Luxury Custom Homes in Myrtle Beach, SC

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. —

A new 5.5-acre surf park could be coming to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Myrtle Beach City Council approved an up to $20 million incentive agreement with WaveGarden Myrtle Beach (WGMB) to bring a $170 million private surf park development and hospitality destination to Myrtle Beach.

What is WaveGarden Myrtle Beach?

The project is planned for the corner of Highway 17 Bypass and 21st Avenue North, next to Broadway at the Beach.

It includes a WaveGarden surf lagoon of at least 5.5 acres, a 150-room hotel, at least 20,000 square feet of food and beverage space, retail, sports tourism uses and additional hospitality spaces.

WGMB is made up of four development partners: Highgate, South Street Partners, Twin Point Capital and W.M. Jordan.

Economic impact

The city says an independent economic and fiscal impact analysis estimates the completed development would attract approximately 364,000 visitors each year, generating $58.1 million in annual spending at the park and another $12.7 million in annual spending elsewhere in the area.

The analysis also projects approximately 44,800 occupied hotel room nights annually and $3.2 million in annual revenue for the City of Myrtle Beach, in addition to revenue generated for Horry County and the State of South Carolina.

Agreement with city

Under the agreement, the City of Myrtle Beach may invest up to $20 million in the project, but no city incentive money will be provided upfront.

Before the city provides any incentive funding, the developer must:

The agreement includes protections for the city's investment if the project is not completed, does not open or does not continue operating as required.

Once the development opens, WGMB must keep the project operating for at least five years.

If the project fails to operate as required during that period, a portion of the city's investment must be repaid.

The repayment amount would be prorated based on how long the project had been operating.

Applicable repayment requirements also remain in place if the property is later sold, transferred, foreclosed upon or otherwise changes ownership.

Changes made since City Council's first reading approval also establish firm deadlines.

Construction must begin by Sept. 1, 2027, and the development must be open by July 1, 2030. Final funding structure still to be determined.

Still to be determined

The final funding structure will depend in part on Horry County's approval to add the future WaveGarden property to the Multi-County Business Park agreement, as well as the availability of other authorized funding sources.

Revenue generated through those sources would reduce the amount required from City of Myrtle Beach funds.

The agreement is structured so that substantial private investment and construction come first, the city's investment comes last and protections remain in place after the development opens.

Share

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A state ethics complaint has called into question a North Strand mayor’s financial disclosures.

North Myrtle Beach Mayor J. Baldwin was informed by the South Carolina Ethics Commission on September 17 that the commission believes he may have failed to report his private income on his Statements of Economic Interest for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Filing yearly Statements of Economic Interest (SEI) is required by law for most South Carolina public officials and requires disclosure of the filer’s income from the government as well as private income.

The 200-page complaint associated with Baldwin’s case shows SEI forms filed from 2019 to 2024 do not declare any private income.

In 2025, Baldwin’s SEI form reported private income from Baldwin Properties of SC, LLC, Baldwin Business Center, and Jay-Way LTD LLC. In a separate line, it reports one of Baldwin’s immediate family members made private income from Great Escapes Kayaking Adventures.

The complaint also includes documentation of a commercial agreement between Baldwin, doing business as Great Escapes Kayak Adventures LLC, and the City of North Myrtle Beach that went into effect in 2022. In the agreement, North Myrtle Beach allowed the LLC to use parts of Cherry Grove Park and its boat landing to operate kayak rentals. Baldwin was required to pay a monthly fee to the city.

Great Escapes Kayaking Adventures was not reported on any of Baldwin’s SEI forms before 2025.

The complaint also includes several recusal documents in which Baldwin abstained from making city decisions to avoid a conflict of interest as the owner of Great Escapes Kayaking.

Baldwin told WMBF on October 9 that he always recused himself from city decisions involving his companies, including during his time as a contractor.

“I would always recuse myself if something was coming up that my company wanted to bid on,” Baldwin said. “There were a couple of projects that we got, that we were the low bidder on.”

Baldwin also told WMBF that any issues in his SEI filings were minor mistakes, and after the Ethics Commission contacted him, corrections were made.

