Lobbyist Laura Bear of the Southern Group presented the 2026 legislative session recap, noting only 12.5% of nearly 2,000 bills filed actually passed across three special sessions.
Key highlights included the governor vetoing one of Palm Coast's two water project appropriations, passage of a local government spending bill requiring a public budget reduction workshop and quarterly employee compensation reports, and the pending Amendment 3 property tax reform on the November ballot.
Council discussed potentially reappropriating the $124 million in state funds previously tied to the now-withdrawn westward expansion road project, with the mayor and vice mayor identifying SR-100, the Old Kings/Royal Palm intersection, and water production capacity as top legislative priorities; the mayor noted a 3–1 divide on pursuing the reappropriation (Gambaro dissenting due to risk of losing the funds entirely).
Criticism of meeting management practices: speaker argued that the 30-minute public comment window is insufficient, that presenters and agenda length should be restricted rather than citizens, that a resident was turned away from the podium at a prior meeting and never returned, and that public participation is being discouraged.
Also raised a question about whether reappropriated road funds can legally be shifted to water projects.
Invitation to the 'Connecting with Palm Coast' community expo on Thursday at the Flagler County Nexus Center in Bunnell, 5:30–7:30 p.m., hosted by graduates of the Citizens Academy class of May 2024.
Request for staff clarification on two issues raised by Retreat at Town Center residents: (1) whether the city has an outstanding responsibility for a pedestrian connection between the neighborhood and the Southern Recreation Center, and (2) the status of the planned amenity center in the city's review process.
Resident from the L section began to speak about a duplex and proximity to the golf course but was redirected by the mayor to wait for the relevant agenda item.
Minutes of the September 1, 2026 business meeting, September 8 workshop, and September 9 budget hearing were approved unanimously.
Vice Mayor Pontieri flagged an error on page 22 where the Cascades Flume tabling vote was recorded with the mayor as the sole nay when it was actually the vice mayor; the city clerk was directed to correct the record.
A $100,000 grant agreement from the city's economic development budget was approved to assist development of a 7.5-acre industrial site on Commerce Boulevard near US-1, south of Palm Coast Parkway.
Staff explained the grant covers wetland mitigation costs for a second of two industrial buildings (each approximately 40,980 sq ft); the first building already has tenants.
Funds are disbursed only upon certificate of occupancy for the second building.
Resolution approving the second amendment to the Interlocal Agreement for Public School Facility Planning was approved as part of the consent agenda without separate discussion.
Resolution piggybacking the Lake County contract with Alfred & Benesch Company for public safety consulting services (fire assessment fee feasibility study) was approved as part of the consent agenda.
Staff clarified the budget is $100,000 for fiscal year 2027, the study is authorized under the council's strategic action plan, and a fire assessment fee would require a future council vote.
Resolution approving a work order with Jacobs Engineering Group for potable water, wastewater, and reclaimed water hydraulic modeling services was approved as part of the consent agenda.
Utility Director Brian Rocher explained the original firm, Wright Pierce, completed about 25% of the work (raw water model) over 18 months but lacked staffing capacity to complete the remaining four of five models; Jacobs, with 45,000 employees, will take over at a total cost of approximately $616,000 compared to the original $450,000 scope.
Resolution piggybacking the TIPS contract with ClearGov for budget software and services ($43,000 first year, approximately $25,000–$26,000 annually thereafter) was approved as part of the consent agenda.
Staff noted the current budget software cannot meet new requirements under House Bill 1329, which mandates interactive online budget publication and quarterly employee compensation reporting.
Resolution sunsetting the Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee (BEAC) was approved as part of the consent agenda.
Vice Mayor Pontieri noted for the public that BEAC's responsibilities are being transferred to the Parks and Recreation advisory board (PREP), not eliminated.
Question about G.4 (Jacobs Engineering hydraulic modeling): asked what the reclaim water engineering details were.
Asked whether the G.3 public safety consulting contract (fire assessment fee study) would continue if Amendment 3 does not pass.
Also asked about G.4: why the original hydraulic modeling firm withdrew after completing 25% of work, whether the new firm's higher cost would cause timeline issues with the FDEP consent order, and what caused the original firm to underbid.
