ISLE OF PALMS — The state agency in charge of protecting South Carolina's coast issued a $289,000 fine against Rom Reddy, the beachfront homeowner at odds with the government over a buried ocean-facing wall he built behind his house.

The state Department of Environmental Service issued the civil penalty in July to Reddy and his wife, Renee, for a wall that comprises 92 linear feet installed behind their home.

The agency alleges the structure was never permitted, and built within the beach's critical area, which violates the state's Coastal Management Act.

The order sent to the Reddys on July 1 mandated the couple to remove the structure and any other non-beach-compatible material from the beach, alongside the $289,000 fine.

Reddy criticized the agency for issuing the fines, callin

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