The proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm off U.S. 1 in Palm Coast appears to be dead.
In an email to City Manager Lauren Johnston on Friday, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris pulled his support without equivocation, joining three council members who are extremely skeptical of the proposal. Belvedere couldn’t afford to lose Norris’s support. Until then, the mayor had been the company’s champion in the city. He had pushed back against his colleagues’ agreement to seek an alternate site, until he agreed to find out how much the analysis would cost.
Norris has also been closely reactive to public sentiment. The public response to the proposal has been brutal. Since county, city and the Belvedere chief financial officer revealed it publicly less than two weeks ago, opposition has snowballed as even county commissioners today voiced skepticism. They would have been responsible for approving a $10 million state grant, putting the county in the role of landlord. The county would have had to buy the property for Belvedere. It did not want to take that step without clear assurances that Palm Coast would follow through. It’s now clear that the city will not.
“In light of the quite vocal rejection of the project, by our residents,” Norris wrote Johnston, “we need to withdraw from consideration from the terminal project.”
Norris was writing in response to a request by Tim Schwarz, the Belvedere CFO, for a letter of support from the City Council. Schwarz had asked Johnston for individual meetings with council members. Those meetings would have taken place behind closed doors rather than at a council meeting. Johnston forwarded the request to each council member. Norris responded Friday with his email, which he posted today on his Facebook page.
Schwarz, the mayor wrote, “stated that they need property already zoned for industrial operations, and one that wouldn’t need to be rezoned for possible consideration. To my knowledge, we don’t have any properties within the current city boundaries that fit that criteria. I recommend discussing the matter with the rest of the council and withdraw the city from consideration.” He proposed looking further south along the Florida East Coast Railway, “but that would be for county to consider whether or not they would want to keep that project in the county.”
City staff also discovered a new obstacle to the fuel farm getting built off Peavy Grade. The 12.6-million gallon terminal, which would have included a newly-built rail yard, falls under a category of the city’s Land Development Code that would have required a super-majority vote of the council (or at least four of its five votes) to approve the zoning. Fuel terminals are in the same category as asphalt plants. The use is not permitted “by right.” In other words, even if a land owner has vested industrial rights in the property, certain uses still require special approval.
Planning Director Ray Tyner and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo verified the zoning regulations and vetted their findings with Marcus Duffey, the city attorney. “He agreed that the fuel terminal is similar to the intensity of a use that you need a supermajority of the city council to approve that use,” DeLorenzo said. Johnston said she conveyed that information to council members in meetings today.
“I think at this juncture, there’s really no support, I don’t think from council, to put it in the proposed location,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said early this evening. Pontieri had proposed conducting a site analysis, and encouraging Belvedere to team up for that analysis. The council had agreed. Now, there may be no point. “I don’t think council is willing to pay for any type of analysis at this juncture for them,” Pontieri said, since that would mean the city would be paying for something Belvedere should do on its own, especially since there may not be 77-acre sites in the city that could accommodate it (other than beyond Peavy Grade, to the west of the railroad tracks.)
To Pontieri, Norris’s reversal makes much of the discussion about the U.S. 1 location moot. “Truly he was the only one that was pushing hard for that location,” she said of the mayor. “I would imagine that the kibosh is kind of put on it. They did not have my support to put the fuel depot at that location on US 1,” and while Pontieri said she would not speak with Charles Gambaro and Ty Miller, two of her colleagues on the council, the two had voiced serious misgivings.
The administration has been looking at alternative sites, because there aren’t that many 77-acre sites along the railroad, DeLorenzo said. There may be some south of the city, in Bunnell or in Favoretta, but, he said, it isn’t clear whether the utilities are sufficient in some of those areas. “There’s a utility issue if you go too far south of Bunnell,” he said.
The County Commission was scheduled to approve the $10 million state grant for the Palm Coast land today. The county administrator pulled the item from the agenda last week, after the city requested the site analysis. It was an indication of the weakening support for that site. That grant is still for the county to approve, and to do so before June 2026. Without it, Belvedere has no path to an industrial site in the county (or a land subsidy for it). Palm Coast’s role is now itself in question, if the council has no appetite for the project. It is unlikely that the council would not face equal or more opposition if it were to find a different location, but still within the city’s boundaries.
“The county has also said they’re not going to approve the grant if there’s not assurances from Palm Coast that this is a project they want to see moving forward,” Johnston said. “So if we don’t have the consensus from the council that it’s moving forward, then I don’t think that it’s moving forward.”
Johnston will seek guidance from the council on Tuesday as to next steps, if any.
BillR says
I’m not sure if this is good or bad. Shouldn’t there be more public discussion? Or did I miss that step?
Jan says
Delighted the council listened to the people and nixed this project. Thank you!
Old Rumrunner says
Belevedere can put it in Palm Beach County….
Larry says
Thank you to Mayor Norris for dropping your support and for listening to the constituents.
Keep a lookout for safer and less toxic commercial opportunities in the future.
We need a hotel near US 1 and Palm Coast Parkway. It’s close to the hospital and people visiting family in the hospital would use a hotel near the hospital and people with early morning procedures would spend the nite before in a hotel. Hospital staff working long hours would use the hotel on occasion. Right now there is no hotel in the city near US-1. It would be beneficial to residents too – as they sometimes stay in hotels when moving in/out and when getting repairs done on their home and a hotel is good for visitors too. A decent middle priced hotel would be great. Not high end but not cheapo either.
