Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach garnered fair shares of headlines in 2024. As Myrtle Beach made moves to transform its downtown, North Myrtle Beach made a huge staff decision and Atlantic Beach grappled with election and high-rise sagas.
Groundbreakings in Myrtle Beach could mark the beginning of the transformation of its downtown, and be a "game-changer" for local business leaders. And the death of Mica Miller attracted press and attention from across the nation.
Here's a rundown of the biggest news from Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach in 2024.聽
MYRTLE BEACH
J-1 housing development breaks ground
A housing development specifically designed for J-1 cultural exchange participants broke ground in Myrtle Beach in November.
International Residence Hall Myrtle Beach is being built on the corner of Robert Grissom Parkway and 10th Avenue North. The completion of phase I, which is expected in April, will house 624 residents in dormitory-style units. Having dedicated housing for exchange students will allow the region to expand the number of participants it welcomes, something that business owners like Mark Lazarus, owner of Broadway Grand Prix and Myrtle Waves Water Park, is looking forward to.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a game-changer for us. One, we don鈥檛 have to go out and try to secure 150 beds all over the beach because there鈥檚 not just one facility that you can just pick here locally,鈥 Lazarus said. 鈥淚t was very difficult for us to secure the beds and have the available places for these kids to stay that met the standards and met our standards.鈥
Lazarus said he relies heavily on J-1 participants to staff his business during the busy tourism season, saying that of his 500 employees during peak season, 150 are typically J-1 participants.
According to data from the U.S. Department of State, there were 1,522 J-1 participants in the five zip codes that make up Myrtle Beach in 2023.
The City of Myrtle Beach embraced the idea of bringing more J-1 students to the region, passing incentives to bring the development, which will house 1,200 when all phases are completed.
The city passed an agreement with the developers to collect a fee-in-lieu-of-tax of $50,000 for the first five years, $100,000 until the 20th year and $200,000 annually afterward.
The city also approved an agreement which would reimburse any fees or taxes paid to the city equal to 10% of the total construction cost, $40 million. That adds up to $400,000 in reimbursed fees and taxes for the developer, IRH Myrtle Beach LLC.
The J-1 program is a non-immigrant cultural exchange program, according to the U.S. Department of State. It allows students, physicians, interns, trainees, camp counselors and child care workers to come to America for seasonal visits. Participants are vetted by the state department and are often university students in their home countries.
Myrtle Beach pastor attracts national headlines聽
A media whirlwind ensued this year as questions about the circumstances regarding Mica Miller鈥檚 death led to speculation that the pastor of Solid Rock at Market Common could be involved. There have been no criminal charges filed in the investigation.
Mica Miller, who had filed for divorce from her husband John-Paul Miller in October 2023 and again in April, was found dead of a gunshot wound on April 27 at Lumber River State Park.
The next morning, pastor John-Paul Miller delivered a sermon as usual and ended it with a message to the congregation announcing his wife鈥檚 death, saying it was a suicide and asking the congregation to leave without speaking about the announcement.
After a nine-day investigation, the Robeson County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, which had jurisdiction over where Mica鈥檚 body was found, made an announcement on social media that they had ruled Mica鈥檚 death a suicide.
Evidence shared by the sheriff鈥檚 office included audio of a 911 call tracked to Lumber River State Park where a woman said she was about to commit suicide, a picture of John-Paul鈥檚 truck traveling to Charleston about 30 minutes before the phone call and video surveillance footage showing Mica purchasing a gun in Myrtle Beach.
鈥淲hile I know it鈥檚 not what many people wanted to hear, the evidence is quite clear and compelling, and we are as saddened as anyone that this occurred,鈥 Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in the press release. 鈥淭here are many factors that we have reviewed that occurred over an extended period of time that are probably related to the reason for this investigation, but in the end, sadly, a tragic decision was made by Mica that ended her life.鈥
Despite the closed investigation, John-Paul couldn鈥檛 shake the media and public attention.
Protesters picketed outside of his church in Market Common week after week, and in November, the church was emptied, the sign removed and John-Paul鈥檚 church was on the move, now operating at The Rat Hole property in Socastee.
