- November 18, 2024
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Soon, Palm Coast residents will have an opportunity to flip the script — and knock on the doors of some Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, a corporation operated by the group, purchased the former FAA training center in Palm Coast on June 27 for $7.03 million. Previously, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University owned the facility and leased it to the FAA.
“We can confirm that Jehovah’s Witnesses have purchased the former FAA training center in Palm Coast, Florida,” Watchtower wrote in a July 8 email to the Palm Coast Observer. “We are still investigating uses for this facility that are in harmony with the purpose of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, as stated in its charter, to promote global Bible education.”
Watchtower also wrote that it doesn’t have an exact date when it will begin using the property, and that it chose Palm Coast for a variety of reasons.
“The Palm Coast region has many attractive features, including warm weather,” the group wrote. “However, characteristics of the property’s pre-existing structure, as well as its availability, made it a good fit for our needs.”
Tom Tallaksen, a realtor with Watson Realty Corp.’s Palm Coast office, closed the sale, according to a news release from that firm. The 13.45-acre property is located at 4500 Palm Coast Parkway SE, between Colbert Lane and the Hammock Bridge and was appraised at $8.83 million by the Flagler County Appraiser’s Office.
“Watchtower plans to use the site as a training facility much like the FAA,” the release states. “There are no major renovations planned.”
No change or impact upon tax revenue generated by the building is expected, said Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, since both Embry-Riddle and Jehovah's Witnesses are eligible for tax-exempt status. The Watchtower group hasn't yet applied for said status.
"We assume they're going to use it for some sort of church business, in which case they'd be exempt," Gardner said. "If they don't, we'll put it on the tax roll."
