No one on the City Council was willing to second his motion, so the motion died.
Mayor Mike Norris proposed a moratorium on residential home construction, at the March 18 City Council meeting. "The infrastructure is not in place to support residential growth at this time," he said.
But no one on the City Council was willing to second his motion, so the motion died, and there will be no moratorium.
The action took place as Norris is also taking heat for potentially violating the City Charter by directing and intimidating staff. He received an outpouring of support from members of the audience at the March 18, both for his attempts to "clean up" City Hall, as well as support for his proposed moratorium.
The first to make public comment was Celia Pugliese, who has lived in Palm Coast since 1991.
“I am here in support of our mayor,” she said, adding: “This is the first mayor that is really for the residents.”
One resident said she felt sorry for how much Norris is being criticized. “This is evil against you,” she said.
Resident Jeremy Davis, who was asked to leave a recent City Council meeting for using vulgar language during public comment, apologized for his past behavior. He then praised Norris for “standing up for the residents.”
“I will give you the shirt off my back to help you clean up this city,” he said. “I appreciate what you are doing.”
“I’m really happy you’re our mayor,” another resident said.
A few residents criticized Charles Gambaro, the City Council member who brought up the charter allegations against Norris. Gambaro was appointed, not elected, to the City Council in 2024.
“We get a mayor that is for the people, and they want to take him out," one resident said.
Another resident said the City Charter should be changed to allow the mayor to direct staff. (Currently, the charter prohibits any interference with city staff by City Council.) She said the charter is ITT's charter, referring to the original developer of Palm Coast.
City Councilman Ty Miller responded that the City Charter was adopted by residents when the city was incorporated, “So it is our charter.” However, he added, “There is a methodology to change it.”
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri suggested that the city should look into reviewing the charter, and the council agreed to begin the process with the next year.
