In a busy pair of meetings today, the Flagler County Commission got closer to buying a new emergency helicopter, set the maximum tax rate for next year, and set proposed rates that would increase garbage pick-up costs by 45 percent.
Flagler County Commission
Flagler County Library’s Budget, Hours and Staffing Shrunk as Population Increased 25%
Flagler County’s population has increased 25 percent since 2010, but the budget of the county library has shrunk 3 percent when adjusted for inflation, the library’s hours have been cut, it’s lost staffing and its materials budget has declined.
County’s Heidi Petito Gets Strong to Glowing Evaluations, at Least From Those Turned In
County Administrator Heidi Petito got glowing evaluations from Commissioners Greg Hansen and Dave Sullivan, and a less glowing but strong one from Andy Dance. Donald O’Brien didn’t bother turning one in, and Leann Pennington wasn’t allowed to fill one out, being told that the evaluation window didn’t coincide with her tenure on the commission.
Daylong July 4 Celebration in Flagler Beach, Then Fireworks at County Airport
Independence Day celebrations on July 4 will be a cross-county affair, stretching from Flagler Beach with the parade and daylong events there, then shifting to the county airport for evening ceremonies and the fireworks over the runways. Parking options are detailed.
On EVs, Palm Coast and Flagler County Choose Backwardness
Flagler County, this self-deluded mecca of economic development, is not only an electric vehicle charging station desert. It is actually hostile to electric vehicles. It is sending a loud and shrill message to tourists and forward-looking businesses and the residents they’d bring along: we like to fossilize. Progress is elsewhere.
Strip Mall Will End Matanzas Shores’ Shop-Free Days, and There’s Nothing Residents Can Do About It
Matanzas Shores will soon lose its distinction as an upscale community free of shops, restaurants and the traffic that goes with it all as a developer is about to build a strip mall on 2.25 acres at the southwest corner of State Road A1A and San Carlos Drive.
Flagler Beach Achieves One Goal in Meeting With Other Governments: Agreement that the City Needs Help
Flagler Beach convinced other cities and the county in a joint meeting this evening that it cannot contend with the ongoing onslaught of visitors alone, and only in Flagler Beach, when the county has plenty of unused beaches and cities can contribute other strategies.
$5 Million for Fire Station 22 Vetoed, But Palm Coast Still Nets Historic $55 Million Haul from Legislature
Palm Coast is focusing on the positive: scoring $54.6 million out of $59.6 million in legislative requests, not including more than $1 million to be earmarked for a new YMCA in the city.
Ed Danko Announces Run for County Commission, Setting Up Primary Against George Hanns
His third year on the Palm Coast City Council not yet completed, the peripatetic and willfully controversial Ed Danko today announced a run for a County Commission seat in the 2024 election, setting up a primary contest against former Commissioner George Hanns.
Two Elections and ‘Record’ Flagler Voter Registrations Adds Costs to Elections Supervisor’s Budget
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart told the County Commission this morning that the presidential year’s two elections, a record rate of voter registration, inflation and a spate of new legal requirements are adding costs to her office’s budget, which she presented to the county at a workshop.
Flagler Sheriff Requests 12.2% Budget Increase and 5 New Deputies from County as Constitutionals Submit Proposals
All constitutional officers’ budgets will be reviewed by the County Commission Monday. The sheriff’s budget, the largest constitutional portion in the county budget, would include funding for five new deputies, increasing retirement costs, union-negotiated pay increases and a 5.3 percent across-the-board cost of living pay increase.
Palm Coast and County Snub Role in EV Charging Stations In Shocking Rebuff to a Green Energy Grant
Partisanship, misinformation, false assumptions and free-market ideology all played a role in Palm Coast and county government rejecting a partnership in what would have been a potential $15 million federal grant to build electric vehicle charging stations at various public locations in cities and the county.
County All But Derides Flagler Beach’s Plea for Financial Aid to Manage Visitors’ Impact
Flagler Beach government has invited the county and cities to a joint meeting on June 21 where Flagler Beach will make a plea for more money to manage visitors’ impacts on its beaches and infrastructure. But the city’s invitation got a cold and at times nearly derisive reception from the County Commission.
Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
Property values didn’t rise as sharply this year as they did in 2022. But the increase is still the second-highest in 16 years, generating substantial new revenue for local government budgets.
Captain’s BBQ Trial Delayed to February as Both Sides Ask for More Time
The two sides asked for the delay jointly, but not necessarily because a resolution is pending. Rather, each side still has adversarial motions that have yet to be heard in court. Captain’s is also attempting to bring the county back to the mediation table. The county had been resisting. A trial would have been premature, the two sides agreed. The judge granted the delay two weeks ago.
Federal Judge Signs Order Releasing Flagler County Dunes Easement It Sought for 3 Years
A federal judge late this afternoon signed the order approving a settlement agreement between the county and Cynthia d’Angiolini, who for three years had held out from signing an easement that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild 2.6 miles of dunes south of the Flagler Beach pier.
240-Unit Apartment Complex Planned Next to BJ’s Wholesale Club on State Road 100 in Palm Coast
The Flagler County Commission Monday evening unanimously approved rezoning 28 acres just east of what will be the BJ’s Wholesale Club shopping center, clearing the way for an eight-building, 240-apartment complex called Republic Palm Coast there.
Haircuts and 10,000 Pounds of Food: Flagler Spring Fling Outreach Delivers to 90 Families
Flagler County Health and Human Services Department delivered up social services agencies and associated vendors at its May ‘Flagler Spring Fling Outreach’ that, in turn, provided haircuts, meaningful information, and 10,000 pounds of food.
Flagler County Works with Agencies for Larger Combined Dunes Project from Pier to Gamble Rogers
Flagler County Engineering has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Transportation to combine two projects to expedite restoration of a larger section of dunes south of the Pier in a more cost-effective manner.
Flagler’s Vacation-Rental Regulations Again Survive at Last Minute as Lawmakers End Session
For the ninth year running, local regulations of short-term vacation rentals in Flagler County and across the survived a legislative attempt at dilution and pre-emption by the state, though it came down to a last-minute escape as lawmakers finalized a $117 billion budget and ended the session.
YMCA, 3 Fire Stations, Road Projects: Palm Coast and Flagler Stand to Gain Nearly $100 Million From State
Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell may be at the receiving end of the largest appropriations of state dollars for local special projects, by far, in the county’s history–nearly $100 million for roads, fire stations, pier reconstruction, water projects, a substance abuse facility and other, smaller projects, according to the $116 billion budget the Florida House and Senate published Tuesday.
Beach Front Grill Owner Buying High Jackers Restaurant at County Airport Just As He Tees Off at Palm Harbor
Jamie Bourdeau, owner of Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach and Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Club in Palm Coast, is buying High Jackers Restaurant at the Flagler County airport from Gail Holt for $700,000 and assuming the lease at the county-owned property for the next eight years, with an option to renew for another 10. He is partnering with Joseph Wright, owner of Quantum Electrical Contractors and Anthony’s Pizza.
County Plan to Move Whispering Meadows Equine Therapy Ranch to Fairgrounds Collapses as State Says No
The state has rejected Flagler County government’s plan to move the Whispering Meadows Ranch–the equine therapy non-profit–to the county fairgrounds, saying it would privatize public land. The rejection is the latest setback in the ranch’s two-year effort to leave its John Anderson Highway property, where it has operated for 16 years, until neighbors started objecting to its presence.
With Travis Hutson Cheering, Bill Upending Flagler’s Vacation-Rental Controls Clears Last Hurdle Before Vote
The success of the vacation-rental bill sharply scaling back local regulation this year is a blow to Flagler County government, which was a leader in pushing for the 2014 regulations providing for local control, and has pushed back against attempts to weaken them since. The Flagler County Commission made preserving the 2014 law a legislative priority every year since.
Splitting from Palm Coast, Flagler County Stays With Waste Pro, at Rates 65% Higher Than 2017 Contract
After the County Commission signed on to a five-year contract valued at around $3 million annually, Waste Pro will remain unincorporated Flagler County’s trash hauler, but not Palm Coast’s, where FCC Environmental will be the trash hauler starting June 1. Waste Pro had picked up Palm Coast’s trash for the previous 16 years.
