Update: The Flagler Beach City Commission on June 25 tabled the item, pending a bidding process.
The Flagler Beach City Commission is scheduled Thursday to vote on a $158,000 contract to install surveillance cameras around town, in addition to the license plate cameras installed two years ago.
The start-up cost would be $109,859, the recurring, annual cost, without accounting for inflation or cost increases, would be $47,815. The network would be installed by a private company, Jacksonville-based Johnson Controls, which would train city staff on using the cameras, and store the data on its cloud-based system.
Except for a camera at a city property at North 4th Street and North Central Avenue, and based on a city proposal, the 30 cameras would be paired at each location, with each camera covering a 180-degree angle, and be concentrated on the south side of the city, including one at Veterans Park, one at City Hall, one at the city-owned parking lot by the Anchor restaurant, at Wickline Park, at the city library, and so on.
The Eagle Eye security cameras would be mounted on poles and powered by solar panels. They would record at a resolution of 4 megapixels, imaging at four frames per second. The company would retain the records for 30 days. (It isn’t clear whether that’s in line with state public record requirements: City Manager Dale Martin did not respond to a set of written questions about the proposal.) The cameras would be accessible through the web and on mobile phones by authorized users.
The cameras will also be accessible in real time by the sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center, which already taps into existing license plate reader cameras in the city, in Palm Coast and in the county, into surveillance camera systems run by Palm Coast in its parks and other public venues, and into the surveillance camera systems of public schools.
Talk of a surveillance system in Flagler Beach began after vandalism at Veterans Park a few years ago. Commission Chair Eric Cooley said the $109,000 was previously budgeted “and ended up being put in reserves until they got things together.”
“The cameras are designed to give dispatch, sheriff, and police eyes on any calls placed immediately,” Cooley said on Tuesday. “Cruisers have laptops that can pull cameras up all around the county in real time. These will be part of that system. Nothing new really. We are actually behind on this compared to Palm Coast and county cameras.”
Among the unanswered questions: who in the city will access the camera feeds, under what conditions, whether the 30-day retention period is in line with state record requirements–or city expectations–and whether the city has a policy controlling video surveillance.
For a city with a $15 million general fund budget, the expense represents 1 percent of that this year, less in future years, though local governments currently are scrambling to cut costs ahead of a feared sharp cut in revenue from property taxes, not add costs. A proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 next year, and to $250,000 the following year, with a mechanism to eliminate property taxes altogether in subsequent years. Smaller municipalities are expected to suffer more from the revenue loss than larger governments, should the amendment pass.
Video surveillance has become routine at all levels of government and in many cities across the country. Flagler Beach has a very low crime rate. When crimes do occur in the downtown core, city and sheriff’s detectives typically rely on a bounty of private video surveillance systems in homes and businesses to assist their investigations.
“With ever increasing downtown traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, at all times of day and night, the need is heightened, in my opinion,” City Commissioner Scott Spradley said in an email. “The anticipated completion date next year for the new Flagler Beach Pier will result in an even greater concentration of visitors, so I support the acquisition and installation of a video surveillance system. I do have questions that I will raise at this Thursday’s City Commission meeting about the single contract up for approval given there are no competing bids. But ultimately, I do agree that a video surveillance system meets a critical public safety need for the City and will support this project going forward.”
An administrative memo to the commission notes that the city’s IT coordinator, Daniel Impson, “solicited and reviewed several proposals,” though it does not appear to have been a formal bidding process. Two of the companies listed in the memo did not respond with information to the city. A third was limited to license plate readers. It isn’t clear why the city did not bid out the system.
Sheriff Rick Staly was supportive of the city’s initiative when asked today. “I’m going to guess that my team probably knows, they’ve probably been talking to my team,” Staly said. “We use the software that allows us to take all these different feeds from any type of system and populate it into the Real Time Crime Center, so regardless of what they do, as long as they allow us to accept the feed, we have the software that will accept it. That’s what we do in the school district, and even with private cameras.” The Sheriff’s Office offers private businesses or homes the option of opting into the system.
“I don’t see any difference with what the city of Palm Coast does,” the sheriff said. “Unfortunately, in today’s environment and the world we’re in, you have to do that. Even with the cameras, they still get vandalism at Holland Park and Ralph Carter Park. Now it helps us to determine what happened, and in some cases actually identify the suspect, so I don’t see anything nefarious to that. I think smart business, unfortunately.”
Nicholas Klufas says
This is a real problem, Pierre don’t give up on this.
‘It isn’t clear why the city did not bid out the system.’
Pot Calling the Kettle says
Says the kid that spent hundreds of thousands of our dollars on city technology studies for nonsense that never was going to get implemented. But you had it all figured out, didn’t ya?
Callmeishmael says
Affirmative.
Nicholas Klufas says
For the municipal fiber optic feasibility study? Yeah, and the results were affirmative that the market was viable; once we lose our property taxes to the state we’re gonna have wished we would have invested in ourselves. But also, this has nothing to do with FiberNet and everything to do with paying to be spied on, so go eat a fat one..
