Bft Insider

March 25, 2025

City Councilman Under Fire for Military Uniform Violation, City Manager Appears to Have Broken City Employee Handbook Policy

Patrick Canning, Beaufort resident, waited until 2 hours and 9 minutes into the City Council meeting to make his public comment on March 11, 2025. Councilman Mitch Mitchell and City Manager Scott Marshall were in Canning’s crosshairs for recent partisan political activism against President Trump. Ca

Carrie Chappell

March 9, 2025

Beaufort City Council Defends Police Response in Missing Child Case Amid Criticism from the Parents and the Public

On February 21, 2025, the Beaufort City Council released an open letter defending the Beaufort Police Department’s handling of a recent missing child case. The letter, which describes the public criticism as “unfortunate and misguided,” addresses some concerns but also leaves some residents feeling

Carrie Chappell

March 3, 2025

Beaufort’s Parking Dilemma: State Law vs. Private Contract

As readers may recall from Beaufort Insider’s December 2nd article, on November 15th 2024, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (SCAG) released an opinion stating that “municipalities may not delegate parking enforcement to private entities.” Following that release, Beaufort Insider inquired

Rachel Carper

February 28, 2025

Beaufort City Manager Blasts Trump on Social Media

The City of Beaufort voted for Donald Trump to be President in November 2024 with approximately 55% percent of the vote. A strong showing of support for the now President. It is clear, however, that the man running the city, Scott Marshall, was not one of them.Marshall, the Beaufort city manager, to

Carrie Chappell

January 17, 2025

Beaufort County Breakdown: The First Meeting of 2025

Beaufort County Council rang in the New Year with its first regular meeting on January 13th, ushering in a historic moment in leadership as the two highest-ranking positions on Council are held by women for the first time in Beaufort County. With Alice Howard and Anna Maria Tabernick serving as Chai

Rachel Carper

January 17, 2025

New Leadership, New Transparency: Beaufort County Council Charts a Fresh Course

New leadership took the reins at the January 13, 2025 meeting of the Beaufort County Council. Council Chair Alice Howard and Vice Chair Anna Maria Tabernik had the floor and made several procedural changes that are aimed at making council operations more open and efficient. These changes come after

Carrie Chappell

January 6, 2025

Southside Park’s New Chapter: Progress or a Pricey Gamble?

Southside Park’s shiny new upgrades have families flocking to its colorful playgrounds. But across the marsh, Waterfront Park shows its age. Questions are mounting over future costs: Is the city spending wisely or simply spreading itself too thin? While Southside Park’s upgrades are welcome, they ra

Rachel Carper

January 3, 2025

Beaufort PD Remains Tight Lipped: FOIA Response

As previously reported, a viral video of Beaufort Police Department (PD) officers pulling a woman out of a car as well as fighting with and arresting two other people was posted on Facebook on November 29, 2024. The short video shows a small fraction of everything that happened during the incident w

Carrie Chappell

December 17, 2024

Public or Private? Protect Beaufort Foundation Files Lawsuit to Preserve Downtown Marina Access

Just as Beaufort prepares to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Southside Park in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood later this week, another popular park in the city finds itself at the center of yet another lawsuit involving the City of Beaufort and heavy-hitters in the community. On Tuesday, December 11th

Rachel Carper

December 13, 2024

Viral Arrest Video: Beaufort Police Under Scrutiny

On November 29, 2024, Shandela Simmons posted a video on Facebook that has now garnered 196,000 views, thousands of shares, and hundreds of comments. The video shows Shandela being pulled from a car and arrested by Beaufort police. As her friend and passenger continue to video, the viewer catches a

Carrie Chappell

December 11, 2024

Beaufort’s Budget Breakdown: How We Compare to Other Counties

Beaufort County’s spending habits place it among the top counties in South Carolina for per capita expenditures, but questions arise about whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. According to the South Carolina Association of Counties’ 2024 County Profiles, Beaufort County’s per capita ex

Carrie Chappell

December 3, 2024

City of Beaufort Has a Third Party Enforcing Parking: SC Attorney General Says That’s Illegal

On November 15, 2024, The South Carolina Attorney General’s (SCAG) office published an opinion stating, “we do not believe a municipality may delegate parking enforcement to a private entity.” Not long after Isle of Palms started showing up in media articles for contracting out their parking enforce

