The Flagler County Commission in a pair of 4-1 votes this afternoon agreed to keep Heather Haywood as a member of the county’s planning board, but boot off Jeff Davies from the Contractor Review Board on nationalistic grounds: he is not an American citizen, and thereby not a registered voter.
The commission had appointed both Haywood and Davies to their respective boards (Haywood’s expires in February 2025, Davies’s in 2027). A minor controversy swirled around the two volunteer advisory board members after Commissioner Leann Pennington revealed that Haywood was homesteaded in DeLand, though she has lived in Palm Coast for several years, as a renter. Davies’s lack of a voter registration also drew attention, promoting the commission to seek out affidavits from both and to rethink its rules on advisory board qualifications.
Neither Haywood nor Davies had committed any improprieties when they applied: the county’s application forms did not ask the questions that would have revealed that their eligibility for service could be questioned. “We have two individuals who have proven that they want the jobs and they’re not lying about anything,” Commissioner Dave Sullivan said. In fact, the commission had waived some requirements for them to serve on the two boards.
But “there’s a question as to whether there was a true waiver of the requirement when they were originally appointed because it wasn’t expressly stated in the agenda memo,” Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan said.
Once those questions arose after the appointments, they turned unnecessarily personal, especially regarding Haywood’s marital status: she had owned the DeLand house with her husband, then divorced four years ago, but maintained her homestead there “as a legality,” she said. (See: “Heather Haywood Is Homesteaded in Volusia But Serves on Flagler’s Planning Board. A Commissioner Questions That.”)
“I have dealt the last five months of rumors being spread by Leanne in the community about my divorce, who I was in good graces with, whose back pocket I have been in,” Haywood said, addressing commissioners this afternoon. “I have spent the last five months answering extremely personal questions via text message from the people that she has chosen to speak to, and Mr. Hansen, I answered your very, very personal questions via Facebook Messenger, despite the fact that I felt that they had very much crossed the line. My divorce is none of anybody’s business.”
Pennington said today that she’d not had a conversation with Haywood–ever. “I had only one single question which is are we really going to allow someone who is homesteaded elsewhere to serve on our board? The issue remains the issue,” Pennington said, seeing both Haywood and Davies “in conflict with our requirements.” She added: “I’m sure we can find qualified, talented residents who can serve that board that don’t have the appearance of a conflict. A Volusia county homesteaded person should not be involved in decisions for Flagler County residents.”
Haywood, who is backed by the local chamber of commerce, had–like the chamber director–tried and failed to gain an appointment to the Palm Coast Planning Board before gunning for the county position, though today she made it sound as if she only had eyes for Flagler: “I am one of the many residents believe that this community is meant for so much more and praise that it stops being being the forgotten city of Palm Coast.”
It would be Hansen who, not long afterward, would push to retain Haywood on the planning board, a vote that carried, 4-1, with Pennington in dissent. Commissioner Donald O’Brien said he would not support a re-write of the rules that would make having a homestead a requirement of service on the planning board.
That requirement does not exist for county commissioners, and appears to be discriminatory against renters: home owners are not a better breed of residents than renters, though local residents often dog-whistle to that effect.
Davies told commissioners that though his father is American, he only found that out five years ago. Davies is now 72, and said that though he applied for citizenship, he missed that window due to an arcane requirement. Nevertheless, he said, “I’ve been a responsible citizen here. For 35 years I’ve been a member of many advisory boards and quasi judicial boards in Orlando before I came here, and I applied to the Contractors Review Board because I was the chairman of the Building Codes Board of Appeals in Orlando for several years and that kind of fitted with my my experience, and background. And I’ve also been a member of a board in Flagler Beach and the economic development board. I’ve always done my best to be part of the community–not because I derive any benefit from that. I just feel I want to feel part of the community, and never claimed to be an elector. ”
Commissioner Andy Dance considers the residency matter a “secondary issue,” since Haywood is clearly a Flagler County resident, but the elector issue a primary one. It looked for a while as if the commissioners would allow both Haywood and Davies to serve out their term, but in the end Dance made the motion that Davies does not meet the requirements “and will not complete his term.” Sullivan was the only dissenter. Pennington had been the only dissenter in the vote to allow Haywood to complete her term.
TR says
You would think that before anyone is appointed to a board by the Flagler County Commissioners they would do their due diligence and check the requirements of the people they want to put on the board. So does that mean any vote or decision the board made while Davis was part of has to be re examined and done over being it’s invalid? If so what a waste of time and money by the commissioners.
Watchdog says
Heather Haywood is ANOTHER realtor.
However, if you check out her licensee details on the DBPR (State of Florida) website (“verify a license”), her licensee details are as follows:
LICENSEE DETAILS 8:02:22 AM 11/21/2023
Licensee Information
Name: HAYWOOD, HEATHER RAE (Primary Name)
Main Address: 200 W PENNSYLVANIA AVE
DELAND Florida 32720
County: VOLUSIA
License Information
License Type: Real Estate Broker or Sales
Rank: Sales Associate
License Number: SL3441752
Status: Current,Active
Licensure Date: 05/03/2019
Expires: 03/31/2025
Special Qualifications Qualification Effective
So either she’s lying about living in Palm Coast as a renter OR she’s in breach of the Laws and Rules of the State of Florida because her licensing information (address) is not up to date.
