CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The Folly Beach City Council has voted to hire a lobbyist to tell state lawmakers about the importance of the coast to the state’s economy and about the city’s ongoing battle with beach erosion.
A lobbying firm will help educate lawmakers from the Upstate about the issues, Mayor Tom Godwin told the Post and Courier of Charleston (https://bit.ly/1N7Vkxs ). The city council agreed to spend $60,000 with a company called Southern Strategy for the lobbying work.
Last year, the beach received new sand in a renourishment project. However, the recent unusually high seas associated with Hurricane Joaquin caused the beach to lose 400,000 cubic yards of sand, or 25 percent of the total project. The beach loss was spread all over the island.
The city paid about $5 million for its share of the renourishment work and reserves about $1 million each year from its $6 million annual budget for beach nourishment.
Some states, like Florida and New Jersey, have dedicated tax revenue to provide local matching dollars for federally funded beach nourishment projects, said coastal scientist Nicole Elko.
“The other states are a bit more unreliable. It’s essentially a reactive, political battle every time you need funding,” she said.
The Southern Strategy lobbying group submitted a proposal to provide Folly Beach services for $60,624 annually. Officials have not yet signed a contract with the group but will meet with representatives next week.
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Information from: The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com
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