The Flagler Beach City Commission has appointed a committee to study the logistics of either continuing July 4 fireworks or potentially scrapping them in favor of shifting the show to New Year’s Eve–or embracing both events.
The committee has until Jan. 22 to issue its findings, so it can incorporate data and observations from what may be the city’s first New Year’s Eve fireworks show in the first minutes of 2022.
The city is rethinking July 4 fireworks at the instigation of Commission Chairman Eric Cooley, who says Independence Day events have become too big and burdensome for Flagler Beach, while the troth in activity at year’s end leave businesses gasping for revenue. In the conceptual plan Cooley suggested, Independence Day would still have all its traditional activities, such as the parade and Veterans Park games, but would forgo the fireworks, shifting them to New Year’s to create a crowd magnet at a usually deader time of year. (See: “End of an Era: Flagler Beach Might Let Palm Coast Take Over July 4 Fireworks and Shift Its Own to New Year’s Eve.”)
But ending the July 4 fireworks is by no means decided: the committee, made up of five local residents and several government officials, will carry a lot of weight when it issues its recommendations.
The committee is made up of Mayor Suzie Johnston, residents Rick Bowen, Carla Cline, Scott Fox, Butch Naylor, and Scott Spradley. The county’s tourism director, Amy Lukasik, will be an ex-officio member of the committee, as will be City Manager William Whitson and City Police Chief Matt Doughney. (Whitson’s role was later amended to staff liaison, thus enabling him to speak with other members of the committee without violating sunshine, as would have been the case had he remained an ex-officio member.)
“They have a sole priority goal,” City Clerk Penny Overstreet said. “They’re not going to break off into other items. This is just about Fourth of July, all aspects of it, whether it be cost, safety, fireworks,” and whatever direction the city commission was to give. The commission did not add any other directives on the committee’s study plan. But the committee’s meetings are expected to draw public interest and input.
“Since there is so much interest in this topic, not just July 4 but the fireworks, you don’t have to be on the committee to have input in this. These meetings are open,” Spradley said. He had been on the two-year parking committee and witnessed plenty of public input there. “So you can be involved without being on the committee, and I urge anyone who has an interest in how July 4 is handled to show up at these meetings.” He suggested that the committee meet every other week. “We’re on a short fuse,” he said.
In a related decision, the city commission will also send a third solicitation to the Tourist Development Council–county government’s tourism arm–asking for two pots of fireworks funding for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1: $25,000 for New Year’s Eve fireworks, and $25,000 for July 4 fireworks.
The TDC has already turned down two requests. In one, Flagler Beach had requested to use the money that had been earmarked for July 4, 2021, but not spent (fireworks were cancelled because of covid), on New Year’s eve fireworks instead. Lukasik wrote the city that that couldn’t be done because New Year’s falls three months into the next fiscal year. The money had to either be spent or kept by TDC. It was kept.
The Flagler Beach mayor then attempted a different route. The city would buy the New Year’s fireworks before the end of September from Santore and Sons, the Flagler County fireworks manufacturer that’s been supplying and running fireworks shows around the county for years. Santore was all for it. It would take the money now and prepare for the fireworks come Dec. 31. Lukasik, Johnston reported to the commission, said that couldn’t be done either.
Now the city will ask the TDC for two allocations for the year.
“I reached out and I spoke with some county commissioners,” Johnston said, referring to Commissioners Greg Hansen and Dave Sullivan. Sullivan chairs the TDC. “I would like it in writing with the request that if the pilot program was to flop or not be a success, that we go back and we request the $25,000 again. They felt like this event for New Year’s Eve was a perfect TDC style event, a perfect event to draw people into the community, and essentially just be a great success. I found no reason not to have TDC not give us the funds if it was not to be successful or if we had to continue and do the Fourth of July fireworks, if we just took that decision with the ad hoc committee.”
What Johnston–and the city–doesn’t want is to be left without the possibility of having July 4 fireworks if New Year’s was a complete flop, though typically the first couple of years of a new tradition can be difficult. “I do not feel comfortable spending the money on something that’s not guaranteed,” Johnston said.
Ultimately, it’s the County Commission that decides what tourism money gets spent. TDC is an advisory council, though the commission rarely overrules the TDC’s recommendations, or supplants them with recommendations of its own–at least not since Cracig Coffey, the former county administrator, left the county.
