Note: this is one of two related articles today. See: “How Residential Growth, a State Order and Intense Rains Are Forcing Palm Coast’s Hand on Sewer Expansion.”
Addressing one of the most critical issues hampering the city’s infrastructure–and facing an order from the state to expand sewer capacity–the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday took a pair of momentous steps that by next spring will result in higher water and sewer rates to help pay for a nearly quarter-billion dollar expansion of one of the city’s two sewer plants.
Because of sharp growth since 2020, that plant has been operating at or beyond capacity in some months, resulting in the consent decree from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The council unanimously approved a $5 million contract to design the expansion of one of that plant, ahead of projected construction. Only a portion of the $240 million construction can legally be covered by development impact fees–the one-time fees levied on builders for new homes and businesses to defray the “impact” of that new population on the city’s utility’s infrastructure. Absent grants or unexpected new revenue, the rest has to be paid through water and sewer rates, which are currently too low to shoulder that burden.
The council also approved spending $70,000 on an analysis that will determine what the new rates will be, and to lay out a five-year road map for the city’s utility infrastructure. The analysis will be completed in the next few months. A council with three new members will be voting on those rates next spring.
The city has no choice. Nor will the new council after it is seated in November
“Infrastructure Projects will need to be properly funded by strict deadlines to meet the Consent Decree requirements,” Amanda Rees, the city’s utility director, told the council, using language even more direct than similar language her predecessor used when he was seeking higher rates earlier this year. He was no longer the utility director the following month. (City officials say it had nothing to do with his presentation: he took a different position at the utility.) “Postponing action today does not save in the long term,” Rees said. To the contrary. It’ll cost more by he time the city gets around to paying for whatever it defers.
The current council raised utility impact fees in March, but declined to raise rates. It was hoping to defray coming costs with state appropriations. Those did not materialize. The city has high hopes still to defray those costs through a Department of Environmental Protection grant pending at the agency.
“We know we’re going to raise rates. We have to. It’s just is what it is,” City Council member Theresa Pontieri said Tuesday. She and her colleagues asked a few questions during the related utility presentations toward the end of a daylong meeting. But the city administration was not challenged this time by any of the council members, as it had been in March. The council was resigned to what’s ahead, though three of its members (Mayor David Alfin, Council members Nick Klufas and Ed Danko) will not have to deal with it. Klufas had supported higher rates in March.
Earlier in the meeting, a couple of dozen residents addressed the council, many of them angrily, about flooding issues during Hurricane Milton, including Cornelia Manfre, who criticized what she characterized as a lack of infrastructure planning. The chamber was mostly empty by the time the council took up the utility issues, however. “A whole group left out of here today thinking that perhaps there is no plan, and yet,” a dispirited Alfin said, “in fact, we’re sitting here going through what is a plan, and that’s just something to be thinking about for the future.”
It only seemed complicated. But the plans are straightforward.
The city runs two sewer plants, which it calls wastewater treatment facilities. WWFF-1 is at 26 Utility Drive, off Old Kings Road in the Woodlands. It is 40 years old. It is permitted for just under 7 million gallons per day sewage and stormwater treatment. It handles most of the customers between U.S. 1 and the eastern city limits. That’s the problem plant that runs over capacity some months, in heavy rain events, and the city’s workhorse. WWTF-2 is at 400 Peavy Grade, off U.S. 1, which handles primarily the developments along the U.S. 1 corridor.
WWTF-2 started running in 2018 at 2 million gallons per day, or just a fifth of the city’s capacity. It is being expanded to handle 4 million gallons by next year, or 40 percent of the city’s effluents. By then, it will also accommodate half a million gallons diverted from WWTF-1, relieving some pressure there before the expansion. But WWTF-2 can no longer be expanded. A third, brand new sewer plant is not planned until 2035. Until then, WWTF-1 has to be expanded.
“My understanding is that Wastewater Treatment Plant two was designed at one point, and then it was tabled when there was a slowdown in the economy,” Alex Blake, a utility engioneer, said. “Then it was picked back up because growth had started back up, and there was interest in the in the U.S. 1 corridor, so we built that, and they became active in 2018 over that period of time. Starting in 2020 we realized, well, we’ve got to start planning to build more capacity into that facility.” The design was done, and construction began.
