Partisanship, misinformation, false assumptions and free-market ideology all played a role in Palm Coast and county government this week rejecting a partnership in what would have been a potential $15 million federal grant to build electric vehicle charging stations at various public locations in cities and the county.
Contradicting its own Strategic Action Plan approved just last month, the council snubbed applying for a federal grant that would have brought from $500,000 to $15 million to the city, potentially required no spending match from the city, added electric vehicle charging stations at various locations in Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach and the county, and potentially opened a source of new revenue.
The grant is part of the federal government’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program, of which $700 million is available this year. The program was part of the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill and its plan to build 500,000 EV chargers in its push toward EV car sales making up 50 percent of the market by the end of the decade.
That association with Biden appears to have had a direct effect on the openly derisive way county commissioners addressed the grant proposal on Monday, and, with one exception, the more coded way Palm Coast City Council members did on Tuesday. The two panels are entirely Republican.
Either way, the end result was that both governments torpedoed a potentially multi-million dollar grant with very few strings attached.
The proposal failed to garner a vote at the council despite Mayor David Alfin’s plucky efforts to win consensus, despite his reminder to his colleagues that “you currently have all unanimously signed off, voted for, a vision a pillar of priority in your Strategic Action Plan process, of which this is a part of,” despite the council’s routine direction to staff to be on the hunt for grants, and despite what appears to have been herculean efforts on the par of the city’s new (and first) Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer Maeven Rogers, to craft what she thought would have been a slam-dunk proposal in line with a city that had so embraced green initiatives that it has a sustainability and resiliency officer.
“I made sure to listen and understand what your goals were,” Rogers told the council at the beginning of her presentation, her very first in her role. She was a different kind of green, as she would soon find out. “Something that kind of kept repeating itself was EV charging grants, and how do we get there? So today I’m very excited to present this opportunity to you that I think really complements the goals of this council and can really complement our residents as well and provide some resources.”
She had no idea, though the County Commission had laid the groundwork for anyone in her position to be shellshocked by the end of her presentation.
“It goes right along with the current administration’s push to put everything in electric,” County Commission Chairman Greg Hansen had said with a measure of derision.
“Right. This is the green wave,” Commissioner Dave Sullivan said.
Council member Ed Danko, who never misses aa chance to equate the Biden administration with some of the nation’s darkest days, echoed his county counterparts. “A lot of us are tired of paying excessive taxes for somebody’s Green New Deal,” Danko said. “I need to see examples of how this has worked. I need to see people, businesses that want to come in and make this commitment and this investment for long term. I need to see a lot more than just a federal grant.” Council member Theresa Pontieri saw it likewise.
Routinely, council members and commission members talk of grants in glowing, lustful terms–whether state or federal grants. Not in this case, as some repeatedly said grants are still tax dollars.
“I feel like if it had nothing to do with EV charging, that this wouldn’t be as big of a infrastructure question or like a council issue,” Klufas said, apologizing to Rogers and Cote for “putting you through the ringer.” He continued: “This is why they we have them as staff and their professional opinion that they’re going to be able to make this work. I feel like if they’re willing to put themselves out there, why aren’t we willing to as a city to say yes, and potentially will actually make more money than we have today and maybe be able to use that to provide city services instead of raising taxes?”
Alfin, at the end of his rope, opted not to attempt a vote and directed Rogers and Carl Cote, the city’s construction and engineering director, to bring back a grant that would include a private partner. Cote seemed to lose his breath, telling Alfin and the rest of the council that grants require such partnerships to be put out to bid first. It didn’t make a difference. Elected officials and staffers were at cross-purposes all along, though by no means unanimously so.
At the county, Commissioners Donald O’Brien and Andy Dance were fully supportive of backing the grant as full partners of the city, even agreeing to having EV charging stations at three county locations. They were outvoted by Hansen, Sullivan and Pennington, the latter going against her ostensibly green credentials in the name of free enterprise. At the city, Alfin was supportive of the grant, as was Nick Klufas, the only local elected official who drives a fully-electric car (a Tesla). But Danko and Pontieri were adamantly opposed, absent “more data.” Council member Cathy Heighter did not say a single word in the more than hour-long discussion.
