The Bunnell City Commission in a stunning move at the very end of its meeting Monday night, before a nearly empty chamber, voted 3-2 to revive the 8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek development the commission rejected just two weeks ago. The item was not on the agenda. Mayor Catherine Robinson, who asked for the motion, had met with the city manager and the developer for three hours Monday morning. She said the developer was prepared to submit a revised plan that takes public concerns into account.
Bunnell City Commission
Proposed Rezoning to Industrial of 1,842 Acres in Bunnell Will Be Reduced by About 500 Acres and Its Uses Restricted
The proposed and controversial rezoning in Bunnell of 1,842 acres from agricultural to industrial will be reduced by about 500 acres and designations limited to light industrial and heavy industrial, dropping the previous request for agricultural community industrial, the attorney for the landowners said today. The owners are also pledging to make the rezoning conditional on permanent restrictions, so such uses as landfills, fuel depots and hazardous chemical processing would be prohibited. Public opposition had cited all three among its concerns. The “voluntary restriction list” is in the works.
County Officials Say There Will be No Fuel Depot Or Landfill on 1,900 Acres Bunnell Seeks to Rezone Industrial
There will be no fuel depot or fuel farm, nor a landfill, at the nearly 1,900 acres Bunnell city government is speeding through a rezoning from an agricultural designation to industrial, Flagler County officials said this evening.
Commerce Parkway Slated for August Opening. But Why Is a County Release Snubbing Bunnell?
Flagler County government, upstaging Bunnell–and the Bunnell city manager’s reflexive incantation about his city–is calling it a “splendid day” when, sometime in August, the newly constructed roadway corridor called Commerce Parkway will open for traffic, linking State Road 100 to U.S. 1 in a 1.7-mile, two-lane loop.
Taxable Property Values Rise 9% Over Last Year, But Rate Is 3rd Decline in a Row in Cooler Housing Market
Annual taxable property value increases local governments depend on to fuel growth in their budgets have continued their descent from a post-crash high of 18 percent in 2022, to just 9 percent as of June 1 in Flagler County, according to figures released by the Flagler County Property Appraiser. In Palm Coast, values increased 9.29 percent in 2025, with more than half of that powered by new construction. In Flagler Beach, it was 7.56 percent, and in Bunnell it was just 5.5 percent.
Bunnell Kills 8,000-Home ‘Reserve’ Development as Commission Reflects Public Furor Over ‘Enormity’ in 4-1 Vote
The Bunnell City Commission in a 4-1 vote on Monday rejected the planned Reserve at Haw Creek, a stunning defeat for a proposed 2,787-acre, 8,000-home development and 800-site RV park that would have increased Bunnell’s population sixfold and in the words of a commissioner, “forever change the face of the city of Bunnell” and Flagler County. The Reserve–a name as disingenuous as its representative’s recurring claim that it was “everything you as a city asked for to grow orderly in a controlled manner,” or that it would shower the city in dollars–would have been the largest single development in the county since ITT planned Palm Coast in the 1960s.
28-Unit Affordable Apartment Complex for Foster Youth and Poor Wins Swift Approval in Bunnell
Without discussion, the Bunnell City Commission on Monday evening unanimously approved the development agreement for Phoenix Crossings, the 28-apartment complex breaking ground this summer on 8 acres off North Bay Street, not far from the city’s sewer plant. The project overcame some strident but localized public opposition in recent months. In contrast, Monday’s hearing drew no public participation, and the commission approved the development order in barely a minute.
One for the History Books: Inaugural Bunnell History Day Explores Past of “The Crossroads of Flagler County”
The inaugural Bunnell History Day drew drew visitors, vendors, artists and activists to the county’s 108-year-old city Saturday. Co-organizers Ed Siarkowicz, the president of the Flagler County Historical Society, and Pete Johnson, a 32-year-old handyman and former Palm Coast mayoral candidate, credit Elaine Studnicki, the immediate past president of the Palm Coast Historical Society and a grant writer for the Flagler County Historical Society, with coming up with the idea to celebrate Bunnell’s history.
8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
The development agreement for the controversial 8,000-house development and 800 RV sites known The Reserve at Haw Creek goes before as Bunnell City Commission Monday evening. The outcome of the controversial proposal–the single largest development in Flagler County’s history after ITT started Palm Coast in the late 1960s–is uncertain.
