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Business & Economy
Category archives for: Business & Economy

Speculative Bust: How Widening Old Kings Road Left Palm Coast on Hook for $6.7 Million

| May 16, 2013

Palm Coast borrowed millions from its own utility fund to complete the Old Kings Road widening on the assumption that the economy would pick up and enable the city to re-finance with bonds. That never happened. Now the city is looking to recoup its money from property owners along the road, who’d agreed to a special taxing district but with optimistic assumptions of their own that never panned out.

Sheriff Opens Palm Coast Precinct at City Market Place, Halving Cost, Not Space Needs

| May 10, 2013

On Friday, the Sherif’s Office office opened its newest Palm Coast precinct, at City Market Place, a two-storefront 2,600-square foot space at $2,.000 a month that’ll add new life to the struggling shopping center in the heart of town, and a few doors down from the Palm Coast city offices.

Florida Hospital CEO David Ottati, Major Force in Local Economy, Leaving for Tavares

| May 8, 2013

David Ottati, the CEO at Florida Hospital Flagler for the past seven years, where he oversaw a vast expansion that increased hospital employment past 1,000 and helped cushion the local economy’s severe downturn of the past few years, will be leaving the hospital to take a new post as CEO of the 269-bed Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares, in Central Florida, in early June.

Forget Rio: Palm Coast Lands Soccer Academy in Planned Expansion of Economic “Niche”

| April 30, 2013

The New Jersey-based Player Development Academy will build up to six fields on 65 acres west of U.S. 1 that will link with the Indian Trail Sp[orts Complex–and with Palm Coast’s sports-niche market, which has turned into an engine of economic development.

Milestone: Flagler’s Unemployment in Single-Digits, at 9.5%, for 1st Time in 5 Years

| April 19, 2013

For the first time since June 2008–almost five years–Flagler County’s unemployment has fallen back to single digits, registering 9.5 percent in March as the local economy continued to mirror the state’s and the nation’s, improving slowly but steadily.

Flagler Spirits: Nothing Micro About This Palm Coast Distillery’s Whiskey Rebellion

| April 18, 2013

Jimmy Day’s Flagler Spirits micro-distillery in Palm Coast is part of the nation’s boom in a niche industry that develops specialty regional products, like Day’s whiskeys, vodkas and rums. He’s producing and marketing 1,000 gallons a month from his Hargrove Grade plant.

As Florida Bans Internet Cafés, Palm Coast’s Lingering Joints Place Last Bets on Eulogies

| April 5, 2013

A FlaglerLive reporter, $50 in hand, made a tour of Palm Coast’s Internet cafes, only to find most of them closed already, and a mournful atmosphere at two that were open, not long before a bill banning the small gambling halls was sent to Gov. Rick Scott Thursday.

House Votes 108-7 to Ban Internet Cafes; Impact in Palm Coast Will be Limited

| March 22, 2013

Palm Coast at one point had nearly a dozen such businesses. Last week it had seven. This week, according to Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, the number was down to three, as several of them closed pre-emptively.

Sen. Thrasher Calls for Outright Shut-Down Of Internet Cafes in Wake of Scandal

| March 13, 2013

Sen. John Thrasher, an influential senator who represents Flagler County, and who has sought to place a moratorium on new Internet cafes, said Wednesday that criminal allegations of racketeering and other wrongdoing in the industry should spur lawmakers to close the storefront businesses.

Booze Up: Palm Coast Government Is Your New Special-Events Bartender

| March 12, 2013

After some reservations two weeks ago, the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday agreed to have the city acquire a liquor license and itself sell booze at the city’s special events, generating more cash the city says it will reinvest at those events.

Sea Ray Boats in Palm Coast Benefits from Plant Closures Elsewhere, With Cautions

| March 7, 2013

Consolidation will likely add to the payroll in Flagler County, and do so with well-paying manufacturing jobs. It also puts to rest, at least for now, worries that Sea Ray’s local plant would either close. But the company is facing tough economic headwinds even as it stock soars to seven-year highs.

Tipsy on Daytona Beach’s Example, Palm Coast Considers Getting Its Own Liquor License

| February 26, 2013

The Palm Coast City Council is now considering applying for its own liquor license and, in an even more remarkable move, designating Central Park as a civic center where vendors could sell booze at special events under the city’s umbrella.

Answering Palm Coast, Thrasher Will Pitch Internet Cafe Bill, But Reach May Be Limited

| February 19, 2013

Palm Coast officials want state lawmakers to either ban or more strictly regulate and possibly tax gambling parlor-like internet cafes. Sen. John Thrasher is proposing a moratorium on the parlors, which may not match local demands, as a moratorium was already executed in Palm Coast.

Named Chamber President, DeLorenzo Vows Openness and Redirected Focus on Businesses

| February 15, 2013

The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce and Affiliates appointed Rebecca DeLorenzo its permanent president on Thursday, ending a three-month interim since Doug baxter’s abrupt departure in November.

M. Louis, Palm Coast’s Oldest Salon, Defies Economy With a Spa Expansion

| February 1, 2013

M. Louis’s Beauty Factor Spa, holding an open house Sunday (Feb. 3) at the salon’s new location, is an indication that small businesses in Palm Coast can still find ways to expand and broaden their reach despite the slow economy.

