‘Who are you really keeping from the beach?’: Hilton Head reacts to coronavirus closure

When Hilton Head Island Mayor John McCann announced Friday that the island’s beaches would be closed for at least 60 days, he was immediately met with outrage, applause — and confusion.

Many seemed to take McCann’s announcement as a proclamation that no one would be allowed on the island’s beaches, which is not true. While the Town has authority over public beach access points, it doesn’t own the beaches themselves. Those with private access can still get to the sand, a point that has many residents steamed.

“So who are you really keeping from the beach?” Tami Bream commented on the town’s Facebook page.

In less than 24 hours, a petition aimed at McCann and titled “Hilton Head Island - Protect Residents” garnered more than 1,000 signatures.

Friday’s announcement had no effect on residents who could get to the beach from private access points, like many gated neighborhoods, nor tourists at island resorts or renters at places with private access. Those most affected? Island residents who rely on public areas, such as Folly Field and Coligny, for access and day-trippers from places such as Bluffton.

When making the announcement, McCann said he did so in part because of encouragement he had received from a large number of residents, but many of those residents were then left in disbelief that McCann had seemingly prioritized tourism interests ahead of local residents. McCann made no mention of whether he had considered ordering non-essential businesses to temporarily close.

What McCann did say Friday was that he would “absolutely” tell potential visitors to come to the island and take advantage of biking trails and the island’s natural beauty apart from the beach.

Mickey Goodman of Hilton Head wrote that his jaw dropped when he heard the mayor encourage visitors and questioned why the hotels and rentals weren’t closed down instead of a plan being put in place that penalizes locals. Other residents brought up the issue of low stocks at grocery stores and how continuing to invite tourists, with restaurants on restrictions, might worsen that problem for people living here.

But not everyone was angry with McCann’s decision. Renee Johnson of South Forest Beach said she was “so thankful for this closure” and said it was important to remember that the island’s older population must be protected. Jan Jackson of Sea Pines agreed, saying the complaints were misguided and that people should just stay home until the situation is under control.

Stephen Appell of Port Royal Plantation said the issue with McCann’s order, however, is one of fairness.

“The point isn’t that the beaches are opened or closed but rather that tourists and a certain portion of the HHI population will have access to the beaches while a large portion of HHI residents will not,” he wrote on a Nextdoor posting.

S.L. Lynn, who lives in Marsh Side apartments on Gum Tree Road, questioned the logic of limiting beach access while so many other things are still allowed, including retail shopping and restaurant pickup service. Lynn also called the move a “segregation of the haves and the have nots” and said a refund of beach permits would be in order.

There were still beachgoers on Coligny Beach on Saturday. A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office officer patrolling the area near Coligny Plaza said it was “nearly impossible” to tell who had come from public and private access points, and that he was focused on “keeping order.”

What McCann’s order means

All of Hilton Head Island’s beaches are public, but they’re the property of the state — only public beach access points belong to the Town.

While the Town is barricading public access points and closing beach parking, McCann told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Friday that the Town cannot block private beach access points.

This means that, barring action from the state, residents and tourists alike with private beach access — those in places like Port Royal Plantation, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and the The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa — will still be able to get to the beach, though McCann encouraged everyone to stay off beaches at Friday’s press conference.

Police are still authorized to disperse crowds of three or more at the beaches, per a Friday executive order from Governor Henry McMaster.

A petition aimed at McCann and started by a group called the Coalition of Island Neighbors calls on the Town to “issue an emergency declaration” ordering non-residents to leave, and to prohibit their entry into the town. It also calls for the Town to reinstate beach access for residents.

Risa Prince, a coalition member, said Saturday that the Town’s announcement was “discriminatory based on where people live” and “against the mayor’s campaign promise of residents first.”

The petition also highlights the limited resources of Hilton Head Memorial Hospital, which has 93 staffed beds.

“The more people that are on our island, the worse that gets,” Prince said, emphasizing that shortages would increase if coronavirus patients required ventilators and isolation rooms.

“I understand the need for a balance of economic incentives and businesses in the community, and resident interests,” Prince said. “And that’s desirable in normal times. These are not normal times.”