Less than an hour before qualifiers were to start for the inaugural Women’s USTA Pro Circuit tournament at the Southern Recreation Center this morning, Palm Coast officials, representatives of the USTA and players gathered at the newest court-side in town to cut the ribbon on four new clay courts.
Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast Government Wins Regional Council Award for Its Imaginative Comprehensive Plan
The City of Palm Coast has been honored with a prestigious Regional Award for Excellence for Planning and Growth Management from the Northeast Florida Regional Council for its visionary work on the “Imagine 2050: City on the Rise” Comprehensive Plan Update. This recognition highlights the City’s commitment to proactive planning, innovative community engagement, and strategic initiatives to shape Palm Coast’s future.
Palm Coast Council Signals Willingness to Relax Commercial Vehicle Parking in Residential Driveways
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday signaled its willingness to reconsider the city’s ban on the overnight parking of commercial vehicles in residential driveways without the vehicles’ signage being covered. The City Council considered repealing or amending the ban on commercial vehicles twice before, in 2010 and 2021, falling short each time.
New Rules: Palm Coast Council Restores Extra Workshop Among Changes Reflective of New Crew and Law
The shiniest-new Palm Coast City Council since the city’s founding voted to restore a second monthly workshop to go along with the two monthly meetings it’s held nearly since the city’s creation in 1999. It’ll need it: the council, with just one member barely exceeding two years’ service and everyone else a rookie or close to it, collectively is the least experienced in the city’s history. The decision is part of a relatively modest rewriting of council procedures prompted by its members’ wish to be more accessible to the public.
Palm Coast Enacts Vacation Rental Regulations as 10-Guest Limit Survives, But Milestone May Be Sort-Termed
Ending a half-year slog, the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the city’s first-ever short-term vacation rental regulations, with registration and inspection fees and penalties for violators. There are well over 200 such rentals in the city. The 10-guest cap per rental survived after a last-ditch attempt by two council members to raise it, but children exempt from counting against the cap may now be up to 3 years old. The previous exemption applied for children up to 1 year old.
Fired Palm Coast Utility Director’s ‘Whistleblower’ Action Details Grave Issues and Conflicts But No Smoking Gun
Former Palm Coast Utility Director Amanda Rees in a nine-page “whistleblower” letter to the City Council detailed dysfunction, personality clashes, discordant expectations, leadership issues and poor diplomacy, along with fearful or preemptive politicking among an administrative leadership clearly jarred by what had been an unpredictable and at times rash City Council. But anyone looking for corruption, malice, or a smoking gun in the letter would not find it. The city rejected its whistleblower claim.
Flagler’s New Legislative Delegation, Meager in Money and Seniority, Tells Locals: Don’t Expect Much
The much-diminished Flagler County Legislative Delegation took its seats this afternoon in Bunnell, cautioning local government and organization representatives seeking state aid for numerous projects that it’s a new, poorer day in Tallahassee, where federal Covid aid and legislative seniority are gone. Sen. Tom Leek and Rep. Sam Greco are each in his first term, though Leek brings eight years of service in the House, where he rose to the appropriations committee chairmanship before he was term-limited.
Palm Coast Government’s Website Launches ADA Functions to Improve Access for All
The City of Palm Coast has implemented a new ADA (Americans with Disabilities) Widget on its official website, palmcoast.gov, designed to improve accessibility and inclusivity for all users. This feature provides a variety of tools to enhance the online experience for individuals with different accessibility needs.
Palm Coast Senior Planner Phong T. Nguyen Earns Professional Transportation Planner Distinction
The City of Palm Coast announced Monday that Phong T. Nguyen, Senior Planner in the Community Development Department, has received the prestigious Professional Transportation Planner (PTP) certification. This recognition highlights his exceptional expertise in transportation planning and his commitment to fostering innovative and sustainable solutions that enhance the quality of life for our community.
USTA Interested in Managing Southern Rec Center, But Locals Worry About Messing With a Good Thing
After granting Palm Coast $700,000 to build five additional tennis court at the Southern Recreation Center, the USTA is interested in a management partnership with the city there. But tennis and pickleball players at the center are raising cautions about such an arrangement, worrying either that pickleball would get cheated or that other amenities would be run differently, though the potential arrangement also has some notable support.
