Flagler County commissioners moved through a long agenda Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, starting with honors for a 911 dispatcher and local veterans, then voting on a $34 million beach renourishment contract, and sitting through hours of public comment touching everything from animal welfare to a paused gardening program. Later that afternoon, the board returned for a special session focused on assessment rates and locking in its 2027 meeting calendar.
Before the regular meeting got underway, commissioners slotted two late additions onto the agenda: an emergency proclamation that extends a local state of emergency tied to severe coastal erosion, and a second reading of a one-year pause on new data centers in unincorporated Flagler County.
Recognitions and proclamations
The morning opened with a life-saving commendation for 911 dispatcher Crystal Long. Emergency Communications Center manager Denise Kakavalli presented Long with two awards after Long coached callers through CPR in two separate cardiac events, one on Feb. 2 and another on April 27, 2026. In each case, first responders later reported the patient regained a pulse. One commissioner called the job intensely stressful and thanked Long for staying steady under pressure.
Next came a proclamation marking Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day and naming August as Purple Heart Month. Veterans Services Officer David Lydon introduced Charlie Hanger, a Vietnam veteran and former Army combat medic who received the Purple Heart. Hanger, accepting the proclamation, told the board he’s proud to be a veteran in Flagler County because he feels the community cares about those who served. Lydon also brought forward Sean Myers, a retired Marine Corps master sergeant, on his first day as the county’s new veteran services counselor.
Commissioners also recognized Community Legal Services on its 60th anniversary. CEO Jeff Harvey said the organization has supported low-income residents across about a dozen counties since 1966, arguing that access to justice should not hinge on a person’s income. The proclamation cited more than 300,000 civil cases handled and over 1 million hours of legal assistance provided over six decades.
The last recognition came from the National Weather Service, which named Flagler County a “Tsunami Ready” community, only the third county in Florida to receive the designation. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Angie said the county met national benchmarks by mapping hazard areas, laying out evacuation routes, and placing signage along the beach. While tsunamis are uncommon in Florida, she said they are not off the table, pointing to a 1992 incident that damaged vehicles at Daytona Beach and sent 75 people to hospitals, along with events tied to 1929, 1918, and 1755.
Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said the county tried to get ahead of confusion by explaining the new signs early. He noted some residents dismissed tsunamis as a “West Coast problem,” but said the East Coast is not protected from the risk. Lord added that the designation earns points in the county’s Community Rating System, which can help keep flood insurance costs down.
Public comment: animals, gardeners, and other issues
Over two public comment periods, residents brought a broad mix of concerns.
On animal welfare, Cameron Orr, who serves on the Future Animal Sheltering Task Force, said an anonymous donor has offered 10 acres for a new shelter and thanked staff for laying out what approvals would be required. Wendy Tremarchi described recent cruelty cases and pushed for stricter local rules, along with an animal control operation run by the sheriff’s office. She also criticized the county’s handling of a case involving animals kept inside a hot storage unit.
Several speakers returned to the Flagler County Master Gardener Volunteer Program, which is on a one-year hiatus. Volunteers including Liz Ouimet, Priscilla Muller, and Teresa Healy spoke in favor of restoring it. Ouimet said the program started in 1994 with four volunteers and has since grown to 61, with 6,855 volunteer hours recorded in 2024. Muller pressed for answers on three points: whether the horticulture agent funding is stable, when hiring could start, and what the county can do to bring the program back.
Two residents, Priscilla Positano and Donna Beth Matera, asked the board to recognize Oct. 14 as a day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk and to place his books in county libraries during a week in October. Matera said her daughter followed Kirk’s videos. Commissioners replied that the county librarian had already been made aware, and that a resolution is something the board could take up.
Raymond Royer asked for help finding a permanent, public spot for donated plaques of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, arguing that a courthouse location would not be accessible enough to the public.
On data centers, resident Charles Hanger, a retired accountant, urged commissioners to do a hard look at costs and benefits. He said he doesn’t see a local “product” being sold that returns money to the county and raised concerns about power demand, cooling water, and pollution.
Jody Bollinger questioned whether a Hammock Harbor marina site plan complied with land development rules, pointing to buffer requirements, parking math, and tree removal.
Commission discussion of the concerns
Commissioners said a joint animal-related workshop with Palm Coast is tentatively planned for Aug. 27. They talked about revisiting local animal ordinances, including tethering, and agreed by consensus to have county legal staff review whether the rules are strong enough. One commissioner pointed out Palm Coast recently reduced staffing tied to animal control. Others said the county’s animal issues have been around for years.
On the Master Gardener program, county extension officials said the University of Florida and IFAS placed the program on hold for a year because the horticulture agent position, partly funded by the county, has not been filled, and because of budget uncertainty. Commissioners said they want more detail about the pause and the county’s role and left open the idea of a workshop. One commissioner said she doesn’t like a hiatus unless it leads to a better program.
