- January 17, 2025
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Should Palm Coast continue to have a homeowners association philosophy? The city’s new mayor, Mike Norris, weighed in on that question Jan. 17 on WNZF News Radio's Free For All Friday.
The City Council agreed in separate meetings this month to revisit Palm Coast’s codes limiting house colors to light pastels, beige and gray with a light reflective value of 80 or more; and banning commercial work vehicles with signs parked in residents’ driveway overnight.
“This is what I would say,” in answering the question posed by Observer Publisher Brian McMillan on the show. “Palm Coast is not an HOA.”
McMillan, filling in for host David Ayres, noted that past City Councils have tried to remain true to he origins of Palm Coast created as a destination for retirees who wanted to play golf and enjoy other amenities in a clean environment.
Norris challenges that notion of the current makeup of the city.
“This is a working class community,” he said. “People say, this is a retirement community. I'm sorry, sir, ma’am, this is not a retirement community. Sixty-five and older I think is like a third of our population. And I know some people go back and forth on the numbers, but even the people that are 65 and older, they're still working. So we're going to do what's best for the community and that was the consensus on the four-person panel that was sitting there that day (during the commercial vehicle discussion.”
That discussion came up on Jan. 7 after resident Emily Fields spoke during public comment saying her husband works for a garage door company and, to comply with the regulations, covers his work van every night with a tarp.
Norris said he happens to live across the street from the Fields family.
“I watched her husband put that tarp on, and it takes him 10-15 minutes. And it looks like a circus tent, and I don't want that across the street from me, but, a nice clean, neat van backed into the driveway. … Really, I think we have to be a little bit more accommodating.”
Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill, who was also a guest on Free For All Friday, gave a resident’s perspective on the commercial vehicle question.
“I feel like there ought to be a path for us to support people that are working hard,” he said.
In a 2021 city survey of over 16,000 residents, the result was a near 50-50 split on whether to change the ordinance.
”If it was 50 50 and one (side) is dramatically impacted and one is inconvenienced, I'm more on the side of the dramatically impacted,” Berryhill said.
The current city council with four new members seemed amenable to ease restrictions in both cases. City staff, which has studied the house color palette question, recommended on Jan. 14 to broaden the palette. Norris, who has been a house painter, said at that meeting, “I say we get rid of it altogether. Paint your house whatever color you want.”
On the radio, he said he expects the council to reach a compromise.
“This is a new council, and everything's about compromise,” Norris said. “We compromised on the (short-term rentals, allowing a maximum of 10 occupants). We finally got that passed. That was a long-time coming.”
