February 2026: Advocacy Updates

Join us at Lowcountry Local First's 13th annual Good Business Summit this month on February 18th as we explore business as a force for good. A special interactive breakout session after lunch will equip attendees with connections and tactics to grow collective, neighborhood-level advocacy efforts that address your small business's needs or pain points. Grab your tickets today.

Ground Game: Building Powerful Neighborhood Advocacy (1:30 - 2:30 p.m.)

Discover how local business leaders from the 2Boroughs Retail Collective, Park Circle Business Collective and Metanoia Community Development Corporation have successfully mobilized neighborhood-based advocacy and promotional efforts. Following a group discussion on their real-world successes and hurdles, attendees will break into geographically-focused roundtables with municipal leaders on hand to identify common pain points and collaboratively map out immediate, actionable steps to drive community change.

            Location: Upstairs at Rue de Jean, 39 John Street

• • • Moderator: Jordan Amaker, Director of Advocacy and Communications, Lowcountry Local First
    • Jamilla Harper, Chief Operations Officer, Metanoia
    • Liz Rennie, Co-Owner, The Charleston Mattress
    • Mimi Striplin, Founder, The Tiny Tassel

Other timely updates:

Local 

• The City of Charleston recently announced that they transitioned the Hospitality Parking Pilot Program to a simplified January–December permitting cycle, with all existing business parking permits automatically extended through December 31, 2026 at no cost—no renewal payment or action required. Learn more about this program. 

• The Town of Mount Pleasant released its “2025 By the Numbers,” which includes a celebration of 1,100 new businesses openings. View more stats! 

• The City of North Charleston released its 2026 State of the City. View here and see Mayor Burgess' update on the growth happening in the city.

State 

• Gov. Henry McMaster recently gave his final State of the State Address. 

• "State level updated census estimates were released this week, and South Carolina is once again the fasting growing state in the nation. Managing the state's growth was a key component in the Governor's State of the State this week, and numerous bills are filed to try and address strains on infrastructure, land, and services related to our state's growth." - via TogetherSC 

Federal

• Here's what to know about the partial government shutdown and its impact - via PBS 

  • Some states are expanding ACA subsidies as federal tax credits lapse - via CBS News