Mortgage Broker in Florence, SC

FLORENCE, SC (WPDE) — Florence County Council approved an emergency ordinance on Monday placing a 60-day moratorium against new sand mines in the county.

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Control (DHEC) received an application for a mine operating permit to mine sand from a 260-acre site near the Salem area of lower Florence County.

This will be one of the biggest sand mines in the state of South Carolina with the proposed maximum depth of 50 feet.

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Many community members are concerned about the project and expressed the mine could be dangerous.

Community member, David Yanello who lives near the area of the proposed mine said he and his neighbors are worried about the noise and traffic the mine would cause, along with its hours of operation.

There’s families that live here. There’s children that live on these roads back here, elderly people that go out here to walk these roads and a 30,000 pound truck trailing 30 or 40 mph takes a long time to stop so there’s some safety concerns as well. Bottom line is I don’t think the community really wants this mine here.

ABC15 spoke with Florence County Councilman Jason Springs who said the moratorium will give them time to conduct studies and potentially develop regulations.

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Springs also says he’ll do everything in his power to protect the people of Florence County.

So we’ve imposed this temporary moratorium to give us time to study to see what our options are. This is some thing that is moving pretty fas. We didn’t find out about it until late in the process so we’re trying to figure out what we can do to either limit over and make this a more reasonable project.

There will be a "Save Our Sand" public meeting and formal public hearing next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hannah-Pamplico Elementary Middle School Cafeteria.

ABC15 will keep you posted on any new developments.

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A student at West Florence High School is in custody after bringing a knife to school Tuesday, according to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO).

At approximately 8:15 a.m. there was a disturbance in the nearby cafeteria and the Student Resource Officer (SRO) noticed a student waving an object at other students, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

The SRO determined that the object was a knife and ordered the student to drop it, the release said. The student then reportedly threatened the SRO with the knife. The SRO took the student to the ground and the knife was secured.

No one was injured during the incident.

The student was transported to the SC Dept. of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

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There is reportedly a video circulating on social media of a fight between two students at the school. It shows one student with a large knife yielding it to another boy.

West Florence High's principal sent the following message to parents earlier Tuesday morning:

Hello West Florence High School Family,

We are sharing this as information to you in our efforts to communicate with you and keep you informed regarding your children at West Florence High School. This is to inform you of an incident that occurred at West Florence High School this morning. Earlier this morning, an altercation occurred in the cafeteria during breakfast. During the altercation one student pulled out a knife. The School Resource Officer was nearby and within seconds was able to secure the student and the knife. Despite some reports already circulating, no one was stabbed or injured during the altercation. School Administration and Law Enforcement are addressing the situation. The student has been arrested and will be transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. The student will also face consequences according to the Student Code of Conduct. We do not condone violence of any kind in our schools. We ask that parents and the community help us to continue to educate our children about the importance of keeping schools safe and free from weapons and violence. Please know that all students and staff are safe in the building and the school day will proceed safely and securely as normal.

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ABC15 reached out to Florence One Schools for a statement.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — S.C. Administrative Law Court Judge Sebastien Phillip Lenski has ordered a Florence charter school to cease and desist from operating following a hearing last week in Columbia.

Florence 1 Schools revoked Palmetto Youth Academy’s (PYA) charter on June 30 and the S.C. Department of Education closed the school on August 1.

Florence 1 Schools filed a motion for an injunctive relief asking a judge to issue a restraining order, appoint a receiver and issue a Writ of Mandamus demanding PYA close.

Lenski’s order said the “District has met its of burden of showing that preliminary relief is appropriate and necessary in this matter.”

He ordered the following:

“Palmetto Youth Academy (PYA), Palmetto Youth Services (PYS), Yvonne Brown-Burgess, and anyone acting on it or their behalf, including any officers, directors, administrators, board members, consultants, accountants or other professionals. SHALL CEASE AND DESIST from operating Palmetto Youth Academy Charter School as a charter school or holding Palmetto Youth Academy out as a charter school.”

The district said in court last week that PYA has between $800,000 to $1.2 million that doesn't belong to them, but to the taxpayers of Florence because their charter has been revoked.

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The judge appointed a receiver to investigate how much money has been spent and on what.

