In sum: A Beverly Beach resident explains how protecting Flagler County’s beaches through the proposed county plan is similar to supporting communal benefits and responsibilities like roads, schools, parks and libraries: not everyone benefits from those services equally, but the services all play a crucial role in the local quality of life and the economy, and must be supported evenly. So it is with the beach.
By Ellen Karp-Bendana
I am a Beverly Beach resident. I want to address Flagler County’s beach-management plan to all concerned, and ask that you try to have an open mind as I approach this issue from a different perspective.
First, let’s state the facts: we have been given a very large sum of money to renourish our beach, and I’m hoping that everyone in the county would agree that it would be a huge mistake to let this gift go to waste. That would be like cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Perhaps doing nothing and letting nature take its course is the viewpoint of a few folks. But think about how future generations will judge that choice. We need to be good stewards of our resources.
So, the question becomes how to pay for beach maintenance in a way everyone can agree to move forward?
I appreciate that Flagler County is proposing a plan that is attempting to be fair to all, so the folks who benefit more from the beach pay a bit more, as opposed to those who benefit less. One option is to try to hammer out an agreement based on what is fair, on how much everyone benefits.
Those in Palm Coast might argue that “hey, we don’t live beachside, so why do we have to pay?” Those who live beachside might say “hey, I already pay more for taxes and insurance, have the cost to evacuate, and studies show that most of the use of the beach comes from outside the barrier island, so why do I need to pay more?”
This is where I think the thinking needs to adjust. Why? Because life isn’t fair. By which I mean that as members of a community, we all have costs and benefits, but none of those costs and benefits are equal. Some of us pay more and receive less. Some of us pay less and receive more. Yet we are all obligated to pay our share, whether we receive more or less.
Let me give you a few examples that apply to me as I’m sure they apply to many of you:
1. School taxes: Now, I’m a senior citizen. I live in a 55+ community. But I am still obligated to pay my fair share of school taxes. Is that fair? I mean, there could be some families that have three or four school-age children in Palm Coast that benefit from great schools, from my tax dollars. I don’t get a direct benefit.
2. Playgrounds and recreation centers: I don’t have children who use them, I don’t play tennis or pickleball. Why should I have to pay the same as someone who has a direct benefit?
3. Libraries: Hey, I just download books to my Kindle. Why don’t I get a rebate or credit for tax revenue that goes to libraries?
4. Law enforcement: Where I live in Beverly Beach we don’t have very much crime. Why should my taxes pay for salaries of sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who are mostly deployed elsewhere?
5. I’m a snowbird. I’m only here six months of the year. Hat’s half the year when I’m not using up roads, drawing on public safety services or benefiting from the beach. Why should I pay the same amount as folks who live here and use services year-round?
6. I live beachside. State Road A1A is adequate. Why do I care if other parts of the county have road improvements if I never leave the barrier island?
As you can see from these examples, it is ridiculous to think that we can figure out a solution to beach renourishment by trying to be fair. Instead, we need to accept that this needs to be done, and all of us should step up to do our equal part, even as some parts may be more equal than others. We’ll probably never agree to an ideal formula. But we can agree on a principle that gets us as close to the ideal as possible. Put simply–and I hate to use this term but it sums it up–we need to grow some balls and accept the fact that it needs to be done.
My proposal is as follows. Let Flagler County increase the property tax by a minuscule amount. Everyone in the county would bear the cost, just like we do for the above examples. It would be a few dollars more. Then raise the sales tax by a half-penny to fund the difference. As the money accumulates, so does interest if it is wisely invested when it is not spent, thus generating the revenue needed for maintenance and the periodic renourishments.
We all benefit by having the beach remain viable. Whether we live close or far, our property value, our quality of life, our business climate and our attractiveness to tourism are all intertwined. We are one community. Let us not put that in jeopardy at the cost of our greatest asset.
Ellen Karp-Bendana retired from a career in pharmaceutical sales and divides her time between residences in Beverly Beach and North Georgia. She delivered a version of the above to a joint meeting of local governments earlier this week. Karp-Bendana just launched a Facebook group to advocate for the beach management plan, Making Waves.
Tony says
It’s not my beach and what is there is a dump. One greasy spoon after another !!! Lived in Palm Coast since 1998 and only went there twice and that was enough.
