Folly Beach is a residential community south of Charleston Harbor with 7.1 miles of beach to patrol. A consequence of the completion of the Charleston jetties in 1898 was the reduction of the natural source of sand. This accelerated the erosional retreat of the island which has necessitated repeated renourishments. Folly's beach was renourished in 1993, 2005, partially in 2007, in 2014, 2018, and 2024.

The commercial district at the center of the island around the pier is dominated by a hotel, condominiums, restaurants, and shops. Beyond the commercial district single family houses line the beach eastward towards Lighthouse Inlet and westward towards the Folly Beach County Park. Artificial lighting is a challenge all along the beach.

Folly Beach Turtle Watch was founded in 1993 and consists of 50-60 volunteers. All sea turtle monitoring by FBTW is permitted and authorized by the SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program under Marine Turtle Permit # MTP520. Like most SC projects Folly Beach has seen an increase in nesting. From 2005-2014 Folly Beach averaged 55 nests per year. From 2014-2024 the average has been 86.