I love my state, but this is just one more example of SC at it's absolute worst. It's been several years since we spent much time down there, but this little spit of land was an environmental delight. The variety of birds and other wildlife was amazing, and we spent hours watching dolphin feed just inside this inlet. To think that anyone would even consider building on this sandbar would be laughable if it were not so tragic.
Throughout the state, but particularly at the coast, you don't have to look very far to be reminded the almighty dollar continues to rule over all other considerations. Any SC developer with the right connections and deep enough pockets will sooner or later get whatever he wants. The video mentioned the damage that Hugo did at the South end of Pawleys. It's just awaiting another hurricane to once again be a major disaster, but Pawleys was developed years before environmental considerations were a factor.
Much more recently, the South end of Litchfield Beach was a sandbar very similar to Captain Sam's Spit. Anyone willing to hike a little ways was treated to a beautiful undeveloped stretch of beach full of birds and other wildlife. You could stand on the beach and toss a rock into the inlet, and development seemed inconceivable. Today, the dune is a filled-in, paved, gated road with multi-million dollar homes. The wildlife have once again been displaced by humans, just waiting on the hurricane that will push it all into the inlet.
You would think that we would have evolved to the point that, as a state, we would recognize and respect the value of retaining some small amount of undeveloped oceanfront property. Unfortunately, as long as there are developers who don't give a damn and politicians who are willing to take their money, this type of irresponsible development will continue.
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