Jeffery Seib is one of the Palm Coast City Council Candidates running for office this election year. He has submitted his answers to our questions in one of the last interviews available to candidates before Early Voting starts on August 10th. Below, you can read our questions in bold, followed by his answers.
- Primaries are right around the corner; you are currently running against Kathy Austrino, Ty Miller, and Shara Brodsky. What reasons should voters choose you over the other candidates? My reason for entering the race for city council is my concern over the direction of the city as we go forward into the 21st century. Many of the attributes of our city such as the natural environment, our fresh and saltwater canal systems requiring maintenance, our road infrastructure in desperate need of repair and maintenance, and more. As a member of the Palm Coast Service District Advisory Council (PCSDAC) from 1997-1999 many of the city’s goals and objectives were put into place and still are relevant today. From 2014 until 2022 I served on the Palm Coast Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee (BEAC), for the last four years as committee chairperson. In 2016 I worked with the planning staff, the Planning and Land Development Review Board (PLDRB), as the BEAC
representative on the Land Development Codes (LDC), Chapter 11, landscaping regulations. From 2022 until now I have attended every city council meeting and addressed council members over forty times. My background as a research scientist gives me the ability to quickly search out and identify principal factors and key details. Some of the topics that I have addressed are calls for a forensic audit, wetland protection, the fresh and saltwater canals, Airbnb’s, taxes, the Matanzas loop road extension, the state appropriation process, and many more. In this regard, I have the experience and ability to get things done. - Many people are concerned about electing a candidate with ties to real estate and development; what connections do you have to the real estate and development communities?Since retiring from the University of Florida’s Cancer and Genetics Research Institute after 25 years, I have spent much of my time helping animals and being involved with the city, first as a member of the Beautifications and Environmental Advisory Committee (BEAC) and then, for over the last two years, I have attended and addressed the city council on the issues at every meeting. I didn’t come out of the woodwork for this election. My advocacy, as I have expressed on numerous occasions, is for the people of this city as we grow forward. There, I have no connections to the real estate or development community.
- Residential development in Palm Coast has been a major concern; in what ways are you planning to balance that out to a manageable level so that the City can catch up on overdue and necessary infrastructure needs? What we see now in Palm Coast regarding residential development is what the city planners call “infill”, meaning the remaining undeveloped single-family homes and duplex lots will have homes built on them. This is private property and belongs to the lot owner. However, this is also a management issue. Our city managers in roads, stormwater, drainage, and water and sewer departments have to be looking at the numbers of new residents and then planning and implementing infrastructure improvements and additions on a per-household basis. The city manager must be able to report to the city council an “action plan” of how to stay ahead of this wave.
- Environmental conservation of our green space in Palm Coast is also a top concern in the community. In what ways are you planning to conserve our green spaces, trees, wetlands, and other natural resources?Right now, the city is revising the “Comprehensive Plan,” which is the blueprint for the city’s operations. After this, the city will be making changes to the “Land Development Codes” (LDC), which are the actual regulations for the city’s green spaces, wetlands, trees, all of the natural city, and more. I have presented a nominal cost proposal for retaining more green spaces to the city councils, chief of staff, and planning departments, pointing out mistakes in wetland regulations that could result in damage to the wetland environment. My background is in environmentalism, so I know what to do and whom to consult.
- Taxes are among the top-tier hot topics this election year. Our tax base is 93% residentially funded with only a small percentage coming from commercial tax bases. What plans do you have to diversify the tax base without hurting the residents with added taxes, fees, or other financial burdens? The city council at present is allowing a considerable number of new retail businesses to enter our community and contribute to the tax base. Looking at State Road 100, it’s apparent that Palm Coast has arrived at a point where the big names are paying attention. As time goes by, these places will generate tax revenue at increasing amounts. However, Palm Coast has many large, undeveloped tracts of land that are zoned for residential or multi-family housing. The area called the Matanzas Loop Road extension is one such area. I am very concerned about a huge new wave of residents moving into our city without an accompanying wave of new businesses. Be it large or small business, we need the land area for business development and residential to balance the tax rate.
- Economic development: many claim that to be a successful city, there have to be economic opportunities for residents who live here; meaning quality jobs with higher wages. How do you plan to grow the economic base for Palm Coast and bring in more high-paying jobs for residents? What I will work on as a council member is locating and bringing into the city a large manufacturing business that has good-paying jobs, which will keep more of our young people here to grow and advance in their hometown. The city has land zoned for light industry and manufacturing, such as the Caterpillar office and plant located off I-95 in St. Augustine. When Governor DeSantis was our congressional representative, I communicated with him and former Governor Jeb Bush about bringing in more business industry.
- Stormwater, flooding, swales, and canals are considered undermaintained by many in the community. What are your plans to ensure that our unique system of canals and swales gets caught up on maintenance and stays maintained in the future? I am one of those who believe our stormwater system has been undermaintained or ignored by the city for many years. Until now, we face the consequences of a system ill-prepared to manage the massive storms that may approach us in a rapidly warming world. The city needs to locate funding at the state or federal level for a complete redo of the swales and feeder ditches and both fresh and saltwater canals. In addition, the fresh and saltwater canals are in desperate need of attention, such as dredging, which has never been in the saltwater canals, and only in small areas in the freshwater canals. If outside funding is not available for either fresh or saltwater canals, then the city will have to undertake this task itself from “in-house” funding.
- How long have you been involved in the local political scene? Have you always been active? Why now? After moving here with my wife and special needs stepdaughter in 1995, I attended meetings of the Palm Coast Service District Advisory Council. This was a de facto government for the city of Palm Coast set up by the Flagler County Commission. When an opening occurred on the council, I applied and was accepted. I served on the council from 1997 until the incorporation of Palm Coast into a city. One of my accomplishments on the council was solving a sewerage issue in Seminole Woods. After incorporation, I worked with Jerry Full to establish the “Rails to Trails” program for the abandoned Lehigh Valley railroad tracks and to prevent a condominium development from locating where Branch Park is now. From 2014 until 2022, I served two terms on the Palm Coast Beautification and Environmental Advisory Committee (BEAC), as I detailed in Question 1. I also was selected to serve on the city’s Arts Commission as the city representative to the arts community. I was personally responsible for the donation by the artist Ron Wallace and the naming of the artist and placement of the “Chuolota” American Eagle sculpture in City Hall.
