Criminal Defense Lawyer in Florence, SC

FLORENCE — Pizza, subs, pasta, salads, breadsticks — you name it and Big Daddy’s Pizza and Wings has it. Now, the Hartsville-based pizza joint is coming to Florence.

The restaurant is expanding with a new location in Florence. The new spot is set to open at the beginning of August, owner Upen Patel said.

The restaurant serves up familiar pizzas such as pepperoni, cheese, veggie and Hawaiian. Specialty pizzas are options as well, with unique combinations such as the BBQ chicken grilled pizza or the meatball pizza. Pan pizzas are offered with some of the same toppings in smaller portions.

On the long list of pizza toppings at Big Daddy's Pizza and Wings, Patel’s favorites include onion and green peppers.

“Hey, I’m a vegetarian,” Patel said.

For customers who aren’t craving pizza, the restaurant will offer a variety of sub sandwiches, wings, pastas and salads. From chicken alfredo to Italian subs to grilled chicken salads, the menu offers a range of dishes.

Big Daddy’s Pizza and Wings also offers garlic toast, savory and sweet breadsticks, and a variety of takes on cheesy bread.

The restaurant does not use frozen items in their menu items, Patel said, which is something that they believe in.

“We don't add any chemicals or any preservatives,” said Patel.

Originally opened in July 2022, Big Daddy’s Pizza and Wings has served the Hartsville community for several years and will continue to do so in Florence.

With the opening of a second location, Patel hopes to join the growing number of businesses and restaurants opening up in Florence.

Despite how daunting joining the growing restaurant scene in Florence might seem, Patel is not scared, but rather excited to open his second storefront.

“There’s so many new jobs coming over there, houses, buildings,” said Patel. “Florence is booming right now.”

Florence food truck park owners are complaining that road construction is hurting their business. (Credit: WPDE)

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — Florence food truck park owners are complaining that road construction is hurting their business.

Kaylea and Wade Holt have owned 'Eats On the Creek' at the corner of Holly Circle and West Palmetto Street in Florence for nearly a year.

The Holts have a food truck business and wanted a hub where other vendors could gather.

That was the whole reason we bought this place.," said Kaylea Holt. "We wanted to create a place run by vendors, because we know what they need.

The Holts said from March through December is their peak season, but right now their business is down, and they said it has to do with road construction on Holly Circle.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will close and detour Holly Circle in Florence County for roadway improvements beginning May 29. This closure is expected to last until November.

As part of this closure, a signed detour route will be set up.

A map of the detour can be found below. Please note that Holly Circle will be open to local traffic only.

SCDOT asks that drivers slow down and pay attention when driving near the work zone.

The overview of the project reads:

The proposed improvements will widen and flatten the curve on Holly Circle Road, provide turn lanes, and a new traffic signal at the 2nd Loop Road intersection. The addition of sidewalks will also be included for this project. The purpose and need is to improve operations at both the intersections of Holly Circle at US 76 and Holly Circle at SC 51. The secondary purpose is to correct geometric and the horizontal curve on Holly Circle.

The Holts said they understand the importance and need for the construction project, but were totally caught off guard by it.

We didn’t know this happening until signs started showing up," they said. "And we saw the sign that said Holly Circle closed. And so there was no communication. There was no communication.

She said business went down 50% the first week of construction and then another 64% the following week.

The owners said people are confused as to if Holly Circle is open because of the signs that read "Road Closed to Thru Traffic" and "Detour."

The portion where Holly Circle meets West Palmetto is open, but is closed at the intersection of Second Loop Road.

They have no access. I recognize West Palmetto Street is open, but when you’re asking someone to reroute their entire way just to get here. And they’re passing all these other places, that are way more convenient to get into it. Makes it hard for them to come all the way back around. And add seven minutes to their commute. DOT has got to do a better job of communicating with us. And creating ease of access to this place that that has been here for several years. We’re vendors are relying on the Traffic. To sustain them.

They have a lot of questions regarding the timing of the project.

Our question why couldn’t this have been a night? Why couldn’t this have been a night project," said Wade Holt. "And they can’t seem to answer that question.

Kaylea questioned why officials chose this time of year to do this construction.

Why do we choose this time of year to start? Why did we not be a night project?" said Kaylea. "Why were the local business owners not communicated with with? Why were there no conversations? This is the only open business on this road. They did not take that into consideration. There are several questions that we just want to answers to. I don’t want excuses. If the answer is a hard answer and it’s not a likable one. It’s still an answer. We just want some communication and some conversation about it. So, that we don’t go from now until the end of the year suffering.

ABC 15 reached out to SCDOT regarding the business owners' concerns.

The department said the road closed signs that are on the shoulder of Holly Circle at the intersection of US 76 (Palmetto Street) read, "Road Closed to Thru Traffic," meaning the road is open to local traffic and drivers going to the food truck court are free to do so. The signs are part of our traffic control plan.

SCDOT said the roadwork is being done during the day because it has been deemed the safest and most efficient option.

Officials said there was a community meeting that was held on Sep.14, 2023, that alerted community members of the project, and a press release that was sent out a week before construction began.

The release stated the road was open to local traffic and included a map.

ABC 15 also found information on SCDOT's website that was shared two years ago, showing information about the project and its purpose.

There was also a comment period on the project from Aug. 31, 2023 until Sep. 28, 2023.

