The S.C. House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday overrode Gov. Mark Sanford’s veto of a bill to allow the establishment of a Francis Marion Tourism Trail Commission.

Sanford’s veto of the bill to create the commission that can receive public and private funds provoked a disapproving response from Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, last week.

The House and Senate previously overrode Sanford’s veto of $110,000 in funding for the trail.

"I am absolutely delighted that my colleagues were willing to override the veto," Leatherman said Tuesday. He said the importance of the trail to the Pee Dee is a good reason for the override.

Ben Zeigler, the Florence attorney who came up with the plan for the trail, said the override of the veto is appropriate and opens the door for opportunity.

The Francis Marion Trail "presents a number of substantial facets," Zeigler said, citing historical and archaeological research, tourism, highways and education as benefits the trail would bring.

In his veto, Sanford said he opposed the establishment of the trail commission because it creates an unnecessary state entity that fragments the responsibility for trail planning that the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism fulfills.

But Zeigler said a state entity is not a body that should oversee the trail.

"This trail could have such a profound impact on a number of communities through which it would pass. And you’ve got a number of local governments that are going to have to be coordinated in this whole process. You just couldn’t do that under the auspices of PRT," he said.

Ziegler also said the governor, as a conservative, should appreciate the fact that a local commission would be involved with the trail.

Francis Marion University President Dr. Fred Carter said overriding Sanford’s veto is a logical move.

"It makes a lot of sense to override it," he said, because the veto of the funding for the commission had been overridden already.

Carter said he is pleased to see the process going forward.

"This is an important project for this region," he said, citing the historical and cultural enrichment the trail would add.

The plan is for the trail to begin at Fort Moultrie in Sullivans Island and follow U.S. 21 north through the Francis Marion National Forest, across the Black and Santee rivers, and past the site of the Battle of Black Mingo into the lower part of Williamsburg County.

From there, the trail would continue through Lake City, Browntown and Johnsonville. It would eventually end at the colonial plantations of Hopsewee and Hampton.

Zeigler said there’s a great opportunity for motorists to leave Interstate 95 to drive along the trail and to draw tourists up from Charleston for a day or overnight trip.

Officials in municipalities along the trail have supported the trail as an opportunity to bring revenue into the area for motels, restaurants and related businesses.

While the Pee Dee fared well against Sanford’s Francis Marion Trail veto, a bill that would have let Florence County recoup $230,000 in accommodations tax revenues was out off until January by the House. The Senate overrode that veto.

The money Florence County is looking to get back is accommodations tax funds appropriated by Florence County Council in 2003 to fund the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.

The county reasoned that the sheriff’s office, which serves tourist-heavy Interstate 95, is entitled to accommodations-tax revenue.

But the Tourism Expenditures Review Commission said it was an inappropriate use of the money, and an Administrative Law court affirmed that decision.

Now the county would like to get the money back to use for clearly approved tourism-related expenditures.

Rep. Jim McGee, R-Florence, said he felt the veto would have been sustained if the vote on it would not have been put off until the beginning of the next session.

"Putting it off gives me a chance to get the answers to some unanticipated questions," he said.

Leatherman said he is pleased the Senate overrode Sanford’s veto on the $230,000, even though it took a lot of explanation on the Senate floor. He said he hopes that the House will eventually override the veto, too.

- Staff Writer Dwight Dana contributed to this report.

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