Michael John says
Big City of Flagler Beach Mayor to busy to respond to questions? What was his excuse?
Mike M says
Common “journalism” tactic, call at 4:59 leave message and go to print at 5:00.
FlaglerLive says
The email went to the city manager, the commission chair and the city attorney at 8:21 a.m. Tuesday. The article was published almost 12 hours later, at 7:58 p.m. The journalism you appear more familiar with is yellower than what we practice here, as is your assuming comment. Incidentally, the city manager never answered, even though articles are routinely updated after publication to accommodate later comments from those involved. But that’s his right.
JimboXYZ says
Just a shame that the extreme worsts of the community end up costing the rest of us a boatload of cash to babysit & watch them because they lower the bar for the human race. Zero character & integrity types that can’t self regulate their behavior.
The dude says
I too wish MAGA would do better… yet here we are.
Daver says
Hey, give him a break Dude. At least he didn’t blame Biden or Obama this time. At least, not directly.
John Stove says
No formal bidding process……hmmmm Could have gotten same or better product and service at a lower price but no.
And City and County governments wonder why their citizens support property tax reductions?…its because you treat us like an never ending fountain of money.
If we dont get our local governments attention by reducing their allowance, they will keep blowing thru what we give them without a care in the world.
Vote YES on reducing Property Tax
exasperated says
“City Manager Dale Martin did not respond to a set of written questions about the proposal.”
Please publish the questions.
FlaglerLive says
exasperated says
Thank you.
celia says
It is okay with this Palmcoaster as we have nothing to be concerned and further more feel better protected. Also Vandalism have become very expensive for us all taxpayers and has to be deter. As long cameras digital evidence is only intended for improved security and crime digital prove in court and “none” selective enforcement.
Nicholas Klufas says
‘nothing to be concerned of’ – grow up Celia, you’re not in danger and these aren’t going to help ‘protect’ you.
celia says
Nick K always coming out of the shadows and trolling me after we booted you from the city council last time around! Seem like you didn’t learn to respectfully hear the constituents and specially in a disrespectful manner with the elderly! So then good riddance! Young man you really make me feel pretty important in this community to stalk me on line this way…Jeez!
FlaglerLive says
Nick Klufas won reelection with 57 percent of the vote in 2020 and was term-limited in 2024, when he ran for County Commission, where he lost the GOP primary to Kim Carney.
celia says
Thank you Pierre you are right. We booted him from grabbing the county commission seat I should have been more specific about it in order to relate the record straight!
Pot Calling the Kettle says
Says the kid living in the gated commumity amongst hundreds of surveillance cameras.
Surfgod says
The camera locations indicate this system is currently intended for vandalism protection of city properties and potentially citizen property (automobiles) that are parked on city property. There seems to be no intention to spot criminal activity in public areas like the beach parking on south side of town that can be problematic during big events.
MARGARET MINUTAGLIO says
I’m all for it…we need protection nowaday. This might help somewhat. At least when a crime does occur, they will have video of the ciminal. It’s not safe out there anymore and if you’re not doing anything ‘wrong’ you should be glad someone is watching out for you. Great idea, we need this.
Laurel says
You are exactly who George Orwell wrote about.
Maybe the cameras should be aimed at your houses, and at the people fighting here, and let the rest of us live our lives in freedom, unmonitored every instant.
The real danger is with those who do the monitoring. They are slipping it on on ya, even though the crime is low.
Our freedoms continue to disappear.
me says
Glad there were no cameras when my husband and I used to streak in the night to go swim in the ocean! 😎
Skibum says
The sleepy little beach town of Flagler Beach “needs” dozens of surveillance cameras??? Of all the things that I would think could be useful and needed in our local beach community, surveillance cameras would be far, far, FAR down on any list of “needs” I would compile!
Duplicate service? says
Wondering how much of this will duplicate what we already paid for thru the sheriff department ?
We know Staley has cameras in downtown Flagler Beach and on A 1 A
chris conklin says
If you come to flagler beach n dont break the law you have zero to worry about. grow up or stay on the other side of the bridge.
Laurel says
I’ll stay on the east side regardless of you, Big Brother.
Skibum says
Or… you could just stay on the sidewalk, like the one in front of the Funky Pelican and have zero worries if you are not breaking any laws. Oh wait… that didn’t work out so well for Jeff Gray so scratch that thought.
Maybe Flagler Beach should consider putting one of those surveillance cameras inside the briefing room at the police station with a 24-hour live feed so citizens could peek in and see if Flagler Beach PD officers might be boning up on their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.
Don’t bother thanking me, I’m just here to occasionally offer guidance where it is needed.
James says
“Or… you could just stay on the sidewalk, …”
As long as you’re not riding a bike.
Just say’n.
Mike M says
It sure is a good thing that “1984” was a work of fiction. I’d hate to see that stuff come true.
no parking says
Crime in Flagler beach must really be bad. Is it all the drunken buffoons at 2am?? The city will be painted in survelience; it’s just a huge red flag to me.
James says
Flagler Beach, a town that lives in fear.
Just say’n.