Myrtle Beach advisory group again suggests Shibumi shade ban during peak season
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A city council-appointed committee tasked with making suggestions about beach operations is again recommending no changes to an umbrella ordinance that would keep custom shading devices off the sand.
"Our role is to look out for the entire beach. For the visitors, the tourist. So our concern is space and availability and enforcement of the ordinance," beach advisory committee chairman Steve Taylor said Wednesday.
A 10-year-old ordinance bars wind-driven shade devices on the beach during peak summer months. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, only circular umbrellas up to 7 1/2 feet in diameter are permitted.
City police have also spoken out against altering the policy.
But Dane Barnes, co-founder of the Shibumi Shades brand, disagrees that his product would threaten public safety.
"Unlike an umbrella that has to be staked into the sand and risks tumbling out on a windy day, the arch goes into sand but it can't tumble down the beach because the wind just passes through like a sheet on a clothesline," he said.
Taylor said a device the size of a Shibumi — which are typically 15 feet by 9 feet — wouldn't work with the millions of people that visit Myrtle Beach every season.
Residents spoke up during a public hearing to address their concerns. Barnes said the Shibumi has nearly universal public safety support and dot beaches from Maryland to Mexico.
The city council has final say over any policy changes.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at . See more of his work here .
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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and read more of her work here .
