The public got its first chance to weigh in on Palm Coast’s $200 million seawater desalination project. Opinions were not friendly, and concerns over environmental issues specific.
Real Estate & Development
In Your Backyard: Public Discussion on Where to Plunk Desalination Plant Wednesday
The $200 million, Palm Coast-led desalination project is holding an open house and public comment period on the project’s location beginning at 6 p.m. at the Whitney Laboratory in Marineland on March 9.
Familiar Slogans and More Familiar Questions as 2-Day Economic Development Summit Ends
It was left up to Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon to remind the assembled that slogans don’t make economic development policy, and unity of message is still far from a given in a county with diverse interests and constituencies.
Marineland’s Future: Dividends in Waiting After Acquisition by Georgia Aquarium
David Kimmel, President of the Georgia Aquarium, the new owner of Marineland’s dolphin attraction, and others assess the future of the marriage between town and attraction.
Impact Fee Challenges in Florida: Legislature Moving to Neutralize Local Governments
Local governments are challenging a 2009 law they consider an unfunded mandate that shifts the burden of proof from developers to governments in impact fee challenges. In a boon for developers, lawmakers are rewriting the law to make it challenge-proof.
Flagler Beach and Willing Investor Still Not Moored to New Pier Restaurant Lease
Raymond Barshay and Flagler Beach Commissioners are at odds over the fate of the bait and tackle shop, which has been attached to the Pier Restaurant. They’re at odds over several other issues. But they’re still talking.
Done Deal: City Picks Architecture Firm, Advertises Construction For New City Hall
City council members, including Mayor Netts, insist that until they have a signed contract, nothing is a go. Netts is still waiting for hard data from City Manager Jim Landon justifying the new building.
Palm Coast Largely Rejects County’s Economic Development Track, Including New Tax
Ahead of Jan. 31’s countywide summit on economic development, Palm Coast is saying no to a new sales tax, no to a common pot that limits Palm Coast’s influence, and no to a new economic development council.
Bunnell’s Central Commerce Park Finally Breaks Ground, With an Order of Wendy’s
A new Wendy’s restaurant in April will be the first business at Flagler Central Commerce Park in Bunnell, a 1 million square foot commercial development seven years in the works. So far, no other business has signed up.
Postcard-Size Economic Development: Palm Coast’s Plea to Absentee Property Owners
The city administration is planning to send postcards to owners of some 18,000 empty lots and 5,400 empty homes as a step to reviving the real estate market, though the city’s development policy is at cross-purposes with filling those empty lots.
Negotiations Over New Pier Restaurant Lease Crawl Between Nods and Deal-Breakers
A marathon negotiating session over a new Pier Restaurant lease between the Flagler Beach City Commission and restaurateur Raymond Barshay left several issues unsettled.
Greasy Spoon No More? Flagler Beach Ready to Negotiate New Lease for Pier Restaurant
A year of indecision later, Flagler Beach city commissioners will discuss a 31-year lease with Ormond Beach restaurant owner Raymond Barshay at a special meeting of the commission on Dec. 22.
Trial May Settle Ginn-County Dispute Over Towering Condo at Hammock Dunes
Neighbors and the county strenuously objected to Ginn-Lubert-Adler’s proposal to build a massive, 561-unit condo-hotel on the beach at the end of 16th Road, even after the developer scaled back the proposal to 289 units.
Deceptive Calm: Flagler and Florida Spared 3rd-Busiest Hurricane Season on Record
The calm is deceptive: Florida has done nothing to reduce its colossal property-insurance exposure. To the contrary. Builders are increasingly encouraged to build anywhere to reverse the effects of the real estate crash.
Wrongful Foreclosure: What You Need To Know
Banks and foreclosure defense attorneys disagree on whether errors in the process have caused wrongful foreclosures — but their definitions of what constitutes a “wrongful foreclosure” differ.
