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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina senators and legislative staffers are privately expressing concerns about the health of Billy Garrett, a second-term lawmaker from Greenwood, S.C.
Garrett, 70, has not been seen at the S.C. State House for several months – failing to show up for special legislative sessions convened in June and August of this year. He also missed a special subcommittee hearing on tax reform convened earlier this month by senator Sean Bennett.
More recently, lawmakers have said they have been unable to raise Garrett on the phone – relying on his wife, Dee Garrett, to rely messages to him. Increasingly, these sources say Garrett’s family has been less-than-forthcoming about his health challenges.
“(The) family is very tight-lipped,” one source close to Garrett told us.
“No one is saying a word,” another source familiar with the mounting concern told FITSNews.
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Garrett missed a vote on the 2026-2027 state budget during his extended absence, which has come amid extensive legislative wrangling over secretive earmark spending.
Last March, Garrett experienced an undisclosed health scare that prompted him to address his constituents on social media.
“What looked serious at first turned out to be much less concerning,” Garrett noted, saying he was briefly hospitalized “out of an abundance of caution.”
Garrett said his doctors were “keeping an eye on a few routine things, mainly related to kidney and blood pressure issues” in the aftermath of the March 2025 incident.
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South Carolina senator Billy Garrett updated his constituents today following his health scare. Glad to hear he is okay. pic.twitter.com/MOxU6vxgKH
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) March 27, 2025
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Sources close to Garrett insist he is fine and will return to the chamber in January 2027 when lawmakers reconvene.
Garrett represents the citizens of S.C. Senate District 10 (.pdf), a predominantly rural district which incorporates all of Greenwood County and parts of Saluda and Lexington counties (including the entire southern shore of Lake Murray). A quintessential establishment Republican, he was one of the handful of GOP senators who sided with Democrats in support of the state’s powerful trial lawyer lobby during the recent debate over tort reform.
Garrett won a competitive GOP primary in the spring of 2020 over businessman Bryan Hope with 53.52% of the vote – claiming his party’s nomination for a seat that had been held for decades by Democrats. He defeated Democrat Floyd Nicholson that fall with 55.96% of the vote, ousting the third-term incumbent.
In 2024, Garrett was unopposed during the spring primary season and handily defeated Democrat Francie Kleckley in the November election to secure a second term in office. Should he seek a third term, he would face voters again in 2028.
While we have criticized Garrett in the past – and disagree with many of his votes – we wish him a speedy recovery from whatever is ailing him.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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