The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is issuing a consent decree to Palm Coast government requiring the city to improve and expand one of its two sewer plants by 2028. The decree, which city officials say they have voluntarily requested, is a direct result of a system under strain and often over capacity.
Compliance will be expensive, with ultimate costs of expansion and refurbishment of Water Treatment Plant 1 in the $200 million range. Some of that may be paid with development impact fees, because it will expand the treatment plant (impact fees may only be spent on expansion, not maintenance or improvements of existing infrastructure). But a substantial portion of the cost will be the responsibility of existing rate-payers. “The other portion has to come from the rates,” City Manager Lauren Johnston said, “the current users.”
The administration had sought just such rate increases when its consultant last November submitted a plan to the City Council combining impact fee increases with rate increases. Rate increases would have totaled 18 percent over three years. The council recoiled. It approved an increase in impact fees, which affect only builders and buyers of new homes. It rejected the rate increase.
The council was obviously aware of the utility’s needs. But it was hoping for help from Tallahassee. Its legislative ask this year included $35 million for Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 (to expand capacity to 9 to 10 million gallons per day). The request was pared down to just $1 million by the time it reached the governor’s desk. The governor vetoed the $1 million. He also vetoed $9 million lawmakers had approved for other city water and drainage projects.
The only dollars the governor did not veto were earmarked for the so-called “westward expansion”‘s loop road from Matanzas Woods Parkway to Palm Coast Parkway, a project that will largely benefit the landowner overseeing future development there: Rayonier. In essence, state dollars will subsidize the city’s expansion, while existing residents will have to shoulder the cost of ensuring continued proper sewer service.
This year of delay only pushed back the inevitable, though it isn’t clear whether the city could have avoided the consent decree.
Going by the city’s calculation of the way DEP averages out capacity over a year, Palm Coast’s older water treatment plant was over capacity in four of the last 12 months. (DEP actually had the system over capacity for more months than that, but the city is disputing the number.) The decree is a legal document that ensures localities are in compliance with state and federal regulations. It has the force of law and may be enforced with costly fines. It will require the city to comply with a timeline or face consequences.
With a consent decree hanging over the city’s collective neck, the days of pushback are over: if the council intends to comply with the decree, and it has little choice in the matter, it will have to follow a plan narrowly tailored to finding the money to pay for expanding capacity and improving the system. (Which raises the intriguing question: did the city administration seek out the consent decree as leverage against further political hesitancy by the council?)
The council will hear that plan on Tuesday.
It starts with a so-called “gap analysis,” or a “gap rate analysis,” which means what it says: the analysis seeks to define the gap between what’s in place now and what’s needed in order for a system to function at the desired capacity. Once the gap is determined, then the method and cost of closing that gap can be laid out, like a blueprint. Once the cost is determined, then the means of meeting those costs have to be met, combining impact fees and utility rates. The council has already raised impact fees and may not do so again for a set period of time. That leaves rates, though that increase will be determined by the gap analysis.
The analysis will cost about $70,000.
At a workshop on Tuesday, the administration will explain all that and ask the City Council to approve spending the necessary dollars for a gap analysis. Luckily for three of the four council members (Council members Ed Danko and Nick Klufas and Mayor David Alfin), they’ll get to approve that request at their meeting on Oct. 15, but they will not be on the council by the time the gap analysis results return to the council, and rates have to be increased. That’ll be the job of the new council, who will hope that since they are so early in their term, rate-payers will not remember the pain when it’s time to vote again. The exception is Council member Theresa Pontieri, who’s up for election in two years, though unlike her three colleagues, had she been on the ballot this year she would likely have won re-election handily.
The city owns its own water utility, which runs two sewer plants (or wastewater treatment plants) and three water plants. It’s a $71 million operation with an $80 million capital project fund run by 166 employees. Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 on Utility Drive, at the edge of the Woodlands, is a 50-year-old plant. It has a capacity of 6.83 million gallons per day. Wastewater Treatment Plant 2 off U.S. 1 has a capacity of 2 million gallons per day, with an additional 2 million gallons of capacity expected by late winter or early spring next year.
The system has been experiencing what the city calls “sanitary sewer overflows” in times of heavy rain. That’s caused by stormwater, which can only be processed at a certain speed. In heavy storms, the processing is not as cleansing as it can or should be, so the processed effluent ends up being less clean than it could be.
As the utility stands today, it still has an overall capacity of 1.3 to 1.5 million gallons of wastewater per day in normal times (outside of heavy stormwater events). But that capacity is expected to erode over the next five years as the remaining 7,500-some vacant lots platted by ITT in PALM Coast are built up. The expansion of the older treatment plant will extend the city’s overall capacity beyond that. But after expansion, the city will still have to build a third wastewater treatment plant. But that’s for another day. “Right now we need to move toward rehabilitating Wastewater Treatment Plant 1,” the city manager says.
Kat says
Another case of kicking the can down the road, this time the can is filled with poop. It is an inevitable fact that the current taxpayers will be footing the bill to expand/maintain stations #1 & #2 (no pun intended). It is not surprising that the governor vetoed these projects, but left money in the budget to subsidize a big developer. For all of you who thought keeping Hutson and Renner in office even after they went against the wills of their constituents in terms of vacation rentals, you thought they were going to have some power in Tallahassee and obviously you were wrong.
