Roofer in Isle of Palms, SC

Isle of Palms looks to reinstate a seasonal parking pass following a rise in prices for off-island residents. April 11, 2025. (WCIV)

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCIV) — A change in parking prices on Isle of Palms has upset many locals.

Now, city leaders are considering bringing back a popular seasonal pass that was cut earlier this year.

“Isle of Palms is definitely the beach that I prefer,” said Dillon Clyburn with his family.

But going to the beach is getting more expensive for them.

READ MORE | "Isle of Palms approves parking fee hike, expects $400K in additional revenue."

Ahead of this beach season, Isle of Palms (IOP) got rid of its $60 summer parking pass for non-island residents.

“It just seems like they don't want the locals, the people that live in Mount Pleasant, Sullivans Island. surrounding Charleston areas to want to make it affordable for them to come over to their area and support their local businesses,” Clyburn, a Mount Pleasant resident, said.

Locals now have the option of buying a weekly pass for $100.

In January, IOP City Council raised parking rates for the first time in five years.

“The island is crowded during the summer months. It's very crowded. But we have to maintain the quality of our residential area on the island,” said Rusty Streetman, a city council member.

READ MORE | "Isle of Palms' new parking enforcement plan issues over 3K tickets in 4 months."

Still, Clyburn and other locals say these changes, on top of higher parking ticket fees, make them feel like the city is prioritizing tourists over neighbors.

“It's kind of pushing the residents of Charleston County and the greater Lowcountry out and making it more for the people that are coming in from out of state,” Clyburn explained.

Daily rates at the city’s parking lots also jumped to $15 during the week and $25 on the weekends.

Streetman said IOP leaders are now discussing bringing back a version of the seasonal passes.

“We think that we can take a few hundred, at least a few hundred parking passes, make that available for off-island residents who would like to purchase those,” he said.

Streetman hopes roughly 500 passes can be made but said they will be significantly more expensive than the old $60 option.

A reboot of the seasonal passes will go before the city council in May.

Set in the marshes between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms, Little Goat Island is a small undeveloped patch of land. Countless visitors to the popular IOP tourism town pass right over the island each summer as they fight the crowds on the connector bridge on their way to the beach.

Sandwiched between two heavily populated communities, Little Goat Island is one of the last undeveloped sea islands in the Lowcountry and a "time capsule" that still looks much as it did a century ago, according to the Lowcountry Land Trust. Now it's permanently protected from any future development thanks to a donated conservation easement, the nonprofit announced March 31.

“Undeveloped islands like this are increasingly rare,” Natalie Olson, the sea islands program director at Lowcountry Land Trust, wrote in a press release announcing the acquisition. "By preserving this land, we are ensuring that both wildlife and future generations can experience its natural beauty. This conservation effort also helps protect the delicate coastal ecosystem and support biodiversity and climate resilience.”

Little Goat Island is 28 acres of upland habitat surrounded by nearly 400 acres of salt marshes, according to the Land Trust. As a relatively undisturbed salt marsh habitat, the island provides critical refuge for Lowcountry oysters, birds, aquatic species and native plants. No goats graze on Little Goat Island.

"We're so excited to be able to preserve Little Goat Island in perpetuity,” Kim Chesson, who owns the island with her husband, wrote in a statement. “My parents lived across from this island for over 20 years, and now we have a house that overlooks it. We love that it will stay undeveloped for our family and for our Isle of Palms neighbors to enjoy!"

The donation of the Little Goat Island conservation easement expands a growing corridor of conserved land along Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms, according to the Land Trust. That includes Gold Bug Island, Sullivan's Island Beach and parts of Goat Island — a separate piece of land northeast of Little Goat Island.

ISLE OF PALMS — City officials are rethinking some recent changes to parking rules as it heads into the first beach season with higher prices, namely the elimination of a seasonal parking pass that was popular with beachgoers of neighboring communities.

But the decision to ditch the seasonal permit has been largely unpopular with off-island residents, prompting the city's public safety committee to reconsider the change on April 9, so the pass may not be gone for good.

The Isle of Palms, up until this summer, set aside 500 seasonal beach parking passes that could be purchased for $60. Passholders had access to the two parking lots on Pavilion Drive, bypassing the $10-$15 a day charge in the summer months.

However, City Council voted earlier this year to change the city's parking rules and rates for the first time since 2020, which effectively eliminated the seasonal pass. Other notable changes included adding higher daily fees for the parking lot— up to $25 on weekends and holidays — and raising the hourly fee to $3 for on-street parking, a 50-cent bump.

Jean Legacki, who lives just over the Isle of Palms connector in Mount Pleasant, has purchased the seasonal parking pass for several years. She likes to get up early, head over the connector, and walk on the beach before both the heat and the crowds set in.

