Palm Coast residents love their government services even as they attack them in a broad survey, but they also find work opportunities dismal and shopping and cultural opportunities not much better.
Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast Would End Its Red-Light Camera Program With ATS in Two Years
The city would also reduce all operating cameras from 43 to just five. But it would also see its revenue per camera drop, from the current $700 per month to $350 per month. The city’s revenue from the cameras would drop from $361,000 to $21,000.
In Fear of ATS: The Palm Coast City
Council’s Red-Light Camera Delusions
After coming close to suspending its red-light camera [program, the Palm Coast City Council has retreated, again exposing a willingness to do its camera vendor’s bidding before looking after its residents’ interests.
From Harry Potter to Indian Trails Complex, Quidditch Tournament Snitches In on Brooms
Quidditch doesn’t exist. At least not officially. But for two days at Indian Trails, the United States Quidditch South Regional Tournament will feature 14 teams from four states competing in the game Harry Potter made famous, and that’s now played on thousands of college and university campuses.
Palm Coast Will Borrow $30 Million to Build New Sewer Plant, Pledging No Rate Increase For 5 Years
The new plant would be financed with a 20-year loan at less than 1 percent interest, and the city’s total debt load would rise to around $200 million. It also depends on steady growth in coming years.
Palm Coast Man, 19, Charged With Raping 11-Year-Old Girl He Met on Facebook
Karl Westgate, a 19-year-old resident of Palm Coast who became a father two months ago, faces a capital rape charge and other charges of possessing child pornography after exchanging nude pictures of himself and the girl with her.
Palm Coast’s Public Access TV Changing Name and Bright House Channel, To 495
Palm Coast Municipal Access is moving from Channel 199 to Channel 495 for Bright House subscribers, and changing its name to Palm Coast Television.
City Hall Rising: Walls Go Up at Palm Coast’s Future Home
Walls built in place went up Tuesday morning on the site of the future Palm Coast City Hall in Town Center, marking a significant visual advance in the nearly $10 million project as it moves toward completion by fall.
Palm Coast May Reduce Red-Light Cameras to 5, But Won’t Scrap Program For Fear of ATS
Fearful of a lawsuit from ATS, its red-light camera provider. the Palm Coast City Council says it would reduce the cameras from 43 to five, but not eliminate them, even if it means ending all its revenue from the cameras but preserving that of ATS.
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann Thanks Responders After Car Wreck
Palm Coast City Attorney Bill Reischmann was involved in a two-vehicle crash at Palm Coast Parkway and Clubhouse Drive on Feb. 3, as he was driving to a city council meeting.
Third General Manager in 5 Years Takes Over Palm Coast’s Troubled Golf and Tennis Clubs
Six-figure deficits that taxpayers have subsidized year after year have riddled the budgets of Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Club and its tennis center since they opened.
Palm Coast Begins Conversion to LED Street Lights In Latest Push For Conservation
Palm Coast won’t retrofit its 3,000 street lights to LED just yet, but all new installations will be LED, and in a year or 18 months may consider a broader retrofit program if the investment shows solid savings over time.
Palm Coast Close To Suspending Red-Light Camera Program as Legal Challenges Mount
By all appearances from the council’s discussion this morning, the council is ready to end its program as it is now configured, with a final decision to be taken on March 3.
The FBI’s Palm Coast Visit and Jim Landon’s Accuracy Problem
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon Tuesday accused local media of mis-characterizing the FBI’s recent interview of two city officials, but it was Landon who distorted the record and derided the local press in a way he never would dare—or that council members should never tolerate—if he were referring to any other local business.
Judge Orders Dennis McDonald and Attorney to Pay Palm Coast $15,900 Over Frivolous Suit
Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger’s order calls for the sum to be paid equally by McDonald and his attorney. The decision signals to local anti-government activists that governments will not leave certain attacks unanswered.
For Flagler and Palm Coast Officials, Mandatory Ethics Class Puts Primer on Common Sense
The session produced discussion, questions and derision that revealed the gulf between what the law requires and what officials tend to know, with lacking agreement on what even common sense might mean.
For Palm Coast, Florida Park Drive’s Heavy Traffic Is an Old Bane Without Ready Solutions
Residents along Florida Park Drive have complained year after year about the heavy traffic, the noise and the pollution, but Palm Coast officials say there’s little they can do legally to alleviate an old ITT mistake.
