May 5, 2026

PBNA Newsletter

Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association

 

Dear Neighbors,

It was nice to see the 50+ members attend our April 15^th annual meeting.  We appreciate the time together, active discussions and your commitment to PB.  In the event you missed the meeting, here is our wrap-up.

Introduction

Following the board of directors introduction the Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association vision and mission were presented.  Founded in 2013, PBNA currently has 540 members from 354 households.  PBNA has grown over 85 households in the last year. 

As PB has aged and matured the PBNA role has evolved but it is important to note PBNA:

• Provides independent, objective information regarding PB issues

• Monitors community developments and communicates with PB management and the developer

• While with similar objectives, has a different role than the MAC

• Is not a litigant in any of the lawsuits

PBNA is a member-friendly and member-focused group.  PBNA is not a litigant and exists to support all members.  As part of our membership drive PBNA asks that each PBNA member get 2 new households to join the organization.  This will be part of our membership drive.

Governance

A quorum was achieved. John Meltaus and Holly Miller were subsequently elected to the board of directors for three-year terms.

The PBNA board elects its officers and announced the following:

• Allen Roth, President

• Frank Riddick, Treasurer

• John Meltaus, Secretary

PBNA Successes/Action

1. Active in the South Wilson Bluff Erosion Project.  PBNA met with the resident liaison to better understand the progress and impact on the homeowners, both along the Bluff and throughout PB.

   
   

   At this time this project is progressing, while there may be delays due environmental concerns related to an eagle’s nest near the construction area.  Regretfully, there has not been any financial information provided by the POA to the PB residents.
   

   
   

2. Assisted in the SC46/May River intersection traffic light procurement.  Based on the recent POA minutes the engineering design for the light will be paid for by Beaufort County.  The Preservation Trust stated in the March 16, 2026 Board of Stewards meeting minutes that “Funding for the installation of this traffic light can be supported by the Palmetto Bluff Preservation Trust via special assessment.”  The future maintenance costs are TBD.

   
   

3. Capital reserve discussions with the developer.  Working with MAC to create more user friendly POA reserve financials.

   
   

4. Created the Black Book of Service Providers resource.

   
   

5. Attended Town of Bluffton Town Council Meetings

   
   

6. Organized the PB Mobile Town of Bluffton Council meeting including the Mayor, Town Manager, several Town Council members and Chief of Police.

   
   

7. The most significant action has been two recent meetings with Rob Duckett and Gray Ferguson.  The first was a few days before the SSP Annual Meeting and the second was on March 31st.  These meetings were very open, candid and sometimes with difficult discussions/topics.  The ultimate objective was to lay the groundwork for future collaboration and understanding. Our topics included:

• PBNA role and mission

• Restoring the community’s trust in the developer and identifying specific instances when trust was broken.

• Our requests included:

  
  

   - Pushing for POA representation on the Board of Steward

  
  

  - Providing a longer “grace period” on significant document/policy changes; i.e. changing joining fees, golf tier memberships, changes to short-term rental rules.

  
  

  - Provide an amenity roadmap with non-binding but good faith timetables.

We agreed to meet on a regular basis moving forward.

Potential Financial Audit or Strategic Advisor

Over the past several months PBNA has been evaluating the benefits and costs of a Club financial audit.  Knowing that SSP has committed to a first-time audit, probably presented later this year, PBNA has considered retaining a national club and community consultant. The objective is to have this individual assist the community to evaluate the overall PB documents, legal and governance structure, development, costs, fee structure, reserves and other issues and ultimately provide recommendations and alternatives to improve the relationship between PB and the developer. 

PBNA has begun the interview process but has not committed to any scope of work or budget.  If PBNA opts to move forward PBNA will inform the members and will require financial assistance.  This action is in the early phase.

Lawsuit No. 1 SC Supreme Court Hearing

Frank Riddick and John Meltaus attended this hearing on the arbitration appeal.  The panel of five judges will offer a ruling on this appeal of two lower court rulings, both of which were in favor of the plaintiffs (PB homeowners), stating that the mandatory arbitration contained in the PB documents is unenforceable.  A decision on this final appeal is expected in approximately 3 – 4 months

PBNA noted that there are now additional lawsuits against SSP and other related PB entities regarding breaches of fiduciary duty at the PB Preservation Trust, Club joining fees and member suspension. 