Carrie Chappell

November 29, 2024

Confusion and Controversy: Gullah Festival, Twilight Hours, and ROI Analysis

Beaufort City Council met for a Special Work Session on Tuesday, November 19. Two topics were on the agenda: Tourism Development Advisory Committee State Accommodations Tax Grant (ATAX) Award Recommendations, and City Owned Properties – Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis.Accommodations Tax (ATAX) A

Carrie Chappell

November 29, 2024

Beaufort or “Anywhere USA”? Local Lawsuit Appeals to the SC Supreme Court

The battle continues as the Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF) and Graham Trask’s companies, West Street Farms (WSF) and Mix Farms (MF), fight against developments approved by the city’s Historic District Review Board (HRB), citing potential harm to the character of Beaufort’s National Historic Land

Rachel Carper

November 25, 2024

Beaufort County Finance Committee Proposes 4.8% Budget Increase for FY25

The Beaufort County Finance Committee discussed a proposed 4.8% increase to the county’s fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget at their October 28 meeting. This increase would add approximately $7.5M to the overall budget aimed at addressing pressing needs in vehicle and equipment acquisition and expanding

Carrie Chappell

November 22, 2024

Transparency in Action: How BCSD’s Citizen-Led Oversight Committee is reshaping public trust in local projects

The Citizen-Led Oversight Committee (CLOC), established to oversee projects under the 2019 Beaufort County School District Bond Referendum, is gaining recognition as a model for transparent public engagement. The committee is being hailed not only for its role within the school district, but also as

Rachel Carper

November 20, 2024

Trask and HBF Ask Court for Reconsideration in Beaufort Hotel and Parking Garage Case

Graham Trask is making good on the promise that he will not give up in the legal battle over a hotel and parking garage planned in downtown Beaufort. As previously reported by Beaufort Insider, the SC Court of Appeals ruled against Trask and in favor of Dick Stewart and 303 Associates when they uphe

Carrie Chappell

November 15, 2024

Beaufort Voice, Beaufort Insider’s New Podcast

Beaufort Insider is excited to announce the launch of our new podcast, Beaufort Voice. Beaufort Voice is your local source for all things Beaufort, SC. This hyperlocal podcast connects you to the heart of the community delivering the latest news, important events, and in-depth stories from the Lowco

Editor

November 11, 2024

Watchdog Needed: County Finance Committee Approves Millions with Minimal Scrutiny

Beaufort County has spent the last year or more responding to scrutiny and legal actions regarding how taxpayer money is being managed. From county credit card purchases for out of state trips, to luxury cars, to playground equipment and weighted blankets, there has been no shortage of questions abo

Carrie Chappell

November 8, 2024

Status Quo in Beaufort County Elections

Beaufort County voters sent a resounding message that they want to keep the status quo. Not a single incumbent in Beaufort County was unseated in the November 5th election. With a 75% voter turnout in the county, the people have spoken, and change is not what they want.Here is a list of Beaufort Co

Carrie Chappell

November 4, 2024

New Updates in Graham Trask v. Dick Stewart

Downtown Beaufort’s hotel and parking garage saga reached another chapter last week as the South Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the lower courts’ rulings in Historic Beaufort Foundation v. City of Beaufort, City of Beaufort District Review Board, and The Beaufort Inn, as well as West Street Farms,

Carrie Chappell

October 31, 2024

Edie Rodgers Scolds Beaufort County Council

Long time Beaufort resident and public representative, Edie Rodgers, addressed County Council during public comment at Monday’s meeting. Proudly wearing her “I Voted” sticker, Rodgers took her full three minutes to tell the council why she did NOT vote for the 2024 Beaufort County Transportation Sal

Carrie Chappell

October 28, 2024

OPINION: Beaufort Taxpayers Deserve Honest Leadership, Not Denials and Deflection

This opinion piece was submitted to Beaufort Insider by City of Beaufort citizen, Paul Trask. If you have an article or information to share with Beaufort Insider, please email editor@beaufortinsider.orgNeil Lipsitz and Mitch Mitchell continue to hem and haw and deny raising your property taxes. Lip

OPINION

October 26, 2024

What is the Truth About City of Beaufort Taxes?

The current Beaufort City Council race has been a non-stop back and forth about property taxes. On one side is candidate Josh Gibson saying that the reason he is running for council is because, “Those guys raised my taxes.” On the other side are ‘those guys’, incumbent City Councilmen Neil Lipsitz a

Carrie Chappell