Palm Coast’s Vacation-Rental Rules Ready for Prime Time as Council Refines Them, But They Could Be Short-Lived
Palm Coast’s debut short-term rental ordinance is heading for approval over the next few weeks as the City Council today, inheriting a draft in the works for months under a largely different council, signed off on it with minor adjustments. The council will vote on the proposal on Dec. 17 and Jan. 7, when the public may yet address it.
Palm Coast’s Push for Evening-Only Meetings Relies on Unproven and Problematic Assumptions
The Palm Coast City Council is considering moving all its meetings to evening sessions. The possibility is prompted by some council members’ assumption, disproved by the record and other local governments’ experience, that evening meetings would increase attendance and participation.
3.5-Mile Graham Swamp Trail Link to Lehigh and Bulow Finally In Design Thanks to Federal Money
As Palm Coast continues to broaden its crown-jewel-like trail system, the city has finally secured federal aid money to design the long-planned segment from Graham Swamp to Lehigh Trail–a plan 15 years in the works. But construction money remains elusive, so it may be a while yet before hikers are able to trek the entire distance from the Woodlands to Bulow Park several miles south, where another trail is under design.
Palm Coast Graduates Its 56th Class City’s Citizens Academy
Graduates of this session include Joseph Benney, Kathleen Brady, Joanne Campbell, Geraldine Casarella, Gina DosSantos, Michael Flanagan, Rosa Fragosa, Donna Harkins, Cornelia Downing Manfre, Mahogany Marfan, Francine Martin, Kenneth McGevna, Christine Paris, Christine Reardon, Harold Sankey, Jane Santi, Kristina Uzun, Phyllis Van Reeth, Kathleen Vining, and Lynn Wade.
Water and Sewer Projects Top Palm Coast’s List of Asks from Legislature in a Year of Leaner Pork Barrels
This time, the Palm Coast City Council wants to be very clear with the state legislature and the governor: the city’s priorities for state dollars are its oldest of two sewer plants, and for one of its three water plants. But it’ll be difficult for Palm Coast to repeat its record haul of state money of the last two years, now that it has lost Paul Renner and Travis Hutson, who have been replaced by backbenchers.
In Puzzling Move, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Seeks ‘Legal Opinion’ On Gambaro Appointment, But Is Rebuffed
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris tried and failed Tuesday to get the council’s approval for a “legal opinion” about the propriety of the previous council’s October appointment of Charles Gambaro to the seat Cathy Heighter had resigned. Norris said he wanted a legal document protecting the city in case the city was sued over the appointment. It was a puzzling move.
As Palm Coast Recruits for a New City Manager, Two Brochures Tell a Tale of the Last 5 Years
A job posting for a new Palm Coast City Manager appeared on a dozen websites on Nov. 22, paired with a brochure that in many ways mirrors the brochure the same recruiting firm sent out when it was recruiting for a replacement for Jim Landon. The two brochure’s similarities and differences tell their own story about Palm Coast in those five years.
Palm Coast’s Legal Fees in Splash Pad Case Near $400,000, with Costly Four-Week Trial Expected in New Year
In the two years since Palm Coast filed suit against a dozen contractors involved in the original construction of the ill-fated splash pad at Holland Park, GrayRobinson, the law firm representing the city, has billed $376,000 in fees, with more depositions, hearings and what the attorney handling the case said may well be a four-week trial early next year, all of which would raise the city’s legal costs substantially.
Revealed: Behind Closed Doors, Palm Coast Council Was Hoping to Lose Lawsuit Over Debt Referendum
The transcript of a closed-door session of the council, obtained by FlaglerLive, shows that a majority of the council, and the attorney they’d hired to fight the lawsuit, were rooting for the judge to rule against the city in a lawsuit to pull the proposed debt referendum from the ballot–or at least thought that to be the best case scenario for the city. The city’s primary aim was no longer hoping for any kind of electoral success for the measure (which failed decisively), but avoiding liability for the city.
Why Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum Failed
Palm Coast’s debt referendum failed because it was deceptive and unnecessary. The city has several options to raise new revenue. It refuses to tap them. Enabling debt is not a solution. It’s a pander to the local chamber and private companies seeking to use city taxpayers as collateral for their projects.
