- April 6, 2025
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The Flagler County Commission was set to consider a $10 million Florida Department of Commerce grant on Monday, April 7, to help with the relocation of Belvedere Terminals' proposed fuel farm development to Palm Coast.
But on Wednesday, April 2, the item was pulled by staff from the agenda.
According to an email sent at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday from Palm Coast Assistant City Manager Lauren Johnson to the Palm Coast City Council, the item's removal is due to the City Council's desire for a site selection analysis.
"During our discussions, we also engaged with Timothy Schwarz to outline the needs of this analysis and explore ways to provide additional information to the public," the email states. "As a result of these conversations, Ms. Petito has decided to remove the item from Monday’s BOCC agenda."
Schwarz is Belvedere's chief financial officer.
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito said in a phone call with the Observer that the grant comes with a 180-day window to acquire a site for the fuel farm. So, the city needs to make a decision on whether proposed parcel — located near the end of Somerset Avenue, about 0.7 miles south of a water treatment facility on Peavy Grade — is an adequate location for the project.
“We need the city to complete the site analysis and determine the best location — if it’s the one being proposed, or another," Petito said.
The county is only involved with the grant agreement, as it dictates the funds can only be awarded to a county, not a city. Accepting the grant now, when there is a question about the fuel farm's location, could make meeting the 180-day window requirement a challenge.
The email to the City Council was sent a day after Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri proposed the site selection analysis, at Belvedere's expense, instead of accepting the proposed site outright.
Amid resident opposition, Pontieri wasn't convinced that the project — which is slated for a property near the end of Somerset Avenue, about 0.7 miles south of a water treatment facility on Peavy Grade — would be built in the proper location.
“If this is the spot, this is the spot,” Pontieri said at the April 1 meeting, “but I don’t think we need to sell ourselves short."
Mayor Mike Norris, who is an advocate for the fuel farm because of the positive economic impact it can have on Flagler County, worried the survey would lead them to "lose" the project.
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