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Palm Coast City Council

Palm Coast Mayor’s Motion for Construction Moratorium Fails in Face of Builders’ Bulky Show of Force

March 18, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

The Flagler County Home Builders Association had mobilized its troops outside City Hall this morning, to ward off the third attempted building moratorium in 14 months. The show of force worked. (© FlaglerLive)

Mayor Mike Norris’s motion for a residential building moratorium this morning, made after nearly an hour of zealous speeches for or against, but mostly for, quickly failed for lack of a second, and applause resounded across the standing-room-only chamber. Some of it was consolation for Norris by his supporters. Most of it was from builders and their supporters.

Mayor Norris In Pattern of Offensive Behavior Toward Staff Since November, Internal Complaints Show

March 17, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 53 Comments

Mayor Mike Norris is facing mounting challenges to the way he is exercising his authority, including authority he does not have. (© FlaglerLive)

Several city employees and directors have filed a series of complaints and memos to Human Resources documenting behavior by Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris they considered rude, demeaning, offensive, abusive, harassing and inappropriately interfering with administrative duties, in violation of the city charter. The complaints were filed well before three City Council members called for an independent investigation of Norris over his overstepping his authority.

Norman Mugford, Alarmpro Owner and Longtime Member of Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board, Dies at 76

March 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Norman Mugford. (© FlaglerLive)

The City of Palm Coast honors the memory and celebrates the life of Norman Mugford, who passed away on Monday, March 3, 2025, at the age of 76. Norman was a dedicated public servant whose tireless commitment significantly shaped Palm Coast, particularly through his extensive service on the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board.

Five Apply for Ray Stevens’s Palm Coast Council Seat Amid Mounting Turmoil; Window Closes March 19

March 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

The empty seat they seek to fill. (© FlaglerLive)

Just five candidates have applied for the District 3 seat on the Palm Coast City Council that Ray Stevens resigned at the end of February, including Mark Stancel, who lost a primary vote to Stevens by two votes. Whoever the council appoints will be joining a county and a city in turmoil. The council will make its choice in early to mid-April. 

Palm Coast Eases Stance on Beach-Saving Sales Tax as ‘Grow Some Balls’ Message Lifts Plan’s Chances, But More Talk Needed

March 13, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Wednesday's joint meeting of local governments on a proposed beach-management plan included representatives of Flagler County, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell, Beverly Beach, and by phone, Marineland. (© FlaglerLive)

In contrast with their joint meeting in February, representatives from Palm Coast, Beverly Beach, Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Marineland and the county were all more supportive of a proposed beach-management plan centered on raising the sales tax as they discussed it Wednesday evening. Palm Coast remains the crucial hold-out for now, if not an immovable one. But time is running out.

City Council Cuts City Manager Candidates to 5, But with Sharp Disparities Regarding Most

March 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

All the news not fit for a screen: a television display at City Hall. (© FlaglerLive)

Shortly before giving applicants yet more reasons to think twice about working here, the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday shortened its list of city manager candidates to five, with one clear front-runner–William Smith, a former county and city manager in Georgia and North Carolina, with vast experience in the field, and the first candidate to get across-the-board top scores from all four council members so far.

Palm Coast Council Agrees to Investigation of Mayor Norris After Allegation of ‘Blatant Violations of City Charter’

March 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 56 Comments

Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro, right (seen here at a previous council meeting) called for an investigation of Mayor Norris over an allegation that he violated the city charter by demanding the resignation of top staffers. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council late Tuesday night called for an independent investigation of Mayor Mike Norris after Interim City Manager Lauren Johnston confirmed that he unilaterally demanded in a private meeting that she and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo resign, what would be a “blatant violation of the city charter,” in Council member Ty Miller’s words. Norris is denying the charge.

Palm Coast Mayor Norris Calls for Indefinite Building Moratorium Or He’ll Vote No on $614 Million Utility Plan

March 7, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 55 Comments

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris. (© FlaglerLive)

In a stunning reversal, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris today told his colleagues that he will vote against the utility rate increase and borrowing plan he supported just three days ago  unless the city imposes an indefinite building moratorium on residential housing, or “no more approval of any more residential housing, to date uncertain,” as he put it. The revelation drew sharp resistance from Council members Charles Gambaro and Ty Miller, and guarded support–and an alternative path–from Theresa Pontieri, who twice before had called for a moratorium.

