08/29/2026
3 OF THE 5 YES VOTES TO AUTHORIZE CARTA TO USE POWERS OF IMMINENT DOMAIN BY CHARLESTON COUNTY COUNCIL CAME FROM SITTING CARTA BOARD MEMBERS
Charleston County Council approved CARTA’s request for authority to use eminent domain against six acres of Exchange Park.
Before the vote, Council was publicly asked a straightforward question:
If County Council approval is supposed to provide a separate governmental check on CARTA’s eminent-domain power, should members of CARTA’s own Board participate in deciding whether CARTA receives that approval?
No public legal opinion addressing that question was given before the vote.
CARTA’s own Board directory identifies Joe Boykin, Henry Darby and Robert Wehrman as Charleston County Council’s three representatives on the CARTA Board. Wehrman also serves as CARTA’s Vice Chairman.
All three participated in the County Council vote.
The reported vote was:
YES — 5
Joe Boykin*
Henry Darby*
Brantley Moody
Herb Sass
Robert Wehrman*
NO — 3
Kylon Middleton
Teddie Pryor
Larry Kobrovsky
ABSTAIN — 1
Jenny Costa Honeycutt
*CARTA Board member
That means three of the five votes needed to approve CARTA’s request came from members of CARTA’s own Board.
In another twist, Councilman Henry Darby joined the meeting by telephone immediately before the CARTA matter and participated only in this vote after not participating in the preceding Council business.
We are not speculating about why he joined when he did. We are simply documenting what occurred and asking the question that remains unanswered:
If Charleston County Council’s approval is the independent governmental safeguard required before CARTA can exercise eminent domain, should members of the CARTA Board participate in granting CARTA that authority?
Council was specifically asked to have County counsel address that question publicly before the vote.
That did not happen before the vote.
This isn’t a technical or insignificant issue.
Eminent domain is one of the government’s most extraordinary powers. Charleston County’s own resolution concerns CARTA acquiring six acres belonging to the Exchange Club Fair of Charleston and expressly recognizes that CARTA’s eminent-domain authority is subject to approval by the governing body where the land is located.
When government seeks authority to forcibly acquire private property, the public deserves a process that is transparent, independent and beyond question.
We believe Charleston County should publicly answer:
Did County counsel advise Council whether Boykin, Darby and Wehrman could participate in approving CARTA’s request?
If so, what was that advice and what was the legal basis for it?
If County Council approval is intended to serve as a separate check on CARTA’s eminent-domain authority, how is that safeguard affected when three of the five affirmative votes came from members of CARTA’s Board?
We’re not going to speculate about facts we cannot prove.
We’re going to keep asking questions that can be answered with public records.
Facts. Questions. Transparency.
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This is ultimately a threat to our beloved food court and the Flea Market. Write the CARTA board members and tell them how you feel about Government seizure of private property!
https://savethecoastalcarolinafair.com/
