There are politicians that make empty campaign promises, and then there are politicians like Representative Spencer Wetmore. A former Folly Beach official who flipped a Lowcountry seat from red to blue in last year’s special election, Wetmore promised to combat the intense polarization of the State House and work across partisan lines for her coastal community. Following through on this promise, Wetmore has now filed legislation alongside Senator George “Chip” Campsen (R-Charleston) to address vessels abandoned in South Carolina’s waterways.
Modeled after a Folly Beach pilot program, H.3865 would allow local governments to implement a permit system for watercraft mooring for longer than fourteen consecutive days within city or county borders. These permits would cost no more than fifteen dollars per the legislation.
In a statement released last week, Wetmore argued that the bill provides local governments the opportunity to finally address the localized and recurring issue of vessel abandonment. “Irresponsible boat owners have been clogging and polluting our waterways for too long,” she stated.
Senator Campsen, the bill’s Republican cosponsor in the Senate, added that the legislation “respects boaters’ access to navigable waters while empowering local governments to stop vessel abandonment, along with its navigational and environmental hazards.”
H.3865 is only the beginning of what we foresee to be a much-needed bipartisan effort led by freshman Representative Spencer Wetmore to improve the daily lives of South Carolinians. The bill currently resides in the House Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs.