Public comment urges town to expand paid parking, convert hotel rooms for workforce housing and consider policing options

During the public-comment period, resident John Floyd addressed council with three community concerns: paid beach parking, workforce housing and policing.

Floyd said he supported the town's new paid beach parking program and suggested that a new parking lot under construction (referred to in his remarks as the Enchiladas lot) should also be designated as paid parking since the town is creating the facility. He compared local paid rates favorably to neighboring barrier islands and said the town's $3-per-hour, $15-per-day structure seemed reasonable.

On workforce housing, Floyd asked about the town's progress toward converting underutilized hotel rooms to long-term workforce housing. He said hotel rooms already have utilities and on-site management and argued conversions might be preferable to other temporary housing options. Floyd acknowledged there may be code constraints on minimum unit sizes.

On public safety, Floyd asked whether the town is studying the feasibility of a dedicated Hilton Head Island police force and suggested the council consider whether funding additional deputies in the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office would be more efficient than creating a separate municipal force with associated administrative costs.

Council members did not provide a detailed response during the public-comment period; the town manager later moved to executive session on agenda items listed under item 10. Floyd's comments were recorded as a single, three-minute public comment and are part of the meeting record.