Porch Construction in Folly Beach, SC

Jim Rocco’s long and winding gravel driveway through thick, swampy forest would not be out of place elsewhere in South Carolina, but it sticks out in the buzzing beach town of Folly Beach. Even more conspicuous, however, is the place it leads to.

A dock, miles of trails, and a rustic but charming early 1900s home await on Rocco’s eighteen-acre property, which he has owned since 1999. What began as a city dumping ground, squatter’s haven, and “obvious teardown” to Rocco became a two-decade project that continues to this day.

“The African Queen movie with Humphrey Bogart? Nothing on us,” recalls Rocco, an artist and retired e-commerce executive, of the initial state of the property. “You couldn’t go ten feet. You couldn’t see the river. Everything was overgrown for years. It was just left here.”

Rocco says the spirit of his grandfather, an immigrant from Naples, Italy, inspired him to purchase the neglected tract and the cottage that came with it. “There were stories from either my father or my grandfather, saying, ‘Hey, Jimmy, you see that property over there? I could have bought that for $10.’ Every time they told me this story, I put $1 in a jar,” he recalls with a laugh.

He also credits the intuition of his late wife, Shann, for supporting the decision to to keep the house and land relatively intact—to the benefit of local deer, eagles, cranes, and bobcats. Though a few protected pockets remain, Folly Beach today is dotted with beach houses, and the proliferation of short-term rental properties has sparked vigorous local debate.

A satellite view of the island tells the story: a neat grid of neighborhood streets, riverside expanses of marsh, and one noticeable cluster of dense forest on the island’s west side—Rocco’s property.

The land is part of the wider history of Folly Beach: It served as a boys’ summer camp during the 1930s and likely a staging area and supply depot for the Union during the Civil War, according to records kept by previous owners. Now Rocco, who fancies himself a “steward” of the land more than an owner, says his primary goal is to preserve the natural space. While the property, named the Folly River House, is rentable on sites like Airbnb, it is more often borrowed for a quick getaway by family, friends, and Rocco himself. Rocco is also putting together an events business tailored to the site, which he plans to leave in the charge of his daughter.

In his spare time, he enjoys mentoring students at the American College of Building Arts in nearby Charleston, often providing many young craftsmen with their first commissions. A few of his outstanding orders include a Poseidon throne, a Medusa head, and a seven-foot statue of a “Lizard man,” all of which will soon be on display on the River House property. “Make magic. Be inspired. Get back to nature. For me, it’s that simple,” Rocco says.

He’s sprinkling his own magic touch on the Folly River House, including but not limited to his locally famous American flag sculptures made from stacked logs. Civil war bullets, a trombone, and his grandfather’s old pickax head are just a few of the personally or culturally significant items that replace the stars on these wooden flags, adorning each with a unique backstory.

His largest flag sculpture, which sits on Folly’s Huron Avenue, makes use of old parts of the former Folly Beach Pier to commemorate the workers who assembled the new pier “on time and ahead of schedule, with no complaints.” Next to the flag is a sitting area and a sign bearing the beach town’s nickname: the Edge of America.

Once, like many barrier islands in the South, Folly Beach was an isolated stretch of coastal jungle that truly did feel like the edge of America. You can still find a vestige of that place at Rocco’s River House.

“In the end we made the decision together. Keep it as is. Keep it special,” recalls Rocco of the leap of faith he and wife took years ago. “And now it’s just a little gem. You come here and your world stops here.”

, a 2026 intern at Garden & Gun, hails from Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from Trinity College Dublin, where he studied English and Italian and was editor-in-chief of The University Times.

FOLLY BEACH, SC (WCIV) — Drivers looking for parking on Folly Beach could soon see clearer pricing before pulling into private lots, as city leaders consider changes aimed at making rates easier to find and compare.

Currently, several parking lots on Folly Beach are not required to post hourly or daily rates. For some drivers, that means they do not learn the cost of parking until after entering a lot.

One lot highlighted by residents requires drivers to scan a QR code, wait for a text message and follow a link to view parking rates. On the day described, a day pass cost $43.

