The proposed renaming of the Palm Coast Community Center for the late Jon Netts turned oddly contentious at the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday, with Mayor David Alfin–usually the conciliator–leading the charge, and Netts’s memory paying the price.
Palm Coast
Palm Coast Plan Proposes 102% Increase in Stormwater Rates in 4 Years. Council Is ‘Uncomfortable.’
A Palm Coast government consultant is proposing a 102 percent increase in homeowners’ stormwater rates over the next four years, what would equate to an annual bill of $542–more than what some homeowners pay in city property taxes. The City Council isn’t ready to go that far, but steeply higher rates are coming.
Owners of 10,000 Vacant Lots in Palm Coast May Soon Be Responsible for Mowing Rights of Way
Palm Coast government’s quarter-century-old practice of mowing the rights of way in front of vacant lots mostly at its own expense may be about to end. The Palm Coast City Council today agrees that the responsibility should shift to the property owners, and that it should be enforced by the city’s code enforcement officers.
Volusia-Flagler YMCA and Mayor Alfin in Big Push to Open Y in Palm Coast in About 2 Years
The Volusia Flagler Family YMCA is working with Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and a corps of local community members to bring a YMCA to Palm Coast, with a rough goal of having a local facility under construction or near completion in about two years.
Crumbl Cookies Opening Soon at Palm Coast’s Island Walk
Crumbl Cookies, the barely six-year-old company that started with one store in Utah and has since grown to over 600 bakeries in 49 states, is preparing to open its first store in Palm Coast, in the Island Walk shopping center.
Palm Coast Chamber’s Disinformation on Student Performance and Superintendent Draws Sharp Rebukes
Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt and School Board Vice Chair Colleen Conklin both issued sharply worded rebukes to rankly misinforming statements by the Flagler Palm Coast Chamber of Commerce regarding Mittelstadt’s performance in the last three years. A 3-2 majority of the school board fired Mittelstadt Tuesday, as of June 30.
AdventHealth Palm Coast COO Wally De Aquino Named President and CEO of New Hospital on Parkway
AdventHealth today named Wally De Aquino president and CEO for AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway. The 100-bed, four-story hospital on Palm Coast Parkway set to open in August, alongside a new medical office building. It will be a 158,000-square foot, $167 million facility.
No Overt Prayers: Palm Coast Council Will Stick With Moment of Silence at Meetings to Avoid Theatrics
Rejecting exhortations from nearly two dozen people, there will be no overt, vocal prayer at Palm Coast City Council meetings, though room for prayer in all forms and for all creeds will continue, as it always has, for individuals who choose to pray, whether overtly before meetings or quietly during meetings or during the moment of silence.
In a First at Flagler School Board, a Parent Pushing Book Bans Justifies Hitler’s Book-Burning
A parent falsely claimed Hitler’s book burnings only targeted sexually deviant books, as if to suggest the same should be done in Flagler. She was not corrected, though school board members on occasion have devoted parts of their comments to correct the record, especially when the board’s chamber is abused to peddle egregious, insulting or outright false statements.
316-Unit Apartment Complex Off Whiteview Parkway Clears Hurdle, with Eyes on New Hospital
The Palm Coast Planning Board last week recommended approval of a 316-unit gated apartment complex on nearly 19 vacant acres on the West side of White Mill Drive and the north side of Whiteview Parkway, in the W-Section’s last remaining vast expanse of fallow land.
Palm Coast Council’s Proposed Prayer Policy Draws Out Opponents, Who Urge Silence
A few days after Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko called a constituent a “piece of crap” for allegedly being an atheist and questioning the council’s proposed invocation policy, several people addressed the council this morning, mostly to recommend silence over invocations.
Starting Palm Coast Council Meetings with ‘Invocation’ Would Be Unnecessarily Divisive
At a time when communities are divided enough by party, ideology, color and sometimes geography, the Palm Coast City Council’s proposal to start its meetings with a prayer, or invocation would add yet more divisiveness, when the council should be celebrating residents’ shared humanity and basic decency.