This summer will be different for Legacki.

Along with raising parking fees, the city opted to eliminate the seasonal $60 pass for non-residents based on a recommendation by PCI Municipal, the city's parking management vendor. The $60 passes were set aside for island employees to use.

In its place, a weekly pass for the same lots is available for $100.

The loss of seasonal passes and the increased price left some with sticker shock.

"I'm not going to pay $100 a week to park," Legacki said. "It's almost like they're trying to deter people from coming to the beach."

Also gone is the option to pay an hourly rate after 4 p.m. in the lots. Visitors coming to the island for a dinner reservation or an evening stroll on the beach could park at the lots on Pavilion Drive and pay $2.50 per hour after 4 p.m.

Parking is free between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and in the offseason, November through February.

For now, visitors will pay the flat rate regardless of the time of day.

Daily rates are $10 for March and April. During peak season, Memorial Day through Labor Day, rates are $15 on weekdays and $25 on weekends and holidays. After Labor Day, rates drop back to $10 for the rest of September and October.

But that could be subject to change in the coming months.

The public safety committee on April 9 considered reviving both the seasonal parking permit and evening hourly parking rates, though both are still likely to be more expensive in their new iterations.

"We'd be looking at a significantly higher number, I would think, for the lots that we have here at Front Beach," Councilman Rusty Streetman said.

Committee members estimated that the updated seasonal pass would be between $200-$250 and $3 per hour for evening parking.

They also noted Charleston County offers a seasonal pass for parking in the Isle of Palms County Park on 14th Avenue.

"I think we're doing this to benefit our business people in the late afternoon and evening. We want to encourage people to come to Front Beach at that time," Councilwoman Jan Anderson said.

The full city council is expected to discuss bringing back the seasonal passes at next month's workshop in May.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Isle of Palms had their annual Front Beach Fest on Saturday.

The popular annual event marks the unofficial start of tourist season.

Ocean Boulevard was alive with music and laughter as a large crowd of locals and visitors gathered for the festival.

Festivalgoers had the chance to enjoy food, shop from local vendors, and listen to live music.

Isle of Palms Recreation Supervisor Kelsey Marsh said the event takes around six months to plan. This year, he said they sifted through more than 200 vendor applications.

“We have 54 vendors. We fit as many local vendors as we can. We like to have restaurants all out here. They don’t have as much business in the offseason, so this is a great way for them to kick off their busy season,” Marsh said.

He said area businesses greatly benefit from the festival, especially during the slower off-season months, and the beach fest acts as a vibrant kickoff to the bustling tourist season.

City Councilman Rusty Streetman said the event festival greatly benefits local businesses and restaurants, especially during the slower off-season months.

He said the fest is like the unofficial kickoff for the busy and vibrant tourist season imminently approaching.

“It’s at a time of the year when we don’t have summer tourists. So, it’s here in our shoulder season so that people that typically would not be at Front Beach this time of the year have an opportunity to come out here and enjoy themselves,” Streetman said.

With a large crowd of attendees, Streetman said both residents and visitors are clearly eager for the upcoming hustle and bustle that the sunshine-filled season brings.

“Being able to be with our neighbors who live on the island, being able to greet people who do not live on the island and also welcome them. Just the whole crowd, the music, the food, the whole vibe is just very positive,” he said.

For others, the festival offers a valuable opportunity to raise awareness for their charity and showcase the pups they’re working hard to find loving homes.

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One organization that had a table set up at the festival is called Rosie Rescue, a Mount Pleasant-based non-profit dedicated to rescuing dogs from euthanasia lists at overcrowded shelters.

“I think a lot of times, some rescue dogs and shelter dogs get a bad rep,” Rose Rescue volunteer Lisa Cates said. “When they’re out mingling among everybody, you really get to see their personality, how friendly they are, how amazing they are. I mean, we’ve got dogs here that are just suckering everybody in. It really just shows their personality that you don’t get to see if you just go to a shelter and are walking through the kennels and everything. It’s really good exposure for them.”

Cates mentioned that there were numerous inquiries about the dogs available for adoption, highlighting the event’s success in connecting people with these lovable pups.

For resident Mark Behan, Front Beach Fest was his first outing since moving to Summerville from New York.

“I feel like I’m on vacation every day, and that’s why I love living here. I feel like I’m not miserable when I wake up and it’s not 10 degrees, and I can wear a T-shirt every day, and it’s great. Vacation vibes,” Behan said.

Front Beach Fest organizers said the event gets bigger and bigger every year.

While many are soaking up the vacation-like atmosphere, restaurant employees are also getting a taste of summer, as the festival signals the return of a busier work season for local staff.

With something for everyone, the festival not only brought the community together but also marked the perfect start to the busy season.

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