Flagler County government has devised a plan to generate $8.2 million a year in local dollars to rebuild and maintain the 11.6 miles of beach north of Beverly Beach to the border of Marineland. The County Commission intends to vote on that plan, which includes a new tax for portions of the barrier island, on Nov. 4.
The plan combines four sources of money: $2 million from tourist tax revenue, which spares local taxpayers; $3 million from the local half-cent sales surtax; $1.5 million from the county’s general fund; and $1.71 million from all property owners of the barrier island, outside of its cities. The Commission’s five members are unanimously supportive, if still with some questions about the details.
The plan results from months of work by County Administrator Heidi Petito, her deputy, Jorge Salinas, and the county administration. It revives an ill-fated initiative that, presented in vastly different form earlier this year by a consultant, had been badly received across the county. The new initiative mostly leave the cities out of the calculations but for the property taxes those cities contribute to the county, and from which pot some of the money will finance the plan.
“It doesn’t include the city of Flagler Beach, town of Beverly Beach, town of Marineland,” Petito said. “It’s not the people in Plantation Bay that are going to be paying. It’s not the people in Palm Coast that are going to be paying.”
Petito outlined the plan in significant detail to the commission at a workshop Monday afternoon. The plan seems intricate at first but is lucid and straightforward when broken down into its component parts, translating immense complexity into a pragmatic and affordable approach, if still with numerous questions to be answered. For example, that$3 million from sales tax revenue and $1.5 million from existing property tax revenue will be taken away from other commitments, but it’s not clear what those current commitments are. And the barrier island’s property owners who will pay additional taxes ranging from a few hundred dollars a year to close to $1,000 (for the richest properties) have not yet weighed in on the plan.
Nevertheless, Petito’s plan took commissioners aback in a positive sense. “It’s a remarkable, remarkable presentation,” Commissioner Greg Hansen said. “if we don’t do it, we’re going to lose the beach. So this is a critical, critical thing for us.”
“I didn’t think you could do it, but I think the compromise that you’ve come up with is as good a shot at taking care of this as possible,” Commissioner Dave Sullivan told her. “Where we are now is a reasonable decision. It’s not perfect, but it’s a compromise.” Commissioner Donald O’Brien echoed Sullivan.
“Whether I agree with every single one of the points, really isn’t the point. It’s trying to get some consensus,” Commissioner Andy Dance said. He still has questions–about the money being reallocated, for instance, the sustainability of the funding plan, and the inclusion of the cities in the plan, but overall, he is supportive. “We’re we’re really allocating a significant portion of money, and I just want to get a better grasp of that moving forward,” he said. He expects to have those answers before the Nov. 4 vote.
Understanding the County’s Shoreline
The county has divided its 18 miles of beach into four not quite equally divided “reaches,” or segments, with Reach 1 at the south end of the county, Reach 4 at the north end. Reach 1 was just renourished by the federal Army Corps of Engineers project, and is to be maintained by Flagler Beach.
There are 18.8 miles of coast. The unincorporated, northern end is 11.6 miles. That stretch is from the northern border of Beverly Beach to the southern border of Marineland.
According to the county’s latest estimate, the cost of renourishing all four reaches, or all 18 miles, is $105 million. Subtracting the $25 million that went into the recently finished federal project leaves $80 million. The state is picking up $51 million of that, leaving Flagler County responsible for $37.5 million. “That’s just for the initial construction. That does not include the ongoing maintenance requirements,” Petito said. By construction, she means renourishment of the beach–the dredging and dumping of sand and the reformation of dunes.
The county is confident it may defray some of that cost with $15 million in state grants. The county is itself setting aside $5 million from its budget and from the Tourist Development Council’s dollars. That allocation started this year. That leaves $17.5 million. The county’s plan is to accumulate that sum over the next few years.
Those costs are also for just one renourishment. Further renourishments will be necessary as the beach routinely erodes. Petito is estimating that a full renourishment will be necessary every six years. (The timeline for federal projects is 11 years, but federal projects dump much more sand than would the county, supposedly reducing the need for more frequent renourishments. Recent hurricanes suggest otherwise.)
That brings the annual cost of maintenance to $8.2 million, or $10.8 million when including the federal portion the beach, whose maintenance between major renourishments is entirely a local responsibility. But the county and Flagler Beach are experiencing some tensions over whose responsibility it is, between the two governments.
Local Costs
“They’re going to have to start setting money aside for ongoing maintenance,” Petito said of the cities. She’s focused on the $8.2 million needed for the northern 11.6 miles of beach–first for renourishment, then for maintenance. As the county calculates it, the $8.2 million would be raised this way: $2 million from the tourist, tax, $3 million from the county’s half-cent sales tax, $1.5 million from property tax revenue, and $1.7 million from the special taxing district.