Two questions about the consent agenda: on G.4, asked what council would be able to determine about future growth and system capacity given that future flow projections are excluded from the $616,000 scope; on G.5, asked what existing system ClearGov replaces and what measurable improvements residents or staff should expect for the $43,000 annual subscription.
After G.1 was pulled and explained, asked what type of industrial use is planned for the buildings, specifically what 'industrial' means in terms of permitted activities.
Asked why the city is providing a grant to assist industrial site development and whether the benefit to the city justifies it.
Pam Lawler was appointed to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee as the sole applicant.
Sandra Shank spoke on her behalf, noting Lawler works for Mid Florida Housing Partnership and brings expertise in down payment assistance and first-time homebuyer programs.
Seven applicants competed for four permanent seats and one alternate on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board.
Six applicants spoke: Andy Dodic (retired consulting engineer, current code board member), Tyler Warner (Marine Corps veteran, 30-something), Adulus Evans (retired HUD community planning official, current AHAC member), an unnamed applicant with 40 years construction experience, David Blushki (local builder), and Jim Sugg (former electrical chief of Pembroke Pines and Broward County).
Written ballots selected Adams, Blushki (Blizowski), Dodic, and Evans for the four permanent seats and Tyler Warner as alternate; all were confirmed unanimously.
Five permanent members and two alternates were appointed to the Code Enforcement Board.
Veronica Reinhardt (23-year Navy officer, 100% disabled veteran), Plet Hatfield (incumbent), and Charles Roberts (incumbent chairman) all spoke; Joshua Parker was also appointed.
After a tie on the fifth permanent seat, Bill Romano was approved by motion because he and Jonathan Leman were the only two district 4 applicants; the motion passed unanimously.
Final permanent members: Hatfield, Parker, Reinhardt, Roberts, and Romano.
Alternates: Jonathan Leman and Christy Linquist.
Spoke in support of Pam Lawler's appointment to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, noting Lawler works for Mid Florida Housing Partnership and brings expertise in down payment assistance and homebuyer education.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described 12 years as a Palm Coast resident, 40 years as a consulting engineer working with cities and towns, and current service (fifth year) on the code enforcement board from which he would step back.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described nine to ten years of on-and-off Palm Coast residency, Marine Corps service, and a track record of fiscal responsibility.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described six years of Palm Coast residency, graduation from the U.S.
Air Force Academy (1981), an MBA from Regis College, and 30 years as a HUD community planning and development professional.
Also noted current membership on the Palm Coast and Flagler County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described 40 years in construction, a current CGC license, development experience in Indiana and Florida, and experience as an expert witness on development matters.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described eight years of Palm Coast residency, current work as a builder and renovation contractor in Palm Coast and Flagler County.
Applied for a seat on the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board; described 30 years in planning, development, and permitting including roles as electrical inspector during Hurricane Andrew recovery, electrical chief of Pembroke Pines (2008, largest growing city in U.S. at the time), and electrical chief of Broward and Dade Counties.
Has lived in Palm Coast about five years.
Applied for a seat on the Code Enforcement Board; described 23 years as a naval officer, 100% disabled veteran status, experience as legal, executive, and commanding officer, current membership on the Grand Haven Architectural Review Board, familiarity with city development code Chapter 11, and volunteer work as a UF Extension master gardener.
Applied for reappointment to the Code Enforcement Board; described one and a half years of prior service on the board and desire to continue contributing.
Applied for reappointment as chairman of the Code Enforcement Board; described serving as chairman for the past two years following the passing of longtime chairman Norm Mumford, and prior service as vice chairman.
Has lived in Palm Coast since 1996.
Ordinance amending the Unified Land Development Code received first reading and passed unanimously, with second reading scheduled for October 6.
Notable discussion included Vice Mayor Pontieri's question about buffer requirements between new subdivisions and existing infill lots; staff confirmed language requiring a minimum 15-foot buffer where new subdivision elevation is 2 or more feet above existing homes had already been added to Chapter 13.
A public speaker raised several technical concerns (freeboard rules, historical resource survey requirements, coastal view relief ratios, and AC unit screening rules), and staff agreed to address each specifically before second reading.
