- January 19, 2025
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Updated 2:30 p.m. July 28
Four people have applied to fill the District 2 Palm Coast City Council seat vacated by councilman Jack Howell, who stepped down on July 9 due to a recurrence of cancer. The City Council at a July 28 meeting agreed that it will interview three of the four applicants during a council meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 4.
The appointment will be for only a few months, as the seat will be opened up for election in November, and the person elected will serve the remaining two years of the term. The city has asked that people who apply for the temporary appointment not run in the election.
Of the four applicants, one — Jon Netts, a former Palm Coast mayor and city councilman — has held elected office in the past, according to the applicants' application submissions.
The application window for the position closed at noon on July 24. The people who have applied for the temporary appointment, according to the application materials, are:
The City Council decided at a July 14 meeting that it would shortlist candidates on July 28, then interview shortlisted applicants and make a final selection on Aug. 4.
At the July 28 meeting, Councilman Eddie Branquinho raised the possibility of simply selecting an applicant that day, since the list of applicants was short to begin with. But other council members wanted to hold interviews.
"It’s tempting to just say, 'Well, you’re not going to find anybody with much more experience on the job than former Mayor Netts,' and I have no doubt that he could do the job without missing a beat," Councilman Bob Cuff said. "But Mr. Hilton and one of the other applicants, I think, are qualified and at least deserve our consideration."
The council agreed unanimously to interview Netts, Hilton and Schreiber during the Aug. 4 meeting.
As of July 28, three people — Victor Barbosa, David Alfin and Jarrod Maxwell— have filed to run for the District 2 seat in the November election.