Membership and Committee Formation

A top priority for PBNA is to expand its membership throughout the PB community.  There is strength in members as PBNA works to communicate and influence investment in our community.

As PB and PBNA grow there is a need and call for volunteers to help our community. PBNA would like to establish ambassadors to help represent the various neighborhoods within PB.  PBNA will identify the neighborhoods and volunteers in each neighborhood will solicit members.
PBNA also has several sub-committees to get more input and assistance in with specific topics.  The committees are: 

•  Financial

•  Membership

•  Social

•  Governance

•  Special Interests

To volunteer please contact the board.

PBNA objectives are:

• Unite neighbors

•  Create community

•  Preserve the original PB vision

•  Communicate with a united, fact-based, independent voice

•  Protect our home values

•  Enable dialogue and change without litigation

•  Provide resources for members

Fun Facts

• Sun City just opened their new $50M amenity/fitness center where the design was driven by the membership

• Colleton River recently completed their $30M amenity upgrade and continues to invest in new amenities

•  Berkeley Hall Club is undertaking a $5.1M master plan upgrade

•  Hampton Hall undertaking a $6.6M clubhouse renovation and expansion

•  Belfair has completed a $5.8M golf course renovation with a multi-year $22M future commitment to improvements

This is why we need to bond together!  Please join us.

Best regards,

Your PBNA Volunteers

April 15, 2026

Dear Neighbors,

The Island Packet published an article this week regarding the history behind the upcoming SC Supreme Court oral arguments on April 22, 2026.  You can find a copy of the article HERE.

We encourage all members to read this important article. PBNA is concerned about a statement made by Jordan Phillips: “[we] are enforcing what the property owners signed up for.” Please consider whether matters concerning homeowners' association contracts should be decided by the courts rather than arbitrators

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments at pbna2020@gmail.com.

Regards,

Your PBNA Volunteers.

April 1, 2026

PBNA Newsletter

Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association, Inc.

 

Dear Neighbors,

We look forward to seeing you at the next PBNA Annual Meeting on Wednesday April 22nd, 5:00 pm at the River Road Lodge Lawn, Waterfowl Road. 

It is important that you vote!  A link to the proxy is here. You will need to login to vote.

PB Community Update

Following our January 8, 2026 Financial Perspective Update, PBNA was invited to meet with Rob Duckett and Gray Ferguson.  The purpose was for the developer to better understand PBNA’s role and mission.  We also had candid conversations about the level of distrust that many members have with South Street Partners’ (SSP) approach to managing and operating Palmetto Bluff.  Specific examples were presented.  Rob Duckett appeared to be receptive to our discussions and improving the developer’s relationship with PB members.

To promote collaboration, PBNA and Rob Duckett agreed to meet regularly moving forward. 

While long, we thought the SSP Annual Meeting improved on prior years’ presentations by providing some detail on future plans, especially regarding the CrossRoads development. 

We also appreciated the follow-up focus group meetings, to which those attending the Annual Meeting were invited. The developer acknowledged member feedback regarding the desire for more specifics around the development master plan, food and beverage offerings, and maintenance of the property.  We suggested more roundtables in the future around specific topics, such as food and beverage, in part because members like to hear what other members are thinking.  There has already been reach out by the developer on F&B, and Rob Duckett in a later conversation relayed that he would have an update on the community master plan very soon.  We amplified the request that an additional dog park be part of the community expansion.  As we all know, the proof will be the action items taken from these meetings.

A number of PB members, as well as the PBNA Board, have provided a list of follow-up questions on key areas of concern that were not addressed in sufficient detail or at all during the Town Hall, and we await responses from the developer. 

Stay tuned as this pursuit progresses.