WWTF-1 is nearing its capacity of 6.83 million gallons per day. For all its age and wear, it can still be expanded. In late 2023, the city began studying a further expansion to 10.83 million gallons per day, which is its permitted treatment limit. The city engineers also determined that, oxymorons aside, effluents could be treated even better. The facility could be an “advanced wastewater treatment” facility, so recycled effluents would be cleaner by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus content below the limits of the current process. Doing so allows the discharge of those waters into wetlands, rivers or the Intracoastal, which helps recharge the aquifer. It also helps relieve pressure on the sewer system and the city’s infrastructure. State regulators have not made the approach mandatory until 2032. But it is already becoming the industry standard. The city sees no reason to wait.
CPH, the engineering and consulting firm, has already worked on previous design improvements at the wastewater plant. It won the contract to study the WWTF-1 expansion, with an option to go on to design the expansion–two separate parts of the project. The expansion design alone will cost $5 million. That’s the step the council approved Tuesday. Construction will take three to four years. The project’s construction is budgeted for Fiscal Year 2025.
The Sour Kraut says
Remember that the developers of all these new neighborhoods could have paid for much of this cost. Our officials waived or reduced those impact fees. We are left holding the bill as the developers laugh and leave with our money.
SRM says
Everyone told Alfin years ago to slow down building. We needed infrastructure to catch. But did he listen. Absolutely NOT
Stephanie says
As a realtor in town, this is embarrassing. Our council has allowed over developing in this area. These builders are getting away with murder not paying for all of this flooding and issues with our infrastructure. Shame on our council to allow this over of building going on. I’m disgusted on what’s going on around here. My neighbors all were flooded this year after Milton. I’m one of the lucky ones, but I don’t know about the next time. I have pass customers calling me asking me and asking “what the hell is going on”. I’m having a hard time wanting to sell in Palm Coast. I’m disgusted in the city council and government. We need to vote them all out. Shame, shame, shame.
JimboXYZ says
“Because of sharp growth since 2020, that plant has been operating at or beyond capacity in some months, resulting in the consent decree from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.”
Come on & say it, this is 4 years of Biden-Harris “Build Back Better” failures. Anyone given Harris-Walz a vote for 4 more years is a the same fool that voted Biden-Harris in 2020. Did you get your money’s worth ? Biden-Harris has found creative ways to charge you twice as much to shower & perform your bodily functions every day. Can’t even use the excuse that this has anything to do with Covid.
Steve says
Living in your head rent free DumboXYZ. Enjoy having another Democrat in the Oval Office cupcake. It’s only 8 years
Celia Pugliese says
Steve and Jimbo stop aiming at the wrong tree please. What the current or next one administration has to do with our sewer and other infrastructure caused by ill allowed growth by the local descartables ?
Steve says
I left 3/2020 after 10 years. The fact he complains and does nothing about it Ma’am give me great pleasure. No regrets. Good Aluck
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
Ah, Kool-Aid, refreshing. This is a local issue and no matter how hard you try this was NOT brought on by President Biden nor Vice-President Harris but the people YOU Voted for Jimbo, if you Voted.
Edith Campins says
This has nothing to do with Biden Harris and everything to do with the Republican politicians that have been in control of Palm coast for decades.
Jim says
Every time I try to figure out why people support Donald Trump, I think of you, JimboXYZ. It takes a special kind of mental gymnastics to blame “Biden-Harris” for expansion in Palm Coast. You are Olympic material. You haven’t noticed that your great Governor, DeSantis , has been pushing for your kind of species to move to the “Free State of Florida” for years. And our local – Republican – city council and county commission have both been approving growth for years. We have seen that taking place. “Build Back Better” is directed towards infrastructure and industry activities; not new subdivisions. Only you Republicans have been pushing expansion of homes here in Florida. You rant and rave about the growth but you are too consumed with right wing bullshit to see where this growth is coming from. So blame Biden. That’s fine with me. Worship your orange god. You and Donald share at least one trait – facts don’t mean a thing to either one of you.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Nothings been built! Nothing is better Everything they touched turned to shit!
Kenneth Davis says
This is a local issue not national get out of Trump butt.
Where do my property taxes go, anyway? says
I’d happily give up that disc golf course and let the developer pay its fair share of fees toward this project, in exchange for a break on increased rates.
Atwp says
Spending money wisely is ok with me. To waste tax payer money has always been a problem with me. We will see what happens.
Bruces says
We have paying for higher sewer rates
For every while the city has grown over the years we have been paying for it
Obviously some political leaders out cutting the fat kind some of the city personal need to be facing criminal charges get ride of the long time personal
Jason Codey and others
I believe the new candidates will take this action. And those who have taken from the cookie jar need to be punished
Cmon man says
This crap is expensive
Dennis says
Not be me. We will be gone by spring. House will be fir sale by month end.
