Warning: This column is political. Frankly, it seems EVERYTHING is political these days. It’s also a criticism of Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner, so if you’re a fan of his, don’t bother to read this. — LH
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
It may have been Water Festival week and the rain may have been playing havoc with the schedule. Parts of the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park may be ready to fall into the Beaufort River and city leaders may not have a plan yet to pay for the fix.
But the talk this past week, at least among locals was the one hour and 20 minute “community chat” Sheriff P.J. Tanner last Tuesday had with about 150 constituents who, by and large, didn’t like what he had to say.
For those who weren’t able to attend the meeting in the circa-1880 county courthouse on Bay Street – the room reached capacity immediately and a number of folks were not allowed in, including the TV media who eventually were allowed in for their photo shoots. The event was covered by The Island Packet, The Post and Courier and two Savannah TV stations. It was also broadcast live on the county channel, BCTV and you can still go back to the county channel and watch it. Draw your own conclusions.
The “chat” was scheduled by County Council members who had been getting an earful about Tanner’s efforts to enter a contract with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, ICE, and the 287(g) program. But the six council members who were present didn’t get to say a word, except to reiterate the only “control” they had over their fellow elected official was approving his annual budget.
From the minute he stood up, Tanner made it clear the meeting was HIS show and HE was in charge. That was also abundantly clear by the end of the session when the final speaker concluded by saying she felt his tone, in answering questions, had been “disingenuous” and accused him of “talking down” to his constituents gathered for what had been billed as a “question-and-answer” session.
Tanner started the meeting, facing the audience leaning casually on the podium mid-center in the room, talking about the ICE program and how he worked with the federal agency in 2008 and why his department has applied to participate in it again, although a contract, which has been negotiated with at least 20 other S.C. agencies, has not been finalized.
He asked how many people in the room had experiences with individuals experiencing ICE arrests, not just what they had seen on television coverage. He stressed he was there to answer questions about the program, not debate, but he and the audience were both soon guilty of interrupting one another.
He also stressed that for every complaint he heard from those in the room, he received an equal number who supported his position, a point supported by the public comments entered on social media reports of the session.
For the record, a group of more than 100 anti-ICE advocates gathered Friday afternoon in front of the sheriff’s office on Hilton Head Island. Tanner will also be the star at another “community chat” somewhere South of the Broad on July 22.
Not everyone in the courthouse last week with Tanner considered themselves “his” constituents since several shouted it was “time for a change.” They’ll have that chance next year, in 2026, when Tanner will be up for re-election if he chooses to run for an eighth term.
As is often the case when local sheriffs face re-election, if they aren’t facing personal indictments or health problems, they often get re-elected. In his last campaign, Tanner was opposed by one of his former officers, J.J. Woodward, in the Republican primary and won handily with 62 percent of the vote.
The Bluffton native who entered law enforcement in 1988 just as he turned 21, is reaching federal retirement age. But Tuesday night, in that old county courthouse, he gave no indication he’s thinking about “stepping down” or backing off his efforts to work with ICE to make Beaufort County safe.
Municipal regulation changes keeping you up at night?
PORT ROYAL – It’s not NEARLY as emotional as talking about immigration at the hands of ICE but growth in the city of Beaufort and town of Port Royal have been hot topics since Ribaut Road got paved.
For that reason – a growing anxiety about growth and how it’s changing our communities – there is good news that at least Port Royal Town Council is moving forward on updates to their development plans which are intended to help control that growth.
The Port Royal Town Council last week gave unanimous approval to revisions to four chapters of the development code, changes dealing with traffic impact analysis, lot setbacks, road interconnectivity, etc. The town planning staff, which until last week consisted of one person (now there are two), has been working with a planning consultant to update the code for almost two years.
The council felt so passionate about how their population was growing that they imposed a building moratorium in April 2024 on any more multi-family apartment buildings.
During that period they tightened the tree protection ordinances, increasing fines and making it one of the more restrictive in the state. They imposed stricter standards for short-term rentals. There are still a few more revisions to be made to the code before the moratorium can be lifted but the end is apparently in sight.
The town council had already revised the moratorium ordinance to exempt SafeHarbor development which may, once it actually gets started, change Port Royal forever.
Town staff said even with the moratorium in place for new large-scale multi-family developments, the number of project applications coming through their doors has been non-stop.
Over at the Beaufort City Council last week, they voted 3-2 to delay final reading to two chapters of their revised development code because the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, whose representatives reportedly had not attended any of the 20-plus public meetings to discuss the changes, asked for more time to study the implications.
Most of the council acquiesced to the Chamber’s request and agreed to further discuss Chapters 7 and 9, dealing with procedures for land development until a special joint meeting on Tuesday, July 15. This was the council that in April voted against a moratorium because the complete land development update was imminent.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