The Holts said at the time SCDOT released all the information, they didn't own the business.

They're asking the community to continue to support businesses in the food truck park.

As a community, we’ve got to bind together to support these local businesses, who are here for a reason. You know, this community wasn’t built on the Walmarts of the world," said Kaylea. It was built on the small mom and pop businesses. And then they forged a path, for the Walmarts of the world to come in.

FLORENCE — AESC's electric vehicle battery plant is pausing construction at its Florence site due to policy and market uncertainties, according to a statement from the company.

The $1.6 billion Pee Dee factory was on track to employ 1,620 workers at full capacity. The Japanese manufacturer, also known as Envision Automotive Energy Supply Co,. announced the investment in late 2022 as part of a plan to supply batteries for electric cars to be built at BMW's Upstate campus and in Mexico.

“AESC has informed the state of South Carolina and our local partners that due to policy and market uncertainty, we are pausing construction at our South Carolina facility at this time," Brad Grantham, a spokesperson with AESC said in the June 5 statement.

The company said it plans to resume construction "once circumstances stabilize."

"AESC fully intends to meet our commitments to invest $1.6 billion and create 1,600 jobs in the coming years," Grantham said.

The decision to halt work "is not in the best interest of the project and moving forward," said Gregg Robinson, CEO of the Florence County Economic Development Partnership.

"However, we are committed to working closely with AESC, the customer, meaning ... BMW, as well as the state of South Carolina, to really understand the full scope of their revised timeline so that we can understand the long term viability of the project for the community's sake," he said.

Robinson said he's not concerned about AESC fulfilling its commitments to the Florence region.

"They've invested over a billion dollars, and I know they're committed to completing their commitments of $1.6 billion and 1,600 jobs," Robinson said.

The company previously paused “Facility 2,” an expansion of the site at the Florence Global Technology Park that would have been a $1.5 billion investment and would have created an additional 1,080 local jobs. AESC had not begun hiring when that phase of the project was put on hold, according to previous reports.

A spokesperson with AESC told The Post and Courier in February that Facility 1 was still on schedule to begin production next year.

A spokesperson couldn't be reached for further comment June 5.

Full statement from Brad Grantham, AESC spokesperson:

“AESC has informed the state of South Carolina and our local partners that due to policy and market uncertainty, we are pausing construction at our South Carolina facility at this time. AESC has invested over $1 billion into the Florence facility, and we anticipate being able to resume construction once circumstances stabilize. AESC fully intends to meet our commitments to invest $1.6 billion and create 1,600 jobs in the coming years.”

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — The Housing Authority of Florence (FHA) received a Public Housing Capital Fund Program grant from SC Housing on Thursday.

According to the FHA, the grant totals $4,163,347.87 and will be put toward the total cost of renovating Creekside Village Apartments, fixing the roof at Church Hill Apartments and paving several streets at Pine Acres Apartments in Pamplico, SC.

The FHA announced that it was planning to renovate Creekside Apartments in January.

The renovations were announced following the discovery of dangerous mold at the complex in December 2022.

After discovering the mold, the Housing Authority of Florence declared the Creekside Apartment complex uninhabitable, closed the facility down, and moved all its residents to hotels.

FHA Executive Director Dr. Al Bradley said the plan at the time was to demolish the building and relocate all of its residents to permanent housing as units became available within the authority’s other properties.

However, the cost to house 84 residents in local hotels and provide food vouchers and bus passes was more than $200,000 per month to the agency.

Bradley said he “created a culture of cooperation and teamwork amongst agency staff, which made it possible for two agency departments (Section 8 and Public Housing) to address the Creekside problem in a new way."

Bradley said the number of Creekside residents staying in hotels quickly dwindled from 84 to 27 by September of 2023. He added by November 2023 there were just five Creekside residents residing in hotels.

By January of 2025, no residents remained in hotels.

Bradley said he hired an engineering firm to assess the Creekside facility, and it determined that the building was salvageable.

Engineers from 1919 Architects developed a plan to renovate the facility and put out bids for a construction company to make the needed repairs, he added.

A construction company was selected in October and received the Notice to Proceed with Work on the Creekside Village apartments earlier this year.

The renovation work began in February, and repairs are expected to be completed by August.

All of the former residents of Creekside Village Apartments will have the opportunity to return to Creekside as residents.

FLORENCE S.C. (WPDE) — The Columbia VA Health Care System has opened its new Florence Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), this week at 1380 Celebration Blvd. in Florence, according to a news release.

The new clinic spans more than 22,000 square feet—over three times the size of the current facility.

Officials said the expanded space allows for increased access to a wide range of services, including primary care, mental health, social work, laboratory services, and more.

“This new facility reflects our commitment to expanding access to quality care for Veterans in the Pee Dee region,” said Acting Medical Center Director David "Brett" Vess. “We are proud to offer a modern space that will allow us to better serve our Veterans closer to where they live with the respect, compassion, and excellence they have earned through their service.”

The new clinic was designed to enhance the Veteran experience by offering more room, additional services, and improved efficiency in care delivery.

Veterans currently receiving care at the existing Florence clinic will be transitioned to the new location. The facility is expected to serve thousands of Veterans each year from across the surrounding counties.

For more information about what’s going on at the Veterans medical center, clinic locations, and other services available to Veterans in and around Columbia, visit the website.