Staying in the Know

Rob Duckett, as representative of the ownership group (Henderson Park- SSP joint venture), the local developer (SSP), and Club and POA management teams, all three of which we shall collectively refer to as “the developer,” has stated a preference for one-on-one verbal communications with PB members.  The PBNA Board, on the other hand, has expressed its preference for communicating with members broadly, openly, and in writing, not only to improve transparency and ensure consistency, but also for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.  Many in the community like to hear the feedback provided by other members.  Details or topics may be discussed in one meeting and omitted in another, yet more broad-based communications allow those details to be disseminated widely and accurately, ensuring a “level playing field” of knowledge.  Communicating in silos is suboptimal.  Moreover, to the extent that PB clubs are allocated costs for the developer’s many executives and managers, one-off communications contribute to our rising dues. 

Many members include the PBNA on their emails to the developer or management as the PBNA is a resource of information and can share insights obtained from other members.

Mobile Bluffton Town Hall Hosted by PBNA

On Monday February 23^rd, PBNA hosted a Bluffton Town Hall meeting at the River Road Lodge.  Mayor Larry Toomer, Town Manager Stephen Steese, Chief of Police Joseph Babkiewicz, and others presented the current and future plans for Bluffton.  PB is within the Town of Bluffton and subject to a development agreement with the town.

A common question is what PB gets from the town, and whether the interests of the developer and residents are treated even handedly.  We know what we pay in property taxes – that tax revenue goes to Beaufort County.  It appears that approximately 22% of property taxes collected by Beaufort County are directed to the Town of Bluffton full-time residents, and for non-residents, that amount is approximately 13%. The town provides the POA with a trash pickup reimbursement (which, when combined with Montage site fees, amounted to $332,822, or 2.95%, of the total POA receipts (assessments, passes, etc.) of $11,270,066 through the third quarter of 2025.  It is unclear if and under what conditions the town police would ever be allowed to come into Palmetto Bluff if called by a member.  The county provides many services such as 911 call management and emergency medical response.

PB members might be surprised to know that big chunks of what you think of as Bluffton are not actually in the town of Bluffton (Colleton River, Moss Creek, The Crescent, Belfair, Rose Hill, Berkely Hall, Island West, Bartons Run, Gascoigne Bluff, Alljoy, and Myrtle Island among other parcels).  This unannexed land is governed only by the county.  A separate myriad is law enforcement jurisdiction among the town police, the county sheriff, and private community security registered with the state law enforcement division (SLED).  Similar jurisdictional complexity exists with regard to maintenance of local roads.  (More on this below.)

For those of you who are civic minded, PBNA is organizing a Government Liaisons Committee to cover town, county and state relations.  Feel free to raise your hand and join.  Secession has thus far not been on the table.

While not from this meeting, there was an interesting presentation made by Town Manager Stephen Streese regarding the Bluffton future that our members might find interesting.  If interested click here and start around 48 minutes.

SC 46/Old Palmetto Bluff Road Traffic Light

It was wonderful to read in SSP’s March Club Update that a traffic light has been approved for our intersection.  PBNA wants to recognize the efforts of both the developer and residents in achieving goal.  Pressure was applied by many groups and individuals at many levels and we now look forward to the traffic light installation.

It is yet to be seen who pays for the light, but May River Road is a state road.

PB members may be surprised to know that the POA (Trust) owns Old Palmetto Bluff Road, which is the road from the gate house to the May River Road.  (The older road, inexplicably called Palmetto Bluff Road, which is to the right as you exit PB, is owned and maintained by the SC Department of Transportation.  It is also known as State Road S-7-35.)   As you know, public, commercial and New Riverside traffic have use of Old Palmetto Bluff Road.  May River Road (SC Highway 46) is a state road.  Part of the challenge is that Bluffton is a hodgepodge – there a very few town roads, many private roads, and an assortment of county and state roads.   For those with time to kill, the Bluffton road maintenance map is available here and extra points if you can find the ghost streets in Bluffton.