Palm Coast Announces New Short-Term Rental Registration Requirements

March 6, 2025 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

short-term-rental rules

Property owners operating short-term rentals within the city must register their properties annually with both the City of Palm Coast and Flagler County and comply with all applicable regulations. Failure to register may result in a notice of violation and a code board hearing.

Palm Coast Is Not a Business. It’s Not an Army Base. We Need a City Manager, Not a CEO in Fatigues.

March 6, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

palm coast city manager search

The fetish of government as a business has a stranglehold on politicians. The mayor likes to call the city “Palm Coast Inc.” and wants a “CEO” to manage it. The fetish for a manager plucked out of the military is just as brawny. It’s a mistake. It will compound Palm Coast’s problems, which for the most part were not created by management. The city administration, because of its professionalism and deeply credentialed staff, has for years been the last thing standing between chaos and civility, between governing and fiscal, populist irresponsibility. The problem has been misguided policy by undisciplined councils.

Palm Coast Council Contends with 7th Resignation in 9 Years as Application Window Opens for Ray Stevens Replacement

March 5, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

palm coast city council appointment

The Palm Coast City Council has had seven resignations since 2016: Bill McGuire. Steven Nobile. Jack Howell. Victor Barbosa. Milissa Holland. Cathy Heighter. And now Ray Stevens. Over the same time-span, the council has had four mayors (Jon Netts, Holland, David Alfin and now Mike Norris) and 22 council members, a turn-over rate unmatched on any other local government board. The volatility of the council. is likely scaring off some of the better candidates for city manager as the council seeks to fill a post that has not lacked for its own precariousness.

Palm Coast Council Approves 36% Water and Sewer Rate Increase by 2027 to Finance $455 Million Infrastructure Loan

March 5, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 34 Comments

Palm Coast's Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 is ground zero of the city's infrastructure needs. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday approved a controversial plan to raise water and sewer rates 36 percent by October 2027 and borrow $455 million to expand the city’s sewer and freshwater capacity, comply with a state consent order forcing the city’s hand on capital improvements, and assure bond-holders that the city can soundly make good on its financial obligations. Combining water and sewer costs, a household using 4,000 gallons of water per month would see its water and sewer bill go from $90.73 today to $123.46 in October 2027, a difference of $32.73, or $393 per year.

4 County Commissioners Endorse Petito Plan to Save Beaches and Launch Public Campaign for Sales Tax Increase

March 3, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito's plan for beach management got a huge lift from the County Commission today. (© FlaglerLive)

Four county commissioners–Andy Dance, the chair, Greg Hansen, Pam Richardson and Kim Carney–gave their blessing today to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s resolute financial plan to make county government responsible for rebuilding and maintaining all 18 miles of beaches. The commissioners gave Petito their consensus that she may now develop a public campaign to win support. Palm Coast’s support will be crucial. Without it, the plan dies.

Ray Stevens, In Critical Condition, Resigns His Palm Coast City Council Seat Two Months After Swearing-In

February 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Ray Stevens at his swearing-in. (© FlaglerLive)

Elected to the Palm Coast City Council last November after surviving a historically close primary race, Ray Stevens tendered his resignation today, citing ill health. He had missed three successive meetings and attended last Tuesday’s meeting remotely, saying he’d be back in person next week, only to have a grave relapse.

Flagler Beach’s Days Are Numbered. That’s No Reason for Palm Coast to Assist Its Suicide. 

February 27, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

As Benjamin Franklin is said to have once told Flagler Beach Commissioner Jane Mealy, "a beach, if you can keep it." (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler Beach’s days are numbered. A beach-protection plan is essential. The county has produced one that spares the cities any tax increase and ensures the renourishment and management of all 18 miles of the county’s beaches. Sending the question to referendum ensures its death, and with it the eventual death of our beaches. Flagler Beach and Palm Coast should not be so fatalistic.

Ahead of Rate Increases, Palm Coast Launches Explanatory Utility System Web Page

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The City of Palm Coast has launched a new webpage dedicated to providing residents with clear and transparent information about the city’s utility system, challenges, and the strategic plan to maintain reliable water and sewer services. The webpage, available at PalmCoast.gov/utility-strategic-plan, explains key infrastructure projects, why improvements are needed, and how the city is planning for the future.

Ralph Carter Park Rears Its Dusky Lights Again as Councilman Clamors for Dimmers Just Months After City Upgrades

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Though there's been recurring complaints about Ralph Carter Park's lights for years, those complaining can be counted on one light pole. (© FlaglerLive)

A year after Palm Coast staff installed shields on the flood lights at Ralph Carter Park in the R Section, to recalibrate park hours in line with residents’ demands, and to hold a community meeting to outline it all, City Council member Charles Gambaro is asking to lay it all back on the table as he sees the same problems recurring there.

