The Palm Coast City Council is not excited about allowing chickens in city backyards. But it may enact a strictly limited pilot program involving a few households, or set aside some public land for a community garden where residents could tend their chickens. Backyard chickens could also be on the 2024 ballot as a referendum.
Palm Coast City Council
Ed Danko Announces Run for County Commission, Setting Up Primary Against George Hanns
His third year on the Palm Coast City Council not yet completed, the peripatetic and willfully controversial Ed Danko today announced a run for a County Commission seat in the 2024 election, setting up a primary contest against former Commissioner George Hanns.
Palm Coast’s Ed Danko Publicly Undercuts City’s Legal Row With Waste Pro Over Recycling Bins
The Palm Coast City Council’s Ed Danko and a subsequent council discussion on Tuesday seemed to have briefly jackknifed its own administration’s and legal team’s negotiations in the ongoing dispute with Waste Pro, the garbage hauler.
Palm Coast and County Snub Role in EV Charging Stations In Shocking Rebuff to a Green Energy Grant
Partisanship, misinformation, false assumptions and free-market ideology all played a role in Palm Coast and county government rejecting a partnership in what would have been a potential $15 million federal grant to build electric vehicle charging stations at various public locations in cities and the county.
Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
An examination of the communications between Waste Pro and Palm Coast illustrates the scope and depth of the two sides’ dispute over recycling bins, with Palm Coast essentially considering their removal a form of theft, and Waste Pro standing by its decision to take back thousands of them. The two sides may be heading to court.
Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
(Redirected) Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
Property values didn’t rise as sharply this year as they did in 2022. But the increase is still the second-highest in 16 years, generating substantial new revenue for local government budgets.
Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
Waste Pro, in its final week as Palm Coast’s garbage hauler, is driving through neighborhoods and taking back the recycling bins it freely provided residents over the years. The city is considering litigation, and fining the company for every bin it claims.
In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
The Palm Coast City Council last week approved rezoning 42 acres of greenbelt-designated land to make room for a 180-home single-family residential development that will expand the built-out footprint of Seminole Woods.
A Tattoo Studio Is Approved Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, But Outdated Stigmas Endure
The fact that Supreme Custom Tattoo on Old Kings Road required a special exception and planning board approval reflects enduring stigmas and stereotypes that still attach to tattoo and body piercing studios, though in studios’ cases, the city is far more accommodating than landlords, who often arbitrarily discriminate against them.
Palm Coast’s Population at 98,411 in Latest Census Estimate, 18th-Fastest Growing in U.S.
Palm Coast grew 10.3 percent between 2020 and 2022, to 98,411 people, according to the Census Bureau’s latest estimate, released today. The city is on pace to cross well past the 100,000 threshold this year, and based on the last two years’ trend, likely did so in February or March.
750-Home Gated Community Called Coquina Shores to Rise North of SR100, Along Old Kings Road
Though a 750 single-family home development on 505 acres, Coquina Shores will be a vastly scaled back development from what JX Properties had planned there in 2006 and 2007–2,400 homes, most of them apartments, and 80,000 square feet of retail and office space. All of that will be reduced to the single family homes.
Palm Coast Adopts 75% Stormwater Rate Increase Over 5 Years, Then Cap on Future Hikes
The Palm Coast City Council this morning voted 3-2 to adopt a stormwater fee increase of residents’ monthly bill from $22.27 currently to $39.10 by 2028, a 76 percent increase. Increases after 2028 will be limited to the rate of inflation.
Council Set to Approve 76% Stormwater Fee Increase Over 5 Years, With Annual Review to Possibly Lessen Impact
At the tail end of a five-year stretch doubled stormwater fees for Palm Coast residents, the City Council is set to yet again increase monthly fees by another 76 percent over the next five years. Council members pledge to review the stormwater budget annually and see if there’s room to lessen the impact of coming increases. But October’s 27 percent increase is all but certain.
