A special House committee will begin hearings this week to consider possible alternatives for asking Florida voters to cut property taxes. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Tuesday announced the creation of a select committee to look at potential property-tax changes that could go before voters in November 2026. The full House would take up the issue at the start of the 2026 legislative session in January.
Economy
Palm Coast Absent as Ground Breaks on $11.2 Million General Aviation Building at Flagler County Airport
Eight years after it was conceived–and at almost three times its original cost–the future 15,000 square foot general aviations building at Flagler County Executive Airport finally got its ground ceremonially broken this morning before dozens of local officials and spectators. The $11.2 million building is financed by a $5.6 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, a $5 million appropriation from the legislature, and $620,000 in local airport funds.
Florida Lawmakers Look to Increase Tax-Dollar Shift to Charter Schools
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving forward with a series of proposals that would help charter schools, while Democrats argue the measures would chip away at traditional public schools. At least five bills have passed the House or the Senate that could help lead to more charter schools, bolster charter school facilities and, at least in some cases, ensure charter schools get a cut of local tax dollars.
Possible Sale of Flagler Beach’s Golf Course Again Raises Public Concerns, as Does ‘Horrendous’ State of Greens
Even as it has received appraisals for the property, the Flagler Beach City Commission again said last Thursday that whatever may or may not happen with Ocean Palm Golf Club, the nine-hole course at the south end of town, is in the earliest stages. Talk of its sale and a conceptual site plan for a 30,000 square-foot building there are all preliminary. Residents who neighbor the course raised doubts again at the meeting, suggesting that the plan is further along than the city claims, and that a workshop is in order. They also complained about the course’s current condition.
Florida House Votes to Scrap Work Limits for Older Teens But Ban STI Treatment Without Parental Consent
Although older teens could work unlimited hours, they wouldn’t be able to get treatment for sexually transmitted infections on their own under two bills the Florida House approved Friday. House lawmakers voted on party lines both to require parental consent for health care providers to treat minors with STIs and to let 16- and 17-year-olds work full-time hours during the school year without their parents’ permission.
Flagler’s Sam Greco Votes with House Majority to Eliminate Local Tourism Councils and Use Bed Tax Revenue to Cut Property Tax
A House measure passed Friday would have potentially damaging consequences for Flagler County tourism promotion, beach protection and beach management. The proposal would eliminate all local tourist development councils and use all but 25 percent of the revenue from the tourism sales surtax to offset property tax reductions.
Bill to Lower Minimum Wage in Florida Dies
Senate President Ben Albritton said a controversial bill that sought to pay some workers below the minimum wage is dead. “To tell you the truth, I think if somebody works, whether they’re being an apprentice or whatever, minimum wage is actually in the Constitution for a reason,” Albritton told reporters.
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s Choice: Change Conduct or Become Irrelevant
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris doesn’t have to change his politics. But if he is to be a relevant mayor rather than an isolated nobody on the council for the next four years, he should change his conduct. He would benefit from giving his Napoleonic ego a four-year sabbatical and from giving up the illusion that his power is more than one-fifth of the council’s, that his word is law, or that the mayor’s position is defined by authority more than ceremony. He has plenty of time to rescue his mayorship. The council would be his first ally. So would the administration. He doesn’t seem interested.
House Panel Drops Investigation of Casey DeSantis Charity That Funneled $10 Million to Political Committees
After weeks of investigation, a state House leader said Thursday his panel is halting a probe into a foundation linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida. Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, spent weeks scrutinizing the foundation’s receipt of $10 million as part of a $67 million legal settlement that Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid managed-care company, reached last fall with the Agency for Health Care Administration, then redistributing the $10 million to two anti-pot political committees.
Senate Moves To Restore ‘Customary Use’ Access of Private Beaches By Public, Repealing 2018 Law
Amid noisy battles in Walton County about beach access, the Florida Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would repeal a controversial 2018 law about “customary use” of beaches.
In Somewhat of a Setback for County’s Beach Plan, Tourism Council Awards Only Half the Money Asked
The county’s own Tourist Development Council on Wednesday rejected a request for roughly $2.6 million over the next three years to help with reconstruction of the county’s beaches and the county’s ambitious $120 million beach-management plan. Instead, the council voted to award half that amount, or roughly $1.3 million, depending on what the tourism sales surtax generates. The county may still apply for TDC grants to make up the difference.