“We immediately reached out to them to find out the details, and the lady that does my filings, she talked to them at length at what changes they wanted us to make,” Baldwin said. “She made them while she was on the phone ... she corrected any mistakes.”

Baldwin noted that his company, Baldwin Construction Integrated, LLC, was not active in some of the years of the Ethics Commission’s interest. The LLC has since been dissolved.

The complaint informed Baldwin that a public hearing was scheduled to discuss the commission’s “probable cause” of beliefs in February 2027. Baldwin said because he made corrections, he is trying to work out if that hearing will still go forward.

“I’m busy, working as mayor; it’s a full-time job,” he said. “So this is a distraction, but it’s something we fixed, and I’m moving forward.”

WMBF asked the commission if it had received Baldwin’s corrections and if the hearing date had been impacted. In an emailed response, an unidentified spokesperson wrote, “All available documents are available on the Commission’s website,” with a link that leads to Baldwin’s complaint. “The Commission has not [sic] further comment.”

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WMBF. For more free content like this, Have feedback that can help us improve?

Copyright 2026 WMBF. All rights reserved.

Horry County is seeking public input on a proposed rail-to-trail project that could create a multiuse connection between Conway and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on 10/12/2026. Residents have until tonight to complete the public survey and share their feedback on the proposal. (Credit: Kara Riskus/WPDE)

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Horry County is asking residents to weigh in on a proposed rail-to-trail project that could create a multi-use connection between Conway and Myrtle Beach, with the public survey closing tonight.

County officials are considering different routes and features for the trail, which could be used for walking and biking and potentially link to nearby communities and destinations.

The route and amenities have not been finalized, and officials said public feedback will help determine where the trail should go and what it should include.

“So we’re looking for where they want to have a trail go to, where they want it, what places they want it to connect. If they want golf carts on it, if they want bikes on it, if they want pet stations, water fountains, lighting at night,” said Kimberly Clifford, Horry County’s public information officer.

County maps outline multiple route options, each with its own estimated cost.

State lawmakers allocated $2 million for the Conway-to-Myrtle Beach path, but some of the mapped options are expected to cost more. County officials said they are exploring grants and partnerships to help fund the work.

“And if those partnerships do happen, you know, that would enable Conway to build their section of it, Myrtle Beach to build a section of it, and then us to come in and do the connecting sections,” Clifford said.

READ MORE: Police tape blocks off crash scene on Highway 76 in Mullins

Officials also said the trail could provide more ways for people to travel without a car, potentially reducing the number of vehicles on area roadways.

As part of related efforts, Depot Road outside of Conway is currently being repaved. Once the repaving is complete, Conway city officials plan to take ownership of the road and add a bike lane connecting to the Kingston Ferry along the Waccamaw River. County officials described that work as a smaller piece that would fit into the broader trail network plan.

“Not everybody can drive. So some people are walking. Some people just wish they could walk, you know, they live in areas where it would be walkable to work if there was only someplace they could actually walk,” Clifford said.

The project remains in the planning stage. County officials said public input will help set priorities for a safe, connected trail network.

The city of Conway planned to have surveyors stake out the boardwalk area on Kingston Ferry late last month, and later this year county officials plan to hold public input meetings for the latest draft of the rails-to-trails plan.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Myrtle Beach gas prices are back on the rise, but still about the same as a month ago.

In the past week, gas prices in Myrtle Beach rose 6.0 cents per gallon, reaching an average of $3.84 per gallon.

This comes after an 18.1-cent drop the previous week, according to GasBuddy.

Compared with a month ago, gas prices are now 1.1 cents per gallon higher.

GasBuddy priced the cheapest gas in Myrtle Beach Sunday at $3.63 per gallon and the most expensive at $4.29 per gallon, which is also the national average.

Across South Carolina, gas prices are up 9 cents to an average of $3.96 per gallon, and in North Carolina, prices are down 6.2 cents to an average of $3.93.

