Fry in Congress, new CCU football coach: Here’s what else to watch in Horry County in 2023

Horry County is getting changes to its life guarding model

A big safety change is coming to Horry County’s beaches just in time for peak 2023 tourism season.

Officials plan to renegotiate their deals with lifeguard providers, eliminating a controversial and unsafe “dual role” model that split the attention of would-be rescuers between watching the water and managing rentals for chairs and umbrellas.

The decision came shortly after Lack’s Beach Service, a Myrtle Beach-based company, was found civilly liable for the 2018 drowning death of a Maryland vacationer. A jury awarded his estate more than $20 million, determining that lifeguards who should have been on duty when the man was pulled under by a riptide were absent due to their sales duties.

Horry County’s contract with Lack’s is up in May. Less clear is what city of Myrtle Beach officials will do. Their pact with Lack’s remains in place through 2024.

Downtown Myrtle Beach will continue its transformation, and state money might be coming

Myrtle Beach leaders are continuing with a plan to revitalize the city’s downtown district by creating more open space, removing blighted buildings, upgrading roads and setting the stage for multi-million dollar construction projects.

Vacant lots and under-used buildings have been snapped up by the dozen, and 2022 saw the removal of several long-time structures like the Sea Nymph Motel.

That activity will continue as the calendar turns over and shovels hit the ground.

Watch for a trio of old Main Street buildings be readied for use as a year-round performing arts center in collaboration with Coastal Carolina University.

Ongoing infrastructure work including road re-alignments, utility line relocation, landscaping improvements and better pedestrian crossings are set to run through the next year and more.

What to watch for next: The General Assembly gavels back in Jan. 10 for the start of their biannual session, and city leaders agreed to ask the state for financial help as part of its overhaul a 2023 legislative priority — and with a $1.3 billion surplus, Myrtle Beach’s ask could find its way into state budget talks.

CCU football will have a lot of new faces

The next era of Coastal Carolina football begins Sept. 2 when the Chanticleers travel to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., for a match-up against UCLA.

The perpetual Sun Belt Conference powerhouse will have a new head coach and quarterback.

Tim Beck, 56, takes over the program from Jamey Chadwell who departed for Liberty University earlier this month.

Beck ran N.C. State’s offense for two years before taking over the top job in Conway.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Grayson McCall — the most accomplished quarterback in CCU’s history — is ending his college career elsewhere as he looks to improve his NFL stock.

His name has been linked to big name SEC schools including Auburn and Florida.

School leaders this month also increased the budget for a planned indoor football practice facility by $5 million, bringing the total cost to $20 million, though a timeline for its completion remains unknown.

CCU makes its 2023 home debut on Sept. 9 against Jacksonville State.

What to watch for next: McCall said he plans to lead CCU against East Carolina on Dec. 27 at the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.

The Horry County housing boom isn’t slowing down

Creating an affordable housing stock remains essential for Horry County and its cities to keep pace with the perennial growth, and thousands of newly built homes are expected to hit the market in 2023.

Sandy Davis, president of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, said 800 houses are being constructed around the Aynor area, while planned developments like the 1,800-unit Sayebrook take shape on land around Palmetto Pointe Blvd., an extension that will link U.S. Route 17 to U.S. Route 544.

Myrtle Beach leaders project needing 800 new homes a year to accommodate its swelling population — double than what’s being produced right now.

Mayor Brenda Bethune is also calling on lawmakers to keep and expand an affordable housing development tax credit program, pointing to findings that show for every dollar invested by the state, $5 worth of economic activity is realized.

What to watch for next: The Horry County Planning Commission is the first stop for many of the area’s most ambitious housing developments. Monitoring documents attached to their agendas give insight over what future subdivisions could look like.

Russell Fry is headed to Congress

Fry was attached to one of the nation’s biggest political stories over the summer, as he ran for Congress against incumbent Tom Rice — a race defined by the latter’s surprising vote to impeach former president Donald Trump a week after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol incursion.

Fry, 37, won Trump’s endorsement in February, making him the early favorite to end Rice’s congressional career.

After toppling Rice in a June primary, Fry sailed to an easy November win in the state’s 7th congressional district. He didn’t waste time establishing himself in the Beltway, campaigning for and becoming president of the GOP’s incoming House class.

On Dec. 19, Fry threw his support behind U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as the chamber’s next leader.

“Kevin McCarthy helped deliver our new Republican majority,” he said in a Dec. 19 statement. “Kevin will be the next Speaker of the House, and he will have my vote on as many ballots as it takes.

