Residents express frustrations over Hilton Head beach canopies at town meeting

Some Hilton Head Islanders say their beaches have become "tent cities," spoiling the island's natural beauty and creating disruptions to humans and wildlife alike.

"Canopies are taking up a lot of space on the beach," said Noreen Luce, a Sea Pines resident. "When the tide is up, there's not much space left."

Luce was one of about 30 Hilton Head residents who attended a Town Council Finance and Administrative Committee meeting Tuesday evening at town hall to discuss issues regarding large tents and canopies on the beach. The town does not currently limit umbrellas, tents or other canopies on public beaches.

Over the summer, council members received numerous complaints from residents who say these canopies have become increasingly problematic on the island's 13.5 miles of beaches.

The tents, some say, create safety hazards because of the large holes required to anchor them in the sand. Beyond that, dozens of tents are abandoned on the beaches weekly, left for town workers to clean up.

No vote or decision was made at the meeting.

"Our main concern is listening to the people in this room," said councilman John McCann. "Our beaches are our No. 1 asset next to our people." He said he and the other two councilmen present, Tom Lennox and Bill Harkins, would discuss the concerns expressed at the meeting with the rest of Town Council.

McCann added that resident issues with beach parking would be addressed at a later meeting.

Several Hilton Head residents who spoke at the meeting said the canopies set up on the beaches obstruct the natural beauty of the island. Karen Gannon of Palmetto Dunes said she and others call the tents "condos."

"I think if (people) want them, consider having them set up by the town," Gannon said. "They can pay the town to have them set up so they're not blocking the view for anyone else."

Residents in attendance who agreed the canopies needed to be regulated by the town suggested that Shore Beach Services, which manages lifeguards, Beach Patrol and rental services on the island, be required to set up all large tents and canopies, regulate where they are placed and make sure they are disassembled at the end of the day.

"I understand there may be a need for them," said Rose Ann Schaeffer of Hilton Head Plantation. "Put them back by the dunes. Restrict where they're allowed to put them so Beach Patrol doesn't have to worry about it."

Shore Beach Services Director Ralph Wagner said, during the peak tourist season, his staff cleans up anywhere between 20 to 50 canopies left behind by beachgoers each week.

"Our biggest issue is the extra time we have to spend on canopies that have been abandoned, especially ones that have been damaged," he said. Many times, the canopies won't fit into a dumpster, he said, which then requires extra time to cut them up.

"Is it significant? Perhaps not," he added. During the summer months, "we take off an average of 40 broken canopies a week. We're paid to do that, but it's a matter of extra time."

Wagner said his team places brightly colored tags on canopies that are left overnight. According to town ordinance, he said anything left on the beach overnight is considered litter and is subject to removal.

"We tag them a couple of times before removing them," he added. "Just by process of education, we don't see as many left up."

One Hilton Head resident, Joseph Tobin, said he didn't think the canopies were a problem and that regulating them would create a "slippery slope" and that potential associated fines could detract people from visiting the island.

"The burden of enforcing this regulation would far exceed cleaning up these tents," he said. "If we get people visiting our island getting fined after popping a tent they get, what, a $100, $200 fine? That is only going to discourage tourism."

Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Protection Project Manager Amber Kuehn said one problem she has is with large holes created by garden spades on the beaches.*



"Adult turtles will run into them," Kuehn said. "Hatchlings don't anticipate a hole that's four feet deep. I've seen them booby trapped."



She suggested banning garden spades on the beaches to cut down on the size and scope of holes.

"You don't need to dig a hole that deep to have fun at the beach," she added.

*Amber Kuehn's comments were corrected on Sept. 30, 2015.

Follow reporter Ashley Fahey at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.

Related content:

• Public to get say in Hilton Head Island beach tent rules, September 28, 2015
• In wake of complaints, Hilton Head to consider beach tent rules, August 5, 2015

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Residents express frustrations over Hilton Head beach canopies at town meeting."