South Carolina’s 12th annual Beach Advocates event in Hilton Head highlights urgent coastal challenges like erosion and storm impacts. Leaders are pushing for better state support and flexible erosion controls.
Event Overview
The gathering, hosted by South Carolina Beach Advocates, runs January 26-28, 2026, at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. It features panels on resilience, monitoring, and infrastructure with mayors, engineers, and policymakers. Discussions aim to protect beaches as vital assets amid rising seas and 12 storms in the past decade.
Key Challenges
Isle of Palms faces severe beach erosion, damaging homes and accelerating a $30 million renourishment project from 2028 to mid-2026. State laws restrict options to sandbagging, scraping, or costly renourishment, limiting innovative materials. Lt. Col. Todd Mainwaring of the U.S. Army Corps views beaches as engineered buffers against wave energy.
Advocacy Goals
Participants seek a dedicated state beach fund to ease local burdens, as communities currently fund most maintenance. Mayor Phillip Pounds hopes to influence legislators toward more flexible erosion solutions. The event fosters collaboration for long-term coastal management.