YMCA, 3 Fire Stations, Road Projects: Palm Coast and Flagler Stand to Gain Nearly $100 Million From State
Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell may be at the receiving end of the largest appropriations of state dollars for local special projects, by far, in the county’s history–nearly $100 million for roads, fire stations, pier reconstruction, water projects, a substance abuse facility and other, smaller projects, according to the $116 billion budget the Florida House and Senate published Tuesday.
How the Belle Terre Walkway Project Near Buddy Taylor Middle Doubled in Cost and Tripled in Completion Time
The reconstruction of the Belle Terre Parkway pathway near Buddy Taylor Middle School, and the rehabilitation of culverts beneath, was to have been a $1.89 million project, completed by last November. It is now a $3.4 million project and may not be completed until the end of summer.
David Alfin Files Formal Request to Re-Name Community Center After Late Mayor Jon Netts
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee Thursday evening is expected to recommend renaming the Palm Coast Community Center after the late Jon Netts, a city founder and its longest-serving council member and mayor. The nomination was filed by Mayor David Alfin.
Dreaded Franchise Fee and Public Service Tax Back on Table as Palm Coast Faces $52 Million Street Fix
Facing a $52 million backlog to resurface a deteriorating road system, the Palm Coast City Council is discussing adopting utility franchise fees and public service taxes that have previously drawn angry opposition from residents, as well as exploring raising a local sales surtax through the county.
From Sleepy Cart Barn to 13,000 Calls a Year: Palm Coast Fire Department Celebrates 50th Year
The Palm Coast Fire Department was founded on April 3, 1973, with 36 volunteers, from the cart barn at the Palm Harbor Golf Club, responding to two calls for service the first year. The county population was 4,454. Today the department is a combination department that responded to over 13,444 calls for service in 2022 from five fire stations.
180 Palm Coast-Area Muslims and Mayor Alfin Celebrate End of Ramadan on 2nd Anniversary of Bunnell Islamic Center
Palm Coast and Flagler County’s fast-growing Muslim community marked Eid-el-Fitr, the celebratory end of Ramadan, with Mayor David Alfin today at the Palm Coast Community Center and the anniversary of the emergence of an Islamic Center from a founding meeting at Holland Park.
Planning Board Approves Adding 750 More Homes to Palm Coast Park Along U.S. 1, for Total of 6,454 Units
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening approved the addition of 750 more homes to Palm Coast Park, already one of the city’s largest planned developments, which now will total 6,454 homes. The development would grow to a size equivalent to Bunnell, times two.
Renaming of Palm Coast Community Center After Jon Netts Draws Current Mayor’s Surprise Objection
The proposed renaming of the Palm Coast Community Center for the late Jon Netts turned oddly contentious at the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday, with Mayor David Alfin–usually the conciliator–leading the charge, and Netts’s memory paying the price.
Palm Coast Plan Proposes 102% Increase in Stormwater Rates in 4 Years. Council Is ‘Uncomfortable.’
A Palm Coast government consultant is proposing a 102 percent increase in homeowners’ stormwater rates over the next four years, what would equate to an annual bill of $542–more than what some homeowners pay in city property taxes. The City Council isn’t ready to go that far, but steeply higher rates are coming.
Owners of 10,000 Vacant Lots in Palm Coast May Soon Be Responsible for Mowing Rights of Way
Palm Coast government’s quarter-century-old practice of mowing the rights of way in front of vacant lots mostly at its own expense may be about to end. The Palm Coast City Council today agrees that the responsibility should shift to the property owners, and that it should be enforced by the city’s code enforcement officers.
Volusia-Flagler YMCA and Mayor Alfin in Big Push to Open Y in Palm Coast in About 2 Years
The Volusia Flagler Family YMCA is working with Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and a corps of local community members to bring a YMCA to Palm Coast, with a rough goal of having a local facility under construction or near completion in about two years.