Ordinance prohibiting the transfer of the City of Palm Coast Fire Rescue Department passed unanimously on first reading with minimal discussion; staff noted the item had been fully workshopped and no changes had been made since that session.
Ordinance prohibiting direct potable reuse passed unanimously on first reading.
Utility Director Brian Rocher explained that 'direct potable reuse' is an industry term meaning treating municipal wastewater to drinking water standards and injecting it into a public water supply, distinct from the city's existing 99% reclaimed water irrigation reuse.
A public speaker raised concern that the word 'direct' leaves indirect reuse unaddressed; Vice Mayor Pontieri clarified the term's technical meaning.
Ordinance for the Lakeview Estates Comprehensive Plan Amendment (Application 5576, small-scale future land use map change on 20 acres of Tract 9 from green belt to mixed use) passed on first reading 3–1 with the mayor voting no.
The amendment would reduce remaining residential entitlements from 51 to 39 on the overall property while adding a site-specific limiting policy capping commercial intensity.
Second reading is scheduled for October 6.
Ordinance for the Lakeview Estates MPD Amendment (Application 5575) passed on first reading 3–1 with the mayor voting no, subject to applicant consent on three conditions added at Vice Mayor Pontieri's request: (1) deep soil boring of at least 18 inches with remediation language for arsenic before park conveyance on Tract 8; (2) the view protection zone on Tract 9 to remain 150 feet rather than the applicant's proposed 100 feet, with the applicant to work with staff on parking and landscaping flexibility on US-1 to make the geometry work; and (3) the VPZ language on Tract 3 to explicitly read as a minimum 50-foot buffer along the entire parcel boundary with existing homes, not to be cleared.
The applicant also agreed to convey approximately 100 acres of remaining undeveloped land to the city rather than using conservation easements.
Second reading is scheduled for October 6.
Raised concerns about land district boundary maps and descriptions disappearing from the city charter since 2018–2019, noting the charter shrank from 66 pages to fewer than 10, and asked why those pages were removed.
Raised multiple specific technical concerns about the LDC amendments: the interaction of the 2-foot local freeboard requirement with the existing 10-inch maximum drainage elevation rule; the historical resource survey requirement in section 1005.03 and its applicability to original ITT lots (estimated $8,000 cost); the 5-year survey validity cap in section 1005.02; the coastal view relief ratio formula in section 1302.03 potentially limiting lot coverage to 60 feet on intercoastal lots; and the mechanical equipment screening requirement in section 1303.04 potentially placing landscaping in drainage swale areas.
Expressed concern that the word 'direct' in the direct potable reuse ordinance is a loophole, arguing that indirect reuse (routing wastewater through a treatment step before distribution) is not prohibited and citing a prior tour of city water facilities where staff was reportedly one permit away from making potable reuse a reality.
Questioned the difference between nanofiltration and reverse osmosis and the accuracy of water quality reports.
Requested that future agenda presentation pages eliminate large black graphic elements for printer-friendliness and that pages be numbered.
Raised concerns about the Lakeview Estates item: maps have changed repeatedly, arsenic testing is not yet complete, the park may not be viable if the parcel is largely wetland, and approving entitlement transfers under current conditions may leave residents without the promised park.
L section resident whose property shares a line with Tract 9 argued that: (1) the developer agreed to the 150-foot buffer when the master plan was approved and is now trying to erode that commitment; (2) the park relocation to Tract 8 freed up high-value dry land on Tract 3 for new premium lots; (3) the developer is attempting to use the old golf course pond as buffer distance, effectively measuring from the far shoreline to put commercial uses closer to existing homes; and (4) the planning board recommended denial and council should respect that recommendation and vote no.
Asked how durable the site-specific limiting policy for Tract 9 would be for future owners and what public process would be required to change those limits.
Characterized the 3–1 vote on the comprehensive plan amendment as shameful, stated the council should table the MPD to October 20 to allow more time, criticized the change in schedule from October 20 to October 6, and expressed the view that maps keep changing and residents are being harmed.
Corrected the vice mayor's statement that no residents from Tract 3 had contacted the council: stated she had sent at least four emails to each council member about Tract 3, that the neighborhood has been slowly encroached upon despite earlier assurances that Tract 3 would not be built on, and expressed distress at feeling unheard.