Mayoral candidate Cornelia Manfre is on the record talking about the need for this to be done before we received the slap on the wrist. What the heck are the people of Flagler county going to wake up and realize that big changes needed and that we need to vote blue up and down the ballot?
Milton Bradley says
Identity politics solves nothing. If you actually believe you can vote by party “up and down the ticket” without actually understanding who each candidate is that you’re voting for, continue dealing with this poop… literally.
Lazy voting is dumb. Sorry.
Laurel says
Milton Bradley: Well, Kat knows that the almost constant Republican commissions and administrations, here in this very, very red county, have failed their constituents. They have catered to the developers, at the local’s expense.
I do agree with you about voting down the line doesn’t seem smart, but after what we have seen here, and nationally “They’re eating the dogs; they’re eating the cats” it just may be time to vote down the line. As an Independent, I don’t see too much sense in voting red. All the good Republicans, who have stood up to this craziness, have lost their jobs.
Meanwhile, back to the subject…I am so sick of hearing about ITT, which is gone. Over. Done. Move on. Clearly, the planning was bad. There is no reason to continue punishing the people who live here by bringing in more and more and more, without a fiscally responsible infrastructure in place. Instead, they hit us up and tell us growth is inevitable.
I don’t know why, but municipalities (counties and state included) always react in a knee jerk action. They wait for the problem to arise, then scuffle around trying to solve the problem, some how, instead of solid, sustainable planning. It’s as if everything that comes along has never been thought of before.
RWBoggess says
The writing has been on the wall for some time. Unfortunately, the city commission has turned a blind eye to the immediate infrastructure needs of the Palm Coast community in favor of more developments. Now granted, the new developments do bring in additional revenues in the form of impact fees, but those impact fees can not be used for maintenance of existing infrastructure or modernization of that infrastructure, including water and wastewater treatment plants. As pointed out in the FlaglerLive article this has been a known issue since a consultant’s report back in November of 2023 and yet nothing appears to have been done to address this issue.
As an individual that was interested in serving on the City Council, I reviewed the budget and compared this year’s budget against previous years, and as another reader noted, the City Council and administration has been just ‘kicking the can down the road’ rather than setting aside specific funds for capital improvements and the proper prioritizing of the capital needs of this community. It is why we are in catch up mode on our roads, water, and wastewater maintenance needs.
I sincerely hope that the new city council will take its job seriously and restore the faith of the community in how it operates. It needs to be honest and transparent with the citizens that it represents – not the political parties or special interest groups. There should be only one special interest group – we the people and citizens of Palm Coast!
Cathleen Lafountaine says
Well said.
Kita says
Wow, a cheap way to campaign. Manfre…hhmmm…that name sounds familiar, not in a good way. Voting blue got us in the predicament this country is in now. To refresh your memory, go to Pubix and visit any shelf or the meat dept. When you leave there, go across the street and get gas. Don’t use this forum to get people to vote for you buddy. Most people who are seniors can’t afford another hit from the Blue that you speak of. We’ve had enough.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Make the builders pay!!! Senoirs want a tax cut for those,s over 65
Denali says
Did you not read the article? Impact fees cannot be used for maintenance or refurbishment. They can only be used for expansion. You also do not understand who pays the impact fees – They are ‘pass-through’ costs to the purchaser; they builder does not pay them. Just like tariffs; the consumer pays the tariff fees, not the manufacturer or the country from where the import was made.
And, why should I receive a tax cut based solely on my age?
Cindy says
I agree with Dennis. My taxes up north were well over $12K per year. That was one of the reasons I moved here. My taxes in Palm Coast started at approximately $2K, now it’s approaching $5K and I am over 65 and there is no room in my monthly income to pay more taxes so yes I would appreciate a discount on my taxes so yes charge the darn builders because I was charged $5K for impact fees and still don’t know what is was for. And I’m sorry but I am not rich I live paycheck to paycheck I am not starving but I don’t have extra money laying around.
Denali says
Wow, over $5K for property taxes? Must be one nice property, especially if you are homesteaded. As for the fees you paid, you should have received a breakdown of those costs at closing. If not, ask the builder for it. Regardless, you have not provided any justification for why being a certain age should grant you a tax reduction. Hardcore ain’t I?
Laurel says
Denali: Yeah you are, but that’s okay! :)
However, about age, please keep in mind that older folks are not all rich, as some, other than you, want to believe. There is that fixed income thing, and it’s harder for seniors to get hired to any worthwhile job. So continued tax and fee increases become a hardship and leads to gentrification.
So many folks retired to this area way before this bonanza boom for developers and realtors. So it’s sad to see so many hurt, while investors profit.
Cindy says
Laurel, Thank you!
Cindy says
Laurel, Thank you.
Cindy says
First of all I don’t have to justify spit to you. Second, Did You Not Read My Comment? I said my taxes up north were well over $12K and before you start thinking I’m rich I will tell you that I did not live in a mansion 3 BR, 2-1/2 Bath, Eat in Kitchen (which means no dining room) Living Room and Basement. That is how it is where I came from. Now here I live on the same size property as everyone else, average size house and a pool which I never had growing up or as an adult. As for the fees yeah I still don’t know what they paid for and I am homesteaded. By the way what do you mean by “Hardcore ain’t I?
Mike says
So 50 years of paying waste/sewer fees along with water fees on top of usage and none was set aside for maintenance and or expansion in addition to regular use?