Timing of YMCA’s $16 Million Facility in Palm Coast May Hinge on City and School Board Cash Contributions
The Volusia Flagler YMCA is prepared to build a $16 million, 44,000-square-foot YMCA in Palm Coast’s Town Center with a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool. But the organization is asking Palm Coast government for $3 million, and to take over management of the city’s Aquatic Center, known as Freida Zamba pool. The Y is also asking the Flagler County School Board for $3 million, which the board will see as a very heavy lift, and will be approaching the county with a similar request. The Y’s Palm Coast project does not appear to be contingent on the government’s cash contributions, but its immediacy will be.
Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course: Palm Coast Will Seek Buyer for City’s Deficit-Prone ‘Gem’
Possibly ending the city’s 17-year ownership of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the Palm Coast City Council will look for a buyer for the 137-acre course and backyard to hundreds of properties in the C-Section. The request for proposal will include the condition that the land remain a golf course in perpetuity. The council is framing the initiative as an “option” and as information-gathering rather than an absolute commitment to sell. But it would also be the first time in the course’s history that the city has taken this step.
Independent Investigation Sustains Accusations of Interference and Hostility By Mayor Norris, Suggesting Malfeasance
Raising the possibility of malfeasance, an independent investigation sustained allegations that Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris violated the charter by interfering with city management and calling for the resignation of City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo. The findings go much further, drawing the portrait of a mayor at times unhinged with hostility, rudeness, foul language, misplaced humor and demeaning statements, revealing “a pattern of inappropriate conduct and unprofessional behavior” that undermines Palm Coast’s government “and creates a hostile work environment for city employees.”
Flagler County Prepares to Rebuild 5.5 Miles of Beach for $36 Million North of Pier Even as Long-Term Plan Is In Doubt
Flagler County government revealed a plan to rebuild–or renourish–between 5.5 and 7 miles of beach north and south of the area the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt last year, for $36 to $40 million, starting as early as October. State and federal grants are in hand to pay for the project. But a majority of county commissioners are reluctant to ensure that the renourishing is not wasted–as it will be if it is not followed by subsequent renourishments. That majority appears unwilling to support a long-term financing plan for all 18 miles of beach.
Modest Surplus Projection at Palm Harbor Golf May Temper Pressure on Palm Coast to Sell or Change Course
The Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Department is expecting to almost break even this year and to generate a $93,000 surplus next year at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club. By the city’s estimate, the surplus would decline if the city were to take over course maintenance from a private contractor. Both findings, to be presented to the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday, relieve pressure on the city and the council to end general fund subsidies to the golf club, let alone sell it. At least for now.
Oops: Palm Coast Sends Out 13,000 Outdated Utility Bills
A vendor working for Palm Coast government inadvertently issued 13,000 erroneous utility bills to city customers last week, the result of a software update. The city is asking recipients–residents or businesses–to ignore the bills which carry no payable balance anyway.
Landing Strip Restaurant (Former Hijackers) Prepares to Re-Open May 1
After nearly 300 days of being grounded, The Landing Strip Tavern is officially ready for takeoff. The restaurant is inviting the public and local media for the grand re-opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.. Doors open for business at 11:00 a.m.
Flagler County Unemployment Dips Back to 4.1%, But Inventory of Single-Family Houses Rises to 13-Year High
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell back to 4.1 percent, from 6.6 percent the previous month, according to figures released by the state Department of Commerce this morning. The rates are not seasonally adjusted. But the county’s housing inventory continues to rise, and is now at its highest level in 13 years, and rising.
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.
Palm Coast YMCA With Olympic Swimming Pool Planned for Town Center
A long-awaited YMCA in Palm Coast’s Town Center will be an arrestingly built 44,000 square-foot, two-level facility with a wellness center, a spin room, a fitness room, a gym with three volleyball courts and an outdoor Olympic swimming pool, among other amenities. The swimming pool will have 18 to 21 lanes and a zero-entry section allowing for a sloped walk into the water, without stairs or ladders. The indoor facility will include a child care center. The plans are brimming, and the YMCA is “ready to get started right away.”
