Myrtle Beach spent $8M on consulting and professional fees. What did money pay for?

The City of Myrtle Beach paid nearly $8 million for professional fees and consulting services in the 2025 fiscal year.

But that six-figure number is just part of what Myrtle Beach paid third parties last year, city officials say.

In January, Myrtle Beach City Council unanimously passed a motion directing the city manager to provide a list of consultants employed by the city, as well as the amounts paid.

“This is a part of the overall discussion to have City Council more involved in the budget process, where the money goes,” Mayor Mark Kruea said at the time.

But the completed list contains more than just consultancy records. A list of 72 transactions obtained through the Freedom of Information Act provided to The Sun News show payments for everything from polygraphs to graphic design. According to Myrtle Beach Director of Communications and Creative Services Meredith Denari, the expenses account for roughly 2.2% of the city’s total budget.

“These expenses are not solely for consultants but reflect a broad range of services categorized as ‘Professional Fees’ in the city’s budget. Many of these costs are necessary and often follow the direction of City Council ... Many of these are project-related expenses,” said Denari “In many cases, these are required services that ensure the city can carry out projects approved by City Council and continue operating effectively to serve our residents, businesses and visitors.

All of the extraneous items on the list make it difficult to say how much of that $8 million Myrtle Beach actually pays consultants.

“I sort of assume that it’s fairly standard, although it’s about twice as much money as I expected we were paying... I think the sheer dollar amount is something that council will take into consideration when talking about the budget this year,” Kruea said. “Having the list, seeing the magnitude helps inform that larger budget discussion that city council will have.”

Several of the payments went to high-profile projects, like the now-dropped city rebranding initiative, Pelicans Ballpark and Arts & Innovation District plans.

In January, Myrtle Beach City Council abandoned plans for a controversial “rebranding initiative,” including the creation of a city logo. The initiative’s budget totaled around $105,000, and Myrtle Beach paid the Florida-based Zimmerman Agency leading the project more than $83,000.

Four payments related to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Ballpark total approximately $321,900. The city paid Ska Consulting Engineers roughly $168,800 for engineering and design, Machete Group Inc. about $116,900 for stadium lease negotiations, EwingCole Inc. more than $26,700 for design and planning and Development Resource Group LLC $9,500 for surveying and engineering.

Two transactions also went to projects related to the Arts & Innovation District. LS3P received more than $58,500 for design services for the eMyrge Expansion and Gensler received nearly $51,600 for design and planning services for the Living Lab.

Million dollar payments

At nearly $1,382,000, the city’s largest professional fee or consulting service payment last year went to Lanier Parking Meter Services LLC for parking direct cost and management fees.

Myrtle Beach also paid Planned Administrators Inc. roughly $1,305,400 for services as a third party claims administrator on behalf of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.

Engineering services account for other big-ticket projects. Engineering firm Bolton & Menk Southeast LLC received about $1,223,600 for engineering, design and planning.

The city also paid Croft & Associates SC, LLC $1,022,500 for multiple engineering and design projects. Myrtle Beach contracted the firm for consulting, design, engineering, bid specifications and general project management assistance.

Other large transactions

In addition to two of the Pelican-related payouts, five other companies received payments below a million dollar threshold but over $100,000 from Myrtle Beach in the 2025 fiscal year – and not all were for consultancy.

The city paid Sellers General Construction about $528,700 for construction professional services.

Of the 72 payments, 15 are described broadly as legal services. The largest of those payments went to Willoughby, Humphrey & D’Antoni PA for approximately $259,900. The firm specializes in litigation, regulatory and business practice.

Myrtle Beach also paid Arbinger Institute LLC $173,100 for staff training. According to the company’s website, Arbinger Institute offers leadership development, employee retention and strategic planning solutions for state and local agencies.

Pope Flynn LLC received more than $127,500 for bond counsel. The Columbia-based law firm focuses on governmental counsel, public finance, procurement and construction.

And for self-insurance claims handling, Myrtle Beach paid PMA Companies Inc. roughly $110,326.

A complete breakdown of the $8 million list

The complete list provided to Myrtle Beach City council includes:

This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.