Reflecting on last week’s joint government meeting, County Commissioner Kim Carney was critical of the vagueness and contradictory request by the county for help from local cities in financing a beach-protection plan. The county’s “ask,” Carney said, left the cities with no reason to contribute since County Commissioner Greg Hansen told them the county had a plan and would go forward with or without the cities.
Commission Chair Andy Dance agreed with Carney, as did County Manager Heidi Petito: the “ask” was poorly conveyed, and it will have to be reworked through clearer presentations to each of the local municipal governments to convince them to join the countywide plan. (See: “Eroding Management Plan, Cities Bluntly Tell Flagler County: Not One Extra Dime for Beach Protection.”)
But even as they conceded a lack of clarity on their own part, Petito repeatedly and cryptically referred to a plan that has not been made public, that has apparently not been discussed with county commissioners, except perhaps Hansen (who kept referring to just such a plan), and that still wasn’t revealed at today’s commission discussion on the matter.
The joint government meeting took place last Wednesday. Palm Coast, Beverly Beach and Bunnell officials, and to some extent Flagler Beach officials, all rebuffed the county’s request to join a countywide plan that would entail some form of financial contribution, through taxes or fees, to help finance an expensive beach-management plan. The plan would keep renourishing (or rebuilding) the county’s 18 miles of beaches, and maintain them. The county is looking for $6 to $8 million a year. Its current tentative plan covers only the unincorporated portions of the beach–not Flagler Beach, not Beverly Beach, not Marineland.
Carney brought up the Wednesday meeting, which she attended, because she was puzzled by fellow-Commissioner Hansen’s assurance to other governments that the county has a plan, with or without the cities. If he meant to refer to the limited plan to manage the unincorporated portions of beaches, “I don’t think that came across really well or strong,” Carney said. “If I was one of the participants from Palm Coast or Bunnell or Flagler Beach, I left there thinking that we got this, so then why would we even bring it forward to them?”
Carney favors presenting a clear funding plan to the cities. “If we do have a funding path, spell it out, tell them what we need.” That didn’t happen. Carney credited Commission Chair Andy Dance for spelling out the issue, but not the Hansen suggestion that a plan is in place.
“There was a bit of miscommunication or just vagueness in the in the ask,” Dance said. The county worked for the past six months to put a plan in place, he said, after getting push-back on a countywide plan that included some level of additional taxation. The current plan could be done unilaterally just for the unincorporated section, “if we had to,” Dance said. “That’s not the preferred method. My point was, this should be a community effort.”
Petito said the county cannot manage an area of the coastline within a city’s boundaries without its approval. The county has such joint agreements (called inter-local agreements) with Fagler Beach and Beverly Beach, both for the federal beach-renourishment project that was completed last year and for future renourishment and maintenance efforts.
So it was “a little disheartening for me,” Petito said, that both those cities “don’t seem to want to support the ongoing maintenance and renourishment, which is outlined in the inter-local agreements where they agree to take on that responsibility for the future. I didn’t walk away from that meeting getting a good sense of that. Primarily, I think it was Mayor Emmett comments that they didn’t think they had a problem. But we have an inter-local [agreement] that says that they will maintain the beach. But it doesn’t sound like they’re willing.”
At the same time, Petito picked up on Hansen’s references to a “plan,” and got cryptic: “We’ve shared some information with staff, but I don’t know if they have everything,” she said. “We’ve had some kind of high level discussions with staff.” She appeared to be referring to a broader, countywide plan. But she didn’t elaborate, and commissioners didn’t ask her to.
Petito wants to go to each city and present at public meetings in coming weeks “something specific.” Each presentation would be tailored to the specific city. But it would make clear that “it is a county-wide challenge.” Any harm to the barrier island would have economic and tax consequences for the rest of the county. “It would negatively impact the quality of life for anybody in Flagler County, regardless of where you live. She said a Category 1, 2 or 3 hurricane striking Flagler County would leave large portions of Palm Coast–the C Section, the F Section, the Woodlands, the Sanctuary–all impacted.
What she did not say, however, is that beach renourishment or maintenance would make no difference in those cases: those low-lying neighborhoods, like areas along the Intracoastal, would be affected either because of storm-surge flooding, which dunes cannot halt, or from catastrophic rain events.
