State law changed in July to allow counties to use tourism sales surtax revenue to pay for lifeguards. That’s good news for Flagler Beach: last month Flagler County said it was ending the annual contribution that paid for half the city’s lifeguard personnel costs. The county backed down after an outcry from Flagler Beach and from some of its own county commissioners, but only to extend the payment–$106,000 this year–one more year. That left future funding in doubt. That doubt may be removed if tourism tax revenue is used.
Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach City Attorney Recommends New Ordinance Limiting Trespassing Authority in Public Spaces
Flagler Beach’s city attorney is recommending that the city adopt an ordinance clarifying when, where and why police may trespass an individual from public property, on the very rare occasions when they may, how much restraint police must exercise when interfering with a person’s speech (a lot), and what due process must be afforded the individual targeted.
Trespassing Persons on Public Property and Best Practices Dealing with Protestors: Flagler Beach City Attorney’s Memo
The full text of the memo written by Flagler Beach City Attorney Drew Smith and attorney Abby Osborne-Liborioon on Aug.6, in response to Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney’s request for clarity on the city’s authority to trespass individuals from public spaces.
Flagler Beach Officer Who Wrongfully Arrested Man Outside Funky Pelican Will Serve 3 Days’ Suspension
An independent investigation of Flagler Beach Police Sgt. Austin Yelvington found him to have violated the city’s arrest procedures last March when he arrested a man who stood outside the Funky Pelican restaurant at the pier, holding a sign supporting homeless veterans. Yelvington is to serve a three-day suspension without pay. The other Flagler Beach police officer involved in the arrest, Emmett Luttrell, was found to have followed procedures and was not penalized.
Two Turtle Nests Halt Flagler Beach Pier Construction Until September as Workarounds Prove Impractical
The Flagler Beach pier demolition and reconstruction project is coming to a halt next Wednesday. Two new turtle nests burrowed in the path of the large trestle under construction are stopping work on the $16 million project. It will resume in about two months, after the turtles have hatched. The due date for the newest turtle nest is not before Sept. 10.
Citing Costs, Flagler Beach Commissioners Reject Design of New ‘Beachwalk’ on and Around Pier for 2nd Time in 4 Weeks
The design of a new “Beachwalk” and “Promenade” beneath and around the Flagler Beach pier drew raves from city commissioners. But what started as a $1.5 million project has ballooned to at least $2.8 million, with several design elements that were not part of the original concept as commissioners understood it, including a covered portion of the 4,200-square-foot promenade. Commissioners have tabled the project and asked for a third redesign.
A Perplexed Flagler Beach Hears Vague County ‘Options’ to Pay for Beach Protection After Sales Tax Plan Collapse
Kim Carney, the county commissioner who played a significant role in defeating the proposed sales tax increase to finance a comprehensive beach-protection plan, went to the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday with five options from which the city could choose to protect its own beach. Four of the options would require Flagler Beach to impose a new tax or fee on its residents. The fifth would have the city supporting a 2026 referendum to raise the sales tax–the very option the County Commission could have approved, and that Carney opposed.
Flagler Beach Will Consider Moving Its Elections to Even Years to Save Money, and Alter Commissioners’ Terms
Flagler Beach will consider moving its elections from March every year to November, coinciding with general and presidential election cycles. Commissioners’ three-year terms would have to revert to two years, as had been the case two decades ago, or go to four-year terms. The change, suggested as a discussion point by City Clerk Penny Overstreet Thursday evening, would potentially save the city $18,000 per election.
Flagler Beach Pier Contractor Strikes Power Line, Causing Minor Fire and Shutting Down Funky Pelican and Surf 97.3 Radio
For the third time in two months in Flagler Beach a contractor struck an underground utility line today, this time near the Flagler Beach pier, causing triggering a fire, shutting down traffic on State Road A1A, and cutting off power to both the Funky Pelican and Surf 97.3, Flagler Beach’s radio station, which operates from the pier.
Any Hope of Stricter Development Regulations in Palm Coast, Bunnell or Flagler County ‘Dead in the Water’ Until 2027
Forget a building moratorium of any kind. A For the next three years, something closer to a moratorium on regulations is in effect in Flagler County, its cities and across Florida, thanks to a provision in a new state law–what emerged from the Legislature as Senate Bill 180–that local governments are only now beginning to understand. The law ties the hands of local land use regulators, prohibiting any “burdensome” restrictions on developers, while giving anyone the right to sue a local government that appears to violate the law.
