Commerce Parkway Slated for August Opening. But Why Is a County Release Snubbing Bunnell?

Last Updated: 8:57 p.m.

Another great day in Bunnell? Not so fast, Alvin Jackson.

Flagler County government, upstaging Bunnell–and the Bunnell city manager’s reflexive incantation about his city–is calling it a “splendid day” when, sometime in August, the newly constructed roadway corridor called Commerce Parkway will open for traffic, linking State Road 100 to U.S. 1 in a 1.7-mile, two-lane loop.

Notably, if not surprisingly, the county release did not include mention of Jackson or Bunnell officials, only referring in passing, like a county car waving through Bunnell, to the city’s involvement. Bunnell considers the project its own, highlighting it biweekly at its commission meetings with pictures and construction updates. Its last such update had the project 87 percent complete with a targeted completion date of July. The update included pictures as fresh as last week, though the county’s release was accompanied by pictures dating from March.

Bunnell’s mayor, vice mayor and city manager did not respond to calls placed after business hours this evening, and before this article initially published. But reached in mid-evening, Rogers said: “From the Sheriff’s Operations Center to the county’s General Services Building to the future county library and our soon-to-be opened up new City Hall and police department, this area is becoming the civic and commercial heart of the county. Commerce Parkway is connecting it all. This road will become a catalyst for economic development. We want to thank all of our partners who worked together, with us, for making Mr. and Mrs. Oare’s vision from the early 2000s come alive.” The Oares owned the land the road now cuts through.

“It’s taken more than 20 years of collaboration between the City of Bunnell, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Flagler County to get us to this moment. This project stands as a testament to what collaboration can achieve,” said County Commission Chair Andy Dance. “Commerce Parkway will serve as a catalyst for light industrial and commercial growth right here in Bunnell, helping to diversify our economy and bring new jobs and investment to the area.”

The road is one in a series of government projects that have turned that area of Bunnell into a hub of construction and have shown to what extent government spending has powered that area’s economy. First it was the opening of the 51,000 square foot, $20 million Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center in December 2022. The groundbreaking for Bunnell’s future combined City Hall and police station a $10.5 million, 19,000 square foot project, took place 14 months ago, the same day that the digging out of Commerce Parkway began. That was pegged as a $14.5 million project to carve out and lay down the 1.7-mile road.

The county today put the projected cost of the road at $12.75 million, and that it would be built for $1 million less than that, though those figures don’t include design costs. The City of Bunnell completed the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study in 2013, and the design in 2017. Flagler County has been administering the project for Bunnell since.

Then came the groundbreaking for the $16 million South Side library last August, right across from the Sheriff’s Office. The groundbreaking was a celebration. In recent weeks, a couple of newly elected commissioners–Kim Carney and Pam Richardson–have been questioning the wisdom of that project and casting doubt on how supportive they will be when it is to be opened and staffed. (Carney has flat-out said she won’t support any new staffing. The commission is to discuss the matter next week in a budget workshop.)

Combined, the four projects add up to a $61 million capital infusion in less than three years, most of it from local dollars. The library and the road benefited substantially from state and federal grants.

In July 2022, the legislature allocated $6.8 million to Bunnell for the project through Legislative Appropriation Funding. Additionally, Flagler County and the City of Bunnell jointly participated to dedicate an additional $5.9 million in funding toward the roadway and utilities construction project.

Commerce Parkway will improve community safety by cutting the travel time for first responders and residents between SR100 and US1, according to a county release. The road is expected to open previously inaccessible properties for commerce, light industrial and residential development.

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of former house speaker Paul Renner, former senator Travis Hutson, and former Congressman John Mica, who worked so hard for the benefit of the Flagler County community,” said County Administrator Heidi Petito. “This project will bolster our economic development efforts, and it will improve public safety by providing another way to get across this portion of the county when there is an emergency.”

Commerce Parkway consists of two, undivided 11-foot lanes with 8-foot roadside shoulders, five feet of which are paved. There are open drainage swales on both sides of the roadway. There is a 5-foot sidewalk along the eastern side. The total right-of-way is 80 feet, flanked on both sides by 15-foot easements.