The $1.5 million property tax allocation would obviously have to be drawn out from another allocation. It is also the county’s way of telling the cities: since you didn’t want to pay a special assessment, we’ll make you pay it a different way, since all city property owners pay a county tax as well. (See: “In Sharp Retreat, Flagler Rejects Countywide Beach Tax to Focus on Barrier Island Only, and on Informing Public.”)
That leaves $1.7 million to be raised through a special levy on 6,700 parcels privately owned in the unincorporated portion of the barrier island. That would be a taxing district, and non-incorporated barrier island property owners will have to shoulder that burden.
Half the bill of a property owner would be abase rate that everyone would pay. Half would be weighted based on the property’s value. More valuable properties will pay more. So a property with a $407,000 assessed value would pay $247 a year. That’s the average cost on the barrier island. The costs range from $162 a year to $973 a year. Here’s how it would break down:
Collection would start in November 2025.
Petito said the county held some 10 community meetings that drew 415 residents between Aug. 20 and Oct. 8. It conducted a survey among property owners between Sept. 27 and Oct. 13 as the county studied the creation of the taxing district. for the north portion of the barrier island. Just over 800 people participated in the survey.
Ninety percent of respondents consider beach preservation very or somewhat important, and 93 percent consider the need for a management plan urgent.
There was much less unanimity on how to pay for it. While 63 percent said they favored contributing financially, 87 percent wanted tourism tax revenue to shoulder the burden: residents don’t pay the tourism tax. That 5 percent sales surtax is paid by people who rent hotel rooms or short-term vacation properties or who stay in resorts and RV parks. That revenue generates some dollars for beach protection, but it cannot shoulder the burden by itself.
Among those surveyed, 76 percent favored using money from the county’s half-cent sales surtax which, like the tourism tax, could generate some funds, but the county has been using those for a long list of capital needs elsewhere. Only 27 percent of respondents favor an increase in the property tax, and even fewer–20 percent–favor a special taxing district.
On the other hand, the county found that among those surveyed, 75 percent thought it was fair for households to make an annual contribution, with ranges of support depending on whether it’s $100 to $150 a year or more than $500 a year. Only 25 percent did not support such contributions. But as Richard Hamilton, a resident, noted to the County Commission, those responses were based on a “misleading question” that did not ask respondents whether they were willing to spend that money on a special taxing district.
The Response
Only a few members of the public addressed the commission on the new plan. “There are other people who have a whole lot of problems from flooding, which has nothing to do with the beach,” or with beach erosion, Hamilton told the commission.
To which a commissioner had a response: “What happens if there’s no barrier island, and there’s no properties, and there’s no higher valuation out there?” Commissioner Leann Pennington said. “How do we make up for that?” A representative and resident of western Flagler County, far from the beach, she said she doesn’t benefit from beach protection directly, but if the barrier island’s tax base were to collapse, then taxes on the mainland would rise
“My biggest concern right now is the other municipalities,” Kim Carney, the county commissioner-elect and a Flagler Beach resident, said. “There’s no consideration for the other two municipalities who are intimately involved in this decision. Haven’t even met with you yet. You’ve had no meetings with Flagler Beach. There’s been no communication with Flagler Beach. I’ve read the inter-local agreement with Flagler Beach. I don’t agree with the inter-local agreement, and I don’t think you’re interpreting it the same way we do.” She didn’t see how the county planned to meet with the city before voting on the plan, but urged some administrative contact between the two governments.
Dance asked for that contact with the cities before Nov. 4 as well.
Tony says
What beach? They just pissed away millions and all the work is gone !!! The engineers must all be graduates of trump university.
Mike says
Why bring President Trump i to this? You brought out “pissing away money”? The United States has paid $113.4 billion in funding to support Ukraine during the Biden/Harris tenure. Also, the money used for the recent beach replenishment, also happened during their failed Presidency.
Karen says
It’s FORMER PRESIDENT DonOLD TRump!
DaleL says
I agree that former president (Mr.) Trump does not need to be brought into this. Military and humanitarian aid, to assist Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression, has nothing to do with beach replenishment. The Biden administration has done a fair job (not great, but not bad) in bringing the our great country back to normalcy from the economic effects of the poorly handled COVID crisis.
As a barrier island homeowner, I do not object to paying a few hundred dollars extra a year to help protect and restore the dunes. I understand that building on a geologically temporary barrier island should cost more than inland. During hurricane Matthew in 2016, the dunes were breached and our streets were flooded with salt water. It was not a pleasant experience.
