- January 30, 2025
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Dear Editor:
Recently the new Palm Coast mayor, Mike Norris, in talking about the longtime regulations such as house paint color, replied pithily that "Palm Coast is not an HOA" (homeowners association).
While so very concerned about the freedom of new homebuilders, he seems to have forgotten those of us who have been here a while (in our case 21 years) and would see our home value plummet if someone arrived next door with an outlandish paint job (imagine purple, magenta, or a fluorescent kaleidoscope) or parked a garish commercial vehicle (or boat).
And it's hardly just home coloration or what's in the driveway. That's just emblematic of a general and deeply disturbing trend away from the aesthetic that led so many of us to move here. Few seem to remember a man named Lewis Wadsworth, who once owned much of the area (before ITT), was involved in the initial Palm Coast project, and intently wanted the area to maintain its natural beauty. Indeed, the city's own website says, "Quality of life is paramount in Palm Coast. The vibrant lifestyle and the natural environment go hand-in-hand here." Is that still an operative statement, Mr. Mayor?
The simple fact is that what was initially and for a good number of years highly thoughtful local leadership has become something less than that, and the gem that was Palm Coast now teeters at the brink of degradation.
The city allows a gas station to plop itself in the midst of a tranquil Pine Lakes neighborhood with no regard for the traffic and litter that was attendant to it. It OKs all kinds of residential construction. Many would be shocked if they walked around the city and saw just how many apartments and homes are being built and trees mowed down, despite the more than 1,000 existing homes that are for sale and stagnant on the market (such that Palm Coast was even mentioned recently in a national article about over-construction). This while the city already has serious traffic problems.
True, Mr. Mayor, Palm Coast is not an HOA. But it is also not a REF (real estate firm).
Michael Brown
Palm Coast