Mary Ethel Matson, September 29, 1943-July 17, 2025
Mary Ethel Matson, 81, who spent many of her final years in Flagler Beach, passed away on the 17th day of July, 2025, at Azalea Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care in Tallahassee, Fla., after an extended period of illness. Mary was an elementary school teacher for seven years before transitioning to work in the family construction business for over 20 years. Survivors include her husband, Edward Matson of Flagler Beach.
County Money for Flagler Beach’s Lifeguards Survives for One More Year After Outcry
To Flagler Beach’s relief, the Flagler County Commission today agreed to reverse course from a plan to eliminate paying for half the salaries of Flagler Beach’s lifeguards, as the county has been doing for years. The commission agreed to the one-year extension of what will be a $106,000 payment even as it directed County Administrator Heidi Petito to continue talking with the city to prepare it for an end to the county subsidy. The decision today was part of a budget overview as Petito presented the tentative budget for next year.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 4-1 to Start Negotiating Sale of Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Residents Skeptical
To more skepticism than support from residents, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to enter into negotiations to sell its chronically ramshackle 37-acre Ocean Palm Golf Club to Jeff Ryan, who has held the property’s lease for over a year and a half. If the course is sold, there’s no guarantee against a future commission approving the land for development. It would only take a unanimous vote of the commission to do so.
Pier Construction Update: Parking Zone for 3 Blocks around the Pier Will Be Eliminated
The $16 million demolition and reconstruction of the Flagler Beach Pier into an 800-foot concrete structure began in July 2025. The following construction update, provided by Flagler Beach government’s Katherine Monroy, outlines the construction activity and potential disruptions to drivers and pedestrians in the coming week.
Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
Following up on an announcement Wednesday by Google that it would be building a transatlantic cable and land it in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Flagler County for the first time this week disclosed what has been reported since last August–that a company would build a large data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But the two governments’ releases provided more boasts than information.
Flagler Beach Exploring Allowance for Backyard Chickens, With Caution Against Turning Island Into Kauai
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur is interested in allowing residents to raise chickens in their backyards, similarly to Palm Coast, where the city just adopted a pilot program to that effect. Flagler Beach Commission Chair James Sherman is “open to it.” The allowance would mirror regulations in other cities.
Stunning Flagler Beach, County Plans to End Paying Its Half of Lifeguard Costs, Endangering Program’s Future
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Peito wants to end the county’s annual grant to Flagler Beach that for years has paid for half the cost of the city’s lifeguard program. Without that money, the city may have to either shrink its 15-block zone of lifeguard-covered shoreline or space out its lifeguard towers further, increasing response times in drowning or distress incidents. At least one city commissioner is questioning whether the city could keep financing the program on its own.
Flagler Beach Commissioners Blister Design for New A-Frame and Boardwalk as ‘Expensive Gingerbread’
Flagler Beach’s planned reconstruction of the A-Frame and boardwalk at the pier is now estimated to cost $3 million, up $300,000 from last year. And city commissioners are not too thrilled about the too-fancy architectural design. Not at all–especially proposed changes to the A-frame and shell-like exteriors to a new building’s facade. They killed both proposals, among others they panned, opting for simpler looks that preserve what they see as old charms. They directed their designer to return later this summer with a significantly revised plan.
Fast times at Flagler Beach for DJ Vern’s Cherry Drops as Hall of Fame Inductees Take Over Pier for Music Video
Flagler Beach’s Vern Shank, also known as DJ Vern, whose band The Cherry Drops was inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame last year, is bringing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Robert Romanus to shoot a new music video on the Flagler Beach Pier this weekend, “I Dedicate This Song to You.” The new video is just part of what are heady times for Shank and the Cherry Drops, keeping Flagler Beach in the limelight.
Leaseholder Issues Letter of Intent to Buy Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Without Accountable Milestones City Expected
The leaseholders of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club in Flagler Beach on Friday submitted a brief letter of intent to buy the 37-acre property on South Central Avenue that the city bought at auction for $490,000 12 years ago. The City Commission was expecting the letter. But it was also expecting the leaseholder to show how he would meet a set of milestones to prove that he’s capable of fulfilling his promises of turning the property into a functioning, attractive golf course. Those milestones were not in the letter.
Plan to Save the Beaches Still Elusive With No Solid Alternative to Sales Tax, But Commissioners Agree to Keep Talking
Flagler County commissioners agree that the county’s beach-management plan must include all 18 miles of beach, and do not dispute its $120 million cost over the next six years. As accomplishments, that was no small thing today for the issue that has most vexed and divided the commission’s five members. But with three commissioners still opposed to increasing the county sales tax, a funding plan remains elusive. Without it, the rest is moot as a viable beach well into the future.