S. Meyer says
That is the most common sense approach i would agree with. I also live beachside and I walk the boardwalk everyday fir 5 miles. I’m usually down ther 3 hrs or so. And yes 90% of the people using the actual beach is definitely not beachside residents. The only thing i would add to this article is ther should be beach parking fees for non residents. Ever county i know of now does this. Volusia county just started it this January. That’s alot of money that could be going to beach nourishment.
Deborah Coffey says
Ridiculous. You can’t save the beach. Nature and the Ocean win this one. Stop wasting our money.
JW says
Ellen, great opinion. I also had a career in the pharmaceutical industry, with jobs in multiple countries.
Let’s look outside the typical narrow minded American. One country that has similar challenges as Flagler County, the Netherlands, half of which is below sea level has spent billions of dollars on managing the storms and rising sea level for centuries. The cost is shared by the government for ALL of its citizens. And the Dutch consider it a national pride of what they have done and keep doing.
They advise many countries about how to manage these challenges (including the south of Florida and New York).
It is time for Americans to look beyond their neighborhoods on how to manage public interests!
I remember an article about NASA visiting the Netherlands and observe the billions invested in major water works, including dykes and locks to protect its citizens , and they compared it with what the US has done to get us on the moon! What would you prefer? Think about that, rather than looking for excuses why we can not do that.
Double taxpayer says
We are not paying to save our beaches…it doesn’t cost a thing. The beaches will always be there. We are paying to save these people’s houses. I am not responsible for their investments. If my house flood ,do you think the government will continually spend this kind of money to help people on the west side of the county? Nope…
JimboXYZ says
The shoreline is property of the USA, let Congress allocate some of the money they’ve been wasting on USAID line items toward rebuilding the coastline. The money is there, just a matter of the DC Swamp getting their act together. How many things has DOGE uncovered in the first 45 days ? Those 10’s & 100’s of billions would’ve been more wisely spent to rebuild America’s borders. Instead it was fraudulently misdirected for absurd & ridiculous. A call to “Grow some balls”, as noble as this cause is, is fool’s play.
I’ve lived in Volusia or Flagler counties for the better part of a lifetime. It’s changed, some of it for the better, some of it for the worse. Had I not had childhood memories of any of it, I wouldn’t know the difference between 1960’s-present. When anything is this costly, there are some things in this world you do for the appearance of free, for cost. That isn’t what we’re getting here with any of these proposals. We have a lifetime of some form of DEI&B, maybe if corporations made Goodwill donations for the purpose of saving the coastline ? Then paying the inflation of Bidenomics would make sense. They’ve been taking the money in inflation for far less noble causes than this. Those folks need to pay for this before raises & promotions ?
Perspectives on selflessness & selfishness ? For this reason I can’t ratify this proposal with an approval/vote of solidarity. We all were given a life, a portal for starting snapshot & evolution of the environment. When money is involved, the one’s scheming to have more & better than the rest need to be held accountable & responsible. When any of us worked, the deal wasn’t a true up well beyond a retirement date to rebuild planet Earth. We were paid just enough to get by for our time on this planet, many weren’t even compensated for that much. It is what it is ? When any of us leave this life, that’s the end, everything goes back in the box. The beach or anything else for that matter, was never “our’s” to begin with. It belongs to the almighty & Mother Nature for the planet Earth. Paying for this is a shared responsibility, some folks never got paid enough to pay for their shared responsibility. Yet somehow the Federal Government misappropriated the money that anyone would go into debt for as a nation/government to do everything but secure a national treasure that is the US coastline. I can’t forgive that malfeasance and be expected to reach deeper into a reserve that isn’t budgeted/funded for this purpose of rebuilding a beach.
Hoist up the John B's sail says
All I can say is I probably shouldn’t have ever moved to Florida… and I certainly should never had stayed so long.
Save the Wollies says
We should each do our part to save the wolly mammoths, too. Oh wait, nature does what it wants.
The dude says
Yeah… MAGA is not big on the whole “collective” thingy.
They used it extensively to get ahead in their boomer lives, but now it’s straight up “I got mine, fuck you”
So like everything else they do, it’s great for them, but not for everybody who comes after them.
Dave says
I’m almost positive someone could write an article about the influx of seasonal monarch butterflies and Jimbo would find a way to blame Biden. Here’s a fun game to play while having your morning coffee…scan the headlines of all new articles and try to call how Jimbo blames Biden. Bonus points if you can predict a DEI reference. (Maga) hats off to you Jimbo. Your cynicism and curmudgeonous nature have become part of my morning routine!
