The most emotionally charged moment of the evening came during the final community outreach period, when a Palm Coast man named Steve DeGarmo approached the podium to speak — and then stepped aside to read words he said were passed to him from his wife, Renee, who had died just days before on Saturday morning. DeGarmo told the commission that Renee had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for five years. On February 12th, she had fallen from their couch and was taken by fire rescue to Advent Hospital on State Road 100, where doctors diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection. After six days, she was transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Daytona and then to Halifax Health Hospital in Ormond Beach, where she died at 2:53 a.m. that Saturday morning.
Before reading Renee’s words, DeGarmo paused to connect her passing to an issue before the commission. He had spoken at a prior meeting about the planned closure of the David I. Siegel Adult Care Center in Palm Coast, which is scheduled to close on October 1, 2026. DeGarmo said the center had been a lifeline — not only for Renee, but for him as her caregiver. In his wife’s final words, which he read aloud to the room, she addressed the commission directly: ‘You must not and cannot close it. Without this center, Steve would not be here today. The respite time he was given was absolutely necessary for his survival and mine.’
DeGarmo also noted that the center serves between 20 and 30 people and employs dedicated staff. ‘At any time one of us can come down with that disease. And it’s just, you know, I’m 62 next year. I already come down with it,’ he said. Another speaker, Raymond Reuter, also spoke in support of keeping the facility open, calling for the commission to bring it to a formal vote. A second public speaker, Steve DeGarmo himself in his opening remarks before yielding the floor to Renee’s words, called attention to quality-of-life issues in Palm Coast including vehicles parked in swales overnight, overcrowded houses, and traffic backup on Point Pleasant Drive near Belleterre. Both speakers’ comments were included in the commission’s public record. No formal action was taken on the adult care center during the meeting.
‘Scary Times’: Acting Administrator Calls for Stability as County Navigates Leadership Transition
Acting County Administrator Adam Mengel used his closing report to address an unusual moment for the county’s leadership. Without naming specifics, he called on the board and the community to project stability. ‘Scary times,’ he said at the outset. ‘Over the next few weeks and months, I want to encourage that we, as a county, project stability, to both our staff and to our residents.’ He praised the county’s staff as ‘second to none,’ and said recent days had demonstrated the depth of leadership at all levels. ‘The strongest buildings are built on a stable foundation,’ he concluded.
The remarks came in the context of a leadership transition underway at the county. Commissioner Dance raised the matter directly in his commission report, referring to a transition letter from County Administrator Petito, who was out of the office the week of the meeting. Dance said Petito’s letter included a suggestion the board may want to consider: establishing a tiered interim structure including an acting county administrator, acting deputy, and acting assistant county administrator. He asked if anyone had thoughts on the transition path through July. Attorney Rodriguez clarified that acting administrator Mengel and Deputy Lord are currently handling operations, that the Florida Association of County Managers has been engaged to assist with the administrator search for a fee below the board vote threshold, and that the process is underway without needing to return to the board for formal authorization.
Commissioner Dance also asked about the Nexus Center situation, noting that seniors using the facility for a food program have received communication limiting when they can access the space. He said at least one letter with multiple signatures has been received from seniors who do not want to be relocated, and called for the matter to be resolved sooner rather than later. He also announced that the File of Life initiative — a program designed to give paramedics quick access to a resident’s medical information during an emergency — has been launched and that outreach will begin in the community shortly.
County Attorney Rodriguez delivered two notable items in his closing report. First, he confirmed that the county has received a petition for certiorari — an appeal — filed by the Hammock Community Association challenging the county’s Hammock Harbor settlement agreement. He said the county will handle the appeal entirely in-house, with no need for outside counsel. Second, he shared news from the legislature: the Blue Ribbon Project bill — Senate Bill 354 and House Bill 299 — has failed for this session. That bill would have allowed administrative approval of industrial or residential developments on parcels over 10,000 acres in rural areas, bypassing county commission review entirely. Rodriguez said it could have had a major impact on St. Johns County, potentially bringing large residential developments to the border with Flagler County. ‘That’s one small victory,’ he said, ‘but Senate Bill 180 is still sitting there.’
Commissioner Hanson closed with brief but significant news: a proposed ad valorem tax measure that had been moving through the legislature has died. She attributed the outcome to the President of the Florida Senate, who she said told commissioners at a prior meeting to ‘just breathe’ — and then made good on it by killing the bill. Commissioner Richardson invited the public to a yacht rock fundraiser party for the Family Life Center, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence and abused children, scheduled for Friday night with tickets still available. The meeting was adjourned shortly after, with Chair Kearney noting it had been a record-paced night.
Flagler Commission Opens Meeting With Tribute to Fallen Soldiers, Pulls Health Contract for Scrutiny
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners convened its regular meeting on the evening of Monday, March 16, 2026, at 5:01 p.m. with Chair Kearney calling the meeting to order. Commissioners Dance, Hanson, and Richardson were present. Commissioner Pennington was absent. Before moving to business, Chair Kearney acknowledged the 13 soldiers and airmen who have lost their lives since the start of Operation Epic Fury, including U.S. Army Reserve Captain Cody Cork, a resident of Lakeland in Polk County. A moment of reflection was observed for first responders and military members.
Several changes were made to the agenda before business began. Item 7B — a burn ban item — was removed because the burn ban had expired on March 6th at 5 p.m. Items 9A and 9B were removed at the request of the applicants and will be re-noticed for a future public hearing. Anyone who came to address those items was directed to speak during the community outreach portion instead. Upcoming events were also announced, including town hall meetings for Commissioner Pennington on March 17th at Haw Creek Community Center and Commissioner Dance on April 7th at Rimfire Elementary School, both from 6 to 8 p.m. County offices will also be closed on April 3rd in observance of Good Friday.
During the consent agenda review, Commissioner Hanson flagged Item 7E — a request to increase an approved contract with LifeScan Wellness Center from $59,500 to $95,000 — for a closer look. Her concern was that the backup documentation referenced a cooperative purchasing agreement from the City of Clearwater that covered both fire and law enforcement personnel’s physicals. Hanson noted that the Sheriff’s Office maintains its own separate medical plan, and she questioned why police services were listed in the contract language. The item was pulled from the consent agenda and brought before the full board for discussion.
Procurement Manager Robert Rowans and Chief Tucker came forward to clarify the matter. Rowans explained that while the piggybacked agreement from Clearwater’s contract RFP 53-23 references both fire and police services, Flagler County is only using the contract for fire personnel. The county’s own signed agreement, he said, omits the word ‘police’ entirely and is limited by budget to fire department physicals, pre-employment screenings, and fitness evaluations only. Commissioner Hanson confirmed that the county’s version of the agreement does not claim police services. The board voted four to zero to approve Item 7E. The broader consent agenda, with 7E removed, had already been approved four to zero by a motion from Commissioner Dance and a second from Commissioner Richardson.
The first community outreach speaker of the evening was a representative of the Hammock Community Association, who referenced a debrief held at a prior meeting on the Hammock Harbor development. The speaker thanked the board for the opportunity to communicate with staff and indicated that more detailed feedback is being prepared. They asked for a workshop or direct meeting with county staff as a next step. County Attorney Rodriguez noted that the Hammock Community Association has also filed a petition for certiorari, meaning there is now active litigation between the county and the association over the Hammock Harbor settlement. He advised that it may be best to let litigation be resolved before any joint working sessions move forward.
