If you look at your tax bill, you’ll notice that the smallest charge–usually in the $6 to $8 range for the year–is by an obscure authority called the Florida Inland Navigation District. Contrary to its eureka-like acronym (FIND) few people know about it. Fewer know what it does.
Aside from maintaining Florida’s 12-county portion of the Intracoastal Waterway in cooperation with the federal government, the single-most important navigable highway on the East Coast, FIND also underwrites grants that enhance recreational access to the Intracoastal: it’s big on public docks, boat ramps, piers and boardwalks, awarding $9.3 million for a few dozen such grants this year alone–$175,750 of that to Palm Coast.
If you’re among the thousands of people who make Waterfront Park in Palm Coast part of your regular pilgrimages through nature, then you know, or at least see, what the navigation district is about, and where your taxes are going: It paid for nearly half the $1.2 million that paid for the addition of a floating dock, a 65-by-100 foot concrete pad, and access to non-motorized vessels like kayaks, paddleboards, canoes and row boats, an addition that the city and FIND celebrated today with a ceremonial opening after nine months of construction.
“You can now paddle straight to paradise,” Mayor David Alfin told a sizeable crowd at this morning’s ribbon-cutting, speaking only metaphorically of course, “by approaching the park in kayaks, canoes, rowboats. If you don’t have a kayak or paddleboard, you can easily rent one right on site thanks to PADL kiosks installed right here.” (PADL is a self-service kayak and paddle board rental company that offers its wares at $25 an hour.) “We’ve enhanced the park with a new concrete boat ramp and floating dock watching pad. We’ve included a beautiful patio area with endless opportunities for recreation. And we fortified the shoreline with coquina, coquina and upgraded landscaping and added updated QR stations throughout the trail so you can learn more about the park on your cell phone.”
It was a succinct summation of the project’s parameters. The mayor also noted the Children’s Memorial Garden, created in 2010, as a sanctuary for local parents to remember the children they’ve lost. “It is one of the pure spots in Palm Coast,” the mayor said, “to soften the sadness for visitors looking for a quiet place of peace. I personally enjoy that peace.” (Alfin lost a son of his own.)
The city’s own park impact fees–the one-time levies on new construction that defrays the impact of new residents on the city’s parks–accounted for $462,000 of the project, the capital fund another $205,000, and FIND grants the remaining $533,000. Palm Coast and Flagler County were long represented by Jon Netts, the late mayor, on the FIND board: he was one of its 12 commissioners (one for each county represented) until his untimely death in 2021. But he was replaced by Randy Stapleford, a genial advocate for the county and the city who started his remarks with the right idea: “It is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to come back here and drink a couple beers,” he said, before his first legally required backtrack (drinking beer in public parks is, alas, not allowed, unless it’s the beaches).
“When I took over this job, the first project I had to deal with was no other than right here at Waterfront Park,” Stapleford said. He was “wowed,” in his word, by the extent of the legalities and agencies involved, which City Manager Denise Bevan helped him navigate. “She’s always in the background but always in the front,” he said, describing her as an “expert in every detail of every job, and she made every job very easy.” Quick on his feet, he backtracked a second time when he mistook City Parks Director James Hirst’s accent for a British one, when it is, in fact, not nearly as imperious: Hirst is Australian. “I love a British accent, but I love his even more,” Stapleford said.
The $533,000 check he presented today on behalf of FIND brings the organization’s grant total to $790,000 for the park, apparently not including that additional $175,750 on its way–that share to be devoted to phase two of the Waterfront project: a $600,000 parking addition that cleared an area large enough for 80 cars, adjacent to the park, while preserving one or two trees.
As for the dredging of the Intracoastal to accommodate aircraft carriers–a joke carried over from Stapleford’s appearance at Waterfront Park for the groundbreaking less than a year ago–he updated that one with reminders that not only is the USS Gerald Ford a sister city of Palm Coast, but since Sheriff Rick Staly’s visit to the USS Eisenhower, that carrier is now an honorary deputy vessel for Flagler. (For the record: The Gerald Ford draws 39 feet, the Eisenhower, 37, while the Intracoastal is usually about 12 feet deep.)
The mayor also recognized Mahmoud Saboungi and Saboungi Construction, the Ormond Beach-based company that built the project, apparently without a hitch–the latest of its many Palm Coast projects, including the Indian Trails Sports Complex and Ralph Carter Park–and that perhaps should look into getting in the splash pad business.
BUH BYE! says
Andy Dance just taking up space on the FCBOCC, another career politician to be voted
out on the next go round.
Smart guy says
I would love to know what the daily usage will be! I got a feeling that the return on the city’s investment (ROI) will show that this was a wasteful expenditure! The funding would have been better spent on our infrastructure that is struggling to keep up with the population growth. The only councilman that had a clue was Jack Howell! Where is he now that we need him?