No Overt Prayers: Palm Coast Council Will Stick With Moment of Silence at Meetings to Avoid Theatrics
Rejecting exhortations from nearly two dozen people, there will be no overt, vocal prayer at Palm Coast City Council meetings, though room for prayer in all forms and for all creeds will continue, as it always has, for individuals who choose to pray, whether overtly before meetings or quietly during meetings or during the moment of silence.
316-Unit Apartment Complex Off Whiteview Parkway Clears Hurdle, with Eyes on New Hospital
The Palm Coast Planning Board last week recommended approval of a 316-unit gated apartment complex on nearly 19 vacant acres on the West side of White Mill Drive and the north side of Whiteview Parkway, in the W-Section’s last remaining vast expanse of fallow land.
Palm Coast Council’s Proposed Prayer Policy Draws Out Opponents, Who Urge Silence
A few days after Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko called a constituent a “piece of crap” for allegedly being an atheist and questioning the council’s proposed invocation policy, several people addressed the council this morning, mostly to recommend silence over invocations.
Starting Palm Coast Council Meetings with ‘Invocation’ Would Be Unnecessarily Divisive
At a time when communities are divided enough by party, ideology, color and sometimes geography, the Palm Coast City Council’s proposal to start its meetings with a prayer, or invocation would add yet more divisiveness, when the council should be celebrating residents’ shared humanity and basic decency.
In Riveting Discussion on Prayers at Meetings, Palm Coast Council Defers to ‘Neutral’ Caution
The Palm Coast council discussed a proposed prayer policy today in what turned into an unusually absorbing and equally civil hourlong seminar on the First Amendment, the limits of expressions of belief in government settings, and the unintended and potentially offensive consequences of an open-invocation policy.
Palm Coast and Flagler Want to Hear From You About Future Parks Plans Countywide
The City of Palm Coast and Flagler County Government have partnered to develop a Parks and Recreation Master Plan for the entire community. The goal is to hear from residents, business owners, special interest groups, and any other interested parties on what they would like to see included in future planning for Flagler County.
In Mayor’s Absence, Ed Danko Chairs Palm Coast Council Meeting, and the World Doesn’t End
With Palm Coast Mayor out for surgery, Vice Mayor Ed Danko chaired a City Council meeting for the first time on Tuesday. A former lightning rod of controversy, Danko’s handling of the brief meeting was entirely civil but for one interruption.
City Approves Two Developments Totaling 382 Homes, in Town Center and Off U.S. 1
As home sales in Flagler hit a four-year low in January, Spring Lake at Palm Coast, now Reverie, got the go-ahead for 272 homes off U.S. 1 north of Palm Coast Parkway, and Palm Coast Seascape in Town Center was cleared for 110 luxury homes.
‘Historic’ Fire Station 22 Will Move to Colbert Lane and Make Room for Community Center Parking
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve ending the life of its oldest fire house, Station 22, on Palm Coast Parkway and building a new station on Colbert Lane. The plan is part of a larger design both to improve firefighters’ response times and to improve the dismal parking situation at the Palm Coast Community center.
Palm Coast Residents’ Doubled Stormwater Fee Could Reach $542 a Year by 2027
Palm Coast resident’s $22.27 monthly stormwater fee would increase to $45.16 over the next four years if the city follows its consultant’s recommendation. Some residents would pay more in stormwater fees than in city taxes. Even lesser options would result in sharp increases, and no increases are not an option.
Palm Coast Council Embraces Idea of $73 Million Events Venue in Town Center’s Arts District
The consultant Palm Coast government hired to map out how best to develop the city’s Arts District in Town Center is recommending building a $73 million (not including debt interest), 76,000 square foot multipurpose entertainment and conference center not focused exclusively on arts and culture. The venue would by far be the most expensive city facility ever built.
Holsey Moorman, Stately Last of Palm Coast City Council’s Class of 2007, Dies at 84
Holsey Moorman, a Roanoke, Va. native who rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Army, moved to Palm Coast after his retirement in 2001 and served a term on the Palm Coast City Council, died on Feb. 7 at AdventHealth Palm Coast. He was 84.