In Riveting Discussion on Prayers at Meetings, Palm Coast Council Defers to ‘Neutral’ Caution
The Palm Coast council discussed a proposed prayer policy today in what turned into an unusually absorbing and equally civil hourlong seminar on the First Amendment, the limits of expressions of belief in government settings, and the unintended and potentially offensive consequences of an open-invocation policy.
How Cupcake Café’s TikTok of Mr Keith’s Surgical Cake Order Went Viral in Whirls of Good Wishes
TikTok clips by Theresa Tazewell, owner of Cupcake Cafe in Palm Coast, went viral as she documented customer Keith’s wish to pay for his wife’s birthday cake in advance for fear that he might die during surgery. He survived, and was lavished with millions of good wishes from a round the globe through Tazewell’s TikToks.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Seeks Resident’s Vision of City’s Future
The City of Palm Coast is announces ‘Share with the Mayor,’ an all-new initiative to get residents involved in planning and building the future of Palm Coast for tomorrow and beyond.
Palm Coast and Flagler Want to Hear From You About Future Parks Plans Countywide
The City of Palm Coast and Flagler County Government have partnered to develop a Parks and Recreation Master Plan for the entire community. The goal is to hear from residents, business owners, special interest groups, and any other interested parties on what they would like to see included in future planning for Flagler County.
In Mayor’s Absence, Ed Danko Chairs Palm Coast Council Meeting, and the World Doesn’t End
With Palm Coast Mayor out for surgery, Vice Mayor Ed Danko chaired a City Council meeting for the first time on Tuesday. A former lightning rod of controversy, Danko’s handling of the brief meeting was entirely civil but for one interruption.
City Approves Two Developments Totaling 382 Homes, in Town Center and Off U.S. 1
As home sales in Flagler hit a four-year low in January, Spring Lake at Palm Coast, now Reverie, got the go-ahead for 272 homes off U.S. 1 north of Palm Coast Parkway, and Palm Coast Seascape in Town Center was cleared for 110 luxury homes.
‘Historic’ Fire Station 22 Will Move to Colbert Lane and Make Room for Community Center Parking
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve ending the life of its oldest fire house, Station 22, on Palm Coast Parkway and building a new station on Colbert Lane. The plan is part of a larger design both to improve firefighters’ response times and to improve the dismal parking situation at the Palm Coast Community center.
Palm Coast Residents’ Doubled Stormwater Fee Could Reach $542 a Year by 2027
Palm Coast resident’s $22.27 monthly stormwater fee would increase to $45.16 over the next four years if the city follows its consultant’s recommendation. Some residents would pay more in stormwater fees than in city taxes. Even lesser options would result in sharp increases, and no increases are not an option.
Palm Coast Council Embraces Idea of $73 Million Events Venue in Town Center’s Arts District
The consultant Palm Coast government hired to map out how best to develop the city’s Arts District in Town Center is recommending building a $73 million (not including debt interest), 76,000 square foot multipurpose entertainment and conference center not focused exclusively on arts and culture. The venue would by far be the most expensive city facility ever built.
Gabi Adrian Boitan of Romania Wins 2023 Palm Coast Open Singles Title
The 2023 Palm Coast Open singles title went to Gabi Adrian Boitan of Romania and the doubles title went to Mac Kriger and George Goldhoff, both from the United States.
Holsey Moorman, Stately Last of Palm Coast City Council’s Class of 2007, Dies at 84
Holsey Moorman, a Roanoke, Va. native who rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Army, moved to Palm Coast after his retirement in 2001 and served a term on the Palm Coast City Council, died on Feb. 7 at AdventHealth Palm Coast. He was 84.
Palm Coast Man Arrested After Stand-Off With SWAT, and Twice Firing a Gun
Juan N. Nodarse, a 53-year-old resident of Cute Court in Palm Coast, is at the Flagler County jail on $175,000 bond after twice firing a gun–one shot was fired with deputies outside, one fired with his wife in the house–and triggering a SWAT team’s response from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
‘Now Is the Time’: Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Looks West in State of the City Address
This evening’s State of the City Address by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin highlights the challenges the city experienced in 2022, such as the hurricanes, celebrates various accomplishments and looks to 2023 with eyes on a westward expansion. as provided by the city. Here’s the full prepared text.
