The trespassing of Peter Johnson, a former candidate for mayor, underscored what had become an uneasy and contentious relationship between the Palm Coast City Council and FC3, as the Flagler County Cultural Council likes to refer to itself. Palm Coast is requiring more accountability and openness. And it led to an opinion by the county attorney’s office that FC3 should henceforth operate under sunshine, meaning that its meetings must be advertised ahead of time and be open to the public, and that its members refrain from communicating with each other on FC3 business outside of those meetings.
Flagler County Commission
Registration Open for Flagler County’s 2026 Citizens’ Academy, But Class Size Is Limited to 24
Registration is open for the 2026 Flagler County Citizens’ Academy that will be held on Wednesday mornings beginning February 18, and officials invite residents to treat themselves to this enriching educational endeavor. The course is designed to introduce participants to the day-to-day operations of Flagler County government, inclusive of its elected Constitutional Officers.
Would You Favor a Half-Cent Sales Tax Referendum for Beach Protection? Local Governments Consider It.
Representatives of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and the county agreed at a joint meeting of local governments to consider the possibility of adding a referendum to the November 2026 ballot to raise the sales tax by half a cent and use some of the revenue to pay for beach protection.
Flagler Beach and County Hope to End Uncertainty Over Lifeguard Program Now that Tourism Tax Revenue Can Pay Salaries
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.
FEMA Releases $8.8 Million Long Owed Flagler County’s Beaches After a Campaigning Congressman’s Nudge
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) released $8.8 million due Flagler County for the reconstruction of several miles of dunes from Mala Compra Road to Marineland, after additional pressure from U.S. Rep Randy Fine, who cast a campaign appearance in Flagler County Wednesday as a press conference to announce the delivery of the money.
Palm Coast City Council’s Theresa Pontieri Will Run for Greg Hansen’s County Commission Seat
First-term Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri will be running for the County Commission seat Greg Hansen is vacating in 15 months. Pontieri had planned to announce the run this weeek, but U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who’s not known for his political or rhetorical propriety, upstaged her announcement in her presence, on her own turf, at a press conference today.
Flagler County Issues Statement Explaining Letter About New Tax to Be Levied on Barrier Island Property Owners
On Aug. 15, the Flagler County government administration issued a letter to property owners in the unincorporated portion of the barrier island alerting them to a possible special tax the county would be enacting in the future to raise money for beach protection. There would be no levy in 2025-26, but there will likely be one the following year, pending a study. The letter raised concerns among property owners. The county administration today issued a clarifying statement and Q & A.
Flagler County Eyes Land Buy As Jacoby’s JDI Seeks to Offload 35 Acres Previously Slated for Development in Marineland
With Atlanta-based developer Jim Jacoby of JDI Marineland looking to offload properties in Marineland, Flagler County government and three state agencies are working to acquire 35 acres of JDI land in a joint purchase coordinated by the North Florida Land Trust. Flagler County would partner with three state agencies to buy the land, which is zoned for mixed use–housing or commercial. There’s long been rumors and speculation that JDI would build up the place, transforming the character of Marineland.
Commissioner Kim Carney Recasts Decisions in Response to Library Board Chair’s Criticism of Cutbacks
Recasting her decisions in a different light, Flagler County Commissioner Kim Carney Monday took issue with criticism by the chair of the county’s Library Board of Trustees of County Commission decisions about the library system, and about the absence of commission members from Library Board of Trustees meetings all year.
Greg Hansen Will Not Run Again in 2026, Ending Decade of Pragmatism on Flagler County Commission
Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen had somewhat of a surprise for his colleagues and the public at the end of the commission meeting Monday evening: he announced that he will not run again. His term ends in 15 months, and he intends to fulfill it “with a bang.” Then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him the seat in January 2017 following the death of Commissioner Frank Meeker the previous July. As the local political atmosphere got more polarized, Hansen over the years became more pragmatic and moderate.
Flagler County’s and Palm Coast’s Unemployment Rates Hit 4-Year Highs, Housing Inventory at 15-Year High
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July rose to 5 percent, from 4.8 percent the previous month, the highest jobless rate since July 2021, when it was still trending down from the Covid pandemic slowdown. Palm Coast’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent also matches a four-year high. The housing inventory in the county–the number of houses available for sale–hit a 15-year high, according to the latest available figures.