Reversing Planning Board’s Decision, Bunnell Commission Clears the Way for ‘Historic’ 28-Unit Affordable Housing Project
Reversing a recommendation by its planning board and significant public opposition neighboring the proposed development, the Bunnell City Commission unanimously approved the final site plan for Phoenix Crossings, a planned 28-unit affordable-housing apartment complex for people with disabilities and other difficulties, and for the elderly. None like it exists in Palm Coast or Flagler County. The 5-year-old proposal is the work of Sandra Shank and her Abundant Life Ministries, a non-profit. The Bunnell Planning Board on April 1 recommended denial of the site plan on a 3-2 vote.
Without a Single Question, Bunnell Board Approves Rezoning of Nearly 1,900 Acres to Industrial, Outraging Residents
The Bunnell planning board on Tuesday approved the comprehensive plan change and rezoning of nearly 1,900 acres from agriculture to industrial, on land stretching from U.S. 1 to County Road 304. It is the single-largest rezoning of the kind in the city’s or county’s history and would reshape the character of both as surely as would the massive 8,000-home residential development proposed for west of the city. Yet the planning board recommended approval on a pair of 3-1 votes without a single question, inquiry or comment.
Bunnell Commission Bids Farewell to 5-Year Commissioner Tonya Gordon as New Members Are Sworn-In
The Bunnell City Commission bid farewell to Commissioner Tonya Gordon, who was elected in 2020 and chose not to run for re-election. Commissioners David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist were sworn-in, as was Mayor Catherine Robinson. John Rogers was named vice-mayor again. In Robinson and Rogers, the commission has the longest- and second-longest serving elected officials on major boards in the county.
Attorney Appeals Decision Rejecting Site Plan for 28-Unit Affordable Housing Complex in Bunnell, Citing Arbitrariness
Two weeks after the Bunnell planning board rejected the site plan for Phoenix Crossings, the 28-unit apartment complex for low-income tenants, the attorney representing the development filed an appeal to the City Commission. The appeal, filed by Dennis Bayer, the Flagler Beach attorney who specializes in land use and environmental law, argues that “there is a lack of competent substantial evidence to support the denial based upon concerns raised by third parties about the stormwater related to this project.” Put another way: the board’s decision was arbitrary and capricious.
Site Plan for 28-Unit Low-Income Apartment Complex With $7 Million in Funding Is Rejected in Bunnell
In a stunning setback for Sandra Shank, developer of a planned 28-unit affordable housing apartment complex in Bunnell the city conceptually approved in 2020, Bunnell’s planning board rejected the project last week, citing flooding concerns by neighbors. The 3-2 vote rejecting the site plan for Phoenix Crossings may be appealed to the Bunnell City Commission. But opponents, many of them from the Pine Forest mobile home community that would be adjacent to the development, will likely voice concerns again.
Bunnell Approves Grand Reserve’s Last 141 of 847 Houses, with a Pointed Caution From Its Staff
The Bunnell City Commission approved the final phase of Grand Reserve, the 847-home subdivision that will increase the city’s population by more than half and is already changing the city’s politics. The sixth phase consists of 141 houses on 100 acres. The city’s planning director cautioned the commission to review future developments more carefully than when Grand Reserve was originally approved.
Palm Coast Eases Stance on Beach-Saving Sales Tax as ‘Grow Some Balls’ Message Lifts Plan’s Chances, But More Talk Needed
In contrast with their joint meeting in February, representatives from Palm Coast, Beverly Beach, Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Marineland and the county were all more supportive of a proposed beach-management plan centered on raising the sales tax as they discussed it Wednesday evening. Palm Coast remains the crucial hold-out for now, if not an immovable one. But time is running out.
John Cunningham and James Sherman Win in Flagler Beach, Defeating Jane Mealy; David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist Win in Bunnell
In a changing of the guard, John Cunningham, a newcomer to politics in Flagler Beach, took the largest share of the vote and defeated nearly 20-year incumbent Jane Mealy to win a seat on the City Commission, with James Sherman winning re-election to a second term. In Bunnell, two newcomers, David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist, won the seats that Tonya Gordon and Tina Marie-Schultz left uncontested.
Tina-Marie Schultz Resigns her Bunnell City Commission Seat A Few Weeks Early
Tina-Marie Schultz, who has been serving on the Bunnell City Commission since she was appointed in 2021, bid her colleagues and the city administration farewell at last Monday’s meeting, some six weeks before the end of her term.
After Qualms from Palm Coast and Bunnell, County’s Beach-Saving Plan Gets a Much Warmer Reception from Flagler Beach
After a punting response from Palm Coast government and a muted one from Bunnell, Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s ambitious plan to save the county’s beaches and permanently ensure their maintenance got a warmer response from the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening, with one commissioner hoping the city will not only back the plan but be its champion.
