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VOLUME 19 ISSUE 2
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Changes Coming to Seabrook’s Emergency Plan
APRIL 18, 2025
BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
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eabrook Island Mayor Bruce Kleinman brought up an issue that will need to be addressed in 2025. That issue is a rewrite of the Comprehensive Emergency Plan, which is one of the Town’s strategic priorities for 2025. Kleinman specifically brought up the fact that the current CEP, which is from September 2020, denotes members of the Seabrook Island Town Council as carrying out the functions of the CEP during an actual emergency. Kleinman brought up the problems he sees with that. “I see why they gave members of Council the essential emergency roles at that time,” he explained. “Back then, we didn’t have as many people working on Town staff, but now we have a full staff and it doesn’t make sense for Town Council members to be assigned CEP emergency roles.” He added that the functions noted in the plan should (continued on page 3) be done by trained staff, plus, he
Time to renew business licenses, short-term rental permits on Seabrook BY THERESA STRATFORD
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For The Island Connection
ime is ticking for the new short-term rental regulations to go into effect and for business license renewals, which will all take place on May
Seabrook Island Town Administrator Joe Cronin reviewed the process in the March 25 Seabrook Island Town Council meeting. “Business license renewal started on March 31. In order to avoid late penalties, folks will have until April 30 to renew their business license for the new program with the new short-term ordinance. All application notices have gone out. People can email or drop it off in person. The new program, Citizenserve, went live on March 31 and we can accept applications there as well,” he explained. The Seabrook Island website details the business license and short-term rental application instructions: Business license applications that are not received by April 30 are subject to a late penalty of 5% per month in addition to the standard license (continued on page 3) amount. Short-term rental permit
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The rescued turtle, Rose, is currently recovering well.
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Green Turtle Rescued on Seabrook is Faring Better BY MICHAEL VINSON For The Island Connection
O
n a windy Saturday dawn in late March, local Seabrook photographer Glen Cox encountered a stranded sea turtle in the Captain Sams Inlet area. He called Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol (SITP) dispatcher Judy Morr to seek help for the turtle. SITP works to protect and preserve our sea turtles through identification and protection of nests, inventory of nests, data collection and education of residents and visitors. All SITP volunteers are trained and certified by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to carry out these tasks. Managing the occasional stranding and disposition of sick, injured, dead and cold-stunned turtles is an additional Patrol responsibility. While most strandings are the result of fishing gear entanglement and boat strikes, cold-stunning occurs when a turtle becomes weak from exposure to cold temperatures. Cold-stunned turtles become lethargic and eventually unable to swim, causing them to float at the surface where wind and tides wash them ashore. SITP Dispatcher Judy Morr sent Patrol Stranding Team members Mike Vinson and Gary Holtz to rescue this struggling, juvenile Green Turtle. The Green Turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle and an herbivore, eating
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mostly seagrass and algae. They are regarded as a threatened species. SCDNR was consulted, they contacted the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center, and a volunteer was sent to meet members and transport the turtle. This unfortunate turtle had a number painted on its carapace as well as a microchip implant, indicating that it had been rescued previously. Its tracking number revealed that it had previously been a cold stunning victim in the Hatteras area of North Carolina this past winter, and, after rehabilitation, was released. The Center reports the turtle, which they’ve named Rose, is currently recovering well. Rose was treated with fluids and vitamins and held in a climate-controlled environment to allow the body temperature to gradually and safely increase to the desired level. As Rose’s body temperature slowly warmed, the animal became more active and was able to safely be moved to a water tank. Rose’s recovery can be followed on the Center’s website, scaquarium.org/rose. SITP is licensed by the SCDNR and supported financially by the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association, the Town of Seabrook and public donations. More information can be found on the SITP website, siturtlepatrol.com.
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