Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said today he is “staying put.” After over a month’s thought, he has decided to forego a run for Rep. Paul Renner’s House seat.
“I’m going to honor my commitment to the folks that voted for me and to the residents of the city Palm Coast to continue to serve as mayor for as long as the residents of Palm Coast consider I’m up to the job,” Alfin said this morning.
Alfin was elected in a special election in July 2021 to complete the four-year term that Mayor Milissa Holland had resigned. That term ends in 2024. Since Alfin was elected in a special election, the three years he will have served do not count against Palm Coast’s term limits. So he can run for two more four-year terms. He has already drawn a challenger for the 2024 run: Mike Norris, a retired Army captain, professor and human resources manager.
Late last year Alfin seriously considered running for the Renner seat, calling it–in characteristic trial-balloon style–a definite maybe. He did not want the county to lose a direct voice in Tallahassee, as Renner’s has been. Alfin also is focusing his and the city’s energies on Palm Coast’s westward expansion past U.S. 1, on land–annexed a decade and a half ago–that could potentially double the size of the city at build-out. The city, he says repeatedly, will have only one shot to get it right, and he wants support from the state capital. (See: “Is Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Running for Paul Renner’s Seat? Maybe.”)
If it is to be a Flagler voice, it won’t be his. “There’s no question in my mind that we stand on the doorstep of opportunities for the city of Palm Coast that are unprecedented in the history of the city,” Alfin said. “I would very much like to be a part of the decision making for all the collaborative efforts that we can work on together.” He added: “I have always believed that the city of Palm Coast and Flagler County need to have a voice locally, as well as a voice in Tallahassee in order to explain all of the great opportunities that we have. It’s my decision to do my best to remain a voice for Palm Coast and Flagler County.”
Alfin today also categorically dismissed as “fake news” a rumor he’d been hearing: that he was in discussions with county commissioners and County Administrator Heidi Petito to hire Petito as city manager, in part to oversee that western expansion. The rumor limbed in other directions, too, seeing Jorge Salinas, the deputy county administrator, getting lifted to administrator (or former Administrator Jerry cameron making another play for it) and Denise Bevan, the current city manager, taking a role as chief planner.
“Somebody else asked me that rumor the other day. I’ve never heard anything about that,” Alfin said. “I would have to guess that somebody is creating fake news on that rumor.” To the contrary, Alfin said: “The relationship and the collaborative effort between the city manager Denise Bevan and the county administrator, Heidi Petito, has never been better and stronger than at any time in the history of the city of Palm Coast. And I would value that relationship to continue as far into the future as I could say.”
Petito and Salinas themselves today dismissed the rumor as well. Neither had heard of the rumor. Petito at first thought it was a joke. There is no basis to it, “none,” Petito said. “We work so well with the city,” she said. County commissioners Dave Sullivan–who spends long stretches of time with Alfin, driving up and down to regional planning council meetings in Jacksonville, a panel on which they both serve–and Andy Dance said they’d heard nothing to that effect.
Alfin’s term ends concurrently with the end of Renner’s House term, so had he decided to run, the resign-to-run law would not have applied. It applies only when one term overlaps with another. Either way, the matter is now moot, opening the way for a season of speculation about Renner’s successor. The District 19 seat covers all of Flagler County and a sliver of St. Johns–but a considerable enough sliver to account for 40 percent of the district’s electorate.
Three council seats are up in 2024: that of the mayor, Nick Klufas’s District 3 seat–Klufas is term-limited, and has previously indicated he would run for the County Commission–and Ed Danko’s District 1 seat.
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David Schaefer says
It’a a damn shame that we can’t vote him out NOW he is useless….
DMFinFlorida says
Good call. Won’t get my vote anyway!
Duane says
The reason these rumors sound like a joke is because of the way the county and city are operated.
Sam says
Wish he would have tried to run for Renner’s job but as we all know he would have lost, so it looks as though unfortunately PC is stuck with him until the next election.
Jimbo99 says
How noble ? Guess in the end that he didn’t like his chances for Paul Renner’s House seat ?
“Alfin was elected in a special election in July 2021 to complete the four-year term that Mayor Milissa Holland had resigned. That term ends in 2024. Since Alfin was elected in a special election, the three years he will have served do not count against Palm Coast’s term limits. So he can run for two more four-year terms. He has already drawn a challenger for the 2024 run: Mike Norris, a retired Army captain, professor and human resources manager.”
“So it is with learning whether Alfin is running for Paul Renner’s seat at the Florida State House in 2024.
