- March 3, 2025
If the city of Palm Coast says no to a half-cent sales tax to maintain the beach, Flagler County won't be able to move forward with its beach nourishment funding plan.
The Flagler County Commission discussed its beach management funding plan during a workshop on Monday, March 3. Last week, Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito presented the county's proposal to the Palm Coast City Council during a workshop, but it wasn't clear whether city officials would support enacting a half-cent sales tax for residents and tourists. Officials cited a looming utility rate increase for their residents, a desire to fund other issues such as public safety, as well as suggested the proposed sales tax for beach nourishment be decided by a voter referendum.
The County Commission would need a supermajority to enact the half-cent sales tax, as well as interlocal agreements with all municipalities – Bunnell, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Beverly Beach and the town of Marineland.
"I think at the end of the day, it's really going to revolve around core messaging about, not just sustaining our economy, but protecting property and community," Petito said. "I think that it's a fair and balanced contribution. ... Although it is a small increase in sales tax, I think that it makes a big impact in the way of beach preservation for our community."
The sales tax will help the county fund the needed $12 million annually for required beach funding; nourishment which will cost about $72.1 million every six years.
Under the county's proposal, the cities of Palm Coast and Bunnell would receive 50% of the sales tax revenue for their own infrastructure needs, with the other 50% going toward helping to maintain Flagler's 18-mile stretch of beach. In fiscal year 2026, if a sales tax is enacted, Palm Coast would contribute about $2.7 million toward the beach, and receive the same amount back. Bunnell would contribute $107,000.
Going to a referendum is not an option for the county at this time. But, Petito said, the county can handle the proposal as if it were — with an educational campaign for the community to help build support and demonstrate the value in the sales tax.
"I think that's the only way the public is going to be supportive of our efforts, honestly," County Commissioner Pam Richardson said.
There's a lot of "counterbalancing the negativity with the positive," Chair Andy Dance said.
"There's a lot of people that are saying, 'Thank you for doing the heavy lifting,' that this is something that needs to be done, and somebody's going to do it, and it's been a lot of work," Dance said.
The county is in a "Catch-22," he added. When the county initially proposed creating a beach nourishment plan last August, the backlash was "immediate," Dance said.
"It was as though we were forcing this plan down on everybody," he said.
So part of preventing that, Dance said, is coming up with an approach and presenting it to the municipalities for feedback on their participation. The pushback from Palm Coast is that its elected officials believe the county "needs to do it first."
"But the problem is, when we do it first and we present it to them, it's looking like we're forcing it on them," Dance said. "So you have to balance the feedback versus being too forceful ... So eventually this will come to us, but we need if we've got dancing partners."
Commissioner Greg Hansen said the concerns he hears from constituents in his district — he represents northeast Flagler County — is Palm Coast not "paying a penny" for beach nourishment.
"This plan solves that," he said. "We can show that everybody's kicking in on this."
Hansen said the biggest campaign will be in the cities of Palm Coast and Bunnell.
"We understand that if Palm Coast is a flat-out no, we can't move forward with ours?" Commissioner Kim Carney said. "They know that, it's not like they don't know it."
Petitio said the county has presented the proposal to all municipalities, except Beverly Beach. They all understand what will be asked of them, and she was seeking direction to develop a public campaign. Carney asked if whether the county's public education push would sway Palm Coast.
"I can't say, but I think it's important," Dance said.