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.
9-Month, $6.67 Million Reconstruction of Whiteview Parkway Will Add Turn Lanes and Alter Median
Whiteview Parkway is about to be a construction zone for the next nine months. It will also be unrecognizable along most of its 3.4 miles as crews begin the reconstruction and repaving of the road, adding numerous turn lanes, eliminating or changing the look of the median, and extending the foot path the entire length of the road, from Belle Terre Parkway to U.S. 1.
Florida Senate Proposes Tax Cuts Nearing $2 Billion Instead of House’s $5 Billion Sales Tax Cut
The Senate on Monday released a ratcheted-up package of proposed tax cuts, as it prepares for negotiations with the House, which has pitched a $5.43 billion measure that includes reducing the state’s sales-tax rate. The Senate Finance and Tax Committee is scheduled Tuesday to take up the Senate bill (SPB 7034), which would reduce revenue by $1.83 billion next fiscal year.
In Flagler Beach, a $140,000 Mobility Study Suggests Transportation Fees Won’t Be Just About Cars Anymore
The Flagler Beach City Commission approved a $140,000 appropriation for a “mobility study,” an essential step before the city can impose a transportation “mobility fee.” It is no longer called a transportation impact fee, because a “mobility” fee’s purpose is broader. It’s not just about adding lanes and sidewalks anymore, or simply increasing road capacity for cars and trucks. It’s about making even existing roads flow better, or examining parking concepts, or taking account of pedestrians, bicyclists, even water taxis.
Clothing Under $75 May Get Permanent Sales Tax Exemption
Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support during a Thursday press conference for Senate President Ben Albritton’s plan to permanently exempt sales taxes on all clothing worth $75 or less. DeSantis said he agreed with a narrower sales tax cut over Perez’s plan to permanently cut sales taxes by .75%, which is estimated to lower tax collections by $5 billion.
‘Enough Is Enough’: An Open Letter to Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris
Aghast at Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s paranoid and accusatory performance at the State of the City Address this week, a resident asks the mayor for a reckoning with himself–whether he is truly up to the job of serving the community to the best of his ability, to do so within the requirements of the city charter, and to bear the title of mayor honorably and responsibly.
Flagler Beach May Sell Ocean Palm Golf Course, Where Owner Plans Building the Size of Palm Coast City Hall
Flagler Beach government is considering selling the 40-acre, nine-hole Ocean Palm Golf Course at the south end of town to Jeff Ryan’s KTS Holdings, the current leaseholder of the property. Ryan would sign a deed restriction that would ensure the grounds remain a golf course in perpetuity. But Ryan is proposing to build a two-story, 30,000-square foot clubhouse and restaurant (the footprint would be 15,000 square feet, the building height 30 feet). The existing clubhouse is a one-story 1,560 square foot building built in 1961.
Flagler Beach Gets Its First Glimpse at App-Based Paid Parking, and Guardedly Likes What It Sees
The Flagler Beach City Commission got its first glimpse at an app-based paid-parking system for the city this afternoon from Passport Parking, a company with more than 800 clients across the country. The commission was non-committal, but most Flagler Beach residents who spoke approved of the plan, some guardedly, some enthusiastically–as long as the plan exempts Flagler Beach residents from paying–and some, disbelieving in a parking problem, opposed.
Lessons from Palm Coast’s Fuel Dump Folly
The push for building the ill-fated Belvedere Terminals fuel dump in Palm Coast was tied to a series of myths: that somehow Palm Coast’s overwhelmingly residential tax base is unsustainable. That its tax burden is lopsidedly on residential homes. That commercial and industrial development lowers property taxes. The premises are taken as gospel in this county and never tested. Not one of them is true.
Bill Changing Gulf of Mexico’s Name in All Florida Documents and Textbooks Goes to DeSantis
The Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that would change dozens of state laws to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of America. The Senate also gave a final sign-off to a bill that would require the name change to start being reflected in materials at state agencies and schools.
