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.
Economy
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.
2-Hour Parking Limit Downtown Flagler Beach? ‘Great Idea,’ Planning Board Says, Urging City to Act
The Flagler Beach Planning Board embraced an idea proposed by downtown business owners to impose two-hour parking limits in a small area downtown that is typically overrun by people parking for hours at a time, sometimes all day, preventing the sort of turnover traffic that helps businesses thrive. The board is forwarding the proposal to the City Commission and urging it to consider it.
Florida House Speaker Calls for Cutting Sales Tax from 6 to 5.25%, Gutting Revenue by $5 Billion
House Speaker Daniel Perez said Wednesday he wants to lower the state’s sales-tax rate, trimming revenue by almost $5 billion a year. Perez, R-Miami, told House members he has directed Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, to produce a bill next week that would lower the rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.
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.
AdventHealth Palm Coast Earns National Recognition for Senior-Friendly ER
AdventHealth Palm Coast is making emergency care safer and more effective for older adults. The hospital earned the Age-Friendly Emergency Department designation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), recognizing its commitment to meeting the unique needs of seniors.
To Prevent Renewed Wars Over Annexation, Flagler County Will Aim for Joint Planning Group with Cities
Flagler County government is proposing to create a Joint Planning Committee with Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to review all developments and annexations that straddle county-city or city-city boundaries. The committee would be responsible for drafting service agreements defining who will provide law enforcement, fire, water and sewer services and road maintenance. The County Commission is all for it. But getting the cities to sign on to what amounts to more transparent coordination may be a challenge.
The Hidden Epidemic of Violence Against Nurses
An alarming 8 in 10 nurses face violence at work. As a result, health care workers are more than four times as likely to be injured by workplace violence than workers in all other industries combined. Despite these staggering numbers, the full extent of this epidemic may not be fully understood because nurses and other health care workers chronically underreport violent encounters.
A Moratorium Won’t Help the Crappy Utility ITT Left Palm Coast. Painful Rates Might.
There’s no question that water and sewer rates in Palm Coast are among the most expensive in the state. That was true even before the City Council this week approved the sharpest and fastest rate increase in the city’s 25-year history. But neither a building moratorium nor blaming the City Council is a solution for a problem seeded by ITT, the original owner of the utility.
Board Approves New Tattoo Parlor for Palm Coast’s St. Joe Business Center
Tattoo artist and business owner Ryan Sherwood had a much easier time than a self-storage facility when he requested a special exception from the Palm Coast Planning Board to open a new tattoo parlor and art gallery in Unit Seven of the St. Joe Business Center, off Palm Coast Parkway. The board voted unanimously to grant the exception.
New But Familiar Attorney Files for Re-Hearing in Latest Old Dixie Motel Case Twist
Flagler Beach attorney Dennis Bayer is now representing the owners of the dilapidated Old Dixe motel, which Flagler County government has been seeking to have either rehabilitated or demolished. The county was very close to winning an order that would have pushed the building into foreclosure when Bayer stepped in and asked for a re-hearing.
In Rare Rebuke, Palm Coast Planning Board Denies Application for Self-Storage Business on Pine Lakes Parkway
The Palm Coast Planning Board in a 4-2 vote denied an application for an 850-unit, 100,000 square foot self-storage facility on Pine Lakes Parkway, halfway between Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway. The facility would have 26 outdoor recreational vehicle and boat storage spaces. The decision is not final, and may not have been reached within the legally permissible parameters of the Planning Board’s responsibilities.
City Repertory Theatre Takes Trip to Matters of Faith and Race with ‘Violet’ Musical
In “Violet,” a musical that opens Friday at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre, it’s 1964, and Violet is about to travel by bus from her North Carolina home to Tulsa, Okla. The play’s themes are reflected in music that spans gospel, Memphis blues, bluegrass and jazz, with the cast singing to recorded backing tracks. Christian faith is an ongoing theme, as is race, judgment and life’s scars, visible and invisible.
Florida Senate Proposal Would Raise Speed Limits to 75 on Interstates
Highway speeds could increase under a bill that has started moving forward in the state Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging measure (SB 462), filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, that includes boosting the maximum speed on interstates and Florida’s Turnpike from 70 mph to 75 mph.