RTC says
Ellen, your comments were right on point. We should all share in the cost of maintaining the beach, as we all benefit in varying degrees. Very much the same as we all share in the cost of educating the children, even though most of us do not have any school age children. We all benefit from our proximity to the beach, whether we go there or not – our home values are enhanced by their proximity to the beach. Most of us do not benefit from paying for the parks, but we pay for them. Some areas of the county have far more crime than others, but we all pay for our police. Why is everyone seem to feel wronged if they have to pay a small amount to maintain the county owned beaches?
This discussion has gone on for far too long. It is time to conclude how to pay for maintaining the beach and then get it done, before it is too late.
celia pugliese says
Easy editorial and argument for those priviledged that chose to live in the barrier island. We are all already collaborating to the beach renourishing in our taxes that paid for all the work done so far in Flagler Beach that after done the first hurricane destroyed again. We are all paying thru the TDC tax and our advalorem already that from every dollar of ad valorem that Palmcoasters contribute yearly, 45 cents go to the county and only 23 cents to the city of Palm Coast and the last 1/2 cent sales tax went to build the county jail and 69 plus millions FDOT/FAA grants for an airport since 2019, that does not serve us the residents as we can’t buy a tkt to fly anywhere on it! So county now ask for more. Furthermore when last year now Vice Mayor Pontieri ask was planning to ask county to deed us one of the ocean front park so us the largest city sustaining this county coould offer life guarded beach to its residents but the county an all barrier islands residents hollered a NO to her/us. This continues to force the Palm Coast families with children to travel 10 miles to go to the only life guarded beach in this county located in Flagler Beach were Palmcoasters are disliked, at least in social media. These reasons and the need for funds that we are pressed to fund a rate increase for our failed utility by EPA expansion given growth, are the reasons why we oppose this additional 1/2 cent that once approved can become maybe 1 cent.
Skibum says
I have never, ever in my entire adult life seen so much governmental malfeasance prior to moving to loonytoon Flori-DUH! The people who move here thinking, “oh wow, I will be able to live so much better in retirement by moving to FL where costs and taxes are so much lower!” are deluding themselves. Proper infrastructure costs money! Essential services that people need and want cost money! Amenities and the upkeep of them for people to continue to enjoy cost money! I remember Alfin’s wrongheaded and idiotic remark about our city being a “pay as you go” entity, just like what we see ALL OVER this stupid state where local AND state government doesn’t doesn’t have a tax structure that supports either our prized amenities like the beach upkeep, parks and libraries, recreational facilities, etc. or more importantly essential maintenance and upkeep of our critical infrastructure like roads, street lighting, sidewalks, and how about that hugely important wastewater treatment plant that we all will be on the hook for a half BILLION dollars due to the plain and simple fact that it has been mismanaged and left to deteriorate to the point where the state finally, belatedly mandated the city fix it properly? Folks, “pay as we go” in government misspeak means: we are not going to do what is necessary unless someone else comes in and makes us do it! We are going to keep confusing you, the citizens, about costs and hos “affordable” it is to live here, only to surprise you with HUGE and unexpected costs down the road because we, the “leaders” are horrible at running things and hiding the TRUE costs of local government so you think you are getting a great deal by moving here only to be SCREWED royally down the road. UNBELIEVABLE MALFEASANCE!
Laurel says
Ellen Karp-Bendana: You stated “Instead, we need to accept that this needs to be done, and all of us should step up to do our equal part, even as some parts may be more equal than others.”
May I suggest that you download “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. I believe it’s available on your Kindle, which has limits, or “unlimited” by subscription, or, you can go to your local library, which is available to the rich and poor, young and old alike. It’s real easy to find there. You then may have a better understanding of what you wrote.
As your statement is interpreted, it appears that it’s okay by you to tax a 7.7 million square foot parcel (privately owned, income producing), directly on the ocean $160, and a family (average 2.6 people), maybe on a fixed income, on an average parcel of 5,000 square feet, with only access to the beach by car, at public parks, $160 because “life isn’t fair.”