In Rare Vote Against Business, Bunnell Sides with Residents and Rejects Rezoning That’d Have Allowed Concrete Plant
In a rare rejection of a land-use change that would have opened the way for a new company and new jobs in the city, the Bunnell City Commission voted 3-2 to turn down the rezoning of 1.4 acres at the end of Hibiscus Avenue from residential to light industrial. The vote closed the way for Hard Rock Materials Inc., a concrete manufacturing company, to build a batch plant there and on a much larger parcel attached to it. A batch plant mixes cement to produce concrete for delivery. It can be noisy, affect air quality and significantly increase traffic on Hibiscus Avenue with concrete trucks.
Flagler County Historical Society Prepares Inaugural Bunnell History Day as Accelerant for City’s Renaissance
With a $5,000 state grant and local sponsorships, the Flagler County Historical Society is organizing Bunnell History Day, with the inaugural all-day event scheduled for June 7. Society members outlined the plan to the Bunnell City Commission as an effort to use history to focus attention on the city’s identity and enduring impact on the county.
Bunnell Rubber-Stamping Development Agreement for 8,000-Home Haw Creek Reserve, Residents Complain
The Bunnell City Commission devoted just 60 minutes to a workshop its own planning board had requested to review the 65-page development agreement with the Reserve at Haw Creek, the 8,000-home development west and south of the city that will change the complexion of Bunnell. Residents complained that 60 minutes wasn’t enough, and raised numerous issues that have been raised over the past few months, to a non-reactive commission. But the commission subsequently agreed to set a future workshop.
Catherine Robinson Again Re-Elected Mayor Without Opposition; 5 Vie for Bunnell Commission, 3 for Flagler Beach
Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson was re-elected without opposition when qualifying ended last week, extending the longest tenure of any of Flagler County’s 37 elected officials, by a wide margin. Three commissioners and the mayor in Beverly Beach were re-elected without opposition. But two commission seats in Bunnell and two seats in Flagler Beach are being contested. The election is March 4.
Bunnell Board Tells City Commission: Shrink Haw Creek Reserve Mega Development By 2,500 Homes
On its third try since November, the Bunnell Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the rezoning and development agreement controlling the Reserve at Haw Creek–the largest single development proposal in Flagler County since Palm Coast was conceived in the 1960s–but not before issuing nearly a dozen proposed conditions to the Bunnell City Commission, which takes on the proposal next. Among those conditions: Lower the planned 8,000 home total to 5,500.
Bunnell’s 8,000-Home Development Plan Nears Approval. Residents Raise Questions. Officials Don’t.
Members of the public had many questions, at least to the extent that they were allowed to speak their mind. Members of the Bunnell City Commission and its planning board barely had any as the two panels met in a joint workshop Thursday evening to examine the development agreement for the 8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek project that will transform the city.
Bunnell Says No to Developer Seeking To Reduce Open Space By 10% at 8,000-Home ‘Haw Creek Reserve’
The 8,000-home development called Reserve at Haw Creek in Bunnell may proceed, but it will have to respect the city’s minimum requirement of 60 percent of open space. Rejecting a developer’s claim that his due process was violated or his veiled threat to build more apartment buildings if his request was rejected, the Bunnell City Commission voted 3-2 to deny an exception that would have allowed reducing open space at the Reserve at Haw Creek from 60 percent to 50 percent.
Flagler County Raised Concerns Well Before Developer Sought to Reduce Open Space at 8,000-Home ‘Reserve’ in Bunnell
As the developer of the proposed 6,000-t-8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek in Bunnell, the single-largest development in the county since Palm Coast’s origins, seeks to lower the proportion of open space there, Flagler County months ago issued a detailed letter to the city raising concerns with the plan, especially as it relates to the number of homes, flooding and open space. And that was before the developer increased the proposed density and sought to lower the amount of open space.
Colossal 6,000-Home Plan in Bunnell is Now 8,000 Homes, and Developer Wants to Cut Open Space by 10%
The developer of the proposed Preserve at Haw Creek, a 2,800-acre development west of Bunnell that would dwarf the city in size and population, has raised the number of dwellings from 5,000-to 6,000 in a May presentation to 6,000 to 8,000 now, and is asking the city to lower the minimum required open space from 60 percent to 50 percent. The city’s planning board unanimously rejected the request. The Bunnell City Commission hears the appeal on Monday.
Tonya Gordon and Tina-Marie Schultz Will Not Run Again for Bunnell City Commission; Bonita Robinson Will
The Bunnell City Commission will have two open seats in the March 4 municipal election as incumbent Commissioners Tina-Marie Schultz and Tonya Gordon, both have decided not to run again. Three candidates have announced: former Bunnell Commissioner Bonita Robinson and Grand Reserve residents David John Atkinson and Lyle Dean Sechrist. Gordon has been serving since 2020, Schultz since 2021. Mayor Catherine Robinson is running for re-election and is not expected to face opposition.