Dune Hold-Out Signed Documents Today After 3 Years, Clearing Beach Reconstruction
Less than two weeks from a scheduled trial date, Flagler Beach resident Cynthia d’Angiolini this afternoon signed the two easements the county has been seeking for three years and that will allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild and maintain 2.6 miles of dunes south of the pier, unimpeded, for the next half century.
George Hanns, Defeated in 2016 After 24 Years, Plans Another Run for County Commission
George Hanns had served 24 years as a Flagler County Commissioner when he lost in 2016. He wants another run at it, this time as a Republican vying for the seat Donald O’Brien is vacating, and that Palm Coast Council member Ed Danko plans a run for.
Proposed 16-Home Beachside Development South of Surf Club Troubles Residents and the County
Solitude at Matanzas Shores would be built on just under 4 acres of beachside land across from the Lakeside and Las Casitas developments, on State Road A1A. County commissioners are leery, and leaning against approving allowing 16 single-family homes there.
A1A Protection Plan in Flagler Will Rely on Beach Renourishment, and a Sea Wall at South End
The state Department of Transportation’s much-anticipated plan to protect State Road A1A will mostly rely on existing plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild 2.6 miles of beach and dunes south of the pier, plans by Flagler County to rebuild beaches north and south of that stretch, and a DOT secant wall along the shore straddling the Flagler-Volusia county line.
County Approves Spending Extra $500,000 for ‘Gem of a Site’ as Future Visitor Center on SR100
Flagler County’s future visitor center got its biggest boost today on two grounds: The County Commission all but approved locating the center on State Road 100, next to the future pedestrian bridge and heritage trail. And it approved contributing an additional $500,000 as a local match for a hoped-for $8 million federal grant to build the center.
Staffing Pressures Reduce Flagler Public Library Hours from 57 to 52 a Week
The Flagler County Public Library on Palm Coast Parkway will be open for five fewer hours starting April 3, as weekly total hours will fall from 57 to 52, with a more simplified schedule.
Varn Park Will Close for 3 Months as It Turns Into Latest Dune-Rebuilding Staging Area
Varn Park will be closed beginning March 27 for about three months as Flagler County undertakes two emergency sand operations – the first in Painters Hill and Beverly Beach, and the second north through the park into the Hammock Dunes Homeowners Association property.
Battle Over Vacation Rentals Resumes as Flagler Resists Lesser Regulation for 9th Year
For nine years, vacation-rental regulations in Flagler County have survived unscathed even as the short-term rental industry continues to grow in popularity and clout. Each year, local officials fear that era of local control may be over, as lawmakers attempt to pass de-regulation bills. This year is no different.
Commissioners Blame ‘Bad Planning’ as Cost to Replace Jail Security System Triples in Months
The Flagler County jail’s surveillance system, including 149 cameras, is not yet seven years old. It’s failing. The Flagler County Commission–the jail’s landlord–is having to replace it for $1.6 million, just months after the county administration told commissioners that it would cost only $500,000.
Stony Silence as Commission Proclaims Flagler Reads Together and Book-Banning Title
A rather joyless Flagler County Commission designated March as “Flagler Reads Together” month as the Friends of the Library chose Celeste Ng’s “Our Missing Hearts,” a novel of a dystopian America that bans books and represses minorities, as its chosen title.
Flagler County’s Emergency Management Team Makes Its Mark at State Association
Flagler County’s Emergency Management team made its mark last week at the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association’s (FEPA) Annual Meeting.
‘Absolutely No Excuse’: County Blasts Old Dixie Motel Owners and Will Again Seek Demolition
After trying for six years to have the derelict motel on Old Dixie Highway rehabilitated, Flagler County officials today again said they will seek to demolish the property as the latest owners have failed to live up to an agreement with the local government.
After Demise of Bull Creek Camp’s Restaurant, Commission’s Pennington Calls for Replacement Amenity
Saying Flagler County’s west side is losing its amenities, Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington implored her colleagues and the administration to focus on getting some form of replacement, even if not a restaurant, at Bull Creek Fishcamp, where the county will demolish the existing restaurant.
