Wrongful death lawyer Near Me Pickens, SC

PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. —

A proposed ordinance would regulate Lake Keowee and its surrounding properties from future development.

Pickens County leaders argue an overlay would preserve the body of water as a leisurely space and an asset for clean, pure drinking water.

Chairman Alex Saitta said the character of the lake could be in jeopardy without standards in place.

"There is no land use regulations on the lakes right now. An investor, if you can get the logistics right, he could build a manufacturing plant, an amusement park or a high-rise apartment complex right on the lake, and most don't want that right on the lake," Saitta said. "Overlays have more flexibility."

The county has existing setbacks that bar construction and disturbing plant life or natural barriers along the lakefront. We are told these development standards were established in the early 2000s, and since then, the area has remained largely undisturbed by aggressive development.

Saitta describes an overlay as a less aggressive version of zoning. Instead of splitting areas into residential, commercial or industrial, he said the lake boundary and the properties lining it would be under the overarching umbrella as residential only.

The county said it intends to preserve the natural resource.

"95 people I pitched my plan to, no new commercial, no new industrial, residential only. Four people had reservations," Saitta said. "They want to protect the view sheds. They want to protect the natural beauty. They want the water which we drink."

Some neighbors argue it would dim property values and limit how they can use their private land. John Boes said the lack of rules surrounding land use was a reason he chose to make landfall along the lake shore.

"My house wouldn't exist if that was the case. If I owned a piece of property that I bought under the current rules, and suddenly this rule comes into effect, that property is not worth anywhere near what it was. That's concerning," Boes said.

Boes and his neighbors said they wanted to see written language of the proposal, which passed through a first reading, and were denied access.

"I do respect the need to make certain this continues to be a great lake. It is a great lake. But what problem are we trying to solve? That has not yet, at least from my perspective, been clearly communicated," Boes said.

We asked if we could receive a copy or find one in the upcoming agenda and were told it would not be available. On the website, it said, "no draft language is available."

Three public input meetings were held earlier in 2026, according to the county website. There, you can also find slides explaining the overlay and how it applies to Lake Keowee.

Property owners said they are planning to turn out for a scheduled county council meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. Although the meeting is not explicitly focused on the overlay item, people are invited to speak through public comment.

Saitta said the final reading of the ordinance would not be expected until closer to the fall.

Keep up with what's happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.

Share

Add

World/USA/South Carolina/Pickens

Air quality in Pickens

Data attribution

2 stations from 2 contributors

31

US AQI⁺

Good

Main pollutant:

PM2.5

5.6 µg/m³

26°

3 km/h

58 %

Hourly forecast

Pickens air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Daily forecast

Pickens air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Air pollutants

What is the current air quality in Pickens?

PM2.5 concentration is currently 1.1 times the World Health Organization annual PM2.5 guideline value.

Health recommendations

Pollen

What is the pollen count in Pickens today?

Index

High

Source:

wetter.com

Pollen forecast in Pickens

Most polluted locations near Pickens

Worldwide AQI⁺ ranking

Get comprehensive data about air quality in Pickens

Begin your journey for cleaner air #IQAir

Connect With IQAir

Get exclusive articles, product updates, tips, and occasional offers delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Email address

About UsContact UsCareersMedia InquiriesFoundation for Clean AirAwards and PartnershipsExperience CenterPartner with Us

Product SupportIQAir RewardsWarranty OverviewWarranty Registration0% Financing Knowledge BaseReturn PolicyReferral ProgramFSA/HSA

Air Quality NewsCommunityAir Quality ResourcesFeatured ContributorsHealth and WellnessSuccess StoriesAwards and ReviewsPress ReleasesAir Cleaning Technology

Business SolutionsRequest a BidTalk to an ExpertClean Air FacilityClean Air SchoolIn-Person MeetingVirtual AppointmentDashboard

Air Quality AppAirVisual PlatformHistorical Air Quality DataLive AQI⁺ City RankingWorld Air Quality ReportWorld Air Quality

About IQAir Air PurifiersCurrent Products on SaleRestored ProgramTrade-in ProgramFace MasksAir Quality MonitorsFilter SubscriptionReplacement FiltersShop All Air PurifiersHelp Me Choose Quiz

Air Purifiers for AsthmaAir Purifiers for MoldAir Purifiers for SmokeAir Purifiers for PetsAir Purifiers for DustAir Purifiers for OdorAir Purifiers for Wildfire Smoke

USA

AQI⁺ US, metric

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy© 2026 IQAir. All rights reserved

PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Pickens County sheriff posted a video to social media addressing public concern about Flock Safety cameras.

Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said his job is to protect both safety and freedom, calling the two “partners,” not enemies.

“I like to think of America as traveling down the road of freedom, and on each side of that road are ditches. To one side is the ditch of tyranny, where the government has too much power and individual liberty is lost,” Blankenship said. “But on the other side is the ditch of anarchy, where there are too few laws, criminals thrive, innocent people suffer, and liberty is lost.”

In the video, Blankenship said Flock Safety cameras can be a valuable tool for finding missing children, locating stolen vehicles, identifying violent criminals and helping intercept dangerous illicit drugs.

Blankenship also acknowledged that the cameras, like every tool available to law enforcement, can be misused. He said courts have continually placed limits on government power and that there must be real consequences when those limits are violated.

“I support legislation that clearly defines when systems like Flock are to be used, who can access them, how long the information can be retained, mandatory audits, transparency, and reasonable limits on the number of cameras that can be placed in a single area. And real consequences for anyone who abuses that system,” Blankenship said.

Blankenship said he and his command staff are working on a transparency tool that citizens can access through the sheriff’s office website.

According to Blankenship, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office currently has 81 personnel with access to Flock Safety, including six with administrative rights. He said 54% of those users have logged in during the last 30 days.

There are currently 16 cameras covering 466 square miles, or about 29 square miles per camera. Blankenship said the cameras are placed on private property throughout the county and face public roadways.

Blankenship said the cameras capture the make, model, license plate and color of passing vehicles. He said the data is deleted and unavailable to law enforcement after 30 days.

Blankenship said all searches require specific information from the user and are cataloged so they can be reviewed by those with administrative rights.

So far this year, Blankenship said the sheriff’s office has had about 4,700 searches. He said the top searches were for larceny and theft, drugs and narcotics, wanted persons and motor vehicle thefts.

Additionally, Blankenship said the system can integrate with national and state databases, such as NCIC, to automatically generate alerts to law enforcement for stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted persons and AMBER Alerts.

Local law enforcement can also create custom hot lists for active investigations. Blankenship said the sheriff’s office has created about 330 custom hot lists, but alerts must be corroborated before law enforcement can act.

Blankenship said audits have shown no misuse of the system to date. He said the sheriff’s office has not been notified of any misuse by Flock, which has a tool that flags suspicious activity.

“We should not just take tools from deputies and punish our victims by abolishing our Flock program because of the misuse or overuse of Flock in another jurisdiction or other states,” Blankenship said. “And my pledge to you is that if at any time I am made aware of factual evidence that our federal government is misusing our cameras to infringe on the rights of innocent citizens, I’ll cut them down myself and destroy them.”

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with FOX Carolina. For more free content like this, .