Five Star Pizza Owners Building $2 Million ‘Party and Play’ Indoor Playground in Bunnell, 1st in County
The owners of Five Star Pizza in Palm Coast, Ormond Beach and Deltona are preparing to build a $2 million indoor playground in Bunnell, making it the first of its kind in Flagler County. The playground will be called Party and Play and will be part of a 10,000-square-foot building that will be built on Steel Rail Drive in Bunnell, with projected construction starting in January or shortly thereafter.
A Mile-Long Veterans Day Parade of 1,000 Participants Unites Flagler’s Cities, County and Schools in Salute
After a Veterans Day parade of more than 1,000 participants representing all cities, the county and the School Board, among others, ambled through Bunnell in a mile-long procession, hundreds of people gathered at the Government Services building for the day’s ceremonies, including a Veteran Day essay by middle schooler Mellissa Ryon, a keynote speech by Randall Stapleford, and musical performances.
Daisy Henry Street Now Glides Through the Heart of Bunnell, Along Carver Gym Late Pastor Championed and Saved
This morning, a stretch of four blocks of East Drain Street, along the gym’s ballfields on one side and family homes on the other, became Daisy Henry Street, so renamed for the former city commissioner and pastor by a city that wanted to “honor a legacy,” in the words of City Manager Alvin Jackson, and bolden Henry’s already distinguished mark on Bunnell’s history.
Bunnell, Palm Coast and County Will Host Joint Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade Nov. 11
The parade will travel east on Moody Boulevard and conclude at the Government Services Building where the traditional ceremony will begin. Retired U.S. Naval Captain James Randall “Randy” Stapleford – a career naval aviator who served from 1972 to 2003 – will be the grand marshal of the parade and will share a few words at the ceremony.
Portions of East Drain Street in Bunnell Will Be Renamed in Honor of Former Commissioner Daisy Henry
Following a vote by the Bunnell City Commission in July, Bunnell government will rename a portion of East Drain Street in the south part of the city after Daisy Henry, the long-time city commissioner and a local icon who was all but synonymous with life around and beyond Drain Street. The street will be called Daisy Henry Street. That ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 1 at 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of East Drain Street and South Pine St. in Bunnell, with ample parking near Carver Gym.
Total Hurricane Milton Damage to Private Property in Flagler and Cities: $18.8 million, Government Costs Yet to Be Tallied
Flagler County suffered an estimated $18.8 million in private property damages countywide from Hurricane Milton, and an additional $14 million in damages to just under 11 miles of beachfront, with additional estimates yet to be calculated such as costs to government infrastructure and services, and losses to the federal portion of the beach in Flagler Beach–the 2.6 miles the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just renourished.
Bunnell Marks Progress of Its City Hall Complex with ‘Graffiti Hour’ Contest
About 50 City employees, representing the various City departments, gathered for a friendly competition in which they created chalk murals, showcasing the spirit of collaboration and creativity within the City. This event allowed all current employees with the City to leave behind a mark on this legacy project for the City of Bunnell and be a part of the on-going growth and changes occurring in the City of Bunnell.
Bunnell Police Detective Jeff Traylor Is CrimeStoppers’ Flagler County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Bunnell Police Detective Jeff Traylor was named the Flagler County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Thursday at the 24th Annual CrimeStoppers of Northeast Florida awards banquet. The occasion was held at the Daytona 500 Club at the Daytona International Speedway before a gathering of law enforcement personnel and officials from across the Seventh Judicial Circuit that includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties.
Bunnell Police’s Micheal Fansler Gets Second Life Saving Award in 5 Months
At the regular city commission meeting Monday evening, Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon presented Officer Micheal Fansler with the agency’s Life Saving Award. In attendance at the meeting was the patient Officer Fansler saved along with several of the patient’s family members.
Yolonda Williams, 50, Is Stabbed and Killed by Husband, Jermaine Williams; He Is Charged with 1st Degree Murder
Bunnell police have charged Jermaine Mandell Williams Sr., 52, with first-degree murder in this morning’s fatal stabbing of his wife, 50-year-old Yolonda Williams, a well-known resident of South Pine Street in the city, after a confrontation with her husband. Jermaine Williams had abused, demeaned and tortured his wife for years. Two and a half years ago she had told police that her husband had been beating her for 30 years, but was afraid to tell anyone for fear that he would kill her. She was a social worker and had five children.