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FlaglerLocal says
People are dying of the virus, hospital staff are overworked and yet here we are worrying about some fireworks…People need to be rethinking how they are going to help stop spreading the virus…
Steve fishbein says
A few things bother me about the article above. The first is who and how was the selection of the special committee done? Was it from a list of volunteers or selected by the board??? The second concern is how in the world did no one in leadership not know that if we gave back the money for the 2021 4th of July event that the TDC would not be willing to give it back….is the Mayor and Commissioner’s not in communication with anyone outside of that inner circle, they made this decision without any knowledge of the consequences…..Talk about Piss Poor Planning.
FlaglerLive says
The article wasn’t clear about the appointment process: the commission earlier this month agreed to appoint a committee and make nominates at the subsequent meeting–last Thursday’s. Each commissioner named one person, to which they all agreed in turn. Regarding the money, the commission had not been faced with this year’s circumstances, nor had it previously considered shifting to, or adding, New Year’s Eve as a fireworks night.
Resident says
I was at that meeting and there was NO mention of nominating committee members at the next meeting. When and where was that decided? Why didn’t they allow residents to submit their names for the committee and have a random drawing? This is so outrageously stupid.
herewegoagain . says
” The Flagler Beach City Commission has appointed a committee to study the logistics of either continuing July 4 fireworks or potentially scrapping them in favor of shifting the show to New Year’s Eve–or embracing both events.”
The NEW COMMITTEE should remember WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING on JULY 4th ..
IF it wants to start a new tradition on New Years Eve, so be it –But NOT at the cost of eliminating the JULY 4th celebration
Jimbo99 says
Sounds like they’re eevisiting this topic to find a way to pay for that new fire truck for Flagler Beach rather than opt in for county Fire Department service ? Spend a little money or re-distribute the allocation to hold 2 events for July 4th & NYE instead of just a single NYE event and maybe they can keep their dedicated Fire Department ? Heres’ the logic & rub. Flagler Beach projects a certain turnout for the NYE single fireworks show, those same folks are most likely to attend the July 4th as an option instead of the fireworks held at Towne Center for July 4th. People prefer an Atlantic ocean front show (and in a drought July month, cancellation may happen for a landlocked July 4th). Shoot those fireworks out over the Atlantic ocean, there would only be a cancellation due to a Covid outbreak. I assume these fireworks are taken to the end of the Flagler Beach pier for launch. So it may be a safer show when drought-like conditions are the weather patterns. July 2021 was a wet month, primarily due to the earlier storms of TS Fred. Fireworks weren’t going to be cancelled from that, but that’s also about the time when the Delta variants Covid started to ramp up. It’s actually a smarter move for Flagler Beach to scale back both a July 4th & NYE show for multiple revenue generating events. People celebrate both holidays, get their fill of firework shows and business thrives for both holidays. I don’t think anyone is coming away from 2 fireworks shows as disappointed. Although my neighbors went to the Towne Center fireworks, they also told me they left earlier & before the actual fireworks show happened, they went to Flagler Beach for a dine out instead. Although that’s not an official indicator of a Flagler Beach pier July 4th show, I bet those that attended Flagler Beach shows in the past missed their ocean front celebration this past July 4th, even if they went to Towne Center. 2020 & 2021 were cancelled and Towne Center was probably that moment back to normalcy that resulted in this revisting. I’m for the 2 fireworks shows a year in Flagler Beach.
https://flaglerlive.com/161972/flagler-beach-cancels-2021-july-4/
https://flaglerlive.com/153860/flagler-beach-cancels-july-4-parade-and-fireworks/
Flagler Beach Home Owner says
There is an easy answer to it all. When COVID ever ends, go back to regular celebrations. Just because one commissioner feels it would be great for business on New Year’s Eve, the residents do not agree.
Surfgod88 says
In my opinion, if Palm Coast and Flagler Beach both had fireworks displays on July 4th, that would split the crowd up to some extent and perhaps keep it manageable for both cities. Can the committee do a study or get an estimate on what that would look like?
Karen Curry says
An evening of fireworks and attendant festivities on NYE is just what Flagler Beach needs. I’ve never seen a deader place than Flagler Beach was 12/31/20. There’s nothing better than fireworks over the Atlantic.
Brad West says
I am tired of living in a war zone downtown during 4th of July, nothing good ever happens during this event, its time to let Palm Coast have the unruly crowds and criminals.