James McMahon, a longtime Folly Beach musician, said he has seen parking prices vary over the years.

“I think that they kind of scant, not really scam, but I think that they overpriced people in the summertime,” McMahon said.

Just off Center Street before Second Street, numerous parking lots operate using a mix of QR code systems and traditional payment methods. City leaders said one of the main concerns is the lack of signage clearly displaying daily rates.

During an hour-long City Council discussion, one council member advocated for consistent, visible signage that would allow drivers to see parking costs without using a phone.

“You don't have to scan a QR code to see what it is. You don't have to log into an app to see what the parking is,” the council member said. “Everyone would be consistently with that sign.”

Another council member said the city should avoid overcomplicating the issue and emphasized that officials are not trying to dictate how lot owners operate their businesses.

“I feel like we're trying to get into these scenarios and over-complicate. We're not trying to tell them how to run their business,” the council member said.

Council members ultimately decided to conduct further study before making a decision.

McMahon said he hopes any future changes make parking simpler and more affordable.

“It could be less expensive. That would be nice,” he said.

Several local parking lot employees said clearly posted rates would make it easier for drivers to compare prices and could help keep parking more affordable.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) — Rain fell throughout Saturday on Folly Beach, but it did not stop crowds from turning out for the Mermaids and Mateys Festival on Center Street.

The festival transformed Center Street into an under-the-sea celebration, with costumes, live music and vendors filling the street despite the weather.

“We’re on a girls trip from Michigan. Just celebrating, having fun, yeah, at the festival,” Maria Dackins, a festivalgoer, said. “We heard about the festival, so we all got costumes, and we came down here and decided to dress up and have a great time.”

This year’s event marked a homecoming for Center Street following the completion of Folly Beach’s largest infrastructure project ever.

The festival was free to attend, with more than 80 art, craft and fashion vendors lining the street, along with live music, a dunk tank and a kids’ zone.

Costume contests were held for kids, families and adults.

Dackins said the vendors and the local atmosphere stood out during her visit.

“All the vendors, lots of cool artwork, jewelry, t-shirts, hats. And the people are so nice here,” Dackins said. “We’re very fortunate. The city is amazing. It’s all about the people.”

For festivalgoers Tim Howard and Isla Murray, the rain in the forecast did not change their plans.

“She said this morning when we said, ‘It looks like it might rain, we might not be able to go.’ And she goes, ‘But mermaids love water,’” Howard said.

The festival also partnered again this year with the Alzheimer’s Association’s South Carolina Chapter as part of its “Paint Folly Purple” effort.

Volunteers ran the dunk tank, collected donations and signed people up for the 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Laura Rayl, a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Walk Planning Committee, said many attendees learned about the organization for the first time at the festival.

“We’ve had a lot of people come by today not knowing what the Alzheimer’s Association is or what they do,” Rayl said. “And so, it’s great that they’re coming over here to dunk people at the dunking booth and learning about the Alzheimer’s Association, learning about the Walk. They’re very excited. So many people have thanked us for all the support and education that we give people in the community.”

Rayl said the Alzheimer’s Association is a national and worldwide organization that supports people with Alzheimer’s through research funding, education and support services.

“The Alzheimer’s Association has one huge fundraiser in the local area every year, and it’s the Walk to End Alzheimer’s,” Rayl said. “It’s coming up on October 25. It’s a Sunday afternoon, so we’re super excited about that. And we’re very happy that the Folly Beach Association decided to let the Alzheimer’s Association be the beneficiary of this wonderful event today.”

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held Oct. 25 at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.

Rayl said teams can range from one person to 50 people, and participants do not need to attend the walk in person to sign up.

“If you are interested, a team can be one person, or it can be 50 people,” Rayl said. “You don’t even have to be present at the Walk. And if you want to sign up for a team, you can go to ALZ.org and sign up to have a team.”

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) — Folly Beach City Council passed a second reading of an ordinance that changes parts of the city’s short-term rental law after a judge ruled portions of it illegal.

