For Isle of Palms beach-goer, Bill Poveromo, a commercial ordinance proved to be a problem when he recently went to the beach at Isle of Palms County Park.

Poveromo paid $10 to rent a beach umbrella from the park. After he paid, he was told that he had to carry the beach umbrella himself.

When Poveromo explained that he could not do it because he was physically disabled, he was told that the Isle of Palms regulations do not allow them to carry the umbrellas to the beach.

Poveromo said that he is very swollen due to kidney failure and was physically unable to carry the umbrella himself.

“About once a year I blow up with fluids because of my kidneys,” he said.

Poveromo said his feet get like “little footballs” and his legs get weak. Thus was the case three Sundays ago when 57-year-old Poveromo went to the beach.

The Mount Pleasant resident has a Gold Pass, a vehicle decal that park visitors can purchase allowing them free admission into eight county parks for one year. The eight parks included are Isle of Palms County Park, Folly Beach County Park, Kiawah Beachwalker Park, James Island County Park, Palmetto Islands County Park, Wannamaker County Park, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, and Folly Beach Fishing Pier.  

In Poveromo’s case, he paid $55 for a year, a discounted rate instead of the $75 for non Charleston County residents.

The discount is because Charleston County residents contribute to the development of the Charleston County Park system through property taxes, according to Mandi Sandstrom, publicity coordinator for  Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission.

Poveromo said that the Isle of Palms is the closest beach to him and has lifeguards and rest rooms, as well as parking right there.

Poveromo made two trips to his spot on the beach and had to carry the rented umbrella himself. However, a county employee followed him and set the umbrella up in the sand.

Poveromo said, “I had a chair in one hand and a beach bag in the other, with a book, towel, lunch and a drink in it so my hands were full. I had to make a second trip and come back for the umbrella which had the wooden pole already on it- about 7 foot long plus the umbrella part, making it hard to maneuver.”

“It seems like a crazy rule, especially when a healthy 17- year-old county employee comes a few minutes later to put your umbrella in the sand,” he said.

Poveromo said, “what if my 80-year-old mother wanted to rent one?  These umbrellas are heavy. Plus the long wooden pole is left on making it a spear ready to stab anyone around you. They were very apologetic about it; that seems to be the regulation.”

“My sister is dying from skin cancer from a mole on her back. The cancer has spread so staying in the shade and out of the sun is foremost in my and family members’ minds. That’s one reason I always rent the umbrellas at the beach,” said Poveromo.

Douglas Kerr of the Isle of Palms Building and Planning Department informed beach chair and umbrella vendors  of the city’s position on commercial operations placing chairs on the beach in a 2004 memorandum.

The memorandum said, “it does not violate the City’s ordinances to deliver a chair or umbrella to the ocean side of the primary dune if the chair is placed, within the limits of the private property and the chair is used by the owner/tenant of the property of the chair is set.”

However, the memorandum states, “it would violate the city’s ordinances to place the chair seaward of the mean high water mark or to place the chair on property for the use of someone other than the owner/tenant of the property that the chair is set.”

“This is the reason this prohibition does not prevent chair vendors from delivering to private residences,” Kerr said.

According to Isle of Palms  ordinance 2002-14, Sec.7-3-20, “no person shall sell or rent, or offer to sell or rent, any goods, merchandise, or services, or solicit any trade or business, on the beach, beach accesses, public parking lots, or the Breach Inlet bridge, except pursuant to a franchise granted by city council, or pursuant to a city-sponsored activity or event.”

According to Kerr, a simple delivery to someone’s property is not considered commercial activity, such as a pizza delivery.

Sandstrom said that beach chair and umbrella rentals are available seasonal, through Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, at Kiawah Beachwalker, Isle of Palms, and Folly Beach County Parks.  Park staff at Kiawah Beachwalker Park and Folly Beach County Park will set up the umbrella and chairs for the renter.  

“However, at Isle of Palms park staff are not allowed to do this because of a City of Isle of Palms ordinance that does not allow business to take place past a certain area on the beach,” Sandstrom said.  

“I believe the reason city council passed this ordinance is they believe that commercial activity would degrade the beach,” said Kerr.

“As to why all commercial uses are prohibited instead of allowing some limited, less obtrusive commercial uses- like beach chair vendors, I believe that council felt that it was a poor precedent to begin allowing some uses and disallowing others,” said Kerr.

(Helen Ravenel can be reached at helen@moultrienews.com. Read more stories online at www.moultrienews.com.)

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