Richardson, Carney and Pennington Make History on County Commission, and Dance Is Acclaimed Chair Again
There was history this evening at the Flagler County Commission: Sworn-in on the silver spine of a Hebrew Bible, Kim Carney and Pam Richardson joined Leann Pennington, who was elected two years ago, to form the first majority-woman commission in the county’s 107-year history. There was also acclamation as Andy Dance was re-elected chair.
Norris, Miller and Stevens Sworn-In as Palm Coast Council and City Begin Uncharted Era
A new Palm Coast City Council, anchored in the intently precedent-breaking mayorship of Mike Norris, was seated this morning amid the cheers and encouragements of a sizable crowd as Ty Miller and Ray Stevens joined the mayor on the dais alongside Theresa Pontieri and Charles Gambaro. With notable pockets of reserve, not just among city staffers and directors, the audience was mostly triumphal ahead of an uncharted future.
Palm Coast Hosts Countywide Capital Improvement Project Summit
The City of Palm Coast today hosted the fourth annual Countywide Capital Improvement Project Summit, uniting leaders from Flagler County, the cities of Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, and the town of Beverly Beach. The meeting took place at Palm Coast City Hall in the Community Wing.
Palm Coast Developers Will Pay Public Arts Fee on Projects Above $1 Million, But Spending Is Unclear
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved imposing a 0.5 percent fee on all commercial projects in the city with a value of $1 million or more. The city will use parts of the money to fund its long-standing cultural arts grants, but it’s unclear how else it will use the money. It would largely be the purview of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, with a more specific policy to come to set out spending and installation criteria.
Palm Coast Will Provide Free Dirt to Help Homeowners’ Drainage Problems, With Limiting Caveats
The Palm Coast City Council approved a plan by its drainage committee to provide 5 cubic yards of free dirt to homeowners who need to regrade their yards to address drainage problems. The dirt was declared surplus property, enabling the city to dispense of it, but at homeowners’ expense. One homeowner ridiculed the offer.
Council Rejects Naming Palm Coast Community Center for Jon Netts in Striking Snub of Major Legacy
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday rejected a long-standing proposal to rename the Palm Coast Community Center for Jon Netts, a former mayor and City Council member whose 15-year tenure in city government shaped Palm Coast more than any other elected official in the city’s history.
In a First, Palm Coast Council Censures an Absent Ed Danko Over ‘Disconcerting’ Behavior
In an unprecedented motion in the city’s 25 years, the Palm Coast City Council today censured Council member Ed Danko in a 3-1 vote, in his absence, in a rebuke of his perceived role against the city in a lawsuit and of his loutish behavior in his years on the council.
Palm Coast Walmart Will Build 10-Pump Gas Station in Its Store Parking Lot Off Cypress Point Parkway
Palm Coast’s Walmart in the heart of the city has submitted a site plan to build a 10-pump gas station and convenience store that will take up a substantial portion of the parking lot at that store. The 10-pump station will be located in the northwest corner of the parking lot, toward the corner of the property along Cypress Point Parkway and Cypress Edge Drive.
Alan Lowe Drops Lawsuit Against Palm Coast in Debt Referendum
Alan Lowe, the former candidate for mayor who sued the Palm Coast City Council over the proposed ballot referendum to loose the city’s restrictions on borrowing and leasing, dropped his lawsuit the day after the Nov. 5 election, which saw the ballot measure decisively defeated.
Flagler and Gomorrah
The outcome of local elections will affect us at least as much as anything that happens nationally. With that in mind it’s worth taking stock of our local political landscape post-apocalypse, because it’s a whole lot better than Gomorrah and, ironically, almost entirely Republican.
Developer of Cascades in Seminole Woods Readies to Sue Palm Coast Over 416-Home Limit, Instead of 850
The Palm Coast City Council on Wednesday got warning from a developer that the city may soon face a lawsuit to make up for over $12 million in estimated losses from a council decision to limit a development to less than half the housing units applied for at the Cascades, the Seminole Woods development the council approved earlier this year. The applicant had asked for 850 housing units, including apartments. The council limited the development to 416.
