UPDATE: What is the future of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans? Horry County voted
Horry County will sign a new lease to keep a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, but that requires the city to enter into an agreement for a multi-county business park and contribute to airport funding.
County Finance Director Shannon Todd confirmed that the county will lose between $700,000 and $800,000 a year under this new agreement.
That’s why the multi-county business park is an important part of the new deal, council member Dennis DiSabato said. The idea is for the new development to eventually fund the baseball expenditures so that the county doesn’t lose money yearly on the Pelicans.
“For months, all we were being presented with were problems,” he said. “So what we’re about to do is provide two additional solutions that will help keep baseball in Myrtle Beach and in Horry County.”
Before the unanimous vote during Tuesday night’s county council meeting, Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune implored council members to sign the new lease agreement, but without the extra stipulations during public comment.
Council chambers were full with community members clad in sky blue and yellow Myrtle Beach Pelicans merchandise to show their support for the minor league team.
“I’m here to encourage you to support your third reading tonight, without the conditions that the City of Myrtle Beach enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement related to the creation of a multi-county business park and airport funding,” Bethune said during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Horry County’s version of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans contract says the City of Myrtle Beach has to restore funding to the airport.
She then made a commitment to county council that the city will engage with MuniCap to provide the city with “critical information” to move forward with the multi-county business park. MuniCap is a public finance and consulting company headquartered in Maryland that focuses on public sector investments in real estate development, according to its website.
In the City of Myrtle Beach’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, Bethune said $6 million dollars could be expected to come from Horry County to cover the 30% of the $20 million in stadium upgrades required by Major League Baseball.
Prior to Bethune’s public comment, the council also heard from Myrtle Beach resident and stadium usher Scott Strange and Coastal Carolina University’s baseball coach Gary Gilmore.
Gilmore said that if it weren’t for the Pelicans Baseball Team, CCU would have never won the national championship.
Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner asked if anyone at Tuesday’s meeting wanted to give public comment against signing the new lease. No one raised their hand.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had that before,” he responded.
According to the meeting agenda, the county’s ordinance was up for a third and final reading and public hearing. A resolution that supports the transfer of ownership of the Pelicans’ home ballpark to the City of Myrtle Beach also unanimously passed.
The difference between the city’s baseball ordinance and the county’s ordinance stems from 2022, when the city ended a deal with the county that split lease revenues from Lakewood and PirateLand resorts — both owned by Seascape Properties — between the two governments.
That year, Horry County attempted legal action to claim full entitlement to the rental proceeds and prevent the sale of the Seascape Properties. The court ruled against the County, stating it had no legal interest in the properties. In response, the City argued that the County’s legal actions allowed them to end the agreement.
The County’s ordinance would allow for the County Administrator to sign the new lease agreement for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans use of the baseball stadium. This lease agreement is contingent on the city signing an intergovernmental agreement with the county.
“WHEREAS, provided that the City of Myrtle Beach agrees to the creation of one or more multicounty industrial parks including the Property and restoring funding to the Myrtle Beach International Airport,” the ordinance states.
In contrast, the city’s ordinance makes no mention of the intergovernmental agreement with the county.
Instead, the city’s ordinance focused on all of the upgrades that need to be made to Pelicans Ballpark in order to keep it in compliance with Minor League Baseball. The upgrades are expected to cost $20 million, with the city noting that any costs greater than $20 million will need to be paid for by the team.
Under the city’s agreement, the 30-year lease will cost the team $750,000 annual rent for the first ten years, $850,000 in years 11–20 and then $950,000 in years 21–30.
The lease expires 30 days after the 2055 baseball season.
In response to the county’s discussion of the local team, many fans took to local Facebook groups asking for members of the community to attend the meeting.
“Locals and Myrtle Beach Pelicans supporters from all around now’s the time to stand together and show our support for this beloved part of our community,” the post read. “The future of the stadium is at stake and we need your voice to help keep this team right here in our backyard.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 12:20 PM.
