The Palm Coast City Council today cleared the way for a civil lawsuit against several contractors involved in the construction of the splash pad at Holland Park that opened only for a few months before it shut down. The splash pad went from a $6.28 million crown jewel in the city’s park system to a an embarrassing and costly boondoggle, with estimated losses and repair costs so far of $1.4 million.
Palm Coast City Council
Harborside Tower Proposal Postponed as Developer Hints at More Compromise
The Palm Coast City Council this morning agreed to postpone consideration of a controversial rezoning application that would result in the addition of 483 apartments and housing units near Palm Coast Resort’s 72-unit apartment tower.
Leann Pennington, Theresa Pontieri, Will Furry and Cathy Heighter Win, Half-Cent Tax Passes, Amendments Fail
For Flagler County and Palm Coast, it is an election of new faces: four races, four newcomers to elected office: Leann Pennington won a seat on the County Commission, Theresa Pontieri and Cathy Heighter won seats to the Palm Coast City Council, and Will Furry won a Flagler County School Board seat.
Palm Coast Loses Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon to Cancer Days After He Is Honored for Milestones
The Palm Coast Fire Department’s Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon died today of an inoperable brain tumor less than three months after he was diagnosed, and barely two weeks after he was recognized in a ceremony for earning his paramedic certification. He had just turned 51 on Tuesday.
Developer Planning 750-Home Subdivision, One of Palm Coast’s Largest, at SR100 and Old Kings Road
In what would be one of the largest developments in Palm Coast, a company is applying to build up to 750 upscale single-family homes in a Grand Haven-like gated community over 500 acres stretching from State Road 100 north, parallel to Old Kings Road.
Alan Lowe, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Alan Lowe is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Theresa Carli Pontieri. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Theresa Carli Pontieri, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Theresa Carli Pontieri is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Alan Lowe. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Cell Tower Company Applies for Exception to Build 150-ft. Monopole off Club House Drive, Setting Up Clash
A cell tower construction company has filed an application for a special permission to build a 150-foot tower off Club House Drive in Palm Coast, a proposal some neighboring residents have opposed, but that city officials see as critical for improvements of cell reception and public safety communications.
Fernando Melendez Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Fernando Melendez is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 4, facing Cathy Heighter. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Cathy Heighter, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Cathy Heighter is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council in the District 4 race. She faces Fernando Melendez. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Unchambered, Palm Coast Council Appoints 4 to Its Planning Board and Celebrates Planners
Ending an oddly lengthy and competitive process, the Palm Coast City Council today appointed new members and two alternates to its seven-seat Planning and Land Development Regulation Board, the powerful volunteer, advisory panel that oversees land use and often is the final stop for development applications.
Harborside Tower in Dispute: Palm Coast and Developer Still Far Apart Over Allowable Number of Apartments
Palm Coast’s city planners would allow 122 to 159 fewer apartments and town houses than what the developer wants in a proposed developers of an 80-foot condo tower and town houses at Harborside, with other differences also remaining. The matter returns to the Palm Coast planning board Wednesday, after it was tabled amid controversy and public opposition last month.
Chief 21: Kyle Berryhill Takes Command of Palm Coast Fire Department In Poignant Ceremony
It was continuity and change today as Kyle Berryhill took over as Palm Coast Fire Chief before 200 people at the city’s community center, after Jerry Forte’s five-year tenure. Continuity, because both men are cut of the same cloth–unassuming, humble, impossibly emotional at times, but also unequivocally commanding. And change, because Berryhill, at 42, represents a generational change for a rapidly evolving department.
Palm Coast Ups Cultural Arts Grants to Record $50,000, But Increase Is Less Than It Appears
This year’s budgeted amount of $50,000 for arts grants is the highest since the city began the program in 2002, and it is already the highest amount awarded. But in inflation-adjusted dollars, the city is budgeting less than it has in five previous years, and in per-resident spending on the arts, it is still spending less than it did in the first eight years of the program.
Palm Coast Sees Potential Sports Complex in Undeveloped Land West of U.S. 1 as Catalyst to Development
Palm Coast government will spend $113,000 to study the market potential for a sports and recreation complex, possibly in the undeveloped portion of Palm Coast, north and west of U.S. 1. It would be more than just another Indian Trails Sports Complex, adding to the mix of local opportunities and regional or state tournament bookings.
