A court upheld Aventura’s program, which relies on police, not the private contractor, to make decisions about ticketing motorists. But the court wants the supreme court to decide the issue more finally.
Palm Coast City Council
Frank Meeker, County Commission Workhorse and Tenacious Optimist, Is Dead at 61
Meeker had been in and out of the hospital battling cancer the last few weeks, and was in the hospital this week as his condition worsened. He was moved to hospice overnight and died around 6 a.m.
Palm Coast Votes 3-2 Against $5,000 Hike For Jim Landon in Stinging Rebuke
Two council members said Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon had been overpaid, with his $169,000 salary now where it should be. The vote ends a long, in many ways improper and opaque process.
Bill McGuire, Palm Coast City Council’s Grandmaster, Resigns Effective Aug. 15
McGuire’s resignation was expected, and the council is hinting that it may be uninterested in filling his post for the remaining few weeks of his term before the election, even if the charter says the council “shall” fill it.
37th Palm Coast Citizens Academy Graduates 17 Participants
Seventeen Palm Coast residents graduated earlier this month from the Palm Coast Citizens Academy, a comprehensive program designed to educate interested residents about the operation and workings of their city government.
Trying to Stem Hemorrhage of Green, Palm Coast Studies Patchy Golf Club Take-Over
Losses at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club are getting worse. The city is considering a “hybrid” take-over of golf and tennis that would still contract put most services but give the city more control.
No More Hairpin Curve as Old Kings Road Extension Around Matanzas High Opens, Last of Big Projects
The extension’s opening marks the last of a series of major road projects intended to improve traffic flow around Palm Coast, and in this case in particular around Matanzas High School.
McGuire Resignation a Dilemma for Palm Coast Council, But 2 Ex-Councilmen Offer Solution
Holsey Moorman and Alan Peterson, who both served on the Palm Coast City Council, are willing to fill out Bill McGuire’s last four months, thus enabling the council to avoid making a more politically fraught appointment or leaving the seat vacant.
Dennis McDonald, Who’s Twice Sued Palm Coast, Now Wants To Be Its Mayor
Dennis McDonald, Palm Coast’s and county government’s most relentless critic and a three-time candidate for local office previously, joined four other candidates for the seat Jon Netts is vacating: Milissa Holland, John Brady, Travis Kaufman and Ron Radford.
Yes, Palm Coast Wanted to Boot County EMS Crews Out of Station 22, But That Fire Is Out For Now
A closer look at the record shows that contrary to City Manager Jim Landon’s claim that the county was going on rumors, city officials, including Landon, very much wanted to see county EMS crews out of the fire station on Palm Coast Parkway.
Palm Coast Will Spend $500,000 to “Optimize” a Few Traffic Signals, But Expected Gains Are Vague
The $500,000 will install surveillance cameras and high-speed Internet to just 12 intersections, with more spending and intersections connected in future years, and will create a so-called Advanced Traffic Management System.
European Village Reborn: Palm Coast’s Poster-Child of Housing Bust Thrives Again
The Palm Coast City Council approved a rezoning that enables European Village to be more autonomous and more clearly advertise itself as the 14-year-old development seeks to solidify its new hold on business and residential activity.
Taxable Values Improve Less Than in 2015, But Still More Strongly Than in Pre-Recession Years
Palm Coast’s and Bunnell’s values improved least among local governments, at 3.9 and 2.2 percent, while county, school and Flagler Beach values all exceeded 5 percent.
Palm Coast Hints at Again Increasing Monthly Stormwater Fee As It Projects Fund Deficits
By some of its calculations, Palm Coast is projecting deficits of $1 million a year despite increasing the storwater fee 46 percent four years ago, though it has room to manage the deficit by reducing capital expenses.
Holland Park Renovation Advancing But Not Making Up Time
The city has started invoking the liquidated damages provision of the contract against Tumbleson White Construction Inc. of Gainesville. “We are trying to hit them in the pocketbook at this point,” the city manager said.
In Feud’s Latest Distortion, Palm Coast Blames County for “Killing” $600,000 City Road Grant
Palm Coast and the county are at it again, but in this case the city appears to have misrepresented the county’s intention not to violate the law in the latest flare-up of an ongoing feud between City Manager Jim Landon and County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Intersection at Old Kings Road and Town Center Blvd. Will Finally Get a Traffic Light
The $154,000 project will include some new landscaping and will also result in the closure of the makeshift parking area for people who use the Lehigh Trail. The zone must be closed to make the new arrangement safer.
County, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Drum Up Trio of Memorial Day Commemorations
Each of the three government is putting on its own ceremony Monday, starting at 8 a.m. in Palm Coast, 10 a.m. at county government, and 1 p.m. in Flagler Beach.
6 Local Unions Show Electoral Power as 16 Candidates For School Board, Palm Coast and County Match Mettle
The United Public Employees of Flagler County, representing 6 local public unions, hosted the largest simultaneous political forum in the county’s recent history, yielding a few insights into three races.
Flagler’s Pot De-Criminalization Proposal Wilts, But Narrower Version Still Possible
A work group meeting Tuesday to craft an ordinance raised more questions and objections than showed agreement, though the proposal is still moving forward in a much narrower version, and has many hurdles yet to cross.
Separate But Equal: Palm Coast Sidesteps Transgender Bathroom Bind With Private Facilities
Palm Coast hopes to avoid the transgender-bathroom controversy by including private bathrooms in its $525,000 project for new facilities in Town Center and Indian Trails Sports Complex.
Palm Coast Government’s Blue-Collar Workers Barely Retain Union But Reject Contract
Palm Coast’s street, public works and utility workers voted 73-72 to retain the union they voted for in 2014, and on the same day voted unanimously to reject a proposed contract with the city.
Palm Coast Finally Adopts Trap, Neuter and Return Approach to Lower Feral Cat Population
Three years in the begging, the city has finally agreed to a program designed to lower the feral cat population by neutering rather than killing cats, an approach that worked with great success in Flagler Beach and elsewhere.
Flagler Takes 1st Step To Pot Decriminalization With Broad Agreement on Principle, Less So on Details
All of Flagler’s major law enforcement and government agencies agree that marijuana decriminalization for first-time offenders is a good idea. The county next will develop an ordinance all can agree on. That step may be more difficult.
City Will Spend $100,000 to Renovate Fire Station 22, Its Oldest, on Palm Coast Parkway
The city considered demolishing and rebuilding the station in the past, or closing and moving it, but for it says renovation is the best option, keeping open the possibility of a new station on Colbert Lane in the future.
Flagler County Quietly Scraps Plan for 3 New Emergency Communications Towers, For Now
After the Flagler County Commission voted down a planned 350-foot tower on John Anderson Highway, NexTower, which would have built three towers, pulled out of the deal entirely, returning the county’s planning for its emergency infrastructure’s backbone to close to near zero.
In Palm Coast’s Expensive Hunt for New Retailers, a Few Leads, But Only Low Wages
Last July Palm Coast government signed a $135,000, contract with marketing company to recruit retailers. Nine months later, a couple of low-wage retailers are possible, and a half dozen more are long-term possibilities, but nothing more firm than that.
Gate Gas and Aldi Grocery Will Rise at Corner of SR100 and Belle Terre, Ending Political Signs
The Palm Coast City Council approved a redrawing of the property into six lots, three of which are under contract, with two projected for non-fast-food restaurants in the future.
Hear Us Roar, Older Residents Tell Palm Coast Council as They Clamor for a Senior Center
But the Palm Coast City Council is cool to the idea of a dedicated senior center: it has an active community center on Palm Coast Parkway and is ramping up uses of its new city hall’s community wing.
Costlier and Behind Schedule, Holland Park Renovation Swings For Another $50,000
Holland Park’s $4.7 million renovation was to be completed by now. Instead, completion is not expected until late June and the council said it would approve another $50,000 in unexpected expenses.
County Commission Retreats From Joint Meeting With Palm Coast Council on EMS
After appearing ready to meet with Palm Coast, county commissioners now say that between election turn-over and the absence of a crisis, there’s no need to meet over ambulance issues.
Flagler’s 6 Public-Sector Unions Launch Unified Political Arm as Palm Coast Workers Bargain
The new organization, joining teachers, cops, firefighters, school employees and municipal workers, aims to rival Realtors, home builders and the chamber in political influence and regain some power in collective bargaining.
Council Will Approve “Kind of Dumb Looking” 150-ft Cell Tower on Palm Coast Parkway
The tower, camouflaged as a tree, will go up on city land near the public library and will accommodate four cell carriers, among them AT&T, whose service in many parts of Palm Coast has been dismal.