Mike Norris Is Palm Coast’s New Mayor, Ty Miller and Ray Stevens Win Council, Debt Amendment Defeated
Mike Norris will be Palm Coast’s new mayor, winning his election, against Cornelia Manfre handily while Ty Miller defeated Jeff Sieb and Ray Stevens was poised to defeat Andrew Werner for the two other seats on the Palm Coast City Council, as early but all but insurmountable results were announced this evening.
Palm Coast Debt Referendum Will Be Counted as Judge Rules Ballot Language Unambiguous
Circuit Judge Chris France this morning issued an order denying a motion to nullify the Palm Coast City Council’s referendum that, if approved, would remove limits on the city’s borrowing and leasing authority. The decision is a victory for the City Council, sharply divided though it is about it and pyrrhic though the victory may end up being, if the referendum fails and sours voters on a subsequent attempt to pass one with less controversy and more clarity.
Judge France Will Rule on Whether to Nullify Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum Before Close of Election Day
With Election Day four days away, Circuit Judge Chris France today said he will rule before Tuesday evening after hearing arguments in a citizen’s challenge of a controversial ballot proposal that would remove borrowing limits on Palm Coast.
Ethics Commission Tosses Yet Another Complaint Against Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, This One from Familiar Name
For the third time in six months, the Florida Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint filed against Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, finding it legally insufficient. The complaint was filed by Jeani Duarte, who in September twice filed suit in Flagler County Circuit Court in an attempt to stop the city’s referendum on a charter amendment. A judge called Duarte’s pleadings “nonsensical.”
At Chamber’s Future of Flagler Forum, Rousing Cheer for Years Ahead from City, County and School Leaders
The Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce gave a crowd of over 100 people the chance to hear the state of Flagler County’s cities, county and school board in less than 60 minutes, presented in rapid, compelling, and at times rousing succession by men and women more knowledgeable, less vapid and generally more intelligent than the elected officials who hire them: city and county managers and the school superintendent.
Texts Show Ed Danko Seeking to Recruit Resident to File Lawsuit Against His Own Council’s Debt Referendum
Dozens of texts Palm Coast Councilman Danko exchanged with a Palm Coast resident who was willing to be the plaintiff in a lawsuit show to what extent Danko was strategizing against the a referendum that would facilitate city debt. Texts show Danko predicating at least one council vote’s outcome on a lawsuit, discussed lawyers, sought information from his potential recruit and spoke of “our lawsuit.” A friend, Alan Lowe, eventually filed the lawsuit. Council member Theresa Pontieri says Danko’s involvement is a “blatant” conflict.
Palm Coast Council Sharply Divided Over Making Large Developers Pay ‘Minuscule’ Fee for Public Art
The Palm Coast City Council is divided over a modest program to fund public art installations that would require larger developers to devote half of a percent of the value of their project to the arts. One council member calls it “awesome.” Another says it “makes no sense.” A third is “torn.”
Palm Coast Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary with Quilts, Cake and a ‘Living Time Capsule’
In contrast with the rain-soaked 10th anniversary celebration, the skies were cloudless Saturday and the sun blazing as Palm Coast marked its 25th anniversary with speeches, a blue and yellow cake, quilts and a “living time capsule” that looks back at the past quarter century.
Speech Codes at Flagler School Board and Palm Coast Council Are Now Illegal, Thanks to Moms for Liberty
A decision by the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, controlling law in Flagler County, invalidates local governments’ speech codes that prohibit public speakers from addressing individual members of elected boards, or citing employees by name, or quoting from school library books, no matter how racy, or speaking offensively, which is considered a point of view. But rules against disruption and obscenity remain. The question is: will local governments correct their rules accordingly?
Company Building Data Center in Palm Coast Clears Undersea Cables’ Final Hurdle in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach’s South 6th Street will soon be the landing point for up to six of the 600-some transatlantic data cables that form the backbone of the internet. The cables will then snake underground, across State Road 100 and into Town center, where DX Blox, the Atlanta-based company, will build a “cable landing station,” or a data center, near the intersection of Town Center Boulevard and Royal Palms Parkway.