Citizen who has actually walked on the beach says
The work is NOT all gone. You must be blind. The beach renourishment worked. Our sand is now white/gray not the original cinnamon sand.
T says
The people still paying for it how again is it not people live over there they can pay
Just thinking ahead 🫠 says
The definition of insanity? Keep doing the same thing over and over hopefully for different results.
Might as well throw the money into the ocean until it’s decided to do it right
Fernando Melendez says
That’s a good one lol
B says
Why do the residents north of Varn Park have to pay an extra tax and south of Varn Park do not, or the other residents of Palm Coast. If you don’t want to pay stay off the beach.
JW says
Is this how democracy works in the US?
Just curious where the decision makers live.
palmcoaster says
In gated communities some of them top of the line like Palm Coast Plantation, pretty trendy and pricey.
Crusty Old Salt says
Not to be adversarial, but most of the people that use the beach in Flagler Beach do not live in Flagler Beach. They are from Palm Coast, other parts of Flagler County and tourists. I think Commissioner Cooley revealed statistics in an earlier article that proved that fact. Yet, somewhere that fact was lost or conveniently overlooked in the presentation to the Flagler County Commission.
There is no way the small population of Flagler Beach can undertake that cost burden. Perhaps it is time to have paid parking in Flagler Beach for non residents of Flagler Beach to help shoulder some of this cost.
Hmmm says
The thing is, the beach will always be there “to use”, whether A1A is there, your house is there, or not. Its a fight against mother nature. Build a wall. That’ll buy time until the next storm comes and destroys all the homes in flagler beach. Its pretty much a sandbar at this point.
CPFL says
Statistics based on cell phone pings, not exactly close to being anywhere near 100% correct when considering who mostly works at place in Flagler. If you want to charge for parking, feel free, people will go elsewhere. St. Augustine is not far away and plenty of parking and a lot more in the way of dining and entertainment. Lose the incoming tax dollars then what do you do?
That aside, reading to comprehend is a great thing…..“It doesn’t include the city of Flagler Beach, town of Beverly Beach, town of Marineland,” Maybe your fight should be why are they getting the tourist tax dollars, what portion of those dollars is actually from outside of Flagler beach.
Crusty Old Salt says
Actually when we go to Harry’s on occasion to grab a bite in St. Augustine we pay for parking anytime before 5pm. Perhaps u have not noticed the paid parking lot in the downtown area which is typically full most of the time.
However, wise economic decision on your part to drive to St. Augustine at what the IRS calculates .58 cents a mile for a 35 to 45 mile round trip from Flagler County and back to save a few bucks for parking in Flagler Beach. Either an idle threat or a penny wise/pound foolish decision.
CPFL says
Way to dodge saying you were wrong!!!! We are talking about beach areas not downtown, I am well aware of downtown parking fees in St. Augustine. You do not pay to park near the beach in St. Augustine. I do buy a pass to drive and park on the beach. More beach to spread out on in St. Augustine and until recently sand that does not stick to you like glue. Much more to do in the area once you are done with beach. Nothing to do with economics. Nice try, but you were still wrong in your original post.
Crusty Old Salt says
I will wave goodbye to you on your way to St. Augustine. Sounds like you are one of the day trippers that goes to the beach and does not want to spend money to support our businesses. Enjoy the sands of St. Augustine .
Angela Bailus says
Considering none of the commissioners live in the Hammock, this is an interesting plan. Commissioner Hansen is certainly a poor representative of the local Hammock residents, in my opinion. Ms. Petito and the commissioners have apparently completely ignored the responses of the very survey they put forward.
The first “Town Hall” meeting the county had, here in the Hammock, was advertised just hours before the meeting was held. Since my dinner was cooking on the stove when I found out, we did not attend. The second, of the three meetings, was heavily attended, but emptied out well before the meeting was over. One can only assume how the people who left felt about what they heard. The third meeting was sparse.
Buyer beware! We live on the Intra-Coastal Waterway, and we have to pay for our headwall. It is no one else’s responsibility but ours. Buyer beware! If you buy on the ocean, you pay for the sand behind your house, condominium or resort. Buyer beware! If you buy inland, you are susceptible to flooding. I don’t pay for you; you don’t pay for me, and I don’t pay for Hammock Dunes, or any other residential, commercial or resort areas that do not have public access.
