Corporate law attorney in Myrtle Beach, SC.

As Myrtle Beach enters the new year, the city officially implemented 5% pay raises for two top-earning city officials.

Myrtle Beach’s city manager and city attorney are paid more than other top-ranking city officials, as well as others in the same positions for some larger South Carolina cities.

Last fiscal year, before the salary increases, city manager Jonathan “Fox” Simons’ annual salary was $278,262 and city attorney William Bryan Jr.’s annual salary was $203,320. By comparison, Police Chief Amy Prock’s annual salary was $188,032 and Fire Chief Paramedic Thomas Gwyer’s salary was $187,512 in the same time period. On the state level, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster makes $106,078 annually.

On Jan. 1, cost of living pay increases went into effect for Bryan Jr. and Simons. With a 5% raise, Simons’ new salary amounts to about $292,175 yearly, and Bryan’s new salary amounts to $213,486 yearly.

However, because of the unusual implementation timeline, Simons and Bryan won’t receive the full increase for the fiscal year. With six months already passed, Simons will receive roughly a $6,957 increase over the next six months, and Bryan will receive about $5,083 more in the same period.

Although other city employees started receiving 5% raises after Myrtle Beach passed its roughly $360 million spending plan in June, City Council didn’t vote on Bryan and Simons’ raises until Dec. 9 – even though the increases were included in the spending plan.

Mayor Brenda Bethune, whose term ends this month, told The Sun News the raises should have been approved when Simons and Bryan’s contracts were reinstated. According to both Bethune and Councilman Mike Chestnut, the raises “fell through the cracks.”

“Perhaps we assumed that it was automatically done for them, as it was for the other employees and management personnel, but it was not, so when that was realized, we wanted to take care of it and get it done before the end of the year,” Bethune said.

Chestnut told The Sun News more bluntly of the vote to approve the raises, “I thought we did, and we didn’t.”

This fiscal year the city manager won’t collect the full $292,175 and the city attorney won’t receive the $213,486 total compensation, the salaries stand out among the top payouts for city officials.

But salary records for other South Carolina municipalities that use the same council-manager system as Myrtle Beach show that the positions are highly compensated across the state.

The Sun News submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for other council-manager cities to compare city manager and city attorney salaries. Here’s what they revealed.

Columbia

With an official population count of around 136,630 in the last census, Columbia is one of the largest cities in South Carolina. The capital city’s attorney is less compensated than Simons, with an annual salary of roughly $254,329, according to publicly available records. The city attorney also receives a lower salary than Bryan, making about $184,501 this year.

Rock Hill

The city of Rock Hill, which had a population of approximately 74,370 in 2020, had the highest city manager salary of the municipalities examined by The Sun News. While the city manager is paid $323,669, the city attorney isn’t paid a salary because they aren’t a city employee, the city said.

Greenville

The city of Greenville outspends Myrtle Beach on salaries for both the city manager and city attorney, according to the city. With a population of 70,720 at the last official count, Greenville pays the city manager $304,762 and the city attorney about $235,061 annually, the city revealed.

Sumter

According to a city representative, Sumter’s general counsel is compensated on an hourly basis, and the hours worked vary month to month. The city manager, however, receives an annual salary lower than Myrtle Beach’s, according to the city. The city of Sumter, which has a census population around 43,460, compensates its city manager with $273,095 a year.

Florence

With an official population of roughly 39,900 in 2020, Florence’s year-round population was close to Myrtle Beach’s census population of approximately 35,680. According to the city, Florence pays its city manager less than Myrtle Beach, about $234,000 annually, and doesn’t have a city attorney on staff.

It’s a Southern tradition that if you eat certain foods on New Year’s Day, you’ll have good luck for the entire year.

In the South, those foods include greens (such as collard or mustard), cornbread, pork and Hoppin’ John, usually made with black-eyed peas, rice and smoked pork.