20 Years On, With $1.17 Million Pay-off, County Approves Hunter’s Ridge Megadevelopment
The 3-2 vote clears the way for yet another development, this one for 2,302 houses and 600,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space, in a county facing a potential for 40,000 new homes despite a depressed real estate industry.
Delinquent on Taxes and Other Dues, Hunter’s Ridge Development Wants More Favors
Three years in arrears on taxes and delinquent on $4.5 million it owes the county for a golf course it never built, Hunter’s Ridge now wants to almost double its density to 2,657 homes. Commissioners are puzzled.
Lowe’s Ups Drywall Settlement to $100,000 Per Victim, Closing Gap With Lawyer Payouts
The home-improvement Lowe’s chain had previously offered no more than $4,500 in cash and gift cards to victims whose health or homes were hurt by defective drywalls bought from Lowe’s stores, and much more to lawyers. The new agreement evens out the potential payments.
Builders on Amendment 4: Bad for Jobs, Economic Growth and Democracy
Charles Rinek, president of the Flagler Home Builders Association, outlines the many reasons why Amendment 4 — the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment — will undermine the state’s economy and democratic process.
Why You Won’t Have to Leave Your Foreclosed House (If You have a Good Lawyer)
Some banks are still insisting that their errors are minor and foreclosures will continue, but what they say publicly and do privately are two different things.
“Economic Development” Tax Dies: Enterprise Flagler Wants It Removed from the Ballot
Enterprise Flagler will ask the county commission to ensure that the voting on the troubled tax not be counted. Plan B: a sales tax proposal.
Census: Flagler’s Population Stalls at 91,600; 28% of Housing Units Vacant; Poverty Rising
The 2009 population figures mean that Flagler will almost certainly not cross into six-figure territory when decennial census figures are announced. Figures on housing, income, poverty and insurance were also released.
Income, Employment and Labor Data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 Census Bureau Community Survey
Detailed, charted table of the Census Bureau’s employment, income and labor data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 American Community Survey.
From Beirut to Bulldog Drive: Palm Coast’s Uncivil War Over Gus Ajram’s Property Rights
From escaping Lebanon’s civil war to building automotive businesses in New York and Edgewater, Gus Ajram never expected his biggest battle to be over his property rights in Palm Coast.
The Live Wire, Sept. 28: War Crimes, Pill Mills, Confederates and God
US soldiers as murderers, Florida pill mills poisoning the South, Bertrand Russell on God, tales from Fatland, folding up the Confederacy, and more.
County’s $3.5 Million Gamble on Pellicer Flats Raids Credibility of Land Program
Tobin, an expert on the Ginn Co.’s shredding history in the county, outlines three reasons why the county commission’s $3.5 million Pellicer Flats land buy was risky, reckless gamble.
From “Wall Street” to Sequel, a Sentimental Oliver Stone Manages a Ménage à Trois
Oliver Stone’s new “Wall Street” is worth the ride, but it’s less caffeinated than the original, and Stone gives in to sentimentalism and nostalgia where polemic serves him better.
Existing Home Sales Edge Up 5.2% in South, But Still at 15-Year Low
Existing home sales rebounded as expected from a severe plunge in July, but not by much, and the large housing supply will keep prices falling.
Palm Coast Will Condemn Private Properties, Muscling Through Bulldog Drive Beautification
Invoking eminent domain is Palm Coast’s latest plan of attack against an immigrant business owner who refuses to sell his parcels at the city’s price.
City OKs Hospital Growth—and Exceptions to Height, Density But Not Sign Rules
In risky allowances by the Palm Coast City Council, Florida Hospital Flagler got almost everything it asked for, opening the way for other businesses to demand the same sort of land-use exceptions.
Town Center CRA: How Palm Coast Invented “Blightness” to Capture and Hoard Tax Revenue
In 2004, Palm Coast declared 3,000 acres of scrub and pine forest “blighted” and in need of “redevelopment.” The Town Center “Community Redevelopment Agency” was born.
