Urban Forester Carol Minnie presented the sixth annual Health and Safety Employee Calendar awards, recognizing children of city employees who submitted artwork on health and safety themes.
Awards were given across staff-favorite, honorable mention, and age-category placements (3–6, 7–10, 11–14), with Davis Pence, age 7, winning both first place in the 7–10 category and the overall calendar cover award, receiving a plaque.
Speaker described the Tunnel to Towers run held the previous Saturday, noting over 300 participants, and presented Mayor Alfin with a medal the speaker felt the mayor deserved for walking the route alongside him in a prior year despite the speaker falling and the mayor helping him up.
Speaker raised concerns about road conditions, stalled widening projects, traffic on residential roads including Florida Park Drive, citywide drainage failures, wetland loss, and proposed a 'damage recovery fee' on new home construction permits to fund repair of flooding damage to adjacent existing properties caused by builder grading errors and city oversight failures.
Speaker read a definition of government ethics covering public interest, conflicts of interest, transparency, and political ethics, and stated that council members are not practicing government ethics, referencing a 151% salary increase that council voted for and charging taxpayers for it.
Speaker raised three issues: flooding in the B-section caused by new construction drainage directed onto adjacent lots; a proposed $110 water bill base charge; and worsening traffic, criticizing the mayor for making commitments that were not kept and stating the speaker had contacted the Governor's office.
Speaker expressed gratitude that the Diamond Communications cell phone tower special exception application for a location near C-section homes had been withdrawn, thanked city staff and Council Member Pontieri for working on alternative tower locations, and asked that no future tower be placed within 150–300 feet of homes.
Speaker representing the Palm Coast Professional Firefighters stated the union declared impasse in December 2023 over pension negotiations after a workshop request was denied, that both parties agreed to bypass a special magistrate, and requested that council schedule a public impasse hearing as budget season approaches.
Speaker thanked Council Member Pontieri for the cell tower withdrawal near C-section homes, explained how towers 150 feet from homes affect health and property values, urged the city to enforce its building height ordinance (Chapter 241c through e) to prevent new homes from draining onto adjacent lots, and asked council to hear residents on flooding issues.
Speaker thanked Council Member Pontieri for initiating a traffic study on Point Pleasant Drive for speeding, described speeders returning after initial compliance, advocated for speed humps as an effective solution, asked about colored utility flags placed on the street without resident notification, and requested a notification system for upcoming city work.
Speaker opposed water rate increases, noted personal experience with swales filling and water reaching a neighbor's home, linked flooding to deforestation from rapid development, and argued that increasing housing supply faster than demand is depressing property values and creating unsellable homes for flood-affected residents.
Speaker requested council revisit legalizing backyard chickens, disputing previous reasons given for rejecting the idea including property value impacts and effects on special-needs children, arguing that studies show chickens do not lower property values and that the speaker's special-needs daughter benefited from interaction with chickens.
Speaker stated that swales on her street have not been serviced in 32 years despite residents paying stormwater fees, questioned where the money is going, and demanded a forensic audit be completed before any further utility rate increases are sought, citing a lack of transparency.
Speaker described ongoing flooding damage to his property from a neighboring home built four feet higher, stated that a grader contractor told him water cannot be made to run uphill, said the proposed swale remediation system will deteriorate over time, and invoked his military oath to argue that allowing the higher construction violated his constitutional right to pursue happiness by destroying his wife's backyard privacy.
Speaker thanked Council Member Pontieri for getting a street light repaired after three months and raised ongoing concerns about traffic volume and noise on Florida Park Drive, which is being used as a cut-through for Palm Harbor Parkway and Palm Coast Parkway, causing nighttime noise that harms residents' sleep and, per scientific studies, children's cognitive development.
Speaker from B-section described ponding in her backyard, silt fence failure causing soil erosion onto her property, swales retaining water, and trash blowing from the construction site next door.
She stated that the builder (Stella Living) failed to honor commitments, questioned whether the city could stop slab pouring when height was already known to be too high, and challenged the proposed 22-inch maximum height differential as inadequate, calling for a revisit of that standard.
She also requested information on how much stormwater grant and fee revenue the city has received and where it was spent.
Speaker (second comment, different topic) described flooding in her F-section home from an adjacent lot built higher over 20 months with no city staff follow-up, questioned who is running the city, suggested that neighbors be notified before lots are cleared for new construction, and criticized utility rate increases as unaffordable.
Speaker (second comment, different topic) asked how much stormwater infrastructure grant funding the city has received, how much has been spent, and where it was spent, alleging that funds are disproportionately directed to the west side of the city.
