Palm Coast’s much-vaunted $5.1 million splash pad at Holland Park It opened for barely a few weeks before failing twice, closing the second time in July and soon closing for good. The failure is causing the city to threaten a lawsuit against the contractor and designer of the splash pad and consider scraping off the whole thing and replacing it with more traditional, less breakdown-prone amenities.
Palm Coast
Palm Coast’s Opelka Wins Fourth ATP Tour Title, Besting Isner in Houston Ahead of European Circuit
Reilly Opelka, 24, captured his fourth career ATP Tour title on Sunday in Houston, besting longtime friend and rival John Isner, 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the championship match of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court championship.
Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor Recognized for Intervention at Crash Site
At the April 5 Palm Coast City Council Meeting, Palm Coast Volunteer Firefighter Jericho Taylor character was recognized by the City Council for his interventions at a recent fatal motor vehicle crash.
Not One Reason for Palm Coast Council’s 365% Raise for Itself Passes Smell Test
The quadrupling of Palm Coast City Council members’ salaries was shoveled through hurriedly and sloppily on baseless assumptions posing as evidence. Every single one of Mayor David Alfin’s or supporting councilmen’s rationales collapses with a little scrutiny, leaving a proposal contemptuous of the public and insulting to city staff.
In Denise Bevan and Lauren Johnston, Palm Coast Has 1st All-Female Administrative Leadership in City’s 23 Years
Palm Coast made history Tuesday evening. The city council ratified the contract of Denise Bevan, the first female city manager in Palm Coast’s 23 years. Moments later, Bevan announced the appointment of Lauren Johnston as the assistant city manager, giving the city an all-female administrative leadership in a sector still overwhelmingly dominated by men.
Palm Coast Council Approves $8 Million Bank Loan, Its Sixth for Ongoing Repairs to Stormwater Infrastructure
The $532,000 annual financing of the latest loan–which will cost the city a total of $10.6 million by maturation–brings annual stormwater debt costs to $1.84 million. The loans are all is secured by the annual revenue from the stormwarter fee that residents and businesses pay on their utility bills.
In Victory for Mayor But Against Loud Public Opposition, Palm Coast Council Will Quadruple Its Own Salaries
The Palm Coast City Council this evening voted 4-1 to quadruple the mayor’s and council members’ salaries starting after the election in November, a raise that will benefit three sitting council members and two to be elected later this year. The first of two required votes on the ordinance Mayor David Alfin proposed only last month was a victory for the mayor, who was elected less than a year ago, but at a steep price.
Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Top Ensemble Returns to Methodist Church Music Series for Eclectic Saturday Concert
For the first time since 2019, the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Harmony chamber ensemble, featuring the FYO’s most accomplished musicians, is back in performance at the in the Palm Coast United Methodist Church’s Concert Series. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, at 4 p.m.
How Palm Coast City Council Skirted Charter Change on Its Own Salaries Even As It Was Claiming to Clarify It
Palm Coast City Council member Nick Klufas, like many residents, thought council members’ salaries could only be changed by charter–not, as Mayor Alfin is proposing, by mere council ordinance. His confusion reflects how the last time the council changed the charter had the effect of deceiving voters into thinking exactly what Klufas thought, even as the city was ostensibly trying to clarify the charter. It’s a revealing history of obfuscation by omission that now undermines the legitimacy of council salary increases.
An Inside Look at AdventHealth’s Palm Coast Parkway Construction a Year from $164 Million Hospital’s Opening
AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway, as the 188,000-square-foot, $164 million campus will be known when it opens in spring 2023, is currently Palm Coast’s largest construction site and represents the largest health care investment in the county’s history. As a construction site, it is a living metaphor of the permanent mission ahead: a reconstruction zone for human bodies.
Senior Planner Bill Hoover Retires After Seven and a Half Years in Palm Coast Government
Bill Hoover has been a planner in the State of Florida for over 33 years. He worked for Hillsborough and Collier Counties and for Butler Engineering, Inc. in Ft. Meyers prior to opening his own business in Naples, FL. He and his wife, Charlene, discovered Palm Coast in 2014.
John Fanelli, Dynamic School Administrator, Is Palm Coast Council’s Choice to Fill Seat Vacated by Barbosa
The Palm Coast City Council this morning appointed John Fanelli, a dynamic school district administrator a council member compared to former Superintendent Jacob Oliva, to fill for the next seven months the District 2 council seat abruptly vacated by Victor Barbosa less than a month ago.