Steve Vanne says
Yippee :)
Nunya says
The herschel boat launch is right down the road from here what a waste of money
celia pugliese says
Wholly agreed with Buh Bye and Nunya. A waste of 1.2 millions simply because here we have the head of engineering department asking always for the wrong grants. This project to benefit mostly those no intracoastal front in gated Grand Heaven next door to it. Meanwhile the Creek Preserve Park off Palm Harbor Parkway lacks bathrooms…we are supposed to use tghe woods while launching canoes, kaya there? Florida Park Drive after Cote had spend thousands in engineering design and Lassiter traffic studies and long hours of engineering Department, Greenwald and staff working and meeting with affected residents at the community center and after all that spending of our hard earned taxes that was already budgeted by the Holland administration $300,000 …the two islands scraped scraped by Cote, Alfin and past council for a bid of $242,000. Meanwhile Cote is destroying with excuses of enhancing safety and $1.6 millions of our hard earned taxes, the beautiful White View Parkway gorgeously designed and built by ITT to make it from two to one lane…”in a growing city” . Also now to dredge and expand the London Drive water way and dig a retaining pond off of it, Cote and Morales of engineering come up with a bid of 5 millions higher than the original cost proposed by a paid engineering consultant from Orlando then in January 2023 at 4 millions total and now increased at almost 10 millions cost…”and contract approved by council” to the same contractor that takes forever the over two years repair of the sidewalk and bridge on East Belle Terre next to the schools! What is wrong with this picture one more of many if we add the Holland Park splash pad, etc.? Is time that city buys its own dredging equipment hire public works employees (creating needed jobs) and dredges, weeds and maintains our fresh and saltwater canals in house saving us millions and does it in a continues basis, slowly but surely! These millionaire overpriced contracts need the magnifying glass oversight and” that is not micromanaging is monitoring were our hard earned taxes are being dilapidated!” What is wrong with this picture. Meanwhile old Palm Coast is denied a 2 traffic calming island in Florida Pak Drive that would have help with the over speeding traffic of over 9,000 vehicles a day to which now, they want to add a Wawa fuel depot (brain storm of the community development director) to it that will increase traffic from 76 current units to 276 units and the potholes developing in Palm Coast Parkway are not repaired while Cote’s engineering decided to repay Seminole Woods were neighbors say wasn’t needed as the pavement was in perfect condition no cracks no potholes! Again, do we all see something wrong with this picture? Also lately look at all the engineering projects presented except Belle Terre are all South of 100 including the silent needles repaving of Seminole Woods Parkway! Meanwhile we been begging for over 15 years for traffic calming item in Florida Park Drive to no Avail and the desperately needed widening of Old Kings Road going a turtle pace will enter only face 2 and no completion funded yet after over 20 years delayed. Why? because they are asking for all the wrong grants like the 25 millions expansion of Matanzas Parkway West of Rte 1 to benefit vacant land owners and developers. Meanwhile our streets (outside of the developers favoring streets current millionaire projects) in the C, F, B PH and other sections are cracking with weeds growing on them cracks and potholing including our major Palm Coast Parkway which its only city project for improvement is trying to approve a Wawa in its east side median the same block of a Race Track and a Shell. Good way to destroy the beautiful Palm Coast built by ITT that made us move here! 2024 will be here sooner that we think and we need change. we need to heard. We do not need any more rezoning approvals like the Harborside denying our old Palm Coast of the resort destination we had when ITT attracted us here that created over 300 jobs and the wonderful amenity we all enjoyed and the Flagler bar were we all knew each other and socialized on arrival feeling like we were in Cheers ! Rezoned by council approval from 5.5 units to almost 22 units per acre…a disgrace! https://flaglerlive.com/harborside-developer-still-wants-more/#gsc.tab=0
dave says
Agree and I’ve been using that one for years for my boat and my kayaks. Kinda of a head scratcher on this new kayak launch.
can'tfoolme says
But is the kayak launch handicap ascessible for those who can only only enter and exit the kayak before entering the water [ex: rollers or tracks down the ramp for those of us who have lower body disabilities but are able to row once we’re in the water]? If not, it is of no more use than any of the other launches around here.
BUH BYE! says
Celia Pugliese: as the saying goes ” out with the old and in with the new”
and don’t vote for the crossovers (city to county) or for the ones running
for reelection, why would anyone unless they have special interest
in mind.
BUH BYE! says
Celia Pugliese: I would like to add that I had voted for Andy Dance seemed like a
good fit on the FCBOCC at that time but since then I had learned that he owns
a architecture and consulting firm here in Palm Coast Andy S. Dance and Assoc.
LLC, which I find to be IMHO a conflict of interest for Mr. Dance to hold this
position as a seated commissionersince he does deal with developers and the likes.
It is also know that he has voted on agendas that are not in the best interest of
the taxpayers and citizens in Palm Coast. His wife also is the assistant to Heidi
Petito and is a hardworking wonderful person who I adore but this still may
influence some of his decisions, he should have thought of this before running
how much power and influence is a person to have in this county plus hold
a powerful position does not appear to be in all fairness for all of the
communities not just the one he resides in.