The Flagler County Commission will seek letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to raise the county’s sales surtax to 7.5 percent and generate an additional $10 million that would be shared between the four governments and used at their discretion. Palm Coast’s answer may well be: Read the room.
Palm Coast
Palm Coast in Ugly Meeting Votes to Lower Tax Rate Substantially and Add New, Modest Fee for Now
In another unseemly, disconcerting meeting that included coarse language and flaring tempers from the dais and rowdy and name-calling behavior from a floor thronged with residents, the Palm Coast City Council today substantially lowered the property tax rate in one vote and with another approved new fee or tax–a very modest one for now–on power bills.
Ed Danko Makes Inaccurate Claims in Campaign Ad Ahead of Council Vote on New Electric Fee (or Tax)
On Tuesday morning, the Palm Coast City Council will consider adopting a utility franchise fee that could add up to 6 percent to the cost of residents’ electric utility bills and significantly add to the city’s tax-revenue structure. In his opposition to the proposal, Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko circulated a campaign email that made inaccurate and misleading statements.
Yes, There Is a Free Lunch
Step back a moment and take stock of the paradox. On one hand a community can and should take pride in its willingness to rally for those in need. On the other hand, there should not be such things as food drives–not in a country that presumes itself wealthy and civilized. There should not be food insecurity, period. Basic nutrition is a human right, as ought to be universal food assistance where necessary and free school meals whether necessary or not.
Mayor David Alfin and Dr. Steven Bickel’s Arm-Wrestling Match Will Launch $1 Million Food-A-Thon
Dr. Stephen Bickel, the medical director at the Flagler Health Department and the county’s leading philanthropist, will arm-wrestle in a best-of-three match with Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to launch this year’s $1 million Food-a-Thon, an effort to raise $200,000 that will e leveraged into $1 million worth of food for needy families, through Grace Tabernacle Food Pantry.
Palm Coast Explores 6% Tax on All Electric Bills Through ‘Franchise Fee’ Repeatedly Opposed in Past
For the third time in 11 years, the Palm Coast City Council is exploring the imposition of a new, 6 percent tax on all electricity bills by way of a so-called “franchise fee” that would be levied on Florida Power and Light and passed down to customers.
Cancer Will Have New Foe in Town as AdventHealth Palm Coast Announces $30 Million Center on SR 100
AdventHealth Palm Coast officials and benefactors unveiled the latest expansion of the State Road 100 campus: the Freytag Health Plaza, a $30 million, 30,000 square foot, two-level cancer and rehab center that will open with the newest technology at the beginning of 2025.
Complex 4-Week Trial Over Splash Pad Set for Late 2024 as Parties Duel and Pad Remains Barren
The length of the civil trial is a reflection of the immense technical and legal complexities of the case and the number of parties involved. Each named party has responded to the suit, rejecting the city’s allegations and pointing fingers either back at the city or at other contractors.
Water Main Break on Palm Coast Parkway
The City of Palm Coast Utility Department responded to a water main break on Wednesday morning on Palm Coast Parkway near the Hammock Dunes toll plaza. The water main break is currently affecting homes and businesses on Palm Coast Parkway and east of I-95, but fewer than originally feared.
Palm Coast Man, 70, Pulls a Gun on Neighbors Shooting Off Fireworks
Christopher Todd Lemke, 70, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault after allegedly pointing his gun at neighbors and threatening to shoot them if they continued setting off fireworks the night of July 4. A pregnant woman and children were among the neighbors watching the fireworks.
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.
Flagler and Palm Coast July 4 Holiday Schedules, Travel and Safety Advisories
Independence Day this year falls on a Tuesday, slicing through the earlier part of the week and creating a checkerboard of work schedules and closed offices. The one constant are safety and travel advisories. Here’s a run-down.
Matanzas Woods Pkwy Will Close from Lakeview to Londonderry Drive for 10 Days
Matanzas Woods Pkwy from Lakeview Boulevard to Londonderry Drive will be closed to traffic from July 5 to July 15 as crews repair and repave that segment, one of Palm Coast’s major arteries.
