The Palm Coast City Council held its regular business meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at City Hall. The evening included recognition of young artists, legislative updates, passionate pleas for a concrete skate park, and a contentious discussion about a housing development that drew dozens of residents to speak.
Young Artists Honored for Safety Calendar
The meeting began with a presentation recognizing the children of city employees whose artwork was selected for the 2026 employee health and safety calendar. Carol Mini, the city’s urban forester, and HR Manager Lisa Lynch presented awards to winners in three age categories.
Sophia Mini, age 10, earned the calendar cover with her artwork about sun protection. Her mother noted that Sophia said, “Wow, mom, that only took me seven years to finally get on the cover,” to which Carol Mini responded, “That’s okay. That’s called perseverance.”
Other winners included Emry Hendra for first place in the 3-6 age group with a piece about eating healthy foods, Alia Wilson for the 7-10 category with her stop, drop, and roll artwork, and Laya Phipe for first place among 11-14 year olds with her flu shot illustration.
Tallahassee Trip and Legislative Priorities
Deputy City Manager Lauren Johnston briefed the council on upcoming legislative advocacy in Tallahassee. The city’s top priorities include the Burrows Drive project, Old Kings Road widening phase 2A, the Woodland Storm Water Project, the Seminole Woods dry lake lowering, a collaborative animal shelter with Flagler County, and saltwater canal dredging.
Johnston noted that most projects have been included in legislative bills, except the Old Kings Road phase 2A, because the city does not have matching funds and the project is not shovel-ready. However, Representative Greco has arranged a meeting with the Florida Department of Transportation during the visit. The council will travel to the state capital from Monday through Wednesday of the following week.
Skate Park Advocates Make Their Case
Multiple residents spoke during public comment, urging the council to build a concrete skate park in Palm Coast.
One resident, who described herself as a lifelong skater of nearly three decades, told the council, “There is not much for the kids to do here, and a skate park would give them a productive, healthy hobby. It would also greatly help many teens stay out of trouble and give them a place where they belong.”
Another resident emphasized that skateboarding is now an Olympic sport and that “not every kid thrives on traditional team sports like football or baseball.”
Lisa, nearly 50 years old, said she and her husband regularly travel to other counties to skate because Palm Coast lacks a concrete park. “A lot of towns have three, four, five, upwards of six skateboard parks. We don’t have one concrete one,” she said.
Council members responded positively to the advocacy. Councilman Miller said he reached out to Orange County about a park that reportedly cost $300,000 to see if Palm Coast could use a similar design. Vice Mayor Pontieri noted that proposals the city has received are “more towards the seven-figure range.”
Councilman Gambaro encouraged community stakeholders to consider contributing private funds, saying, “It doesn’t all have to be taxpayer dollars.”
Mayor Norris acknowledged the funding challenge but thanked residents for attending. “Persistence is the key. Be persistent in your goals, and we’ll work it out as best we can,” he said.
Town Center Donation Accepted
The council unanimously approved a resolution accepting a $55,000 donation from the Town Center Community Development District to enhance the stage at Town Center. Greg Eckley, co-chair of the CDD board of supervisors, presented the check in person.
The funds will be used to add a food truck pad near the stage, with work performed in-house by the city’s public works department. The city hopes to complete the project by May 28 for its first “Beats and Eats” event, which will combine the popular food truck Tuesdays with the Palm Coast concert series.
Vice Mayor Pontieri expressed enthusiasm, saying, “I feel like we’re making Palm Coast cool again.”
The vote was 5-0 in favor.
Food Truck Ordinance Passes Unanimously
The council unanimously passed the second reading of an ordinance regulating mobile food dispensing vehicles. The ordinance had been updated based on council feedback from its first reading on January 20.
The rules limit accessory use locations to a maximum of three food truck spaces, with administrative deviations allowing up to eight trucks for larger properties. The limitation is based on an additional space permitted for every 10,000 square feet of property beyond the minimum.
A food truck operator thanked the council, saying, “I would like to say thank you to the city of Palm Coast and all who were involved in updating the ordinance for food trucks.”
Vice Mayor Pontieri raised concerns that permit fees had not been finalized before the vote, stating, “We asked that this board be told what the fees were going to be so that we could discuss them in the sunshine with our food truck operators here. And we don’t have that.”
City staff are committed to providing fee information at a future workshop. The vote was 5-0 in favor.
East Hampton Housing Amendment Draws Opposition
The most contentious agenda item was the first reading of an amendment to the East Hampton Master Plan Development, which would increase residential density from 58 to 71 dwelling units for a property developed by ICI Homes.
