- March 10, 2025
As Flagler Beach officials weighed the possibility of charging for parking within the city, their conversation was punctured with interjections and mumbling from an audience of about 40 residents.
Opinions were mixed: Some felt that charging for parking would bring much-needed revenue to a city facing a tight budget; others argued that the fee would be unfair to Flagler Beach residents and would drive away tourists.
The Flagler Beach City Commission discussed the issue and heard public comment for three hours at its workshop meeting Thursday, and ultimately directed City Manager Bruce Campbell to create a committee to further study the issue.
Charging $1 hourly to park in Flagler Beach could bring in $387,072 annually, not counting revenue from parking tickets, which could add upwards of $200,000 each year to that number, according to estimates Campbell presented.
The first-year costs for creating a paid parking system — in Campbell’s example, he used parking meters, but the commission could take another approach if it decided to start charging for parking — were estimated at $232,093. After that, Campbell said, enforcement and maintenance of meters would cost about $50,000 annually.
The estimates include revenue from a proposed 75-space parking lot on South Flagler Avenue and a proposed 24-space parking lot on South Fourth Street, which would increase the city’s parking capacity by 85%. The lots would be built after demolishing two city-owned buildings at a cost of about $200,000, Campbell said.
But Linda Provencher, the mayor of Flagler Beach, said Campbell’s estimates were off.
In the staff estimates, for example, funding for an employee to police the meters was priced at just under $25,000. That might cover the salary for one employee, Provencher said, but that employee couldn’t be expected to work all day, every day. The estimate also failed to consider benefits, uniforms and equipment.
Campbell also spoke of creating a tram or trolley system to transport guests from parking lots in northern and southern Flagler Beach to the downtown area. Those, too, would have to be purchased, staffed and would place liability on the city that needs to be accounted for, Provencher said.
Regardless, the commission agreed that the possibility of charging for parking needed to at least be explored as a way to pay for costs of policing and cleaning the beach and providing public services.
Commissioner Joy McGrew said Flagler Beach is an amenity frequented by many residents of other towns who benefit from the city without paying taxes.
“That cost is squarely on our shoulders right now,” said Commissioner Joy McGrew. “Our expenses keep going up, and I don’t want want my taxes to go up…. (Visitors) do get the use of our services that you, as a tax payer, are paying for.”
Commissioner Steve Settle added that the conversation about paid parking has elicited rumors about how it would work., but that he envisions a parking fee structure that would be free to Flagler Beach residents in effort to pass some infrastructure costs to those who use the beach but don’t pay taxes.
However, no decisions have been made about how any paid parking system could work. Commissioners discussed the idea of yearly passes, discounts for Flagler County residents and other ideas.
Dennis Bayer, who lives in Ormond by the Sea but practices law out of an office in Flagler Beach, asked that the city consider other ways of solving its revenue problems, such as only collecting garbage once a week.
Bayer said he and his co-workers would pay about $16,000 annually for parking. Not only that, but paying for parking would take away from Flagler Beach’s small-town charm, he said, referencing Budget Travel’s “America’s Coolest Small Town” contest, in which the city is a finalist.
Bayer wasn’t alone in his thought.
“Putting up parking meters, to me, kind of detracts from ‘coolest town,’” said Commissioner Jane Mealy, as the audience applauded.
Other citizens were supportive of the change, saying lack of funding in the city needs to be addressed.
“We’re so afraid to change, but if you do it very carefully, (paid parking) wouldn’t take away the charm of the town,” said resident Mary Louk.
Campbell will move forward with forming a committee to study the options and implications of paid parking. The committee will include city staff, two city residents and two city professionals. Campbell will accept applications for the non-staff positions.
The commission asked to hear the committee’s findings by the end of May. If officials decide to move forward with paid parking, it could be included in the 2013-2014 fiscal budget.
