The Palm Coast City Council held an all-day workshop Tuesday, covering an unusually broad range of topics — from a deeply personal presentation about a new emergency medical program, to stark warnings about the city’s financial future, to a line-by-line review of the city’s Land Development Code that generated hours of discussion and dozens of proposed changes.
Public Comment: Election Concerns, Traffic, and Stormwater
The meeting opened with 30 minutes of public comment. Resident Jeanni Duarte, who is running for City Council District 2, raised questions about the legality of moving city elections from odd to even years in 2011, arguing the change was placed on a primary ballot rather than a general election ballot as required by Florida Statute 166.031. She also raised concerns about council compensation changes since the city’s incorporation, including a 151% increase, she said, which was approved in April 2022.
Resident Sam Royer asked the council to look into whether East Hampton Drive could be extended to connect with State Road 100, citing growing traffic congestion in the E-Section. Several council members said they had heard the same request from other residents, though Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri noted that the original development approval may have included a condition prohibiting that connection, out of concern it would become a pass-through route like Florida Park Drive. Council members agreed to ask staff for a follow-up on the original conditions and what emergency access options exist on the south side of the neighborhood.
Mark Webb, a longtime public commenter who told the council he is moving out of Palm Coast after selling his home to a young starter couple, used his final appearance to encourage residents to stay engaged in local government. “The power resides with the citizens and the voters of this city,” he said.
Resident Jeremy Davis continued his months-long effort to get answers about stormwater impacts from nearby development on his property on Parati Lane. He framed his concerns around Florida nuisance law, arguing that a condition that has existed for years and worsens after development warrants an explanation from the city. “A standard that cannot be demonstrated is not truly a standard at all,” he said.
File of Life: A Personal Story Behind a Free Program That Could Save Your Life
Flagler County Commissioner Kim Carney brought what she called a reinvented version of an old emergency program to the council’s attention — and shared the painful personal story behind it.
Carney told the council that when EMS arrived at her 92-year-old mother’s home last October during a cardiac emergency, her mother had a living will clearly stating she did not want to be resuscitated. But paramedics were legally required to resuscitate her anyway — because the living will, on its own, is not recognized by Florida EMS law. Only a yellow form from the Florida Department of Health, signed by a physician, constitutes a valid Do Not Resuscitate order in a pre-hospital setting. Her mother spent nearly an hour on a ventilator before Carney could return home, retrieve her paperwork, and get the order honored.
“I didn’t have this form. I had everything. I thought I had this thing locked in,” Carney said.
Working with Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Tucker, Carney helped develop the File of Life program — a reinvention of a 1989 California program originally called the Vial of Life. Community Paramedics Rob Arrett and Tracy Farmer presented the free program to the council.
The program provides residents with a magnetic envelope for their refrigerator, a clear window sticker for their front door, and a health profile form containing emergency contact information, medications, medical history, allergies, and DNR documentation. When first responders arrive at a home and see the sticker, they know to check the refrigerator for the packet. Pre-paid funeral arrangements can also be photocopied and included, so that if a resident with a DNR passes at home, their preferred funeral home can be contacted rather than whichever is on law enforcement’s rotation.
Arrett emphasized that first responders are bound by state and federal law to attempt resuscitation unless that yellow physician-signed form is present — regardless of what a living will says. The form must be filled out by a physician and cannot simply be self-prepared.
The program is free. Paramedics hand-deliver packets rather than mailing them, so they can answer questions in person. Residents can request a packet by visiting flaglercounty.gov/FCFR or calling Flagler County Fire Rescue’s community paramedic team.
Council members were visibly moved by Carney’s story and directed city staff to promote the program on social media and the city website. Mayor Norris shared that his own mother had a DNR and passed during COVID while he was hundreds of miles away in Florida.
Property Taxes and the Budget: A City Preparing for Difficult Choices
Finance staff Gwen Ragsdale, Raylene Bowman, and Helena Alves presented an overview of the city’s property tax structure and the Truth in Millage (TRIM) process ahead of the city’s July 14 general fund budget workshop.