I don’t live in Palm Coast, if I did I’d be asking why no budget for maintenance etc., did they think folks were going to not need the service in 50 years? ☮️
Deborah Coffey says
They’re all Republicans. They don’t know how to manage money, never did and never will. This has been years in the making.
Pot Calling the Kettle Stewed says
Meanwhile, developers in Palm of Coast are building a super low cost frisbee disk course (my personal opinion) – pro bono – for just north of $600K in impact fee waivers in return. Hmmmm… ??
Robjr says
Spoken by Trojan priest Laocoön referring to the Trojan Horse used by the Greeks during the Trojan War.
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”
Skibum says
I don’t know if it is a case of city council members’ heads screwed on backwards – ignoring warnings that the city’s existing sewer system and treatment facilities are “under strain” and already “over capacity” but still moving forward with westward expansion of the city to developers which will add many thousands more new homes homes AND SEWERS to the city’s already overstretched capacity… or the city’s attempt to allow more development so those builders can assume a larger portion of the money needed to expand the city’s sewage capacity. I hope it is the latter, because if they don’t get on top of this very soon and our entire sewage treatment system collapses under pressure of too many users, there will be hell to pay!!!
JimboXYZ says
Until this article, I haven’t heard a peep of what the sewage capacity issues were. And all we got for that was 2 sewage treatment facilities are over capacity with safe levels of “sanitary sewer overflows” ? What exactly is a “sanitary sewer overflow”.
“Going by the city’s calculation of the way DEP averages out capacity over a year, Palm Coast’s older water treatment plant was over capacity in four of the last 12 months. (DEP actually had the system over capacity for more months than that, but the city is disputing the number.)”
Sounds like BS to me. Raw sewage pumped into the ocean, when I lived in Miami, FL closed Bal Harbor & other beaches. That crap has to go somewhere ? Where is it going ? Nobody wants to go surfing at the beach with “turds in the lineup”. Enough with the gas lighting and smoothing over what is going on, Flagler County isn’t going to become Flint, MI. That was 10 years ago under Obama-Biden that still is an issue under Biden-Harris. It’s not like any politician & government won’t lie to the masses.
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know
Skibum says
Jimbo, thanks for the link to the NRDC article on the Flint water issue, which I read in its entirety. In one part of the article, it mentioned that the NRDC joined other organizations as well as Flint citizens in a lawsuit against the city of Flint and the State of Michigan over the lead and other contaminants in that city’s drinking water system. But your comment above doesn’t mention either the city or the state as being responsible for what occurred in Flint, but it DOES seem to imply that “Obama-Biden” as well as “Biden-Harris” is somehow the culprits responsible for the ongoing drinking water issues in that state. I wonder why that is? When people on here are commenting on Palm Coast’s apparent neglect of properly managing the sewage treatment plant expansion, I haven’t seen anyone try to put the blame on federal officials, and certainly not the president, because it would be preposterous to think that somehow Biden is the one who messed up and didn’t expand our city’s sewage treatment facilities to ensure that there was enough capacity for the development that has been going on here. I’m curious as to why would you think that either Obama or Biden in far away Washington D.C., rather than MI city and state officials, had anything whatsoever to do with Flint’s drinking water problems???
Laurel says
According to Jimbo, Obama, Biden, Harris = bad. Trump, Vance = good. No further correct information needed.
Got a boil on your butt, it’s Biden/Harris fault.
Denali says
Was it not a Republican governor who screwed up the system in Flint leading to all the issues there? Not that it matters but I seriously doubt that Obama, Biden or Harris had anything to do with the lead piping that was installed in the Flint drinking water system.
Terry John Melton says
Wow! What did the new rec center off belle terre cost? Why was all this housing expansion approved, hundreds of new homes with no sewerage capacity? Now we get slammed with untold assessments for sewerage upgrades? Who is running the show? The three stooges? What dopes!
Mike says
These developers should pay for it all!
Big Mike says
With all the new home projects this city has recently approved, this upgrade for 2028 will be outdated. Ray Tyner, Community Development Deputy Chief Development Officer and the other 8 board members need to open up their eyes and do their jobs!
Debbie Grassano says
Make Alfin pay simce all his developer buddies took over and overloaded the system at a rapid rate. This is what happens when you put money before infrastructure. Palm Coast is always doi.g thi gs backwards
Kita says
I totally agree. Thank God he’s gone, although I think his pockets are heavier, allegedly.
I smell bacon says
Administration asked for the consent decree to force the board to increase water rates. Jason D. You are a shady dude. You knew this was coming, but pushed administration to keep giving out permits. As a republican I’m disgusted by Renner and the Governor. Approved the handout to Rayonier so they could get land for a new state road that will run behind that project and of course funds for their campaign coffers. Pigs.
Billy says
This is a huge crap hole just like Orlando, Jacksonville, Daytona.
The Sour Kraut says
I am already paying 9 times what I paid when I was in South Florida. All this building without meaningful impact fees is now coming to roost. I bet they are still going to try to get their sports stadium out west even with this major bill hanging over our heads.
Endless dark money says
I’m actually surprised boot licking ron allows a Florida department of environmental protection to exist. I image funding will be slashed in short order and people with zero qualifications will be appointed to oversee what’s left. Sounds not profitable so you’ll probably end up just having to drink the dirty water or pay skyrocketing bills. People not companies, gop will make sure they keep the corporate utility rates extra low. Line must go up.
