We Buy Estate Jewelry in Myrtle Beach, SC

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The North Myrtle Beach City Council is considering new measures to crack down on short-term rentals.

City staff presented a proposed ordinance to the council on Wednesday that would require owners of short-term rentals to apply for a permit annually.

It would also require owners to have a local responsible party assigned to their property, who could respond in a timely manner if guests were causing problems.

“It’s a privilege to do business, to use your house as a rental property,” Acting City Manager Ryan Fabbri said during the presentation. “But you’ve got to do it the right way, otherwise that luxury is taken away from you. We have no mechanism to do that now.

Fabbri said 1,700 of the 5,400 short-term rentals in North Myrtle Beach don’t have local responsible parties.

The city also wants to create a division of code enforcement dedicated solely to short-term rentals. The team would respond to disturbances and enforce permits, Fabbri said.

Rental management and enforcement staff would cost the city $700,000, according to Fabbri’s presentation.

Some guests staying in short-term rental units have given North Myrtle Beach residents issues in recent years.

Frank Farrington, who lives in the Windy Hill neighborhood of North Myrtle Beach, said he and his wife have witnessed short-term renters shooting fireworks, climbing on rooftops, and fighting.

“Short-term renters don’t seem to have the respect and care for the property that long-term renters would have,” Farrington said.

The city passed several ordinances related to short-term rentals in 2021, including restrictions on noise, limitations on parking, and increasing trash pickups for short-term rentals.

Having a local responsible party for every short-term rental unit is something the Chief Operating Officer of Elliott Beach Rentals Brandon Cox said would help improve the credibility of the rental industry.

“I think the real problem is unmanaged, unlicensed, out-of-town homeowners who are operating short-term rentals without that kind of oversight. I think professionalism is the answer here,” he said.

But Cox said members of the council shouldn’t lose sight of the positive impacts short-term rentals have on the city.

“A lot of the reason folks move to our area is because we have such a vibrant community with things to do, places to eat, and all of that is really made possible by visitors who chose to come to North Myrtle Beach.”

Fabbri laid out a timeline which has the city passing a short-term rental ordinance in April 2025 and launching a permitting site by August.

However, several members of the council noted that additional workshops will be needed to hash out the language of the ordinance and that the timeline is fluid.

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On Wednesday, United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Jeffrey Alan Benjamin to 12 months and one day in federal prison to be followed by a two year term of supervised release today per an email sent to MyrtleBeachSC News by Veronica Hill, Public Affairs Specialist with the United States Attorney’s Office.

Jeffrey Alan Benjamin must also pay a $100,000 fine.

Jeffrey Benjamin, aged 62, the last of the four criminals involved in the failed $9 billion V.C. Summer nuclear project, which resulted in the downfall of SCANA, a major electric utility in South Carolina. The project not only caused an increase in electric bills for customers but also shattered hopes for further development of clean energy in the state.

Jeffrey Benjamin was certainly the fall guy for Senator Luke Rankin, the Santee Cooper Board, and PURC (Public Utilities Review Committee).

The South Carolina Public Utilities Review Committee (PURC), also known as the Public Service Commission (PSC), regulates utilities in South Carolina. The PURC sets standards, regulations, and practices for public utilities in the state.

The lingering inquiry revolves around how Rankin and the Santee Cooper Board were unaware of the utility’s problems until the state suffered a loss of $9.8 billion. Why didn’t they reach out to Jeffrey Alan Benjamin at the first sign of concerns?

Even as the fall guy, Jeffery Benjamin got off easy.

As per federal sentencing laws, he may be eligible for early release, two months ahead of schedule, due to the sentence exceeding one year.

In 2017, SCANA’s unexpected shutdown of the V.C. Summer nuclear plant triggered a series of events. This closure resulted in the unemployment of approximately 4,000 individuals, initiated a lengthy FBI investigation, and culminated in the indictment of four high-ranking executives, including Benjamin.

South Carolina residents incurred a total expenditure of $9.8 billion due to the actions taken. The State of South Carolina is the owner of Santee Cooper, a publicly-owned utility company.

Under Rankin’s supervision, the Senate and S.C. State legislature have approved an increase of over 20% in electricity rates anticipated for this year.

No elected officials, including Senator Luke Rankin of South Carolina who leads the Senate Public Utilities Review Committee, will face imprisonment.

Jeffrey Alan Benjamin Sentenced – Rankin sticks SC Consumers with massive utility hikes

Rankin heads the Public Utilities Review Committee in the S.C. Senate.

Visits from Santa, South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities, Festive Dive Shows, and More Begin November 29

CHARLESTON, S.C. — November 20, 2024 — Beginning Friday, November 29, dive into South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities in Charleston, S.C. Guests will enjoy festive fun including visits from Santa, special animal programs and more. Kids can even drop off letters for Santa in the Aquarium’s North Pole mailbox and complete a scavenger hunt to receive a prize.