FBI Agents Interview 2 Palm Coast Employees In Inquiry Over Tony Capela Issues
Palm Coast officials downplayed a 90-minute interview by two FBI agents of a public works division manager Wednesday and a briefer interview with the public works director, saying it’s related to settled matters in connection with ex-streets superintendent Tony Capela.
Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run Raises $13,152 for Florida Hospital Flagler’s Breast Cancer Fund
After an event that drew upwards of 1,000 runners, a record, Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run last October netted $13,152, money that will help defray the cost of mammograms and other breast-cancer diagnoses or treatments.
Palm Coast Fire Department Unveils New $360,000 Truck and Logo on Jan. 27
The public can see Palm Coast’s new fire truck and its new logo on Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Marketplace parking lot.
Attorney At Center of Suits Against Palm Coast and County, Is Arrested on Battery Charge
Joshua Knight, the Palm Coast attorney hired by two Ronald Reagan Assemblies members to litigate actions against Palm Coast and the county that were found frivolous, was arrested on domestic battery and false imprisonment charges Monday afternoon.
Palm Coast Street Superintendent Tony Capela Resigns Abruptly After 8 Years
Tony Capela, the sometimes embattled, often lauded Palm Coast street superintendent, resigned unexpectedly late Friday, without giving a reason, after eight years with the city.
Judge Will Decide How Much of $18,000 McDonald and Attorney Owe Palm Coast in Frivolous Case
Palm Coast brought sanctions against Dennis McDonald and his attorney for filing a frivolous lawsuit in 2013, alleging, falsely, that the city was about to cut down trees around Palm Harbor shopping center.
Mulling Nuisances, Palm Coast Putters Closer to Trap, Neuter and Release of Feral Cats
With two new supporters of TNR on the council, Palm Coast is slowly moving toward adoption of a trap and release system that still preserves the city’s authority to declare some cats nuisances, and have them removed from public spaces or exterminated.
Projecting $1 Million Saving, Palm Coast Will Build $2.5 Million City Hall Addition Now Instead of 2019
The total Palm Coast City Hall cost rose to $9 million as the council agreed to build an 8,000 square foot addition as part of a broader construction plan that would net the city savings over five years.
Palm Coast Council Weighing Suspending Red-Light Camera Program Entirely
The Palm Coast City Council is considering suspending–but not ending–its red-light camera program until courts rule more conclusively on the legality of the system.
Palm Coast Will Optimize Its 50 Traffic Signals, But No: They Still Won’t Be Synchronized
Palm Coast will spend $55,000 to study its traffic signals on its way to improving efficiency and wait times for drivers at red lights, but drivers’ most pressing wish–synchronization–won’t be part of the results.
Palm Coast Suspends Part of Red-Light Camera Enforcement, But $158 Fines Still Being Issued
While still issuing $158 fines for red-light violations, Palm Coast is for now no longer pursuing drivers who refuse to pay, so those drivers will not get the steeper $264 traffic citation. But those citations may be issued pending the outcome of a court case.
New, Younger Faces Sworn In at Palm Coast Council, Same Old at County Commission
The swearing-in ceremonies were a study in contrast, if not a reflection of the election’s paradoxes as Palm Coast showed its desire for change and the county commission stayed the same.
Demolition Set for Old Palm Harbor Center, As Is Competitive Rebirth of Island Walk
A huge segment of the old Palm Harbor Shopping Center is about to go under the wrecking ball as part of the $41 million redevelopment of the site, which will take over a year, though Publix will remain open there throughout, and move into a much larger store by the end of 2015.
From Washington to Palm Coast City Council, Elections Herald Less Change Than Advertised
Tuesday’s election looked more revolutionary than it was, as political dynamics changed very little, even at the Palm Coast City Council, where two seats turned over, and even more so at the school board and the county commission, where change may be imperceptible.
“Epic Moment in Palm Coast’s History” as New City Hall Breaks Ground at Town Center
Mayor Jon Netts celebrated the occasion in words that richly threaded Palm Coast’s nomadic years to Wednesday’s moment, turning symbolism into masonry as he spoke of the building representing unity, diversity and energy.
Palm Coast Broods as Ruling Declares Key Step in Red-Light Camera Ticketing Illegal
You may be better off not paying your red-light camera ticket in light of a court decision declaring issuance of those tickets illegal. Palm Coast is studying the ruling as its cameras continue to flash.
Canvassing Board Rejects Weeks Attempt to Remove Hadeed as Attorney in Latest Clashes
Another Canvassing Board meeting that should have been routine turned into a three-hour test of wills between Supervisor Kimberle Weeks and the two other members of the board, while Weeks’s issues with Palm Coast remain unresolved.