Jim says
Let me see if I have this straight. The city has continuously approved massive expansion of building housing in Palm Coast for several years. During that time, it was a known fact that the current infrastructure for waste water is struggling with the current loads on it. So now it is time to expand/build more waste water facilities to handle the current and projected(?) loads of waste water.
And, surprise, surprise, the current residents of Palm Coast will have to pay higher rates to cover the cost of this effort. The “impact fees” cannot be used to offset these costs.
So, please, someone, tell me how the current residents of Palm Coast are benefiting from all this expansion? Lower taxes (that’s a joke)? Improved quality of life (looking forward to sitting in traffic to go to a store – even worse than now)? Environmental stewardship (another joke)? There must be some benefit to all of us for this BS to be taking place. Please, someone, enlighten me.
Laurel says
Jim: It’s called a lack of vision, but a love of money.
By the way, have you seen what these new houses are made out of? No thanks.
Stephen says
How much has the city set aside already for the new Wastewater Plant?
Celia Pugliese says
Zit! Just approved 10 millions for unneeded expansion in OKR south of Rte 100 doe annexation to developers to benefit developers 10 millions they should have footed themselves. Another 18.5 millions to buy equipment and consultants and some drainage in Colbert Lane so the poop from Plant 1 overflowed does not flood the Woodlands again. Etc, etc. Meanwhile engineering had past councils (Flukas on it) convimced to spend 22 millions probably mire to build plant 2 at the northern end of PC off Rte 1 (with our capacity funds reserved) to serve the new stick homes built there off Rte 1 and the plant is not used at full capacity yet when Plant one needed those funds for improved capacity given growth! They lie and cheat while miss appropiate our taxes to benefit greed.
S. Peters says
Really? This infuriates me! I never voted for Palm Coast to become a city. We were much better off with the county running the show back then. The building is insane, traffic is insane and no one knows how to plan properly. They just keep lining their pockets and giving themselves big fat raises.
Just vote says
Maybe if a vote to unincorporate even got on the ballot it MIGHT wake some of these bobbleheads up ??
Laurel says
See how growth benefits the locals? Thank you, commissions, developers and realtors for your sacrifices. The ICW is disgusting, as is the inlet. The inlet outflow hits the ocean with brown waves, and it’s all not tannin. Now pay up so the same folks can make some money.
Deborah Coffey says
It’s about time. Before Mayor Alfin tried to turn Palm Coast into Jacksonville, one would have thought this infrastructure would have begun.
Sam says
70k to analyze what the increase will be? # of homes+ projected of sold new builds + # of businesses prorated for whatever factor businesses pay extra/cost=price per household and business.
Depending when the money needs to be spent, divide that into one or two or three years.And there is roughly your answer.
My guess is each household is going to go up twenty bucks a month for this crap.
Celia Pugliese says
The worst part of it is that then director Flanagan consultant paid already, told the city all that around last February 13, 2024 think was…and now dept engineering Cote is pushing as usual for again another consultant? Ridiculous we are being gouged! Stop right now or hopefully new right elected council and mayor, will. Here is the February 13 meeting consultant for the utility and Director Flanagan presentation. Minute 4.08 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLvRjJuOoR8
Doug says
Every darn development project has been rubber stamped for years (even by council members who are grand standing now), but no plan to deal with the wastewater!
The design phase is only starting now, under threat from the state??? How long has the effluent quality been poor and everyone ignored it, that now the State had to step in?
The politicians that have run this city are an embarrassment- I only pray that someone coming in next year is smarter than this group!
CPFL says
Simple solution? – when a new home is built charge a temporary utility tax for x amount of years. Say something like $250 a year until that home hits something like 5-7 years. Same thing for apartments/condos/townhomes, have a tax based on units built. That could take a big bite out of the loan and payments for the loan.
Greg says
I am putting my house up for sale this spring, and getting out of this hell hole city.! I’ve never lived in such a corrupt and unorganized city in my life!
I live in the S section where my home almost got flooded, but I’m sure it will now because they are destroying every tree in Woodland in my area! Where do they think the water is going to runoff to? That’s right my house. I am out of here!