Palm Coast Belies Its Own Council Members’ Statements As It Claims Debt Referendum Is ‘Clear and Unambiguous’
Sharply divided though it’s been over the matter, the Palm Coast City Council is opting to fight a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a proposed charter amendment at the Nov. 5 election, filing an answer to the lawsuit that seeks its dismissal primarily on technical grounds. The city’s answer that the ballot language is “clear and unambiguous,” however, directly contradicts what a majority of the council has said about the language.
Palm Coast Historical Society and City Unveil Hernandez-Honoring Historical Marker at Long Creek Preserve
The Palm Coast Historical Society and Palm Coast government on Friday unveiled a new historical monument at Long Creek Nature Preserve, honoring the rich history and natural beauty of this beloved local treasure.
Matters of Temper Dominate Palm Coast Mayoral Candidates Cornelia Manfre’s and Mike Norris’s Final Clash
In their hour on the air, sitting in close quarters in WNZF’s studio but with an empty chair between them, Palm Coast mayoral candidates Cornelia Manfre and Mike Norris attacked, ducked, provoked and raised alarms about each other, never in good fun but never with disrespect. Manfre was clearly more prepared, sounding more forceful, answering questions in sharp, short and clear outlines and keeping Norris on the defensive.
After Closed-Door Meeting, No Sign Palm Coast Is Settling Ballot Referendum Litigation, Which May Go Past Election
Signals from Thursday’s closed-door meeting of the Palm Coast City Council suggest that the city appears not ready to settle the lawsuit over the ballot referendum on a charter amendment that would allow the city more freely to borrow money and enter into lease agreements. If the referendum fails, the case would be moot. If it succeeds, it won’t be the end of litigation: at least twice before courts have invalidated such referendums in Florida well after the vote was certified, and those challenging the measure intend to keep challenging it even if it succeeds at the polls on Nov. 5.
Palm Coast Council Wants Another Re-Write of Vacation-Rental Ordinance, Pushing Approval to Next Year
Four months after it directed its attorney to draft it, the Palm Coast City Council again delayed approving the city’s first-ever vacation-rental ordinance as numerous issues and new proposals arose after the latest draft, which was due for a first read on on Tuesday. Instead, the council agreed to table it and schedule another workshop in December or January, when three new members will be on the council. That means the council will barely have time to approve the ordinance before the state Legislature again tries to pass a law that invalidates local ordinances.
Palm Coast Renews Contract with Southern Group Lobbying Firm, But With a Probationary Caveat
Last June the Palm Coast City Council called on the carpet its lobbying firm in Tallahassee after voicing some dissatisfaction over the city’s record haul in state appropriations. On Tuesday, the council renewed its contract with the firm, but only for one year, not three, as the administration had proposed. The city will pay the firm $72,000 for the year, up from $60,000 in the last contract year, and leave the option open for four renewals.
Palm Coast Approves 1st Steps Toward $240 Million Sewer Expansion, With Higher Utility Rates Coming in Spring
Addressing one of the most critical issues hampering the city’s infrastructure–and facing an order from the state to expand sewer capacity–the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday took a pair of momentous steps that by next spring will result in higher water and sewer rates to help pay for a nearly quarter-billion dollar expansion of one of the city’s two sewer plants. Only a portion of the construction can legally be covered by development impact fees. Absent grants or unexpected new revenue, the rest has to be paid through water and sewer rates, which are currently too low to shoulder that burden.
How Residential Growth, a State Order and Intense Rains Are Forcing Palm Coast’s Hand on Sewer Expansion
A combination of sharp growth that’s not paying for itself, a consent decree–or mandatory order–by the state and increasingly intense rain events have combined to force Palm Coast to rapidly expand its two sewer plants, resulting in significant capacity by 2028 but at significant cost: one of the two plant expansions will cost $245 million, between design and construction costs, and likely more by the time it’s done around 2028. The city has no choice in that timeline because of the consent decree, just as the Palm Coast City Council will have no choice but to raise utility rates next year.
Settlement Offer Gives Palm Coast Council Chance to Pull Embattled Debt Referendum from the Ballot
The Palm Coast City Council is holding a closed-door meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday at City Hall to consider a settlement offer in the lawsuit challenging the veracity of the city’s debt referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. The offer proposes that opposing sides agree to end the lawsuit and not count the results of the referendum, which will still appear on the ballot. The city would not owe the opposition attorneys’ fees.