In contrast with traffic on Florida Park Drive, finding a solution to residents’ complaints about the road has not been speedy. But however slow the efforts–the city has been discussing the issue since 2015–they appear to be moving toward conclusive, visible, audible enforceable changes.
The city is proposing to restrict or ban heavy truck traffic on Florida Park Drive, with a $200 penalty for violators. It is preparing to enforce the rule with a new ordinance. And it is proposing a set of traffic-calming and landscaping changes that would combine aesthetics with safety, but not at a minor cost. But talk of using license-plate readers as part of the possible enforcement mechanism at this morning’s Palm Coast City Council workshop was not only premature: it was in error.
It was the first time that such enforcement measures as license-plate readers, which scan all license plates passing a certain zone of the sheriff’s choosing, was discussed, raising legal implications the council did not consider: license-plate readers are used for criminal enforcement or finding missing persons, not code enforcement.
Their use for routine traffic enforcement would vastly expand the sheriff’s reach and recall the days of red-light traffic cameras, which Palm Coast installed in 2007 and illegally enforced through code enforcement fines: the Florida Supreme Court ruled such cameras illegal, when outside of state-law protocols. (The city adopted the state protocols and eventually abandoned the cameras altogether, after a series of legal issues and public reprimands about the city’s overzealousness by two local judges.) Sheriff Rick Staly is not interested in using license plate readers to that end. But city officials appeared unaware when they discussed the matter this morning.
“Is there any conversation around working with the sheriff’s department for license plate readers, those sorts of things?” Mayor Milissa Holland asked during this morning’s discussion.
“We have been coordinating with Flagler County Sheriff’s Office,” City Manager Matt Morton said. “we’ve in fact reviewed the most current draft of the ordinance. Also in advance of that they have practically gone out and contacted other communities and they’re looking how LPRs, license-plate readers, and other enforcement strategies pay the highest dividends, and that’s an active project they’re currently working on. In fact I got an update this morning on that from Cmdr. David Williams who’s been taking the lead on that. So yes, very robust approach on how we get significant gains at enforcement at meeting full compliance.”
But when asked about any use of license plate readers on Florida Park Drive–other than through current protocols, which don’t target the road itself or its users–Brittany Kershaw, the sheriff’s spokesperson, was adamant. “LPRs will not be used to assist with traffic enforcement or the new truck ordinance. That has never been a direction the SO was considering,” Kershaw said.
“LPRs are not a code enforcement tool and there are no intentions on changing that. LPRs are a crime fighting tool, period.”
Asked if they would be used in any way on the road other than during specified operations (such as scanning for stolen vehicles or missing persons), Kershaw said: “LPRs are not a code enforcement tool and there are no intentions on changing that. LPRs are a crime fighting tool, period. Sheriff Staly has asked the city to provide him a copy of the draft ordinance so he and his general counsel can review.”
Morton this afternoon said he had misspoken at the meeting. “The sheriff has been unequivocal, it’s not anything he wants any part of,” Morton said after a phone call from Staly that was apparently prompted by FlaglerLive’s questions to the Sheriff’s Office. Morton said the discussions in house had centered on “IP cameras” that might have been used to pick up patterns or analyze what problem may exist. “It wouldn’t be a law enforcement camera.” He said Williams had been involved in the process regarding the ordinance itself. “Dave Williams had review it in terms of enforceability, how the ordinance is crafted in such a way to cite people, is it enforceable. ”
That question is still unclear and being worked on. The weight limit of trucks could also be an issue, at least for local drivers.
At the workshop this morning, the City Council gave its approval for changes that will affect Florida Park Drive after the latest update on traffic conditions, air and noise pollution on the road by Sans Lassiter, the consultant on the case. (It did so obviously before thios afternoon’s clarifications on the LPR matter.)
“Florida Park Drive is unique, it’s a collector, approximately two miles long that has a lot of driveways on it,” Lassiter said. “That’s the issue with it being a collector, you typically don’t have driveways on a collector roadway that has high-intensity commercial at the southern end.”