It’s a definite maybe, with a more definite answer by the last day of January. What will decide it is whether there are other viable candidates in the running.”
https://flaglerlive.com/184563/alfin-renner/
bob says
mr photogenic will not get a vote from me
jeffery c. seib says
Palm Coast has not benefited by the term of Mayor Alfin so he should not be reelected in 2024. His policies have been like smoke and mirrors, a lot of city tax revenue is spent on issues that many residents are against. He seems, except for speaking engagements, only interested in some kind of legacy as the mayor who built Palm Coast into a Minnie Metropolis. When the election draws near residents will be inundated with his campaign literature and ads, which will highlight the routine issues facing any city that any elected official would support. His advertising won’t point out all his deficiencies, and this is what the voters should consider. I hope there are other candidates that are truly different so it’s not like the Who said in a song “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.
palmcoaster says
His skewed vision “expansion out west of Rte 1” when here east of 95 eroding streets, speeders, traffic fumes, clogged insufficient amount of roads and lack of sufficient traffic enforcement services is the plague we are enduring . What about instead of expansion out west don’t we move with widening Old Kings Road North to Matanzas Pkwy and reopen so needed wasted Forest Grove back to the 5,400 vehicles transit as was when closed in 2015? We do not need road closures but more and wider roads! Palm Coast will end up like the Roman Empire too fast wide expansion and defeated from inside…broke as is just others peoples monies! Skewed vision are very costly to Palm Coast Tax payers just look at the splash pad in Holland Park among other costly goof ups.! We beg them, plead with them, warn them of failures to be approved in lengthy pat themselves on their backs meetings, but their arrogance blinds them! Is not about us the residents that sat them to serve us!
jeffery c. seib says
Your absolutely right. But here’s the problem as I see it. There are a lot of Palm coasters who pay little or no attention to the city’s politics. When election time comes, they either are swayed by the candidates’ ads or, not knowing that, simply vote for the incumbent.
Jimbo99 says
Not sure what widening Old King’s Road (South) does, whether it’s from FL 100 to Palm Coast Parkway & Old King’s Road (North) from Palm Coast Parkway to Matanzas Woods Parkway ? I guess it would alleviate North South traffic from on Old King’s Road, only to bottleneck at those 2 Parkways (Palm Coast & Matanzas Woods) ?
Ultimately that traffic is going to end up on the same FL 100 & Parkways going North & South thru Palm Coast. That’s where maybe Whiteview Parkway would finally need to become a Parkway that connects East & West sides of Palm Coast by going over or under I-95. That would end up having to coordinate with State & Federal DOTs for an overpass on I-95 for Whiteview Parkway to go under like Royal Palms Parkway. The other alternative is to leave I-95 alone and build a flyover as Whiteview Parkway extended like both Palm Coast & Matanzas Woods Parkways. What would be the plan for any commercial there for Whiteview Parkway to become the 4th Parkway East & West ? With that the traffic then ends up on the usual Belle Terre & US-1 on the west side of I-95 & Old King’s Road on the east side of I-95.
What does that buy Palm Coast when a lot of the approved commercial development on Old King’s Road to this point are storage businesses ? Any residential would be the apartments that are approved for FL-100 to about 1/2 way to Palm Coast Parkway. It’s still going to be a traffic nightmare unless Belle Terre, US-1 & Old King’s Road are widened from end to end. And would it make more sense to approach it like Jacksonville for St John’s Bluff Road or San Pablo Parkway ? Flagler being the narrower of counties, there just isn’t enough East to West to be developing for growth on marshy land, it’s almost as bad as St John’s or even Nassau Counties that are above & below Duval/Jacksonville.
The aerial and the growth of Palm Coast, it’s obvious would have to happen West of US-1. But I think FPL is after that & wants it for solar farms ? The problem there is I-95 only comes in at the Northwest end of Flagler county, The south end is too far east that FL-100 & US-1 are the only major roads to patch into for anything Belle Terre-like.
Sueann says
Why all the negativity re: David Alfin? He cares about Palm Coast. Sadly, Renner has to go, sooner the better. He is dangerous and cowtowing to the gun-toting rednecks.
Deborah Coffey says
Do you need a list re: Mayor Alfin?
Deborah Coffey says
Six of one, half a dozen of the other…both awful.
Susan says
There has to be several qualified candidates to run against this character that gave himself a raise as soon as he took office against the voters.
He is not for the good of the City of PC he is only in it for himself.
That’s never going to happen says
Prediction is he will not be re-elected. Self serving and caters to Rayonier $$$$. There are some good people in this community who would serve us well as an elected official and bring all of the shenanigans into the sunlight. Please consider running. Alfin voted himself a raise and raised taxes, yet the quality of Palm Coast is going down.
The ORIGINAL land of no turn signals says
Palm Coast loses again.
freedomliberty says
The best bet to get Renner out is to vote for Adam Morley in the next election. Wonderful guy, very interested in the quality of Floridian life as well as taking care of our unique environment. He’s a true servant of the people.
FlaglerLive says
Paul Renner is term-limited, so won’t be running in the next election.
James says
Well, I guess he realized there wasn’t much he could accomplish as a state senator. After all, they already have a pretty good compensation package including their healthcare benefits… which I’ve heard are among the best in the state.
Gee says
Seeing what is going on in Palm Coast, David Alfin will NOT get my vote. He didn’t the first time since I knew what he was going to do with his real estate background. He is single handed trying to ruin the peace of Palm Coast. Too many people are unhappy then make sure your vote counts.