In Chamber’s Straw Poll, Shipley and Nobile Win Palm Coast, Incumbents Win all County and State Offices and Pot Loses
There were few surprises in a straw poll of 124 participants conducted by the Flagler Chamber of Commerce at a political forum and at Creekside Festival in the last few days, but the sample is too small to be indicative of more than hints.
Palm Coast Seeking Citizen Volunteers for River to Sea Advisory Committees
Palm Coast recently became a member of the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), and is now accepting applications from its citizens to serve on two TPO advisory committees.
Indian Trails 7th Grader Shelby Anton, Winner of Statewide Essay Contest, Is Palm Coast Mayor for a Day
Indian Trails 7th grader Shelby Anton took first place in Florida, out of some 1,500 entrants, in a Florida League of Cities contest that had her spend a day as a mayor, including chairing a city council meeting on Oct. 7.
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon Credentialed by Management Association
Jim Landon is one of more than 1,300 local government management professionals currently credentialed through the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program.
More Land For Pops as City Embraces Partnership With Palm Coast Arts Foundation
The city has agreed to lease the foundation–which is set to raise its first physical structure–even more land than it had before in Town Center and increasing the arts group’s space by about a third, and doubling the length of the $1-year-lease to 10 years.
Palm Coast Sets Special Meeting Tuesday to Consider Tax Breaks for Palm Harbor Shopping Center’s Redevelopment
The unusual special meeting is set to two proposed measures: a tax-break package valued at $52,000 for the Palm Harbor shopping center redevelopment, and a $900,000 purchase of 21 vehicles for the city’s fleet.
Commission Chairman Questions Election’s Integrity in Broad Criticism of Supervisor Kim Weeks’ Methods
George Hanns unleashed an unusually blunt and broad critique of Weeks at the end of a county commission meeting and went as far as questioning whether it was time to involve the state Division of Elections “about some of the things that are transpiring.”
Kimble Medley Appointed to Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board, 3 Others Reappointed
Neil Copeland, Robert Branin and Gerry Chagnon, who had previously been an alternate, were re-appointed to the powerful board. Kenneth Klinkenberg, a former member, was appointed an alternate in City Council votes this morning.
Elections Supervisor Weeks Scuttles Latest Attempt to Resolve Elections Conflicts in Heated Meeting
A Canvassing Board meeting Friday devolved into a partisan and often heated debate, but no resolution, as many conflicts that have framed Kimberle Weeks’s supervision of the last election remain unresolved ahead of November’s election.
Sgt. Frank Celico’s Name Added to Memorial In 9/11 Commemoration at Heroes Park
During the early morning ceremony at Heroes Park, Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts spoke of the Callery pear tree that survived the attacks of 9/11 at Ground Zero and has come to symbolize resilience and rebirth at the site.
Flagler’s Constitutional Officers, With Combined Salaries of $1 Million, Get 0.4% Bump
When the $140,406 in salaries to city elected officials is added to the figure, the combined total, for elected officials in Flagler County, stands at $1.13 million for the coming year, not including benefits.
Palm Coast and County Close to a Deal 4 Years in the Making, Resolving Conflict Over Airport
The Palm Coast City Council is still not entirely happy with the agreement because of uncertainty over a potential city park, and the county commission hasn’t even seen or discussed the agreement.
Palm Coast Ends Federal Lobbying Efforts But Renews State Contract, Declining Coalition
Palm Coast, the county and Flagler Beach spend $125,000 on lobbying firms between them. Palm Coast, accounting for $45,000 of that, doesn’t want to join a lobbying coalition, saying the city’s needs are too particular, and the return on investment already proven.
Chris Quinn Earns Palm Coast 13th Consecutive Financial Reporting Excellence Award
Chris Quinn’s calm, clear and generally jargon-free presentations are familiar to followers of the city council, especially during the laborious months of budget season.
Palm Coast Council, in 4-0 Vote, Sides With Its Manager Against Firefighters Union in Contract Dispute
The Palm Coast City Council sided with its Manager Jim Landon’s recommendation to reject union positions on a collective bargaining agreement in contention for three years.
The Palm Coast City Council as Labor Tribunal: Firefighters Union and Administration Face Off
Palm Coast firefighters and the city administration reached an impasse in December after more than three years of negotiations over a contract, leaving it to the city council on Friday to settle the dispute in an unusual hearing.