The 35 or so people who turned up for Wednesday evening’s Flagler Tiger Bay Club candidate forum would have gotten a general understanding of where the candidates stood on local issues. But sharp differences were surprisingly rare, and specific answers to questions even rarer. Too many questions lent themselves to open-ended speculation and the sort of bromides no one can quibble with. A few questions about temperament, public private partnerships and the “westward expansion” yielded more insights, and the candidates themselves had moments more revealing than they may have intended.
Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast Council Approves Budget and Tax Rate and Rejects Latest Attempt to Nullify Debt Referendum
The Palm Coast City Council on Wednesday gave final approval on a 3-1 vote to a $358 million budget and a slight reduction in the property tax rate starting Oct. 1. The 50-minute hearing, which had been rescheduled from last week, when two of the council members were ill, turned indecorous again in its last 10 minutes. Council member Ed Danko challenged the city attorney over a lawsuit just filed against the city to stop a referendum on November’s ballot, and urged two of his colleagues to rescind their vote supporting the referendum, so the legal action is made moot. They declined.
Attorney Behind Lawsuit Challenging Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum Had Warned Council of Red Flags in August
Jay Livingston, the Palm Coast attorney who filed the lawsuit challenging the City Council’s proposed referendum removing limits on the city’s bonding, borrowing and leasing powers, was struck by ballot language he said was “designed to intentionally mislead the voters” as he heard it while waiting on an unrelated land-use issue before the council in July. Meanwhile, the city attorney suggested to council members that they only discuss the lawsuit in a “shade” or closed-door meeting, which raises issues of its own.
Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Referendum That Would End Limits on Palm Coast’s Borrowing Power, Calling Language Deceptive
Alan Lowe, one of the candidates for Palm Coast mayor defeated in the August primary, sued the city and the Supervisor of Elections on Friday to remove from the November ballot a charter amendment that would scrap limits on the city’s borrowing and leasing capacities. The suit argues that the amendment’s language is misleading–a point two of the four sitting council members have made, as have both remaining candidates for mayor and some of the candidates for council seats.
Senator Who Sponsored Vacation Rental Bill Deregulating Local Control Says He Won’t Do So in Next Session
Florida lawmakers may once again attempt to pass legislation tightening regulation of short-term vacation rentals next year but, if they do, the state senator who has sponsored those bills during the past two sessions won’t be the one carrying it.
104 Single-Family House Subdivision Approved for Palm Coast’s L-Section as Planning Board Raises Flooding Cautions
The Palm Coast Planning Board on Wednesday approved the master plan for Matanzas Park, a 104-house subdivision in Palm Coast’s L-Section. The subdivision will fill a 26-acre rectangle–if not almost a square–rimmed by Londonderry, London and Longfellow drives, all of which are built up, with houses abutting the subdivision’s property. Some 40 percent of the acreage in the proposed subdivision is wetlands, which will be eliminated but for a pond in the middle of the site. The board raised some cautions about potential flooding in and around the subdivision.
Tonight’s Palm Coast City Council Budget Meeting Postponed as 2 Members Have Covid
The City of Palm Coast’s final budget hearing, scheduled for Wednesday evening, September 18, has been postponed to Wednesday, September 25, at 5:05 p.m. due to the illness of two City Council members who have tested positive for Covid. Without their presence, the Council is unable to reach a quorum and therefore cannot proceed with the meeting.
Danko’s Abuse of Mayor and Attorney Almost Hijacks Interviews for Council Appointment, But Some Applicants Still Shine Through
Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko grilled applicants for an appointed position on the council on their political and ideological leanings, asked they’d vote on a charter amendment, berated, ridiculed and all but insulted the city attorney for cautioning him about partisanship, blustered and bellowed about “freedom of speech” while disparaging mayor David Alfin. The meeting then settled into a more civilized interview process through which some of the applicants distinguished themselves.
Palm Coast Council Seat Vacated by Heighter Draws 11 Applicants for Appointment Ahead of Today’s Interviews
Twelve candidates have applied in hopes of appointment to the Palm Coast City Council seat Cathy Heighter resigned last month, two of whom have previously been appointed to local elected boards–including one who served on the City Council–and two who served on government advisory boards. One applicant did not qualify because she does not live in District 4, so 11 applicants will be interviewed when the council convenes at 1 p.m. today.
Familiar Recruiter Returns to Palm Coast to Lead Search for Next City Manager
Strategic Government Resources Vie President Doug Thomas had last been in the Palm Coast City Council chamber in the fall of 2018, when his Texas-based recruiting company led the search for the manager that was to replace Jim Landon. The search and the council at the time landed on Matt Morton, the sharp-minded manager whose tenure had the misfortune of ill-timing with rancid politics in the city and Covid’s poisons beyond it. He was gone just after his second anniversary.