The city has considered and dismissed various measures in the past, including traffic restrictions. It is now prepared to ban traffic involving trucks of four tons or more, or of four axles or more, including trucks with trailers. That sort of traffic would have to use Palm Harbor Parkway and Old Kings Road instead. Light trucks would still be permitted.
“These are the trucks we absolutely want to keep off this roadway unless they’re destined for areas within the roadway,” Lassiter said. “You can’t help but have construction delivery trucks, moving trucks, those types of things happening when they’re destined for the area.”
But there is no noise issue on Florida Park Drive: the highest decibel level recorded was 64.3, lower than the 65 decibels of human speech from a distance of three feet. There are occasional excesses when cars will be noisier, but not as a norm, Lassiter said.
There is also no air-quality problem. Based on monitoring conducted over 30 days, there are no substantially detectable levels of carbon monoxide, along the road. Residents appearing before the council have occasionally claimed that they’re routinely exposed to noxious fumes. “The measured values out there are almost unmeasurable, just above zero levels,” Lassiter said. “This is not atypical. This is what you find, certainly in coastal areas with sea breezes,”
“So there’s no problem with air pollution and noise pollution?” Branquinho asked.
“I’m a resident also,’ Lassiter said. “I don’t like either of those. But I’m just telling you what the standards are, these are below the standards. The air pollution is so far below the standard that I think that it actually should be less of a concern. My bigger concern is the noise. That’s something we do try to come up with solutions that we hope help in that.” Moving trucks out of the route will improve both noise and air quality.
The landscaping would change some of the looks of Florida Park Drive. Under one option, the city would seek more landscaping buffers on individual residential lots, with its landscape architect and technicians providing design services to homeowners at no charge, though the actual improvements would be the homeowner’s responsibility. The city would create a landscaping grant program, so residents could tap into city grants for help, with $1,250-grants per lot, and $50,000 set aside in 2020, providing grants for up to 40 lots, and $5,000 set aside each year after that, for up to four lots per year.
City Council member Bob Cuff was not entirely comfortable with the concept, seeing it as preferential. “Why don’t we buy fences for everybody whose property backs up to Belle Terre Parkway for instance,” Cuff said. But he was willing to go along “if it’s focused and limited, and there’s some participation buy-in.” The city is holding a public hearing on the matter–as it would have to when approving a new ordinance anyway–and will gauge residents’ responses (not just residents limited to the Florida Park Drive area).
Cuff and Holland though were not supportive of a traffic-calming option that includes two small roundabouts along the drive, preferring a less intrusive option of landscaping, medians, benches, or narrowed lanes. The latter–so-called B1 option–would cost between $150,000 and $300,000. The roundabout option would cost $300,000 to $600,000. Small as they are, favored by traffic engineers and common as they are in some parts of the country, roundabouts in Flagler tend to elicit violent reactions from residents. Council members seemed inclined to avoid going down that route. B1 appears headed for ratification.
“We’ve been discussing Florida Park Drive for a long time now, and to have three very solid options for a transforming roadway that has an impact to our residents is important,” Holland said. “So I’m in favor of certainly striping when we do resurface the road, the truck ordinance, as well as the landscaping. I like the Option B1, just because I think that’s achievable and will allow for not only the traffic calming but a nicer aesthetic for people traveling that roadway. I do believe when Holland Park Phase two is finished we will see some residents that want to enjoy those additions, and I think it’s important that we always keep that in mind, that when we’re adding to our neighborhood park, this is a regional park, that the surrounding areas are equally enhanced.” (Holland Park’s latest renovation includes a splash park for younger children.)
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Jim says
Put a 4 way stop at Holland Park, a 3 way stop at Fleetwood and a 3 way stop at Forest Hill!
