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VOLUME 19 ISSUE 6
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JUNE 13, 2025
National Beach Safety Week Proclaimed for Seabrook BY THERESA STRATFORD
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For The Island Connection
here’s no question that the beauty of Seabrook Island lies in its expansive beachfront. There’s the clear white sand dotted with unique and colorful shells; the various shorebirds that have chosen the island as their home or for a quick feeding frenzy; and just the tranquil feeling of being away from it all while you sit on the shore, hearing the waves crash one after the other. It’s safe to say that life at the beach is truly even sweeter on Seabrook Island. However, with all that beauty comes the dangers that the ocean can bring. Seabrook Island beachgoers must remain vigilant of rip tides, heavy currents and rough seas. The Town of Seabrook Island takes beach safety seriously and recently proclaimed the week of May 19 to 26 as National Beach Safety Week for the Town. The proclamation was presented to Robert Edgerton of Barrier Island Ocean Rescue, which provides beach patrol and code enforcement services to the Town, on May 27 at the regular Town Council Meeting. The proclamation noted Seabrook’s recreational resource to the public and noted that the dangers of rip currents, in particular, can be (continued on page 3) managed by proper education
Beyond Our Gates Hosts Event to Raise Awareness BY THERESA STRATFORD
For The Island Connection Without CitizenServe, Shortriving through the gates onto Kiawah and Seabrook Term Rental Applications are Islands can feel like entering a different world compared to the crowds of nearby Johns Island, Arduous James Island and Charleston. In addition, a stark contrast
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BY THERESA STRATFORD
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For The Island Connection
he Town of Seabrook Island’s staff is experiencing a slowdown with processing shortterm rental applications due to noncompliance with the Town’s new software, CitizenServe. This program is an all-inclusive portal for short-term rental applications, making it easier for users to submit their applications, check the status and renew all in one place. It rolled out at the end of March but unfortunately didn’t take off as Town staff had hoped. At the May 27 Seabrook Island Town Council meeting, Town Administrator Joe Cronin announced that 88% of the short-term rental applications were written submissions or by email. He added that, as of the deadline for submission, which was April 30, they had been slogging through the written and emailed applications that were turned in and inputting them manually into CitizenServe. Out of the 575 submitted, they had processed about 150 as of May 27. He said that about 20 have been classified as new short-term rental permits. There have been 472 inside the map’s overlay and 103 outside the overlay. (continued on page 6) The Town of Seabrook Island
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exists between the economic demographics for those living on the islands compared to some of the people living just outside the gates. For Brian and Karen McDonagh, turning a blind eye to the poverty they saw in the communities they drove by on their way to their home to Kiawah Island was no longer an option. They wanted to do something to help their neighbors. In late 2022, they established the Beyond Our Gates Foundation of Kiawah & Seabrook as a public 501(c)(3) grant-making community foundation. In the fall 2023, they awarded an inaugural series of $300,000 in grants to 16 reputable nonprofits, serving the critical needs in the adjacent low-income communities. The second series of grants, totaling just over $500,000, was awarded in fall 2024 to 25 incredible service organizations doing the essential work in the struggling neighborhoods not far from where they call home. “Over the past several years, in particular, the inherent dichotomy that exists between the beauty and wealth of Kiawah and Seabrook and the increasingly daunting circumstances faced by thousands of less fortunate people who live just a few miles beyond our gates has become impossible to ignore,” Brian said. “While some in our community have been doing their part to help in various limited ways, we felt that there was an urgent need to
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Beyond Our Gates founder Brian McDonagh (pictured left in both pictures) presents nonprofits Turn90 and Fields to Families with checks.
marshal the institutions and homeowners on Kiawah and Seabrook in a more dramatic fashion than has ever been done before.” The Island Connection asked some questions about the organization and the event they are holding on June 25 for the residents of Kiawah and Seabrook Island. When did you and your wife first come to Kiawah? What year? Where are you from originally? What did you do in your professional lives before coming here? “Karen and I first started coming to Kiawah in 1997, and we bought a home here in 2005. We live in Charlotte and spend as much time on Kiawah as possible. We have (continued on page 3) three grown sons and three
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