Tag: Horry County

Adult Entertainment and Carolina Forest

Adult entertainment locations will be the topic of discussion at the Carolina Forest Civic Association Wednesday night.

Scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Carolina Forest Rec Center on Carolina Forest Boulevard, the meeting will allow Carolina Forest residents to be briefed on how they are facing the “Fork in the Road.”

Carolina Forest has become ground zero on the clash between quality of life for residents of one of the fastest growing spots in the county with tourism interests if the county’s new adult entertainment ordinances receive third reading approval.

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Disparity in Treatment – Coast RTA vs. MBREDC

Watching the last several months of county council deliberations, one must wonder why there is such disparate treatment between Coast RTA and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation by our elected officials.

The MBREDC was at county council Tuesday night pushing its $60 million, 15 year funding proposal with a presentation on how the money would be used to try to entice businesses to the area.

A resolution to restore Coast RTA’s FY 2014 fourth quarter funding was pulled off the county council agenda.

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Horry County Council vs. Staff

There seems to be a growing trend in Horry County that is prevalent throughout the nation. Government staff is working against Horry County Council members, and in its own interests, instead of working for council to institute policy decisions.

Helicopter amusement ride leases, adult entertainment regulations, solid waste actions have all recently had instances where county staff pushed its own agenda against the wishes of council and the better interests of the county in general.

A recently renegotiated lease with Huffman Helicopters, in which staff was directly instructed to include designated flight patterns to limit flight patterns over residential areas is missing the key inclusions.

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Second Reading of Adult Entertainment Ordinances Passes

Horry County passed second reading of its new adult entertainment ordinances at its regular meeting Tuesday night bringing its day in court closer.

Passage of third reading seems assured next month and as council chairman Mark Lazarus said, the next day he expects the current adult entertainment establishments operating in the unincorporated areas of Horry County to be in Florence filing for injunctive relief.

While all of the current adult entertainment businesses will be out of compliance with the new ordinances, adult entertainment will not be removed from the unincorporated areas.

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Horry County Adult Entertainment

Regulating or Just Relocating Adult Entertainment?

As Horry County Council prepares for second reading Tuesday night of its proposed ordinances on adult entertainment establishments, it is important to consider just what changes will result.

The new ordinances will change regulations concerning the site, manner and time of operations of adult entertainment establishments, in the unincorporated areas, but will not eliminate their existence.

This is an important point – there will still be adult entertainment establishments in the county. Not only will those operating within the city limits of Myrtle Beach and Atlantic Beach be unaffected by any changes, but also areas in the unincorporated county will be wide open for adult entertainment.

There seemed to be confusion about this at the recent county council ad hoc committee meeting on the new ordinances. Several preachers presented petitions to or addressed the committee urging members to do their part in helping rid the county of these types of businesses.

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Making Adult Entertainment Go Away – NOT!

Horry County’s proposed adult entertainment ordinances will have second reading at the August 13, 2013 regular meeting of county council. There is no public review listed on council agenda, so that, presumably, will occur at third reading.

The ordinances were subjected to scrutiny at a recent county council ad hoc committee meeting with the Tennessee attorney Scott Burgthold on the phone to answer questions from committee members. Bergthold is the ‘specialist’ attorney the county has contracted to help with the ordinances and the expected lawsuits that will result from adoption of the new proposed ordinance provisions.

During the meeting, Bergthold outlined his legal approach to defending these ordinances in court and referred to a four year court battle (2003-07) in Daytona Beach, FL, which he won.

However, if you Google strip clubs in Daytona Beach today, you will see that many adult entertainment clubs are still operating, quite legally, six years after the case was settled giving court approval to the ordinances.

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Culture of Arrogance at SWA

The culture of arrogance that pervades the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) was on view for all to see at Thursday’s Infrastructure and Regulation Committee meeting.

The SWA was created by Horry County Ordinance 60-90 and its board is appointed by vote of Horry County Council.

The SWA is currently telling the IRS that it is a “discreet component unit of Horry County Government.” However, at Thursday’s meeting SWA Executive Director Danny Knight told I&R Committee members the SWA is ‘sometimes not the county, sometimes somewhat the county and sometimes somewhere in between.’

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Changing the HCWSA Form of Governance

Horry County council member Jody Prince directed county staff to prepare a briefing document for the September 12, 2013 Infrastructure and Regulation Committee meeting that discusses other options for governance of the HCWSA (Horry County Solid Waste Authority).

“I’m making an official request, as chairman of the (I&R) committee, asking staff for options for status, other than authority status, for the HCSWA, including committee, advisory board and (county government) department, and the procedures required to make such a change,” said Prince.

Prince’s request came after discussions about a resolution in which the HCSWA requests the county to approve a recycling incentive program contract between the HCSWA and the county. The committee deferred consideration of the resolution at least until the September meeting.

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The Adult Entertainment Industry Strikes Back

The first salvo from the adult entertainment industry was launched just hours after a Horry County Council Ad Hoc Committee voted Thursday to go forward with new ordinances governing the time, place and manner of adult entertainment operations.

Todd Martin, corporate spokesperson for Airport Express Video, LLC sent a press release by e-mail to all members of county council as well as many media outlets.

The press release outlines Airport Express Video’s meetings with county staff, its business license history and other interactions with the county. It also explains why Airport Express Video believes the new county ordinances to be unconstitutional and asks some interesting questions about other types of businesses.

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Horry County Adult Entertainment

Regulating Adult Entertainment Sometimes

The Horry County Council Ad Hoc Committee on Sexually Oriented Business Legislation voted unanimously Thursday to send the proposed two adult entertainment regulating ordinances back to full county council for second reading recommending approval as they are currently written.

The two ordinances address zoning regulations for adult entertainment establishments as well as conduct inside the establishments.

According to Scott Burkhold, the Tennessee attorney the county is consulting on the legislation, the ordinances will restrict the time, manner and place of adult entertainment. He said the ordinances do not ban adult entertainment, which is constitutionally protected, but do force businesses to comply with the new regulations.

It’s important to note that passage of these ordinances, which appears a virtual certainty, will not end strip clubs and bookstore/novelty adult entertainment businesses in Horry County. The six adult entertainment establishments located within city limits will not be affected by these ordinances. They are governed by the city laws within which they are located.

The 11 identified adult entertainment establishments (8 strip clubs and 3 bookstore/novelty shops) currently operating in the unincorporated areas of the county will be affected.

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