County frustration boiled into outright criticism of Palm Coast’s administration Monday as the city has yet to sign a deal both sides agreed to seven months ago, controlling water service at the county airport.
craig coffey
Taxable Values Rise Again–6% in Palm Coast, 7% in Flagler–But So Do Demands on Budgets
With more value comes more revenue for local governments, and more expectations from various agencies and the public–including a $2.4 million budget increase request from the sheriff’s office alone.
Two Months Late, Salamander Makes $250,000 Payment That Induced Hammock Beach Hotel Agreement
The payment is part of the $500,000 Salamander agreed to pay for better public beach access in exchange for county approval of a 198-room beachfront hotel at Hammock Beach Resort.
Don’t Call It Flagler County Airport Anymore: Commission Opts For Executive Name Change
Flagler County Airport is now Flagler Executive Airport, the fifth name the facility has had in its more than 70 years as the Flagler County Commission quietly approved the switch Monday.
Buoyed by Turn-Around, County Approves $2.75 Million Loan To Buy 3 Buildings at Airport
Flagler County government is vastly expanding its role as a landlord as it approves buying three buildings totaling 58,000 square feet at the county airport in hopes of generating more cash for the airport operation.
Resurrection: In 3-1 Vote, County Approves Lease of Old Courthouse to Baptist School
The vote also represents an unexpected, 11th-hour turn-around for a building most people, including some commissioners (and Bunnell’s city government, which briefly took possession of it before rejecting it), had written off as unusable.
Sheriff Manfre Will Ask For 5% Pay Raise For Ranks, First Substantial Increase in 6 Years
Flagler Sheriff’s deputies finally got a 1 percent raise promised them since October but embargoed for disputed reasons as Sheriff Jim Manfre on Thursday said he’d move forward with a request for the first substantial raises in six years come budget season.
Craig Coffey’s $15,000 Raise Request: An Insult to Public Employees at Taxpayers’ Expense
The insult wasn’t just Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey’s Christmas tithing to himself. It was the way he and his administration went about it, and the way three county commissioners played along.
White Elephant No More: County Approves 5-Year Lease of Costly Ginn Hangar in Deal With New Company
Delta Engineering of New Catle, Del., expanding in Flagler with 10 to 30 high-paying jobs, will fill the old Ginn building that had left the county with a $2 million liability when Ginn went bankrupt.
Divided Flagler Commission Awards Administrator Coffey 5% Raise This Year, With More All But Promised
The Flagler County Commission didn’t go for the 10 percent raise Coffey (or, it is claimed, his staff) was asking for, but he still got a nearly $6,000 raise in a 3-2 vote by the commission Monday evening.
In 4-1 Vote, County Seals Agreement to Build Tourist-Ready Cottages at Princess Preserve
An initial plan to build three cottages in partnership with a state conservation agency would expand to an additional 10 cottages at the River-to-Sea Preserve in the near future.
County Administrator Craig Coffey Seeking 10% Raise, to $161,000, Amid Other Personnel Costs
The county administrator’s salary would increase from $146,383 and would add an automatic 3 percent merit pay increase a year absent an affirmative decision by the county commission.
County Calls Supervisor of Elections Kim Weeks’s Taping of a Conversation “Illegal”
County Administrator Craig Coffey says Weeks’s secret recording of a conversation between the county attorney and a county commissioner on Aug. 25 was illegal, so was its distribution, though nothing in the recording speaks ill of either men in the conversation.
John Thrasher Is Named FSU’s Next President, Opening Big Void in Flagler’s Legislative Pull; Hutson Considering Run
For Flagler County, Thrasher’s move is the second major blow to the county’s political pull, after losing John Mica in Congress to redistricting two years ago. Flagler had specific needs that may now go unfilled in Tallahassee.
Palm Coast and County Close to a Deal 4 Years in the Making, Resolving Conflict Over Airport
The Palm Coast City Council is still not entirely happy with the agreement because of uncertainty over a potential city park, and the county commission hasn’t even seen or discussed the agreement.