JimboXYZ says
“Going by the city’s calculation of the way DEP averages out capacity over a year, Palm Coast’s older water treatment plant was over capacity in four of the last 12 months.”
The Alfin 2050 Vision of City of Palm Coast growth at it’s finest. Is it any wonder he’s no longer Mayor ? I can’t imagine who the +/-19% that tried to re-elect him with their votes ?
Deborah Coffey says
I don’t want to hear a complaint from one Republican Palm Coaster. You’re getting exactly what you voted for. Now, pay up!
Sue says
What a joke!! Didn’t put part of fees into a maintence fund !!There needs oversight on expenses! They think we have a never ending flow of money for there stupidity all the time.keep realtor out of our city government!
Denali says
Maintenance costs of existing facilities must be borne by all rate-payers. Impact fees can only be used for the expansion of facilities. The basic problem is that the city never properly charged the rate-payers for necessary maintenance and has never charged enough for impact fees. Unfortunately instead of being charged a bit more every year for maintenance, you will now have to cover the costs in one big chunk.
Cindy says
That’s hard to do since half of Palm Coast are full time Realtors and the other half are part time Realtors. Side note when we had our home built 6 years ago we paid approximately $5K in impact fees and 6 years later we still do not understand what that fee was for. We are not stupid we just don’t understand.
Celia Pugliese says
Council just pressured by administrator voted yes ten millions for infrastructure expansion south of Rte 100 in Old Kings Road to benefit developers thru annexation…They exhausted our capacity (monies paid by each new home utility, many thousands) funds. That should have been a NO and save it for the cited 228 millions plant needed. That is the way I see it. They have used for 20 years our utility funds reserve as cash cow to pay for growth benefitting developers forcing that residents pay with higher fees the needed remodel and expansion to serve them.
Kendall says
IMPACT FEES can be increased to deal with these needed infrastructure improvements due to more homes and higher population. That should not fall on existing residents.
Laurel says
Nearly everything falls on the existing residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes. Vacation rental impact. Beach *renourishment.* Flooding. The ICW looking nasty. New need for infrastructure and treatment plants to keep up with it, after the fact. All of this impact leaving us with the bill.
The county and its municipalities have allowed developers to overbuild at an exaggerated pace. It’s been a bonanza to developers and investors, leaving us with an assortment of problems.
Celia Pugliese says
While in the city staff we have a former PCFH Builders Association director of about 15 years telling the council what to do, we will continue force funding to their benefit!
Atwp says
More tax increases for the Palm Coast residents. It is interesting Desantis veto a bill that would help with the cost of maintaining the sewer system, approve money for expansion. The need is shot down but the want is approved. Thank you Republicans you all are good at wasting money. We should prepare our selves for dirty drinking water. Oh boy.
Eyes Wide Open says
Golly! I didn’t see this coming at me like a freight train … (said no sane person ever who has watched the City Council operate for the last several years). WTH were they thinking about other than looking good for re-election!?
Doug says
Need $200 million for plant #1 upgrade, but the City Council did nothing because they thought they might get $35 million from Tallahassee.
That’s what happens when your City Council members can’t do math.
City Staff have been warning about this for years. Maybe someone will listen to them someday.
Celia Pugliese says
City Staff ? Excuse me. You should say instead Mr. Flanagan that over warning us in a long presentation to council few months ago was demoted and costed also Ms. Bevan her manager post? Depending which city staff you talking about.
Joseph Barand says
Simple answered, no more building until capacity meets demand. How many lots left, divide the expansion cost by 5he remaining lots, that what the impact fee should be. No need for a moratorium the builders / developers will move to some other location.
Stan says
Just keep building, we are out of control thanks to poor management !!! Lived here 30 years swales keep flooding !!!
Mark says
Even the swales they re-do are worse than before they started. No more in house swale construction, farm it out.
CJ says
1st: Cornelia Manfre is not the answer for Palm Coast.
2nd: The builders or new home buyers should be paying a higher fee on the Waste Water Treatment system. Stop punishing and beating down the current residents. We’re not your cash cows and this has been concern that hasn’t been addressed for years.
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
So Norris is the answer.
dutchboy says
Since we are on the sewer subject I have a question….are we ever going to get rid of PEP TANKS…???
Years ago we were told when the population in our area increases we would get hooked up to the system….
Denali says
If you have a PEP tank you are on the city sewer system. The only way to get rid of the tanks is to dig really deep ditches, lay new pipe to a lift station and then pump the sewerage up to the treatment facility. That cost will have at least ten zeros to the left of the decimal point. Population has nothing to do with using PEP tanks, it is a matter of grade over distance and elevations.
Laurel says
dutchboy: You are hooked up to the system. The problem is homes are built on low land. Sewers run by gravity. In South Florida, the system will run down via gravity, then a pump station pulls the level up again, so that it can run down again, and so on until it reaches the treatment plant. In this area, the same concept is used, but the water table is so high that there is very little gravity involved, so the pep tanks are used to preprocess (grind) the waste to smaller laterals, and on to the pump station.
Larger pump stations have generators to keep them pumping the waste outward when the power goes out. There are less pump stations, so the generators can be brought on site easily when needed. The problem with pep tanks is, they are in each yard, so when the power goes out, the waste backs up on your property. The city has to come out to each property to get a generator working on each system so that the waste doesn’t back up into your house. That’s nasty! In times of heavy rain, that waste is added to the rain runoff. Also nasty!