Humbling Flagler, DeSantis Vetoes Almost a Third of Local Projects, Including YMCA, Tourist Center, and All Bunnell’s Asks
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a $116.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, after vetoing close to $950 million in spending approved by lawmakers in March. The vetoes include $46.52 million from what had been a record $151 million in appropriations for Flagler County, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach, a heavy loss that dampens earlier hopes for a big haul.
Nearly $1 Billion in New Construction Raises Flagler County Taxable Values 12% Over Last Year, a Salve to Budgets
“Humming along” is how Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner describes the year’s property values: powered by nearly $1 billion in new construction alone, $631 million of it in Palm Coast, taxable property values in Flagler County rose around 12 percent this year, and 13 percent in Palm Coast, about the same as last year. The estimates being finalized this week play a central role in local governments’ budgeting and taxing decisions.
Development Is Devouring the Tree Canopy. Palm Coast and Flagler Officials Say They’re Trying to Catch Up With Protection.
There was a bit of a disconnect today in a panel discussion by Flagler County’s five mayors and County Commission chair about how attractive Flagler County is to its residents and those who keep pouring in, and how quickly developments are razing swaths of tree canopy. They spoke of the importance of preserving the region’s quality of life, but also how the torrid growth rate is inevitably bringing congestion, and numerous developments, some of them–as with a 6,000-home plan in Bunnell–colossal.
Bunnell Police’s Shane Groth, Chief’s ‘Right-Hand Man,’ Is Promoted to Lieutenant
In Bunnell, any change in a police department of 14 uniformed officers radiates disproportionately on a small town of 3,500, as did the promotion of Shane Groth to lieutenant–essentially, second in command–in a pinning ceremony before the City Commission earlier this week.
Bunnell Approves Plan That Would Add 6,000 Homes, a Town Center, and Increase City’s Population Fivefold
The Reserve at Haw Creek would be Bunnell’s largest development yet, and one of the largest in the county’s history. It would sprawl over nearly 3,000 acres west and south of the city. It would add nearly 6,000 homes, mostly single family and some apartments, plus commercial and industrial acreage. It would result in a potential population increase of 15,000 in a city with a current population of 3,500. Bunnell would be unrecognizable.
Rev. Daisy Henry, ‘Matriarch of Bunnell’ and Determined Advocate for Carver Gym, Dies at 77
The Rev. Daisy Henry, a pastor, the former Bunnell City Commissioner and long-time advocate for South Bunnell and the Carver Center, died on Friday in Bunnell. Community members have been paying tribute to her tenacity and forthrightness through the years. She was 77.
Looking Past ‘Some Real Losers Over the Years,’ Bunnell Mayor Robinson Delivers a Buoyant State of a City
“I’ve been on this board a long time. And we’ve had some real losers on this board over the years,” Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson said with remarkable candor Monday evening, speaking from a dais at the Government Services Building that has known its share of losers, not just from Bunnell government: the County Commission and the School Board also hold their meetings there. She had just delivered a celebratory State of the City address.
Commerce Parkway Construction Images Show Leveling of Thick, Long-Undisturbed Forest
Bunnell government has released images showing the ongoing churning-like clearing through a thick forest of pines, brush and wetlands in the first stage of construction for Commerce Parkway, the two-lane road cutting a swath from State Road 100 to the north, to U.S. 1 to the south, east and south of the city.
Local Governments Ask Court to Dismiss Suit by ‘Disgruntled Citizen’ Challenging Carver Center Agreement
The three local governments and one agency that each have a role in funding or running the Carver Center in South Bunnell have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them filed by what they call a “disgruntled citizen” who doesn’t like the Flagler County Sheriff’s Police Athletic League’s involvement at the center, and who they say has no standing to sue.
Local Firebrand Sues Sheriff, County, Bunnell and School Board Over ‘Illicit’ Carver Center Agreement
Eric Josey, a retired New York cop with a brief, checkered history at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and an often controversial local firebrand in the name of African-American causes, is suing the Sheriff’s Office, the County Commission, the School Board and the city of Bunnell over the four agence’s recent joint agreement in running the Carver Center, also known as Carver Gym, in Bunnell.
The Day Bunnell Shook with Groundbreakings: New City Hall, New Road, New Urban Horizon
Bunnell and Flagler County government held a pair of groundbreakings today to mark the construction of a new Bunnell City Hall and the digging through of the future 1.7-mile Commerce Parkway from State Road 100 to U.S. 1. The opening of Commerce Parkway may re-balance the city geographically and economically, adding a commercial and industrial component to go with the heavy residential development of Grand Reserve to the north.