In the end, Mayor Mike Norris’s motion for a residential building moratorium this morning, made after nearly an hour of zealous speeches for or against, but mostly for, quickly failed for lack of a second, and applause resounded across the standing-room-only chamber. Some of it was consolation for Norris by his supporters. Most of it was from builders and their supporters.
For the third time in 14 months, a proposed moratorium in one form of another–the two previous ones had been floated by Council member Theresa Pontieri–died. It wasn’t a surprise.
Mobilized like an army by the Flagler County Home Builders Association, the dump truck and trailers and semi cabs and pick-ups lined City Place and spilled onto Lake Avenue by City Hall this morning, their crews clustered in groups against the morning chill, a large “SAVE OUR CITY” banner stretched across the flank of a truck, with a red circle-backlash symbol painted over the head of Mayor Mike Norris.
The thick crowd inside City Council’s chamber had its large share of Norris supporters, who, addressing the council in accusatory and hectoring terms, made up in shrillness and praise what they lacked in hardware to denounce what they see as an effort to undermine the mayor. Norris’s behavior with administrative staff at City Hall led his colleagues last week to call for his investigation. “Mr. Mayor, I’m really happy that you’re our mayor,” one resident said, interpreting Norris’s difficulties at City Hall as proof of his advocacy for people, or as proof of his willingness to challenge the city’s bureaucracy.
“The show of the contractors being out there today,” another said later, “just re-emphasize that everything that’s been posted about Mayor Mike, that was incorrect and him allegedly doing something incorrect. Y’all are really showing your true colors in the city. Very evident.”
Most of the residents who addressed the council in support of Norris and a moratorium treaded a knotty tightrope: They were reluctant to criticize the builders, most of them outside and in the room being rank and file workers, neighbors, friends, family breadwinners. They were not there to criticize Norris, either, and all the council seats but one were occupied by new faces, with the hold-over having herself championed moratoriums in the past. The previous council members, former Mayor David Alfin especially and ex-Council members Ed Danko and Nick Klufas to some extent, took plenty of criticism. But their absence made for a wanting target. So they ended up directing their wrath at “the people in the back,” the city’s administrative directors who, in the view of many speakers, were really to blame, when in fact the administration merely carries out the council’s direction.
Celia Pugliese, a city critic of long date, led the way with a defense of Norris on First Amendment grounds and in defense of his coarse humor. “If Mr. Trump in Washington D.C., has the right of his First Amendment to say anything he wants, so it is our mayor to say what is his First Amendment protection,” Pugliese–who’d left her husband’s bedside in hospice to deliver her speech–said, her voice at fever pitch, as she referred to the private meeting Norris had with Interim Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, when he demanded that they resign (Johnston confirmed it). Others echoed Pugliese’s theme. (Johnston was at the dais this morning. DeLorenzo was absent.)
Of course it was not a First Amendment issue. If Norris did so, he violated the city charter on at least two grounds: it forbids elected officials from interfering in administrative management, and elected officials are barred from unilaterally enacting city policies or measures outside of a public meeting, with majority support of the council.
The administration was repeatedly blamed for “mismanagement” and “poor planning,” if with or no specifics and recurring misconceptions (the city charter is not a remnant of ITT’s doing, as one speaker claimed; some residents questioned where their utility bill money goes, perhaps overlooking that the bill includes charges for garbage, stormwater as well as water and sewer.)
That was all at the top of the meeting, before the council even began its day’s business, which was to revisit the proposed–and controversial–utility rate increase, if in a version substantially revised from when the council first voted on it earlier this month–with Norris’s support.
But the biggest round of applause, next to the one that greeted the failure of Norris’s motion, went to Jared Halleck, a construction manager in Palm Coast. “I cannot, in good conscience, stand by while this council considers a building moratorium, a decision that is not only short-sighted, but fundamentally damaging to our local economy, workforce and families,” he said. “Let’s call this moratorium what it really is–a knee jerk reaction that creates more problems than it solves. You want to address infrastructure concerns, great, but halting construction won’t fix those problems. It will make them worse. You want to control growth. Stopping new builds won’t stop people from moving here. It will just drive up housing prices, making it impossible for working-class families to buy a home. This isn’t a solution. It’s a roadblock and a poorly thought-out one at that a moratorium doesn’t just pause development. It chokes the local economy.”