If the City of Palm Coast does not want to pay their fair share, then they need to take off all advertising of “Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches,” and I mean all advertisements. No more magazine ads, no more Chamber of Commerce ads, no more Tourist Commission ads, no more real estate ads, no more vacation rental ads. Nada. No more pictures of the beach attached to the City of Palm Coast. In the second meeting, Ms. Petito said “Palm Coast doesn’t have a beach,” so it can’t be both ways.
As for taxing by house value, there are a whole lot of homes in the Hammock that house people who cannot afford this tax. Who is representing them? Also, if we bought a house years back, and it increased in value, we will be punished. This, our commissioners feel is reasonable, yet, none of whom live here.
This whole beach re-nourishment plan is clearly for tourism, and a very small portion of residents. We, as local residents, do not benefit from tourism. Tourist businesses do, vacation rental investors do, realtors do, but residents do not. If the county was at all interested in keeping the beaches in good shape for its residents, the county would make a plan to re-nourish the park beaches. Every resident in the county, which includes all municipalities, would pay an equal price to re-nourish the parks they have access to, and nothing else. The private communities, resorts and commercial properties should be assessed separately. The general population should not have to pay for private access.
Okay, so why are we in the Hammock getting a Special Tax District? My husband and I went to the beach twice this summer. What’s that worth? If the county cannot be fair to the residents, let the beach go. It’s okay with me, I can drive up to Anastasia Park. They charge a much more reasonable price to enjoy the beach.
B says
Exactly. The general public cannot use the beaches north of varn park except for the county park access. Property owners subsidizing Hammock Dunes, Sea Colony and Matanzas Shores.
markone says
As an owner in Hammock Dunes for more than 14 years, I can attest to the fact that no one from Hammock Dunes actually uses the beach. The only individuals we encounter when we occasionally choose to walk the beach are those walking from the public access on 16th St. or from Varn Park and they’re usually walking their dogs, disregarding the leash law. Because we chose to have an ocean view our assessments are the highest and receive the least value for those monies
pete says
It’s all a waste of time and money.mother nature wants it back and is going to win.
Backslapping Commission says
Skibum: This ones for you, we feel sorry you have to pay
more due to your local, you know you also can “JUST MOVE”
afterall why should Palm Coasters, flood victims, Bunnell
residents, airport communities care for you when you
don’t give a rats butt for them? Just sayin, hope you don’t
go down with the next hurricane. Good Luck and Enjoy!
Don't cull me says
Do you use the beach?? It’s available to anyone in Flagler county and those outside Flagler county. But why are just those who live on the Barrier Island responsible for the biggest chunk of the funding required to rebuild the beach that Mother Nature wants back so badly? We have lived here for over 35 years. When we started to build we were asked why we would want to live in the Hammock. Like it was a bad thing. Simple it’s beautiful and we found a cheap piece of land to build on (cheaper than in Palm Coast proper). We don’t live on the beach nor do we visit it more than a few times a year. I really don’t care if the “Fancy” homes wash away because their backyard (the beach) washes away. Shouldn’t have built on the beach in the first place. Beach damage won’t effect us. We built with respect for nature and what can be thrown at us by storms and hurricanes (and we are insured, flood and otherwise). Not everyone here in the Hammock lives beachside or in a fancy house. But since the beach is place that so many others enjoy (including most of you in Palm Coast) I support trying to keep it intact but NOT on the backs of just a portion of our county. This is a COUNTY BEACH and should be financially paid for by the COUNTY ! Otherwise, perhaps just those who pay to keep the beach in one piece should be the only ones who are allowed to use it! And for the record we DO CARE for the others in the county, just pretty pissed off that we are being asked to shoulder most of the costs for YOUR COUNTY BEACH.
Backslapping Commission says
Don’t cull me: if you read my comment I said I agree with paying
my fair share, the beach is one if not our main attractions in the
county, I was making a reference to someone who rants at every
chance he can get for people in PC to “JUST MOVE”, he’s like the
pillow guy but he’s the “JUST MOVE GUY”, then when residents go
to defend their positions he apologizes but on the other hand gets
excited to take advantage of people’s misery every chance he can get.
I love our beaches and try to get down there every chance I get and I
understand where your coming from, the beautiful beach in Flager
is what attracted me here over 20 yeats ago to purchase my 2nd home
but I decided not to go beachside as I already have a beachside beautiful
home up north where we were hit with hurricane Sandy, so believe me I
get you and I’m on your side with this like a GOOD NEIGHBOR SHOULD
BE.