The city is rewriting its short-term rental ordinance after a judge struck down the island’s voter-approved 800-license cap and its registration permit fee.

“It essentially just gives us a stable policy framework while we wait on the results for the STR study to come back,” Mayor Chris Bizzell said.

After the ruling, the city placed a temporary moratorium on new short-term rentals in the area.

The change council wants to make is to eliminate the fee and keep the moratorium cap. It means people applying for STR licenses would be put on a waitlist.

Residents voiced their concerns to council.

“I ask you to vote no today. You’re digging yourself into a hole and you’re getting more lawsuits,” resident Kate Peabody said.

“You guys know better what I should do with my house and my property than I do, is that what you’re saying?” resident Phil King said.

“We are impacting generations; many, many generations are gonna be impacted by this,” one resident said.

Many residents think the ordinance should not be touched until data from an ongoing study into the issue is released.

The city says the study is in the beginning stages and it is still looking to hire a contractor. The study is estimated to be finished by December, when the city will have a decision on the short-term rental matter.

Mayor Chris Bizzell said this is the best strategy for the city to move forward in the legal process.

Advocates urge businesses, condos to follow city lighting rules as nesting season continues

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) — A Folly Beach nonprofit says only five sea turtle hatchlings were found Friday after tracks showed dozens headed inland instead of toward the ocean.

Advocates are calling for businesses and condos to follow the city’s lighting rules.

On average, one nest can have between 115 to 120 eggs on Folly Beach, and although non-profit organizers say it’s unclear to determine exactly how many were lost, Dave Miller with the Folly Beach Turtle Watch did say there appeared to be 75 hatchling tracks. However, he said when the nest was inventoried, there were 74 eggs, 45 hatched and 29 unhatched for nest #122.

Sarah Smith, a turtle advocate, said she and others saw bright lights along the shoreline over the weekend.

“We were on the pier, we had all the kids, and I was kind of blown away because when we looked back towards the restaurant cuz we ate at Cocoa’s, all the lights, the lights were so bright,” Smith said.

Smith said she was shocked knowing how close the nests were.

“I got my camera out. I mean I was really upset. I was like, ‘The turtles, the turtles’...there was this one light that lit up the beach like the moon.” Smith said.

Smith and others said the pictures were taken Friday and Sunday nights, with lights shining along the shoreline and reflecting off the water. She said her family lives in Goose Creek and comes to Folly Beach once a week.

“Even we know lights out on Folly, so the turtles are very special to us,” Smith said.

The Folly Beach Turtle Watch Program says the hatchlings traveled across the dunes to parking lots, under porches and blocks down the street. Volunteers were able to save five.

Folly Beach Mayor Chris Bizzell said lights were found underneath a beachfront condominium.

“There were some lights underneath one of the condominiums at on the beachfront. And we’re working with that condominium right now to try to mitigate the the issue,” Bizzell said.

Bizzell said the city is aware of what happened and is investigating.

“It’s never going to be perfect. It’s just one of these things. These were garage lights that just happened to disorient. We thought they were in compliance. They thought they were in compliance, so we’re just trying to work together to try to get a better solution,” Bizzell said.

Since the season began May 1, the city has issued 14 citations for violating its ordinance banning bright lights during nighttime hours from May 1 to Oct. 31.

The ordinance is as follows:

“§ 151.48 EXISTING DEVELOPMENT. (A) It is the policy of the city that no artificial light illuminate any area of the beaches of the city during nighttime hours from May 1 to October 31 of each year.”

“I think there definitely should be some type of accountability, especially for the businesses down there,” Smith said.

As the investigation continues, Bizzell said part of their work includes federal grants.

“One of the big things we’re doing as a city is working with the grant for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agency to form a bank where we can do mini grants to homeowners to put in more turtle friendly lighting, turtle film on their interior and exterior lights,” Bizzell said.

The nesting season continues until Halloween. Until then, advocates and officials are urging residents to avoid bright lights and to fill any holes dug in the sand so turtles can reach the ocean safely.

The hatchlings use the light reflected from the moon onto the ocean to get to sea.