Wedding & Event Venue Near Beaufort, SC.

In a decisive vote, Beaufort County residents rejected the proposed one-cent “penny tax” that would have funded traffic infrastructure projects. With no new funding source secured, the county’s plans to address traffic congestion, improve road safety and preserve greenbelt initiatives are now in jeopardy.

The tax described on the county’s website as,”ask(ed) voters to approve a one percent (1%) sales and use tax in Beaufort County beginning the following year (2025) and continuing for ten (10) years, or until $950 million in funds are raised, whichever occurs first.”

By 11:07 p.m., all 126 precincts were counted, revealing that voters rejected the sales tax with 52,515 votes or 55.5% versus the measure garnering an unofficial total of 41,972 or 44.4% votes to approve.

The failure of both measures shows public frustration with the pace of past projects and government transparency. The 2018 sales tax referendum, which was intended to fund similar infrastructure improvements, resulted in only 10% of the projects being completed. Residents have expressed concern about the efficiency of the county’s infrastructure spending, and many are wary of additional taxes, particularly in light of the slow progress. These issues were commonly raised during public comment periods of the council meetings.

The 2018 referendum includes three categories: US 278 corridor traffic improvements with one project, Lady’s Island corridor traffic improvements with nine projects and sidewalks and multi-use pathways with 24 projects involving 31 roads, according to the Beaufort County Engineering department. Of the 34 projects included in the referendum, 3.5 are complete, one is in construction, two are in the right of way acquisition stage, three are on-hold, 14.5 are in the design phase and the rest are not yet in development.

In June, two council members suggested that if the tax doesn’t pass their only avenue to raise funds for infrastructure improvements would be through raising property taxes. However, no action on that suggestion has occurred.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024, 11:53 PM.

The Island Packet

Isabella Douglas is the accountability reporter for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette. A graduate of the University of Florida, she has spent time reporting for The Independent Florida Alligator, Fresh Take Florida and New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a concentration in criminology.

Here are results from Beaufort County, South Carolina for the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

Polls close in South Carolina at 7 p.m.

Check back for live election results for Beaufort County races.

Download the WJCL App for political updates: Apple, Google Play

Below you can find up-to-the-minute election results for all the races across Southeast Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

FULL RESULTS

GEORGIA: PRESIDENT | U.S. HOUSE AND STATE HOUSE | BALLOT MEASURES | DISTRICT ATTORNEY, EASTERN JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF GEORGIA | CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF | MORE CHATHAM COUNTY RACES | BACON COUNTY | BULLOCH COUNTY | CANDLER COUNTY | EVANS COUNTY | LIBERTY COUNTY | LONG COUNTY | MONTGOMERY COUNTY | SCREVEN COUNTY | WAYNE COUNTY

SOUTH CAROLINA: PRESIDENT | U.S. HOUSE AND STATE HOUSE | STATE SENATE | BALLOT MEASURES | BEAUFORT COUNTY | JASPER COUNTY

Many of the stores that were much anticipated to open at the new Beaufort Station Shopping Center have already opened their doors, but what about some food? Chicken Salad Chick opened on October 15th, but what about Panda Express and Surcheros in Beaufort?

Sucheros Fresh Mex is one of the tenants that is setting up shop at the center, and it had originally announced that the restaurant had planned to open on November 19th.

As of October 29th, that has now been delayed.

We received an email from Surcheros contracted marketing firm letting us know that the opening of the restaurant has been delayed until sometime in 2025.

The reason we were given is due to construction delays.

When it does finally open, the new Surcheros in Beaufort will be the first location in South Carolina for the growing, Georgia-based Tex-Mex chain.

With over 30 locations across Florida and Georgia, Surcheros is celebrated for its fresh, Mexican-inspired offerings, featuring customizable burritos, bowls, tacos, nachos, quesadillas, salads and more.

In early 2024, the chain announced plans to open 100 restaurants within the next five years. The company expects to open 15 to 20 locations by the end of 2025.

The 209,250 square foot shopping center with outparcels on the corner of Robert Smalls Parkway and Paris Island Gateway is home to a variety of businesses that are new to Beaufort, SC as well as a couple that have moved across the highway to enjoy the new digs.

Among tenants that have opened at the new shopping center are PetSmart, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Five Below, and Rack Room Shoes, Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, and Old Navy.

Joining Surcheros in Beaufort as new neighbors will be Chicken Salad Chick, Le Nails, Panda Express, Surcheros Fresh Mex, Mattress Warehouse, America’s Best, a Parker’s Kitchen and a Parker’s Car Wash.

“Beaufort is a beautiful community, and growing, but underserved in retail,” said Jeff Surrency, executive vice president of development at The Morgan Companies, the developers of Beaufort Station.

“We continue to attract high quality tenants for this project, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Trey Morgan, President of The Morgan Companies. “This is not only a testament to great real estate, but a growing, vibrant community as well.”

We’re looking forward to Surcheros in Beaufort, whenever it comes.

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

The Lowcountry is under a Tropical Storm Watch and Storm Surge Watch as Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 hurricane as of Tuesday afternoon, makes it’s way to the Florida coast and beyond.

It has been nearly two weeks since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and made its way northward leaving behind massive destruction, flooding and widespread power outages across the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Thankfully, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston, Milton will likely not have the impact on the Lowcountry that Helene did.

Currently, Hurricane Milton is on track to hit the western coast of Florida, which has prompted mandatory evacuations in communities all along the coast.

It was expected to make landfall sometime on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and continue east across the peninsula until it enters the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Unless Milton changes its trajectory and veers more north, the main concerns for the Lowcountry are high winds along the coast, storm surge and dangerous marine conditions.

According to the NWS in Charleston, Hurricane Milton will likely generate large waves off the Georgia and South Carolina coast.

“Breaking waves of 5 feet or greater are possible at all beaches Wednesday into Thursday night, peaking around 5-8 feet Thursday afternoon,” their Tuesday afternoon post on Facebook read.

The NWS Charleston says that this could result in significant beach erosion in Beaufort County.

Beaufort County likely to see significant rainfall late on Oct. 9 and into Oct. 10 which could cause some localized flooding in the area.

While not expected to be as strong as they were during Hurricane Helene, wind gusts are a concern for many in Beaufort County as they could knock down trees that have been weakened by Helene, potentially resulting in additional power outages.

Beaufort County is not expected to get the tornado activity that it saw during Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby, according to the NWS Charleston.

Hurricane grew to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, Oct. 7, dropped to a Category 4, then returned to a Category 5 early Tuesday evening.

Meteorologists have predicted that the hurricane could weaken to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday evening.

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.