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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina state senator Larry Grooms – one of the most fiscally liberal “Republicans” in the entire S.C. General Assembly – is angling to be appointed the next chief executive officer of the results-challenged S.C. Ports Authority (SCPA), multiple sources familiar with his thinking have told FITSNews.
Grooms has no experience in maritime operations, but is reportedly hoping to leverage his influence as chairman of the Senate’s transportation committee – and his status as a ranking member of its powerful finance committee – to secure the job, which has a base salary of more than $400,000.
This plum position came open last month via the unceremonious ouster of outgoing CEO Barbara Melvin, news of which was reported exclusively by our media outlet. Melvin’s curb-kicking – the circumstances of which we are continuing to investigate – sparked a firestorm after it was revealed the outgoing executive was awarded $822,780 in so-called “pre-tax salary continuation” on her way out the door.
SCPA also agreed to subsidize a $100,000 payout to her taxpayer-subsidized retirement account – and pay her a staggering $350 an hour for any work she does while the agency identifies and installs her successor.
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That’s pretty rich for an executive who presided over the continued descent of this vital competitive asset over the past three years, right? Sadly, the price of chronic failure could grow even higher in the event Grooms is tapped to lead this agency…
Were he to receive the coveted post, Grooms’ taxpayer-funded retirement benefits would increase exponentially – making him the latest in a long line of Palmetto State politicians to cash in on their extensive legislative “service.”
Grooms has been a member of the S.C. Senate since November 1997, ranking sixth in the chamber in seniority. Those decades won’t pay big bucks for him in retirement, though, given the low salaries paid to Palmetto State legislators for their part-time positions. Were Grooms to follow the lead of previous legislative leaders and land a cushy, high-paying government gig, however, his taxpayer-funded retirement payout would soar.
Does Grooms have a shot at the position? Yes…
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According to our sources, the veteran lawmaker has scheduled meetings with influential waterfront leaders in the coming weeks – part of a behind-the-scenes bid to curry favor with the interests who exert influence over the port board. These same sources tell us there is “significant resistance” to Grooms’ appointment, however, which is being presented to these interests as a fait accompli.
“How do you solve the problem of political meddling by putting a politician in charge?” one waterfront leader mused. “It’s like using a guillotine to treat your headache.”
“He’s not capable,” a well-connected Charleston-ite told us, referring to Grooms. “But he’ll probably get (the job).”
And that, in a nutshell, is how South Carolina rolls…
The embattled SCPA board – led for decades by Columbia, S.C. developer and political mega-donor Bill Stern – is hoping to name its new CEO by the ‘State of the Port’ speech, which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at the Propeller Club of Charleston. The SCPA board met for ninety minutes behind closed doors this week in Columbia, S.C. – refusing to take questions from the media following this secretive session.
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RELATED | THE EVER-ESCALATING COST OF FAILURE
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Why any of the political appointees responsible for the SCPA’s ongoing debacle still have jobs is beyond us…
For years, FITSNews has methodically exposed the chronic mismanagement of this agency – which has allowed Charleston to see its status as the dominant port in the southeastern United States completely usurped (and then some) by Savannah.
According to the latest data from the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT), Charleston moved approximately 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year – well below its previous numbers. By contrast, the Port of Savannah moved 5.1 million TEUs last year – up 13.3% from the previous year.
SCPA leaders have also failed to deliver on their 2005 promise to devote the “full faith and credit” of the state to the construction of a deepwater port in Jasper County, the last location on the east coast fit for such a project. As a result, they have squandered one of the most significant competitive advantages South Carolina enjoys over its regional and national rivals – while also failing to engage public-private partnerships in Charleston.
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SCPA’s incompetence recently drew the attention of Rom Reddy, founder of the DOGESC movement and a leading proponent for long-overdue structural reform of South Carolina’s ineffectual government.
“This Ports Authority should not be run by politicians but should be privatized and run like a business,” Reddy wrote on X. “The people in charge of this mess are appointed by a governor who has wrapped himself in a flag of incompetence and no accountability as this state lags on every major metric from education to roads to crime but excels in being highly taxed and great spenders.”
Indeed… yet now one of the architects of that broader failure wants to be handed the reins of our state’s failing port?
Sounds like a recipe for more of the same…
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we dive back into the Palmetto State’s port mismanagement ahead of this critical port leadership vote. Hopefully, board members will do better than choosing some fiscally liberal career politician – but nothing about their record up to this point should instill anyone with any faith whatsoever on that front.
Or, frankly, on any front…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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13 comments
Larry Grooms is a fucking moron and anyone who has ever talked to him knows that. They want to sell one of the state’s biggest assets for a discount now that we have paid for them all, and Larry does exactly what he is told. Jay Lucas on the Supreme Court and Larry Gas Station Grooms running the Port, what could go wrong?
Operation Lost Trust was the name of an FBI investigation into the South Carolina General Assembly from 1989 to 1999. By the end of the investigation, seventeen members of the South Carolina General Assembly were arrested for bribery, extortion, or drug use.
Really, Rom? You think Governor McMaster has wrapped himself in a “flag of incompetence?” Seriously? You must be using AI to further Astroturf bc you are a F…ing idiot. Look at the growth and prosperity in the state. Ponder the Covid crisis and how the state never stumbled. McMaster will be talked about in future centuries for his leadership and success.
Again, we don’t need you here in SC. Go back to your northern home. If not, just shut the F$&k up. I hope that others will take advantage of your defamation exploits and cripple your finances.
Nothing should be run by politicians. They are all corrupt. Aren’t those taxpayer dollars they are doling out to the exiting director?
Operation Lost Trust was the name of an FBI investigation into the South Carolina General Assembly from 1989 to 1999. By the end of the investigation, seventeen members of the South Carolina General Assembly were arrested for bribery, extortion, or drug use.
After the documented failures over many decades, why not conduct a national search for qualified, experienced candidates. That said, I understand. SC has the best back-scratched politicians in the country.
Taxpayers dollars DO NOT pay SCSPA salaries. The Authority is a self sufficient organization who operates on the revenue they earn by moving cargo through the port. No tax dollars pay for salaries or maintenance of the Authority. If anything the Authority contributes to the state by generating jobs by bringing in new industries supported by trucking and manufacturing jobs.
True, but SCPA employees are participants in the South Carolina Retirement plan administered by PEBA. The hat trick here is that Grooms would benefit from the rule regarding the highest three years’ average pay being used to calculate their retirement income – so assuming he served at least three years, he would receive about $220k per year in retirement benefits for the rest of his life.
That’s what SC Senator Glenn McConnell did when he left the Senate and took the helm of the College of Charleston. Held the title for about 3 years then retired
McConnell and Grooms are long time tight buddies. Both like to dress up in confederate civil war officers uniforms and pretend to be slave owners. Photos on the net
Operation Lost Trust was the name of an FBI investigation into the South Carolina General Assembly from 1989 to 1999. By the end of the investigation, seventeen members of the South Carolina General Assembly were arrested for bribery, extortion, or drug use.
The last thing the SCSPA needs is a Politician heading up the Authority. The only way to recover is to appoint a seasoned experienced person from the International Spectrum. Someone who knows Global trade and how the industry works. That IS NOT a politician.
Alright, Senate Republicans- the most real, glaring public test of how corrupt you are willing to be is taking front & center stage for all to see. Will you put someone with ZERO personal experience running a port operation in charge of the most critical trade infrastructure operation in the State? Everyone will see it as it is – rank, unapologetic political cronyism to hand out golden parachutes. Although you don’t directly vote on this, you know you have alot of influence in how this will play out.
Trump was told about this corrupt scheme. Breitbart also tipped off