week to 110,000 tourists who have and plan to stay there, said Lance Thompson of Ocean Lakes, who was on the committee that came up with the recommendations.
"We've kind of put them on notice," he said. "We told them a change is possibly coming."