Also in November, FBI agents raided John-Paul鈥檚 home in Market Common. The nature of the investigation has not been shared by the FBI.
Arts and Innovation District
The Arts and Innovation District took a big step to becoming an important part of downtown Myrtle Beach this year, with a groundbreaking for a theater which will be the centerpiece of the district.
In March, the city of Myrtle Beach approved an agreement with Coastal Carolina University to allow the university to open theater and classroom space at three adjacent storefronts at 807, 809 and 811 Main Street which will be renovated into a single venue.
CCU will use the space for at least 150 days of the year, Myrtle Beach will be allowed to use it for 30 days of the year and an effort will be made to rent the theater out to third-party vendors for a minimum of 100 days per year, the agreement states.
The Arts and Innovation District is being heavily invested in by the city.
This year, the city approved the issuance of $81 million in bonds, $16.5 million of which will go toward infrastructure and parking improvements to the arts and innovation district. The three parcels that make up the theater were purchased for $1 million in 2018.
Assistant Myrtle Beach city manager Brian Tucker said the public investment is meant to spur more business in the downtown area.
鈥淎t some point in time a pendulum swings to where the private sector deems it to be too risky to be the first investment into an area,鈥 Tucker said. 鈥溾e recognize that we have to be the ones to reinvest in our downtown before we can expect the private sector to come in and invest alongside of us.鈥
Myrtle Beach mayor Brenda Bethune said the 300-seat theater will be the core of the Arts and Innovation District.
In July, a groundbreaking ceremony was held where CCU leaders like CCU President Michael Benson celebrated the occasion. He said the university will use the theater for a wide range of activities which will help revitalize the district, including 鈥減erformances from film screenings, rehearsals, classroom instruction, speaker or lecture events, concerts, you name it. We鈥檙e only constricted by our imagination.鈥
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH
City parts ways with longtime city manager
The city of North Myrtle Beach publicly parted ways with its longtime city manager in 2024.
A special-called meeting was held in September where council voted 5-2 to remove the city manager from his position with cause, saying he failed to hire a grants coordinator 鈥渄espite being ordered to do so by multiple members of City Council.鈥
City Council passed two resolutions at the meeting: one to approve the notice of removal of the city manager and another to 鈥減lace the city manager on administrative leave with pay pending a final decision from city council to remove him.鈥
Mahaney said the reasoning for his dismissal was 鈥渒ind of strange鈥 and that he remembers emails regarding the potential hiring of a grants coordinator, but that a majority of council members had not voiced their approval.
Mahaney didn鈥檛 believe the hire was necessary, and said that since a majority of council didn鈥檛 hire one and that he hadn鈥檛 heard about the issue for months. After the meeting, Mahaney told MyHorry黑料社入口 that he would be filing an appeal.
But in October, the city changed its tune about the dismissal of Mahaney, holding a meeting where council voted to terminate Mahaney鈥檚 employment, but called it an 鈥渁micable transition.鈥
The transition agreement meant there would be no appeal and came with stipulations preventing Mahaney from filing any lawsuits against the city and prohibited him from making any disparaging remarks about the city, and vice versa. The gag/legal waiver part of the agreement came with a $126,505 payment to Mahaney.
The city of North Myrtle Beach operates under a council/manager form of government, meaning the city manager handles a wide range of duties, overseeing every department of the city. Mahaney had been city manager of North Myrtle Beach since 2010.
Little River casino boat has brought millions
The casino boats docked in Little River bring in big money, and not just for the casino companies.
A Freedom of Information Act request by MyHorry黑料社入口 showed that since the casino boats began operating out of Little River in 2008, the county has received $15.6 million from an agreement with the county.
Passengers pay a surcharge on their ticket price that goes to the county bringing nearly $1 million per year. That money goes to the county鈥檚 general fund, Horry representatives said.
Some business owners and residents in Little River were disappointed to learn that the money was not being reinvested back into the Little River community 鈥 a small, humble and historic waterfront community 鈥 especially since funds to repair and enhance the crumbling docks on the waterfront were reallocated to a planned equestrian center near Conway.