Palm Coast Council Surrenders Key Demands in 3-2 Approval of Controversial Harborside Development
Ending a six-month wrangle over the proposed Harborside redevelopment around the Palm Coast marina, the City Council Tuesday in a 3-2 vote surrendered on key demands, overriding some staff recommendations, and approved the addition of 300 apartments and town houses, a project that will remake the character of one of Palm Coast’s original neighborhoods.
Future BJ’s Wholesale Club Raises Traffic Concerns as Palm Coast Mulls Annexation
As it considers annexing the land where a BJ’s Wholesale Club will rise on State Road 100, the Palm Coast City Council is concerned about the amount of additional cars thronging an already busy road, and may condition annexation on the a analysis.
Palm Coast Mayor Suggests Candidates Be Criminal-Background Checked. Council Isn’t Interested.
A proposal by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to criminally-background check all future candidates for council drew more cautions and concerns from other council members and zero support, prompting him to withdraw it “until or unless it’s discussed in the future,” he said.
Ending Speculation, Flagler Health+ and UF Health Announce Plans to Merge
Ending months of speculation, Flagler Health+ and UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center, announced plans to merge, potentially changing the health care landscape in Flagler and surrounding counties.
Adopting ‘Moment of Silence,’ Palm Coast Considering Opening Meetings With Religious Prayer
The Palm Coast City Council, last hold-out among local governments in the slouch back to devotional rites at the beginning of public meetings, on Tuesday agreed to begin meetings with a “moment of silence,” and to consider adding a non-denominational prayer as well.
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.
Leading Palm Coast Family of Philanthropists Mourning Loss of Eric Garvin, 38, to a Murder in Chile
Eric and Anna Garvin, long-time residents and philanthropists in Palm Coast, learned of the murder of their son, Eric Eugene Garvin, earlier this month in Santiago, Chile, during a robbery. The news has reverberated through the community.
Palm Coast Approves New Self-Storage Facility Across from Sawmill Creek on US1
The Palm Coast Planning Board approved Horizon Self-Storage, a 98,400 square foot facility on 7 acres off U.S. 1, immediately across from the rapidly sprawling Sawmill Creek development.
Palm Coast Council Very Conditionally Approves Controversial Harborside Development
The Palm Coast City Council is looking for a compromise on the controversial 17-acre Harborside proposal that would total 432 apartments and housing units, mostly in a massive, U-shaped tower by the Palm Coast Marina. The number includes 72 units in an existing tower.
Construction Begins on $2.5 Million Lehigh Trailhead in Palm Coast
Construction on the Lehigh Trailhead Project off of Belle Terre Parkway will start on January 23. The $2.5 million project enhances the popular path by providing disability-access paved parking with more than 60 parking spaces, a restroom, and a water fountain. The project also includes community gardens, a dog park, lighting, and pavilions.
Jersey Mike’s Opens at Palm Coast’s Island Walk, Near Brass Tap, on Wednesday
Jersey Mike’s Subs will open its first location in Palm Coast or Flagler County on Wednesday at Island Walk, where it’ll be sandwiched between Brass Tap and Tropical Cafe on one side and Metro Diner on the other.
Palm Coast Traffic Still a Long Way from Calming Its Discontents as Council Bumps Against Limitations
The Palm Coast City Council has been well aware of its traffic problem for years, and discussed it again at a workshop this week, but it faces the same limitations previous council have: traffic calming devices are unloved, data on speeding exists but isn’t made public, and the city’s layout presents its own challenges.
As Green Lion Closes and Loopers Winds Up, Food Trucks Will Fill Cravings’ Gap
Two food trucks will rotate service over the next few weeks at Palm Harbor Golf Club as the Green Lion Cafe ends operations on Sunday and Loopers, the new restaurant and bar taking its place, ramps up operations, first with a significant amount of renovations.
