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Beaufort County Council schedules Sept. 16 executive-session presentations after lengthy public pleas to defend CPO
Summary
Public commenters from Saint Helena Island urged the council to defend the Community Protection Overlay and to acquire Pine Island; the council went into executive session and voted to hold a special Sept. 16 meeting for attorneys to present positions on Pine Island litigation, with Vice Chair McAllen dissenting.
Beaufort County Council agreed Sept. 9 to hold a special called meeting on Monday, Sept. 16 for attorneys in the Pine Island litigation to present their positions in executive session, after an evening of extended public comment urging the council to defend the Community Protection Overlay (CPO) and consider acquiring Pine Island for community use.
The action followed two sets of public comment. During the first public-comment block, Felice LaMarca of District 11 criticized the council’s appointment process for a District 11 transportation-committee seat, saying the council “usurped the people of District 11” by voting against her elected representative’s recommendation. Several other speakers raised Pine Island directly; Robert New asked, “Who’s the real owner of Pine Island? Majority owner has never been disclosed,” and urged the council to “settle this tonight” by refusing carve-outs to the CPO.
In a later public-comment period focused on Pine Island and the CPO, Teresa White, founder of the Pan African Family Empowerment and Land Preservation Network, credited community organizing for recent capacity-building on Saint Helena Island and said the network “stepped in to fill that gap.” Robert Adams, executive director of the Penn Center, told the council plainly, “Penn Center is not for sale,” and urged the body to continue defending the CPO. Inez Miller, speaking for CPO supporters on Saint Helena, appealed directly to the council: “Protect Saint Helena. Protect. Help us. Acquire Pine Island. Give it to Penn Center.”
After public comment the council moved into executive session under South Carolina law to receive legal advice on pending litigation (Pine Island Holdings LLC v. Beaufort County) and related contractual matters. Upon returning, Council member Cunningham moved to convene a special Sept. 16 meeting in which only the parties’ attorneys would present in executive session because the presentations relate to settlement discussions; Tabernick seconded the motion.
During discussion some members emphasized the need for all council members to hear the mediation material because not everyone attended the prior mediation. Vice Chair Lawrence McAllen opposed the special meeting. The clerk called the roll; the motion carried with a single No from Vice Chair McAllen and Yes votes from the remaining members present. The chair noted there “may be action” coming out of executive session after the presentations. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
What happens next: The council’s Sept. 16 special meeting will feature attorney presentations in executive session; whether the council takes public action after that session will depend on the content of those presentations.