The county is poised to collect even more from the casino boats in the coming years. In 2008, the per-passenger surcharge was $7, later increasing to $10. And county council voted to raise the surcharge once again this year with a time-tiered increase. Beginning in April 2025, the fee will increase to $15, and will increase again to $18 in 2030.
Atlantic Beach election, high-rise sagas聽
Who will be the next mayor of the town of Atlantic Beach is still unclear after elections were held in November 2023.
The town has been trying to sort out its contested election for mayor since then, with challenges about some voters meeting residency concerns causing a flurry of lawsuits, appeals and contentious meetings.
As it stands, the November election for two council seats was certified by the town election commission and a judge ordered that Carla Taylor be allowed to sit on the dais, giving the John David camp the majority on council.
David was running against Josephine Isom for the mayoral seat after current mayor Jake Evans decided not to run for re-election, but with the mayor election still undecided, Evans had remained as mayor.
But when Taylor was allowed to sit on the dais, replacing Isom鈥檚 expired council seat, Evans and council member Jacqui Gore stopped showing up to meetings.
The courts are still involved, and it鈥檚 to be decided when a new election for mayor will be scheduled as the election commission鈥檚 appeal is yet to be withdrawn by the commission鈥檚 new attorney Reese Boyd.
Interim town manager Orton Bellamy and the recently appointed town attorney Dwayne Green were both fired after Taylor was sat, and Linda Cheatham has been appointed interim town manager while a search for a replacement is underway.
After a years-long struggle, the town of Atlantic Beach gave approval for the first high rise in the town鈥檚 history.
The $53 million development calls for 27 multi-family units, 63 hotel units and a 180-space built-in parking garage. The building was given final approval in August, but a court order may delay or stop the development.
A lawsuit by residents opposing the project on the grounds of a 1941 deed restriction led to a consent order issued by a judge just before the project was given final approval. It reads 鈥淚n order to preserve the status quo pending resolution of this case on the merits, the Town of Atlantic Beach shall not issue any building permit, land disturbance permit, or other construction or development permit with respect to the construction, erection, or other development activity for any non-residential use or non-residential structure鈥 on the land where the condotel is proposed.
In October, the small town of Atlantic Beach celebrated its 90th year since George Tyson bought two tracts of land which would make up the community with a community celebration on Atlantic Street. The small town sandwiched by the city of North Myrtle Beach long served as a haven for Black beachgoers in the segregated south during the Jim Crow era.
NMB girls volleyball wins state championship
After back-to-back years of falling just short, the North Myrtle Beach High School girls volleyball team won the state championship.
The Chiefs won the Class 5A-Division II state championship in November by beating Nation Ford in straight sets, 3-0.聽
It wasn't all smooth sailing this year for the team, with senior star and University of Georgia signee Olivia Borgman missing much of the beginning of the season due to injury. But head coach Jenn Loeswick said the absence made her team stronger, pushing players to perform and win without the star. The Chiefs didn't lose a region game.
And just before the playoffs began, their star returned and the team really clicked into gear, not losing a set in the playoffs as the team pushed to the state finals to play at the Dreher High School gymnasium, the same place they had lost the two years before.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we talked about, even before coming. We know what happens when we come here and you lose,鈥 Loeswick said. 鈥淕etting here is really special. This is as far as you can go. Just to get here is a testament to a great season. I think they were able to play free and play with joy.鈥
North Myrtle Beach begins sports complex expansion
The already impressive North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex began its expansion this year.
The $36 million expansion will add five more soccer fields, six baseball fields, walking trails and more. Parks and Recreation Director Matt Gibbons said the demand is there for the expansion and that it will allow the city to host larger tournaments that previously went to other cities or held some games at separate facilities.
Improvements to the complex were paid for primarily with $27 million in general obligation bonds. The bonds will be paid in nine years with an annual debt service of $3.5 million.
Taxes went up by 3 mils in the city this year to 48 mils, which is the lowest tax rate for a municipality in the county. The $207.8 million budget was the largest in the city鈥檚 history.
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