County confirms Pinky Harriott’s employment ended May 12
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beaufort County’s Chief Financial Officer, Pinky Harriott, is no longer employed by the county, according to county officials.
The news began circulating on social media Thursday, May 14, with at least one county council candidate publicly questioning the timing of the move as the county remains in the middle of budget discussions for the upcoming fiscal year.
When reached by The Island News on Wednesday, Beaufort County Public Information Officer Hannah Nichols confirmed Harriott’s departure in a brief statement.
“All I can confirm is that Ms. Harriott’s employment with Beaufort County ended on May 12,” Nichols said.
The county did not provide any additional information regarding the circumstances surrounding Harriott’s departure or whether she resigned or was terminated.
Harriott was selected as Beaufort County’s Chief Financial Officer in November 2024 after previously serving as the county’s budget director before later taking a position with the University of South Carolina Beaufort. In her role as CFO, Harriott oversaw the county’s budget and procurement finance divisions and had recently been leading presentations and discussions surrounding Beaufort County’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget.
Just days before her employment ended, Harriott presented the county’s proposed budget during a special called Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee meeting on May 8. According to information released by the county following that meeting, the proposed budget moved forward with no tax increase proposed for county residents.
Harriott had also appeared at multiple recent county meetings and budget workshops throughout April and early May as county council continued discussions on spending, capital projects and departmental funding requests.
The departure comes as Beaufort County government continues efforts to rebuild public trust following the controversies surrounding former County Administrator Eric Greenway and questions over transparency and financial oversight that dominated county government discussions over the past two years.
At this time, Beaufort County has not announced an interim CFO or said who will oversee remaining budget presentations and financial discussions moving forward.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.