Jim says
If the dunes wash away, and if the sea reclaims the barrier island, billions of dollars of private AND public infrastructure will be destroyed. Let’s face it: without the barrier island and the Intracoastal, Flagler County is a backwater of pasture- and timberland and swamp. No one likes taxes, but in the case of the preservation of the dunes and the beaches, continuous renourishment is money well spent. Everyone is doing it: St. John’s County, Duval County, Brevard County, Volusia County, Collier County, Dade County, Palm Beach Counry, Broward County, Pinellas County. Do I need to go on?
RobdaSlob says
I like the proposal. Maybe not perfect but they are keeping the dialogue going. We need something in place to fund this and if it is not perfect out of the gate we can adjust as we move forward. In Flagler Beach a large portion of the land east of A1A is owned by the city and it is a benefit to everyone – whether they use it or not.
Doug says
I agree with Angela Bailus about the representation of Greg Hansen and that none of our elected county officials live in the Hammock. Greg Hansen is useless and has been his entire tenure as a county commissioner. I’m one of those who live in the Hammock and cannot afford this tax. Those few of us who are not retirees and live in the Hammock are not the same people who are retired and live here. Most retired with the affordability to build multi-million dollar homes on the beaches and within gated communities. They also enjoy the beach. On the other hand, I work for a living and am nowhere near as financially sound as those who retired here.
It’s a misconception that the residents of the Hammock are the primary users of the beach. In reality, there are surrounding cities and communities that frequent the beaches more than we do. To ensure fairness, the tax should be spread across the entire county, not just those who happen to live on the barrier island.
Lastly, if the county hadn’t approved all the beachfront home development on the fragile dunes, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Where have we heard this? POOR PLANNING.
Doug says
Flagler County, especially the Hammock, is in desperate need of rezoning. Greg Hansen’s representation of the Barrier Island residents has been more about personal gain than community welfare. His Navy experience might have taught him to go with the flow, but it’s clear that his leadership is as ineffective as ‘tits on a boar hog.’ The Hammock needs a representative who truly understands the needs of the community, a longtime resident who can effectively advocate for those who live here. The negative impact of the current leadership is urgent, and we need to make a change for the better.
Gail C says
Spot on! If our county beaches need renourishing, then the WHOLE county should share in the costs.
Ron says
I totally agree. Hansen does not represent the Hammock properly. That being said we are not the only beach front community with these problems. There are many involved in beach restoration projects.
So the question is why are all residents residing in Flagler County not included in this project? Do they use A1A to drive to doctor appointments up to St Augustine or into Jacksonville. Do they go out to dinner for special occasions in Flagler Beach.
Protecting our shoreline is a must. It should be a priority for all the residents that live in our county.
I agree with Lee. What would happen to the tax base of the county without the Hammock?
Donna Heiss says
None of these brilliant commissioners live in the hammock. Sure put more of a tax burden on us. We pay huge amounts in taxes already. Mother nature doesn’t care how much money you throw at it. Do you know that we already subsidize the hammock bridge? Yea we do. You pay your .75 cents to come over the bridge with your card/ sticker, but we also pay $15.00 a month on top of our .75 cents every time we cross the bridge. I do not benefit from the beach. In fact I can’t even tell you the last time I went. I do not live on the beach. I have no view of the beach. Put meters in like St. Augustine and solve the problem. Stop taxing the people here that don’t use it.
Bob Ziolkowski says
I live in Surf Club and I use the beach all the time, or as much as I can, and I will gladly pay a little for this effort. And I am glad most of my neighbors do not since it is nice to pee on a rock and not have anyone bother me.
Angela Bailus says
Seeing that none of the commissioners live in the Hammock, and will not be in this special tax district, and they will not have to pay, it appears to me to be that there is no representation of the people who live here. Palm Coast gets a free ride.
Could it be that us Hammock residents are being punished again for not incorporating into Palm Coast? It certainly feels like it. Palm Coast tried to deny us water service if we didn’t incorporate, and when that failed, it charges us 25% more for water usage.
Then, Palm Coast wanted the beaches incorporated into the city, and that failed. So, now this?
“Palm Coast and the Flagler Beachs” fill their ads.
There are somewhere around 140,000 residents in Flagler County, and God knows how many tourists for the investers. Let them all share the cost of all public beach access, including Flagler Beach access. To expect the smaller communities to bare the brunt of the expense is highly irresponsible, and feels vengeful.
People in the Hammock need to stand up and voice their opinions loudly. Apparently, the survey the county put out is meaningless to our administration and representation.
Fair is fair. Pay your fair share.
BARBARA ROYERE says
I will not pay this assessment. I do not live on the beach. Some of us cant even get down to the beach.
Try and enforce this. Not my problem. Get the millionaires to pay who live on the beach