Beach Front Grille of Flagler Beach, as ‘Loopers,’ Wins Former Green Lion Lease at Palm Harbor Golf
A proposal by Jamie Bourdeau and Dudley Shaw, co-owners of Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach, is the Palm Coast city administration’s top choice to replace the Green Lion Cafe at Palm Harbor Golf Club. The city today announced its intent to award the new lease for the concession at the club to Loopers, the name Bourdeau is giving to the new enterprise.
Tiger Bay Election Forum, Live Now from the Palm Coast Community Center
FlaglerLive is live-streaming this evening’s Flagler Tiger Bay candidate forum from the Palm Coast Community Center, starting at 6 p.m.
After Extension, Just 2 Bidders Apply to Take Over Green Lion Restaurant Lease at Palm Harbor Golf
The low response was likely disappointing to the city. At least two local restaurant owners have shown interest by downloading the bid packages: Thai and I in Bunnell, and the Turtle Shack in Flagler Beach. That doesn’t mean they are among the bidders–only that they downloaded all bidding documents.
Palm Coast City Council Proclaims Oct. 14 Chief Jerry Forte Appreciation Day
The Palm Coast City Council recognized retiring Fire Chief Jerry Forte at the October 4 City Council Meeting with a proclamation. Mayor David Alfin has proclaimed October 14, 2022, as “Chief Jerry Forte Appreciation Day”.
Palm Coast’s Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rates Go Up by Combined $8 a Month Starting Oct. 1
The Palm Coast City Council in 2018 approved gradually doubling the stormwater fee and increasing water and sewer rates 21 percent over four years. Combined, those rate increases will now equate to an $8-a-month hike, or nearly $100 a year.
In Palm Coast’s Woodlands, Water Is Still Rising and Sandbags Are Being Distributed
In Palm Coast’s Woodlands, the Hurricane Ian emergency is not over, and may not be over for another 48 hours: waters are still, literally, rising in parts of the neighborhood as Graham Swamp overflows. City officials are worried that the water may not stop rising in time to keep it from intruding into some homes.
Pier’s End Collapses, More Flagler Areas Evacuated, 70% of County Without Power, Dunes Damaged
The severity of tropical Storm Ian continues this afternoon, demolishing parts of the Flagler Beach pier, inundating larger areas of Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, and downing trees and power lines as 57 percent of residents are without power.
‘Extremely Dangerous’ Hurricane Ian Landfall, Then Path Through Flagler; Local Evacuations Readied
Hurricane Ian forecasts continue to worsen for both sides of Florida, with a Category 3 or more landfall in Tampa Bay and a path bringing a tropical storm to Flagler by Friday. Evacuation orders for parts of Flagler are imminent, schools are closed starting Wednesday.
Hurricane Ian’s 2-Day Stall Off Tampa Could Bring Flooding Rains and Wind to Flagler
Hurricane Ian is expected to nearly stall as a major hurricane off the coast of Tampa Bay, lashing the northeast of Florida with torrential rain and raising the potential for floods in addition to some tropical storm-force winds. Flagler governments are beginning to shut down regular operations and declare states of emergency.
This Time Without Temper Tantrums or Deceptions, Palm Coast Adopts Tax Rate and Budget
The Palm Coast City Council approved the 2022-23 budget and the city’s property tax rate at its second and final hearing with a series of 4-1 votes. Compared to previous tax hearings at the county and the city this season, the hearing was anticlimactic, with all but numbers getting filled in and ratified.
Plan for a Massive Apartment Tower at Harborside Draws Opposition, Accusations and Delay
In a meeting that featured a developer’s representatives lashing into the city administration’s planning staff, the Palm Coast planning board late Tuesday night tabled to next month a controversial plan to rezone 18 acres at the Harborside marina. The proposal would make room for a massive 80-foot, U-shaped apartment tower, town houses, and maybe a hotel, that would add 432 apartments and housing units next to Palm Coast Resort’s existing, 72-apartment tower.