Litigation Update

Litigation No. 1

On the morning of Wednesday April 22^nd, just before our Annual Meeting, your South Carolina State Court will hear the ownership group/developer final appeal challenging the two rulings of the lower court and the appeals court.  Both of those prior rulings determined the arbitration clause in some Club documents is unconscionable and unenforceable.  This issue has ramifications beyond PB and will be an interesting statement by the court regarding the role of the courts in South Carolina.   The ownership group/developer prefers arbitration – among other reasons because arbitration proceedings are not public.  The case has been going on for years, thus far focusing on where the dispute will be resolved and not on resolving the dispute itself. 

PB members who are career litigators have commented that cases often settle on the eve of discovery and trial.  A decision that this case belongs in the courts and not arbitration could be viewed as accelerating that process.  As a reminder, prior settlement discussions have included consideration of whether the ownership group/developer requires that any settlement bind the entire community—that means you, even if you are not a party to the litigation. 

PB members need to get smart on what they would agree to, less a small fraction of the community find themselves in the awkward position of having to come up with a “take it or leave it” proposal that has not been previewed with others.

We plan to attend the Supreme Court hearing and will report that evening.

For those of you who are governance minded, the PBNA Governance Committee covers adherence to PB documents and laws, litigation and settlement developments.  Feel free to raise your hand.  PBNA itself is not and does not intend to be a litigant.  

Litigation No. 3

Litigation against the POA and its board of stewards is ongoing and focuses on the fiduciary duties owed to PB residents.  

Litigation No. 4

A new suit was filed on February 12, 2026 against Palmetto Bluff Development, LLC, Palmetto Bluff Club, LLC, and South Street Partners, LLC  which goes to the issues of joining fees, adherence to agreements, and fairness.  It can be found here.

Noise

An attorney for several members sent a letter to the Town of Bluffton and its outside attorney stating that the exception to the town noise ordinance—which the Montage relies on to avoid noise level and time-of-day limitations—does not apply to Montage events and in any event violates other South Carolina statutes restricting noise and general nuisance.  To date, the Town of Bluffton has not responded to this letter.  

Some members have also asked the developer for more information regarding the additional event venue being considered for Montage.   We await the developer’s response as it works through its planning, although on a positive note we have been told that the developer has spoken with some of the residents along the affected section of Mt. Pelia Rd.

The ongoing event, construction and set-up noise and activities continues to be a vexing issue for many of those who live in the Village, and we would like to see hotel-member relations improve for everyone. 

Club and Trust Financial Review

PBNA is continuing its review, audit and benchmarking of Club and Trust financials.  Among other items, we are looking at the scope and process of the first Club audit, confirmation of the assets and properties owned by the Club (as opposed to developer-affiliates), allocations of cost among the Club, Trust and developer-affiliates, and Trust assessments and revenues. 

Citadel, the River House and the Village Chapel do not pay a POA assessment and are free riders.  That apparently is based on the agreements with the prior developer, and we don’t know if and when this might change.  A review of POA revenues, expenses, assets and reserves is part of a deeper dive to come.  Pertinent to recent avowals of building trust, transparency, reasonableness and fairness are all we ask.

For those of you who are business model, community roadmap, and financially minded, PBNA’s Financial Committee monitors and benchmarks our community.  Feel free to email PBNA if you would like to participate. 

South Wilson Bluff Stone Revetment Project

This very important POA project has started and PBNA was excited to read the POA’s March 24, 2026 update.  We were on the water recently and snapped the following photos of the progress thus far (photos are located at the end of this newsletter).  We have heard from the affected S. Wilson residents that they are happy with the project and progress.  We are following up with management to update the actual cost of the project to the POA.

Save the Date!  Annual PBNA Meeting on April 22^nd, 5:00PM at River Road Lodge Lawn

It is important that members show that they care by voting, attending the meeting if possible, and most importantly letting us know where they want to see focused efforts over the next year. 

Please vote today!  A link to the proxy is here. You will need to login to vote.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect two candidates for our Board of Directors, following which we will report on the PBNA’s recent activities and hear from PBNA members regarding their priorities for the coming year.   Likely topics include: 

• “Building Trust” with the ownership group and developer

• The in-progress first-ever PB Club audit (and who owns what)

• A real-time report on the SC Supreme Court hearing earlier that morning and our view of prospects for settlement

• Upcoming member survey

• Invitation to join community committees (more on this below)

• What is important to you!

