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.
Palm Coast
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.