John Kvederis, a local small business owner, is running for Palm Coast City Council. In a recent interview, he discussed his background, his views on the city’s growth and infrastructure, and other issues facing residents.
Why He’s Running
Kvederis said his background as a small business owner makes him a good fit for the council. He said he knows how to manage budgets, evaluate return on investment, and negotiate contracts, and said he views city government through a business lens rather than a typical resident’s perspective. He said he grew up in Palm Coast and his family still lives there, adding that he doesn’t think anyone is more invested in the city than he is.
Kvederis said he decided to run this year after watching flooding issues worsen over the past two years and what he described as out-of-control development over the past five years. He said the city has added homes without a matching increase in high-paying jobs or commercial development, and that road and power infrastructure haven’t kept pace with growth.
Infrastructure as the Top Issue
Asked about the biggest challenges facing Palm Coast, Kvederis pointed to infrastructure lagging behind rapid development, saying residents are being asked to cover the resulting costs through stormwater drainage issues, utility rate hikes, and wastewater system upgrades. He said the city should treat developer agreements as a way to require builders to pay a proportionate share of infrastructure costs rather than passing those costs to existing taxpayers.
Property Tax Ballot Measure
On the statewide homestead exemption measure set to appear on the November ballot, Kvederis said he was initially supportive and remains somewhat in favor of it, but said he believes Palm Coast’s finances reflect more of a spending problem than a revenue problem. He said he supports reviewing city spending for cuts but would not support reducing funding for public safety or, as required under the bill, healthcare-related costs. He said he personally would benefit from the tax change through his own homestead exemption.
When asked whether he was concerned that the ballot measure does not restrict how future councils might offset lost revenue, such as through new fees, Kvederis said he could not guarantee what future councils might do, but said voters should closely evaluate candidates’ intentions before electing them.
Road Maintenance
On the city’s ongoing struggle to fund road maintenance, Kvederis said his approach would prioritize maintaining existing residential roads over new roadway expansions built to support new development on undeveloped land. He said his immediate priorities would include addressing the backlog of residential road resurfacing, adding turn lanes at congested intersections, and improving neighborhood street safety. He said developers seeking new roads or traffic signals to support new subdivisions should be required to pay for that infrastructure themselves through binding agreements, rather than passing those costs to existing taxpayers.
Utility Rates
Asked about rising utility rates tied to stormwater, wastewater, and water infrastructure projects, Kvederis said existing homeowners should not be required to subsidize infrastructure built to serve new development. He said he would push for developer agreements requiring builders to fund utility expansion costs upfront, and said the city should audit its utility department to look for spending efficiencies before turning to rate increases.
Westward Expansion
On the city’s long-planned westward expansion, Kvederis said the project is one of the most significant decisions in Palm Coast’s history and one he has closely followed. He said he supports controlled growth but opposes what he described as reckless growth, raising concern over developers seeking to increase the number of homes planned for the area from an original figure of around 12,000 to roughly 22,000, which he said could add an estimated 20,000 or more vehicles to area roads and increase strain on water systems. He said he would want binding agreements requiring developers to fund and construct necessary utility and infrastructure upgrades before building, and said he supports protecting environmentally sensitive land in the area, including what he described as designated wildlife corridors and historic roads.
City Manager
Asked about the city’s current city manager, who has been in the role for about a year, Kvederis said he has not reviewed the manager’s salary in detail but said a year is likely too soon to fully evaluate job performance. He said, based on his own experience hiring employees, it typically takes two to three years to see whether someone is meeting expectations in a leadership role.
Transparency and Council Dynamics
Kvederis said he believes there is currently a lack of both accountability and transparency at City Hall. He said posting large volumes of documents online technically satisfies legal requirements but does not achieve true transparency, and said the city should better translate complex topics, such as utility rate hikes, rezoning proposals, and charter changes, into terms residents can understand before votes take place.
On rebuilding trust in the council, Kvederis said the council needs to function as a cohesive team and said he believes the current mayor has not received adequate support from fellow council members. He said he would want the council to work directly with the mayor to determine what’s needed to serve residents effectively.
Closing Pitch to Voters
Asked why residents should choose him over his opponents, Kvederis emphasized his lifelong roots in Palm Coast, saying he grew up in the city and has lived there since the 1990s, unlike his opponents, whom he said all moved to Florida from out of state. He said that background allows him to relate personally to long-term residents’ concerns about the city’s direction, while adding he believes newer residents who moved to Palm Coast are welcome and that the city remains one of the best in the country.
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