County’s Kim Carney, Crucial Vote on Sales Tax Proposal, Appears to Waver, Putting Beach Plan at Risk
County Commissioner Kim Carney’s support for the county-wide beach-management plan she endorsed just weeks ago appeared to waver when she raised questions about it at last Monday’s commission meeting, potentially putting the entire plan in jeopardy, especially with an undecided Palm Coast looking on.
10 Years on, Palm Coast Finally Breaks Ground on Nerve-Center Maintenance Facility’s $12 Million 1st Phase
Palm Coast hosted a groundbreaking for what will eventually be a nearly 100-acre maintenance facility gathering public works, stormwater and utility departments in one location off U.S. 1, to the northwest of the city. The $12 million phase is the first of three. The City Council in 2016 set the project in motion, but funding has been a challenge, as has the criticism of the project.
Palm Coast Adopts 31% Water and Sewer Rate Increase Over 3 Years, Scaling Back Spending to $512 Million
The Palm Coast City Council today in a 3-1 vote approved a 31 percent water and sewer rate increase to be phased in five increments through October 2028, and to finance a half-billion-dollar spending plan to improve the city’s utility infrastructure, some of which is overcapacity and outdated. The plan scales back an earlier proposal that would have increased rates 36 percent. The new plan calls for one bond issue of $292 million.
Palm Coast Mayor’s Motion for Construction Moratorium Fails in Face of Builders’ Bulky Show of Force
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.
Ellianos Coffee Finally Opens Palm Coast Drive-Thru on SR100
Ellianos Coffee, the Italian-styled drive-through that seemed to be forever under construction in Flagler Plaza on State Road 100 (between Flagler Dental and Suterra Wellness, the medical pot shop) is finally open. The Southeast-spreading brand announced the opening today in a release. The drive-through serve coffee, energy drinks and a quick-service menu.
Florida Lawmakers Are About to Roll Back Rural Protections in Favor Of Developers. Don’t Let Them.
The Florida Legislature is once again trying to push through legislation that would take away the rights of area citizens and local government to have any voice in the management of rural and agricultural lands. It is crucial that citizens contact their legislative members and demand that these egregious measures be stopped immediately.
None of Florida’s Cities Are Among the Happiest
All the warm weather, vast beaches, travel opportunities and booming business doesn’t seem to provide extraordinary happiness in Florida. A new study by WalletHub, a personal finance company, shows Florida doesn’t have many cities that are among the happiest in America.
Florida Law Banning Kids off Some Social Media Prevails as Judge Refuses to Block It
A federal judge has rejected a request to block a 2024 Florida law aimed at keeping children off some social-media platforms, ruling that industry groups did not show they had legal standing to challenge the measure.
Florida Bill Would Ban Migrant Children Fleeing Abuse Elsewhere From Seeking Residency in Florida
A bill advancing in the Florida Senate would make it harder for children without legal status who are fleeing abuse in their home countries to become permanent residents. That’s because they could lose the assistance of immigration attorneys and advocates, who say that SB 1626 would stop them from applying for immigration relief on behalf of such children.
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.
City Council Cuts City Manager Candidates to 5, But with Sharp Disparities Regarding Most
Shortly before giving applicants yet more reasons to think twice about working here, the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday shortened its list of city manager candidates to five, with one clear front-runner–William Smith, a former county and city manager in Georgia and North Carolina, with vast experience in the field, and the first candidate to get across-the-board top scores from all four council members so far.
Foreclosure Ahead: Judge Orfinger Maps Way for Flagler County Against Old Dixie Motel Owners
Senior Judge Rick Orfinger today directed the attorney representing Flagler County to draft an order that would grant the county’s motion for a final judgment in its favor nearly four years after an obscure partnership bought the property, made a string of empty promises to rebuild it, flouted a court order to put up a bond and ran up $115,000 in contempt fines.