What to watch for next: What committee assignment will Fry snag once the next session of Congress gavels in?

A modernized Surfside Beach pier is expected to open

It was a rocky 2022 for Surfside Beach leaders as tensions flared several times over the rising costs related to the reconstruction of its landmark pier.

The $20 million project is expected to welcome visitors in the spring, months later than originally planned. Imagined as a tourism hub with ample room for fishing, outdoor dining and concerts, the structure is also being engineered to withstand the punishments of tropical weather.

FEMA approved funds to reconstruct the 814-foot-long pier in 2018, after Hurricane Matthew wiped out half its length. It was also heavily damaged in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo.

Initially budgeted at $14.6 million, the price tag has ballooned due to supply chain issues and design modifications.

What to watch for next: The town is looking at branding and marketing opportunities including coming up with pier logo and name for its entertainment district. Rules are also being written when it comes to kiosks, accessibility and other related uses.

Presidential politics are coming to SC earlier than ever

The Palmetto State’s out sized role in presidential politics is getting even larger, and that could have significant implications for the Independent Republic.

Democrats earlier this month approved President Biden’s request to put South Carolina first on the primary calendar, virtually guaranteeing early stops in the region from White House hopefuls starting some time in 2023.

Every two years since 1843, tiny Galivants Ferry just outside Aynor has hosted Democrats seeking state offices at the country’s oldest stump site.

In 2019, organizers for the first time invited presidential candidates — Biden among them.

Will A-list Democratic political names make their way to one of America’s fastest growing areas even earlier now that the calendar has been set?

What to watch for next: Federal and state election filing deadlines will give voters a glimpse into the country’s political future

The Horry County school board has a new leader

Ken Richardson is out as chairman of the powerful Horry County Schools governing board, opting not to seek a second term as he unsuccessfully ran for Congress.

That means David Cox will help shape education policy in the state’s third largest district, having power to set agendas, nominate committee members and interpret decisions related to the board’s relationship with Superintendent Rick Maxey.

Cox has been on the board since 2008, so he comes to the job with plenty of experience representing a district that includes fast growing areas like Carolina Forest and Socastee.

During his campaign, Cox said his top priority is ensuring local statutes and laws align with federal guidelines.

He’s also spoken in favor of school choice, which argue for using public money to build open charter and magnet schools.

In August, Cox joined a majority of the 12-person board to outlaw critical race theory from being taught in Horry County schools even though it’s part of any local curriculum.

What to watch for next: Cox will preside over his first full board meeting as chairman on Jan. 23.

New tourist attractions are on tap for Myrtle Beach

Site development and early construction on South Carolina’s first man made surf park is expected to start in 2023 — adding yet another attraction to the state’s top tourism destination.

American Surf Parks LLC is spending $4.5 million to convert 21 across off the Robert M. Grissom Parkway into a venue that would include a 10,000-seat amphitheater, a five-acre lagoon capable of producing up to 1,000 waves an hour and 18 bungalow duplexes totaling 36 units.

Although the site won’t open until 2024, a sale between the city and American Surf Parks was finalized in September so pre-construction work can begin.

That’s not the only high-profile entertainment outlet planned for next year. The abandoned First Presbyterian Church site along North Kings Highway is being targeted for an upscale food court and bowling alley as part of a mixed-use concept by developers.

More specifically, the Myrtle Beach site is being considered for a concept based off “Roar,” a 1920s themed site along Park Street in Winston-Salem where visitors can shop at a Ronnie’s, a pop-up country market and then grab lunch at the Blue Crab Seafood Bar or Joey Correll’s American Street Food.

What to watch for next: More year-round visitors and efforts by the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to market the Grand Strand as more than just a summer getaway. Southern Living billed the Myrtle beach area as an “ultimate destination for families” in 2022 — one of more than a dozen accolades and awards pulled in by the bureau.

More jobs, more projects are in the pipeline

Horry County in 2022 pulled in more than 270 new jobs on the strength of $240 million worth of investments to expand or set up companies.

Sandy Davis, president of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, says more than 30 other projects are in the pipeline, and a new industrial park is being constructed in North Myrtle Beach capable of housing large-scale manufacturing.

PepsiCo is taking up space in the park later in 2023, while FedEx is continuing to build its warehouse on land once part of the Hard Rock Park.

Meanwhile, the county’s northern areas could benefit from spin-off businesses or new housing needed to accommodate Envision AESC’s plan to open 1 million square foot, $810 million electric battery production factory in Florence.

What to watch for next: The first economic development project of 2023 in Horry County should be announced some time next month.