- November 6, 2024
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Palm Coast’s government will soon be running a golf course and a tennis center.
The city is taking over the Palm Harbor Golf Club and tennis center from Kemper Sports, the management company that has, year after year, failed to bring the properties anywhere near breaking even.
“I want to see these become self-sufficient. ... I don’t want to hear any more how much they cost us every year.”
— Steven Nobile, Palm Coast city councilman
Palm Coast has been paying Kemper for management of the properties while also covering the shortfall when the properties lose money each year: In the case of the golf property, that has been about $300,000 or more annually for several years in a row, while the tennis center has been bleeding about $80,000-$100,000 per year.
The city, frustrated with attempts to work out a longterm contract with Kemper, has been operating on a month to month contract with Kemper. The City Council voted unanimously at its April 4 meeting to end that contract and push Kemper out.
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon told City Council members that the city will place the two properties under the purview of its Parks and Recreation department.
“Our No. 1 goal is to retain the quality of the amenities,” Landon said. “It has to be a place people want to come, and we have to maintain them at a high level. … And we’ll do that.”
Just one resident, Agnes Lightfoot, spoke about the properties during the meeting’s public comment period. She commended the tennis center’s current employees and urged the city to consider them as it makes changes.
City Councilman Steve Nobile said he was concerned that treating the properties as parks would decrease the push to make them more financially stable.
“They’re great amenities and we need them, but I really am concerned about moving them into a full-out amenity structure,” Nobile said. “I want to see these become self-sufficient. ... I don’t want to hear any more how much they cost us every year.”
Landon said that treating the properties as parks is not at odds with the goal of running them in a manner that is financially responsible. The city will hire a consultant to help it develop a business plan for the properties and recruit key employees, he said.
Landon said that the staff at the properties after the change will likely be a mix of city employees and contractors.