“More states saw average gasoline prices decline than rise over the last week, with diesel falling approximately 5 cents per gallon nationally,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said. “On the policy front, the Trump administration’s proposed diesel deal raises more questions than it answers, and I remain skeptical that it will deliver significant relief to the trucking industry and consumers who depend on diesel.”

De Haan also mentioned recent tropical system Isaias and its potential impacts on prices.

“Meanwhile, Hurricane Isaias has passed, but we are awaiting updates on two refineries that were in its path, the outcome of which could impact the supply picture in the days ahead,” De Haan said. “For now, the trend is cautiously in the right direction for motorists, but between hurricane season and continued geopolitical uncertainty, it is far too early to declare the pressure on fuel prices resolved.”

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WMBF. For more free content like this, Have feedback that can help us improve?

The eMYRge winner combines lightning prediction with turf forecasts to help courses and resorts protect guests and plan daily operations.

David Dusek

Golfweek

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Eight companies brought ideas for improving golf to the eMYRge Golf Tech Accelerator Challenge, but the winner focused on something that can interrupt every round, empty a course and send a superintendent scrambling: the weather.

Flash Weather AI won the pitch showcase that concluded the three-day program that was supported by Play Golf Myrtle Beach, Coastal Carolina University and Golfweek. Entrepreneurs from the United States and Europe presented their ideas to judges, local golf business leaders and potential investors, connecting emerging technology with the people who could help bring it to more facilities.

For Myrtle Beach, the goal of the eMYRge Golf Tech Accelerator Challenge extends beyond hosting a competition. The region wants to attract golf companies and make establishing headquarters in the area appealing. Its courses, tourism businesses and university connections are seen as ways to help new ideas develop into lasting businesses.

Flash Weather AI’s pitch made a distinction that matters when golfers are spread across hundreds of acres. Detecting lightning tells you something has happened, but predicting it could provide time to act before the first strike.

The company has a patented technology it calls First Strike that analyzes weather data so it can forecast lightning strikes. Unlike most weather updates, which happen every few hours, Flash Weather AI’s forecasts update every two minutes with a focus down to one square kilometer. That means golf course operators don’t just know that dangerous weather could be coming; they’ll know much more precisely what areas of a course are in danger.

During the presentation, chief meteorologist Dave Downey showed an example of how the system predicted lightning would hit a venue in Alabama in 22 minutes. On radar, the showers appeared relatively unremarkable, but approximately 23 minutes later, lightning occurred.

For a golf operator, that potential warning time is the appeal. Getting players from a distant fairway into shelter takes more than sounding a horn. Maintenance crews, practice-area users and resort guests need time to move, too.

Flash delivers information through desktop and mobile applications, text messages, push notifications and optional warning hardware. A display called FlashView can put weather conditions and changing threat levels on clubhouse televisions, helping staff and golfers follow the same information.

Its All Clear product is designed to help operators assess when the lightning threat has diminished. Flash argues that more precise information could reduce unnecessary closures. Any change to a facility’s reopening procedures, however, requires confidence in the forecasting and alignment with its safety policies. A forecast is not a guarantee.

The service also reaches into the maintenance building.

Flash’s agronomy tools forecast frost, precipitation, turf disease risk and evapotranspiration, the loss of water through evaporation and plants. Those measurements can help superintendents plan irrigation, choose spraying windows and anticipate conditions that encourage diseases such as dollar spot and Pythium blight.

That could mean fewer wasted applications, better use of staff time and fewer surprises before a busy weekend. The company reported serving nearly 200 golf courses, with agronomy often providing the starting point for those relationships.

The potential extends across a resort property. The same localized weather information could help managers coordinate pool closures, tennis activities, outdoor weddings and other events where guests and employees are exposed.

Beyond resorts, the company cited work with the Big 12 and the Kansas City Chiefs, illustrating applications in sports operations and turf management. Schools, parks and outdoor entertainment venues face similar questions about when to suspend activities and how to communicate the decision.

Golf offers a demanding place to prove that value. People are outdoors, often far from shelter, and reluctant to stop when they finally have a good round going. Better warning gives operators more time to make the decision nobody wants to make, before the weather makes it for them.