Man Accused of Terrorism Embroils Palm Coast Organization in Controversy Over Ukrainian Orphans
A Palm Coast non-profit called Loving Families and Homes for Orphans, caring for Ukrainian children, is being unfairly tarnished by the involvement with the non-profit of Matt Shea, a Spokane, Wash., man accused of domestic terrorism and tied to hate groups, the husband of the non-profit’s leader says.
Confirmed: BJ’s Wholesale Club Is Lined Up for Palm Coast on SR 100 Near County Airport
In a deal close to completion, BJ’s Wholesale Club will build a 103,000 square foot store on SR100, with two restaurants, a gas station, a tire store and a few other businesses. Jay Gardner, the Flagler County property appraiser, who owns the land, confirmed the development on Friday, as did regulatory documents before the county planning division.
Palm Coast Planning Board Unhappily Approves 418-Home Subdivision on U.S. 1 Despite Quality Concerns
Palm Coast Planning Board members were disappointed with both the presentation of the project and its proposed 40- and 50-foot lots, raising questions of quality. “At some point we’ve got to start looking at some better products,” a board member said. The board approved the subdivision in a 5-1 vote.
No Moratorium Here: Palm Coast Approves Another Dollar General, This One on US1 Near White View
The Palm Coast Planning Board approved the addition of a Dollar General–the seventh such discount box store in Palm Coast–on U.S. 1 just north of White View Parkway, currently considered a food desert. Discount stores have faced criticism for exploiting just such food deserts, but the developer pledges to have fresh produce on sale.
8 Candidates, Most With Strong Credentials, Apply to Fill Palm Coast Council Seat Vacated by Barbosa
The eight applicants for appointment to the District 2 seat of the Palm Coast City Council are Tony Amaral Jr., Bob Coffman, John Fanelli, Larry Gross, Hung Hilton, Carl Jones Sr., Perry Mitrano and William Schreiber. The council meets in special session on March 22 to consider making the appointment, which must be final by the end of the month.
Outrage Mixes With Confusion as Public Rips Into Mayor Alfin’s Proposal to Quadruple Palm Coast Council Salaries
The criticism of Mayor David Alfin’s proposal to raise salaries from just under $10,000 to $44,670 was called “exorbitant,” “excessive,” “offensive,” while the manner in which it was proposed drew sharp rebukes, but the public also mixed confusion with misrepresentations of numerous facts some of which the council attorney confused more than clarified.
Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte, Unequaled in Local Leadership and Admirers, Will Retire in October
Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte, a managerial guru to some, a mentor and father figure to many, and the self-effacing, sure-handed leader of the fire and other city departments over the past several years, announced today in an emotional address to the City Council that he would be retiring in October.
Man and Woman Are Shot At in Reported Drive-By on I-95 Near Matanzas Woods Parkway
A man and a woman were reported shot at and one of them wounded in an apparent drive-by on I-95 near Matanzas Woods Parkway in Palm Coast late Saturday night. The man was taken to a hospital as a trauma alert. The woman was treated and released at the scene.
Council Members’ Boorishness Appears to Take a Toll on Residents’ Confidence in Palm Coast Government
Only 41 percent of respondents see the city’s overall direction in positive terms, the lowest proportion in 20 years, and an 11-point decline from 2019, when the survey was last conducted. Only 37 percent of respondents have confidence in Palm Coast government, down nine points from two years ago. It is the lowest confidence level since the survey started including that category in 2013.
A 246-Unit Apartment Complex Will Rise on Old Kings Road, With an Eye on the Site’s Historic Value
The historical nature of the old and no longer readily visible Old Kings Road was a matter of discussion Tuesday evening at the Palm Coast City Council as developers presented their plans for a seven-building, 246-unit apartment complex off the new Old Kings Road, just north of State Road 100, paralleling the historic roadbed.
Palm Coast Mayor and Council Call for 365% Pay Increase for Themselves, to $44,670 a Year
In a day of stunning developments, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin capped a City Council meeting this evening by asking for a 365 percent pay raise for council members–from $9,600 to $44,670 a year–and for a similarly hefty raise for the mayor, to $44,670. The council went along, voting 3-1 to move forward with the proposal.
Victor Barbosa Resigns Palm Coast Council Seat, After Report of Shoplifting; He Cites Threat to His Life
Victor Barbosa, the volatile Palm Coast City Council member whose brief tenure since November 2020 was dogged by boorish behavior on and off the council, by a sheriff’s investigation and a state inquiry into crimes he allegedly committed in Costa Rica, and by an accusation of shoplifting at Walmart over the weekend, has resigned.