Rogers tried again and again to convince council members, but with mere evidence. A smog of partisanship proved insurmountable.
“There isn’t a better deal right now,” Rogers told Alfin, but to no end.
There are just 25 EV charging stations in the entire county, but 3,600 residents have EVs, according to Rogers (a figure Alfin called “grossly overstated.” Klufas strongly disagreed.) “We are in an EV desert,” Rogers said, more so in an emergency.
On Monday, County Special Projects Director Holly Albanese and Rogers appeared before the commission to pitch the proposal. The minimum award would have been $500,000, with a maximum of $15 million possible.
The 20 percent match allowed for whichever private entity the local coalition partners with, “they would pay our share of the 20 percent, and they’re the ones who would get the revenue, because this would reate revenue.” That entity would also pay the utility costs. The local governments would not have to invest any money.
“Always having more infrastructure seems like it’s a win-win. And it seems like the state is very clearly putting an emphasis on this by offering an 80-20 split,” Klufas said.
Palm Coast at that point–in Roger’s assumption–would have selected to pay the 20 percent match and collect the revenue, what was estimated at $316 a month per “Level 2” charger. (A fast-charging station would cost around $90,000, more than double a Level 2 station. Fast-charging could get a battery 80 percent charged in 20 minutes. Level 2 would do the job in four to six hours. See details here.)
The Flagler County administration had identified three county locations for potential charging stations: the public library on Palm Coast Parkway, the county airport and the Government Services Center, with eyes on a future location at the yet-to-be-built tourist center on State Road 100. Palm Coast’s plan would have had its additional stations at the expanded tennis center and southern recreation center off of Belle Terre Parkway, at Holland Park, and additional charges at City hall, including some fast chargers.
Charging stations could have been located on any public grounds–parking, parks, schools–and even private grounds that are partnering with the coalition. A charging station could have been located at an apartment complex, for example. “The comprehensive approach fosters sustainability, supports economic growth and improves the overall quality of life for visitors and residents alike,” Albanese said, with some support from Dance and O’Brien.
“In simple terms, this to me is just a way to market the city, the county, especially as far as tourism goes, it’s it’s the main intent is to make this a destination,” Dance said.
Rogers tried to make the case for electrification as a much faster, more reliable, less volatile way to be energy independent while benefiting local economic development. “If we provide the service for our residents, they can put money back into the local economy, not at the Shell gas station. So that’s a wonderful thing,” she said. “We do know that the transition of government fleets to electric will save money, it saves maintenance costs, it saves fuel costs, there is no longer oil changes.” All major car manufacturers are developing EVs, with mandates pushing them to do so, making it a matter of time before EVs reach a critical level.
But Rogers was like the oracle describing a future already happening in many communities across the country, but describing it to an audience still wedded to the 1950s’ way of looking at transportation.
Sullivan in particular made one false or misleading statement after another.
He argued that no one in “low cost housing areas” can afford $50,000 electric vehicles, that government shouldn’t be subsidizing the electric vehicle industry, and that no one buys used electric cars. Sullivan’s claims are misleading at best, false in most regards, and ill-informed.
In fact, the average price of gas-powered vehicles at the end of 2022 was just under $50,000. The average price for an EV was $61,488, according to Kelley Blue Book. But averages mask the range of more affordable vehicles in both categories. For example, GM is launching its Equinox EV this fall for $30,000. The price is still a few thousand dollars more than the cheaper, gas-powered Equinox–but not after government incentives and subsidies are included, making the electric car cheaper. The car becomes cheaper yet when considering the lower cost of maintenance and energy to run it.
“I really don’t like the government getting involved in this. It just it just it’s too unfair,” he said. ” “Supporting this might not be a good citizen thing to do, because it’s going to eventually probably hurt the EV industry by giving them these continual handouts from the government.” Again, grossly inaccurate statements that ignore the estimated $20billion a year in subsidies the federal government provides to the oil, gas and coal industry (80 percent of it to the oil and gas sector). That’s a conservative estimate. The International Monetary Fund places “implied” and direct global subsidies at $5.9 trillion in 2020 alone, $660 billion of it in the United States.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to buy used electric vehicles,” he said. In fact, the EV used-car market is surging.
