The Palm Coast City Council held its business meeting on July 7, 2026, addressing a range of topics including wastewater infrastructure funding, a land donation to Habitat for Humanity, and numerous resident concerns raised during public comment periods.
Public Comment: Pedestrian Safety and Local Concerns
During the initial public comment period, several residents raised traffic safety concerns. Resident Candice Stephens asked the city to install flashing pedestrian crosswalks near Point Pleasant and Royal Palms, an area she said residents use frequently to access the Lehigh Trail. Vice Mayor Pontieri expressed support for the request, and City Manager Mike McGlothlin said staff would evaluate the area as part of an existing traffic-calming program.
Julia Walfall, a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), invited residents to attend the board’s monthly meetings, held the fourth Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center.
Another resident raised concerns about the city’s community grant program, alleging that grant amounts exceeded policy limits for some nonprofit recipients and calling for an audit. Vice Mayor Pontieri later responded, stating that $15,000 grant awards given in the 2024-25 fiscal year complied with the guidelines in place at that time, before the maximum was lowered to $12,000.
Resident Jeremy Davis asked the council to direct staff to develop written policies documenting how compliance with city stormwater and engineering standards is verified and enforced.
Other residents, including Darlene Shelley and Steve Verrier, raised concerns about development density, water rates, and the use of license plate reader technology. City officials clarified that Palm Coast does not own any Flock camera systems.
Consent Agenda: Land Donation to Habitat for Humanity
The council approved its consent agenda, which included the donation of two city-owned residential lots to Flagler County Habitat for Humanity for affordable housing. Community Development Director John Zobel explained that the properties were previously residential lots that had caught fire and came under city control through code enforcement action.
Resident Darlene Shelley objected to the donation, arguing the city should have sought payment for the land given its estimated value. Council members responded that the properties were obtained due to abandonment rather than purchase, and that donating them supports affordable housing without using taxpayer dollars. The consent agenda passed with a unanimous vote.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Approved
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP2) for site improvement work related to the ongoing Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility 1 Expansion Project. Utility Director Brian Roach explained that the project would expand the plant’s capacity by 4 million gallons per day and is one of three required elements under a state consent order related to past wastewater system performance.
Council members asked about funding sources, which Roach said include bond funds from a previously approved $283 million bond package, along with capacity fees.
Resident Jeremy Davis asked whether the expansion would eliminate the need for emergency pump trucks after rain events. The question was acknowledged but not directly answered during the meeting.
Engineering Services Contract with Jacobs Engineering Group
The council also unanimously approved a $4.7 million Master Service Agreement with Jacobs Engineering Group for wastewater system program management and engineering services. Roach said the contract, awarded through a competitive bid process, covers six of seven identified tasks, including system-wide planning, an effluent master plan, construction management support, and efforts to address inflow and infiltration (I&I) issues in the wastewater system.
Some residents, including Marilyn Mack and Darlene Shelley, questioned the use of a time-and-materials contract structure rather than a performance-based one, and asked for greater transparency around technical terminology used during the discussion. Roach said time-and-materials contracts are standard for engineering and planning work of this nature, and that performance-based contracts are less commonly used in this field.
Vice Mayor Pontieri added that the city raised utility impact fees to the maximum allowed under state law in 2024 to help offset costs, and that future ratepayers were factored into the bond repayment structure.
During the public comment period on the Jacobs Engineering resolution, an exchange took place between Mayor Mike Norris and resident Jeannie Duarte after she began addressing topics related to the city’s water system, including a reference to water reuse practices. The mayor interjected to ask whether her comments pertained to the specific agenda item under discussion, and the two spoke over one another as Duarte objected that she was being interrupted and that her right to speak was being violated. The mayor raised his voice, telling Duarte to stop and briefly instructing a sheriff’s commander in the room to remove her, though she was not physically removed and continued speaking. The mayor maintained that public comment must stay relevant to the specific item on the agenda, while Duarte argued her comments were within scope. The exchange concluded when the mayor stated there would be no further interruptions, and the meeting proceeded to the next speaker.
City Council Matters
In discussion of matters not on the agenda, Mayor Mike Norris requested a count of equivalent residential units associated with development in unincorporated Flagler County that rely on the City of Palm Coast’s water system.
Council members also reflected on the city’s Fourth of July celebration, thanking city staff, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and event partners for coordinating the United Flagler Fourth festivities.
City Manager Mike McGlothlin recognized Heather Priestap, a member of the city’s Animal Control Unit, as Employee of the Month for her work on recent animal welfare cases. He also highlighted improvements in the city’s stormwater management program, citing increases in graded swale miles, cleaned driveway culverts, and regraded ditch miles compared to previous fiscal years.
Vice Mayor Pontieri requested staff consensus to draft potential code restrictions addressing the dumping of biosolid materials in residential neighborhoods, following resident complaints about odor from a recent instance in Lakeview Estates. She also requested that staff develop updated code provisions to address repeat offenders in cases of animal cruelty and neglect. Both requests received council consensus to move forward.
The meeting was adjourned following these discussions.
