Surfrider Foundation - Sebastian Inlet Chapter

By David Klepper

The Sun News

Little River's two casino boats would pay as much as $700,000 to Horry County in a deal designed to end the friction between officials and the gambling operations.

SunCruz Casinos has agreed to pay $2 per passenger for the first year and $3 in future years. Councilman Harold Worley, who represents Little River, said he's working to persuade Southern Elegance, which operates another boat from the Little River waterfront. The deal must be approved by County Council.

Little River residents who oppose the boats say the deal won't solve their problems and will ensure the boats stay despite their moral concerns about gambling and their fears of related crime. They also fear the fee will go uncollected unless a county police officer constantly monitors the boats' operations.

"How could you possibly enforce this?" asked resident Baxter Ragsdale, who wants officials to entirely ban the boats from Horry County. "This doesn't seem like a solution to me."

Worley said fee revenue will pay for the impact of casino boat passengers on county roads and services such as police, fire and ambulances. He said the thousands of casino boat passengers put an added burden on Little River and county authorities, and it's only right the boats should pay.

Worley said he expects the fee to be in place in about three months. The extra $2 or $3 likely will be passed along to passengers, Worley said. He estimated that if both gambling operations agree to pay, the fee could raise about $700,000 a year.

In return, the county would allow SunCruz and Southern Elegance to substitute larger boats for their standard vessels, as long as the number of passengers is not increased. Also, Worley said, he will no longer threaten to shut down the boats.

The county already bans new casino boats.

Last week, SunCruz brought in a larger replacement boat to serve while its standard vessel is in drydock. At the time, Worley said the replacement boat violated the spirit of the county's ban, and he threatened to call for a permanent ban on all gambling boats.

Worley said the deal with SunCruz probably is the best solution the county can find. He said it would likely be impossible to totally ban the boats.

"The federal government allows casino boats to operate. We can pass an ordinance [banning boats], but that doesn't mean a judge will let it stand," Worley said. "This way, they're paying for the impact they have on Little River and Horry County."

Steve Rinaldi of SunCruz said his company agreed to pay the fee because it "wants to be a good corporate citizen.

"We're a good addition to the entertainment options available in Myrtle Beach," Rinaldi said. "If we can be in better standings with the county by participating [in the fee program], that's a win-win situation. We're not a bunch of bad guys."

But Southern Elegance's marketing director, Joe Telesco, said he is upset because SunCruz and Worley worked out the deal before bringing it to Southern Elegance. He said the county is allowing SunCruz to keep a larger boat at Little River in exchange for a payoff.

"It's graft at it's finest," Telesco said. "It's bribery or extortion or something."

Telesco said Southern Elegance would likely agree to pay a fee, as long as SunCruz's larger boat is banned.

"We're not opposed to paying a fee," he said. "So long as we're all treated the same. [The SunCruz replacement boat] violates the law. But Horry County seems to change its rules whenever they want."

Contact DAVID KLEPPER at dklepper@thesunnews.com or 626-0303.