Kimberle Weeks Calls County’s Campaign Sign Rules “Interference”; Administrator Craig Coffey Responds
Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks says the county’s political-sign rules “may create an unpleasant and dangerous environment” for voters and campaigners at the public library. County Administrator Craig Coffey disagrees.
In a Boon to Flagler, National Guard Will Bring “Hundreds of Troops” to County Airport in Long-Term Lease Agreement
The Army National Guard’s 10-year lease agreement with Flagler, to be revealed to the County Commission Wednesday, fills a 19,000-square-foot building at the airport, for $15,185 a month, after the county saw four tenants in eight years fail to make good on their leases there.
New Flagler Jail and Sheriff’s HQ Cost Estimates Stun Officials, Who Call It “A Setback”
Construction cost estimates for the new jail came in at $22 million, far more than the county’s plan for $14 to $15 million, while the Sheriff’s Operations Center at the old Memorial Hospital came in at $6.2 million, instead of around $5 million.
As Committee Tours Old Courthouse, Size and Financial Viability Loom Larger Than Repairs
Wednesday’s tour was the first time most committee members had a chance to see the building from within. The Flagler County Commission earlier this month appointed the seven-member committee to recommend what to do with the 50,000-square-foot courthouse, as the county is no longer willing to be its caretaker.
County Taxes To Increase Some in a $68.6M Budget That Sheds Austerity for Investment
Flagler County’s 2014-15 budget, led by a $600,000 increase in the sheriff’s costs, is a reflection of a more relaxed, less financially pressured budget season, and a willingness among commissioners to replace years of austerity with increased investment in the government infrastructure.
With Revels Chairing, County Puts Its Imprint on Committee to Study Fate of Old Courthouse
The seven-member committee will to the commission recommend whether to sell, demolish or redevelop for local businesses the old county courthouse again saddling county taxpayers, after Bunnell rejected its ownership in April and the county angrily took it back in May.
Flagler County Adds a 7th Ambulance Unit But Reduces Staffing on Some Fire Engines, Triggering Concerns
Staring May 20, Flagler County Fire Rescue reduced fire engine staffing from three firefighters to two at two of the county’s three fire stations to make possible the addition of a seventh ambulance unit, reducing response time or the need for aide from neighboring counties. But the shift has triggered opposition from the firefighters’ union, on safety grounds, and fears among residents.
Don’t Mind a Gap This Year: Flagler County’s Budget Prospects Brighten With Talk of Tax Cut
Countywide property values are expected to rise 5 percent this year and bring in an additional $2.3 million at today’s tax rates, reducing pressures on the budget and allowing the county commission to consider tax cuts and the expansion of services, including the addition of three firefighters.
From a New Branch Library to a West Side Fire Station, Flagler Commissioners Weigh Sales Tax-Funded Projects
Most of the $2-million-a-year sales tax revenue the county commission voted in almost two years ago is spoken for–a new jail, a new sheriff’s HQ–but a few million dollars remain spendable. The administration is proposing a long wish list that commissioners will now rank.
Woody’s BBQ Owners Take On New Restaurant at Bull Creek Camp, With County as Landlord
The Flagler County Commission unanimously approved leasing the restaurant and bait shop at Bull Creek Campground for $1,000 a month to JMC Food Company, a consortium of three partners who run Woody’s B-B-Q in Palm Coast, including Matt Crews, Joe Rizzo and Chris Zwirn. The restaurant opens in spring.
As County Library’s Purpose Changes, Commissioners Examine Expansion Plans
Flagler County Library Director Holly Albanese led county commissioners on a tour of the main branch Tuesday morning in hopes of persuading them to soon approve expansion plans in line with the library’s changing mission.
County Rejects Donations of Flagler Estates Lots, Seeing No Public Purpose in Acquisition
A divided commission rejected the proposal, 3-2, with Nate McLaughlin leading an adamant opposition that showed no interest in bailing out private property owners who made poor investments, or setting the county on a course that has no clear objective.