As for the Hammock Harbor site plan, county attorney staff said the matter was resolved through a Bert Harris Act settlement, a process that allows a local government to reach an agreement that can differ from code when it serves the public interest. Staff said the case has already gone through litigation and appeal and is closed, advising against reopening it. Commissioners asked staff to verify that the approved site plan matches the settlement terms.
During the consent agenda, one commissioner called attention to the merit pay policy (item 7A), noting there is no merit pay funded in the 2026–27 budget. She still urged the county to keep up employee evaluations. The board approved the consent agenda.
Reach 2 Beach renourishment moves forward
Commissioners voted 5-0 to award a $34 million contract to Weeks Marine for the Reach 2 Beach Renourishment Project. Project engineer Hamid Tabassian said the work spans about 5.5 miles and calls for roughly 1.5 million cubic yards of sand, reduced from the original 1.8 million plan. Construction is expected to begin in November and last roughly four to six months.
| Reach 2 project detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Contract award (Weeks Marine) | $34 million |
| Overall project estimate | $35 million |
| Project length | 5.5 miles |
| Sand required | 1.5 million cubic yards |
| Original sand plan | 1.8 million cubic yards |
| Condemned seawall section | 2,000 feet |
| Construction duration | 4 to 6 months |
Tabassian put the overall project at about $35 million, with most of the money coming from state and federal sources, including FDOT agreements, FEMA funding, and a state hurricane recovery agreement. He said the state is willing to accept monthly reimbursement requests.
A major chunk of the discussion centered on the collapsed and condemned seawall at the Camp Town RV site in Beverly Beach, on private property. Some commissioners weighed whether to bypass the roughly 2,000-foot section. Coastal engineer Chris Creed recommended against leaving a gap, saying it weakens the entire job. He advised removing collapsed concrete debris seen as a hazard instead of burying it, and building the dune to the edge.
One commissioner kept raising concerns about the lack of interlocal maintenance agreements with Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach. Staff said updated agreements are already with each city’s legal counsel. Commissioners asked for monthly updates on funding as the project progresses. Residents also spoke, including Steven Wright, who urged the county not to delay after easements were signed months ago. Teresa Healy raised concerns tied to sea turtle nesting.
Wildlife sanctuary waiver
The board granted a waiver to Samadhi Wildlife, a nonprofit wildlife rehab group moving from Ormond Beach to a 10.44-acre site in southern Flagler County. The waiver addresses a code provision that would require sterilization of all animals kept on site, which the group said doesn’t fit its mission because most animals are rehabilitated and released.
Applicants said they have 11 permanent residents that cannot be released, including deer, a raccoon, a possum, and a squirrel, and that they house males and females separately to stop breeding. They argued sterilization can be dangerous for some wildlife, especially high-stress animals like deer. The vice president said the organization takes 70 to 100 calls a day and is the first to provide that kind of service in the county. Commissioners approved the waiver with a condition: Samadhi must submit a plan showing how it will prevent breeding among permanent animals.
Data center moratorium approved
On the second reading, commissioners passed a one-year moratorium on new data centers in unincorporated Flagler County. Staff said the pause is meant to give the county room to research impacts and write appropriate rules.
One commissioner asked that language referring to “large scale” data centers and “large load customer facilities” be removed so the moratorium plainly covers data centers of any size. The board adopted the ordinance with that edit. Officials also said a related Palm Coast project is currently described as a cable landing station, and not yet a data center.
Other items
County attorney staff asked for consensus to attend a Palm Coast City Council meeting on the city’s proposed westward expansion, consistent with a letter the county has already sent. Commissioners agreed, saying they worry some prior concerns have not been answered.
In commissioner reports, one member backed a nonprofit grant aimed at removing invasive species at Wickline Park. Another raised concerns about registered sex offenders listing addresses without property-owner permission and asked staff to draft a possible change to state policy. Another commissioner mentioned visiting Samadhi Wildlife.
Chair Leann Pennington said she met with Congressman Fine, who she said strongly supports beach funding. She quoted him as saying he loves the beach and will do everything he can to help. Pennington also said Representative Greco agreed to raise the county’s Reach 3 hard-bottom issue with the state. The board gave consensus for its coastal engineer to review and update the county’s 2023 beach management plan.
Afternoon special meeting
At 2:31 p.m., commissioners convened a special meeting and approved proposed special assessment rates, setting the maximum amounts that can be charged. Staff said Marineland Acres’ rate might be reviewed with engineering before a later meeting and could still change.
They also approved the 2027 meeting schedule with a few edits: January was reduced to a single meeting on the 11th, December to a single meeting on the 13th, and meetings were added in other months. Staff said they checked the calendar against holidays, including Jewish holidays, plus legislative and association events.
Near the end, Pennington said she had hoped to have a data center expert named Matt speak informally, but commissioners agreed that discussion should wait for a planned session where multiple experts, across different areas, can present. The board then adjourned.
The post Awards, a $34 Million Beach Project, and a Data Center Pause: What Happened at Flagler County’s Aug. 3 Commission Meetings first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