At Ralph Carter Park, Thousands of Children’s Sports Will Not Be Curbed Just to Benefit Few Homeowners, Council Says
After hearing a resident complain about noise and light–a resident familiar to every council member who’s served since 2009–Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro Tuesday evening got the presentation he requested on Ralph Carter Park. It did not go as he expected. The park’s popularity is too broad, the complaints about it too finite, to justify dimming the park’s operations in response to a handful of complaints, if that.
Dallas String Quartet Unleashes Bach ’n’ Roll Classical Crossover at Palm Coast Concert
The Dallas String Quartet has continued to invigorate the so-called “classical crossover” genre with seven albums that find them infusing elements from Bach, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius and other classical composers into their arrangements of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and “Thunderstruck,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and many more. They’re in concert at the Flagler Auditorium,/Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center Friday.
County Buys Into $110 Million Speculative Sports Complex Palm Coast Voters Rejected in November
The Flagler County Commission signaled it was happily turning to an untested and financially risky public-private partnership with a company that would build a $110 million sports complex (in Palm Coast) in exchange for $6 million a year “lease payments” from the county. It is the same complex and concept that was behind Palm Coast voters’ rejection of a referendum last November.
Three County Commissioners Now Opposed to Sales Tax for Beach Management, Putting County Plan in Doubt
Just as Palm Coast and Bunnell had been increasingly coaxed to support the county, a majority of county commissioners–Leann Pennington, Kim Carney and Pam Richardson–spoke in opposition to a sales tax increase to support a comprehensive beach-management plan. Without that increase, the plan Petito devised to rebuild and manage all 18 miles of the county’s beaches would collapse, and with it any hope of continuing the beach renourishment the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started in Flagler Beach.
Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Appears Dead as Palm Coast Mayor Norris Pulls His Support, Joining Council Skeptics
The proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast appears to be dead. In an email to City Manager Lauren Johnston on Friday, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris pulled his support without equivocation, joining three council members who are extremely skeptical of the proposal. Belvedere couldn’t afford to lose Norris’s support. Until then, the mayor had been the company’s champion in the city.
Proposed Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 Draws More Fire as Public Urges County to Reject Palm Coast Location
Already bruised by mounting opposition since it was announced almost two weeks ago, Palm Coast and Flagler County governments’ proposal to buy 78 acres for a 12.6-million gallon fuel farm off U.S. 1 took more fire today, this time at the County Commission, even though the county last week pulled the proposal from today’s agenda. Numerous residents, all opposed to the fuel farm at the U.S. 1 location, addressed the commission, but commissioners themselves raised sharp questions about the plan, adding to its uncertain future.
Team Wins $4,000 in MedNexus Challenge on ‘Becoming a Mental Health Influencer’
Bright minds, bold ideas, and a passion for mental health advocacy took center stage at the 2025 MedNexus Innovation Challenge, held April 3 at the Palm Coast Community Center. This year’s theme, “Becoming a Mental Health Influencer,” invited students to explore how social media can be used for positive change in adolescent mental health.
Palm Coast Approves Final Step for 489 New Houses, 147 of Them Near Proposed Fuel Depot
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved final plats for three residential subdivisions at three of the four cardinal points of the city (north, west, south) totaling 489 single-family houses. Of these house, 147 are to be built on land adjacent to an industrial tract slated for a massive fuel depot.
County Pulls Massive US1 Fuel Depot from Consideration for Now as ‘Pause’ Gives Palm Coast Time to Study Options
The Flagler County Commission was set next Monday to approve a $10 million state grant to buy a 78-acre parcel off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast for a planned fuel depot and rail head. The county administration pulled the item from the agenda after the Palm Coast City Council opted to look for a different location in response to mounting public opposition to the plan. The pause is also a reflection of deepening skepticism among elected officials about a plan that was barely vetted before it was sprung on them just weeks ago.
‘Ritz Carlton Residences’ Will Add 128 Condo Units in Two Towers At Hammock Dunes (not Palm Coast)
Two condominium towers of 64 condos each will rise at Hammock Dunes, to be called the Ritz-Carlton residences, the belated culmination of a project initially approved by the Flagler County Commission in 2006 and still awaiting its final plat. The development will add to half a dozen existing and similar condominium towers at Hammock Dunes. But contrary to a report in the News-Journal, Palm Coast is not involved.