Lawyers to the Rescue: County Ratifies Agreement Clearing Historic Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
The Flagler County Commission this morning ratified the final agreement clearing the way for a historic dune-rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of shoreline in Flagler Beach, starting in April 2024–almost a quarter century after the federal government started considering the stretch for long-term safeguarding from erosion and rising seas.
County Commissioner Donald O’Brien Declares Run for Renner’s Seat, Tom Leek for Hutson’s
Flagler County Commissioner Donald O’Brien, who in the last four years became Joe Mullins’s staunchest ally, will run for Paul Renner’s House seat, and Tom Leek, the House member from Ormond Beach, will run for Travis Hutson’s.
In Major Shift, Flagler Beach Residents Appear to Favor Sea Walls, But Misconceptions Abound
A majority of Flagler Beach residents now appear to favor so-called secant sea walls, according to 58 responses gathered by FDOT and obtained by FlaglerLive. But that support rests on a fundamental misconception–that sea walls would not only protect State Road A1A behind them, but the beaches in front of them as well.
‘We Have a Deal’: Dune Hold-Out in Flagler Beach Concedes, Clearing Path to Renourishment
A property owner’s three-year stand-off with Flagler County that has delayed a long-promised beach renourishment in Flagler Beach is over. Cynthia d’Angiolini through her lawyer today agreed to sign a pair of easements, clearing the way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dune-rebuilding project–and ensuring that the south side of the city will finally get a major new protective buffer against rising seas.
Visitor Center Location Shifting from A1A to SR100; Flagler Tourism Posts Strong Year
After two and a half years of hunting for a visitor center location on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach, Flagler County’s tourism bureau is shifting its focus for an eventual visitor center to State Road 100, on county land near the new pedestrian bridge.
David Alfin ‘Staying Put’ As Palm Coast Mayor Rather than Run for Renner’s House Seat
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said today he is “staying put.” After over a month’s thought, he has decided to forego a run for Rep. Paul Renner’s House seat.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Will Be Torn Down Against Lease-Holder’s Wishes, With No Plans for Rebuild
To the dismay of the current lease holder, County Administrator Heidi Petito said the 2,500 square foot restaurant building at Bull Creek Fish Camp will be torn down next month, after suffering what the county describes as irreparable damage from hurricane-related floods.
Sea Walls, Granite, Dunes: FDOT Options to Strengthen A1A Are Nothing Flagler Hasn’t Seen Before
Some 150 people, including numerous Flagler Beach and county officials, turned out to see the state Department of Transportation’s four options to more permanently strengthen State Road A1A, with sea walls taking precedence over dune rebuilding. But a combination of the four options is likely ahead.
$3.67 Million Dune Reconstruction Begins Wednesday From Malacompra Park North
Flagler County’s contractor for $3.67 million Hurricane Dorian dunes restoration project from south MalaCompra Park to north Washington Oaks Gardens State Park mobilized on Monday and construction will begin on Wednesday.
Flagler County Nets $17 Million in State Aid for Dune Reconstruction, with Far More Needed
The money is a “drop in the bucket,” compared to the county’s needs, according to a county official: it is a fraction of what would be needed, considering the county’s devastated shoreline. But it will still enable the county to repair several miles of dunes with temporary renourishment, giving those repaired dunes perhaps two to four years against continuing erosion.
Cramped and Neglected Flagler Health Department Tells County Commission: ‘We Need Your Help’
The Flagler County Health Department is pleading with county commissioners for more money to improve an ageing facility and expand services that touch the lives of a third of the county’s population. The department hopes to open a facility in Palm Coast. While commissioners are not indifferent, finding a source of money will be a challenge.
Army Corps Must Redesign Entire Flagler Beach Dunes Project, ‘Substantially’ Delaying It Again
Because of years of delays and further erosion, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must redesign the entire project to rebuild 2.6 miles of dunes on the critically eroded shoreline south of the Flagler Beach pier, now that the current design is out of date. That will further delay for at least a year or more a project 20 years in the works. Meanwhile, the coast continues to erode, threatening or damaging A1A.
