What’s going to happen with lifeguards on the beach once their agreement expires in September?
With that in mind, the three options left to consider before the expiration date are to negotiate new franchise agreements, have the city provide lifeguards, or have the city provide no lifeguards, according to the 2025-32 Water Safety Proposals presentation shown to the council members during their Tuesday workshop meeting.
The decision will have to be made as officials grapple with how to keep the beach safe after recent fatalities.
Myrtle Beach weights three options, seen before, for lifeguarding their section of SC beach
The first option would have the city sign new agreements with independent lifeguard franchisers Lack’s Beach Service and John’s Beach Service. Both of these franchisees are currently in charge of running lifeguard operations in Myrtle Beach.
Their existing contract started seven summers ago and ends at the end of September this year.
Both of the current franchisees won bids against other competitors to operate on the city’s beaches during the last contract cycle for 2018. They are the only two businesses that are allowed to operate on the beach based on their agreement with the city.
Under this option the franchisees would be responsible for recruiting, training and employing lifeguards in the new contract.
They would also be allowed to rent chairs and umbrellas to patrons, but would have to keep water safety and concessions as separate duties.
Previously lifeguards sold beach chairs while scanning the waves for troubled swimmers, but that changed two years ago when the city got rid of the dual lifeguard model, according to city spokeswoman Meredith Denari.
The second option would have the City of Myrtle Beach take over the lifeguarding program and employ, finance and operate their own.
Some of the considerations listed on the slides shown to council members say this option would be “a very complex operation and very expensive.”
It would require the city to have to hire new full time personnel in order to establish a new command structure and training curriculum for new lifeguards, require new insurance, increase the city’s legal exposure and would need them to help find housing for out-of-town lifeguards, including J-1 Visa holders.
And the third option would be to have no lifeguards stationed at the beach at all.
South Carolina state laws dictate that municipalities bordering the Atlantic Ocean are authorized, but not required to provide lifeguards on and along public beaches.
“I would never think of doing option three because that’s just not Myrtle Beach,” Council member Mike Chesnut said during the workshop. Beforehand he brought up the old adage of “If it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it,” in favor of Option one.
The future agreement would hypothetically only dictate the minimum number of lifeguards and the guarded hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 15 through Sept. 30, but would leave the lifeguard stand placement decisions up to the individual franchisees.
Out of all three options, this one would require the least amount of change, since it’s already been in place for the past two seasons.
Looking ahead, Denari said the city is open to change and wanting to see how they can make things better with the new agreement.
Representatives from Lack’s and John’s Beach Services did not respond to The Sun News’s request for comment.
Here’s how much it would cost for Myrtle Beach to take over lifeguarding
Under the current franchisee system, the city currently does not pay anything for the lifeguard franchises, according to Denari. Instead, she explained they earn money through beach chairs and umbrella rentals.
The city calculated that, on average, it costs approximately $15,150 per lifeguard each summer. That number includes their wages, training, and uniforms.
If the city were to take on this program from the franchisees, the cost of the lifeguards alone would be over $1 million for the summer season.
Some additional costs outside of staffing that they might incur based on the presentation include:
50 Stands and Towers - $125,000
50 Dry boxes - $12,500
Five year-round managers at $70k to $100k per year
Five trucks - $325,000 plus maintenance
Fourteen UTV’s - $434,000 plus maintenance
Trailers to move the UTV’s - $14,000
Radios for police and fire and VHF - $47,500
Other equipment including rescue cans, beach flags, first aid kits - $15,000
This list did not include quantitative estimates for increased workers’ compensation, liability insurance, or legal exposure costs.
Why is the way Myrtle Beach lifeguards the beach back up for discussion
Approximately two years ago, there was a policy change that prohibits lifeguards from performing dual duties or watching the water and selling chairs concurrently.
That change came after a civil lawsuit was filed against Lack’s Beach Service for alleged negligence surrounding the death of Zerihun Wolde, 41.
While swimming in the ocean during a family vacation on Aug. 24, 2018, Wolde died after he was caught in a riptide and pulled under the water.
Wolde’s fiance, Mesawet Abel, and her attorneys claimed that the company’s dual roles of handling rental equipment and protecting the beach made Lack’s Beach Service responsible for Wolde’s death.
That case is currently undergoing appeal after a jury found Lack’s Beach Service responsible for a $20,730,000 settlement in 2022, according to circuit court records .
The decision to part with the old dual lifeguarding system in 2022 was was made by localice and fire departments, the city council and the franchise,ees themselves.
“It has been successful because that’s definitely the direction that we wanted to go in,” Denari said about how the decision has fared. “We realized that it wasn’t ideal anymore to ask someone to protect lives in the ocean and rent beach chairs at the same time.”
Beach safety in the Grand Strand was also discussed this year after the death of Sandra “Sandy” Schultz-Peters, 66, on June 13. She was killed when a beach patrol pick-up truck driven by Horry County Police Beach Safety Director, Julian “Duke” Brown ran her over while she was sitting in a chair reading.
No criminal charges have been filed against Brown as of Wednesday. He’s currently on paid administrative leave with the department. Schultz-Peters’s loved ones have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Horry County Police Department.
And just this past week, the Horry County Coroner’s Office reported two toddlers had drowned in separate instances while on family vacation over the Fourth of July weekend in the Myrtle Beach area.
The city’s Beach Advisory Committee is expected to meet later this summer, on July 17 and Aug. 21, and ultimately make a formal recommendation to the Council on which option they chose.
From there, it is up to elected officials that serve on the Council to make a final decision.
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