County Sharpens Its Authority to Close Public Lands, But Not Without Commission Input
County Administrator Craig Coffey formalized authority to close certain public lands, including Bulow Woods, Pellicer Flats and the old hospital in Bunnell, either for safety reasons or as lands are undergoing construction or conservation. Trespassers may be arrested. Commissioners wanted to ensure that the administrator would not close lands without their knowledge.
Unearned Audacity: On Economic Development, Flagler Tells Voters to Drop Dead
State law requires Flagler County to ask voters permission in a referendum, every 10 years, to give new companies tax subsidies. The Flagler County Commission wants to trash that law and let a supermajority of four commissioners make the decision for voters instead. It’s the latest example of a commission more enamored of its power than in tune with voters.
Under Pressure from Sheriff and Fire Chiefs, County Heralds Emergency Management Changes
Troy Harper, Flagler County’s emergency management director for the past four years, has resigned and will be replaced by Ken Guthrie, who was hired in September, leading to speculation at the time that Harper was on his way out. Harper denied it then.
From Prohibition to Gag Order: Flagler Commissioners Told to Shut Up on Tobacco Policy
Flagler county’s defensiveness regarding the new smoking policy underscores the shaky legal ground the local government stands on, and the likelihood of a legal and possibly costly challenge ahead.
Contempt and Deception: How Flagler County Sealed a Dirty Deal for the Old Hospital
In the end, County Administrator Craig Coffey and the commission insulted the public’s intelligence by claiming to have been transparent about the hurried and expensive deal to buy the decrepit Memorial hospital as they hid behind cherry-picked documents Coffey stage-managed to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion.
Cool to Sudden Roma Court Proposal, Flagler Sheriff Restates Preferences for Proximity
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre was surprised by an unexpected proposal from the owner of Roma Court, the chronically vacant strip mall on Palm Coast Parkway, to lease the building to the county for sheriff’s operations, and cited several factors that fall outside his preferred options.
Testily and Disparaging Local “Papers,” County Administrator and Commission Defend Hospital Buy
Facing a small but persistent barrage of critics over the $1.23 million acquisition of the old hospital in Bunnell, County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin Monday rebuffed the critics by attacking their sources or their information, though their own claims were at times gravely shaky, or outright wrong.
Commissioner Frank Meeker: Why I Voted to Buy the Old Hospital Despite Reservations
“Honestly, I can’t help but feel I’m being led, at times by the nose, to a conclusion to support the hospital purchase,” Meeker writes. “But fortunately for me, I don’t mind researching issues on my own.” In a broad-ranging discussion, he provides a point-by-point defense of his decision.
Sold: County Commission Votes 4-1 To Buy $1.23 Million Hospital in Bunnell for Sheriff
After some anguish, a lot of analysis and, on Thursday, a pair of meetings adding up to nearly five hours, the Flagler County Commission approved buying the old 60,000 square foot Memorial hospital, ending four years of wrangling over where, when and how to move the sheriff to a more central location.
Appraisals for Old Hospital Place Value at $1.5 Million as County Moves Toward Acquisition
The county wants to buy the old hospital in Bunnell for $1.23 million and use it as an HQ for the sheriff. Two independent appraisers have placed the market value of the old 81-bed hospital at $1.5 million, and an engineering firm that surveyed the hulking 60,000 square-foot property found no overt issues with the building aside from asbestos. A private consortium bought the building for $750,000 in 2003.
Pay an Issue as Flagler County Fire Chief Don Petito and Others Aim for Jobs Elsewhere
Flagler County Fire Chief Don Petito is one of a growing list of senior county staffers, especially in the fire department, who have left or are seeking to leave the department for neighboring departments where pay is significantly higher, a brain-drain issue County Administrator Craig Coffey has been warning county commissioners about this summer.
