The Palm Coast Charter Review Committee held what is expected to be its final meeting on Monday, January 26, 2026, completing months of work reviewing and proposing changes to the city’s governing document. The committee will present its recommendations to the Palm Coast City Council at the February 17 business meeting.
All five committee members were present for the meeting, including Chair O’Brien, Vice Chair Matrono, and committee members Morero, Martin, and Miller. The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the January 12, 2026 meeting.
Qualifying Fees and Signatures
The committee discussed lowering barriers for candidates seeking elected office. The city attorney confirmed through additional research that the number of required signatures for candidates could be reduced to 100 for city council candidates and 400 for mayoral candidates.
Committee member Miller cited Florida Statute 99.092, explaining that the minimum qualifying fee should be 4% of the office’s annual salary, consisting of a 3% filing fee and a 1% election assessment. The current charter requires a 10% qualifying fee.
Committee member Martin argued for lowering both the signature requirements and the fees to make running for office more accessible. “If there’s somebody who may be physically handicapped and not able to go out and do the hard drudge of collecting signatures, even if it’s a hundred, we shouldn’t be keeping people out because we’re charging $3,000 if you want to run for mayor,” Martin said.
The committee agreed to recommend lower signature requirements and asked Dr. Dumont, who facilitated the review process, to follow up with the city attorney on whether the charter, as a special act, could allow the fee to be reduced below the state minimum.
Borrowing Authority
The committee engaged in extensive discussion about the city’s borrowing limits. The current charter limits the council from entering into lease-purchase contracts or unfunded multi-year contracts exceeding 36 months or $15 million from the general fund without voter approval.
Vice Chair Matrono noted that a similar amendment to eliminate the borrowing limit was on the November 2024 ballot and was defeated by voters. “I think that the public opinion has been clearly stated that people want to leave this as it is,” Matrono said.
The committee ultimately decided to leave the current borrowing limit numbers in place but recommended the city council conduct a study to determine appropriate limits or percentages for the future.
Initiative and Referendum Process
The committee agreed to add a 90-day time limit for the city council to act on citizen petitions. Under the proposed change, if citizens gather signatures from 10% of registered voters to challenge an ordinance, the council must make a substantive change within 90 days or the matter must go to a voter referendum.
Martin proposed adding language that would suspend a challenged ordinance until it goes to a vote if the council fails to act, but withdrew the suggestion after discussion. “I’ll pull it,” Martin said, noting the 90-day limit provides sufficient accountability.
Council Compensation and Benefits
Following public comment from Grand Haven resident Ken, the committee agreed to change the term “compensation” to “salary” in the charter when referring to council members’ pay. McG explained that “compensation package” in corporate America typically refers to benefits, whereas “salary” or “remuneration” refers only to wages.
The committee agreed the charter should clearly state that council members shall receive a salary but no benefits, including health insurance and retirement.
Vacancy Procedures and Removal from Office
The committee finalized language requiring special elections when vacancies occur in the mayor or council positions. Resident Jeannie presented documents showing that previous charter changes had removed the requirement for special elections when the mayor’s seat becomes vacant, which the committee addressed in their proposed revisions.
The committee also established a process for censure and removal from office. Under the proposal, a council member must receive at least two censures before the council can request the governor remove them from office. The criteria for censure include violating city standards, Florida ethics rules, or missing three consecutive meetings or six meetings within 12 months without being excused.
In-Person Voting Requirement
The committee recommended codifying in the charter that council members must be physically present to vote on matters. Members may participate in discussions remotely, but a quorum must be present in person, and votes can only be cast by those physically attending.
Priority Rankings
The committee ranked its proposed changes in order of importance. Filling vacancies and elections ranked first, followed by compensation changes, qualifying fee reductions, charter officer changes, contracting limitations, non-interference between council and staff, the preamble, censure and removal procedures, and term limits.
The proposed term limit change would eliminate the word “consecutive” from term limits, meaning elected officials could serve no more than two terms total rather than being able to return after sitting out one term.
Votes and Adjournment
The committee unanimously approved all proposed charter changes in a single motion. Members also unanimously voted to cancel their Wednesday, January 28, meeting since they completed their work.
Committee members expressed gratitude to Dr. Dumont for facilitating the process, the city clerk, and the citizens who attended meetings throughout the review.
“We give this report to the city council. The city council can do whatever it wants with it. They can accept it in its entirety. They can reject it in its entirety, or they can take pieces from it that they like,” Matrono explained. “We’re simply advisory. We don’t have any power to enforce our recommendation.”
The City Council will receive the committee’s report at its February 17, 2026, business meeting and will decide which recommendations, if any, to place on future ballots.
