A lawsuit filed in Charleston County accuses the S.C. State Ports Authority of disregarding state laws on open meetings and public records in its handling of a nearly $1 million severance package for the maritime agency’s former director.
Frank Heindel, a retired Mount Pleasant businessman and long-time public records activist, filed the suit this week. He claims the authority violated both the state’s Freedom of Information Act and separate law governing the Ports Authority when its board of directors failed to take a public vote to approve the August 2025 severance for Barbara Melvin, the maritime agency’s former president and CEO.
State law requires the authority to publicly vote on compensation — including severance — for the agency’s executive director and division directors…