South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities

Dive shows featuring festive underwater elves will be happening daily within the deepest saltwater tank in North America, the Great Ocean Tank. Guests will encounter thousands of animals as they walk through galleries decorated for the South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities. Guests can also meet animals up close during daily animal encounters.

Santa will be at the Aquarium on weekends this December. Guests can reserve a time to meet Santa between 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on December 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. Guests wishing to meet Santa at the South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities must have a general admission ticket or member entry reservation to the Aquarium. Professional photos will be available for purchase.

Guests can “Feed the RAYndeer” in The Shallows as they give the cownose rays a fishy snack from 10:15 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, while supplies last. Feeding vouchers can be purchased for $5 at Admissions or the Information Desk.

Can’t wait to start having some Christmas fun? The evening South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities light spectacular, Aquarium Aglow, opens for select nights beginning Friday, November 21! Aglow features larger-than-life installations, festive photo ops and the opportunity to see Scuba Claus diving in the Great Ocean Tank! Grab your friends, the family, a date or treat yourself to an unforgettable holiday celebration this year. Aquarium Aglow is a family friendly event. Refreshments, including a selection of alcoholic beverages for those 21+, will be available for purchase.

And for those looking for South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities shopping ideas, check out the Aquarium’s Gifts that Give Back, a curated guide featuring items that are sustainable in nature and support the Aquarium directly. A portion of proceeds from every gift on the list goes directly toward fulfilling the Aquarium’s mission, including caring for sick and injured sea turtles, providing education programming for students and continuing critical conservation work throughout the state.

For more information on South Carolina Aquarium Christmas activities at the South Carolina Aquarium, visit scaquarium.org/holidays

Half of the hospitals in the Myrtle Beach area earned average and below-average grades in the newest report by Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit which has analyzed patient safety and care data for more than 20 years.

“Despite improvements seen in this fall’s Safety Grade, significant variation in performance remains across U.S. hospitals,” Leapfrog Group President and CEO Leah Binder said in a press release. “That’s why it’s so important for people to consult grades when making decisions about seeking care. All hospitals are not the same.”

To grade how well hospitals prevent medical errors, accidents and infections, Leapfrog evaluates publicly available safety data for more than 30 patient safety measures like infections, dangerous objects left in patients’ bodies and deaths from treatable serious complications.

With more than 40% of South Carolina hospitals scoring A grades, the Palmetto State tied with Colorado for the number 10 spot on the fall 2024 ranking of states with the highest rates of grade A facilities. Of the 52 South Carolina hospitals evaluated, 21 earned A grades, 14 earned B grades, 15 earned C grades and two earned D grades.

In the Myrtle Beach area, those scores were lower. One Grand Strand hospital scored an A grade, two scored B grades, two scored C grades and one scored a D grade.

Here’s how the fall 2024 report rated the six Myrtle Beach-area hospitals.

D GRADE

Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital

606 Black River Road, Georgetown, SC 29440-3304

C GRADE

Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital

4070 Highway 17 S., Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Conway Medical Center

300 Singleton Ridge Road, Conway, SC 29526-9175

B GRADE

McLeod Loris

3655 Mitchell St., Loris, SC 29569-9601

McLeod Seacoast

4000 Highway 9 E., Little River, SC 29566

A GRADE

Grand Strand Regional Medical Center

809 82nd Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572-4607

Ahead of the start of the Christmas season, luxury travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, released a list of “28 Cities That Go All Out For Christmas.”

Out of the 28 they wrote about, just two were from South Carolina.

The first was Charleston.

And the second was the Myrtle Beach area.

In Myrtle Beach’s entry, travel writer Caitlin Morton recommends seeing three different holiday-themed attractions in the area, including, North Myrtle Beach’s The Great Christmas Light Show, participating in the MarshWalk Santa Crawl in Murrells Inlet and watching Surfside Beach’s Yuletide Golf Cart Parade.

The Great Christmas Light Show will be open from Nov. 25 through Dec. 30 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., excluding Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, the city said. Prices start at $20 for standard vehicles on non-village nights, according to the city’s website.

For one night only, Santas and elves will take over the MarshWalk on Dec. 12 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Registration will take place at a table between Wahoo’s and Drunken Jack’s from 5 to 7 p.m. that day, organizers said on the event page.

Approximately one week later, Surfside Beach will host their Yuletide Golf Cart Parade on Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. Registration in order to qualify for prizes closes on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m., and the link can be found here.

One popular holiday attraction the article didn’t include is Brookgreen Gardens Nights of a Thousand Candles, which runs from Nov. 30 to Jan. 5. Tickets are $30 for adult members and $35 for non-members, according to their website.

To stay, Morton writes that visitors should book rooms at the oceanfront Island Vista Resort, located at 6000 N Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

She also points out Visit Myrtle Beach’s list for holiday sensory friendly activities for people of all ages, and Myrtle Beach’s wish to ensure Christmas is accessible for everyone.

Other southern cities that Morton included in her list included Nashville; New Orleans; St. Augustine, FL and Middleberg, VA.