Committee Volunteers Needed!

Committees are a great way to participate and contribute to the community, while limiting your overall time commitment.   Please consider if you would like to play a role and, if so, send an email to pbna2020@gmail.com indicating your area of interest. 

• Social – the fun committee

• Membership – increase our numbers to strengthen our united voices

• PB Governance – monitoring governance, litigation and settlement developments affecting all PB members

• PB Financial – review club and POA financials and audits and benchmark PB with similar communities

• PB Special Interests – drill down into areas like dog parks, boat club programming, golf tier privileges, and the art loft access in a deeper manner than the PBNA board is able

• Communications – newsletters and maintaining PBNA’s website

• PB Government Liaison – monitor developments on town, county and state issues such as roads, traffic lights, law enforcement, emergency response, and safety 

Over the past year, the PBNA Board has advocated for members’ interests with the developer, pursued special projects, such as the May River traffic solution and the Trust capital reserve, and analyzed the Club and Trust assets, budgets, costs and revenues. 

The PBNA’s mission is to promote transparency, communication, and education to ensure Palmetto Bluff remains a special place.  We provide an avenue for transparency as well as an organized voice.  PBNA is independent of the ownership group and developer. 

Invite fellow members to join the PBNA!     https://pbnabluffton.com/Join

Get involved!  Let us know if you would like to participate on a committee or project. Please email us at pbna2020@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Your PBNA Volunteers

March 20, 2026

Dear Neighbors,

Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association, Inc. will hold our Annual Meeting of Members on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. local time, at The Lodge, Waterfowl Rd., Bluffton, SC 29910. It is important that members show that they care about issues in our community.  This can be done by voting (most important), attending the meeting if possible, and by letting us know where they want to see focused efforts over the next year.  The primary purpose of the meeting is to re-elect candidates for our Board of Directors, following which we will report on the PBNA’s recent activities and hear from members regarding their priorities for the coming year.  While we are still finalizing the agenda likely topics include:  “Building trust” with the ownership group and management  Monitoring the in-progress first Club audit (and who owns what)  A real-time report on the SC Supreme Court hearing earlier that morning and prospects for settlement  Member survey  Invitation to join community committees  Social – the fun committee  Membership – strengthen our united voices  PB Governance – report on PB governance, litigation and settlement developments affecting all PB members  PB Financial – benchmark our dues, amenities, and service levels with similar communities  PB Special Interests – amplify the asks from the ‘clubs within a club’  What is important to you! PBNA directors serve three-year, overlapping terms.  The nominees for election this year, with terms through December 31, 2029, are Holly Miller and John Meltaus.  Please vote by proxy via the link HERE. Over the past year, the PBNA Board has advocated for members’ interests with the developer and management, pursued special projects such as the May River traffic solution and the Trust capital reserve, and analyzed the Club and Trust assets, budgets, costs and revenues.  The PBNA Board is reviewing the engagement of an industry expert or auditor to assist in benchmarking.  The PBNA’s balance sheet consists of cash used for ongoing operations. The PBNA promotes member interests through transparency, communication, and education and is independent of the ownership group, the local developer, and management.  Invite fellow members to join the PBNA!     https://pbnabluffton.com/Join Get involved!  Let us know if you would like to participate on a committee or project.  pbna2020@gmail.com Your PBNA volunteers,  Cathy MacKinnon, John Meltaus, Frank Riddick, Allen Roth, and Holly Miller

Dear Neighbors,

We have three items to discuss.

• 1. PBNA is excited to remind you about the upcoming Mobile Town Hall! Please see the details below and come and meet members of Bluffton’s town government.

