The Palm Coast City Council held its regular business meeting on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the John Netts Community Wing of City Hall. Mayor Michael Norris presided, with Vice Mayor Pontieri, Councilmember Gambaro, Councilmember Miller, and Councilmember Sullivan all present. The session opened with two proclamations and the graduation of the city’s 59th Citizens Academy class, then moved into a full agenda that included questions about a new baseball league agreement, an update to the purchasing ordinance, a discussion on affordable housing, and a council consensus on historical site access for a major west-side land development.
Proclamations
Public Service Recognition Week
The council proclaimed the week of May 3–9, 2026, as Public Service Recognition Week in the City of Palm Coast, honoring more than 600 employees across 10 city departments who manage over 100 capital projects annually while delivering daily services to residents. City staff accepted the recognition collectively, with one spokesperson thanking the council and promising to share the recognition with employees throughout the week. “We’re in the business of doing things that really help people celebrate their life,” the spokesperson said. Council members echoed their appreciation, with one noting that city employees are neighbors helping neighbors. No formal vote was recorded for the proclamation, as it was read and accepted before the meeting was formally called to order.
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week
The council proclaimed May 4–10, 2026, as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, recognizing the local nonprofit Maternal Matters Favored for its work providing education, advocacy, and support to mothers experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders — conditions that affect up to one in five women during or after pregnancy. A board member of the organization accepted the proclamation and noted she is a mental health nurse practitioner who sees the impact of maternal mental health challenges firsthand. “They are not doing this alone,” she said of mothers in the community. Vice Mayor Pontieri shared a personal experience with postpartum struggles and praised the organization’s work. Councilmember Gambaro asked the city’s communications team to post about the proclamation on social media to broaden awareness. This proclamation was also read before the formal meeting opened.
Citizens Academy — 59th Graduating Class
Before the business meeting began, Mayor Norris and City Manager Marcus Fortner presented graduation certificates to 21 residents who completed the Palm Coast City Council’s Citizens Academy. Communications team member Shannon Martin was recognized for facilitating the program. Graduates had spent seven consecutive Mondays touring all city departments, meeting directors and staff, and taking part in activities including a visit to a fire station. This was the 59th graduating session of the program in the city’s history.
Public Participation: Affordable Housing Takes Center Stage
Two residents addressed the council during the public comment period, both raising concerns about affordable housing in Palm Coast.
Eddie Lang, a local realtor and resident, said that while he appreciates talk about the issue, action is what matters most. “When politicians tell me they’re working with affordable housing, it actually means nothing,” Lang said. He urged the council to look at fees and city-controlled incentives as the most direct tools available. Lang also invited the public and council to a free “Meet the Mayors” breakfast event hosted by the Flagler County Association of Realtors on May 13, where all local mayors will be present. He said registration is available at the Flagler County Association of Realtors website.
Carla Amaral, Vice Chair of the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, cited findings from the City of Palm Coast Housing Needs Assessment, saying nearly half of Palm Coast households earn at or below the area median income while the median home price exceeds $350,000. She argued the city is already subsidizing housing through tools like impact fee assistance, expedited approvals, and density bonuses — but without requiring affordability in return. “If public dollars are used, there should be a public benefit tied to affordability,” Amaral said. She asked the council to tie existing incentive programs to measurable affordability outcomes ahead of an upcoming report presentation.
Council members responded with a mix of agreement and context. Councilmember Sullivan noted that the housing affordability challenge is national and decades-old, saying he has not seen a “magic bullet” in 10 years in office. Councilmember Miller pointed to a recently approved development in which ICI Homes offered to donate 71 lots to a nonprofit to build at-cost homes for first responders, nurses, and teachers — a decision the council was publicly criticized for — as an example of private-sector partnership he would like to see more of. He also said the council has been moving away from density bonuses and impact fee relief, not toward them, and is looking at Land Development Code reforms as a path to making construction more affordable. Councilmember Gambaro urged the council to add attainable housing to its priority list for the next six months, following the previous day’s council retreat. Mayor Norris said he will not subsidize developers through impact fees. “We can’t neglect our basic utilities to subsidize developers, and I’m not gonna do it,” he said.
Minutes Approved
The council voted unanimously to approve the minutes from the April 21, 2026, business meeting with no corrections noted. Vote: 5–0.
Consent Agenda — Items Two, Three, and Four Approved; Item One Pulled
The council moved the consent agenda to the front of the meeting. Item one — a facilities use agreement with Palm Coast Baseball, Little League Baseball, LLC — was pulled for separate discussion at the request of Vice Mayor Pontieri. Items two, three, and four — which included a contract for fleet vehicle parts — were approved without objection.