Palm Coast Surveys Cost of Dredging Saltwater Canals, But Who Will Pay Is Big Question
The saltwater canals in Palm Coast’s C-Section and a sliver of the F-Section have been an attractive amenity since the city’s origins in the 1960s and 70s, when ITT Levitt dug them out. But they’ve never been dredged since. Who should pay for the job–residents of the C Section, or all of Palm Coast’s residents?
Is Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Running for Paul Renner’s Seat? Maybe.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is considering a run for Re. Paul Renner’s House seat, which is up in two years. Alfin, who revealed Machiavellian political instincts in a lengthy interview, will make his decision by the end of January, depending on whether other viable candidates are lined up for the seat.
Based in Palm Coast, Global Support Group for Rare Disease Gets Awareness Boost from Celine Dion Diagnosis
Palm Coast resident Mike West started the Stiff Person Syndrome support group almost 20 years ago. It now has 1,700 members in 34 countries, and on Dec. 7, with Celine Dion announcement that she has SPS, the disease got the broader awareness people like West have been seeking.
Palm Coast Trash Pick-Up Schedule and Tree Recycling
Trash pick-up will follow a normal schedule. The 16th Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Event will be held January 7 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palm Coast Fuel Depot located at 22 Utility Drive.
Perry Mitrano Elected Flagler’s REC Chair, Defeating Renner-Backed Jill Woolbright By Big Margin
Internal party elections are not ordinarily newsworthy. This one, however, reflects political dynamics that reverberate beyond the party and the county, especially as Republicans control all but a handful of Flagler’s elected seats, when Renner is House speaker, and in his last term, and when Republicans are cleaved by fierce divisions, in Flagler as elsewhere, over the direction of their party.
Lawsuit Cites Splash Pad Contractors’ ‘Collective Negligence’ and Bond Company’s Refusal to Pick Up Pieces
The lawsuit Palm Coast government filed to recover damages from the broken splash pad at Holland Park names three contractor, accusing them of negligence, breach of contract and warranties, and violations of Florida’s building code. The lawsuit also names the bonding company, revealing that the company has allegedly refused to comply by the bond’s terms.
Palm Coast and County Launch Joint $200,000 Plan to Map Out Parks and Rec Blueprint for Future
Palm Coast government and the county are starting a nearly $200,000, eight-month process to determine how the city’s parks should grow, what they should offer and how they should be marketed to users, including city and county residents and beyond. The city is looking to add to the broader regional appeal of park facilities like the Indian Trails Sports Complex and–assuming it can recover some of its broken amenities–Holland Park.
Belle Terre Parkway Road Work Near Indian Trails Middle School Will Cause Headaches Through March
Belle Terre Parkway construction near Indian Trails Middle and Belle Terre Elementary will run from Dec. 12 to March 30. The stormwater culvert pipes that run parallel to and under the southbound lane of Belle Terre Parkway must be repaired to stabilize the road and prevent more dips from forming.
Ending Green Lion Era, Palm Coast Readies to Sign 5-Year Lease With Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Course
The Palm Coast City Council at a meeting Tuesday is set to approve a five-year lease with Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Club, replacing the Green Lion after five years. Loopers is owned by Jamie Bourdeau, who has owned Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach since 2014.
Wawa Will Rise in Place of Paul Katz Building on Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive
A second Wawa is coming to Palm Coast. It’ll be built in place of the Paul Katz Professional Building at 1 Florida Park Drive South, on Palm Coast Parkway, next year. The three-level, 35,000-square-foot Katz office building, one of the oldest and more architecturally eye-catching structures in the city will be demolished.
Pontieri and Heighter Are Sworn In at Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast City Council Members Theresa Carli Pontieri (District 2) and Cathy Heighter (District 4) were sworn in Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at the City Council business meeting inside the Community Wing council chambers at City Hall.
Drawing 90 Boats, Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade Turns Intracoastal Into River of Cheer
Perhaps a million lights garlanded over boats of all sizes created shooting stars, swooping airplanes, giant Santas, soaring Christmas trees, Grinches, and even dinosaurs, turning the Intracoastal and other parts of the route into rivers of holiday cheer for thousands of spectators lining the parade route.