Florida House Committee Approves Sales Tax Cut to 5.25% But Eliminates Tax ‘Holidays’
For the first time in 16 years, the state wouldn’t offer sales-tax “holidays” under a House proposal that calls for an overall cut in sales taxes. The House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a $5.43 billion package dominated by House Speaker Daniel Perez’ proposal to lower the state’s sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.
Trump Targets China, U.S. Allies and Others with Sweeping and Steep New Tariffs
The president unveiled a baseline 10% levy on all international imports, plus what he described as additional “kind” and “discounted” tariff rates that will increase but not match the rates other countries apply to American imports. The levies, effective at midnight, will hit U.S. industries from agriculture to manufacturing to fashion. U.S. tariffs will reach 34% on imports from China, 46% on products from Vietnam and 20% on European Union imports, including beer and wine.
Palm Coast Council Seeks Analysis to Move Proposed Fuel Farm Off U.S. 1 as Opposition Builds Fast
The proposed 12.6 million-gallon gas and diesel depot on U.S. 1 has quickly gone from an economic development triumph, as Palm Coast and county officials described it last week, to a political liability fueled by public opposition spreading at the speed of a wildfire. On Tuesday, the Palm Coast City Council agreed to seek an analysis to determine whether there’s an alternative location better suited to the depot, a planned $75 million facility to be built by a start-up, Belvedere Terminals, with no track record in the industry.
Flagler Beach Ends Debate on Annexation with Final Approval of Measure Scrapping 5% Rule
The Flagler Beach City Commission approved on a 4-1 vote and on final reading the repeal of a decades-old rule that required the city to hold a referendum any time it would annex more than 5 percent of its geographic area in a given year. The repeal was precipitated last year by the city’s interest in annexing Veranda Bay, the huge development along John Anderson Highway that would more than double the city’s population when built out.
Owners Demolish Old Dixie Hotel a Few Weeks from Deadline, Ending Years of Litigation
The Old Dixie motel is coming down. What used to be the Country Hearth Inn, what rapidly became an eyesore after it closed in 2008, then a battleground between Flagler County government and two sets of owners, was being demolished today, making one legal case moot and all but ending the second. The attorney for the property owners says something will be built there, but it’s not yet clear what.
Three Palm Coast Council Members Return from Tallahassee With Some Hope for City’s Utility Needs
Three of the Palm Coast City Council’s four members–Theresa Pontieri, Charles Gambaro and Ty Miller–returned from a lobbying trip to Tallahassee last week with some potential successes to help pay for the city’s utility-infrastructure needs despite legislative appropriations far more constrained than they’d been the previous two years.
Palm Coast Songwriters Festival Set for April 30
Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches, the City of Palm Coast and the Flagler County Cultural Council are teaming up to kick off the 2025 Palm Coast Songwriters Festival – and celebrate the grand reopening of Daytona State College’s Flagler/Palm Coast Campus Amphitheater – with a special charity show on Wednesday, April 30.
Company Will Build Massive Fuel Depot and Distribution Plant at Rail Spur Off Peavy Grade in Palm Coast
Belvedere Terminals, a start-up company developing a new gas and diesel distribution network by rail, will build a fuel depot and distribution plant on a 78-acre site on Palm Coast’s Peavy Grade, next to the city’s Water Treatment Plant 3 off U.S. 1. The company intends to start operations in late 2026 at a plant with half dozen fuel tanks with a total capacity of 300,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel storage, or 12.6 million gallons–the equivalent of 17 water towers like Palm Coast’s off I-95.
Florida Unemployment Rate Rises to 3.6%, Flagler’s to 4.6% as State Revises Labor Force Numbers Upward
The Florida Department of Commerce on Friday said the unemployment rate increased from 3.5 percent in January to 3.6 percent in February. Florida had a 3.4 percent jobless rate in December. The unemployment rate in Flagler County jumped to 4.6 percent after the Department of Commerce revised figures substantially–adding several thousand people to Flagler County’s labor force.