Key figures from the presentation:
- The city’s current millage rate is 4.0893 mills — the third lowest among Florida cities with populations between 95,000 and 120,000.
- Preliminary taxable value for fiscal year 2027 is projected to increase 3.58% overall, but that increase is driven entirely by new construction. Existing properties actually saw a 1.25% decrease in taxable value.
- Maintaining the current millage rate would generate approximately $44.7 million in ad valorem revenue — only about $1.5 million more than the current year.
- Ad valorem taxes make up 63% of the city’s general fund revenue.
- Of every ad valorem dollar paid by residents, the city receives only 23 cents — down from 24 cents last year. Flagler County receives 45 cents and the School Board receives 29 cents.
- Public safety consumes 49% of general fund spending — up from 37% in fiscal year 2023.
The council then engaged in a lengthy and candid discussion about what the budget picture means for the city going forward.
Councilman Gambaro noted that while the budget has grown significantly since 2020 — by roughly $11 million between fiscal years 2021 and 2023 — much of that growth was driven by a post-COVID population surge that has now leveled off. He cautioned against relying on residential construction as a revenue source and called on staff to analyze how the city grew so quickly, whether current staffing levels are still needed, and whether a hiring freeze should be considered. He asked for a full breakdown of Holland Park settlement money, the appropriated fund balance, reserve levels, and any programs that were once grant-funded but are now drawing from general funds.
Mayor Norris raised his own concern about the city’s heavy reliance on residential property taxes — calling Palm Coast a “90-10 city,” meaning roughly 90% of ad valorem revenue comes from residential properties, most of which are homesteaded. He said he has publicly advocated for a full millage rollback and warned that if the proposed homestead exemption ballot amendment passes, the impact on Palm Coast could be worse than for cities with more diversified revenue.
Vice Mayor Pontieri agreed with those priorities and suggested that dedicated revenue sources — such as a fire services fee — could provide more transparency for residents about where their money goes, noting that a general fund “free-for-all” can make it harder for residents to track how taxes are spent.
The council reached consensus to have City Attorney Marcus Duffy draft an austerity budget resolution — setting formal guidance on core service priorities, administrative spending controls, infrastructure priorities, user fee considerations, procurement oversight, and debt management going into the FY2027 budget cycle. City Manager Carl Cote confirmed the guidance would be welcomed.
The council’s upcoming budget calendar: general fund workshop on July 14, tentative millage rate adoption on July 21, final proposed budget in August, and two public hearings in September. Workshops previously scheduled for June 22 and June 29 have been canceled.
Land Development Code Updates: A Day of Details
The majority of the workshop was devoted to five chapters of a comprehensive update to the city’s Land Development Code (LDC) — the document that governs all development within Palm Coast. Planning Manager Fong Wynn and Senior Planner Michael Hanson led the presentations.
The council was reminded that the LDC is the underlying framework that determines what can and cannot be built in Palm Coast, and that because the state has been expanding administrative approvals, projects that meet the LDC can sometimes bypass the council altogether. “This is where this is the framework for how all of that works,” Mayor Norris noted.
Chapter 2 — Review Authority, Enforcement, and Procedures
Key changes approved by council consensus include:
- Neighborhood meeting notice requirements will be standardized and strengthened. Applicants must now provide audio-visual equipment at neighborhood meetings, offer an online streaming option, and hold two neighborhood meetings rather than one. Most significantly, if a development falls within the required notification radius and touches a homeowners association, the applicant must notify every individual resident within that HOA rather than just sending notice to the HOA itself. Council members unanimously backed this change after Vice Mayor Pontieri described how notices sent to HOA-registered agents routinely disappear before reaching homeowners.
- Development order extensions will be reduced from three possible 12-month extensions to just one 12-month extension, to prevent projects from sitting dormant for years before reappearing with new demands.
- The rezoning reapplication waiting period will be extended from 12 months to 24 months after a denial, to prevent applicants from simply waiting for a new council before reapplying.