She also stated that a home on Presner Lane is being occupied without a certificate of occupancy, that she reported it the same day and nothing happened, and requested a public accounting of storm water revenues and expenditures.
Speaker (second comment, different topic) raised concerns about deforestation from rapid growth leading to greater flooding, arguing that trees and native plants absorb water far better than sod, that the housing market is oversaturated, and that flood-damaged homeowners cannot sell their homes when competing with new builds that also depress values.
Staff presented the second reading of an ordinance expanding The Landings CDD boundaries to a combined 56.86 acres, noting the revised petition corrected the projected unit count to match the entitled 913 residential units as requested at the December 5 first hearing.
Staff found the petition compliant with all six factors under Florida Statutes Chapter 190 and recommended approval.
Public commenters raised questions about CDD infrastructure funding, traffic impacts, and impact fees; staff explained that CDD residents pay the same impact fees as any other new construction and that traffic analysis occurs at the site-plan stage.
Council Member Klufas moved approval; Vice Mayor Danko seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Staff presented the second reading of the second amended and restated Town Center PUD development agreement, noting that a clarifying change requested at the January 16 first reading had been incorporated: conversions of non-residential to residential units may only occur within the urban core area and only in mixed-use buildings required to maintain a 25%/75% commercial-to-residential ratio.
The applicant (represented by Michael Chiumento) described a forthcoming 204-unit mixed-use building at Bulldog Drive and Central Avenue.
Public comment focused on concerns about over-conversion to residential, developer campaign contributions, and the slow pace of commercial development in Town Center.
Vice Mayor Danko moved approval; Council Member Klufas seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Speaker again raised a conflict-of-interest allegation regarding a developer named Douglas contributing to council members' campaigns while council votes on Town Center PUD amendments, argued the city is being developed too quickly without adequate schools, hospitals, or doctors, and questioned whether council members experience the same daily infrastructure conditions as residents.
Speaker expressed concern that Town Center PUD amendments allow additional residential conversions, asked what happened to the MedNexus University facility the city contributed $1.2 million toward, questioned whether the city's lots behind the AT&T tower could be used for homeless facilities under a new state bill, and stated that Town Center is predominantly condominiums rather than the originally envisioned mix of uses.
Speaker expressed concern that the Palm Coast housing market is oversupplied, welcomed any commercial activity in Town Center, but objected to continued amendments converting commercial to residential uses, and warned that if the trend continues Town Center will become only apartment complexes rather than a walkable mixed-use district.
Speaker stated that Palm Coast and Flagler County have among the highest unemployment rates in Florida, questioned whether the city is providing enough high-paying jobs to support families being recruited here, and urged council to re-evaluate the balance between residential development and job creation before approving more housing.
Speaker stated that Town Center is being ruined by low-income and Section 8 apartments, claimed a police officer is stationed there 24 hours a day due to crime, and asked whether the developer on the Board of Supervisors of various CDDs represents a conflict.
Speaker asked whether it is appropriate for developer Jeff Douglas and his associates to sit on CDD Boards of Supervisors while also being the developer, noting she found his name on multiple CDD boards.
Code Enforcement Manager Barbara Grossman and Zoning Supervisor Tracy Doe presented the first reading of an ordinance amending ULDC Chapter 4 to create a one-time registration process for floating vessel platforms on city-owned saltwater canals, as required by Florida Statutes §403.813.
The ordinance maintains existing dimensional standards (10-foot setbacks, 12-foot limits on 80-foot canals, 16-foot limits on 100-foot canals), prohibits floating docks on freshwater canals, and requires a $50 fee plus a license agreement.
The Planning and Land Development Regulation Board recommended adoption 5-1.
Public commenters included a resident proposing a 20-foot allowance and another commending the enforcement effort and suggesting a city patrol vessel.
Council Member Pontieri asked detailed questions about riparian rights and navigability; city attorney confirmed the ordinance is consistent with state law.
Vice Mayor Danko moved adoption; Council Member Klufas seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Speaker praised Code Enforcement Manager Barbara Grossman's work and described personally witnessing a large floating dock that had come loose and drifted down a canal, which was ultimately retrieved after the owner was located through social media.
Speaker also advocated for the city to acquire a small patrol vessel for waterway enforcement and to address deteriorating seawalls that are causing silt to erode into canals.
Speaker previously submitted concerns about the ordinance and proposed that floating vessel platforms be allowed within the first 20 feet of the waterway rather than the 12- or 16-foot limits, arguing this is consistent with the city's own technical manual navigation standards and would accommodate most existing platforms while not impeding riparian rights of adjacent owners, since the proposed perpendicular mooring language is a new change not previously highlighted publicly.
