SC governor signs bill supporting free parking at the beach

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill clarifying that beach towns can’t eliminate free parking along state roads without permission from South Carolina officials. The law signed Monday requires state permission to change parking along a state road. It also requires that any fees charged by beach towns for parking only offset the amount spent to provide services to visitors. Most of those provisions were already in state law. Supporters felt they needed to be clarified after places like Isle of Palms and Folly Beach banned free parking after the governor ordered beaches to reopen in late spring 2020.