WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsLegal action filed against MB over biker laws
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By Kyle Grainger - bio | email
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A group of local business owners have filed a complaint with the South Carolina Supreme Court saying laws passed by the Myrtle Beach City Council in regards to bike week are illegal.
On Monday, BOOST, also known Business Owners Organized to Save Tourism, gathered at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center to announce their organization's plans to file legal documents against the City of Myrtle Beach.
The group says the special ordinances passed by the city in September along with "deliberately misleading and inflammatory statements by Major John Rhodes" have damaged tourism and violated the constitution.
"They're thinking about adding a penny sales tax to promotion tourism. Well they just got rid of a quarter million dollars worth of tourism," said Tom Herron, the group's spokesperson. "I think the City of Myrtle Beach had good intentions when they began to get this under control. But they went way off the deep end and we're not going to stand for it."
The group filed a complaint in Supreme Court Monday afternoon, and say they are willing to spend the money fight what they call "illegal actions against Myrtle Beach." The group is mostly complaining about the city's law requiring bikers to wear a helmet and their creation of a court system.
Part of the group is State Representative Thad Viers, their attorney, and his brother Bart Viers. Bart was given a ticket for not wearing a helmet.
"It's a shame that the mayor and city council are making our police officers enforce a law that's illegal," said Bart.
"The City of Myrtle Beach has over reached on some of these ordinances. Not all of them but on some of them. The establishment of its own court system outside of the court system of South Carolina," said Thad Viers.
City Spokesperson Mark Kreua says the city won't comment on pending legal matters.
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