The Truth About Flagler’s Public Libraries: Doing Far More Than You Realize, with Far Less Than Necessary
The Flagler County Public Library system remains one of the most–if not the most–efficient divisions of county government. Even with the staffing necessary at the new Bunnell library come December, the system’s personnel will have grown by just 20 percent in 20 years, while county government grew 37 percent, Palm Coast government grew 49 percent, and the county population grew by 84 percent. For all that, the library system continues to be the target of criticism without context or evidence, when it should be championed.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Raises County’s Hope to Federalize More Beaches and Secure $10 Million for Dune-Rebuild
If U.S. Rep. Randy Fine kept at arm’s length Palm Coast officials’ hopes for federal financial help with the city’s utility infrastructure on Wednesday, he left county officials much more hopeful that he will help them with beach-management and beach-funding possibilities. The county had two major asks. Fine said he’d help with both: clearing $10 million in FEMA money due from Hurricane Milton, and moving forward on a $4 million study, the first step in federalizing the rest of the county’s beaches.
With Cuts at Palm Coast Branch, County Pledges to Revisit Library Budget 3 Months After Bunnell Branch Opens
With Palm Coast officials worried that a planned 23 percent cut in library hours and a significant cut in staffing at the Palm Coast branch will hurt patrons and programming once the Bunnell branch opens in December, Flagler County officials are pledging that staffing will be adjusted next spring should usage figures show a need.
County and Palm Coast ‘Task Force’ Will Explore Cost of Animal Shelter Separate from Flagler Humane Society
Even as they compulsively speak of “DOGE”-dictated government efficiency and stress over limited budgets, Flagler County and Palm Coast’s governments are setting up a joint task force to study the possibility of building or operating a multi-million animal shelter separate from the Flagler Humane Society, which since 1982 been the only full-service animal shelter in the county.
Flagler County Government Favors Merging Animal Control with Palm Coast, Ending Humane Society Contract
Flagler County government is working toward consolidating animal control services with those of Palm Coast. That would sever the county’s $300,000 contract with the Flagler Humane Society, which currently provides those services to the county. The Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council in a joint meeting on Wednesday did not make a decision to that end, but agreed by consensus to draft a joint agreement (or ILA, an interlocal agreement) that would define the scope and cost of the services Palm Coast would provide.
Flagler Commission Ratifies $195,000-a-Year, Open-Ended Contract with County Attorney Michael Rodriguez
The Flagler County Commission unanimously approved an open-ended contract with Michael Rodriguez, the county attorney replacing Al Hadeed starting Aug. 11. One commissioner had a few quibbles but there were no changes to document Rodriguez negotiated with the administration. The commission voted to hire Rodriguez on July 17.
County’s Greg Hansen Accuses Kim Carney of ‘Sabotaging’ Beach Protection Plan; She Accuses Staff of Stumbling
What started as a position statement on beach policy quickly degenerated into accusations–Commissioner Kim Carney accusing the administration of inaction, Commissioner Greg Hansen accusing Carney of “sabotage,” Commissioner Pam Richardson accusing Hansen of making things up (he wasn’t). The discussion uncovered the rifts that led to the collapse of the commission’s long-term beach-management plan, and the county with few options ahead and underscored the inescapable: Flagler County and its cities have no plan to save their beaches beyond a cluster of temporary and thinly funded stopgaps.
County Attorney Al Hadeed, Now a Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy, Is Regaled Into Retirement
The sheriff’s naming of County Attorney Al Hadeed an honorary sheriff’s deputy was among the surprises at Hadeed’s retirement party Thursday evening at the Government Services Building. There were numerous local tributes, a proclamation, the dedication of a bench in Hadeed’s name at Princess Place Preserve, recognitions wrapped in gifts and held-back tears and choked-up memories and overhead screens projecting a lifetime of pictures.
Flagler Turtle Patrol and County Fire Rescue Save 5 Hatchlings on A1A
Five leatherback sea turtle hatchlings are in the care of Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience following their harrowing journey across State Road A1A near Beverly Beach and became trapped in two storm drains at the Oceanside Condominiums.