Head of Local Chamber of Commerce Among 7 Applicants for Palm Coast Planning Board
The Palm Coast City Councill will make three appointments to its seven-member planning board–the city’s most powerful, non-elected advisory board. Seven candidates have applied, including two incumbents, two existing alternate members of the board, and a member of the county planning board, along with the head of the local chamber of commerce.
Building Plans for BJ’s Wholesale Club, Gas Station and Several Stores on SR100 Clear County Board
It’s almost all over but the permitting before Palm Coast’s BJ’s Wholesale Club, a big gas station and a half dozen satellite stores begin going up on a 31.5-acre site of State Road 100, just west of Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Only One Bid Filed Near Deadline for Green Lion Restaurant Replacement, so City Extends Window
Palm Coast government issued a request for proposals on Aug. 24 to replace the Green Lion Cafe at Palm Harbor Golf Club. It did not receive a single bid. So it is extending the bidding window to September 29, based at least on some interest shown by two parties.
Westward Ho, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Tells Realtors, with View to Double City’s Footprint
Palm Coast Mayor offered a bullish vision of Palm Coast’s westward expansion past U.S. 1 while speaking to fellow-Realtors at the annual Meet the Mayors event Wednesday, along side County Commissioner Greg Hansen, Bunnell mayor Catherine Robinson, Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston and Beverly beach Mayor Steve Emmett.
Palm Coast Seeks to Permanently Protect Canopy Along Parkway and Buy Old Indian Mound Among Huge Asks
Local officials are openly and nakedly salivating at the prospect of having a spigot of state money in Paul Renner as Speaker of the House. The Palm Coast City Council is submitting a wish list of 10 expensive items, including new projects that would resonate with residents’ affections for Palm Coast’s tree canopy and its attachment to environmentally sensitive lands.
Building on Versatile Record, Jason DeLorenzo Is Elevated to Palm Coast Administration’s Chief of Staff
Jason DeLorenzo has had a versatile career in very different if related fields: he was for many years the government affairs director of the Flagler Home Builders Association. He remained so as he served five years as a Palm Coast City Council member, when he was the traditionally gray council’s youngest and only member with a school-age child.
Decrying Misinformation in Face of Another Wave of Opposition, Palm Coast Approves Budget and Tax Hike, 4-1
Rejecting the second wave of pleas and demands from residents this week for a substantial property tax cut, and decrying disinformation, the Palm Coast City Council this evening voted 4-1 to adopt a budget that would keep the city’s tax rate flat, but equate on paper to a somewhat misleading 15 percent tax increase.
Swords Sheathed, County, Cities and District Resolve Clash Over Developers’ Dues for School Construction
This morning’s meeting of the so-called ILA (or inter-local agreement) Oversight Committee, gathering elected officials from the school district and other local governments, was distinctly more relaxed as a year-long clash over what some developers must pay, and when, to ensure school capacity for new students, was over.
After Din of Opposition and Another Screaming Match, Palm Coast Council Will Consider Cuts in Tax Hike
Palm Coast City Council members Tuesday evening agreed to suggest budget cuts ahead of Thursday’s budget hearings in hopes of possibly lowering the proposed 15 percent property tax increase, after hearing from about 30 residents who complained about their taxes. The council did so after some of its members again degraded into an ugly screaming match.
Harsh Report Outlines List of Serious Issues at Splash Pad as Council Prepares Next Repair Step
A consultant Palm Coast hired to evaluate the problems at the city’s $5.1 million splash pad found potential building code violations, non-compliance with sanitary standards, poorly engineered waterworks that amplify water loss, falling hazards, and “very unusual activities and observations that are seldom ever encountered by our firm.”
Ed Danko Swipes Alan Lowe Into City Hall Over Weekend to Film Campaign Video, Skirting Policy
On the heels of getting a cease and desist letter from the sheriff for misuse of images, Alan Lowe, a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, entered City Hall’s council chambers on Saturday to film a campaign video, against city policy–but since he was allowed in there by Ed Danko, a council member, the city is not pursuing any action.