Four ‘No Kings’ Protests of Trump’s Authoritarian Swerve Draw Upward of 1,000 in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach
Demonstrators by the hundreds in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach this morning peacefully but loudly, festively and–for Flagler County–massively transformed major intersections, a bridge overpass and a 1,000-ft. stretch of State Road 100 in Palm Coast into the largest anti-Trump protests to date. The size of the protests surprised even organizers and frequent participants, two of whom, after attending every protest this year on State Road 100, said today’s was more than double any previous one.
As Pier Construction Begins in Flagler Beach, Major Changes to Pedestrians, Traffic, Boardwalk, Parking and Beach Access
Significant restrictions to beach-goers, pedestrians, boardwalk buffs and parking are about to change the complexion of two and a half blocks near the Flagler Beach pier as its demolition begins in coming days and for the next year and a half. Here’s a rundown.
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.
Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
Flagler County Commissioners Pam Richardson and Kim Carney are sacrificing our beaches to an ideological fantasy. They are opposing an increase in the half-cent sales tax that would fund beach protection, claiming there are alternatives. They have not offered a single viable proposal, preventing the enactment of a beach management plan. Their poorly informed obstructionism only ensures accelerated erosion and a shorter lifespan for the beaches–and the barrier island.
1.3-Mile Sea Wall at South End of Flagler Complete But for Turtle Nest’s Delay, Giving A1A ‘Highest Protection’
In time for hurricane season projected to spin 13 to 19 named storms, the 1.3-mile seawall at the south end of Flagler County is complete but for a 50-foot stretch–delayed because of a turtle nest. An equally long sea wall 6 miles south, in Volusia County, will be completed by early fall, with a cover of vegetation completed by year’s end. The combined $117 million Florida Department of Transportation projects were financed mostly with federal money. DOT built them after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole again severely damaged State Road A1A south of the pier.
County Kills Half-Cent Sales Tax for Beaches as It Seeks Mystery ‘Alternatives’ to Save 18 Miles of Shoreline
The half-cent sales tax increase the county administration proposed to pay for the long-term management and preservation of Flagler County’s 18 miles of beaches died today after weeks of comatose uncertainty. Commissioners Kim Carney and Pam Richardson summarily killed it. The 18-mile beach-management plan itself may not be dead. At least the sales tax’s executioners don’t think it is. Carney moved for the commission to workshop a deep dive into the management and funding plan with alternatives to the sales tax that would generate the $12 million a year necessary to pay for beach maintenance.
Flagler Beach Secures All FEMA Funds for New Pier, Construction of $14 Million Replacement Begins June 16
Flagler Beach today secured $10 million from FEMA in addition to the $4.5 million awarded by the state for the reconstruction of an 800-foot concrete pier. The city announced that the demolition of the old pier will begin June 16. The late Larry Newsom, the former city manager, first sought FEMA funds after the pier was damaged by Hurricane Matthew. It has been damaged much more since, and closed since October 2022.
Flagler Beach’s Farmers Market Will Move to South 2nd Street by City Hall After Losing Wickline Park
The Flagler Beach farmers market that’s jazzed up the grounds of the Wickline Center off South Daytona Avenue since 2022 will have a new home after July 4: along South 2nd Street between State Road A1A and South Central Avenue, in front of City Hall. The city nudged the market out of Wickline Park where it had been operating since 2022, after complaints about the misuse of the park. The new location will significantly improve visibility for the market, which is run by Flagler Strong, a nonprofit.
Flagler Beach Centennial Community Dinner’s Ticket Deadline Is Friday
Flagler Beach continues to host a series of monthly events to mark its centennial, highlighted by a 300-seat Community Dinner at Veterans Park that will be catered by 15 city restaurants, but tickets are limited and the deadline to buy them is Friday.
Margaritaville’s Compass Hotel in Flagler Beach Opens in Buffett-Themed Celebration of a Downtown Remade
“Total excitement. Fantastic. Finally.” With those words, Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King summed up the response to today’s opening of the 100-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville in the heart of Flagler Beach, more than half a century after its three-story predecessor in the same spot closed its door on its last guest. The $27 million project includes a pair of bars and restaurants totaling 240 seats and employs some 80 people, most from Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.
Flagler County Clears Construction of 124 Single-Family Houses at Veranda Bay in Latest Phases of 453-Unit Development
The Flagler County Commission approved Monday the final plat for 124 single-family house lots at Veranda Bay near Flagler Beach, the last two of six phases totaling 335 houses in the development along John Anderson Highway, which was permitted for 453 housing units in 2020. Veranda Bay’s ultimate plan is for 2,400 housing units and annexation into Flagler Beach. That plan is on a hiatus.
