- January 10, 2025
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The consensus was unanimous: Flagler Beach needs help.
Representatives from all of Flagler County’s municipalities gathered at Flagler Beach City Hall on June 21 to discuss issues facing the whole county. The main topic of discussion was overcrowding in Flagler Beach as more people visit or move to Flagler County.
“You’re right, you’re in trouble,” Beverly Beach Mayor Stephen Emmett said. “We haven’t had a problem yet, but it’s coming.”
Flagler Beach Commission Chair Eric Cooley said the problem came to the commission’s attention as it was looking at the city’s and county’s expected growth over the next five years.
Flagler Beach has little room to expand or change, he said, but the number of people coming to the beach is only increasing.
“This whole county, and then also the surrounding area, is all being funneled into this little, tiny piece right here,” Cooley said.
Cooley and Commissioner Scott Spradley asked their fellow governing officials for potential solutions.
This whole county, and then also the surrounding area, is all being funneled into this little, tiny piece right here."
— ERIC COOLEY, Flagler Beach City Commission Chair
The problem has several layers. The first is a bottleneck: State Road 100 is the county’s only non-toll bridge to the beaches and dead-ends on State Road A1A, amid Flagler Beach’s businesses and across from the pier.
That ties into the city’s parking problem. Parking is limited, Cooley said, and most of the spaces along S.R. A1A serve local businesses that draw tourists looking for amenities as they visit the beach.
But that also means that casual beachgoers — Flagler County residents who are going to the beach, but not necessarily the businesses nearby — take up parking spaces in front of businesses because there is nowhere else to park, Cooley said.
Emmett said his city is already seeing spillover at its beaches.
Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri suggested the city first gather survey data about what draws people to Flagler Beach, specifically. Easy access, lifeguards, nearby shops and amenities — Flagler Beach is the only beach along the county’s coast that offers all of those amenities, she said.
Cooley said the survey suggestion was one of several great proposals from the meeting.
“We don’t have the data about who’s on the beach and why they’re there,” Cooley told the Observer. “And it’s low-hanging fruit: It’s easy to do. It’s not expensive, and it’ll give you a wealth of information.”
The group also discussed ways to relieve the pressure on Flagler Beach by directing people to other beaches and parks along the coast.
We don't have the data about who's on the beach and why they're there."
— ERIC COOLEY, Flagler Beach City Commission chair
County Commissioner Leann Pennington said it would be worth talking with county staff about adding lifeguards at county beaches, while County Commissioner David Sullivan suggested looking at how other parks with water access and beaches are marketed.
“You’d think the people that live here a while, they would know,” he said. “But they don’t.”
The group also considered focusing development or economic growth opportunities around those other locations.
Pontieri said that as people arrive to develop or change over businesses, the city should try to direct them to areas where old restaurants or buildings sit to the north.
There was also a suggestion to look to state appropriations and potentially ask for funding for another bridge to the coast.
Pontieri said Flagler County may be behind in that area.
“It’s going to get stop-and-go very soon,” she said.
Sullivan said removing the tolls on the Hammock Dunes Bridge, operated by the Dunes Community Development District, would be a faster option, if it is possible.
“That’s a lot easier a project than trying to build a whole new bridge,” he said. “[The Florida Department of Transportation] would be willing to take responsibility for that bridge.”
The group also briefly discussed other topics brought forward by representatives from Beverly Beach, Bunnell and Palm Coast: affordable housing, the state of development in Flagler Beach, the status of the city’s golf course and sea level rise.
[This is] all of us trying to resolve a future problem that’s coming at us. It’s not you, it’s not us. It’s Flagler County and the towns."
— STEPHEN EMMETT, Beverly Beach mayor
Cooley said it has been almost 10 years since a similar joint meeting was held, and much has changed.
The meeting showed that everyone had an appetite to discuss and develop tactics, he said.
“I just think it’s important for us to get out of the silo,” Cooley said.
The group will meet again in a few months and will consider a quarterly workshop.
“[This is] all of us trying to resolve a future problem that’s coming at us,” Emmett said. “It’s not you, it’s not us. It’s Flagler County and the towns.”