“It Is Done!” Flagler Celebrates Opening of Exit 293 Interchange With North Palm Coast’s Future
Eighteen years in the making, the Matanzas interchange with I-95 is expected to alleviate traffic in palm Coast and spur development in the north of the city while giving residents of the L, B and F Sections faster, safer access to I-95.
Palm Coast Will Refinance $41 Million Utility Loan for Big Savings, But Don’t Expect Lower Rates
The Palm Coast City Council is holding a special meeting Tuesday morning, when it is expected to sign off on the deal. The nearly $600,000 in annual savings will not, however, lower utility rates.
County Takes Dim, Caustic View of Palm Coast’s “Efficiency” Push in Ambulance Services
County commissioners say if Palm Coast wants to make services more efficient, it’s the city’s problem, not theirs. But they’ve agreed to hold a joint meeting in May to discuss possibilities.
Gov. Scott’s $256 Million in Vetoes Include Palm Coast’s $200,000 Wellfield Project
The veto of Palm Coast’s funding and county government’s failure to secure various appropriations is a reflection of a somewhat weaker legislative delegation.
Palm Coast Floats New Rescue System in Name Of “Efficiency,” But County Sees Many Flaws
No one is complaining about ambulance service in Palm Coast, but the city council is favoring changing the system by adding two county ambulances and spreading manpower around. The county, which runs EMS, says the plan is costly and unnecessary.
Palm Coast’s Jim Landon Wants to Add to His $218,000 Pay Package, Council Pushes Back Slightly
The Palm Coat city manager, by far the highest-paid public employee in Flagler, wants annual, automatic raises based on his own self-evaluations, but council members want a more formal system.
District and Palm Coast Will Redesign Some Bus Stops in 1st Step To Counter Crashes Involving Children
Some of the county’s 600 bus stops will be redesigned to include a $1,200 “pad” where students should wait for buses, while an education campaign will target students in elementary and middle schools.
With Curt Emphasis on “NOW,” Palm Coast Mayor Wants Radio Answers from County
For Netts, usually a model of decorum and grace, it was an unusually demanding letter over an issue that has created simemring tensions between the county and city managers for months.
Palm Coast Takes 9th and Nearly Final Step to Ban Bottle Clubs
No businesses will be forced to close. They’ll simply not be allowed to open. But aside from one possible such club at City Market Place, bottle clubs were not lining up to open in the city.
Palm Coast Concedes: Keeping Golf Course At Taxpayers’ Expense No Longer Tenable
The Palm Coast City Council wants to explore leasing out the Palm Harbor Golf Club and the city tennis center, or possibly managing both itself, rather than keep pouring taxpayer subsidies into operations that have lost money for eight years.
As Palm Coast Surveys Residents Yet Again, For $13,000, Council Members Question the Point
Several council members criticized the latest survey of Palm Coast residents–its small sample size, its limited uses, and whether it should be an annual exercise anymore.
Palm Coast Signals Going Its Own Way In Growing Rift With County Over Radio System
City Manager Jim Landon is pressuring the county to replace its emergency radio infrastructure–on which the city and sheriff depend– well before 2020. The county is resisting, citing costs.
Against Mayor’s Opposition, Palm Coast Council Discovers Public Input at Workshops
For the first time in 17 years the Palm Coast City Council will join other local governments in allowing public participation at council workshops, where most of the decisions are made, not just at “regular” meetings.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation Breaks Ground at New Home With Poetry, Nietzsche and a Party
Some 250 people turned out for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s groundbreaking Thursday at its new home in Town Center, with poetry and a live performance by a Flagler Youth Orchestra ensemble.
Family Livid After FDOT Uproots Roadside Memorial to Tyler Tracy 7 Months After Wreck
Tyler Tracy’s memorial was one of five an FDOT official decided had to be removed on US1, though others were left in place, angering Tracy’s widow and family and getting Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts involved in defense of the family.
In a Decisive Shift, Palm Coast Will Oppose Fracking On and Offshore, Citing Environment
Abandoning its silence and tacit nod to fracking, the Palm Coast City Council will forcefully oppose hydraulic fracturing in a resolution, citing water and environmental protection.
As Flagler’s Emergency Communications Briefly Falter, Palm Coast and Sheriff Assail County Over Long-Term Plans
The county’s critical emergency radio system briefly failed when a tower lost its back-up power Thursday even as county, city and sheriff’s officials were meeting in the first high-level meeting since 2013 to deal with their differences over modernizing the emergency communications system.