Michael Hansen from Community Development explained that the original 58-unit entitlement came from a 2012 settlement agreement. The amendment would reduce minimum lot sizes from 8,250 square feet to 5,500 square feet for internal lots and reduce side setbacks.
The Planning Board had recommended denial of the project, a point multiple speakers raised during public comment.
Resident Trish Strauss, whose property borders the ICI site, said, “We accepted the inevitable development resulting from the 2012 agreement, but we strongly object to this MPD amendment that will negatively impact our neighborhood’s value.”
Greg Norton reminded the council, “They want to reduce the lots by that size. Our lot sizes on Ebide and Eric Drive vary from 10,018 to 13,939. That’s nowhere near their lot proposals.”
Janet Gann questioned whether ICI could create a nicer community with fewer homes, saying, “I believe that they can make a significantly nicer community with 58 home sites versus the proposed 71.”
Jeremy Davis connected the development request to recent city borrowing, noting, “This council recently approved up to $330 million in a utility bond debt. Residents were told that borrowing at that scale was necessary to address infrastructure strain. So, here is the question. If we are taking on hundreds of millions in debt because systems need repair and expansion, why are we amending master plan developments that may increase demand on those same systems?”
Some council members signaled openness to the project with modifications. Vice Mayor Pontieri said she could not approve 5,500 square foot lots, which fall below the city’s land development code minimum of 6,000 square feet.
Councilman Miller said, “I would look to see that there’s a clear measurable benefit for the community if this were even to be considered.”
Mayor Norris took a firm stance against the project, saying, “This runs contrary to the public interest of our city, and I can’t support it at all, and I’m not going to. They were allotted 58 houses. That’s what you get.”
The first reading passed 3-2, with Mayor Norris and Councilman Miller voting no. The project will return for a second reading with expectations that ICI will propose public benefits and address lot size concerns.
New City Historian Appointed
The council unanimously appointed Preston Zep as the city’s new historian following a recommendation from the Palm Coast Historical Society.
Peter Johnson, the new president of the Historical Society, presented Zep’s qualifications, noting his military service in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Shield and Storm, his work as a former Volusia County Corrections Officer, and his extensive involvement in historic preservation throughout Flagler County.
Zep currently serves as preservation specialist with the Flagler County Historical Society and manages a Facebook page for the Kings Road Historic District with nearly 6,000 followers.
Ed Sharkovich, president of the Flagler County Historical Society, endorsed Zep, saying, “I can think of no better person to incorporate not only the knowledge of what’s taken place in Palm Coast before ITT, but also taking his boots, putting them on the ground and going out and teaching and educating children and their families.”
The council discussed creating clearer guidelines for the historian position, which has been vacant since 2024 when the previous historians resigned. The vote was 5-0 in favor.
Road Resurfacing Contract Approved
The council unanimously approved a contract with Halifax Paving for resurfacing Palm Coast Parkway and the surrounding side streets.
City engineers explained that road conditions have deteriorated since a 2022 scan showed pavement condition indexes between 73 and 80, and decay accelerates over time. The project will address safety concerns by adding turn lanes and preventing more expensive repairs if roads reach structural failure.
Councilman Miller questioned whether side streets truly needed resurfacing, suggesting the city wait for updated scan results. Staff explained that returning later to address those roads would cost significantly more due to mobilization expenses.
Jeremy Davis criticized the ongoing costs, asking during public comment, “How much more are we putting on the backs of residents? Every time we turn around, there is another cost, another increase, another resolution.”
Council members noted the funding comes from existing budget allocations through gas tax and state revenue sharing. The vote was 5-0 in favor.
Meeting Minutes Corrected
The council approved minutes from its January 20, 2026, meeting with one correction. Vice Mayor Pontieri noted that a vote on the affordable housing initiatives report was incorrectly recorded as 4-1 when it should have been 3-2. The corrected minutes passed unanimously.
Other Business
The City Manager reported that staff have been working with county representatives on healthcare cost savings, including reviewing claims data and exploring a shared clinic structure.
He also explained the decision to combine food truck Tuesdays with the concert series, saying the move responds to resident feedback requesting more entertainment and a fuller event experience while saving money on staffing.
Mayor Norris announced upcoming events, including a Four Chaplains proclamation at the VFW on Saturday and swearing in officers of the Philippine Americans Association of Palm Coast on Monday.
Councilman Miller reminded residents that the Creekside Festival has been rescheduled for the coming weekend at Princess Place Preserve.
The meeting adjourned following council comments about the upcoming joint cities and county meeting, where discussions about beach management and potential changes to Fourth of July celebrations were expected.