‘We Have Too Much Stuff’: Palm Coast Board Approves Key Steps for 3 More Self-Storage Facilities
The Palm Coast Planning Board last week approved in three successive unanimous votes different regulatory steps advancing the development of three self-storage facilities–on Old Kings Road North, on Old Kings Road south, and on Matanzas Woods Parkway near U.S. 1. In contrast with considerations of such items before local boards in recent months, the approvals, which point to a continuing bullish trend in self-storage businesses in the area, drew neither opposition nor any appearances from the public.
Palm Coast Will Spend $6.2 Million to Buy 69 Vehicles and Heavy Equipment Items, Including 3 Fire Trucks
In one of the largest such expenditures in the city’s history at one time, the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday gave its approval for spending $6.2 million to buy 69 vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment for various departments, including three fire trucks.
Between Garfield and Reagan, Palm Coast OK’s 15% Tax Increase, Claiming It for Good of Future Residents
A 4-1 majority of the city council agreed to raise property taxes 15 percent for next year’s budget despite the highest year-over-year tax revenue increase in 16 years and the strongest growth in a decade and a half, all while claiming that the tax increase was necessary in order to lower taxes for a future generation. Mayor David Alfin bookended his argument with the peculiar evocation of Ronald Reagan and Garfield, the lazy and fat cartoon character, not the assassinated 20th president.
Palm Coast Seeks Proposals to Replace Green Lion Cafe at Palm Harbor, Rent and Utilities at $3,000 a Month
After its falling out with the Green Lion Cafe earlier this summer, Palm Coast government this week formally launched its next step in possibly replacing the popular restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Club with a new company.
Flagler County’s Sordid Primary Ends Today With Last Day of In-Person Voting
Today is Election Day, or the final day of voting in what, thanks to a handful of candidates, has been one of the more sordid primaries in Flagler County history. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unlike during early voting, you are required to vote at your assigned precinct.
10,000 Square Foot Splash Pad’s Surface at Holland Park Will be Torn Up In Search for Source of Flaws
Palm Coast is attempting to reverse-engineer the problem that led to the $5.1 million splash park’s fatal malfunction, forcing it to shut down a year ago after being opened only in late spring of 2021, and for a few weeks of that summer.
Sheriff and County Administrator Duel Over Policing Budget Before Commissioners Nod Staly’s Way
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and County Administrator Heidi Petito dueled in front of a standing-room-only meeting room Monday night over the sheriff’s claim that the county was underfunding him, and the county’s counter that it has increased the sheriff’s budget by 48 percent since 2018, not including spending on facilities like the new Sheriff’s Operations center. But in the end, Petito’s bosses showed readiness to go Staly’s way.
Sims Jones, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Sims Jones is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Theresa Carli Pontieri, Shauna Kanter and Alan Lowe. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Shauna Kanter, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Shauna Kanter is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Sims Jones, Alan Lowe and Theresa Carli Pontieri. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Stark Numbers on Palm Coast’s Unaffordable Housing Crisis Emerge Behind a Routine Presentation
A housing report Palm Coast government is required to submit to federal authorities every five years, presented to the City Council today, opens an alarming window into the city’s most dire housing needs and stresses for middle and lower-income residents.
An Open Letter to Flagler County Voters Against Extremism, Buffoonery and Their Disturbing Candidates
The abuse of position and process (particularly by school board members) is egregious. The wasted hours in all three elected boards’ meetings (school board, county commission, Palm Coast council) on ridiculous, petty–or worse: imagined–problems has been sickening to endure, Jake Scully argues in a plea for well-researched votes in the coming elections.
School Board’s Colleen Conklin Rips Into ‘Inappropriate’ Developers’ Involvement in Policy Negotiations
The long-simmering tension between the school district and home builders surfaced today as Conklin addressed it directly, challenging the way developers have sought to influence public policy in the county and on the school board.
Solution in Sight in Months-Long Conflict Over School Construction as Halt to Big Developments Looms
A compromise proposal suggested by School Board member Trevor Tucker may resolve a conflict that has divided Flagler County government and the School Board, along with some of the county’s cities, over how builders and developers are billed for school construction. Absent a resolution, more than a dozen large developments could be brought to a halt.