As for paying school tax even when you have no children, I have paid school tax all my adult life, and had no children either. We do that because it benefits us all by having educated children who become productive adults. This analogy is not the same for a beach tax
To me it appears that the current tax plan favors the large parcels, private subdivisions, private businesses and and private homes directly on the ocean sand. Am I wrong? I remember one man, at Ms. Petito’s demonstration, commented loudly that he was very happy with the deal, as his house was on the ocean. I bet he was.
Maybe you, Mr. Tristam, Ms. Petito, and Mr. Hansen can map out where the parking and overpasses are to get to the private beaches that are available to all at the high tide line. I know both Volusia and St. Johns Counties have them, but I don’t know where they are in Flagler County. Where is public beach parking in Beverly Beach? It may be there, but I don’t know where it is and would like to visit. Please tell me.
However, the part I do agree with you about is that this tax can be distributed, but without favoritism, across the county. There are thousands of more houses to be developed, and they can participate, lowering the tax per homeowner, business owner, and private subdivision homes. But, interestingly, resistance is strong.
Kat says
Well, written and full of common sense, which is refreshing in this county.
Reading some of the other comments, it seems as if the people who live in Palm Coast proper don’t understand that if the barrier island didn’t exist, they would be on the front line and it would be their homes which were flooded. We can’t change mother nature, beaches, come and go, but since we’ve made the investment to settle on the barrier islands, we need to do what we can to protect that investment. And I’m not just talking about people‘s homes, I am also talking about infrastructure and businesses.
The tourism industry would dry up without the beaches of Flagler County. How many people are directly or indirectly, supported by the tourism industry? Face it, even if you live on the other side of the bridge, you are directly affected by what occurs or does not occur on the barrier island.
Billy B says
It’s obvious that Jimbo has been severely brainwashed by fox – fake -putin – entertainment. DOGE says they are saving billions but have no hard evidence and fox goes along with them. And maga supporters actually believe everything diaper don and 14 kid musk have to say. I’m still waiting for the check for the wall and that beautiful trumpcare,
Chad says
Too much developments! Overpopulation, too much asphalt!
Pogo says
@Too late
… period.
Skibum says
Laurel, I agree with you. The big, inevitable problems that a lot of people overlook when local governments put blinders on so they are unable to see the forest through the trees are immense costs down the road to pony up money from residents for repairs to things like neglected wastewater treatment plants, roads and other critical infrastructure, beaches, etc. All in the name of a false narrative that the cost to live here is lower than elsewhere… unless you factor in the “SURPRISES” that come later, hell or high water. If the county and cities had forethought and proper planning so they could implement and maintain proper tax structures to take care of infrastructure repairs down the road without trying to ding certain residents with ridiculous fees that cannot even be agreed up to charge fairly by the same numbskulls who couldn’t plan properly in the first place, all of us Flagler County residents wouldn’t be constantly up in arms, arguing with each other and mad as hell at our local government bodies because of their stupidity trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes about the TRUE cost to maintain things that are important to all of us. Republican controlled local governments want us to believe they are doing us a favor when in fact it is US who are getting screwed by their constant mismanagement.
jimmy morrison says
I agree that something needs to be done to help finance beach problems going forward. however collected from the people to support those that benefit from assets on or near the beach seems one sighted. so everyone in Flagler county pays an increase in sales tax to support million $ homes and properties on the beach while they have little skin in the game. for instance a PC renter will pay a tax to support an asset 5 miles away on the beach that they have vested interest. in the argument above why shouldn’t Flagler county take out home owners insurance on all beach properties to protect the beach during a severe storm. no need to insure the residence but the beach erosion opportunity?
Ellen Karp-Bendana says
Hi Laurel…in response to your question about where the public (free) parking is in Beverly Beach, it is right in front of the Town Hall, with a walkway directly to the beach. Yes, I have read “animal farm”, and lastly, I did not suggest that everyone pay $160, my suggestion was to raise the county tax by a minuscule amount that everyone in the county absorbs the cost to maintain the re-nourishment, (so we don’t lose a $27 million dollar gift)….and would be less than $50 per year. I feel strongly that the premise that just because I live “beachside” I use the beach more is flawed. (and the data proves it, that most of the usage of the beach comes from Palm Coast). Lastly, I don’t live in an expensive home…the majority of folks in Beverly Beach are on a fixed income and live in Surfside Estates, which is a resident owned manufactured home community.
Larry says
Non-residents will also pay a portion of the 1/2 cent beach tax, since non-residents shop, eat and stay at hotels in Flagler County.
