$62 Million to Separate?

Lawmakers approved a bill in May to divide the large Department of Health and Environmental Control into two separate entities. Myrtle Beach News reported that South Carolina will spend more than $62 million to separate the DHEC into the state’s combined public health and environmental agency and relocate employees to different locations.

The Republican politicians are spending $30 million next year to relocate employees from convenient downtown Columbia to offices where Dominion Energy‘s South Carolina offices are currently located. According to the proposal in the House budget, beginning in 2025-26, the state will spend $15 million each year to rent the new offices and $10 million each year to maintain the operations of the agencies separately.

Why rent from Dominion instead of using property south Carolina already owns?

Representative Joe White mentioned that Bill Stern, a political contributor of Governor Henry McMaster, will be the one to manage the lease for the property.

The majority of other funding will be used for information technology, as well as the new offices. Some of the expenses will go towards new signs and “rebranding” efforts.

I wonder who got the contacts for that…