Go to: DBPR . . . verify a license. . . enter her name . . . see the above licensee information.
See the following “additional licensee information”
Licensee
Name: HAYWOOD, HEATHER RAE License Number: SL3441752
Rank: Real Estate Sales Associate License Expiration Date: 03/31/2025
Primary Status: Current Original License Date: 05/03/2019
Secondary Status: Active
Related License Information
License Number Status Related Party Relationship Type Relation Effective Date Rank Expiration Date
CQ1037994 Current, Active GRAND HAVEN REALTY LLC DBA:GRAND LIVING REALTY Employed By 12/21/2021 Real Estate Corporation 09/30/2024
HOWEVER, THERE’S MORE . . .
She’s working for Grand Haven Realty which includes
1. Suzie Johnston, Mayor of Flagler Beach. ANOTHER REALTOR
2. DAVID ALFIN, MAYOR OF PALM COAST
Check out: Grand Living Realty “Meet the Team”.
People of Palm Coast and Flagler County, are you beginning to get an idea how deep the rot goes in Palm Coast and Flagler County?
The whole county is being run by realtors. There are plenty of highly qualified people in Flagler County and Palm Coast who could serve on these boards. However, if you’re not a realtor, it seems you can’t participate.
The powers that be )realtors) made sure she wouldn’t be booted off the Flagler County planning board.
Watchdog says
Additionally, HEATHER RAE HAYWOOD is in violation of Florida Statutes: (see below).
This leads me to believe (see below) that Heather Rae Haywood’s legal address is in DeLand, which is in Volusia County. NOT Flagler County.
Come clean Angela. You have no business being on the Flagler County Planning Board. You’re legal address is in Volusia County. If you have been “renting” in Palm Coast for 4 years, your State of Florida license is in violation of Florida Statutes (laws and rules). Either way, you shouldn’t be on the Flagler County planning board.
Are you reading this county commissioners? Do you really want someone on the Flagler County planning board who’s about to be disciplined by the State of Florida for violation of Florida Statutes?
Angela, you can’t claim stupidity or lack of knowledge because part of getting a license in the State of Florida is being cognizant of Florida Laws and Rules (Statutes).
2010 Florida Statutes
Title XXXII REGULATION OF PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Chapter 455 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION: GENERAL PROVISIONS
Entire Chapter
SECTION 275
Address of record.
455.275
Address of record.—
(1)
Each licensee of the department is solely responsible for notifying the department in writing of the licensee’s current mailing address and place of practice, as defined by rule of the board or the department when there is no board. A licensee’s failure to notify the department of a change of address constitutes a violation of this section, and the licensee may be disciplined by the board or the department when there is no board.
(2)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, service by regular mail to a licensee’s last known address of record with the department constitutes adequate and sufficient notice to the licensee for any official communication to the licensee by the board or the department except when other service is required pursuant to s. 455.225.
(3)(a)
Notwithstanding any provision of law, when an administrative complaint is served on a licensee of the department, the department shall provide service by regular mail to the licensee’s last known address of record, by certified mail to the last known address of record, and, if possible, by e-mail.
(b)
If service, as provided in paragraph (a), does not provide the department with proof of service, the department shall call the last known telephone number of record and cause a short, plain notice to the licensee to be published once each week for 4 consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in the county of the licensee’s last known address of record. If a newspaper is not published in the county, the administrative complaint may be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. If the licensee’s last known address is located in another state or in a foreign jurisdiction, the administrative complaint may be published in Leon County pursuant to s. 120.60(5).
History.
—
s. 16, ch. 94-119; s. 14, ch. 2010-106.
James says
She explained it pretty well in the meeting. It’s a divorce snafu, cut people a brake…not everybody is involved in a “powers that be” conspiracy. Bless your heart. :)
Erod says
What exactly does the contractor review commission do ? Obviously from this article not their job. If they cannot investigate applicants to insure they are qualified how can we expect them to investigate contractors accused of wrong doing ?
Mr. Davies, has already sat and pasted judgement over contractors accused of wrongdoing thanks to the ongoing incompetence of the bureaucrats that run the county. Will these cases need to be reheard ?
What about contractors who had their licenses revoked as a result of an unqualified judge ?
Who ever runs that commission should be investigated for stupidity and laziness.
Watchdog says
You apparently didn’t read the initial post.
She’s affiliated with David Alfin and Suzie Johnston. Did you miss that? Did she explain that clearly in the commission meeting? She’s on the planning board.
She’s still in violation of Florida Statutes. But let’s cut her a break.
The jokes on us says
I thought a contractors license was issued by the State ? A local municipality cannot revoke or suspend a state issued license or impose any other discipline. I made a complaint to the county about a plumber who did work at my house and I was told I would have to the professional license department in Tallahassee.