Facing Mandatory Spending, County May Raise Taxes by Nearly $100 for Median Home
In previous years, tax rate increases didn’t mean much because they were either entirely or more than offset by decreases in property values. The end result was lower tax bills for most, even as tax rates went up. That’s over. And tax rates are set to go up in every city, too.
“Fiercely Independent” Flagler Beach Says No to County Fire Services and $100,000 Savings
Flagler County is ready to take over the Flagler Beach Fire Department, provide a higher level of service that would vastly improve the city’s fire insurance rating and lower property insurance rates, and net the city a $100,000 annual saving, not counting capital savings, but the city is not interested for now.
After Pledging to End $20,000 Request, Second Harvest Asks Flagler To Double It Instead
Two years ago Second Harvest pledged that the annual $20,000 it was receiving from Flagler County government to pay for a food stamps outreach program would end this year. Instead, the agency today asked the county commission for $40,000.
Flagler’s Firefighting and Helicopter Costs Expose County Tensions Over Wants and Needs
Looking at the near certainty of a tax increase, Flagler County Commissioners Monday continued to wrestle with a budget submitted by their administration that is adding to their costs rather than making it easier to fill a budget gap, or keep taxes from increasing. But the administration argues there’s no room for going cheap short of eliminating services.
Sniping Over for Now, County and Palm Coast Appear to Move on Matanzas Woods Exchange
Palm Coast has the money to acquire properties affected by the Palm Harbor extension, but the city doesn’t yet have the money to build the extension toward the planned Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange at I-95. That hinges on the county making good on a series of promises.
Planning for Flagler’s Future, County Talks Library Repairs, New Fire Station and Jail
Expanding an overcrowded county jail, building a modern new sheriff’s operations center, upgrading an inadequate drainage system as urbanization changes the rural character of Flagler and improving fire and emergency medical response west of U.S. 1 were featured in the first of four strategic-planning sessions by the county commission Thursday.
Divided Flagler Commission Moves Ahead With $1.23 Million Option on Old Hospital
The vote to acquire the old 60,000-square-foot memorial hospital property in Bunnell followed a flash-lit tour of the building for the commissioners, but did not change the option agreement except to require an appraisal and extend the due diligence period to 90 days. The county would still be acquiring the building for $1.23 million, as is.
Other People’s Money: How Flagler County Is Closing on a Raw Deal at Taxpayers’ Expense
The proposed $1.23 million county acquisition of the old Memorial Hospital property in Bunnell reveals, especially in its fine print, its secrecy until now and gun-to-the-head May 6 deadline for commissioners to sign off on it, hurried deal-making that profits the sellers while exposing taxpayers to huge uncertainty and costs.
County Is Negotiating Acquisition of Old Hospital in Bunnell for New Sheriff’s HQ
Memorial Hospital Flagler’s dead years may be over if its current owners, who are politically well connected locally, can agree on a sales deal to Flagler County. The property is listed for sale at $1.75 million. It was acquired in 2006 for $750,000.
Between Flagler Beach and the County, a Clash of Visions Over Protecting an Eroding Shore
Flagler Beach and Flagler County may be heading toward a showdown over the fate of the eroding beach they have in common. Between now and then, the Flagler Beach City Commission itself may fracture on either side of an unresolved conflict between those opposed to protecting the beach by way of dredging up and dumping sand on it, and those willing to give that approach a shot despite its costs and uncertainties.
“So Happy You Guys Have Come Along,” Plantation Bay Residents Tell County and Bunnell
If questions lingered over Flagler County’s and Bunnell’s expensive and controversial acquisition of the Plantation bay utility, Plantation Bay residents dispelled them Thursday by enthusiastically giving their endorsement to the deal, though county and city commissioners are still facing questions from constituents beyond the development.
Flagler’s West Side, Tired of Black Sheep Label, Wants Better Fire-Rescue Services
Response time to emergencies in Western Flagler County can be very long, prompting west side residents to urge county officials to set up a more permanent rescue station there. Officials have been listening, and may soon have a plan.