Dog Surfing Hilarity Conquers Flagler Beach as Chi-weenie, Corgis and Costumes Thrill to 4th Hang 8 Extravaganza
The Hang 8 Dog Surfing and Costume Contest returned to Flagler Beach for its fourth edition Saturday with a few repeat winners as the six-hour event south of the pier combined hilarity with humane causes against a picture-perfect backdrop of blue skies, blue oceans and gentle waves perfectly calibrated to surfing paws. Hang 8 was conceived by Suzie Johnston and Eric Cooley four years ago, becoming a signature event for Flagler Beach since.
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach Launches Life-Saving ‘Drown Zero’ Initiative
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is announced the launch of Drown Zero, a life-saving initiative designed to help prevent drowning incidents in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach Will Crack Down on Contractors Trashing the City and Flouting Rules at Residents’ Expense
Flagler Beach commissioners want to crack down on contractors who are trashing the city, not respecting its rules or its residents, and leaving behind messes without being accountable. Commissioners are asking for stepped-up enforcement–either through a new ordinance or through the building official, who can issue stop-work orders if contractors continue to break rules.
Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King Questions Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s ‘Authenticity’ on Beach Plan
Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King said Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris told her on May 9 several times that “he is all in agreement with the beach management plan as it’s been proposed.” If so, that would represent a significant shift for Norris and a boost for the county’s plan, which has been losing support from its own county commissioners. But King was quick to add: “I’m a little concerned about the authenticity” of the mayor’s statement, a reflection of Norris’s mercurial, unpredictable behavior in the past few weeks.
Flagler Beach Will Consider Selling Ocean Palm Golf Club to Leaseholder, With Conditional Milestones
The Flagler Beach City Commission gave the leaseholder of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club a month to submit a proposal to buy the 37-acre property, paired with a capital improvement plan. If there is to be a sale, it would be conditional on Jeff Ryan, the leaseholder, meeting a series of milestones to prove that he is capable of securing the money necessary to do the work, and to do the work to the high standard he is promising. Those milestones will have to be negotiated.
Metronet Contractor Punctures Flagler Beach Water Main for 2nd Time in 24 Hours, Again Affecting City’s Water
A contractor for the high-speed internet company Metronet whose boring machine punctured Flagler Beach’s main water line Wednesday morning, cutting off water to the city, did so again this morning, 100 yards west of yesterday’s mistake. The puncture again sent potable water gushing into a ditch, forcing the city to shut down service to enable repairs.
Broadband Company’s Contractor Severs Flagler Beach’s Main Water Line on SR100, Cutting Off City’s Supply
A contractor laying down broadband cables for Metronet, the Evansville, Ind.-based high-speed internet company, struck Flagler Beach’s main water line on State Road 100 late this morning, cutting off supply to the city.
Sales Tax Proposal to Protect Flagler’s Beaches Takes Another Lashing as Commissioners Talk Referendum and Other Alternatives
Flagler County’s $114 million beach management plan is looking like a sand castle on the county’s critically eroded shore, and the water is rising. The Flagler County Commission today could not give its administration–or itself–anywhere near the clear direction needed to forge ahead with a plan every one of its five members agrees is critically needed. Three commissioners find the plan’s revenue formula problematic. The workshop ended with deeper uncertainty as commissioners gave their administration direction to produce yet more alternatives.
Flagler Beach Reels at Death of SunBros Café Owner Travis Sundell, 49, ‘Passionate Part of What Makes This Town Special’
Travis Gene Sundell, the 49-year-old owner and operator, with his wife Leigh Ann, of SunBros Café in the heart of Flagler Beach since 2021, died Friday. Family, friends, neighbors and regular patrons of the restaurant and bar, which one regular compared to “Cheers” for its friendliness, were reeling at the unexpected announcement this weekend. Sundell died from from an aortic aneurysm.
Stephen Cox, 15-Year Veteran of Flagler Beach Fire Department and Leader Before His Time, Is Named City’s Fire Chief
Stephen Cox, a nearly 15-year veteran of the Flagler Beach Fire Department who’s long represented its new generation, was appointed its fire chief earlier this month, from a pool of 15 candidates. He replaces Bobby Pace, who’d retired in February from the post he’d held for 12 years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flagler Beach Quietly Signs On to Agreement with ICE, Deputizing Local Cops for Immigration Enforcement
Without discussion or mention of the agreement, the Flagler Beach City Commission last Thursday signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to deputize some of its police officers to enforce federal immigration laws.
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.
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.