“And yes, there is maybe a little bit more benefit to the folks that live on the barrier island,” Petito said.
She then referred in vague terms to the plan that hasn’t been presented yet, which would have barrier island residents paying a “nominal fee” higher than in the rest of the county. “I think our new plan, if everybody can come together, has that amount being significantly less than anything we’ve looked at previously,” Petito said. “I don’t know to what level of detail this board would like me to share with them, as far as you know, potential options and what that looks like. I mean, we could certainly bring a spreadsheet and kind of play with the numbers live while we’re there in presentation.”
That’s as precise as the administrator got before returning to the city officials’ rejection of any financial contribution to a beach management plan. “I don’t know, I don’t understand maybe why they don’t see that value or that benefit,” Petito said. “In general, I think that people don’t have an understanding of what the county provides.”
Carney, too, was critical: “If there’s anybody in Palm Coast that that can tell you that they do not live in a coastal community, then they basically don’t know where they live,” she said. “Palm Coast residents really need to understand the impact of what our future could look like if we have a do nothing approach, and if we don’t have the funding we do nothing.”
Commissioners agreed that Petito should make presentations before each local municipal government, with more detail and precision. But they did not touch on that mysterious plan she kept referring to, so it’s not clear whether the cities will hear about it. The goal, Dance said, is to have county-wide participation.
“Beach renourishment is never going to work in pieces and drabs,” Carney said. “We as a county have to come together on a plan. So if the plan is: no funding equals no project, I am perfectly fine with that. It’s not ideal for our county. It’s incumbent upon us–because we are the sponsor in Flagler Beach, we are going to be sponsoring our own sections–that we bring, or try to bring everybody on board.”
Roger Cullinane says
Just raise the property tax rate to generate the additional funds needed. That way every property owner in the County will pay something, with the homes on the barrier island paying more because they in general have a higher property valuation for property tax purposes than the homes not on the barrier island. Yes, some residents in Palm Coast don’t visit the beach, but that is also the case for some residents on the barrier island. Likewise, some residents of the barrier island have school age children but overall they have far fewer than those in Palm Coast, yet they are paying a disproportionate portion of the school taxes.
Deborah Coffey says
Sorry…the county could be pitch perfect and the Ocean will still win. In 5-10 years, there won’t even BE a Flagler Beach. Time to get real.
Sunshine says
CRYPTIC PITCHES, SECRET MEETINGS AND PLANS; WTF IS GOING ON IN FLAGLER COUNTY ?
Laurel says
Can you imagine? Commissioner Greg Hansen, who represents the Hammock, but doesn’t live there, has a “plan” to assess/tax his constituents, just a fraction of the population, so the majority of beach users don’t have to worry. County Administrator Heidi Petito stated “Palm Coast doesn’t have a beach. The county can’t make them pay.” By that logic, I don’ t have any kids, so why am I paying for private schooling?
So, what could possibly be wrong with this picture?
Laurel says
Roger Cullinane: I agree with most of what you said, but know that I can see a house right now, in Palm Coast, that has a much higher value than my house. To assume that the houses on the island have a higher valuation than houses in PC would be incorrect.
IM Yellowstone says
Laurel – As a FtL past resident who lived on Oceanside Blvd – I ask: Did we pay for the beach grooming; excluding all other Broward residents? I wonder, too, how many other counties have done the same.
Thomas Hutson says
Cryptic Talk of Plan
County Commissioners , do you really expect the voters, residents of Flagler County believe the BS you’re putting out about the beach re-nourishment funding plan? I will offer you a bet today just based on what you have stated ,this plan is dead on arrival. Voters don’t need a Cryptic plan shoved on them , give it a break, if it hasn’t sank in yet – the voters do not want any more of our tax money paid toward the beach! If you doubt that put the referendum on the ballot for 2026.
ROGER CULLINANE says
Laurel, I appreciate that you agree with my comment, in general. I would like to point out, however, that when I said the homes on the barrier island had a higher valuation for property tax purposes I meant on average, and did not mean to imply that there are no homes in Palm Coast with a higher valuation than homes on the barrier island.
