The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday signaled its willingness to reconsider the city’s ban on the overnight parking of commercial vehicles in residential driveways without the vehicles’ signage being covered.
The ban has long vexed working-class residents who depend on their work vehicles to make service calls at all hours of the day. Paradoxically, the workers often report to the very same homeowners who support the ban–and who may own vehicles that, while not commercial per se, have considerably less aesthetic value than a work truck.
The ban reflects Palm Coast’s emphasis since its founding in 1999 on a code that can prize beautification ahead of pragmatism, sometimes at the expense of beautification itself: the remedies the city requires to cover up what it considers unsightly often end up uglier than what’s being covered up: Commercial van owners who still park in their driveways are required to cover up their vans’ signage with tarps. The effect is no less shabby than tarps covering damaged roofs. The city’s requirement that air conditioning compressors at the side of houses be “hidden” has created a similar jumble of hideous fencing or shaggy shrubbery, again drawing attention to ugliness rather than enhancing the neighborhood.
The City Council considered repealing or amending the ban on commercial vehicles twice before, in 2010, when the effort was led by the local chamber of commerce, and in 2021, when a seemingly more work-friendly council came very close to a repeal. But the effort fell short both times. In 2021, the city surveyed residents, albeit in a flawed method, drew 16,500 responses, and got a split 49-49 verdict. The web-based survey allowed people to vote as often as they wanted, so a single IP address ended up accounting for 12.5 percent of the No votes, an obvious sign of fraud. Without it, the vote to repeal the ban would have won easily.
The council in 2021 had no intention of repealing the ban wholesale. Semis, dump trucks, two trucks, tractors, ice cream trucks and other larger commercial vehicles would still be prohibited from overnight parking. But such vehicles as platform trucks, pick-up trucks or vans with side signs would have been allowed to park as tarpless as on a Riviera beach. (See examples here.)
After a push by then-Council members Ed Danko and Victor Barbosa, the council’s vote to amend the ban to that effect failed, 3-2.
On Tuesday, Emily Fields, a Palm Coast resident for the last three years, asked the council to revisit the issue and immediately drew support from the mayor and a council member.
“These blue collar workers and small business owners are really important to Palm Coast,” Fields said. “We have six young kids in our family. My husband works for a garage door company. He has to take extra time to cover and uncover his clean work van with a very tacky looking vehicle cover every single day, rain or shine, as he works hard to provide for our family. Meanwhile, our one family car of the same make and model as his work van for transit sits right beside it in our driveway, and we rely on his work vehicle. We don’t have any other vehicles or ways for him to get to and from work. We live on a back street with both of our vans parked neatly in front of our well kept home. It in no way obstructs views or causes a disturbance to our community or our neighborhood, but these regulations that are in place are extremely burdensome, and I think they send the wrong message about our beautiful city to the working class.”
City Council member Theresa Pontieri swiftly endorsed the suggestion that the subject be reopened. “I do think it’s time we redress that issue,” she said, gaining support from her colleagues for a workshop on the issue soon. She got no push-back. None of the council members who last voted on the issue in 2021, whether for or against amending the ordinance, are on the council anymore.
Mayor Mike Norris “wholeheartedly” agreed with Pontieri. “Those tarps are horrible, and I do think we need to relook it,” he said.
Fields said the city can define the parameters of a more realistic rule. “We’re just talking about nice, clean work vans and trucks, no oversized or run down eyesores. And honestly, the required vehicle covers, which are really just glorified tarps, look absolutely awful, and those are the real eyesore here,” she said. “Palm Coast is changing and we’re growing, and we are no longer solely a retirement community. Many young working families like ours are moving to this beautiful, wonderful, amazing city, and we add vibrancy and diversity and the same care and passion for nurturing this thriving community that we all share in this room.”
The perception that Palm Coast is becoming less of a retiree city and more diverse with working-age residents is common, but proportionately false. It is the reverse: the city is getting older, with retirees making a larger share of its population than at its founding.
When the city was founded 25 years ago, its median age was 45.8 years, and the proportion of people 65 and older was just 25 percent, according to the 2000 Census figures. The traditional working-age population–people between 18 and 65–made up 53.4 percent of the total.