John says
I am making the same move been here since 1998 it was nice back then !! now the over bloated city pay roll the water rates are now $136 a month a swales and rubbish take up over $60 of that total and have never had any work done to t swale’s on our street to make it any better and don’t get me started on the trash rates who thought it was better to go with the higher rate trash company and get less service what a joke this city council turned out to be now and past members
Atwp says
Election Day is about 2 weeks away. Will we vote out the nonthinking Republicans and vote people in who cares about the residents of the city. We keep complaining about this and that, what are we doing? Let us vote them out. The power of the vote is very important. Correction Election Day is less than 3 weeks away. The Republican controlled city council in this city and county dosent care about us. People keep electing the don’t care Republicans. If they win city elections in November we will have the same problems, wasting tax dollars and allowing builders to build without paying their share of expenses. Time will tell.
exasperated says
Excerpts from:
Gov. Rick Scott reverses 25 years of growth management policy
LLOYD DUNKELBERGER H-T Capital Bureau June 2, 2011
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2011/06/03/gov-rick-scott-reverses-25-years-of-growth-management-policy/29021273007/
“Reversing a quarter-century of state growth management policy, Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday quietly signed a bill into law that will change how cities and counties deal with new development.”
“Environmental groups had urged Scott to veto the growth management bill (HB 7207), arguing that it could lead to more gridlock and allow local communities to approve new development without adequate roads, schools and other resources to support it.”
Coaster says
I remember arriving here as a young man. 22 years of homeownership in Palm Coast|Flagler County. Amazing watching the city develop as some of the original Palm Coasters never had the opportunity to see it. Now having said that: What’s going on with the money already being collected? Swale in front of the house hasn’t been maintained for sometime other than my mower doing what it can do. So, I will just stop here and not bi**ch further other than to say: Leadership change need to happen. Public officials should not be in positions to smile for the cameras and collect votes to get elected than sit on the azz and do the total opposite of what they sold the people on.
Callmeishmael says
These pretzels are making me thirsty!
jeffery cortland seib says
I must say that I am very saddened by the comments by many here and elsewhere that speak of Palm Coast as the place they are moving from. I tell you when Palm Coast was first established as a county services district and the county established a Palm Coast residents advisory council everyone of the members of that council pledged that they were there to insure that Palm Coast developed differently than all the other poacked in communities in Florida. I was there, I pledged also. I tell you all, I still liveby and follow that pledge today. We must have an independent city council. The council members must have no ties to any construction, builders, or development interests, no matter what their other qualificatins maybe. This new council will have a heavy load, so we need council members that are experienced with Palm Coast issues by being involved with the city. Anyone who has never attended a city council meeting or any other city council function should never be elected. They would only be operating on theories, not actualities.
RWBoggess says
It is obvious from the comments on here and those made at the City Council meetings that unbridled growth is a major topic of concern of the citizens – as it should be. It is not a problem that developed overnight – it took years to fester into a boil that is ready to bust at the seams! Now, the time has come that to fix the issue action must be taken quickly. Yes, we can lay the blame on a lot of people many on the City Council over the years, we can blame the voters for putting the same people in office repeatedly, and we can also congratulate those that saw what laid ahead but where not listen to. But we can NOT waste time.
Councilwoman Pontieri in a recent meeting attempted to float a motion to implement a building moratorium. Not necessarily the idea action to take, but then the best ideas should have been implemented years ago. Nevertheless, a moratorium is now necessary so the city can get a handle on the water and wastewater situation. Yet, Ms. Pontieri’s motion died for a second. No other member of the city commission had the guts to even second the motion.
A couple of things the next newly elected city commission need to do on day one: Implement a minimum 6 month moratorium on residential building subject to a 6 month renewal; discontinue the waiver of impact fees to residential builders for 4 years after the moratorium is lifted; only allow waiver of commercial impact fees on a super-majority vote of the council; and implement a temporary rate increase on the city’s utility bill to make the necessary infrastructure repairs and updates to the existing water and wastewater system. The last item should show as a separate billed item on the utility bill with a finite expiration date.
I know the last one won’t be an easy decision and not one that many people would like – hell I’m on a fixed income myself and wouldn’t look forward to an increase in water and wastewater fees on my utility bill, but unless there are other alternative sources of revenues to offset those critical infrastructure needs, there doesn’t seem to be much available as an alternative.
Just some thoughts….
Biden says
These are your elected officials that fleeced the public while everyone was looking. Republicans that spend more than liberals. Next we should add some gay clubs to the community near the VFW on old kings rds.
Sue says
What a surprise!! Alvin,and rest of council got themselves just what they wanted They didnt care about us or how they were ruining our nice city. Flagler Beach doing same it will be another Miami!! Now we all gave to pay for their greediness . Now new elected people have to try and fix this! Good luck