Residents of Hidden Lakes and Toscana Appeal Palm Coast Approvals of 2 Self-Storage Lots on Old Kings
A group of Palm Coast residents in the Toscana and Hidden Lakes subdivisions off Old Kings Road have filed an appeal of a decision by the Palm Coast Planning Board clearing the way for a self-storage facility on Old Kings Road. The same group is preparing to file a civil suit in circuit court seeking to quash decisions by the planning board and the Palm Coast City Council clearing the way for both that facility and another like it nearby.
Another Self -Storage Facility for Old Kings Road, a Car Wash Near Starbucks and Taco Bell on SR100
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for the third self-storage facility approved for Old Kings Road in the past four weeks, and a car wash near Aldi and Taco Bell on State Road 100. The self-storage facility was not permitted to have boats and RVs.
Palm Coast Fire Lieutenant Jason Wagner Celebrates 25 Years of Service
Jason Wagner began his career with Palm Coast Fire Department on February 3, 1997 as a Firefighter-EMT. He was promoted to Lieutenant in October 2000 upon the fire department coming under control of the newly incorporated City of Palm Coast. Wagner grew up in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Approves ‘Shocking and Staggering’ Garbage Rate Increase as Mayor Warns Waste Pro
The Palm Coast City Council this afternoon voted 4-1 to approve the one-year contract extension with Waste Pro with a 47 percent rate increase and several cut-backs on services and fines. The mayor warned the company that the rate will not be an acceptable starting point for Waste Pro’s expected bid for a five- or seven-year contract later this year.
Victor Barbosa Decides to Run for City Council Again, Abandoning County Commission Race Until 2026
In a nearly six-hour meeting rich in surprises and reversals, add Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa’s decision to drop out of his run for the Flagler County Commission and seek to keep his seat on the council instead.
Denise Bevan Is Appointed City Manager in Unanimous Vote, Aborting Palm Coast Council’s Search
The Palm Coast City Council appointed Denise Bevan permanent city manager in a unanimous vote, ending her eight-month role as interim and aborting a a search Mayor David Alfin called disappointing.
Palm Coast Council Sharply Reverses Course on Green Lion After Crush of Unanimity Against Severing Lease
Faced with a rare, unanimous backlash against its arbitrary decision to end the city’s lease with the Green Lion restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Club last week, the Palm Coast City Council executed a 179-degree turn Tuesday morning, dropping its order to sever the lease and opting instead to reopen negotiations with the restaurant, toward a five-year extension of the current lease.
Tom Gargiulo, Palm Coast’s ‘Unwavering, Steadfast Champion’ of the Arts for 25 Years, Dies at 83
Tom Gargiulo, co-founder of the Gargiulo Arts Foundations and the Flagler County Artist of the Year award, prolific artist and patron to innumerable shows and artists, and the conceptual energy and fund-raiser behind Palm Coast’s Sculpture Garden in Town Center, died after complications from surgery Sunday in Palm Coast.
Your Garbage Rates Are Going Up 47% in June, Services Cut Sooner, as Bid Flub Forces Waste Pro Contract Extension
Waste Pro garbage rates for Palm Coast residents and businesses will go up nearly $10 a month starting June 1, some services will be reduced, and fines levied on Waste Pro when it fails on the job will be cut in half according to a one-year extension of the city’s contract with the hauler, required because a bidding process for a new contract went awry last year.
Palm Coast Turns Nasty Against Green Lion Café Lease After 5 Successful Years and Turnaround at Palm Harbor Golf
The Palm Coast City Council’s distempers have not been unusual, but council members’ attacks on the Green Lion Cafe’s proposed lease renewal at the city-owned Palm Harbor golf club was especially mean-spirited despite a proposed rent increase of over 300 percent over the next five years, and the restaurant’s key role in turning the golf club around since 2017.
Imprisoned 4 Times in 16 Years, Palm Coast Man Faces 10 New Charges After Traffic Stop and Chase
Kevin Spearmon, 37, of Palm Coast, spent seven of the last 16 years in prison in four different stints mostly for two type of charges: drug possession or trafficking, and fleeing cops. He added more similar charges after fleeing cops and a brief chase Friday evening.
Jamey “JuJu” Bennett, 19, Is Shot and Killed in Altercation Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast
Early this morning, Jamey Jahiem Bennett, 19, a former student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, was shot and killed in the area of StorQuest Express, the self-storage facility off Old Kings Road North, just past Palm Harbor Parkway. Bennett is the third young Black man shot and killed in five weeks in Palm Coast and Bunnell.
City Panel Votes to Name Sports Complex Baseball Field After Doug Berryhill, Palm Coast Little League Champion
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee voted 5-0 to rename Field 6 at the Indian Trails Sports Complex after Doug Berryhill, for more than a decade a legendary Palm Coast Little League vice president and coach who grew the organization and was beloved by thousands of families.
