The owners of the southernmost parcel on Kiawah Island, known by most as Captain Sam’s Spit, have been seeking permission for more than a decade to develop it as luxury homesites.

During that time, Charleston County has been brushed by several hurricanes, flooding has become a dominant regional challenge, and most of us have come to accept the reality that our world is warming and our seas are rising at a dangerous pace, even if we still disagree on why and what we should do about it.

Also, the teardrop-shaped spit has become even more tentatively attached to the larger island, after storms already severed the link three times.