We used to swim in the ICW. Not now.
Celia Pugliese says
May cost another 200 millions to do that?
Ray says
Palm coast is severely overpopulated and overdeveloped! Dam you cant have a patch a woods anywhere! Unbelievable! I think its time for me to move to greener pastures! We retired here 3 years ago and its not the quiet small town i was told!
Tracey says
I’ll be moving out of palm coast next year because it isn’t even remotely affordable anymore. It’s a nightmare to drive anywhere. 10 min drive to the beach now takes 25. My home has been robbed, my cars have been robbed, my property has been spray painted, there are drug houses on my street and I’m face to face with homeless folks at every stoplight begging for money I no longer have. Palm Coast is an expensive dump.
Atwp says
Tracey I’m sorry to hear about your misfortune. Where ever you move I hope things will be better.
Terry John Melton says
Perhaps the palm coast council members who approved all this housing expansion should be made to volunteer at the sewerage plant in order to alleviate some of the excess effluent they knew would be created. I can imagine what is going to happen to the rates we pay for sewerage treatment in the future.
oldtimer says
Keep building, maybe all the new houses can have porta potties as a benefit
RK says
Palm Coast In Crisis. Crowded roads in poor condition. Water wells at capacity. Now sewage plants going under.
Something needs to change quick. YIKES!
protonbeam says
This has been known for YEARS and there were warnings to prepare. Flannagan, Bevan and Johnston and crew were totally unqualified an unprepared to handle this. I guess professional City managers are “mean” and “carpet baggers” so well just stick with the incompetent swamp – cause hey they are nice folks whom the employees love (wonder why) – just wait TONS more infrastructure ready to totally fail
Celia Pugliese says
May cost another 200 millions to do that?
Listen says
Let’s stop complaining publicly so values will go up and we can sell our homes and leave.
DJM says
Privatize the utility department. I would hazard a guess they could do it for the money collected , show a profit and save for the future. 166 employees and we are behind the 8 ball? No one in the utility department could see this coming? Fire them all start over and hold people accountable!
Doug says
Not so fast. People in the Utility department have been warning about this for years. Politicians on the council who were afraid to raise taxes/fees/red flags about development brushed them off and fired a couple of them for bringing it up.
Blaming the city staff and not the politicians for this is just wrong.
Captain says
Wrong! The utility employees warned! CH and council turned their head and kept building!
Laurel says
DJM: Privatizing never solves municipal problems. They start out low bid, and over time, the prices increase substantially. You would have a harder time holding a private company accountable.
You have to understand how local government works. Employees learn, in short time, that when they try to do something better, they are often ignored by management. So, they learn to do only what they are told to do.
Private companies do what works for them financially, not you. Once you realize that government management are not necessarily the brightest bulbs in the factory, they can be held accountable.
JimboXYZ says
TS/Hurricane Milton popped up. Add that to the sewage as it exits we should be getting Cat 1 => Cat 2 winds & rains. Projections look to be landfall somewhere between Ft Myers & Tampa/St Pete, exiting Cape Canaveral/Titusville. But anything North or South of a middle of the cone bullseye is possible. Not sure how optimistic the 110 mph is, but that’s right at the number that a strongest cat 2 becomes a weakest cat 3. gusts should surely be Cat 3+ ?
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2024-10-05-tropical-storm-hurricane-tracker-milton
Another Concerned Taxpayer !!! says
Why is it that neither Palm Coast, nor Flagler County ever seem to learn from their mistakes. Obviously, “Planning” is not in their vocabulary. Spending on money pits, getting into ridiculous contracts where they give away money and assets to political allies, buying buildings that end up costing more than they paid for them because they did no due diligence and found them to have black mold, leaks and other flaws that should have been discovered before spending the money to purchase.
We continue to build, build, build without considering enhancing the infrastructure early in the “Planning” phase, before the approving phase. Traffic is really bad now with the existing level of traffic, new neighborhoods of hundreds/thousands of new homes are under construction, new businesses, strip malls are being built with the existing infrastructure. Traffic is bad now, but imagine the nightmare when they start retrofitting to enhance the infrastructure, closing lanes, implementing detours, widening and building new roads to support existing and future traffic. All of these infrastructure changes should have been put in place before approving all of these new communities and businesses.
Someone ought to introduce them to the process of “Planning” and what it entails. All in-process and future building should be put on hold until the infrastructure is upgraded to support it and future growth. This build now, plan later, just isn’t working.
Now here they are wanting to expand into western Flagler County, with virtually only 1 road through it. I’ve read that it was to be the responsibility of the developers to implement expanded infrastructure as part of their building/approval process. But recent press coverage suggests that we will be hit with the bill to pay for this expansion.
Local Government wants to raise the borrowing limit and eliminate the existing controls on borrowing, to facilitate more building and potentially a new sports center. They’ve watched “Field of Dreams” way to many times, they don’t always come if you build it. And of course the infrastructure won’t support any of it. Developers are making millions/billions of dollars off the land they gobbled up years ago in speculation and are not paying their fair share in maintaining and upgrading infrastructure.
