Beaufort County acquires Daufuskie Island landing after years-long legal battle
After three years of legal disputes, Beaufort County has taken ownership of part of Daufuskie Island’s Melrose Landing, the dock and area where public ferry riders board.
On Dec. 9, the county acquired a portion of the landing for $1.4 million. This includes the road that leads to the landing, all parking areas, structures, walkways, the main pier and pier head and all docking facilities to the northeast side of the pier. It means the county can “immediately” start necessary repairs on the dock where public ferry users load and unload to and from Daufuskie Island.
The county plans to secure or remove unsafe floating docks, replacing decking and handrails and making structural repairs to the boarding barge.
Ferry service only way on and off Daufuskie Island
Daufuskie residents have long been concerned about the safety of the docks, especially in light of the Sapelo Island tragedy last October when seven people in Georgia were killed after a public ferry dock collapsed.
Daufuskie Island, like Sapelo Island, does not have a bridge to the mainland, so the ferry service is the only publicly-accessible transportation to the mainland. Many residents use the public ferry to travel to and from Hilton Head Island for essential items like groceries and medication that are not readily available on the island.
There were lingering questions at that time about whether the county, the ferry operator or the landowner was responsible for the landing’s upkeep. The contract between the county and the operator seem to suggest it was the county’s obligation, but county officials said publicly it was the job of the dock owners.
Beaufort County condemns the ferry landing
The county condemned the landing in 2022 on its journey to establish a permanent and public embarkation point for the ferry, offering the landowner $1.5 million in compensation. The county has been renting out the landing for $10,000 per month in the meantime, totaling around $420,000. The landowner, Redfish Holdings LLC, did not accept the county’s offer and filed its own lawsuit against the county, alleging that there were procedural violations during the condemnation process.
The settlement between the county and the landowner ended that lawsuit and made it so that it cannot be filed again.
In September, The Island Packet requested copies of public records related to the condemnation and purchase of the Melrose property. This request has not yet been fulfilled by the county.
There will be a few changes for island residents and property owners who qualify for a discounted ferry rate. Starting on Jan. 1, ferry riders will be paying $2 more per trip, but the county plans to eliminate parking fees at the embarkation sites on Daufuskie Island and on the mainland site on Pickney Island which the county says will save riders $100 per month.