Flagler Humane Society Takes a Lashing from Palm Coast Council as Accountability and Transparency Are Questioned

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Flagler Humane Society Director Amy Carotenuto addressing the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday. (© FlaglerLive via YouTube)

Palm Coast City Hall’s maintenance crews might still this morning have been cleaning up the bloodbath Amy Carotenuto and the Flagler Humane Society she leads endured Tuesday at the hands of City Council members and numerous residents who spoke, some of them former volunteers at the society. Some of the criticism was unfair and undocumented, but some of it was self-inflicted by a society that lacks transparency and a sense of accountability.

Palm Coast Throws Cold, Brackish Water on County Beach Tax and Management Plan, Calling for Referendum

February 25, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito pitching for federal help with beach protection projects to Mike Waltz last August, before the president named the congressman his national security adviser. The Palm Coast City Council was a tougher audience for Petito today. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council today was not receptive to County Administrator Heidi Petito’s comprehensive but expensive financing plan for a long-term solution to saving the county’s 18 miles of beaches. At least three council members favor sending the proposal to the ballot for a referendum, which would almost certainly fail and delay the enactment of an already lagging beach-management plan to 2027, after the next general election. 

On Second Thought, Palm Coast Council Expands City Manager Shortlist to 11, With Gimlet Eyes on Kandahar

February 25, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

An American patroil in Kandahar, the Afghan province, during America's ill-fated war there. The seven months a candidate for Palm Coast city manager spent in Kandahar caught the eye of a City Council member, vaulting the candidate into the short list.

After getting a small and unimpressive batch of candidates from a four-week job posting in December, the Palm Coast City Council’s head-hunter for a new city manager did a desperate thing, marking the want ad as “open until filled.” That drew nine more candidates, and two who re-applied from the first batch. This time, there were two stand-outs, perhaps three, in the council’s view.

Flagler County’s $114 Million Beach Management Plan Depends on Raising Sales Tax and Winning Cities’ Buy-In

February 24, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

Flagler County government is looking for buy-in from cities to extend beach protection across all 18 miles of Flagler's shoreline. But it'll be costly. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government’s proposed $114 million plan to rebuild, maintain and protect 18 miles of shoreline over the next six years depends on raising the local sales tax by half a penny, imposing a $160-a-year tax on each barrier island property, including Flagler Beach, doubling spending on the beach from the county’s tourism-tax revenue, and temporarily using some general fund revenue toward the effort.

Paving Contractor Will Seal Cracks on 33 Palm Coast Streets Before Micro-Surfacing

February 22, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

weed crack

Beginning Monday (Feb. 24) the City of Palm Coast’s micro-surfacing contractor, Asphalt Paving Systems, will begin crack sealing on multiple roadways as part of an upcoming pavement preservation project. This is a temporary step in the process, not the final road surface.

Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park Wins State Planning Association’s Great Places in Florida Award

February 19, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

waterfront park

The American Planning Association’s Florida Chapter named Waterfront Park the winner of the Great Places in Florida People’s Choice Award for 2024, taking 60 percent of the vote in a statewide competition driven by community boosting. Waterfront Park, Palm Coast’s 20-acre treasure on the Intracoastal, opened in 2010 as the 12th of the city’s parks, quickly becoming a favorite among local residents and a draw to visitors.

New Big-Box Store and Shops Slated Near BJ’s Wholesale, But Palm Coast Is ‘Leery’ of 255-Apartment Allowance

February 18, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 43 Comments

Less than 10 years ago, Palm Coast government was begging for developers to give its State Road 100 corridor a chance. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council approved on first reading the annexation from the county of a 39-acre parcel on State Road 100, adjacent to the BJ’s Wholesale Club property just east of Bulldog Drive. The property is slated for a development similar to the BJ’s shopping center. But the council did so with an informal condition: that a portion of the land zoned for apartments, entitling a developer to build 255 units there, be converted exclusively to commercial zoning. No apartments.

I Confess: I Like Palm Coast

February 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

i like palm coast

On WNZF’s annual year in review show with local media in January host David Ayres asked me if I liked Palm Coast. I replied with a mix of sarcasm and sourness. It was more of a show-offy attempt to sound clever than an honest reflection of how I felt. For all its many flaws, there are good reasons to appreciate Palm Coast down to its irradiating redness, even for a Bolshevik like me.