‘Now Is the Time’: Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Looks West in State of the City Address
This evening’s State of the City Address by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin highlights the challenges the city experienced in 2022, such as the hurricanes, celebrates various accomplishments and looks to 2023 with eyes on a westward expansion. as provided by the city. Here’s the full prepared text.
Palm Coast Council Surrenders Key Demands in 3-2 Approval of Controversial Harborside Development
Ending a six-month wrangle over the proposed Harborside redevelopment around the Palm Coast marina, the City Council Tuesday in a 3-2 vote surrendered on key demands, overriding some staff recommendations, and approved the addition of 300 apartments and town houses, a project that will remake the character of one of Palm Coast’s original neighborhoods.
Future BJ’s Wholesale Club Raises Traffic Concerns as Palm Coast Mulls Annexation
As it considers annexing the land where a BJ’s Wholesale Club will rise on State Road 100, the Palm Coast City Council is concerned about the amount of additional cars thronging an already busy road, and may condition annexation on the a analysis.
Palm Coast Mayor Suggests Candidates Be Criminal-Background Checked. Council Isn’t Interested.
A proposal by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to criminally-background check all future candidates for council drew more cautions and concerns from other council members and zero support, prompting him to withdraw it “until or unless it’s discussed in the future,” he said.
Adopting ‘Moment of Silence,’ Palm Coast Considering Opening Meetings With Religious Prayer
The Palm Coast City Council, last hold-out among local governments in the slouch back to devotional rites at the beginning of public meetings, on Tuesday agreed to begin meetings with a “moment of silence,” and to consider adding a non-denominational prayer as well.
David Alfin ‘Staying Put’ As Palm Coast Mayor Rather than Run for Renner’s House Seat
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said today he is “staying put.” After over a month’s thought, he has decided to forego a run for Rep. Paul Renner’s House seat.
Palm Coast Approves New Self-Storage Facility Across from Sawmill Creek on US1
The Palm Coast Planning Board approved Horizon Self-Storage, a 98,400 square foot facility on 7 acres off U.S. 1, immediately across from the rapidly sprawling Sawmill Creek development.
Palm Coast Council Very Conditionally Approves Controversial Harborside Development
The Palm Coast City Council is looking for a compromise on the controversial 17-acre Harborside proposal that would total 432 apartments and housing units, mostly in a massive, U-shaped tower by the Palm Coast Marina. The number includes 72 units in an existing tower.
Palm Coast Traffic Still a Long Way from Calming Its Discontents as Council Bumps Against Limitations
The Palm Coast City Council has been well aware of its traffic problem for years, and discussed it again at a workshop this week, but it faces the same limitations previous council have: traffic calming devices are unloved, data on speeding exists but isn’t made public, and the city’s layout presents its own challenges.
As Green Lion Closes and Loopers Winds Up, Food Trucks Will Fill Cravings’ Gap
Two food trucks will rotate service over the next few weeks at Palm Harbor Golf Club as the Green Lion Cafe ends operations on Sunday and Loopers, the new restaurant and bar taking its place, ramps up operations, first with a significant amount of renovations.
Palm Coast Surveys Cost of Dredging Saltwater Canals, But Who Will Pay Is Big Question
The saltwater canals in Palm Coast’s C-Section and a sliver of the F-Section have been an attractive amenity since the city’s origins in the 1960s and 70s, when ITT Levitt dug them out. But they’ve never been dredged since. Who should pay for the job–residents of the C Section, or all of Palm Coast’s residents?
Is Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Running for Paul Renner’s Seat? Maybe.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is considering a run for Re. Paul Renner’s House seat, which is up in two years. Alfin, who revealed Machiavellian political instincts in a lengthy interview, will make his decision by the end of January, depending on whether other viable candidates are lined up for the seat.