Lawmakers Scheme Toward Paying Less Than Minimum Wage to Workers in ‘Job Training’
The Republican-controlled Commerce and Tourism Committee voted 5-3 along party lines to approve the measure (SB 676), which would provide an exemption to the voter-approved minimum wage when employees are involved in “a structured work-study, internship, pre-apprenticeship program, apprenticeship program or other similar work-based learning opportunity.” The proposal is aimed at helping people gain skills through entry-level work experience, even though the minimum wage is intended for entry-level workers.
“Warbirds Over Flagler” Fly-In Returns to County Airport March 22-23
“Warbirds Over Flagler” at the Flagler Executive Airport returns this year as a two-day warbird fly-in event on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23 to salute all veterans, both past and present. The event will offer thrilling flybys, historic aircraft displays, live music, and more.
AdventHealth’s Creation Life Program Helps Palm Coast Pastor Lose 100 Pounds and Find a New Mission
The Creation Life program at AdventHealth Palm Coast is a faith-based wellness plan emphasizes eight core principles: choice, rest, environment, activity, trust in God, interpersonal relationships, outlook, and nutrition.
Republicans Are Slashing Health Insurance for the Poor to Extent Trump’s Tax Cut for the Rich
The House last week approved a Republican budget plan that could shrink Medicaid spending by $880 billion over 10 years, only partially paying for an extension of expiring tax cuts from President Donald Trump’s first term, plus some new ones he has promised, totaling as much as $4.5 trillion. Providers, patient advocates, disabled people, and family members are furious.
Palm Coast Mayor Norris Calls for Indefinite Building Moratorium Or He’ll Vote No on $614 Million Utility Plan
In a stunning reversal, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris today told his colleagues that he will vote against the utility rate increase and borrowing plan he supported just three days ago unless the city imposes an indefinite building moratorium on residential housing, or “no more approval of any more residential housing, to date uncertain,” as he put it. The revelation drew sharp resistance from Council members Charles Gambaro and Ty Miller, and guarded support–and an alternative path–from Theresa Pontieri, who twice before had called for a moratorium.
Flagler Beach ‘All In’ Behind Sales Tax Increase to Fund Beach Management, But Overcoming Palm Coast Veto Is Key
The Flagler Beach City Commission in a special workshop Thursday gave solid and unanimous backing to county government’s plan to take over preservation and management of the county’s 18 miles of beaches in perpetuity, a plan that depends on raising the sales tax by half a cent and on winning Palm Coast government’s approval. That approval is key, because without it, it amounts to a veto over future comprehensive beach-management.
Palm Coast Announces New Short-Term Rental Registration Requirements
Property owners operating short-term rentals within the city must register their properties annually with both the City of Palm Coast and Flagler County and comply with all applicable regulations. Failure to register may result in a notice of violation and a code board hearing.
Palm Coast Is Not a Business. It’s Not an Army Base. We Need a City Manager, Not a CEO in Fatigues.
The fetish of government as a business has a stranglehold on politicians. The mayor likes to call the city “Palm Coast Inc.” and wants a “CEO” to manage it. The fetish for a manager plucked out of the military is just as brawny. It’s a mistake. It will compound Palm Coast’s problems, which for the most part were not created by management. The city administration, because of its professionalism and deeply credentialed staff, has for years been the last thing standing between chaos and civility, between governing and fiscal, populist irresponsibility. The problem has been misguided policy by undisciplined councils.
Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra to Perform Music of Mendelssohn and Dvorak at March 23 Concert
Composer Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto in E Minor, performed by violinist Olga Kolpakova, will be featured during “Romancing the Strings,” a concert by the Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra. The concert, which is the final performance of Daytona Solisti’s 2025 Winter Festival celebrating the group’s 20th anniversary, also will include Mendelssohn’s lively String Sinfonia No. 2 and Antonin Dvorak’s famous Serenade for Strings, Op. 22.
Defying Science, Florida Lawmakers Prepare to Scrap Later Start Time for High Schools
With school districts across the state expressing support, Florida senators Monday started moving forward with a bill that would repeal requirements aimed at later daily start times in many high schools. Lawmakers in 2023 approved the requirements, citing a need for older students to get more sleep. [The need is supported by extensive research that points to better academic performance and better health.] The requirements are slated to take effect in 2026, but as the deadline has neared, districts have said they are struggling to comply.