Lenski’s order further states the following:

“PYA, PYS, Yvonne Brown-Burgess, and anyone acting on it or their behalf, including any officers, directors, administrators, board members, consultants, accountants or other professionals, SHALL BE ENJOINED from engaging in any of the following acts:

(3) John Edward Haas, of 12 AshWorth Lane, Columbia, South Carolina 29206, SHALL BE APPOINTED AS RECEIVERS to manage and operate any property, funds, and other assets held or controlled by the PYA, PYS, and any affiliated entities, including but not limited to the balance in excess of $1,200,000 in Palmetto Youth Academy's fund account. The scope of the receivership, and the powers and limitations thereof, are set forth below:

Florence One Schools’ lawyer, Michael Montgomery released the following statement:

We are pleased that the Court has issued an order giving everyone an opportunity to learn the facts about PYA’s use of public funds and property. Florence School District One has two interests in this matter, ensuring that every child in the district has all possible educational opportunities and being accountable to its taxpayers for the expenditure of public funds. We believe that the actions the district has taken in the Administrative Law Court are geared entirely to those ends. As this matter is still actively being litigated, we will not comment further.

See below for previous coverage of Palmetto Youth Academy:

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — The owner and operator of the Save A Lot grocery store on East Darlington Street in downtown Florence is making a bold move to essentially help save his business and grow the community.

Waters said he's selling 120,000 shares at $25 each.

"They can buy up to 200 shares. I am using two exemptions. Exemption 141 A for the federal. and I am using SC exemption 13-206 for the state. Talk to the attorney general Alan Wilson. They walked me through what I was doing. Here I am taking government money because this is what built the store. And taking it and giving it back to the people who we got the money from," said Waters.

Waters said he was able to secure $3.6 million dollars in grants to open a Save-A-Lot grocery store through his company Elijah Craig, LLC. He got a $300,000 incentive package from the City Of Florence to finally open the store in 2021.

However, he said since it's opened he's not getting the customers he needs to keep the business filled with groceries.

"There are some things that I have to do. And I’ve come to recognize that I need some help. I don’t want to wait 20 years to see my dream come true. And all of a sudden they just fade away. Because I was too proud not to ask for help or too proud not to seek help. And that’s what I’m doing now," said Waters.

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Waters is sharing the following information with those interested in buying shares:

"Cost of Shares: $25 per share, with a maximum of two hundred shares per person purchased at one time. Shares may be purchased in five, $5 dollar installments on a weekly basis in-store. This will allow low-income people to buy shares. Our store will be in the hands of the community forever. Shares are lifetime purchases to be passed to the next generation after generation.

Dividends: Dividends will be paid each quarter, based on the rate of return on the net profits from sales for that quarter. Our Board along with our CPA will develop the ROR, to be included in our welcome aboard package.

Shareholder Board of Directors: Shareholders will elect a five-member board to oversee all shareholder funds. Funds will only be used for inventory and working capital. We have obtained over 5.6 million thus far, however, I want to pass some ownership to our community.

This will allow the store to truly become a community store indefinitely.

Our audaciously inclusive initiative aims to provide an opportunity for residents of the state of South Carolina, especially Afro-Americans and low-income families throughout South Carolina, to become shareholders in Elijah Craig LLC dba Florence Save a Lot., fostering community empowerment, economic inclusion, and creating opportunities for generational wealth and prosperity.

The Florence Downtown Save a Lot is more than a grocery store. We are a community. By becoming an owner (also referred to as “member”) of Elijah Craig LLC dba Florence Save a Lot, you become a partial owner of our store and take ownership in our community. Your investment in the store allows us to make investments in local farmers and artisans, offering direct support to the sustainable, natural foods and products that they provide, along with the Save a Lot brand. As a community-owned grocery store, we are accountable to you, the members of our community who support and invest in us. We are committed to supporting the environmental, social, and economic concerns of our owners. I know that we need shoppers and others to invest in the store; therefore, I have decided to make the Florence Downtown Save a Lot store truly a community store. "

For additional information, you can contact Tim Waters by phone at 843-472 -7463 and by email at twaters003@gmail.com.

You can also visit the store at 310 North Dargan Street in Florence.