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Monday, February 23, 2023

6:15 PM

The Lodge

Mobile Town Hall Representatives

Mayor Larry Toomer

Fred Hamilton – Mayor Pro-Tempore

Emily Burden – Town Councilwoman

Dan Wood – Town Councilman

Joe Babkiewicz - Chief of Police

Stephen Steese - Town Manager

Keven Icard - Director of Growth Management

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• 2. As part of PBNA’s mission to keep members informed about our community, we recently learned about a new Montage event space, which was presented to the town of Bluffton’s Development Review Committee on October 22, 2025, for preliminary approval.

  The documents related to this presentation include:

  • The Town’s Development Review Committee Agenda from October 22, 2025, which outlines the Preliminary Development Plan for the Palmetto Bluff Montage Event Lawn
  • A project narrative
  • Proposed plans, including maps
  • September 19, 2025, plan review comments
    
    
  Files are liked below.

FILE 1 

FILE 2

FILE 3

FILE 4

We were impressed by the thoroughness and transparency of the Palmetto Bluff Annual Town Hall hosted by SSP last night. However, there was no comprehensive update regarding this alternative Montage event space during the meeting, although it was briefly mentioned as the last Q&A item. We are sharing this information because Club management did not thoroughly address it during the town hall. We believe this is a significant development that community members should be aware of. Please note that this is a preliminary approval application to the Town and not a final one.

• 3. The Island Packet published an article about 2025 complaints from homeowners' associations (HOAs) in South Carolina, specifically mentioning Palmetto Bluff, which received three complaints. A "satisfactory response" from the HOA simply means they responded to the complaints via email to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. It does not imply that the issues were resolved, questions were answered, or that the complainants were satisfied. It only means that there is a record of the complaint for review by the South Carolina governor's office.

The article can be found HERE.

Thank you, and we hope to see you on Monday at the Mobile Town Hall.

Your PBNA Volunteers

Dear Neighbors,

Below you will see PBNA's email to the Palmetto Bluff club management, which includes a link to questions compiled from fellow PBNA members to be addressed at the annual town hall meeting this Wednesday.

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Evening Gray - First off we (PBNA) want to thank you and Rob again for our meeting last Thursday.  We found it very productive and look forward to future collaboration and meetings.

Prior to our meeting, PBNA sent out a newsletter stating that if residents would prefer to forward any questions for the Annual Meeting to PBNA we would compile them and forward them to Management.  Attached please find the many questions that approximately 10 residents forwarded to us (2026 SSP Annual Meeting Questions). To assist you in replying we have compiled the questions into categories.  Based on my cursory review I believe many can be addressed during the meeting.

For any questions not to be addressed at the meeting please provide a written response and we will forward back accordingly.

Again, thank you and look forward to the Annual Meeting.

Allen Roth
PBNA Volunteers

Dear Neighbors,

We’re excited to remind you about the Annual Town Hall happening next Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 4 PM! It’s a great chance to connect with your fellow members and hear the update on the community. Club management has asked that we submit our questions in advance to make the most of our time together. 

If you'd prefer not to submit your questions directly to them or would like us to submit them on your behalf, please send them to pbna2020@gmail.com by this Friday, February 13, 2026. 

Don’t hesitate to share any and all questions you might have—even if you think someone else might ask the same thing! We’ll review everything and make sure the most common questions are highlighted in our submission to Club management. This way, everyone’s voice is heard, and we can address the key concerns of our community. 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Your PBNA Volunteers

Dear neighbors,

It is with heavy hearts that we learn about Jay Walea's health condition. In light of this, PBNA would like to extend our support by sharing the GoFundMe link below to benefit him during this challenging time. 

Fundraiser for Karen Tootle Walea by Rans Thomas : Support Jay Walea

Your PBNA volunteers,

Dear Neighbors,

As a follow-up to our PBNA January newsletter, please see the links below to the Annual Palmetto Bluff Development Agreement Update presented by Will Howard to the Bluffton town council members.   

Video https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/bctv/index.html#vod

PDF 2026 Palmetto Bluff TOB Development Update.pdf 

Your PBNA Volunteers,

January 15, 2026

PBNA Newsletter

Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association

 

Dear Neighbors,

We look forward to seeing you at the next PBNA Social (ex-Chinwag) tomorrow, Friday, January 16^th, at 4:00 – 5:00 pm in the Coles Game Room.  We will again have a cash bar with all the wonderful Game Room activities to challenge us all.  The goal is a simple PB membership gathering to catch up and meet your neighbors.