Restaurants along the Grand Strand have embraced this tradition, offering dishes that are made with the items or a straight traditional meal of pork chops, greens and cornbread.

Here are eight restaurants where you can eat well — and perhaps get lucky.

Avista Resort

Avista Resort, 300 N. Ocean Blvd. in North Myrtle Beach, will offer a New Year’s Day brunch that includes a buffet station with collard greens and black-eyed peas, as well as a carving station with maple glazed ham.

There will also be live music.

The buffet is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the price is $29.95 per person. Reservations are suggested.

Wahoo’s Fish House

The Murrells Inlet restaurant, 3993 U.S. 17 Business, will have a New Year’s Day buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The buffet will have ham, slow braised collards, Hoppin’ Johns and hushpuppies. Cost is $26 adults and $15 for ages 6 to 11.

Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.

Mama Jean’s

The all-you-can-eat buffet in Little River is welcoming diners to come and get lucky with its offerings that usually include collard greens, ham, black-eyed peas and cornbread.

The restaurant, 210 Highway 90 E, will serve its breakfast and lunch buffet on New Year’s Day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Joe’s Diner by the Airport

Joe’s is serving up a New Year’s Day lunch with pork chops or roast pork and sauerkraut, collards and black-eyed peas.

The restaurant at 2491 Highway 17 Bypass in Myrtle Beach is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 1.

Drifters Saloon

The Myrtle Beach restaurant’s New Year’s Day special has been dubbed the “north meets the south” with pork and brown sugar sauerkraut, black-eyed peas with bacon and sausage, collard greens with ham hock and jalapeño honey cornbread.

Dine-in is $10.99 per person and to-go is $14.99. It’s located at 2905 N. Kings Highway.

The Shack

Known for its choice of one meat and three sides, The Shack, 1128 Sea Mountain Highway in North Myrtle Beach, said on its Facebook post that it’s “helping everyone start 2026 with the blessings of prosperity” by serving up pork medallions, collards, black-eyed peas and cornbread on Thursday.

Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the New Year’s Day special is $12.99.

Captain Archie’s

Coming off of its big New Year’s Eve party, the waterfront restaurant, 2200 Little River Neck Road in North Myrtle Beach, will also serve up a New Year’s Day traditional meal of pork chops, which can include a side of collard greens.

The meal will be served from 11 a.m. until closing, or while it lasts, the restaurant’s Facebook post said.

Murphy’s on the Beach

Lucky diners coming to this North Myrtle Beach restaurant at 2302 N. Ocean Blvd. can order black-eyed peas, collard green, fatback and cornbread starting at noon New Year’s Day.

There will also be a limited menu.

Beachgoers in North Myrtle Beach have noticed an unusual phenomenon on their oceanfront strolls.

Recently, dead sea creatures such as horseshoe crabs and stingrays have been spotted washed up along area beaches. The sightings have led to speculation that offshore activity related to beach renourishment could be to blame.

The beach renourishment in North Myrtle Beach is part of a $72 million project entirely funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will continue south for 26 miles. The project will add two million cubic yards of sand to the Grand Strand shoreline. The project is projected to move through North Myrtle Beach by early 2026, and continue down to Garden City by April 2026.

The renourishment project is aimed at protecting the area’s beaches by helping them recover from erosion caused by major weather events such as Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Debby in August 2024.

This process involves offshore dredging in pre-determined areas, where sand from the seabed is pumped through a submerged pipeline and onto the beach. Bulldozers later spread that sand on the beaches to shape and widen them.

Can beach renourishment hurt sea life?

While beach renourishment is a way of preserving the natural landscape of Grand Strand beaches, it can come at a cost to sea life.

Nourishing beaches can kill and scare away wildlife both on the shore and in the water, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Explore Beaches project. The construction on beaches can impact shore birds, and the movement of sand can muddy waters, smothering some marine creatures.

However, beach renourishment is still considered more environmentally friendly than seawalls, which are a common alternative.