On item four, the fleet vehicle contract, Vice Mayor Pontieri asked whether the city was simply assuming it was receiving the best price through a piggyback contract or still comparison shopping. Fleet Manager Matt Mansell confirmed the contract is not exclusive and that the city continues to price-shop, and that the contract also improves access to hard-to-find parts for F-550 and larger vehicles.
Vote on items two, three, and four: Unanimously approved, 5–0.
Facilities Use Agreement with Palm Coast Baseball, LLC — Tabled
After being pulled from the consent agenda, the proposed agreement with Palm Coast Baseball, Little League Baseball, LLC — which would allow a new collegiate wooden bat summer baseball league to use Field 2 at the Indian Trail Sports Complex beginning in late June — drew an extended discussion.
Parks and Recreation Director James Hurst explained the proposal: Palm Coast would be one of four host cities in a new league called the Orange League, alongside New Smyrna, St. Augustine, and Cocoa Beach. Games would run from approximately late June through late July. All other fields would remain open for public use, and the agreement is non-exclusive, with Hurst retaining final say on scheduling conflicts.
Vice Mayor Pontieri raised several concerns about the agreement’s language. She noted that a clause granting the new league exclusive rights to operate concession stands “during the term of the agreement” — not just during games — had not yet been cleared with Palm Coast Little League, which currently operates those facilities. She also questioned a provision requiring the new league to maintain the complex “in good working order,” asking whether that applied only to the specific field they were using or to the broader facility. A reference to the league being responsible for “policing the area” also drew comment, as council members said that word choice was unclear. Hurst acknowledged that some of the details had not yet been fully worked out with Little League.
Councilmember Gambaro said he wanted the city to hear directly from Palm Coast Little League’s Todd before the agreement is finalized. Several council members said they support the concept but want the contract refined and any potential conflicts with existing agreements resolved first. “We don’t want to create more problems in an arena where we already know we have problems,” Vice Mayor Pontieri said.
A resident who addressed the council during public comment on this item also raised questions about whether Holland Park — referenced in the agreement’s recitals — was an error, since the main facility being discussed is Indian Trail. Staff confirmed it was a typo and that the agreement applies only to Indian Trail.
The council voted unanimously to table the item until the May 19, 2026, business meeting, giving staff time to clarify concession arrangements with Little League, clean up contract language including removing the word “policing,” resolve the Holland Park reference, and confirm that the league’s start date of June 17 would not be affected by the delay. Vote to table: Unanimously approved, 5–0.
Purchasing Ordinance — Second Read Approved
The council held the second and final reading of Ordinance 2026XX, which repeals and replaces Chapter 2, Article 1, Division 3 of the Palm Coast Code of Ordinances relating to purchasing procedures. Budget and Procurement Manager Ragsdale confirmed two changes were made since the first reading: a clarification in Section 226 to specify that purchases are permitted if made pursuant to existing contracts, bid awards, piggyback awards, or sole source awards approved by city council and funded within the annual budget; and the addition of a new provision in Section 229 ensuring that bid protest bonds are returned once a matter is resolved, using consistent language with the rest of the section.
No members of the public came forward to comment. Vote: Unanimously approved, 5–0.
Council Matters: Historical Access for Radiant Land Development
Mayor Norris raised a proposal during council matters, asking the council to reach a consensus to authorize the city attorney to draft a memorandum of agreement with the developer Radiant — which owns large tracts of land on the city’s west side — to allow both the Palm Coast Historical Society and the Flagler County Historical Society access to those private lands to conduct historical surveys.
The mayor explained that historian Preston Zapp, who holds extensive historical maps of the area, is currently unable to survey the land because it is private property. The surveys would look for historical sites, grave sites, and other markers that could be preserved — including areas near the Old Brick Road, which the county has identified as the longest continuous brick road in the country. Councilmember Gambaro noted that a similar precedent already exists with a well-site exploration agreement with the same developer, and said the city wants to make sure nothing is missed — referencing past issues at a nearby sawmill site where historical remains were nearly disturbed.
All council members expressed support. The city manager and city attorney were directed to move forward with drafting the memorandum. The council reached consensus without a formal vote.
Additional Council Matters
Councilmember Gambaro encouraged residents to look into what he called the Helper Act, a federal bill with bipartisan support that he said creates a pathway for veterans to achieve homeownership. He directed residents to the website PassTheHelperAct.org for more information. Councilmember Sullivan said the previous day’s council retreat was productive and thanked his colleagues for participating. No other items were raised by remaining council members, and the city attorney and city manager had nothing to add. The meeting adjourned shortly after.
More information about the City of Palm Coast is available at www.palmcoastgov.com. The Citizens Academy program information can also be found on the city’s website. The Flagler County Association of Realtors “Meet the Mayors” breakfast takes place May 13, 2026 — registration is available at the FCAR website.
The post Palm Coast Council Honors Staff, Graduates Citizen Academy Class, and Debates Baseball League Deal Amid Affordable Housing Calls first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