Its Initiative in Flames, Enterprise Flagler Hands Tax-and-Build Plan’s Fate to Tea Party
The Flagler County Tea Party Group will hold a straw ballot on Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build “economic development” initiative on Sept. 21. Enterprise Flagler may then ask the county commission to pull the measure from the ballot.
Hometown Democracy and Class-Size Amendments Spark Up Civic Association Forum
The Flagler Palm Coast Civic Association’s forum featured contrasting views on ballot proposals that would affect class sizes, development laws, and two local taxes.
Memo To Enterprise Flagler: Why Your Tax Plan Is Fumbling (and What To Do About It)
From its message to its messenger, Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build plan is facing obstacles and unanswered questions of its own making. It may be too late to reverse opposition, but not too late to do the right thing.
North By Northwest: State Rejects Palm Coast’s Sprawling Growth Horizon
While the state approved of Palm Coast’s plans to develop the Bulow Creek area, it rejected the city’s planned expansion to its west and northwest, calling it unneeded and fraught with sprawl.
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 4: Wins and Losses
Part 4 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word.
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 3: Details and Talking Points
Part 3 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word: Details and Talking Points of the what and where. (Flagler’s New Game Plan)
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 2: The FAQ
Part 2 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word: FAQ (Flagler’s New Game Plan)
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan Revealed: How They’ll Seek Your Vote
The 4,200-word plan is presented here uncut, providing readers with a first, comprehensive look at how Enterprise Flagler will sell its tax plan to subsidize private industrial incentives at public expense.
Sneak Preview of Enterprise Flagler’s Economic Tax “Game Plan”: More Details, More Questions
Enterprise Flagler’s “new game plan” seeks to win over voters for a new property tax in exchange for the promise of new industry and more jobs. The plan is more projections than details.
Commission Money Race: Mori Hosseini and Other Developers Bankrolling Abbott’s Bid
Volusia, St. Johns and Jacksonville development firms account for all but about $1,000 of Bob Abbott’s campaign funds. Nate McLaughlin’s are more grass roots based.
More Beds, More Buildings, More Doctors: Hospital Campus Plans for Doubling Capacity
The 100-acre campus along SR100 will eventually have a new hospital tower to accommodate an extra 100 beds, several additional buildings and, soon, a trail system.
Experts: Argue All You Want, Mosque Project Is on Firm Legal Ground
Whatever its detractors say, the project to build a 15-story Islamic center, including a mosque, near Ground Zero has the law, including a particular GOP law, unquestionably on its side.
Outlining Achievements, Enterprise Flagler Tells Palm Coast City Council: We Matter
The economic development agency’s list included achievements that weren’t quite its own while Director Greg Rawls remained cagey regarding the new tax the agency is proposing.
Innovative Garden Hose Start-Up Swells Flagler Hopes for Economic Revival at the Airport
MH Operations proposes to manufacture an expanding and retracting hose few will resist, and do so from a county airport, where it would create 125 jobs.
Flagler Beach Developer John Boback Arrested on $410,000 Theft Charge
Boback took the money from a Marco Island investor to build what was going to be a professional complex on A1A. The complex never went up.
Water Wars Redux: Homeowners Sue
Palm Coast Over Annexation Bullying
Palm Coast is forcing Palm Coast Plantation property owners to sign annexation agreements in exchange for water and sewer services. The owners say Palm Coast is breaking the law.
Council Slams Enterprise Flagler’s Camouflage, Casting Doubt on “Development” Tax
The economic development agency that devours taxpayer dollars year after year hasn’t produced a report in years showing what it’s accomplished. Elected officials are tiring of the mystery.
Scammed Into a Lease and Facing Eviction While the Accused Realtor Lives Nearby
A renter faces her fourth foreclosure-driven eviction in a year as local Realtors are struck with what appears to be a rogue Realtor’s rental scam in Palm Coast’s R Section.
Bunnell City Administration Will Occupy County Offices Rent-Free Through 2012
Bunnell will continue occupying a suite of county offices valued at $3,000 a month even though the old city hall is livable.