According to the Census Bureau, the city’s media age has risen sharply, to 50.9 (the median age in Florida is 42.4, and in the United States, 38.5. According to 2024 estimates, the proportion of Palm Coast’s 65-and-over population has risen to 29.9 percent, while the proportion of those of working age has fallen slightly to 53 percent (the larger drop is in the proportion of those younger than 18, which partly explains why the school district’s population has been stagnant.)
What justly feeds the perception that there are more working class people living in the city is that in sheer numerical numbers, there are: the city’s population between 2000 and 2004 has gone from 20,400 to 102,113, a 400 percent increase, with a labor force of 51,355 as of November–two and a half times the total city population in 2000.
FLF says
Excellent, now let’s start working on being a boat friendly community, with clear restrictions. As we found out at the Captains meeting for the annual Christmas boat parade, there are 6000 registered boats in Flagler County. Time for Palm Coast to grow with the times.
Just a regular Joe.... says
Yes let’s stop being an HOA!
Like the stupid thing of planting bushes around a New HVAC unit.
Way to go New City Council!
me says
It’s been happening already for years, who are they trying to fool that this is something new??????????????????????? The City of PC has gone down the tubes, it no long has the curb appeal it once had. They no longer enforce their rules about lawns being kept up, they have let working trucks park in residential area’s and no longer has put a stop to that.
Do they still have a Code Enforcement Dept.?
Fernando Melendez says
Any relaxing of these ordinance’s will result in Deltona #2 or South Daytona #2 and the end of political careers. Let’s not fix it if it ain’t broken. Keep it residential.
Kevin says
Glad I don’t need to deal with this, as I live in an HOA. While I understand, it is an inconvenience, I don’t want to see it, period.
FlaglerLive says
You might want to familiarize yourself with House Bill 1203, now law (2024).
Seminole Woods Resident says
I support the change as long as the vehicle is parked in the owners driveway and does not result in other vehicles parked in the swale or in empty lot swales.
Shark says
One of my neighbors who worked for code enforcement years ago had a truck parked in her driveway for fifteen years with a ladder on the roof rack and name on the side. Personal friend of Grossman.
Greg says
Terrible move. You’ll have every nut in town parking trucks all over the place. It’ll look like Daytona instantly.
Mark says
Now to let residents park campers, boats and trailers in their private driveways, of course not within 10 feet of the road surface, would be the topping on the cake.
Tim says
I just have to ask why ? It has work so far why give in now. I for one don’t want to see them parked in the driveway.
Ed Danko, former Vice-Mayor, PC says
I fully supported amending this ban in 2021 and I fully support it now. Unfortunately, in 2021 former Mayor Alfin, along with councilmen Klufas and Branquinho fell for the flawed city survey numbers and voted against removing the ban. Alfin and Klufas also showed their arrogant pompous elitism, along with their distain for working folks, by voting not to amend the ban. I hope this council has a more positive view of those in our community who work hard to make an honest living. Palm Coast is not a gated community, we are a city and decent working people deserve to be treated with respect.
Denali says
I just love it when that hillside has been freshly greased, makes the trip to the bottom so much faster and smoother – what a ride.
First it is trucks, then boats, then RV trailers, then utility/lawn maintenance trailers. Where are they going to park all these vehicles? The average Palm Coast is 25 feet long and 18 – 20 feet wide (that portion of the drive in the swale is not your property) , enough for two ‘normal’ vehicles. I would offer that over 60% of the garages are being used for storage or some type of living space, we have a neighbor who runs a business out of his garage. The original minimum design requirements for Palm Coast included garages for all residential structures. That requirement still exists. I seriously doubt the authors of this requirement intended that a garage be used for storage in lieu of parking vehicles.