Palm Coast Cited Among Florida Cities Most Vulnerable to Climate Change in Latest Review

| January 22, 2013

The federal National Climate Assessment just released names Palm Coast among four Florida cities vulnerable to sea level rises and other vulnerabilities to climate change. Flagler County has no comprehensive initiative locally to frame long-term climate-change policy collectively.

Palm Coast Approves Surtax Tool as It Looks To Recoup Old Kings Road Widening Costs

| December 18, 2012

The Palm Coast City Council, still looking to repay the $6.2 million it cost to widen Old Kings Road, laid out plans to create a special taxing district next year that would levy a property surtax on property owners long the southern portion of Old Kings.

Carrabba’s Opens In Palm Coast, Edging the City’s Economic Center of Gravity a Little North

| December 10, 2012

Palm Coast’s Carrabba’s, the Italian restaurant, will add some local 82 jobs and further solidify economic growth along Cypress Edge Drive, while Town Center continues to wait for its equivalent day in the sun.

Gus Ajram, Embattled Bulldog Drive Business Owner, Collapses in Outburst Before Council

| November 20, 2012

Ajram and City Manager Jim Landon have battled over Ajram’s property on Bulldog Drive for several years, in what became a personal showdown. Rather than acquire the property, the city is now diverting Bulldog Drive, at a cost significantly greater than the difference it was unwilling to pay Ajram in negotiations.

Awarding Just $20,000 in Arts Grants Again, Palm Coast Agrees to Rethink Its Stinginess

| November 14, 2012

Palm Coast is willing to subsidize its money-losing tennis center to the tune of $240,000 in the last two years, but is awarding just $20,000 to support just nine arts and culture organizations. Some council members (calling the small amount “a joke”) want to change that.

Flagler’s Unemployment Rate Falls to 11.9%, Its Lowest Level Since December 2008

| October 19, 2012

Flagler County may have a little something to cheer about: its unemployment rate in September fell to 11.9 percent, from 12.3 percent the month before. That’s the lowest unemployment rate in the county since December 2008, when it was 11.8 percent.

Another Major Blow to Palm Coast Data as Newsweek, a Major Account, Ends Print

| October 18, 2012

Newsweek, with 1.5 million subscribers, is one of Palm Coast Data’s largest accounts. The company landed it less than two years ago, helping it stanch the loss of other titles. Newsweek will end its print publication in December, a move that will again hurt Palm Coast Data’s bottom line.

In Palm Coast, the End of a 90% Building Permit Discount Will Affect Thousands

| October 11, 2012

The 90 percent discount on all permits–from replacing AC units to replacing roofs or water heaters to installing pools and fences–began in 2009, because the city was collecting too much money. The discount ends Oct. 31, resulting in much steeper fees for more than 5,000 such permits a year.

As Flagler Governments Consider Impact Fee Cut, Evidence of Economic Benefit Is Slim

| September 30, 2012

Builders and developers want the Flagler school board and Flagler County to cut impact fees–the one-time tax on construction–saying it’ll help the economy grow. But plenty of evidence says it won’t, while Flagler residents still reel from low values and empty houses that more new houses won’t help.

Palm Coast Toughs: Fake Pot Banned, Garage Sales Watched, Woodlands Development a Go

| September 18, 2012

In a series of decisions Tuesday, two of them defying strong public sentiment, the Palm Coast City Council voted to prohibit the sale of legal products known as synthetic marijuana, require permits for garage sales, and open the way for a vast assisted-living development at the edge of the Woodlands.

Palm Coast Data’s Latest Revenue Down 18.6% Over the Year But Ticks Up in 2012

| September 17, 2012

Palm Coast Data revenue fell to $13.6 million in the quarter ending July 31, compared to $16.5 million a year ago, and $32 million in 2008. Parent-company Amrep Corp. posted its 12th loss of the last 16 quarters.

Skirting Landon’s Flogging of Cline Construction, Palm Coast Awards New Contract

| August 21, 2012

The Palm Coast City Council awarded S.E. Cline Construction a $208,000 contract to build a water-control structure a week after City Manager Jim Landon argued to the council, harshly and publicly, that Cline was falling down on the job.

Planning Board Unanimously Backs Big Senior Complex Near Woodlands, Upsetting Many

| August 16, 2012

The recommendation now goes before the Palm Coast City Council, which is expected to approve land use changes to enable the 216-unit assisted and independent living facility despite the conversion of conservation land and traffic issues that concern Woodlands residents.

Woodlands Residents Fear Radical Changes as Grand Haven Proposes New Developments

| August 14, 2012

The Grand Haven developer is looking to plant a 200-bed assisted living facility at the southeast edge of the Woodlands, near their midst, potentially—and radically—changing the complexion of the old neighborhood. The proposal goes before the Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening, at 5:30.

Palm Coast Data Revenue Down Another 20% in Latest Quarter as Parent Company Posts Loss

| August 10, 2012

Palm Coast Data’s entire revenue for 2012 was less than half its revenue for just two quarters barely four years ago, when it signed a job-incentive deal with Palm Coast government and the state of Florida. The promised jobs have not materialized.

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