“I am absolutely sure that if EVs over time become economically feasible, that the gas stations like Wawa will provide this service,” Sullivan said–again, a deep misunderstanding of how EV charging works, and how different it will be from the notion of “gas stations,” where a fill-up takes a couple of minutes. EV charging takes place mostly at home, but secondarily, it takes place–and will take place, as projections show–at work and in public places, such as parks and shopping centers, where a one- or two-hour stay is plenty of time recharge a car for the trip home, or a bit more.
Hansen was also inaccurate when he said: “If people start buying electric cars–and they’re not buying them now.” In fact, EV sales are booming, with an annual growth rate of 18 percent expected for each of the next five years. He, too, thought that gas stations would fill in the market for EV stations.
O’Brien said EV owners will charge their cars at their house, but visitors may need EV stations. The only burden of the proposal on the county would be to devote one or two spots for EV stations in public parking lots. But Hansen, Pennington and Sullivan were adamantly against EV stations on public grounds.
“They’re giving some private entity the use of public property. That bothers me,” Hansen said–again, not necessarily the case. Palm Coast in its original plan would have provided its own 20 percent match so as to recoup EV charging costs, and have enough to invest in more charging stations.
Dance motioned to partner with Palm Coast and issue a supportive letter. The vote failed. The commission agreed only to a letter of support, but that became moot when the council refused to so much as apply for the grant.
Ironically, Palm Coast City Hall has had its own, free EV charging station for eight years.
Pontieri claimed the existing chargers at City Hall were ” almost always empty,” which drew a quick correction from Alfin: “I’m probably here more than anybody and it’s almost always full,” he said.
Pontieri persisted: “I guess that’s my question is what what is the actual demand for it?”
“So we’re on a desert island. And you’re asking what is the demand in a place where something doesn’t exist? I mean, you can’t possibly know that,” Alfin said.
“You can project it, though. The Tesla Model Y is the best selling car in the world,” Klufas said. (He is right.)
Past the five-year mark, Pontieri said costs would mount. Rogers said either revenue would offset future costs, or the stations could be removed at no cost to the city. Curiously, there’s been no objection to the EV charging stations that the city has offered, for free, for eight years. Still, she and Danko were opposed to government providing a service they see as potentially undercutting private industry.
“We need a private enterprise partner to come in and say we’ll partner with the city, we’re an individual business, you use your grant, we’ll run the business and will split the profits with you,” Danko said.
Cote and Rogers thought that’s what they were proposing, only the grant would have to be applied for, first. By the end of her hour before the council, Rogers had gone from green-eyed gratefulness to exasperation, and it showed: “Mayor Alfin, if I can ask,” she said. “I was under the impression that the EV chargers were part of the Strategic Action Plan. And so if I can have better direction from City Council of what their vision is for EV infrastructure so I can make sure that I bring you the best possible option.”
“I think the direction was relatively clear,” Alfin replied. It had not been, nor was his direction then, as, contradictions aside, it did not differ much from what Rogers had just presented: “Find us an option, hopefully with a grant or maybe not with a grant, maybe with a private investor that’s willing to put these EV charging stations in without us infringing on private enterprise. I think that’s at the end of the day, [what] we want to provide our residents. Two things, one, the service and if at all possible. A more diverse revenue stream if you could accomplish those two things. I don’t really care if it involves a grant or not. I know a grant is one pathway. But if this business model, is that positive, then there might be a private investor out there. We just haven’t found them yet. I am strapped with a timeline. I’m uncomfortable rushing to a decision in such a short period of time. So I need everybody on city council to to agree that that would be the staff direction for this evening.”
The council ended its discussion on that short-circuitry.
Robin says
Political stupidity. I bet politicians said something similar when cars were replacing horse and buggies in the early 1900’s.
As for the rant about subsidized EVs, how about federal monies used to build the Eisenhower Interstate Highway system? These roads brought prosperity to many sections of the south. Just read the business case studies of Harold Wilson who started the Holiday Inn franchises. Or the trucking and distribution companies.