Palm Coast Council Approves 36% Water and Sewer Rate Increase by 2027 to Finance $455 Million Infrastructure Loan
The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday approved a controversial plan to raise water and sewer rates 36 percent by October 2027 and borrow $455 million to expand the city’s sewer and freshwater capacity, comply with a state consent order forcing the city’s hand on capital improvements, and assure bond-holders that the city can soundly make good on its financial obligations. Combining water and sewer costs, a household using 4,000 gallons of water per month would see its water and sewer bill go from $90.73 today to $123.46 in October 2027, a difference of $32.73, or $393 per year.
SpaceX Project Confirmed for Space Coast
Approved by Space Florida in December, what has been known as Project Hinton was announced this week as the new Starship operations headquarters for SpaceX. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said billionaire Elon Musk’s company will build launch and landing facilities for the Starship launch vehicle — designed to eventually provide millions of tons of payload to Mars — at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Flagler County Votes to Buy 307 Acres for Conservation for $3 Million in Pringle Forest West of U.S. 1
The Flagler County Commission on Monday approved the $3 million purchase of 307 acres for environmental protection of land west of U.S. 1. The land, owned by Raydient, a subsidiary of Rayonier, the timber company, is part of what’s known as Pringle Creek Forest. The parcels the county is acquiring stretch in an east-west sliver from the northern boundary of the Sawmill Estates subdivision, west of U.S. 1, across the railroad tracks, to a pair of unevenly shaped squares with a huge cavity between them, all the way to the county’s western boundary, not far from Flagler Estates.
Republican Wants to Repeal Law Keeping Public Off Some Beaches
A Panhandle Republican has filed legislation to repeal a controversial 2018 state law that has limited public access to local beaches in the area and prohibited local governments from adopting ordinances to protect customary use. The term “customary use” refers to a general right of the public at large to possess and use certain dry sand areas for recreational purposes. Flagler County has one such ordinance in effect.
4 County Commissioners Endorse Petito Plan to Save Beaches and Launch Public Campaign for Sales Tax Increase
Four county commissioners–Andy Dance, the chair, Greg Hansen, Pam Richardson and Kim Carney–gave their blessing today to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s resolute financial plan to make county government responsible for rebuilding and maintaining all 18 miles of beaches. The commissioners gave Petito their consensus that she may now develop a public campaign to win support. Palm Coast’s support will be crucial. Without it, the plan dies.
Black Hawk Helicopter Repair Company Gets 30-Year Lease in Plant It’ll Build at Flagler Airport
Get ready to see a lot more Black Hawk helicopters flying around Flagler County’s airport in the heart of Palm Coast as a new company moves in, bringing with it almost three dozen jobs. The Flagler County Commission on Monday in a 3-1 vote approved a 30-year lease with Van Damme Helicopters, a company that repairs and repurposes for civilian uses Black Hawks that are no longer used by the military. Commissioner Kim Carney dissented and expressed some reservations.
Man Holding ‘God Bless Homeless Vets’ Sign on Public Sidewalk Outside Funky Pelican Arrested on Armed Trespassing Charge
Jeffrey Marcus Gray, a 55-year-old resident of Forest Court in St. Augustine, was arrested on a felony charge of armed trespassing Sunday morning after he refused to leave the immediate vicinity of the Funky Pelican, the restaurant at the Flagler Beach pier. The pier is public property, as is the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. The restaurant itself leases its space from city government in Flagler Beach. But individuals may be trespassed from public sidewalks or parks or other public property, if not without raising potential legal issues.
Egmont Key, Ground Zero for Sea Level Rise in Florida, Is a Preview for Coastal Communities
Egmont Key is a bellwether, an observable Ground Zero for local sea level rise, our canary in the climate-change coal mine. The island you see today from the top of the Sunshine Skyway bridge is smaller than the island you saw last year. The island you see today is 300 acres smaller than it was in 1898. This may be the future of barrier island communities like Flagler Beach.
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.