With South Street Partners having their annual meeting and the Mobile Town Hall in February, our next PBNA Social will be Friday, March 6^th.

Bluffton Town Council Received Palmetto Bluff Development Update

Will Howard of South Street Partners presented a Palmetto Bluff development update to the Bluffton Town Council members this week. Some exciting news is the planning of a sports, fitness, and wellness center at Crossroads, including a spa! There were other updates about the future Anson development, the recent cell tower installation, and 2025 Montage statistics.   

You can watch the video yourself to get a gauge of what is happening. The video is not yet posted on the town’s site, but it is typically posted within a week of the meeting.

Link can be found HERE.

PBNA Financial Perspective Newsletter Update

We have received some very positive feedback plus valuable suggestions from our latest informational newsletter.  We also want to share language within the Palmetto Bluff governing documents:

Section 3.6 of the 2003 Declaration of Recreational Covenant for Palmetto Bluff states that:

    •  “Such books and records shall be made available for inspection and copying by the owners … upon reasonable request during normal business hours …”

    •    It also provides:

“If any Owner … desires to have the records audited, it may do so at its expense and Club Operator shall cooperate by making available to the auditors the records, including all supporting material, for the year in question.”  

Stay tuned as this pursuit progresses.

Annual Town Hall HOSTED By South Street Partners

Save the Date!  Don’t forget to reserve your spot at South Street Partners’ annual Town Hall on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, from 4-6 PM. Location is the Wilson Ballroom, and you can reserve your spot on the member website beginning on January 19, 2026.

Mobile Town Hall HOSTED By PBNA

Save the Date!  PBNA and the Bluffton Town Council have organized a mobile town hall to be held on Monday, February 23, 2026! We anticipate this event will begin at 6 PM in the River Road Lodge, but the location is not yet committed.  This event will be open to everyone in the community, including the Trust and club management. Join us to meet your town council members and bring your questions!

Anson Point Arrives

It seems that Providence intended this area for a golf course. If that wasn't the case, Bill and Ben, along with their team, and Head Pro Nick Lykens, Super Adam Deiwert, and the entire AP team, certainly made it happen. I want to give a special shout-out to the crew that got the course in such great shape in such a short time. While Anson Point will continue to evolve, we truly appreciate the rough-hewn, natural beauty of the course. The new layout contrasts with and highlights the exemplary features of May River and Crossroads. In golf, a "turkey" refers to three consecutive birdies, similar to three strikes in bowling. As the saying goes, "If the turkey thrives, everything thrives."

Cell Tower Assistance Acknowledgement

We want to acknowledge the efforts of the PB members Cell Tower team. Verizon has forwarded their report that:  a) "confirms that the site is operating within expected parameters”, b) recognizes that specifically Davies Road in Moreland is not receiving a reliable signal strength; and c) offers to provide network extenders to affected Verizon users.  It is now up to Verizon to work and coordinate with individual homeowners on maximizing their own cellular situations.

A big thank you to Jordan Phillips of South Street Partners for supporting the member cell tower team. We also appreciate the member leadership of Kent Flurry, Bob Dalton, Chuck Fratus, Bob Morette, Jay Parker, Mike Ruppert, and Brad Samargya, with a special shoutout to Jay for his telecom expertise. Excited that the new cell tower is now live! Thanks, Cell Tower team!

Special Shout Out

A very special shout-out to the Worship on the Water that organized the very special Christmas Eve service in the stables.  It just gets better every year!  Thank you!

Introducing: The Black Book

The Black Book is your trusted directory for local services—plumbing, handyman, repairs, and more—all recommended by your fellow residents, exclusively for PBNA members with a 2026 membership. Click PBNA Black Book under Member Area with this link: Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association - Member Area. You must be logged into the PBNA website to retrieve the Black Book.

Your PBNA Volunteers