T says
Naw it’s their problem let the rich pay their bills 4 trillion to rich coming anyway
Louise says
Please educate yourself on state law there are limits on what property tax & sales tax that can be charged. Also the money you referred to as a “gift “ is not it is taxpayer money. Unfortunately as much as man tries to control acts of God we can not. Since you believe beach maintenance, as you call it, is all of our problem then are you willing to pay for drainage maintenance in Palm Coast? After all the drainage system benefits everyone just like the beach & there are serious problems flooding homes without severe storms.
IM Yellowstone says
Interesting to see what the dreaded Socialism does to folks on either side of the aisle. When socialism favors the masses (rare beachgoers), it costs too much and is deemed too costly and unfair. On the other side of town (the beach-y bunch), this tax resembles the kind of socialism that benefits them – and strangely, they are all in.
“Eat cake, folks”.
John O. says
Make no mistake about it. This tax plan is about having the general public pay for protecting the property of wealthy beachside homeowners. I’m all for paying my fair share of beach maintenance. But what am I getting in return? If all Flagler residents have to pay for all of Flagler’s shoreline, then all of Flagler’s shoreline must be accessible to all Flagler residents, not just Flagler beach and Varn Park. And accessible means parking lots and restrooms and showers. And enough dry sand to sit on at high tide. And water that you can actually enter without dangerous rocks which rules out any beach north of Varn Park. And if we’re going to provide access to the so called public beaches then how about eliminating the toll on the Hammock Bridge? If the Hammock residents want to collect tolls on their private bridge then they can afford to pay the upkeep on their own private beaches. Do not trust the politicians of of Flagler County and Palm Coast. This tax plan is not about maintaining the few grungy public beaches we have. It is about having the public pay for the lifestyle of the wealthy and influential barrier island homeowners. If any Flagler or Palm Coast politician votes for this tax plan, vote them out of office at the next election or, better still recall them immediately.
CHARLES Bub ROBSON says
I lived in Flagler Beach for 80 plus years, (all my life). Moved out of State 15 months ago. As a kid growing up in Flagler Beach I remember when the beach was very wide, with triple dunes keeping the ocean at bay for many years. Mother Nature has decided to move West with hardly a single dune left. During ww2 the Federal Govt. took control of Central Av. as an alternate route for A1A. No one can stop mother nature. In the late 60’s the Corp. recommended an Inlet just So. of the State Park as a way to curtail erosion in Flagler. The County Officials did not act on the inlet and the project died. A1A in the not so distant future will be on Central Av. Time & Mother Nature is not on the side of those who believe they can stop erosion.
mike says
I have lived in palm coast for over 20 yrs .I can’t even get to park on the beach anymore let the people that use it pay .This as gone on long enough .Charge a parking fee for the people that use it
Jeremy says
First, beach renourishment projects cause more harm than they do good. The next 5 generations or more will be cleaning up the mess beach renourishment has caused to our beaches. Second, you will never win… let nature take its course. You say that beach folks pay more insurance, that’s because they built their McMansion in a place inhospitable for human life!! Don’t build your house on the beach and you won’t have the problems associated with it. State, local and federal government should NEVER let anyone build that close to the maelstrom. Period!! Let nature run its course and STOP wasting our tax dollars. The people have CLEARLY spoken. Stop the debate, end the discussion NO ONE except the greedy developers and the millionaire elites from NY living on the beach want this. No more!!!