Fernando Melendez says
Norris and his tiny little group of moratorium fans got laughed right out of city hall today. If we stop building we’re going to dry up and die as a city and all will be shouldered by us the residents. No, this will not become another Detroit because of NIMBYISM. Thank you all that came out in support of our builders. Where do these people come from that object to everything being built in our community, or in the area where we live, especially while raising no such objections to similar developments elsewhere and going over there and enjoying it. We’re a growing city and we need to keep up with growth. Infrastructure will be addressed in a priority bases as we grow. Thank you Palm Coast and staff.
Mike says
It’s definitely about pure greed! You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how bad we need the moratorium. Our infrastructure is horrible and not up to date, but the developers and certain individuals only want money in their pockets and could care less how they ruin this city. You definitely see it at every building site. They will destroy everything here until they are done then move to another and destroy that. Pure greed will hopefully come back and bite them!
Richard says
The city continues on the way to destruction, just like every other city! Instead of pausing and fixing the infrastructure, taking the time to keep a small city nice and quaint. Instead, we rather become Jacksonville. That is the final straw for me I didn’t retire to be in the middle of a jacksonville Orlando type city. We are putting our house up for sale and moving back to a much smaller area in Virginia ,so long Palm Coast for a few years it was nice but not anymore!
Pogo says
@The desire for a moratorium
… doesn’t even need explanation, or change the total impracticality (and illegality, etc.) of same. Hey, kids, quit growing til I figure out how to steal larger shoes for you! While you are at it, hold your breath til the smell of all this… goes away.
a concerned observer says
THANK YOU Mayor Mike Norris. “Illegitimi non carborundum est!”
FLF says
Then quadruple the impact fees to pay ahead of the growth curve. Infrastructure ahead of growth, not growth ahead of infrastructure.
Sad says
Theresa caved to builders.
Flagler REC member says
Fernando Melendez, Alfin’s best friend.
Having lunch with David Alfin today Fernando?
Mike says
This town is a complete circus- time to move.
JC says
“”Celia Pugliese, a city critic of long date, led the way with a defense of Norris on First Amendment grounds and in defense of his coarse humor. “If Mr. Trump in Washington D.C., has the right of his First Amendment to say anything he wants, so it is our mayor to say what is his First Amendment protection,” Pugliese–who’d left her husband’s bedside in hospice to deliver her speech…””
Does this person know anything about respect and being business professional? Makes me wonder if this person ever works in the private sector, because saying things like that is a fireable offense and private businesses don’t tolerate it at all.
Greg says
Hold your vote for the sewer expansion. Slowly making city a crap hole. Traffic is crap, the roads are crap, and the realtors control the city.
RK says
Crowded roads in poor condition. Waste treatment plants overwhelmed. Soon clean water to be in short supply. Just thinking to myself.
Land of no turn signals says says
Of coarse.
Responsible Dude says
Maybe a moratorium is not the way, but slowing down the building is. When a builder has 44 spec homes sitting in inventory why do they need to flood the market with more homes ? Sell those off first before you can move on and build more. A slow steady controlled building plan would help catch up with the infrastructure we need. Our roads are deuterating and need repair. The sewerage plant is behind. The widening of some roads are needed. I don’t want to hear from builders about money and jobs. Your just like any other business and not above being slowed down for the betterment of this community. Mr. Norris slow the building down by only allowing a minimum number of building permits per a builder. No moratorium needed just the city saying permits will slow down period. Also hit these builders with a heavy infrastructure fee per lot, this will slow them down also. Use the powers you do have and make adjustments ! I am not against building but I am for building responsibly for the battement of the community!