They have known for years that our sewage system was insufficient for existing population, let alone being able to support the near term future growth. Now the State is forcing them to increase/upgrade sewage infrastructure to support existing population with no real plan for the increased growth. The developers should have been paying into a fund specifically for these types of projects and not dump it on the already overtaxed current residents, of which many like me are on a fixed income and are in danger of being nickeled and dimed out of Palm Coast, though in reality, it isn’t nickels and dimes, its hundreds of dollars in increases each year.
jeffery cortland seib says
Reading all the comments here it’s apparent that the Palm Coast public has an eye on things that our city councils at present and in the past did not. All our infrastructure needs to be on a regular maintenance and repair schedule. Everything that can wear out or be over used needs to be under a review process and included in the city budget every year. How can the City Department supervisors go before the council and the public with a budget request leaving this item of such a magnitude completely out! It’s unforgiveable. The ostrich approach to city government won’t work.
Celia Pugliese says
Yes how come in a city with the “public works aka old infrastructure needs” the largest budget item in our Fire Department. Where my kids live in AZ cities the largest budget item is “public works aka infrastructure” and theirs excels comparing to ours! Also now we need 200 millions and just for our old 70’s built sewer plant #1 imagine the rest! Like I emailed council last week after watching on dismay what they approved in the Tuesday 10/1, 6 pm meeting agenda item 13: Why are we paying $10 million from the capacity fund to extend infrastructure south of Rte 100 in Old Kings Road for sewer, water and lift station to benefit developers projects and county manager desires, when we need capacity funds given growth in our existing utilities services, like Mr. Flanagan warned us earlier in his presentation in 2024?: Why is councilman Flukas involved on it as inferred by Mr, DeLorenzo in the 10/1 meeting? This geared to economic development ,costing us 10 millions of the capacity connection fees needed for the current pressure put in our old system given growth to me is wrong, should have waited and why are not the developers paying for it:
13. RESOLUTION 2024-XX APPROVING PROJECT & CONSTRUCTION EXPENSES PER THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH RADIANCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT; AND APPROVAL OF EASEMENTS, UTILITY CREDIT AGREEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLD KINGS SOUTH UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT/ Carl Cote presentation in the meeting here: City Council Business Meeting – October 1, 2024 minute 4.08.17 City Carl Cote starts. This project should have been a NO as per what I see. The water capacity funds that we are raising with our high water fees should be paying to expand sewer water treatment plan 1 not expansion yet. These ten millions should be used for our current needs given growth in our overworked sewer plant One….not the future. FGUA should contribute more for this needed expansion given growth not only what they offered in this project that also gets them off the hook on the current sewer old plant they have serving the annexed area there. Unfortunately at 10 pm I had to leave the meeting because George and was not there to speak my 3 minutes to oppose this and ask to be delayed it till we address our current failing capacity. I believe we do not need this agreement now and no matter how higher cost in the future should be funded by the developers benefitting from it and also FUGUA unloading a problem to PC utility. We will never have the capacity funds used for the need to expand our current facilities overloaded by the current growth because you are intimidated/convinced to use those funds to benefit new developments and also the current FUGA servicing the sewer of their county customers then we need the impact fees of all those county customers to be annexed and paid to our utility like all our Palm Coast homes pay.. Councilwoman Pontieri had very good questions regarding the use of “our” capacity fees for this 10 millions project in this very convenient annexation infrastructure for the county thru manager Petitto. This is what will keep raising our utilities fees year after year to fund growth and that is very wrong for of all us Palmcoasters.
Maybe the yes vote has to be reconsidered? In spite of what administrators want. Also what is the involvement of councilman Flukas with any entities commercial or the like in the annexed area as mentioned by Mr. DeLorenzo in the discussion? As I haven’t heard of any official public designation approval for that…This would be a 10 millions economic development cost? Very expensive economic development for Palm Coast taxpayers. And now this: Palm Coast Faces State Order to Build Up Sewer Capacity by 2028 as System Falters; Utility Rate Increases Inevitable | FlaglerLive, This is were our capacity funds will be needed. Mr. Flanagan warned us earlier and for that was demoted and manager Bevan fired…
Palm Coast Faces State Order to Build Up Sewer Capacity by 2028 as Syste…
FlaglerLive
I am just asking WHY so many costly wrong decisions we keep in the wrong path.
sandybeachrocks says
Wait! Palm Coast Utilities is bringing the sewer system down A1A in the Hammock. How does that work with existing limited capacity and funding. I know there are state/federal grants to help…but really??
Laurel says
sandy: It helps businesses like Captain’s BBQ and Bronx Pizza. They get more capacity and liquor licenses.
Celia Pugliese says
Here is your answer from good Flaglerlive editorial as usual https://flaglerlive.com/utility-rate-study-2023/#google_vignette. The A1A connection as was requested by the county probably for the reasons mentioned below by Laurel. Was said in the meeting that the city utility as being the largest in the county had the obligation by FL law to comply connecting I think the cost was several millions for PC and higher millions that county got in grants from Renner some details here as usua; Flie. https://flaglerlive.com/hammock-sewer-line/#google_vignette
Mischa Gee says
I have been writing about this for sometimes. This city should have put into approving new building, that the builder developing a large tract must make room for a sweet plant that was specific for that tract. We might have had less development or slower development as a result, but we wouldn’t have a waste water sewerage problem.