Palm Coast Council Journeys from Dubious ‘Forensic Audit’ to Mystifying Citywide ‘Risk Assessment’ as It Approves RFP

February 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The city administration and some members of the council don't see eye to eye on the budget. (© FlaglerLive)

More than a year and a half after it first entertained then backtracked from conducting a “forensic audit” on its own government in response to a handful of residents’ undocumented claims that the administration was corrupt, the Palm Coast City Council late Tuesday night agreed to issue a request for proposal for a “risk assessment,” something quite different from what would have been a prohibitively expensive forensic audit. 

Palm Coast Plans to Sharply Raise Water-Sewer Rates and Borrow $456 Million to Finance Needs, Dwarfing Previous Debt

February 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 38 Comments

A chlorination tank at Palm Coast's Waste Water Treatment 1 in the Woodlands. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council is moving toward a plan to raise water and sewer rates 28 percent over the next four years and borrow $456 million over the next two to finance some of the $700 million in water and sewer infrastructure under strain from too much growth. The bond issues would dwarf all previous city bond issues and its existing total debt, which stands at $134 million. The rate increases would, for a household using 4,000 gallons of water a month, result in bill increases of $40 a month by October 1, 2028, or an annual increase of nearly $500–more for households consuming more water.

33 Palm Coast Streets Are Getting “Micro-Surfaced,” a Granular Sealant and Life-Extender Cheaper Than Regular Paving

February 11, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

An example of micro-surfacing on a local residential street last year. (Palm Coast)

More than 30 residential streets in Palm Coast–23 lane miles, or 11.5 miles of roadway out of the city’s network of 542 miles of roads–are getting a life extension with a coating of micro-surfacing, a form of asphalt treatment for roads in relatively good condition that can prevent decay and delay by five to seven years the need to mill and resurface the road with traditional paving methods.

Proposal Would Raise Palm Coast Water Rates 36% and Sewer Rates 30.5% Over Span of 30 Months

February 7, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 53 Comments

Shitty costs ahead: Palm Coast's aging Waste Water Treatment Plant 1, above, is under a consent order, with plans to upgrade and expand it, but at a cost of $240 million. Rate-payers will have to shoulder a share of the cost. (© FlaglerLive)

A consultant is recommending that Palm Coast government raise water rates 36 percent and sewer rates 30.5 percent over a mere 30 months–from April this year to Oct. 1, 2027–if the city’s utility infrastructure is to keep up with demand, expand and upgrade existing facilities, and keep up with debt obligations. If enacted, it would be the steepest rate increase in the shortest time span in the city’s history, a reflection of the strains Palm Coast’s water and sewer infrastructure is operating under.

Eroding Management Plan, Cities Bluntly Tell Flagler County: Not One Extra Dime for Beach Protection

February 6, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The joint meeting. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast, Beverly Beach and Bunnell officials told Flagler County in blunt, at times almost belligerent terms Wednesday evening that their constituents will not accept any new tax or fee to pay for beach management, whether it’s renourishing beaches or maintaining them. The tone of the discussion during a joint meeting of local governments Wednesday left county officials reeling.

Sen. Rick Scott Aide Tours Palm Coast’s Troubled Wastewater Plant, Raising Hopes for Help with $240 Million Upgrade

February 5, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 19 Comments

Danny Ashburn, Palm Coast's utility manager for the wastewater division, describes to Barry Cotton, Sen. Rick Scott’s Central Florida District Director, and City Council member Charles Gambaro, where Wastewater Treatment Plant 1's expansion would be built. To the right are Interim City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo. (© FlaglerLive)

The first-ever visit by an aide to Sen. Rick Scott–or by any senator or his aides–to Palm Coast’s troubled Waste Water Treatment Plant #1 today left City Council member Charles Gambaro, who arranged the visit, thinking “it’s a 50-50 chance” that the city may get financial help to lessen a projected $240 million bill to upgrade and expand the sewer plant.

Rallying Behind Pontieri, a 5-0 Council Defies Developer’s Threat to Sue Over Limiting Seminole Woods’ Cascades to 416 Houses

February 5, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

City Council member Theresa Pontieri marshaled opposition to negotiating or settling with the developer of the Cascades in Seminole Woods, who is threatening a lawsuit over a 416-house limit. (© FlaglerLive)

Defying the threat of a lawsuit by a developer, the Palm Coast City Council late Tuesday evening voted 5-0 to stand by its decision last year to limit the Cascades development in Seminole Woods to 416 single-family houses. The council had in 2023 approved a limit of 850 dwellings, then reversed course in the face of staunch opposition. The additional housing units would have been apartments–always a volatile subject in Palm Coast, where prejudices against apartment complexes persist despite a shortage. But a city infrastructure under strain also factored into opposition to the higher density. 