Shame on the PC City Council and the BOCC for being so arrogant, antiquated, and wrong. Again.
Steve says
Living in the past and holding on to what’s left of their fragile egos determined to make all be like them
Carol says
Electric Vehicles didn’t work when they first came out and they will not work now. EV’s are not environmentally as safe and better as our climate czars are telling us. As a matter a fact and it is a fact, hybrids are more better for the environment than an EV.
Michael Cocchiola says
Carol… you ought to run for office here in Flagler. Your clear lack of knowledge of the value of EVs, and your far-right disinformation above, marks you as a future- denying voice to stop progress and claw your way back to 1950.
TheBoldTruth says
Michael,
If someone disagrees with you, all you ever do is accuse someone of being “far-right”. If you took the time to research the data you would see why other opinions are valid.
Celia Pugliese says
Michael I am one resident also that do not want our taxes funding 20% of any grant and much less giving up our high valued and scarce parking spaces. I am all for President Biden’s initiative to help resolve climate change and in favor of EV’s but when it come to this charge station we need to leave it to the Big Boys like Tesla, Ford, Chevy and other car manufacturers and or big oil and gas stations like Wawa already have them, or Shell, Chevron and Race Track. We need to ask for grants and our matching funds instead for our priorities like needed widening and paving and building more roads for our increased traffic generated by this latest growth other than EV stations for tourist, as the local owners charge their EV’s at home. Also install a pay meter in the city hall 2 EV’s stations, as why are we forced subsidizing free charges there that as per disclosed in Ms. Rogers grant cost about $370 a month the power on each station? Meanwhile the city council denies 2 speed traffic calming islands in Florida Park Drive when the original bid came at only $200,000 for both while budgeted at $300,000? That same councilman the gets his EV free charge for years voted against the two FPD islands approved by the Holland administration?
The Sour Kraut says
Hi Carol,
I would love to see your scientific sources for your “facts”. I live in the scientific world and everything I have seen is opposite of your “facts”.
Bill C says
Not a fact! From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Oct. ’22): “although electric cars’ batteries make them more carbon-intensive to manufacture than gas cars, they more than make up for it by driving much cleaner under nearly any conditions.”
TR says
I agree. but has anyone thought that gas powered vehicles will never disappear for the simply fact that the majority of politicians have stock in oil and they would loose soooooooo much money it would make their heads spin. that’s why they don’t own electric vehicles.
Robjr says
A variation of Forrest Gump’s words.
Stupid is as MAGA does.
The dude says
Why would be shocking to anybody who’s seen the Palm Coast and Flagler County governments in action over the last 5 years?
Robert Joseph Fortier says
I agree, and I am a registered Republican. I was in politics up north, and it’s like day and night to see the thoughts and actions of Republicans here..of course not all of us…
Sort of like little kids on the playground…lol
Land of no turn signals says says
EV vehicles don’t buy fuel so they don’t pay the tax’s that are attached.Those tax’s are supposed for road repair and other infrastructure needs.Gas burning tax payers should not have to foot the bill to pay for these stations federal or otherwise.
Bob J says
And you point is…we are going to pay anyway for the repairs and infrastructure as our local government seems to have not budgeted for or just pissed away the money on something else.
Blizmoe says
This is how Texas gets around that!
“Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 505 into law, which will establish a $400 fee to register an electric vehicle in Texas — in addition to a $200 annual fee. That’s in addition to annual Texas vehicle registration fees, which cost $50.75 for most passenger vehicles/trucks.”
Wow says
Well Mr. Turn Signals… by that logic electric golf carts, bikers and dog walkers should not use the road either.
Sheesh.
jake says
Take the federal money and spend it how you want. The Feds don’t even care, they just keep sucking more of it from taxpayers, which most of us are. Beside, gas and oil, will be around along time.
Mark says
“Contradicting its own Strategic Action Plan” Of course they did, why bring any amenities to residents or visitors. How many out-of-towners are going to stop at the new tourism office when they know an electric charging station is at another exit out of this area. I have news for them too, gas stations will not be adding EV charging stations at any time their business is gas and oil along with road snacks. Everyday I drive I can see a Tesla or another electric vehicle brand running around the streets, I don’t know if their local or from someplace else. No I do not own one yet I do understand what is coming down the line.
