Sunset Beach reverses cabana ban plan

SUNSET BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Sunset Beach is reversing course on its plan to ban cabanas and tents on the sand.

At its meeting Monday town council reversed its position from last month and voted to continue to allow shading tents and cabanas on the beach, according to a news release from the town.

Last month council voted 3-2 to ban cabanas and tents on the beach to help cut down the amount of time the town’s EMTs, as part of the Beach Patrol, spent enforcing town ordinances updated over the last few years. Those updates addressed safety concerns, including trip hazards from tent cords, alignment of tents to keep a clear emergency access lane on the beach and requirements to take tents down during high winds and taking them off the beach each night.

At Monday’s meeting, according to the news release, Mayor Robert Forrester explained to the public that the November action did not amend the ordinance containing the beach rules because a two-thirds majority vote is required by state statute and local rules to adopt an ordinance or take action having the effect of an ordinance on the date on which it is introduced. As the Council in Sunset Beach consists of five members, a vote of four members would have been required. The subsequent readings of a proposed ordinance change only require a simple majority, or for Sunset Beach, three votes.

Forrester also described the outpouring of public input about tents and canopies. He said he had received, read and responded to more than 320 e-mails on this issue.

Council voted against a motion to table the discussion. Instead members voted to continue to allow cabanas on the beach.  Mayor Pro-Tem Carol Scott explained that she had received additional information that caused her to reconsider and change her position on the issue.

“It seems to me that it takes courage to admit when you’ve made a mistake, and I think that was a mistake,” Scott said, according to the release. “We have an obligation to adhere to the wishes of the majority where we can, and clearly the majority of the people we heard from felt strongly that we should allow cabanas.  In the absence of significant safety reasons to ban them at this point, I changed my position.”

The council agreed to a continuing review of the beach rules to consider changes that would improve the quality of the beach experience and the accessibility of the beach for all.