We also need a Waffle House on US-1 near either Matanzas Woods intersection or US-1 Palm Coast Pkwy intersection. The area is begging for a Waffle House. Everyone loves Waffle House – residents, visitors and people passing through.
Crisco kid says
THANK YOU PONTIERI for proposing a SITE ANALYSIS which
IMO KILLED THIS DEAL! It would never have passed as the
Petito clan knows well which is why they didn’t purpose it, this
fuel farm does not belong in this county, end of story, thank you
Mayor Norris, Theresa Pontieri and the rest of the new sheriff’s
in town in city seats . OUT WITH THE OLD MONARCHS. We
need new creative thinkers for tax revenues that will not bring further
harm and impingement to our quality of life, we have enough going
on with stupid county commissioners voting on black hawk helicopter
repairs, a county owned airport that is not and has not been operated
and regulated right for decades located in our city which no rights to
regulate it. Next step annex the airport into the city of Palm Coast and
let the city run it like they are suppose to do. The FCBOCC has been
and is still use to for decades passing agendas behind closed doors,
not providing ALL of the information, purposely not doing their due
diligence to protect their constituents all while having past city officials
giving their support. Leann Pennington and Kim Carney are 2 women
county commissioners who do care for their constituents.
Ed Danko, Former, Vive-Mayor, PC says
So, Norris was for it , before Norris was against it, maybe tomorrow he’ll be for it again? Thank God the rest of council realizes what a stupid idea this was. Seriously, Norris is in over his head!
JimboXYZ says
At least they’re showing common sense. There’s enough on their plate(s) as legacy & leftover from the Alfin era for the residential growth issues.
James says
Flip Flop Norris. Wasn’t he the one that talked to the company and brought this forward? Everything he touches turns to trash. God help us.
Greg says
Quit crying about industry moving into the city. A huge potential tax payer shunned.
Pig Farmer says
So Norris switched positions and joined the council when it became obvious the project wasn’t going anywhere? Palm Coast leadership at it’s finest!
/s
Dennis C Rathsam says
Thank God, Norris is not as dumb as he looks!
David Rotondi says
Thank you Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris for the pulling of your support on the Belvedere Fuel Farm project as they are obviously an unexperierenced and overeager company to spearhead such a large and dangerous to the community facility. The risk far out way any economical gains.
celia pugliese says
Hooray! Celebration! Congratulations to the Saw Mill Branch community residents and all of us Palmcoasters supporting them! Appreciate the Mayor’s decision as he gave us a big scare! That means when we united for a just cause we winn. Now lets proceed and support Palmcoasters in our battle against the abuses inflicted upon us by the flight schools training their touch and goes at the FINK county airport affecting worst adjacent communities to the airport and rounds and rounds and dropping 720 lbs of lead a year allover Palm Coast. Please sign our petition and attend the county and city meeting when the aorport issue on agendas. https://peaceforpalm.com/f/petition. Battling again for our safety, health, peace and very deteriorated value of our homes surrounding the aiport. Airport was fine always but that all ended when they invited the schools training off it and lately increasing their numbers gotten worse!
Atwp says
Good!
Facts over False Narratives says
Cisco & Pugleise inventing more false narratives to protect those who bring nothing, pay nothing and run campaigns on false narratives. You both know Mayor Norris over rode staff to bully the tank farm past the professionals and Pontierri is gaslighting again. The adjacent land has been allowed for residential since before they lived here. It was she who demanded the land adjacent to residential be industrial. Now spend the next 2 hours corralling your band of FB haters and craft another 8 paragraph hit piece.
Crisco kid says
Facts over false narratives: Actually we don’t call it corralling nor crafting, it’s
more like people like yourself being B**CH SLAPPED! No need for 8 paragraphs
cause here’s the deal: WE WON AND YOU HATE IT! WE DON’T CARE HOW
THEY GOT THERE! FACT is that there is a enormous DIFFERENCE between
HEAVY TOXIC INDUSTRY and light industry and that’s what we are talking about,
STOP KILLING OUR COUNTY HIT PERSON, with YOUR FALSE NARRITIVES !
We don’t hate, you got it all wrong, we do what we do out of LOVE for our residents,
our properties, our land, our wildlife and our human rights for a decent quality of life.
It’s people like yourself that are the haters because we stand up for what is right.
AND it’s CRISCO KID not Cisco, and it’s spelled PUGLIESE not eise, so get your
FACTS STRAIGHT.
celia pugliese says
Hiding your identity under Facts over False…what are you cowardly afraid of as probably you just a mouth piece for special interest! Simple; Mayor goofed and decided to backtrack after residents massive opposition! We are all human and can occasionnally err. Pontieri does nit waste her time in gaslighting as she hears her constituents pleads and “needs” and not special interest “wants”!
Leila says
@Larry,
Your comments re what businesses are needed here are fascinating. Exactly how long have you been employed by Waffle House?
You made the incorrect statement that there are no hotels near the hospital. We have a beautifully renovated Hilton garden Inn just one block down the street.
You must have missed it in looking for a Waffle House. I am in your corner on this, Larry. I still haven’t removed from the loss of Denny’s.
Palm Coast Concerned Citizen says
Whoever thought this was a good idea is just stupid. I don’t know ANY city in America that would be interested in a fuel farm.