It’s Fireworks as Usual in 2022 as Cities’ July 4 Grab Is Ticking Burst for Another Year
Flagler Beach and Palm Coast agreed to leave well enough alone this year, with July 4 fireworks in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s July 3 fireworks moved to the county airport. Palm Coast’s wish to have a some July 4’s of its own will be hashed out in future years.
Sheriff Adds 160 Palm Coast Field Cameras at Parks and Other Facilities to Growing Surveillance Network
The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday voted to grant the Flagler County Sheriff untrammeled live access to the city’s 160 non-traffic surveillance cameras. Those cameras are not part of the sheriff’s license plate readers, which were installed a few years ago. The cameras in question in the latest agreement are all those located at city parks, City Hall, city facilities like its utilities department, including water and sewer plants, or public works department and other city-owned locations.
It’s Raining Rooftops: Palm Coast Council Approves 400 Units in 2 Gated Subdivisions in W and B Sections
The Palm Coast City Council approved 278 attached town homes just north of Belle Terre Elementary and 121 single-family homes in the W Section, both in what will be gated communities, as development in the city continues its torrid pace and the median single family home price reaches $350,000 with still-low supplies of homes for sale.
Shirley Chisholm Trail: Palm Coast Committee Votes 5-0 to Rename Pine Lakes Path After Maverick Black Leader
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee, an advisory panel of the Palm Coast City Council, is recommending the renaming of the Pine Lakes Trail along Pine Lakes Parkway to the Shirley Chisholm Trail to honor the first Black woman elected to Congress and run for president, before she moved to Palm Coast in 1991. The recommendation requires the council’s ratification, however.
Interim City Manager Denise Bevan Recognized for Service on Northeast Florida Economic Resilience Task Force
The recovery plan outlines detailed recommendations for economic recovery with a focus on three priority areas: infrastructure, small business relief and support, and equity.
Belle Terre Parkway Resurfacing Begins Monday from Royal Palm Parkway to SR100
On Monday (Jan. 31), a contractor will begin milling and repaving the segment of Belle Terre Parkway between Royal Palms Parkway and State Road 100 as part of the city’s annual repaving program. The segment is among the most heavily traveled in the city. The project will take four to six weeks.
Opelka Falls to Canadian Star Shapovalov in Australian Open 3rd Round
The No. 23 seed Opelka and the Canadian Shapovalov, seeded 14th, both looking to make the Round of 16 there for the first time in their careers, split the first two sets before the younger Shapovalov pulled away. He broke Opelka’s serve once each in the last two sets to snatch a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
Palm Coast Clears Way for 2nd Self-Storage Facility in 24 Hours on Old Kings Road, Near Toscana
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday approved a 155,000 square-foot self-storage facility on Old Kings Road, a short distance north of a facility the Palm Coast City Council approved on Tuesday. The two would be the 10th and 11th self-storage facilities in the city.
Calm and Confident Opelka Wins to Reach 3rd Round of Australian Open
The former Indian Trails Middle School student put forth an outstanding performance Monday night in the second round of the Australian Open, dispatching Germany’s Dominik Koepfer to reach the third round for the first time.
City Approves Self-Storage Facility on Old Kings Road, Near Hidden Lakes, Against Public Opposition
The rezoning for a 23-acre site for a future self-storage facility–another one–between I-95 and Old Kings Road, and not far from the Hidden Lakes and Toscana subdivisions, drew some pointed opposition from nearby residents and people with family at a neighboring assisted living facility. The self-storage grounds would also accommodate RV’s and boats, neither of which may be parked in Palm Coast driveways.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Starts Australian Open with Commanding Straight Sets Win
In the wee hours of Monday morning Eastern time, Reilly Opelka took the first step toward doing that, easily dispatching former Top 10 stalwart Kevin Anderson in the first round of the Australian Open, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
Simultaneous Fireworks in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach? ‘Unworkable, Unsafe and Unsound’
Scott Spradley, chairman of the committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed to study how best to continue Independence Day events in the city, was sharply opposed to holding fireworks the same day as Palm Coast, as Palm Coast officials have suggested. Spradley took his stand as he delivered the final report of the committee’s work, which had not addressed the Palm Coast issue.
David Ayres Is Named President of Flagler Broadcasting and Its 6 Radio Stations
Jim Martin has named David Ayres president of Flagler Broadcasting. Ayres had been its vice president and general manager since 2008. He’ll fill a role previously filled by Martin, who is taking a step back from day to day operations at the network. Martin will be chairman of the company’s board.