Deadline Looming, Palm Coast Council Prepares Response to Lawsuit Threat by Developer of Cascades in Seminole Woods

February 3, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The byrndog property--the future Cascades development--facing northeast of Seminole Woods Boulevard. (Byrndog)

The Palm Coast City Council is almost certain to discuss, for the first time, the threat of a lawsuit by the developer of Cascades, a 375-acre planned development in Seminole Woods, who was denied more than half the 850 housing units he was seeking when the council approved the development in November 2023. Public anger at the higher density caused the council to reverse course from an initial approval. The developer last November filed what’s called a Bert-Harris claim. If it goes to court, the developer will seek $12.2 million in damages from the city. The council will decide Tuesday how to respond.

Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course Draws Strong Opposition as Council Meanders Over Purpose of City ‘Amenities’

January 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 27 Comments

For nearly a decade Palm Coast government has considered its Palm Harbor golf course as a city amenity that does not necessarily have to make money. Several council members now disagree. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council found little support for any suggestion of selling the city-owned Palm Harbor golf course even as council members agreed it could not keep bleeding losses. At the same time, council members differed over the meaning of city amenities like parks and the golf course, which a different council agreed several years ago are not intended to, or expected to, make money. Council member Charles Gambaro wants a fuller analysis of all amenities profit and loss statements, raising questions about the meaning and purpose of city functions.

Unhappy with Choices, Palm Coast Reopens City Manager Search for ‘Unicorn’ Even as It Culls Second-Best Shortlist

January 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

A detail from "The Unicorn in Captivity," a wool, silk, silver and gilded-silver wrapped thread from the south Netherland area, around 1495 to 1505, on display at the Cloisters in New York. Palm Coast is looking for its unicorn. (© FlaglerLive)

It’s not exactly what the short-listed candidates want to hear: you’re OK, but we’d rather not settle for you. We’re still looking. That was, putting it kindly, the message the Palm Coast City Council sent the six candidates it short-listed, out of a shallow pool of 37, as it seeks to hire a permanent city manager. The more precise message is that a majority of council members aren’t happy with the candidate pool it got, and that it’s re-opening the search for at least a month. 

Panel Recommends Renaming City Hall’s Community Wing for Late Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts

January 27, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

The Community Wing at City Hall is the slightly more squat structure to the left. (© FlaglerLive)

Two months after the Palm Coast City Council rejected naming the city’s flagship community center for Jon Netts, the late mayor and councilman, an advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend renaming City Hall’s Community Wing, where meetings and workshops are held, for Netts. The city’s Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee, where all renaming proposals are vetted, also recommended renaming the new show tennis court at the Southern Recreation Center for the Friends of Tennis–what will be called the Friends Stadium Court.

Palm Harbor Golf Course Lost $3.4 Million in Operating Costs Alone, Far More in Capital Since Palm Coast Took Ownership

January 27, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

The Palm Harbor golf course has been in the bunker since its earliest days. (© FlaglerLive)

Since it opened in 2009 as a city-owned facility, and with one meager exception in 2022, Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor golf course has been a drain on city coffers. The course has run combined losses of $3.44 million in the last 16 years, or an average of $215,000 a year. The figure increases sharply when depreciation and capital losses are included. Taxpayers have been subsidizing the golf course all those years. Palm Coast City Council members are tiring of the losses.

Palm Coast Connect, City’s Customer Service Portal, Adds New Features Allowing Residents to Manage Cases

January 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

palm coast customer service

The City of Palm Coast has enhanced its customer service portal, Palm Coast Connect, by introducing new features designed to deliver a more streamlined and efficient user experience. The system, utilized by nearly 32,000 residents, aims to improve creating and managing cases.

Palm Coast Council Approves 182-House Development’s Final Step Near Airport in Seminole Woods, With a Disclaimer

January 22, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 54 Comments

About 80 percent of the infrastructure has been built at the Enclave, a new Seminole Woods development that will total 180 single-family houses when completed. (Palm Coast)

The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the final plat for the 182-home subdivision known as the Enclave at Seminole Palms, on 70 acres north of the Citation Boulevard extension, between Belle Terre Boulevard and Seminole Woods Boulevard, and just south of the county airport property. Platting is a legally required final regulatory step in a development, mapping out individual property boundaries, easements, roads and other infrastructure features.

