| New reporting is exposing Jenny Costa Honeycutt’s close ties to developers: representing them at her law firm, taking their campaign cash, and voting their way on the County Council.
According to the report, Honeycutt “vehemently opposed an effort…for affordable housing,” “opposed two efforts…to protect historic preservation sites from development,” and “voted for a tax incentive project that gives developers up to $4.5 million in tax breaks.” When she didn’t get her way, Honeycutt “expressed rage” over the Council passing an affordable housing project.
Honeycutt has demonstrated nothing but “fealty to developers,” and now they’re cutting her checks. Honeycutt has taken nearly $75,000 from the housing sector for her campaign, including $10,000 from billionaire developers.
DCCC Spokesperson Katie Smith:
“Jenny Costa Honeycutt takes cash from the developers driving up the cost of living and making life unaffordable for the Lowcountry – then votes their way. Honeycutt puts special interests first and South Carolina families last.”
Read more:
American Journal News: Jenny Costa Honeycutt opposed affordable housing, backed developers
- Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt owns a law firm that represents big developers. She also voted to advance developers’ interests as a Charleston County councilor.
- Honeycutt is now running for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st District, and affordable housing is expected to be a significant issue in the race.
- The website for Honeycutt’s law firm, Costa Honeycutt LLC, says it specializes in representing “construction professionals,” including contractors, engineers, project owners, and investors. It says Honeycutt personally “handles lawsuits from discovery through trial.”
- In 2021, Honeycutt vehemently opposed an effort by the Charleston Housing Authority to buy land in the county’s upper peninsula for affordable housing development. She said the property should go to the highest bidder instead.
- Honeycutt expressed rage when the council ultimately voted to designate the area for affordable housing development, calling it a “cooked-up back-room deal involving who knows who.”
- Honeycutt later voted to add a referendum to the 2024 ballot that would have extended a transportation sales tax… The project was backed by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, which had given thousands to Honeycutt’s campaigns.
- The Coastal Conservation League opposed the project, warning that it would threaten natural resources in the Stono River. A Johns Island resident accused Honeycutt and other councilors who backed the referendum of siding with “Chamber of Commerce, and the road construction industry, and developers and realtors” over their constituents.
- That same year, Honeycutt opposed two efforts by the Charleston County council to protect historic preservation sites from development: one putting a 10-year moratorium on large-scale housing developments in preservation sites in unincorporated areas and another imposing a 2-year building moratorium on historic sites tied to African American settlement communities.
- Honeycutt continued to show her fealty to developers this year when she voted for a tax incentive project that gives developers up to $4.5 million in tax breaks.
- Big developers are now contributing to Honeycutt’s congressional campaign. She has taken more than $44,000 from developers and real estate companies. Billionaire developers Benjamin and Kelly Navarro contributed a combined $10,000.
- Honeycutt has taken more than $28,000 from contractors and construction firm employees.
- Honeycutt’s campaign website cites high housing costs as an issue but includes no proposals for lowering costs. Lacore’s website, meanwhile, has an eight-point plan for lowering housing costs that includes cracking down on corporate landlords and creating tax credits for first-time home buyers.
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