S.C. says
Residents appreciate the studies the City has done. As far as the roundabout I’m not sure what local residents were talked to since there has not been a meeting with residents. Local traffic noise is constant and constant traffic noise, damages hearing, and in many cases is more harmful than loud traffic noise. Residents are fighting for a good quality of life. A residential street being used as a thoroughfare to exchange traffic between two parkways destroys any quality of life for that neighborhood (8,000+ cars per day). Residents see any traffic calming method used as huge improvement. Most don’t realized the many health issues associated with “close proximity traffic to homes”, including cancer, that are reported by numerous Health Organizations around the world. Children and the elderly are affected the most; see study results about effects of constant traffic noise on children: Even Low-Level Constant Traffic Noise Harms Children’s Health – https://rense.com/general10/evenlowlevel.htm
CB from PC says
I invite the idiots who approved the US 1 Roundabout in front of the defunct White Eagle bar to do a daily drive during heavy traffic hours.
Dangerous as hell.
The US 1 Matanzas Woods Pkwy currently under construction should immediately stopped, and a traffic light should be installed.
Those roundabouts work great in London where traffic is going 25-30 mph. Good luck getting 65 mph motorists to slow down.
jim says
my suggestion… make FP Dr one way south, one lane w/ the second lane striped for emergency vehicles only. Make Old Kings two lanes each way w/ a center median turning lane (this should’ve been done long ago). The residents who live east of FP Dr can take PC Pkwy to PH Pkwy. The residents who live west of FP Dr can take OK Rd. Those who live in the immediate vicinity can take Frontier orFleetwood. If necessary ban all trucks fromFP Dr except for immediate area reasons..deliveries, landscapers, etc..
Friend of Florida Park says
You are correct: Local deliveries and other heavy truck business will still be allowed per the ordinance as proposed (meaning homes directly on or east of FPD). In general, if a heavy truck is going north on FPD and turns onto PHP without making a business stop in between, it is in violation of the proposed ordinance. If a heavy truck is going south on FPD and turns into Island Walk or onto PCP without making a business stop in between, it is in violation of the proposed ordinance.
Optimist Prime says
Sorry, UMM no. LPR’s are NOT benignly a CRIME fighting tool “ONLY,” sheriff. Get real. Try driving on simply a recently expired tag…. (Legit license, legit Insurance, and a late payday) and getting pulled over out of a line of traffic users. Yes, one of your officers sat on my street and waited to intercept my ride home. Why? because of an expired tag, caught by a tag reader. I’m no criminal, I’m no fugitive. Just a guy going to the store for some tuna casserole ingredients. But honestly,your officers found a need to waste my tax dollars to remind me it needed paid. (No sh*t!) Not because he was behind me and read my tag, BUT. Because he was fishing Via dragnet. What an uncomfortable notion. Never expected. Your tag readers are great, but… maybe find some actual “crime.” To your soldiers in “blue” something to fish for crime with, good. But let these boys fish for greater targets. As you’ve done before successfully. But… Leave the “law” abiding people of palm coast alone. Find your crime without impeding democracy. Thanks. Just sayin.
Dave says
There is no problem with Florida park drive, just a bunch of sore home owners who bought bad property along a main road.
No noise problem, no air quality issues, just a bunch of made up nonsense to try to improve their bad investment.
Throw in a round about or 2 and that’s it.
Hmmm says
Everyone on that street knew what they were getting into beforehand. It has ALWAYS been the main road for that area. Always. 30 years ago, when Palm Coast had a fraction of the population it has now, Fl Pk Dr was still the main road. Its not a shortcut. Its the way home. Whose fault is it if you bought, or moved in into a house on Fl Pk Dr? You got what you wanted.
Friend of Florida Park says
Explain please how heavy truck traffic has anything to do with residents going home.??? It IS an unnecessary shortcut for heavy truck traffic that needs to go another way, of which there are several possible routes depending on their point of origin. Thirty years (or even ten years) ago Palm Harbor Parkway did not connect as it does today.
Hmmm says
Yes it did connect. What are you talking about? I know because i lived on coral reef 30 years ago!! Its the same ole street. And where is all this heavy truck traffic going. The gas station? Sounds like you should have moved to another section of palm coast. Like i said. It has always been THE road to get where you’re going. Not a cut through. You’d have to understans the meaning of a “cut thru”. Its a main road.