Speaker suggested the city partner with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office marine unit on regular waterway patrols to identify non-compliant floating docks rather than relying solely on code enforcement staff viewing from road rights-of-way, and asked whether additional penalties similar to parking tickets could be created for non-compliant boat owners who refuse to cooperate.
Stormwater Engineering Director Carl Cody presented a $725,000 change order with Custom Built Marine Construction, the London Waterway Stormwater Expansion Project contractor, to clear and grade the future Maintenance Operations Center site and stockpile approximately 240,000 cubic yards of excavated fill there (and 20,000 cubic yards at the Southern Recreation Center site), saving an estimated $2.9 million in future fill-purchase costs.
The change order is split between the London Waterway project contingency and the MOC capital budget; the London Waterway project is funded primarily by American Rescue Plan Act funds and a St.
Johns River Water Management District grant expiring in September 2024.
Council Member Pontieri clarified that the expenditure advances costs that would have been incurred in a later phase regardless.
Council Member Klufas moved approval; Vice Mayor Danko seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Speaker questioned whether the London Waterway and MOC change order expenditures come from the $25 million state appropriation or from the general fund, expressed concern about prioritization of large capital projects over basic infrastructure like swale maintenance, traffic calming, and sidewalks, and asked how the city is paying for all these millions while basic needs go unmet.
Speaker stated that large spending on capital projects does not make sense while swales are not maintained, roads are deteriorating, and students on Park View Drive have no sidewalks to walk to school, and asked council to make the spending priorities make sense to residents.
Carl Cody presented a resolution approving a $31.5 million FDOT state-funded grant agreement for the Matanzas Woods Parkway Extension West Phase 2 project, with the state providing up to $25 million and the city providing a $6.5 million match funded by transportation impact fees.
Design is 90% complete, right-of-way acquisition from Forestar is underway, a Florida East Coast Railway crossing agreement is in process with Bunnell, and conservation easement release from the St.
Johns district is being finalized.
No public comment was offered.
Vice Mayor Danko moved approval; Council Member Klufas seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Carl Cody presented a companion resolution approving a $450,000 deposit to Florida Power and Light to initiate design and a detailed cost estimate for relocating overhead transmission lines required by the Matanzas Woods Parkway Extension West Phase 2.
FPL's September 2023 preliminary (non-binding) estimate was $3.3 million.
Council Member Pontieri sharply criticized FPL for providing only a ballpark estimate while charging $450,000 for a detailed one, and council directed the city manager to engage FPL to express dissatisfaction and seek better communication practices.
Cody confirmed the deposit is reimbursable under the FDOT grant and that the DOT agreement is expected to be fully executed by end of February.
Vice Mayor Danko moved approval; Council Member Klufas seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Speaker asked whether the $450,000 FPL deposit is within the grants being received for the Matanzas road project, was told it is reimbursable, and stated that is all she needed to know.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: a purchase-and-sale agreement with Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group for land needed for the Matanzas Woods Parkway Extension West Phase 2 right-of-way, funded as a reimbursable expense under the FDOT grant.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: an easement agreement with Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group related to the Matanzas Woods Parkway Extension West Phase 2 project.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: a joint maintenance easement agreement with the Seminole Palms Community Development District.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: purchase of one Caterpillar 305 excavator.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: master price agreements with Environmental Land Services, Inc. and Hobbs Land Development for aggregates and road materials.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: a master price agreement with Brenntag Mid-South, Inc. for 25% sodium hydroxide.
Consent item approved as part of the omnibus consent agenda: piggybacking the OMNIA contract with PlayCore Wisconsin for playground and outdoor fitness equipment and related products.
Speaker addressed a new topic: questioned the city attorney's obligation to protect the public interest and not solely the council's interest, stating this responsibility can fall on the attorney personally if city officials violate Florida statute.
Speaker praised the lunch-and-lecture series and the city manager's participation, requested that document-shredding events be scheduled roughly every four months possibly at Food Truck Tuesday, reported that both Jeremiah's Ice Cream and Tiana Flats told him they wanted to open earlier but were waiting on the city, and asked council to be aware that online audio quality makes it hard to hear speakers at times.
Speaker asked whether CDD residents would stay within the CDD boundaries and not use city infrastructure, and questioned when the traffic study for The Landings project was conducted and where, expressing concern about CDD residents adding traffic to city roads.
Speaker asked what impact fees the Landings CDD project is paying for city services outside the CDD boundary, arguing that existing residents are being asked to pay for growth through utility rate increases, and requested that future large development approvals include a public accounting of impact fees collected versus city infrastructure expenditures required.
Speaker alleged a conflict of interest, stating that the developer associated with the CDD application contributed to council members' campaigns, and criticized the council for approving additional density while residents deal with flooding.