YankeeExPat says
Ass backwards po dunk !
PeachesMcGee says
The cities and county don’t like cell towers, what makes you think they would like EV charging stations?
The dark ages will soon be upon us.
Kat says
Shaking my head at such partisan stupidity. Do the voters in Flagler County even pay attention to what their elected officials do and say? You are turning down potentially millions of dollars to provide/improve infrastructure in the community for no reason other than you perceive green energy to be a democratic demon. Is this another way to “own the libs?” Almost every single one of our elected officials mentioned in this article made an ass out of themselves today and completely demonstrated how out of touch they are with the real world.
T Magnum says
Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer……what a crock. We don’t need an assistant city manager either. Department heads can answer to city manager directly. Fix the damn roads and upgrade our water and sewer system.
The Sour Kraut says
Disgusting!
Janet Sullivan says
Certainly not visionaries, are they? Charge up at the WAWA? Wow.
Local says
I know a guy that charges his tesla at one of these points and has his wife pick up and drop him back off when it’s done. We shouldn’t have to pay for fre charges unless we get free fuel when we go to public places. People are taking advantage of us. They just charge their cars for free on the taxpayers dollar. One day they may blame public chargers for battery malfunctions and we will pay for that too. If they have free charging we want free fuel
John Stove says
Could there be a bigger collective group of absolute morons? No strings attached grant to install EV charging stations+identified in their own SAP (Strategic Action Plan) and yet they turn it down?
They dont have any problem in accepting grants for Parks, Road Improvements, Boat Launch/Park etc etc
My god what a bunch of self serving idiots
Celia Pugliese says
My vocal opposition to Ms, Rogers grant proposal in the 6/5 county meeting is totally absent of partisan influence as I totally support President Biden’s green policies to reduce climate change. But here in Palm Coast we need that our Engineering Department apply for the grants needed for residents pressing issues like safety, better quality of life taken away by noise, air contamination and lack of safe guards all around us.
Where are the grants for a life saving walkway on Cimarron Drive begged for years by the residents or the 20 years delayed widening of Old Kings Road North or the repaving already needed of Palm Coast Parkway eroded as we speak by the speeding FDOT loaded sand trucks on their way to repair the beach front damaged by hurricanes, Mr. Carl Cote? Thank You to our City Council and Mayor for voting this big waste of time of city employees cost per hour labor ,on their six figures taxpayers paid salaries a NO. This is one more of those pursuits for grants for the wrong purpose not adding anything to preserve the current residents quality of life, while forcing us to match at least 20 % of and 80% grant besides loosing by donating our scarce and high valued land parking spaces to those tourist EV’s charging stations, seating there while charging 4 hours or more. This project needs to be left to the big boys, already Tesla and Ford uniting to provide that service nation wide also Wawa already has one of those in Rte 100 as reported, as should be let Shell, Race Track and all gas stations to fund and install in “their land and not ours” to run and profit for the EV stations as should be and that charge should have as Mrs. Pointieri suggested the proper gas tax to pave our roads.. Why we the already overwhelmed taxpayers of the cities and county have to pay for them or the partial grant? What about instead asking for grants to repave Palm Coast Parkway and Old Kings road from the damage inflicted by the FDOT trucking sand from North OKR Palm Coast to the ocean front renourishement after the hurricanes losses? What about asking for grants for a life saving sidewalk on Cimmaron Drive Mr. Carl Cote and also finish to build the preapproved long study and engineered after long meetings with the residents, those two calming traffic islands in Florida Park Drive? What a travesty that push witnessed by both city and county ladies in the 6/5 county meeting. Thank you Commissioners, Sullivan, Pennington and Hansen for also voting no! As Sullivan said not many people owns pricey expensive EV’s Tesla’s or the like ? Let the big boys supply what is needed as our government does not do any good work getting into profiteering…lets remember the City Fiber Optic and all its predicted and never delivered revenue…but our taxes forced to fund its infrastructure and now competition of Metronet arrived! By the way did they already installed a paying meter in the two EV stations in city hall or still the taxpayers forced to subsidize one councilman’s Tesla and others free charge. Reason is that was disclosed in the EV grant county 6/5 meeting that the cost on energy for each station is over $300/month…while this councilman voted NO as well to the two FPD traffic calming islands original bid for $200,000! High paid city new employees are very costly to Palmcoasters for useless proposals.
