- March 14, 2025
Renewal of the county’s 22-year-old half-penny sales tax will not be placed on a ballot this election season, following a meeting of the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, July 31.
To County Administrator Craig Coffey, who proposed holding on a public vote in favor of the commission establishing an alternative version of the current sales tax or new property tax closer to when the half-penny is set to expire in December, there is not enough time before Election Day to adequately educate residents on the issue. He also recommended deferring a public vote in order to give staff more time to work with the municipalities and address jail design issues.
Coffey proposed creating a referendum which would allow the public to decide to either pay for the jail through sales or ad volorem property taxes, as well.
“Then you would at least have a temperature reading from the voters about where they want to go,” he said.
But, for him, the sales tax is “a lot more palatable,” since it’s an existing levy. And certain residents, like Vincent Liguori, agreed.
“It’s in place, we’re used to it and we know it has a beneficial effect,” he told the board. “It is the path of least pain for the citizens.”
Resident Jack Carol was also in favor of voting the tax in now and “getting it over with.”
But, in the end, the issue was tabled, in order to iron out a distribution formula with the cities.
The Flagler County jail currently has 134 cells, compared to the jail in Duval County, which has 750 cells, although the county itself is double the size of Flagler.
Since the jail opened in 1990, Flagler’s population, as well as its crime numbers, have tripled, Coffey said.
“This issue is kind of too important … not to take the time it needs,” he told the board. “There are folks out there who think they’re going to go out there and vote yes or no on a jail. … (But we) know we have to do something with our jail. Palm Coast understands they’ve got to upgrade roads and drainage … The vote is: How do we pay for it?”
He also referenced Palm Coast’s proposed city hall, which was rejected by the electorate and still remains an item of contention in the city.
“You only get one crack at this,” Coffey said, in a follow-up interview. “We aren’t ready to go to referendum. We don’t have a plan. We don’t have any agreement with the (city of Palm Coast). We don’t (know) how we’re going to approach this.”
Based on a 2005 jail study, and with estimates adjusted down to meet current values, it will take the county about 17 years pay off a jail expansion. It will also increase jail operating costs about $1.7 million.
Since discussions about the sales tax have begun, the cities of Bunnell and Beverley Beach have agreed to a five-year phase-out from the current distribution formula and to a new formula, which gives the county a larger share of tax revenues. Flagler Beach also signed on for an eight-year phase-out last week, leaving Palm Coast as the only municipal hold-out.
“I have been working on (them),” Coffey told the commission, “and have had a fairly good reception from the city officials. … It sounds like they’d work with us. I just need more time.”
As for the board, most were in favor of educating now and voting later.
“We know from the past that if we have a limited amount of time or don’t explain the need properly, the public, properly, says no,” Commissioner Alan Peterson said, adding that, for him, sales tax is preferred since about 25% is paid by nonresidents.
The rest of the commissioners were not in favor of a public tax-preference vote.
Commissioner George Hanns also supported “biting the bullet” and putting the sales tax on referendum for the public to decide.
Chairwoman Barbara Revels supported skipping a vote altogether and renewing the sales tax that night.
“I was elected to do those painful decisions, and I’m willing to take that responsibility,” she said. “If there is no choice, why are you teasing (the public) with a vote?”