North Myrtle Beach spokesperson Gianna Forbis shared a statement from the Army Corps of Engineers explaining that environmental disruptions from renourishment can cause some sea life to wash up on shore, but it isn’t necessarily the sole explanation for what beachgoers have been seeing.

“Some marine animals washing up can happen during beach renourishment, but it also occurs naturally,” the statement reads. “The project can temporarily disturb nearshore habitats, which may contribute in a very small number of cases; however, these effects are short-term, not widespread and closely monitored.”

Protecting turtles, other marine life

The statement says that the Army Corps requires strict environmental protections during projects like this one, including daily monitoring by trained environmental observers, the use of turtle exclusion devices on dredging equipment and screening systems designed to prevent marine life from entering dredge intakes.

“If any protected species or unexpected biological material is observed, operations can be adjusted or paused. These measures are designed to reduce impacts, and the vast majority of marine life returns once the project is completed,” the statement reads.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the dead sea life, and what could be causing them to wash ashore.

Thousands of people are expected to make a move to South Carolina in the coming year. And with home prices on the rise in the Palmetto State, finding a place where you can get the most bang for your buck is probably at the top of the moving “to do” list.

It’s no surprise that the top landing place for those planning to relocate to the state is Myrtle Beach. But the coastal city didn’t make the list of the top “10 Cheapest Places to Live in South Carolina in 2026,” according to Houzeo, an online real estate site.

Only one city in Horry County made the list — Conway.

The city’s small-town charm with convenient access to Myrtle Beach earned it a place on Houzeo’s list. Conway is about 15 miles from the beach.

It offers affordable living with a wide-range of affordable homes — “an attractive choice for families, young professionals, and retirees,” the site stated. The median home price in Conway is $170,500, and the average rent is $1,793, according to the site. In addition, the cost of living is below the national average at 7%.

There are also quality schools and a balanced lifestyle, “making Conway one of the cheapest ocean cities to live in South Carolina.”

Conway has been identified as one of the top 10 Metros in South Carolina with the fastest growing sales price for homes, according to Redfin. In November 2025, home prices in the Horry County city were up by 4.5%. The Carolina Forest community in the Myrtle Beach area also was on the list, with home prices up by 10%.

The median home value in Conway is $287,000, according to Houzeo reporting.

Here are other South Carolina cities that made the list:

1. Bennettsville

2. Union

3. Dillon

4. Orangeburg

5. Newberry

6. Gaffney

7. Conway

8. Aiken

9. Laurens

10. Florence

Looking to make a move to South Carolina for the new year?

You won’t be alone. With its cost of living 6% below the national average and some of the lowest property taxes in the country, it’s considered a “smart choice for workers and money-smart people,” according to Houzeo, an online real estate site.

The site recently released its top 10 best places to live in South Carolina for 2026.

Myrtle Beach ranked No. 5 on that list. Houzeo said the coastal city is retiree-friendly with an abundance of 55+ communities and is known for its warm climate and beautiful beaches.

The cost of living in Myrtle Beach is 3.9% lower than the national average, the site said. The median home price is $324,747. Rent for a two-bedroom apartment ranges from $380 to $3,750 a month, depending on proximity to the ocean.

In order to live comfortably, a person would need an estimated annual income of about $66,880, according to the site’s figures.

While Myrtle Beach’s economy relies heavily on tourism and hospitality, the site pointed out that healthcare is growing, providing additional jobs.

There are some downsides to living in the Myrtle Beach area. Crime has increased in Myrtle Beach, and the city attracts a high volume of tourists during the warmer months, which causes traffic congestion and crowded public spaces, the site pointed out.

Houzeo’s best places to live in South Carolina

Here are what other South Carolina cities made the list:

1. Greenville

2. Lexington

3. Hilton Head Island

4. Spartanburg

5. Myrtle Beach

6. Rock Hill

7. Columbia

8. Charleston

9. Mount Pleasant

10. Summerville