Dangerous Dog Designation Upheld for R-Section Dog Who Mauled Girl, 13, in ‘Gruesome’ Attack
In a rare appeal, a special magistrate this morning affirmed Palm Coast Animal Control’s decision to designate Ghost, a large pit bull mix, a dangerous dog following the dog’s attack on the 13-year-old girl who was walking him on an R-Section street on June 5.
Razing Fire Station 22 For a Parking Lot May Be a Ballot Question as City Council Bows to History
A majority of the Palm Coast City Council doesn’t want to see Fire Station 22 leveled to make room for a parking lot once the station shifts further east, though the Community center has a deficit of more than 100 parking spaces. The city administration says it’ll cost at least $1.1 million, possibly more, to refurbish the building.
Palm Coast Wants More Action on ‘Bad Drivers,’ Litterers and Priorities as Sheriff Submits Budget
Submitting his annual budget to the Palm Coast City Council this morning, Staly heard requests for more help with “bad drivers” and litterers to maintain quality of life, and answered an extended series of questions from a council member on the paradox between a sharply falling crime rate and a still-rising jail population.
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.
At Tiger Bay, a Triumphal Paul Renner Reaps Adulation and Delivers a Few Inaccurate Jabs
House Speaker Paul Renner today exulted in considerable adoration and a standing ovation at Flagler Tiger Bay like no bringer of bacon before him, tempered though both Renner and the audience were by the club’s disfavor with uncivil partisanship.
Council Approves 1st Leg of Beltway from Matanzas Woods to Palm Coast Parkway, Opening West
The Palm Coast City Council approved an engineering contract for the first phase of what will be a three-phase, 7-mile beltway connecting Matanzas Woods Parkway and Palm Coast Parkway west of U.S. 1. The ambitious road incursion through 12,000 acres of empty wilds would open that part of the city to development.
In Palm Coast, a Pitbull Attack, a Dead Dog, and Disputed Accusations of City ‘Gestapo’ Tactics
Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko compared employees to “Gestapo agents” in reference to an animal control case involving a pit bull attack and a dog’s death earlier this month. Danko later walked back the statement, but remained “infuriated’ with the way an animal control officer had allegedly handled the case.
$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.
Tampa Is Latest City to Unveil Climate Action Plan, Tapping Tax Credits
Tampa’s plan comes just days after two federal agencies released guidance that will for the first time allow local and state governments and nonprofit organizations to access clean energy tax credits that come from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, which contained nearly $370 billion in climate provisions.
Crumbl Cookies Set to Open in Palm Coast With Its Giant Repertoire of Sweet-Spot Marketing
As Crumbl Cookies opens its first store in Palm Coast Friday, and the first in the Flagler-Putnam-St. Johns market, the marketing machine that has made the dessert chain the fastest-growing in the nation–800 stores and growing–will be on full display, along with its rotating cast of 250 cookie flavors.
So You Want to Recall a Council Member or Write an Ordinance? Palm Coast Codifies Process After 24 Years.
The Palm Coast City Council in its 24th year is codifying its own referendum and recall process–the method by which residents may pitch or force the reconsideration of an ordinance, amend the city charter, or initiate a recall of a sitting council member.
Palm Coast Encourages Involvement in Budget Process
The City of Palm Coast is excited to announce the release of an informative budget video designed to provide residents with a comprehensive understanding of the city’s annual financial plans.
Should Palm Coast Allow Backyard Chickens? Council Balks, But Limited Pilot Program Is Possible
The Palm Coast City Council is not excited about allowing chickens in city backyards. But it may enact a strictly limited pilot program involving a few households, or set aside some public land for a community garden where residents could tend their chickens. Backyard chickens could also be on the 2024 ballot as a referendum.
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.
Exuberant Pride Day Follows Drag Night as Palm Coast Goes United Colors of LGBTQ+ in Town Center
Bookended by an exuberant evening of drag the night before and Sunday evening’s more solemn vigil in memory of the Pulse massacre victims, Flagler Pride today celebrated the local and regional LGBTQ community with song, dance, causes and bounties of divergence in the fourth annual Pride Festival in Palm Coast’s Town Center, drawing some 750 people.
