Conway-area RV company misused cabana house in North Myrtle Beach, lawsuit says

The city of North Myrtle Beach is suing a Conway-area RV park for allegedly misusing a beach cabana that can only be utilized legally by homeowner associations in the city and for limited purposes.

The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in Horry County, names Carolina Pines RV Resort as the defendant. The park is in unincorporated Horry County and not an HOA, reported My Horry News, who first published a news story on the lawsuit.

In 2019, a company affiliated with the RV resort bought the property, the newspaper reported. Carolina Pines’ parent company Sun Outdoors did not respond to a request for comment by My Horry News. Messages seeking comment from The Sun News were left with officials at Sun Outdoors and Carolina Pines Wednesday afternoon.

Carolina Pines uses the cabana in Tilghman Beach called Carolina Pines Ocean Club to “shuttle buses to transport patrons and employees to and from the property and the cabana house thereon,” said city zoning Administrator Ben Caldwell in court records.

Caldwell also said the park rents out the space for weddings and other events, which is not its intended use. Cabanas can only be used for dropping off, bathing, changing clothes and similar uses, per the city ordinance listed in the lawsuit.

Sea Cloisters II HOA President Michael Stephenson and Sea Cloisters I HOA President James Shortle sent a letter to Caldwell detailing the RV park is not an HOA in the city, has no maintenance plan on file with the city and uses the cabana for weddings, My Horry News reported.

They also said some campers drive to the cabana instead of taking the shuttle and occasionally park in or walk through the Sea Cloisters property.

“After a physical assault on one of our residents by a foul mouthed woman and three males who were with her, we have advised our residents to not confront them, since they could be dangerous,” the HOAs said in joint statement provided to the publication. They added that signs were put up warning campers to not use their lot, but their efforts to fix the problem didn’t work.

The city filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Carolina Pines on Friday. They have not yet responded.

Officials with the city has asked the RV resort to not use the cabana, but the park has yet to do so. It seems the RV company still owns the property.

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 2:59 PM.