Graft and greed must be part of the problem. Our mayor and council gave themselves a raise to a full-time salary, when they work part-time hours for the city. I wonder how many “gifts” they have received by developers over the years.
When a development is being submitted, like high density apartment and condo complexes, where do you think they are going to get clean water and waste water processed? Those developers should be required to provide the infrastructure to support the build it the build should be rejected. This is not covered by impact fees, and never has been. Impacting the need for more schools, teachers, ambulance, fire and police services are impacted, and impact fees don’t cover the long term need for these services either.
This city could write ordinances that insure developers supply not just housing, but sewer/waste water and fresh water systems necessary for those developments to thrive.
A Concerned Observer says
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. Even a layman can understand that thousands of new homes already in progress require a huge investment in our already overburdened utilities and infrastructure (water, sewer, electricity, roads, law enforcement, fire protection and emergency services). Many homeowners already depend on PEP Tanks to provide their sewer service which our existing system cannot support on its own. Can anyone expect this requirement will get better without a huge investment and disruptive construction in our existing communities? It cannot adequately support what is already here now!
The destruction of natural land to build these developments will only degrade the environment, wildlife and quality of life of those already here. This infrastructure MUST be in place PRIOR to the building of these developments and not as an afterthought. Think for a moment. Additional utilities must not only be provided within these new communities, but all the way through existing communities from there to the sewer and water system which provides that service. The same goes for the electricity, storm water system, internet and cable TV infrastructure. That burden belongs on the builders of these developments which will, in turn, be forwarded on to the purchasers of these new homes and NOT those of us who came here because what Palm Coast and Flagler County was, and NOT what is sadly becoming because of the selfish greed of others.
One cannot expect this requirement will be NOT welcomed by land developers so it MUST be a requirement enforced by our elected officials. Sadly, history has shown us that this will never happen because this added requirement on the builders will cause the per home price to rise, making them less desirable, reducing their per home profit margin. Follow the money!
Skibum says
If you take the time to read through all of the comments like I have done, what you might find are two main themes from citizens: 1) the city screwed up again because they don’t know what they are doing because they should have anticipated this as well as allocated sufficient funding for it before it became a problem; and 2) people who live here are already paying too much for services and can’t afford another potentially huge utility or tax increase that will have to be approved in order to expand the city’s sewage treatment facilities. Well, if I’m not mistaken, the two main complaints seem to be diametrically opposed to one another. Here’s one of the reasons. City staff do what they can, with the budgets and resources allocated to them. The city council members, being elected, have a much different goal, and from what I have seen time and time again since I moved to Palm Coast more than 12 years ago, as a group they seem to consistently want to please those who elected them by not raising, or hopefully finding ways to lower taxes. Well, obviously that is NOT sustainable for any government over time, just like it is definitely not sustainable for homeowners or anyone who has a personal budget to think over a several year period you can budget to spend LESS money. It just doesn’t work. But I believe the main problem lies with the citizens who live here, who don’t have realistic expectations, because the majority are older and/or retired, and have a faulty expectation that EVERYTHING they spend money on including taxes, utility fees, insurance, etc. should be less expensive here in FL. And while many of the costs of living are less expensive in FL, there is certainly a penalty to pay. What we are facing now with the inevitability of Palm Coasters having to shell out more money from our pockets to ensure that the city’s waste water treatment capacity remains in good working order and is sufficient for the amount of people living and working in the city is in a large measure due to the unreasonable expectations of the citizens who vote these morons into office who mainly want to cut taxes every year. People, get a clue!!! One way or another, we all have to pay for the services we expect. In my view, it is not reasonable to think that the City of Palm Coast will remain a small, rural, wooded, uncrowded, lazy tax haven where people could never see growth and would always live in some “Shangri-La” dream world for the remainder of their lives. I challenge anyone to find such a place, anywhere! But when we vote people into office on the city council, to have an expectation that they should prioritize cutting or lowering taxation is nothing more than a recipe for disaster! And now we are seeing just one of the many consequences of having unreasonable expectations and putting idiots into office based on those inappropriate desires. We need to do better when we go to the polls and select people to represent us, AND the priority we need to keep in mind when doing so should never be that those we elect will be going into the city council so we can pay less to live here. Very bad idea!!! If you want another correlation, just look at the unfolding disaster that is this state’s high rise condo owners kerfuffle after the collapse of that condo building at the ocean’s edge in Sunrise FL killed more than 100 people. For many years, the owners and residents in not just that condo complex, but many, many others all up and down both coastlines here in FL banked on the fact that they could live more cheaply in one of those buildings because of very low assessments. Of course, in order to do that, the condo associations in far too many instances neglected needed maintenance to keep the assessments low year after year despite the fact that many of the older buildings were deteriorating due to the salty air and water incursion from the adjacent ocean, and now every one who still lives in one of those buildings are horrified with the very expensive assessments that have been the result of new state laws put in place to prevent another disaster like happened in Sunrise. People are pissed off, but it is their own damn fault for not putting the necessary money into those older buildings to keep them safe and well maintained in the first place. And I will just bet you that here in Palm Coast, if the cost to keep our city’s sewage treatment plants up to date and expandable with our growing population were put before the people, not the city council, once citizens saw the actual cost they would have resoundingly rejected it. But instead, these same people put idiots with certain agendas on the city council to do it for them, and now many of the same people are all up in arms as to why the city is facing these anticipated, every expensive upgrades to our sewage treatment facilities. Get a clue, people! We ALL have to pay for the services needed for every day life, and we can either pay the piper now, or sometime in the future. And with this issue, the future is NOW.