JimboXYZ says
On a Sunday drive this afternoon. While the assault on the beaches is from the Atlantic Ocean, the other force of nature is the Tomoka River. My drive was pretty much the Tomoka Loop (TL) to see what else Flagler & Volusia county governments might be coming after the masses to save/restore/rebuild. On the mainland side the TL appears relatively in decent condition for travel. It’s a different story when one drives the Loop back towards High Bridge & John Anderson Drive to Ormond Beach (SR-40/Granada Blvd). The road back there is a mess, washing away from flooding of every full moon. Pot holes, cracking tyhe shoulder of the Tomoka Rover marshes swamp eroding away at the shoulders. Based upon the concept of shared responsibility, who is going to fund the rebuild march ecosystem ? Or is that going to fall ball the wayside and become an acceptable loss of infrastructure that has existed for centuries in some form or another from Spanish colonization to present. On the mainland side, there’s Tomoka State Park that gets it share of State, even Federal Dollars for a budget, no extra fees/taxes ? Deeper into the marsh there’s historical & park-like areas. There’s a 90 degree bend in the road that has a house-like structure (Highbridge Hideaway) that may have some historical significance ? Anyone know if the Loop is included in any of this plan to save the beaches ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uu7g-CObI8
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Highbridge+Hideaway/@29.401711,-81.1167846,1003m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88e6c1002a3f4e8d:0xbfa3f281d295e265!8m2!3d29.401711!4d-81.1142097!16s%2Fg%2F11v_17psz8?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxMi4wIKXMDSoJLDEwMjExNDUzSAFQAw%3D%3D
High Bridge itself is at risk here. There really is no point in having a bridge if the High Bridge Road going West has no road(s) that are worth cycling/driving ? John Anderson Drive to Ormond is a collection of high dollar dwellings & flooded properties that are being restored from past storm flooding and many have “For Sale” signs in front of them. No doubt that lipstick on the pig for the next victims to buy into uninsurable flood properties. One can either make the drive themselves for 1st hand observation of how crappy the situation really is or do a Google Street View to see a better portrayal of an area that has eroded worse than the collection of still photos reveal for the condition by Google Maps. Since most of it is Volusia County, Fllagler County needn’t concern itself for that. But the beach rebuild isn’t just limited to 18 miles of Flagler County, it also includes Ponce Inlet to the Flagler County line. The NSB Inlet south to Brevard County. The Space Coast is it’s own deal with the Army Corps of Engineers, part of that being NASA Federal land for anything Space Exploration Programs.
Not that I’m looking for more fees & taxes, just understand how the politics of government work. Always wait for a catastrophe situation before doing anything about it & coming with a big bill for the masses that pretty much have been screwed over for generations to by into more that just isn’t there. The solution is always financed debt as usual. Projects like these should simply have resources to accomplish affordably pretty much. That’s the shared responsibility, a blank check pardon for the unpredictable costs of just making it happen. What do we want to do with federal funds ? Pay for maintaining beaches & marshes or Transgender Gender Change operations in Burma ? DOGE needs to claw back every penny of fraud & abuse to apply it for what really matters, the environment that the human race continually screws up ? I think if we get everything Biden-Harris messed up for 4 years alone clawed back, we’d all be surprised how much of that can be applied for the good of America to MAGA., whether Trump gets the credit or not, because someone after Trump is going to take stolen valor & credit for it beyond 2028 anyway. That’s just how the politician is as a human animal for their Narcissism. The last 4 years of Biden-Harris is like getting & pissing away an economic relief check and ending up with a crappy $ 100 used guitar instead of buying diapers for the baby or paying for groceries ? Choose what we spend out money on more wisely really.
Carol D says
OMMM… Keep dumping MILLIONS of dollars onto the beach and sit back and watch MOTHER NATURE take it all away…. Until they wise up and build some sort of SEA WALL, you are just opening up your wallet and throwing it out to sea!! It’s not rocket science! We have severe flooding here in Palm Coast because of all of the building but no one cares. Our elected officials just filled their pockets and got kickbacks for allowing things like, OH YEAH the extra level on the new hotel in Flagler. OOPS, let it slide. There is no accountability here. UNTIL A SEAWALL IS BUILT TO SAVE THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF SAND YOU DUMP….. NO
Laurel says
Skibum: It’s not just “mismanagement,” it’s a lack of caring how it will all turn out as long as the developers, and their real estate friends in power, get paid. Management is low on the priority scale.
This raping of Florida has been observed all my life, and it continues in south Florida, west Florida and the panhandle as well, as today’s top article shows. What really bothers me is Flagler County has had the opportunity, and time, to do better. The people elected did not pay any attention to this opportunity, and now the streets are crowded, and the quality of life is down with no fix in sight other than to tax the middle class, and fixed income people until they cannot take it anymore. The Chamber of Commerce and the tourist industry is more important than the people who live here, but that tourist dollar only benefits the few. The rest of us can pound sand.
Endless dark money says
Society? A third are Nazi supporters, a third hates Nazis, and a third are too stupid to care. This is the current situation. Misinformation is rampant and it takes an informed electorate to keep democracy. Let’s go Russia!