I would expect that the average property valuation of the homes on the barrier island is significantly higher than the average property valuation of the homes in Palm Coast.
I would also expect that the average number of school age children in Palm Coast (i.e. total school age children divided by total properties) is significantly higher than the same average on the barrier island. I never hear anybody on the barrier island saying (or writing on Next Door) to complain about paying so much in school taxes, even though they pale in comparison with whatever amount the County wants each property owner in the County to pay to beach rehabilitation.
Laurel says
IM Yellostone: I don’t know. Much of the euphemistic beach re-nourishment happened after I moved out of Ft. Lauderdale, and lived in apartments, or in Palm Beach County. I seriously doubt that only the barrier island, down there, paid. It would be interesting to talk to someone who does know. I would call Broward County first.
I grew up on gold sand, not the dredged up white/grey stuff that’s there now.
Laurel says
Roger Cullinane: I would suggest you reconsider. Again, it is an assumption, though it may be correct, to say the average property would be at a higher valuation on the island than in Palm Coast. Being on the east side of the Matanzas River, I can look to the west (the C Section of PC) and see many homes with a higher valuation, and look to the east side and see many little homes that have been here from the get go. There are still many, little, older homes even heading towards the beach. A lot of people in PC don’t understand that. One thing that is for sure is there is much more population, and properties, on the PC side.
As to school taxes v. beach assessment, that is incorrect. We have seen the original first plan, that overlays the beach burden on us, and by looking at the table that was shown to us, for our house, the school tax is quite a bit higher. It may cost my husband and I a couple hundred dollars to visit the beach (by car) a couple times a year, while it costs more for us to send kids to private school, though I have no kids, and my husbands’ “kid” is a grown woman.
Besides all that, if we were to calculate all the properties in Flagler County, and divide the assessment among all properties, the cost of beach re-nourishment would be significantly lower. I did try to get the information from the county, but they didn’t seem to know how many properties they have (!). Maybe someone out there can tell us. So, to divide the cost by the number of properties, and assess those which reside directly on the beach, make income directly from the beach, such as tourist businesses, resorts, vacation rentals and also subdivisions with private beach access, a little more, this would be a done deal.
It’s a bit of a mystery that the commissioner, Hansen, who represents our area, wants to charge his constituents full price.
ROGER CULLINANE says
Laurel,
We are pretty much in agreement. We seem to both agree that those of us on the barrier island are paying huge amounts of school taxes (ours on the last bill amounted to over $7,000) and few of us have children in the schools) – yet we don’t complain that it is unfair. On the other hand, those in Palm Coast pay, on average, lower county property taxes (you are not convinced of this yet but it is true) and have many more children in the schools and I assume they are ok with the way the school tax works, but seem to be complaining about paying a small amount to renourish the beach – unfair becasue they don’t live close to the beach and may not even go to the beach (but their property values are somewhat based on their proximity to the beach). Finally we both agree that those on the oceanfront should pay a bit more than those not on the oceanfront.
The school tax vs. the beach renourishment tax is comparing a huge amount for the schools against a small amount for the beach.
So, in summary, I believe the county should increase the property tax on all county residents to generate most of the cost to preserve the beach, and than add a smaller special assessment to those on the ocean, or maybe even those on the barrier island, whether on the ocean or not.
The biggest thing is to get it done before it is too late. Let’s stop all the discussion and just do it.
Laurel says
RC: I have no doubt that there are high valuations on the island. It has changed a lot in a very short period of time, with wealthier people moving in. My point is, there are still a lot of homes here that do not harbor wealthy people, and that a lot of people in PC don’t understand that. They believe everyone here is rich, which is not so.
As to us paying more taxes than PC, keep in mind that we pay county tax. PC pays city and county tax. Again, that goes back to valuation, which is across the board in both areas. We do pay more for water, food and in the future, more for sewer, which PC is f**king up. However, I should not pay more for beach re-nourishment than a home in PC at the same value.
Actually, if the people of PC had been given the correct information, this would have been settled already. I think they would be far more agreeable with correct knowledge. Instead, our local politicians are continuing the practice of dividing us with a ridiculous *plan*.