Laurel says
Skibum, my friend: This area, especially the Hammock, had been the forgotten land for a very long time. We used to travel A1A north, and about the only thing here was an orange juice stand, and some families who had been here for generations. I-95 was built, and this area was literally bypassed by travelers. We bought a property in 2001, and Hammock Dunes was just taking off. We bought another property in 2010, and loved using the Post Office here because there was no line. Not too long after that, Palm Coast took off like wildfire, and everything started changing at lightening speed. The planning was haphazard, with little consideration to layout. Only subdivision after subdivision. That hasn’t stopped. PC Mayor Alfin cried “Westward Ho!,” and the residents started saying hold on! The residents were ignored, and the developers bonanza continued at a staggering pace.
This is not sustainable planning. Sustainable, intelligent planning has been around for a long time now, but Flagler County acts clueless on the topic.
Too bad. This area had the chance to be a model of sustainable, comprehensive growth, that worked for seniors, young families and visitors, but quick money and greed took first place ahead of a thoughtful, area for both humans and nature.
I have no sympathy for the selfish who seem to have ahold of our lovely area. The communities are dissolving and strangers abound. People who settled here, on fixed, or low incomes are being pushed out. It’s actually heartbreaking.
Skibum says
Hi Laurel. I hope you stay safe during this hurricane that will soon be upon us, because you are closer to the danger of the ocean’s fury than I am. I think you are right in condemning the out of control growth, and greed, that has happened here. It certainly does seem that once again, the truism that “money is at the heart of every evil” applies to much of what has occurred in our local area.
Laurel says
We’ll be okay, you stay safe too 😊!
Celia Pugliese says
Yes how come in a city with the “public works aka old infrastructure needs” the largest budget item in our Fire Department. Where my kids live in AZ cities the largest budget item is “public works aka infrastructure” and theirs excels comparing to ours! Also now we need 200 millions and just for our old 70’s built sewer plant #1 imagine the rest! Like I emailed council last week after watching on dismay what they approved in the Tuesday 10/1, 6 pm meeting agenda item 13: Why are we paying $10 million from the capacity fund to extend infrastructure south of Rte 100 in Old Kings Road for sewer, water and lift station to benefit developers projects and county manager desires, when we need capacity funds given growth in our existing utilities services, like Mr. Flanagan warned us earlier in his presentation in 2024?: Why is councilman Flukas involved on it as inferred by Mr, DeLorenzo in the 10/1 meeting? This geared to economic development ,costing us 10 millions of the capacity connection fees needed for the current pressure put in our old system given growth to me is wrong, should have waited and why are not the developers paying for it:
13. RESOLUTION 2024-XX APPROVING PROJECT & CONSTRUCTION EXPENSES PER THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH RADIANCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT; AND APPROVAL OF EASEMENTS, UTILITY CREDIT AGREEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLD KINGS SOUTH UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT/ Carl Cote presentation in the meeting here: City Council Business Meeting – October 1, 2024 minute 4.08.17 City Carl Cote starts. This project should have been a NO as per what I see. The water capacity funds that we are raising with our high water fees should be paying to expand sewer water treatment plan 1 not expansion yet. These ten millions should be used for our current needs given growth in our overworked sewer plant One….not the future. FGUA should contribute more for this needed expansion given growth not only what they offered in this project that also gets them off the hook on the current sewer old plant they have serving the annexed area there. Unfortunately at 10 pm I had to leave the meeting because George and was not there to speak my 3 minutes to oppose this and ask to be delayed it till we address our current failing capacity. I believe we do not need this agreement now and no matter how higher cost in the future should be funded by the developers benefitting from it and also FUGUA unloading a problem to PC utility. We will never have the capacity funds used for the need to expand our current facilities overloaded by the current growth because you are intimidated/convinced to use those funds to benefit new developments and also the current FUGA servicing the sewer of their county customers then we need the impact fees of all those county customers to be annexed and paid to our utility like all our Palm Coast homes pay.. Councilwoman Pontieri had very good questions regarding the use of “our” capacity fees for this 10 millions project in this very convenient annexation infrastructure for the county thru manager Petitto. This is what will keep raising our utilities fees year after year to fund growth and that is very wrong for of all us Palmcoasters.
Maybe the yes vote has to be reconsidered? In spite of what administrators want. Also what is the involvement of councilman Flukas with any entities commercial or the like in the annexed area as mentioned by Mr. DeLorenzo in the discussion? As I haven’t heard of any official public designation approval for that…This would be a 10 millions economic development cost? Very expensive economic development for Palm Coast taxpayers. And now this: Palm Coast Faces State Order to Build Up Sewer Capacity by 2028 as System Falters; Utility Rate Increases Inevitable | FlaglerLive, This is were our capacity funds will be needed. Mr. Flanagan warned us earlier and for that was demoted and manager Bevan fired…
Palm Coast Faces State Order to Build Up Sewer Capacity by 2028 as Syste…
FlaglerLive
I am just asking WHY so many costly wrong decisions we keep in the wrong path.
Bro says
Palm Coast is literally full of crap town! It’s just a matter of time before all the dumb people that moved here get a little bit smarter and realize just how much crap they want to take before moving out!