Laurel says
Ellen Karp-Bendana: Thank you for the information on beach access. So, besides public parks, that is the first cross over, in Flagler County, that I have learned of. Good to know that there is public parking, in Beverly Beach, and we will not be towed.
I completely agree that the cost can be spread across the county. I also believe that the “parcels” directly on the ocean, and the “parcels” in private subdivisions, should be assessed more, according to size and usage. The current favoritism is unacceptable.
You do acknowledge that there are properties, on the barrier island, that are owned by people who are not rich. It appears that Palm Coasters believe that everyone on the island is wealthy, though we moved here when no one else was interested, and it was much cheaper. Gentrification is real and active on the island, all the way from the Volusia County boarder to the St. Johns County boarder, and I do not see any of our representatives, whether in county administration, or Hammock Community Association, have much to say about that.
The Hammock Dunes Bridge belongs only to Hammock Dunes, not to the rest of us who live here. The only benefit we get from it, is the privilege to pay to get home. I don’t mind. They built it; it’s theirs. But they sure can finance their own, private beach with the proceeds, and not pay only $160 a year for each very large “parcel.” Again, I don’t know of any parking, and beach crossovers along the very long stretch of the Hammock Dunes properties for the public to access. In fact, I would like to know exactly how much of the 18 miles of beach is really accessible to the public. Anyone know?
The statement that my property is being protected from erosion and climate change is not accurate. Our property does not flood, and we have taken precautions with our own forethought and financing. The whole concept of “some being more equal than others” should not fly in the U.S.A.. but some of us so think things out more so than others.
Also, I have no problem with metered parking. It is done all over the state.
Laurel says
Dude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Zg2S2-heY
RW says
I just astounds me of the stupidity of these comments. Explain to me why anyone would visit Flagler County unless it was to rent homes or stay at hotels to vacation. Anything else here worth visiting ? If the beaches are no more than people stop coming. That means money stops being spent by outsiders at restaurants, grocery stores, etc. People leave, tax revenues drop and your home values along with it! Wake up ! No beach, no good! Spend some money and buy a book on economics!
Joe D says
Replying to Louise:
The problem with your argument about if EVERYONE needs to pay for the beach maintenance, then EVERYONE should pay for Palm Coast water maintenance.
The difference is that cell phone tower tracking data published by the Flagler County Tourism group, shows 4 out of 5 free beach users are from PALM COAST. In the reverse situation, I can guarantee that even 2 out of 5 Flagler Beach residents don’t consistently use Palm Coast’s water system (unless they are using the restroom at BJ’s, Walmart or Lowe’s).
Although our Northern Flagler Beach townhouse ( not McMansion OR million dollar, and I’m a retired advanced practice Nurse…decidedly NOT RICH) development technically OWNS the beach across the street from our homes, we do not restrict free road parking nor do we restrict beach walkover access. One of the reasons I purchased my 2 bedroom 1.5 bath 1150 sq ft townhouse along A1A, was BECAUSE I didn’t want to have to fight parking or limited beach access. Believe me even during the weekdays during off season, I couldn’t park within 5 blocks of my home if I tried, and I didn’t have 2 parking spaces UNDERNEATH my 8’ elevated townhouse (which at ground level, is 12 ft above sea level, and has NEVER flooded (to my knowledge), since they were constructed in 1979.
If this “we don’t live at the beach” attitude continues, I would suggest that only PAID STREET PARKING and a Parking Garage be considered for Flagler Beach, like many other resort towns. And like many New Jersey beaches, daily/weekly/annual beach pass arm bands should be sold and monitored. That way those who TRULY use the beach (Flagler Beach, Palm Coast, out of towners, etc) would be paying for beach maintenance. It hasn’t affected NJ beach use either.
Seems like a fair “pay as you go” proposal. If you live in Palm Coast, and don’t use the beach or park in Flagler Beach, you would be off the hook. But, for the 4 out of 5 beach users, from Palm Coast, you would CERTAINLY be paying for your beach use, much more than this combination of County funds/tourism tax/partial sales tax and $160 fee would have you pay.
Sounds like a FAIR DEAL. to me!
Larry says
Re: JimboXYZ’s comment about High Bridge Road:
That is located in Volusia County, not Flagler County.
Paul kulha says
That’s funny save the beaches you can’t stop mother nature just a waste of money you got to move back from the water move back from the water very simple get us some sidewalks Andy dancer you’re a narcissist