After 28 years of serving as the heart behind the scenes for Georgetown County Council, Theresa Floyd is turning the page on a remarkable chapter in her life.

Floyd was hired as the Clerk to Council in 1997, at a time when most county offices didn’t have computers and agenda packets were hand-delivered to council members across the seven council districts in thick, bound booklets. She recalls taking a typing test for the position on an actual typewriter, scribbling notes for meeting minutes by hand and navigating last-minute agenda changes without the help of modern software. When Gordon Hartwig retired and Tommy Edwards was named County Administrator, the council booklets started to look more like novels, each consisting of almost a full ream of paper for each meeting.

“It was a massive undertaking just to get the agenda prepared and pushed out,” Floyd said. “It’s amazing to look back and think about how much has changed. When we finally moved to automated agendas in 2004, it felt like a miracle.”

It was a new technology at the time, she recalled, and Georgetown County was among the first counties in South Carolina move in that direction. 

“There were a couple of big counties doing it, but certainly no counties our size,” she recalled.

Floyd’s last official council meeting will be June 24. Her career has spanned four different County Administrators, two interim-administrators, a varied and changing host of personalities and platforms on council, and nearly three decades of legislation—all of which crossed her desk. From zoning controversies that drew standing-room-only crowds to the quiet, everyday operations that keep county government running, Floyd was there for all of it—always calm, always steady, and always kind.

“I've seen council chambers overflow with passionate residents, but I've also seen how small changes—one or two people—can shift the dynamic of how government works,” she said. “And, I’ve always admired how our council has been able to come together and get things done.”

Among some of the most memorable issues to go before Council in Floyd’s time as clerk, she names the “Don’t Box the Neck” movement that successfully kept a Walmart from locating in the Pawleys Island area and a campaign to stop offshore drilling in the Atlantic. “Don’t Box the Neck” was probably the first time a council meeting had to be moved into a larger venue to accommodate the crowd. At the time, the venue to which the meeting was moved was the grand courtroom which now permanently serves as Council Chambers. The old chambers was converted into office space during a renovation of the historic courthouse around 2010 and is now the Stormwater Department.

Consistently, Floyd said, zoning issues have been the ones that people have been the most passionate about throughout the years.

Floyd has seen huge changes over the years, from early web and software initiatives to livestreamed council meetings – something born out of necessity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. When she first started, the county’s IT “department” consisted of two men, one of whom also handled the mail. Both, Doug Gainey and Tommy Pringle, only recently retired. She has also seen the addition of the Economic Development Department, which was once part of the Planning Department, and a Public Information Office among others.

Floyd’s institutional memory is extensive. 

“Theresa and I worked closely together on a daily basis and she was always my go-to person for historical information, suggestions and advice,” said Sel Hemingway who worked with Floyd first as a member of County Council and then as County Administrator. He joined council the same month Floyd was hired in 1997 then retired from council to serve as administrator from 2008-2020. “She has offered invaluable service to Georgetown County for more than 28 years and I am excited for her as she enters her retirement years with the freedom to spend more time with friends and family.”

Floyd can recall which administrator oversaw which building projects, how certain public buildings came to be repurposed through creative partnerships, and even which issues were important to which council members over the years. Her influence extends beyond council chambers—Floyd served the S.C. Clerks to Council Association for more than a decade in roles including secretary and vice president.

She has played a part in the construction of numerous new county facilities including a new judicial center, regional recreation centers, sports fields, libraries, and more.

Yet of all she’s had a part in, it’s the people, not the policies that have meant the most to her.

“When you're somewhere this long, you end up doing life with your coworkers,” she said. “I’ve watched friends here get married, have kids, raise those kids, and now some of them have grandkids. It’s amazing.”

Floyd herself was practically a newlywed she joined the Georgetown County team. She and her husband, Ricky, had been married for just three years and their oldest daughter, Savannah, was only six months old. Cleaning out her office recently, Floyd found a drawing her younger daughter, Haven, did for her one day when she came to spend the day at work with her as a child. Theresa was reminded how much of her life had been spent in this role. She watched her children grow up, graduate high school and college, and start their own careers while in this job.

It was being a new mother that led her to apply for the Clerk to Council position in the first place. At the time, she was working at a Marine Institute and Ricky was at the Sheriff’s Office. Both jobs had frequent nighttime hours – which was fine before they had a small child to take care of at home. He spotted the job posting and encouraged her to apply. She barely made the deadline and didn’t expect to hear back—but soon found herself being interviewed by the county administrator and members of council. “I didn’t even know who my council representative was,” she admitted with a laugh. “I never dreamed I’d get the job.”

But she did. And she held it with humility and quiet strength for nearly three decades.

Though she officially began handing over the reins in early 2023 to her successor, Alma D. Sierra, Floyd remained closely involved in ensuring a smooth transition—her final gift to the office and the county she served so faithfully.

Asked what she'll miss most, she pauses.

“I’ll miss being part of something bigger, of seeing things happen from start to finish. But most of all, I’ll miss the people.”

As she closes this chapter, she does so with the same grace and humor she’s shown throughout her career—leaving behind a legacy of service, friendship and an indelible mark on Georgetown County.