Friend of Florida Park says
This is from the press announcement from 2015: “Palm Harbor Parkway is being realigned and extended to connect directly with Matanzas Woods Parkway where it intersections with Old Kings Road, according to the release.” This is what I meant by connected. PHP Phase 2 connected the road with MWP so that drivers would no longer go through Forest Grove, which was closed to stop it from being a cut through. Or was that road not a cut through either? FGD was at 4000 vehicles per day in 2015. FPD is at 8500 at the last FDOT traffic count this past summer. Where are the trucks going? Building homes and pools in the neighborhoods off of PHP with concrete mixers making several return trips from Bunnell and Daytona; roadwork on PHP; beverage trucks barreling through at 6 am from PCP to (yes) the gas stations on PHP; deliveries and services going to/from Sabal Palms; moving vans from neighborhoods outside of our own; Semi tractor trailers delivering to the stores at Island Walk; etc. etc. Hundreds (approximately 500) a day, all day long, back and forth, back and forth. YES, it is a construction and delivery cut through, albeit a residential collector road. In 1995 FPD was classified a “rural minor arterial.” Our share is not equitable as OKR in this area gets half that count; PHP get about 5500 vehicles per day. No one is asking you to do anything different. Why do you attack the residence of FPD with your rude comments? Why do you seem to want us to suffer unnecessarily with no harm to you personally? We asked for this? We deserve this because we’re stupid people? Is that why we should just shut up and live with it? No, sir! I don’t think so.
Flatsflyer says
So the cities solution is to force all trucks on to PHP or Club House Drive. At the same time they are pushing a proposal for the redevelopment of the marina complex that will add several thousand trips per day. All this traffic would be going over one of 3 bridges that have a load capacity of 28,000 pounds. Conveniently the city removed these signs when the new exit from I-95 dumped all traffic onto PHP. The residents near Club House and PHP are already talking about pitch forks and now the city wants to pour gasoline on open flames.
Friend of Florida Park says
Your comment is a bit confusing. Heavy trucks SHOULD use PHP, not Club House and not Florida Park. PHP now connects with MWP, OKR, PCP.
Willy Boy says
Noise! Are you kidding. There is no noise enforcement in Palm Coast. Loudest little cars ever, and when they back-off the gas the mufflers sound as if they are intentionally made to simulate gunfire.
attila1 says
That means no more garbage pick ups.
Friend of Florida Park says
Read the ordinance draft…..garbage trucks are a public service and are not affected.
Igato Takalika says
Looks like trump and his sharpie were at work on that tree.
palmcoaster says
I appreciate on behalf of my friends and neighbors in FPD area our Palm Coast Mayor, City Council specially Councilman Jack Howell, our new city manager Mathew Morton and Karl Cote for providing this promising chance of improvement for Florida Park Drive while striving to preserve our quality of life. The task has not been completed yet but the first improvements have shown a very positive result. I appreciate Mayor Melissa Holland for her comments regarding the landscape options and supporting as well the new finish to the asphalt for traffic calming effects the next time (few years from now) when the road will need resurface again. The ordinance to be completed and in effect will reassure that heavy commercial transport will be redirected to the major parkways away from our residential roads with some logical exemptions. Thank you again because we love our community.
mark101 says
Just a waste of good money. Do whats right, Its called stop signs.
snapperhead says
So what is the prohibited/restricted truck sign going to look like? “Trucks restricted/prohibited unless it’s less than 4 tons/4 axles unless you’re going to addresses ABCD? So the sheriff’s office will need a scale to weigh trucks to see if they exceed 4 tons and require proof that the truck is not doing business in the prohibited area? So a work truck trailering a 2 axle trailer is prohibited but a truck trailering a one axle trailer is ok? really? Sounds like a well thought out plan. LOL…what’s next we going to provide grants to homes next to the airport for sound buffers to alleviate airplane noise because they chose to buy next to an airport? Or restrict/ prohibit airplanes if they exceed some noise/pollution level? While we’re at it let’s give grants to homeowners who live close enough to 95 to hear traffic so they put up some noise buffers or prohibit/restrict traffic on 95 so they don’t have to hear that noise as well.