- Land Use Administrator transparency: The council reached consensus that when the city manager designates a Land Use Administrator, that designation should be made public — by resolution if the assignment changes — so residents and council members always know who holds those significant regulatory powers.
- MPD bonds: The word “may” in the section allowing the council to require performance bonds from master plan development applicants will be changed to “shall” — meaning bonds will be the default unless the council explicitly waives the requirement. Staff will also be required to explicitly state in any MPD staff report whether they are recommending a bond or not, so that future councils are always aware the tool exists.
- Prohibited use process: A formal process for applications seeking approval of uses currently prohibited in the LDC was established. These applications will go first to the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board for a recommendation, then to the City Council for a supermajority (4 of 5 votes) decision.
Chapter 3 — Zoning Uses and Dimensional Standards
The most significant change in Chapter 3 is the addition of data centers as a prohibited use throughout the city. Under the new language — drafted the morning of the workshop in response to council direction from the previous week — data centers would be prohibited in all zones but could be considered in IND-1 or IND-2 zoning districts through the prohibited use process, requiring a supermajority council vote. The council also reached consensus that any approved data center must include mandatory conditions such as a closed-loop cooling system and must bring its own energy infrastructure so as not to burden the surrounding community. Staff will add that language before the LDC wrap-up in July.
Other changes in Chapter 3 include:
- Short-term rentals are codified within the LDC consistent with the city’s existing ordinance.
- Vertiports — landing pads for advanced air mobility aircraft, essentially large-scale electric drones capable of carrying one to six passengers — are added as a use, restricted to non-residential zones away from residential buffers. The state is targeting a 2028 rollout for these vehicles, and the city is getting ahead of it.
- Tattoo, body piercing, and body art studios are changed from a special exception use to a permitted use in COM-2 zones, streamlining approvals for a use the Planning Board has consistently approved.
- Recreational facilities in residential developments must be permitted and under construction before the 25th building permit is issued, ensuring amenities promised to buyers are actually delivered.
- A new “quick lubrication and tire replacement” use category was added to COM-2 to better distinguish those businesses from full mechanical shops.
- Golf course view protection zones: Council reached consensus to direct staff to add language to the LDC clarifying that view protection zones established for homeowners living adjacent to former golf courses shall be maintained when the golf course land is redeveloped for other uses, as long as such a requirement is legally defensible.
Chapter 4 — Conditions for Specific Uses and Activities
Several significant changes were discussed:
- Garage size limits will be expanded. The maximum depth is extended from 30 to 40 feet, and the overall cap on garage space is tied to 50% of the living area of the principal home, for either attached or detached garages. This responds to builder feedback that Palm Coast’s garage restrictions were stricter than any other community they worked in. The change allows residents to store boats, RVs, and other large items on their own property in enclosed structures.
- Gazebos and pergolas will be treated the same as sheds for setback purposes.
- Fence height: The provision allowing the Land Use Administrator to grant height variances for fences beyond 6 feet — for health, safety, or environmental reasons — will be removed. Going forward, any request for a taller fence must go through the formal variance process before the Planning Board. An objective standard for height adjustments based on measurable elevation differences between adjacent properties will remain.
- Boathouse roofs will be allowed to use shingles when the principal home has clay tile or metal roofing, as long as colors match — codifying an existing interpretation.
- Accessory structure sizes will be capped at 50% of the living area of the principal dwelling to ensure outbuildings remain secondary to the primary use of the property.
- Live Local Act updates are incorporated to remain consistent with House Bill 1389, effective July 1, 2026, which changes several requirements around mixed-use and affordable housing projects, including allowing Live Local projects within non-residential portions of MPDs.
The LDC wrap-up for City Council is scheduled for July 14, with Planning Board adoption on July 15, and a first reading before the City Council in August.
This article is based on the City Council Workshop Meeting I transcript from June 9, 2026.
The post Palm Coast Council Tackles Budget Fears, File of Life Program, Data Centers, and a Sweeping Land Code Overhaul first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
