On Wednesday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the State of South Carolina Small Business Tax Cut of 2026 (H. 5006), legislation that would exempt the first $10,000 of a small business’s personal property (BPP) from county taxation, streamline compliance requirements, and eliminate the tax entirely for businesses with less than $10,000 in taxable personal property. The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Members of the 126th South Carolina General Assembly will return to Columbia this week to begin the final year of the two-year legislative session.
Several notable pro-business bills introduced during the previous session remain eligible for consideration this year:
Income Tax Reform (H.4216)
Manufacturing Property Tax Exemption Cap Increase (S.439)
Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act (H.3021)
Additional Tort Reform (S.244 / H.3497)
RetrainSC Credit Modernization (S.359)
Childcare Tax Credit Modernization (S.47)
Maximum Unemployment Benefits (H.3477)
HopeHealth CEO Carl Humphries will host a town hall meeting for patients and community members, designed to build awareness and deepen understanding of HopeHealth’s mission, services, and unique role as a community health center. For more information, email tstraus@hope-health.org.
To register, click here.
Attention upcoming high school graduates!
The Florence Police Department is thrilled to announce that they are now accepting applications for the Sergeant Terrence Carraway Memorial Scholarship!
This prestigious one-time scholarship is valued at $1,000.00 and will be awarded to five deserving students from Darlington and Florence High Schools.
Deadline to Apply is April 17, 2026!
For more information, click here.
The Francis Marion University African American Faculty and Staff Coalition Scholarship Fund is hosting its 25th Annual Scholarship Gala on March 12, 2026. The theme of the event is Bridging Generations: 25 Years of Lifting as We Climb
The Gala at 6pm at the FMU Performing Arts Center is located at 201 S. Dargan Street in Florence, SC.
For more information, click here.
The Greater Florence Chamber’s 2026 Leadership Florence Class spent Tuesday, February 10th, in Columbia for Florence County Legislative Day.
The group toured the State House and heard from the Florence Legislative delegation and Speaker of the House, Murrell Smith Jr. The cohorts were recognized on the House floor by the Florence delegation.
The class visited with SLED to learn about the agency and their impact on law enforcement statewide.
The class ended Legislative Day attending the Florence County Day reception at the Columbia Museum of Art.
To see more photos from the day, click here.
The Florence Area Humane Society, in collaboration with Mint Julep Events LLC, presents the Mad Hatter Tea Party. Don’t miss the enchanting experience of our third annual Mad Hatter Tea Party at St. Luke Lutheran Church! Step into a world of whimsy, where the Mad Hatter himself invites guests of all ages to delight in a splendid array of delectable treats, complemented by a spectacular selection of teas. Join us for this extraordinary fundraiser, where you can show off your creativity and compete for fabulous prizes in categories like Best Hat and Best Costume, among others. Don’t forget to enter our raffle for a chance to win even more exciting prizes! Capture a whimsical photo with the Mad Hatter and meet some adorable furry friends who will also be in attendance. Tea will commence promptly at 3:00 PM, so be sure to arrive on time! With limited spaces available, and last year’s event selling out quickly, we encourage you to secure your spot today.
The sweetest night EVER is returning to Downtown Florence at our 2026 Downtown Chocolate Crawl. Enjoy making your way through Downtown’s shops and restaurants to sample unique chocolate treats, with a few surprises along the way.
Ticket price includes chocolate tasting in 10+ locations, a chance to win one of our golden ticket prizes, and a box to collect all of your chocolate treats along the way.
Adult tasters will also have the opportunity to upgrade their experience along the tour route to sample creative chocolate cocktails, wines, or brews in our participating downtown restaurants. Upgrades will vary from $4-6 in specific locations as noted on your tasting map.
The chocolate tasting is suitable for ages 10+ and we cannot guarantee that locations will have allergen-free items to sample.
For more information, click here.
Last year, H.3430 went into law, changing the requirements for all alcohol service in South Carolina. This law officially went into effect on January 1, 2026, and introduces mandatory alcohol server training for the hospitality industry.
Under H.3430, all establishments that serve alcohol for on-premise consumption—including restaurants, bars, breweries and hotels—must ensure their staff is certified through an SCDOR-approved training program. This mandate applies to:
To be properly prepared, find out how by clicking here for more information.
On Tuesday, February 10th, the Fellows in Education class held their monthly meeting at the new Poynor Healthcare Innovation facility.
The Poynor building visit included a great lunch while Fellow participants heard about Poynor Healthcare Innovation and their efforts to support the development of a capable and skilled healthcare workforce for the Pee Dee. The vision is to provide educational opportunities for students who wish to pursue a healthcare careers, instilling foundational skills, allowing students to begin working in their chosen field while in high school, and to gain employment after graduation.
Fellows in Education is a joint program between Florence 1 Schools, The School Foundation and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and is designed to give local community leaders a unique, behind-the-scenes look into schools across Florence 1 over the course of eight months.
To see more photos from the day, click here.
