With 28 votes in the House of Representatives and 12 votes in the Senate, the organizers of the caucus are hopeful that strength in numbers will strengthen the coast's stand on infrastructure and public safety issues, said Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island.
In 1990, South Carolina's six coastal counties made up 16 percent of state's population, according to the U.S. Census. Estimates in 2004 put that number at 19 percent.
The legislators from coastal counties, including Richardson and Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, spent more than an hour Tuesday gauging interest in property tax relief, natural resource conservation, infrastructure needs, state funding shortfalls and public safety.
Richardson and Rep. Ben Hagood Jr., R-Charleston, were asked to lead the caucus. The two are expected to sift through issues and bring forward an agenda that can receive a consensus from the caucus.
"To be effective, we're going to have to stick together even if you don't get a piece of the pie," Richardson said.
Property taxes were considered a top priority, but workshops and public hearings already under way ensure quick action on the issue statewide in 2006.
Legislators said other issues will require educating the rest of the state on problems unique to coastal counties, including inadequate highways and skewed state formulas for roadways and school districts.
School funding based on the value of real property in the county is seen by local officials as skewed to the detriment of coastal counties, with spiking property values.
Shifts in the formula worsened Beaufort's lot last year, leaving the county with $6.8 million less in state funding for education until the legislature stepped in with a one-time allocation. Charleston was expected to lose $7.4 million under the formula.
"Lexington and Greenville walked away with bags of cash, and we were told we're rich counties," said Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston.
Other state formulas, including regional funding for transportation needs and tax credits, also leave coastal counties behind, legislators said. Providing ways for growth to pay for itself also will be an issue for coastal legislators, said Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston.
"The people here now suffering under a property tax burden are having to go deeper in their pockets," he said.
Control of the S.C. State Ports Authority will be an important issue as legislators grow frustrated over the lack of oversight of the agency.
"Other than having a platform to speak on, we have no oversight authority," said H.B. "Chip" Limehouse, R-Charleston.
Recent devastation from hurricanes Katrina and Rita also have spurred the legislators to support storm-related issues, including evacuation needs and controlling insurance costs.
As Upstate officials continue to successfully campaign for highway and road improvements, the coast is left with highways falling further behind as more tourists and people relocating fill the roads.
Completing U.S. 526 in Charleston and improvements on U.S. 278 that include a proposed alternate route in greater Bluffton are considered to be priorities to easily accommodate evacuations during hurricanes.
"A hurricane is not going to make landfall in Greenville," said Rep. John Graham Altman, R-Charleston. "We need to get people off the coast."
The legislators also talked about insurance for homes on the coast in the wake of the storms.
"Just because we didn't have a hurricane doesn't mean your rates won't go up," Richardson said.