With the garage full of ‘stuff’ and the drive holding two vehicles the swale become the parking area of choice. So with just a few strokes of the pen on a few sheets of that magic City Ordinance paper and we have allowed parking commercial vehicles in driveways, allowed for boats, RV’s and trailers to be parked in drives or if no room, overnight in the swale. And look at the benefits; we decrease the carbon footprint of the city by driving a few miles less, we save these residents a whole bunch of money on parking fees to put their trucks, rv’s and trailers in storage facilities and best of all we put a bunch of those storage places out of business for lack of customers. Sounds like a huge win for the residents of Palm Coast.
“Fields said the city can define the parameters of a more realistic rule. “We’re just talking about nice, clean work vans and trucks, no oversized or run down eyesores.” Who would define these unenforceable terms? The law does not work with pretty words, it must be clear and concise. No court of which I am aware would/could convict using words like ‘nice’, ‘clean’ or ‘run down eyesores’.
“Palm Coast is changing and we’re growing, and we are no longer solely a retirement community.” This is patently false.
“Many young working families like ours are moving to this beautiful, wonderful, amazing city, and we add vibrancy and diversity and the same care and passion for nurturing this thriving community that we all share in this room.” Ms Fields all I can offer you is the sincere hope that the effects of the Kool Aid wear off soon and the blinders are lifted from your eyes. You do not live in Eden and a huge portion of the population does not give a rats butt about you, your kids, your issues or the community in general.
Lastly, and this is just a question to reflect upon; is not the idea of moving into a community with a set of documented and seasoned ordinances and then trying to change those ordinances to fit your desires not the same as what a large percentage of our population accuses immigrants of doing? Do they not say things like “you knew (or should have known) the rules before you came here.” “This is the way we do things here.” “America, love it or leave it” could easily be restated as “Palm Coast, love it or leave it.”
‘just a thought’
JimboXYZ says
With the comment about the boat, where is the line drawn before boats, RV’s and everything else clutter driveways throughout Palm Coast ? the start of it is commercial vehicles with signage prominently displayed on it. If the tarps are hideous, where is the line drawn for hideous company signage. It’s bad enough there are driveways cluttered with cars that the parking not only is driveways, but in the swales and street for residential overutilization. We’re looking at $ 240K for a STF for this overutilization of showers & flushes. Anyone want to become like Pacific Palisades for growth & the wild fires ? Cut the crap, those overutilizers for Palm Coast & Flagler County growth need yo pay up & even those for the approved future construction for the overutilization of infrastructure. Whether it’s the asphalt streets or the water & sewage. Of course, the the unofficial poll is going to indicate the citizens want this, right up until they are told their property taxes & utility bills are going up for Sewage Treatment Facilities, repaving local roads & anything else. Connect the dots and stop acting like you’re too stupid to figure out that any of these brilliant ideas come at a cost & quite often it’s more than any of these folks are willing to pay. There’s a reason David Alfin wasn’t re-elected. It’s the growth, the attempts to relax the ordinance that isn’t an improvement to the majority of the community. If you voted Alfin out in August 2024 or would’ve voted Alfin out in the Nov 2024 election had he advanced in those political playoffs. Then you’ll vote against this. It’s the same principal that this keeps coming up to eventually wear down voters to approve it. If one is against the growth of new residential construction, how are you going to feel that one of your neighbor may be parking that commercial vehicle in the driveway next to your residence ? And what if in the bed of that pickup there’s a box of nails that ends up in the road & in your tires ? Palm Coast has been rental duplex hell for that nonsense. I don’t want to see the drywall labor’s truck & trailer in the driveway next to mine every night, do you ?
JimboXYZ says
My bad on the $240M STF in my last post, I erroneously typed “K” instead of “M”, thousands vs millions, there’s a huge difference in how much that increases property taxes & utility rates, which are the Government’s tools to collect revenue to pay for that. Since we all know there are no Federal & State funds to pay for that, there never was. The smoke & mirrors of Biden-Harris that was removed from power and will be evicted in 11 days. If you voted for change, it makes no sense to relax what was voted to preserve in re-electing Trump. Anyone wanting te ordinances relaxed, don’t really want them to complain & claim poverty for the growth that never paid for itself, isn’t an improvement to Palm Coast. And since you have all this money that you didn’t have before, you can pay for those of us that don’t want it, never wanted it to happen & are the true victims of it.