Yacht Club Gives Up Palm Coast Boat Parade After 41 Years, Citing Costs and City’s Obstacles; Mayor Pledges Takeover

January 21, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 46 Comments

It's sunset for the Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade, at least in the Palm Coast Yacht Club's hands, which have sponsored the parade for the last 41 years. Palm Coast government may take it over. (Robert Ulis)

The Palm Coast Yacht Club is giving up on the Holiday Boat Parade, a local fixture for 41 years. The Yacht Club cited burdensome costs and too many obstacles and expectations from the city, all of which have taken the fun out of running it, its organizer says. The Palm Coast City Council today signaled its willingness to take it over and run it as a special event. But it would have to be approved through the coming budget process. 

Palm Coast’s Planning Board Approves $12 Million Construction Plan for New Public Works and Utility Facility Off U.S. 1

January 16, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

A rendering of the future Maintenance Operations Center off U.S. 1.

The Palm Coast Planning Board on Wednesday unanimously approved the construction plan for phase one of the city’s own Maintenance Operations Center on U.S. 1, a project a decade in the works that will consolidate public works, stormwater and the Utility Department’s administrative offices on the same grounds i what, over the next half century, will prove to be the new center of the city as it expands west. It’s not as if the board was in a position to object.

Despite Extension, City Manager Opening Draws Just 38 Applicants; Only 1 Managed a City of Palm Coast’s Size

January 16, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

The Palm Coast city manager's chair has been more musical than it appears here. (© FlaglerLive)

Only 38 candidates have applied to be Palm Coast’s next city manager. The general quality of applicants is not stellar: top-flight candidates are not beating down the city’s door. Less than half the applicants (17) have previous city manager experience. Only a handful of those have managed a city with more than 50,000 people. Among the three, only one has managed a city with a population close to Palm Coast’s 107,000 (the current city manager of Edison, N.J.)

It’s Not Your Imagination: Palm Coast Homes Used as Vacation Rentals Increase by 70% in 2 Years, to Over 500

January 15, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 20 Comments

Many single-family homes in Palm Coast are being built expressly to capitalize on the short-term vacation rental market. (© FlaglerLive)

It’s not your imagination. The number of single-family homes used as short-term vacation rentals has increased by 60 percent in two years across Flagler County, while the number of vacation rentals in Palm Coast alone, where most of the growth is concentrated, has surged by 70 percent, with the overwhelming share of those in single-family homes, condos or town houses.

The Paints They Are A-Changin’: Palm Coast May Lift Most Restrictions on House Colors

January 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 36 Comments

The navy blue property in Palm Coast that kicked off the whole debate about the city's paint rules and restrictions, which may be close to ending for the most part. (Palm Coast)

The Palm Coast City Council appears on the verge of repealing most restrictions on house colors. As a consequence, homeowners would be allowed to paint houses in darker, less light-reflecting colors than allowed in the city’s 25-year history. But the move occurs in opposition to environmental trends that are encouraging lighter, whiter urban colors as a tool of fighting climate change, as darker colors absorb heat rather than reflect light and require homes to spend more energy on cooling.

USTA and Palm Coast Play to New Courts, New Tournament and Possible Doubles Partnership

January 13, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

One of the four new courts, a show court, at the Southern Recreation center this morning, moments before a ribbon-cutting. (© FlaglerLive)

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 Government Wins Regional Council Award for Its Imaginative Comprehensive Plan

January 10, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, Deputy Chief Development Officer Ray Tyner, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston, JB Pro Director of Planning Kathie Ebaugh, Director of Communications and Marketing Brittany Kershaw, and Council Member Charles Gambaro, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the NEFRC.

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

January 9, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 65 Comments

palm coast commercial vehicles

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

January 9, 2025 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Even in Palm Coast, local government meetings' attendance is driven more by what's on the agenda than by whether the meeting is in the morning or the evening. (© FlaglerLive)

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

January 9, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri, left, whose district includes the city's C-Section, the neighborhood most affected by short-term rentals, had championed the regulation ordinance from its inception. Mayor Mike Norris, center, brought it home. Council member Ray Stevens, right, had with fellow-member Charles Gambaro favored raising the guest-limit cap in some cases, but that proposal failed. The ordinance drew significant public input throughout its gestation. (© FlaglerLive)

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

January 8, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 19 Comments

Amanda Rees in a City Council meeting last October, presenting next to Car Cote, the city's director of stormwater and engineering. (© FlaglerLive via YouTube)

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.

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