Judge rescinds order for landowner to tear out seawall at Isle of Palms
A judge who ordered a wealthy Isle of Palms resident to tear out a seawall the state says was built illegally on the beach has rescinded that decision in a ruling that could give the property owner a reprieve from removing the protective wall.
The one-page decision by South Carolina Administrative Law Court Judge Ralph King Anderson III appears to open the case back up before he makes a final decision on whether Rom Reddy’s seawall must be demolished. Anderson rescinded the order Nov. 10.
Less than a month ago, Anderson told Reddy to get rid of the seawall, saying tearing the structure out was warranted under the state’s beach protection law. The issue was considered a significant victory for the state’s 37-year-old beach law, passed to protect beaches from development-worsening erosion.
Now, Anderson said he wants to hear more from Reddy and his opponents in court, the state Department of Environmental Services and the Coastal Conservation League. All must file responses to a series of motions.
Anderson could side with environmentalists and state regulators and strengthen his decision, or he could side with Reddy and drop the order to remove the seawall.
Reddy had little to say Monday, but expressed hope.
“Judge Anderson has treated Renee (Reddy’s wife) and me very well during trial and we fully expect that he will uphold the law,’’ Reddy said in a text.
A leading environmental attorney said it appears Anderson has “seen something that has given him pause’’ after a complex trial in which Reddy represented himself last May.
“It’s a complicated case,’’ said Amy Armstrong, who heads the non-profit S.C. Environmental Law Project, which represents the Conservation League. “At some point, he’ll issue an amended final order and decision.’’
Armstrong said, however, that she hopes the seawall is removed because it was built on the beach in a state that has banned new walls since passing the Beachfront Management Act in 1988. Seawalls make beach erosion worse and block public access.
“The crux of the law is this is a prohibition on any new seawall – and this is a new seawall,’’ she said. “It would undermine one of the most critical pieces of the Beachfront Management Act to allow this wall to stand. Once you open a door and allow a new seawall when one hasn’t been built since 1988, the floodgates open.’’
Reddy, an outspoken retired businessman and small newspaper owner, had the seawall built in recent years to protect his home and land from the rising sea. He says the wall was built outside the state’s jurisdiction, but environmentalist and coastal regulators say it was in state jurisdiction.
Reddy says the government has treated him unfairly, and he’s fighting to stop government “tyranny.’’ He has compared state regulators to the Gestapo, the brutal Nazi police force from World War II. A supporter of President Donald Trump, Reddy has said he will contribute money to candidates that support his views of limited government and taxation.
The state Department of Environmental Services told him to remove the wall and fined him $289,000, an almost unheard of amount for a beach violation, because of what they considered the severity of the violation.
Reddy’s home is on the lower end of Isle of Palms, just across an inlet from Sullivan’s Island outside of Charleston. The seawall can be seen jutting farther onto the beach than some other development in that area.
A spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Environmental Services declined comment Monday, saying the case is a pending legal matter.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