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 County Cancels ‘Boots on the Ground’ Line Dancing Event at 11th Hour as Sheriff Blasts Permitting Flop
Flagler County government ordered the permit for a “Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition” revoked on Friday, cancelling the event 24 hours before it was scheduled to start. The county did so after the organizer of the event “engaged in serial misrepresentation of the event, continually contradicted by his social media promotion,” according to the email by the deputy county administrator.
Flagler County’s Industrial Development Authority Holds Inaugural Meeting and Has Its 1st Interested Client
The Flagler County Industrial Development Authority Board met for the first time today to learn its purpose and limitations as an advisory board to the County Commission. The authority’s primary responsibility is to recommend the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to industry or developers as a spur to economic development. To the group’s happy surprise, its first interested parties were in the slim audience of three: RJ Santore and Rick Gil of Ralph Santore & Sons, the pyrotechnics manufacturer in West Flagler.
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.
County Commission Chair Andy Dance Elected to 2 State Executive Committees, Amplifying Flagler’s Voice
Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance was elected to the Executive Committee of the Small County Coalition of Florida (SCCF) to represent Region 3, and elected to the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) to represent District 7.
Flagler Commission Hires Michael Rodriguez Its Next County Attorney as Al Hadeed Era Closes
The Flagler County Commission Thursday evening voted unanimously to hire Michael Rodriguez, a lawyer with 28 years’ experience, much of it in local government, as its next county attorney, replacing Al Hadeed, who retires in two weeks. The unanimous vote masked reluctance among some commissioners to immediately make the choice, which was made more by default than by acclamation.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Rising Again 2 Years After Demolition as County Secures Leaseholder for New Restaurant
Two years after Flagler County’s Bull Creek Fish Camp was torn down following severe damage from Hurricane Nicole, a nearly 5,000-square-foot building is rising in its place and will be leased to a west Flagler family that will run a restaurant there again. The Flagler County Commission tentatively agreed to leasing the property–which has yet to be built up–to Jessica Norton-Henry and the mother-son team of Pamela White and Joshua White.
Flagler County ‘Awards of Excellence’ for Podcast Series and Writing
Flagler County is the recipient of three National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) “Awards of Excellence,” in the category Audiovisual Podcast Series for the county’s new podcast called Flagler in Focus and two writing features. NACIO, which is an active affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo), made the presentations July 14 during its annual conference in Philadelphia that the county attended virtually.
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.
Sean Moylan Withdraws from Contending for County Attorney, Citing Divided Commission; 2 Applicants Left
In a letter remarkable for its grace and sense of service, Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan on Monday night told Flagler County commissioners he was withdrawing from contention to replace Al Hadeed as the county attorney. He said he “did not did not want my candidacy or appointment to foster division on the commission.” That leaves just two candidates in the running: Marsha Segal-George and Michael Rodriguez. The County Commission interviews them July 15. Scott McHenry had also been short-listed. He withdrew.
More Tension and Frustration Than Answers as County Seeks to Break Off Animal Control from Flagler Humane Society
Flagler County government is estimating that if it were to run its own animal control operation, separate from the Flagler Humane Society, it would cost taxpayers $420,000 in the first year and an average of $333,000 a year. County Commissioner Kim Carney says the numbers are not believable and are designed to set up the proposal for failure. Commissioner Leann Pennington, who is also interested in breaking away, is displeased with the slow pace of moving that way, despite the commission’s direction to its administration to have a plan fleshed out before the next one-year contract with the society runs out.
Palm Coast Library Hours Will Be Cut 23% and Staff Reduced, Shifting Resources to New Nexus Center in Bunnell
The Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast will see a sharp, 23 percent reduction in hours of operation–from 52 to 40 hours a week–and a significant reduction in staffing as the new south side library, known as the Nexus Center, opens later this year, itself with slightly fewer staff than originally planned. Each library will be closed two days a week. For the Palm Coast branch, that means no more Monday hours. It’s been closed on Sunday.
County Administrator Asks Constitutionals to Cut Cost-of-Living Raises from 4% to 2% to Close $2.2 Million Gap
Facing a $2.2 million deficit in next year’s budget Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito is asking the county’s five constitutional officers to consider reducing what had been a proposed 4 percent cost-of-living pay increase to 2 percent, a reduction that would all but erase the gap. Most of the constitutional officers are willing to work with the county toward that end, with caveats. The constitutionals include Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Sheriff Rick Staly, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart, and Tax Collector Shelly Edmonson.
Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan’s Lock on Job to Succeed Hadeed Looks Anything But Certain
A divide over the hiring of the next county attorney is becoming clearer between Flagler County commissioners, making Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan’s prospects to get the job, so bright a few months ago, somewhat less than a lock as two commissioners didn’t shortlist him for public interviews on July 15, though they did not foreclose on his chances, either.
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Awarded State Association Honor for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Local Government Law’
A month from retirement after a career spanning four decades as county attorney for Flagler County government, Al Hadeed on Thursday received the Gordon Johnson Award “for his distinguished service to Flagler County and outstanding contributions to local government law in the State of Florida.” Hadeed received the award during the Florida Association of County Attorneys’ annual two-day continuing legal education seminar in Orlando. The association president prized Hadeed’s institutional memory and his mentorship of younger attorneys.
A Commissioner Is Surprised That Closing Palm Coast Library Is Among Options After Questioning Need for 2 Branches
With County Commissioner Pam Richardson questioning the necessity of one library and Commissioner Kim Carney questioning its staffing requirements, the future of Flagler County’s two county libraries is uncertain. The Palm Coast library isn’t going away, and the new South Side library, called the Nexus Center, will open later this summer. But how either will be managed is unsettled in a way that the local library system hasn’t ever been before, with Richardson at one point ready to stop construction on the new building and Carney promising not to add a single employee to staff it.
Commissioners Punt on Appointing Sean Moylan Interim County Attorney in Motion That Possibly Violates Sunshine
The Flagler County Commission on Monday voted 4-1 to delay considering appointing Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan the interim county attorney, and required each of its members to submit three candidates’ names to the administration’s human resources department by July 14 for consideration for the position. The motion was vague, leaving it to HR possibly to rank the candidates outside of a meeting. That would be a violation of the sunshine law.
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.
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.
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.
Facing $3 Million Deficit, Flagler County Asks Sheriff, Court Clerk and Other Constitutionals for Doge-Like Cuts
The Flagler County Commission must close a $2.9 million deficit as it prepares a $150 million 2026 budget that goes in effect on Oct. 1. The county and its five constitutional officers are projecting a 10.7 percent growth in their collective budgets, from $137.2 million this year to a requested $151.9 million. Projected revenue will grow by 9.6 percent, or $11.8 million. But that is not enough to fully cover the gap.
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 County Will Buy 5.2-Acre Parcel on Intracoastal North of Hammock Dune Bridge for Preservation as Parkland
The Flagler County Commission this morning approved the purchase for up to $1.9 million of 5.2 acres of scrub land fronting the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Coast, immediately north of the Hammock Dunes bridge, for perpetual preservation and possible transformation into a park. County officials say the price is worth the future preservation of a prime piece of land in an area prone to high-density development. The parcel is not isolated, but would become part of Palm Coast’s network of connected trails and parks.
Canal Capacity Expansion Project on Flagler County’s West Side Will Be Completed by July 4
What started with cleaning the box culvert at the intersection of county roads 302 and 65 – just a small piece of the project – on the last day of March and scheduled for completion of the Canal Capacity Expansion Project on September 22, is now looking like everything will be finished before the Fourth of July.
Flagler County’s Beach-Saving Plan All But Killed by Opposition to Sales Tax Increase Despite Last-Minute Switch
Flagler County’s long-debated $114 million beach-management plan looked all but dead at the end of a contentious two-hour meeting of the County Commission Monday, with only two commissioners willing to support an increase in the half-cent sales tax to fund the plan. The commission needs four votes to enact the higher tax. At the last minute, and after at times angrily denouncing the information the administration has provided her–and not provided her–Commissioner Kim Carney said she would support the tax. But the switch may be short-lived.
With New Cat-5 Resistant Roof, Flagler’s Emergency Management Prepares for Hurricane Season of 13 to 19 Named Storms
Aside from his annual briefing on the coming hurricane season’s 13 to 19 named storms, Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said the county’s Emergency Operations Center now has an $830,000 roof that can resist 180 miles per hour winds, his department is just one of six certified departments ou of the state’s 67 counties, and a new, $10 million stand-alone emergency shelter is scheduled to be completed at the county fairgrounds by next summer.