Laurel says
Stay in the past.
Jackson1955 says
Wow, these Republicans are stupid!
Michael Cocchiola says
O.k. So now we all know who the far-right MAGAs are… those who put their culture wars ahead of citizens’ needs.
3,500 EVs in the county and growing. These Republican culture warriors would deny our community grant money to help bring necessary future convenience.
Our community should take this slap in the face from our own elected officials. We are not well served by them.
Skibum says
Despite the apparent tight time frame to actually submit the grant application, which I believe was the middle of this month according to other news articles about this missed opportunity, isn’t this exactly the type of sustainability and resiliency the city hired Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer Maeven Rogers for? I mean, get serious people! Here is the City of Palm Coat, touting all of this MedNEX technology infrastructure and educational partnership with the University of North Florida and Daytona State College. The city is building EVERYWHERE! I recently read where the city is, if I remember correctly, the 15th fastest growing city in the U.S. Both the city and county are looking for ways to draw more businesses and more tourists to our area. I see a plethora of Teslas and other EVs on our city’s roadways every single day. The city council is even considering whether to add some type of EV tax or fee to support the ongoing repairs to our city’s streets, an acknowledgement of the impact and popularity of electric vehicles here in Palm Coast! And if you try to actually drive around and look for any of the very few EV charging stations, unless you knew where these extremely rare and insufficient number of locations were in relation to the number of locals and out of towners who may need to charge their EV, I bet most people could not even find one of them if you didn’t know where they are. That is because Palm Coast has not been forward in their thinking or preparation for the increase in this vital infrastructure and technology. So what does the city do? They turn down a federal grant specifically designed to help cities like Palm Coast put this new, sustainable technology in. Wow, such forward thinking… NOT! Why don’t all of you elected city council people except Nick resign, go buy some rural farm out in the west part of the county somewhere, get yourselves a few cows and grow some vegetables, and excuse yourselves from the apparently difficult task of making good, sound sustainability and resiliency decisions. You completely failed on this one.
David Charles Sullivan says
A few facts. Only one percent of the automobiles in the USA are electric only powered. California may have a little higher number other States less. So on average if you see 100 cars go by one will be electric powered. The average cost of a second hand electric vehicle in the USA is $38000 and that is before a battery replacement and new Electric vehicles average well over $50000. There are many gasoline powered automobile brands that cost much less both new and used. So the idea that citizens living in low cost housing can afford electric vehicles is not realistic. Local citizens who own electric vehicles charge them at home and do not use public charging stations that charge separately unless the electricity is free of charge at it is at the Palm Coast City Hall unit. The Federal Program does cost tax payers at both the National and local level tax money plus the free use of government owned parking spaces. Either the 20% match for the 80/20 split or privately fully funded where the private company gets the revenue and the County/City nothing for the first five years. WAWA already has charging stations on site for visitors with more private locations coming as the business opportunities increase. By the way, large gas stations will put in the charging stations to attract visitors to the large food and merchandise stores they now have at their sites where they make a large profit. Finally, electric cars are coming and they will succeed based on how they do in the marketplace of supply and demand which has served our Country well thru its history.
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
When the first automobiles came out there were more horses used for transportation too, at one point there were even more locomotives than automobiles. Then you know what? There was 1% of automobiles on the road compared to other forms of transportation and our ancestors laughed how automobiles would never replace the horse and buggy. Fast forward 125 years or so and EV’s make up 1% of U.S. automobiles, just like the past that 1% will be 2% then 25% before you know it. We may actually see 50% in a decade or two at the rate technology moves now, time will tell – time doesn’t stand still, prices will come down as technology increases and EV’s may actually be replaced by something else in the future like hydrogen. Yet some people will still believe oil is king, so did the whale oil interests at one time.