Palm Coast’s Ed Danko Publicly Undercuts City’s Legal Row With Waste Pro Over Recycling Bins
The Palm Coast City Council’s Ed Danko and a subsequent council discussion on Tuesday seemed to have briefly jackknifed its own administration’s and legal team’s negotiations in the ongoing dispute with Waste Pro, the garbage hauler.
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.
No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
Flagler Beach is quickly becoming “maxed out” with visitors, Flagler Beach City Commission Chairman Eric Cooley says, and is looking for help from the county and its other cities to devise a balancing strategy and spread out tourists and day-trippers more manageably. He refutes the claim that the city is looking for more money.
Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
While some other communities have cancelled their celebrations because of state hostility, the fourth annual Flagler Pride Fest will be a three-day celebration this weekend, starting with drag night at Coquina Brewery, a day-long festival at Palm Coast’s Town Center, and the Pulse commemoration at veterans Park in Flagler Beach Sunday.
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.
Palm Coast’s Annual Photo Contest Is Accepting Submissions
Capture the people, the landscape, and the lifestyle of Palm Coast in the City’s annual photo contest. The six categories are: Pets, Recreation, Wildlife, Landscapes, Events and Residents.
AdventHealth Dedicates New Medical Office Building on Palm Coast Parkway, Ahead of Hospital
AdventHealth Palm Coast hosted a prelude-like opening this afternoon as the medical office building next to the hospital was blessed and dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by physicians, hospital executives and others.
Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
An examination of the communications between Waste Pro and Palm Coast illustrates the scope and depth of the two sides’ dispute over recycling bins, with Palm Coast essentially considering their removal a form of theft, and Waste Pro standing by its decision to take back thousands of them. The two sides may be heading to court.
FCC Environmental Begins Trash Pick-Up in Palm Coast
FCC Environmental Services Inc. begins providing trash and recycling services to the City of Palm Coast today, June 1, 2023. Residents should have received a mailer from FCC with more information about services, pickup dates, and more.
Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
(Redirected) Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
Almost a year to the day when the Palm Coast City Council approved the project, Crest Residential broke ground on Wilton Palm Coast, a 251-unit luxury complex split between a quadrangular, four-story building and a few three- and two-story buildings.
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.
Palm Coast’s Belk Converted Into One of 16 Outlet Stores as Company Struggles
Belk has converted its Palm Coast location on Cypress Edge Drive into an off-price outlet store and will host a grand opening on June 3. The outlet has been opened as such since May 16. The retailer itself has been struggling.
Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
Waste Pro, in its final week as Palm Coast’s garbage hauler, is driving through neighborhoods and taking back the recycling bins it freely provided residents over the years. The city is considering litigation, and fining the company for every bin it claims.
In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
The Palm Coast City Council last week approved rezoning 42 acres of greenbelt-designated land to make room for a 180-home single-family residential development that will expand the built-out footprint of Seminole Woods.
A Tattoo Studio Is Approved Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, But Outdated Stigmas Endure
The fact that Supreme Custom Tattoo on Old Kings Road required a special exception and planning board approval reflects enduring stigmas and stereotypes that still attach to tattoo and body piercing studios, though in studios’ cases, the city is far more accommodating than landlords, who often arbitrarily discriminate against them.
Palm Coast’s Population at 98,411 in Latest Census Estimate, 18th-Fastest Growing in U.S.
Palm Coast grew 10.3 percent between 2020 and 2022, to 98,411 people, according to the Census Bureau’s latest estimate, released today. The city is on pace to cross well past the 100,000 threshold this year, and based on the last two years’ trend, likely did so in February or March.
750-Home Gated Community Called Coquina Shores to Rise North of SR100, Along Old Kings Road
Though a 750 single-family home development on 505 acres, Coquina Shores will be a vastly scaled back development from what JX Properties had planned there in 2006 and 2007–2,400 homes, most of them apartments, and 80,000 square feet of retail and office space. All of that will be reduced to the single family homes.
Metronet’s Ultra-Speed Broadband Now Available in 4 Palm Coast Neighborhoods
Metronet’s ultra-high-speed service is now available in Pine Lakes, Matanzas Woods, Palm Harbor and Indian Trails, with the network spreading in Palm Coast by some 20,000 to 25,000 feet per week. Flagler Beach and Bunnell are down the line.