Laurel says
Nephew: When I was young, I completely believed that by the time I would be 50 the rubber would not longer meet the road. I also thought there would be no more electric lines hanging down the streets, obstructing our views. That would have been 20 years ago had I been right! Can you imagine my disappointment on how slow we have evolved?
Tony says
More room for storage facilities and pizza joints !!!
Laurel says
Well, there you go folks. Corporations over constituents.
Add this joke to your “voting to do list.”
Downtown says
If there is a need for EV charging stations then let the oil/gas companies have them installed at their present gas service station locations. There is no need to clutter the landscape with these charging stations and the backup diesel generators needed to assure consent power availability. Also can you imagine the nightmare of thousands of EV’s attempting to evacuate Florida when a hurricane is heading our way. Bumper to bumper traffic moving at a snails pace. EV’s running out of electricity clogging the interstates. It’s a disaster within itself. The country is not prepared. The power grid is not prepared. You are putting the cart before the horse and it won’t work
J E K says
Unreal !! Who elected these people? Oh yeah- I forgot. We did! Smarten up next time you vote.
Brynn Newton says
Why don’t they just take the money AND the credit, like Governor DeSantis did with Covid relief money?
(Instead of direct-depositing the $1000-per-teacher bonuses to the recipients’ accounts, he hired a firm to mail out checks with his name on them. It only cost Florida taxpayers $3.6 million.)
https://thespacecoastrocket.com/teachers-receive-1000-checks-in-mail-from-cares-funds-with-desantis-signature/
Swimmy Jimmy says
And not a single peep about combatting the ongoing disaster of climate change. In a county that WILL continue to suffer severe consequences of such. The odds are greater than not that Flagler Beach, the town as we know it, will be underwater in our lifetimes. Hey Feds, give us money to keep piling sand on a losing effort, but we’ll not partake in any proactive measures. In light of this deplorable nonsense by, literally, half a dozen folks, the Feds ought to just tell Flagler to go pound that sand next time we seek monies for anything. What a dispicable, deplorable, embarrassing group of miserable people.
jeffery seib says
Palm Coast residents must be really confused about the mixed messages sent by the city council with this rejection of a grant that would have paid for the city to install and operate for profit EV charging stations. Having just discussed taxing EV charging stations, they now have rejected the same thing. More EV vehicles on the road is a fact of life. All the car makers have their models on the road now and more are coming. If we could have an environment where EV vehicles make up 25% of all cars on the road all commerce which involves transportation, which is everything, would be less expensive and better for the environment. Councilman Klufas owns an EV and has supported the advance of EV technology sits quietly in his seat. A full-time city employee is charged with locating grants that would allow the city to expand services and reduce costs came up with this only to be rebuffed by the council. More EV charging stations would attract residents and visitors looking for a modern, up to date community. Where are we heading?
Marc says
So glad I moved out of this third rate City with moronic Council members!
Pappy says
EV owners should get free charging stations when they start paying for road improvements and infrastructure and us “gas guzzlers” start getting to fill up for free
MITCH says
None of the Electric Car manufactures have told us if the cars will last 15/20+ years without major repairs or 200,000+ miles like the gas engine. They just want us to blindly invest hard earned money on a whim. Why would I finance a car that would not last as long as the loan to purchase and repairs would require another loan, like battery replacement (no data on length of life)? I needed 4 AA Lithium Batters at a cost of $15.99, Publix ($4 per battery). Does that give you any idea about the cost of batteries in the future (keep dreaming technology will improve and take out that 8 maybe 10+ year loan for a car)? Yes, there are those finding it necessary to live out of their cars now; can’t afford mortgage/rent, so sell them a electric car (where loan + electricity forces them to the food pantries). Yes, reality for the less fortunate makes many proud that they won’t find themselves in that situation. Henry Ford did not force anyone to purchase a car, he made them affordable (now that is a novel idea). The data is still out if all the mining and manufacturing of the electric car will actually reduce the carbon footprint substantially enough to say this adventure will change the climate.