Part 8 in a series looking at the City of Palm Coast’s adopted Fiscal Year 2026 budget
This section turns to four more arms of Palm Coast’s Community Development Department: Economic Development, Business Tax, Code Enforcement, and Building Permits, using the budget documents posted on the city’s website. Put together, those four divisions come in at $9,637,403 for FY2026.
Economic Development: $1,818,365
Among the four, Economic Development is the clear outlier in terms of growth. For FY2026, it’s budgeted at $1,818,365, up $1,171,366 from the $646,999 adopted for FY2025. For context, actual expenditures in FY2024 were only $237,324, so the budget has expanded to more than seven times what it was just two years ago.
Almost all of that change sits in a single place: Grants. The division is supported by the General Fund and is shown in three main categories. Personnel Services, pay and benefits, inch up to $226,907 for FY2026, a $6,681 increase over the FY2025 adopted figure of $220,226, after $75,287 was spent in FY2024. Operating Expenditures, by contrast, slide slightly to $248,416, down $1,707 from the $250,123 adopted for FY2025, compared with $151,708 in actual FY2024 spending.
Then there are Grants, the pot the city uses to draw in and assist business investment. That line jumps to $1,343,042 for FY2026, rising $1,166,392 from the $176,650 adopted for FY2025. Actual grant spending in FY2024 was just $10,329. The documents tie that jump to the City Council’s choice, referenced earlier in the budget materials, to raise the incentive budget in an effort to expand the tax base and add jobs.
| Actual FY2024 | Adopted FY2025 | Adopted FY2026 | Change FY25–FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Services | $75,287 | $220,226 | $226,907 | $6,681 |
| Operating Expenditures | $151,708 | $250,123 | $248,416 | ($1,707) |
| Grants | $10,329 | $176,650 | $1,343,042 | $1,166,392 |
| Total | $237,324 | $646,999 | $1,818,365 | $1,171,366 |
Staffing stays flat at 2.00 full-time equivalent positions, unchanged in all three years shown.
The same budget packet also includes a set of “Palm Coast Facts” the city uses in its marketing: it describes Palm Coast as the 9th fastest-growing city in Florida, notes it is home to Florida’s largest Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ #64), and points to broader state rankings — Florida as 5th best for business, with the #1 economy in the U.S., the #2 best workforce in the U.S., 0% state income tax, the #1 largest workforce in the nation, and the 4th best tax climate. It also emphasizes geography, saying the city is within 100 miles of multiple ports and airports, including Jacksonville, Daytona, Orlando, and Tampa Bay.
Business Tax: $226,919
Business Tax, the division that issues local business tax receipts, is budgeted at $226,919 for FY2026. That’s $12,104 more than the $214,815 adopted for FY2025. FY2024 actual spending was $223,644.
This division also draws from the General Fund. Personnel Services rise to $176,344 for FY2026, up $8,745 from the $167,599 adopted for FY2025, after $165,099 was spent in FY2024. Operating Expenditures increase to $50,575, a $3,359 gain over the $47,216 adopted for FY2025, versus $58,545 in FY2024 actuals.
| Actual FY2024 | Adopted FY2025 | Adopted FY2026 | Change FY25–FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Services | $165,099 | $167,599 | $176,344 | $8,745 |
| Operating Expenditures | $58,545 | $47,216 | $50,575 | $3,359 |
| Total | $223,644 | $214,815 | $226,919 | $12,104 |
Staffing remains 2.00 full-time equivalent positions in each of the three years.
Code Enforcement: $3,812,865
Code Enforcement, responsible for nuisance cases, animal control, and urban forestry, is set at $3,812,865 for FY2026. That’s an increase of $113,151 over the $3,699,714 adopted for FY2025. Actual spending in FY2024 was $3,161,326.
Funded through the General Fund, the budget is presented across three lines. Personnel Services reach $2,504,507 for FY2026, up $85,967 from the $2,418,540 adopted for FY2025, compared with $2,029,539 actually spent in FY2024. Operating Expenditures increase to $1,301,558, up $20,384 from the $1,281,174 adopted for FY2025, versus $1,130,322 in FY2024 actuals. Transfers to Other Funds are listed at $6,800 for FY2026, which is $6,800 above the zero budgeted in FY2025, and FY2024 actual transfers were $1,465.
| Actual FY2024 | Adopted FY2025 | Adopted FY2026 | Change FY25–FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Services | $2,029,539 | $2,418,540 | $2,504,507 | $85,967 |
| Operating Expenditures | $1,130,322 | $1,281,174 | $1,301,558 | $20,384 |
| Transfers to Other Funds | $1,465 | — | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Total | $3,161,326 | $3,699,714 | $3,812,865 | $113,151 |
Staffing is unchanged at 25.21 full-time equivalent positions across all three years.
The budget document also logs Code Enforcement action orders by quarter over a three-year span. For 2023, the quarters show 3,941, 5,842, 4,476, and 4,603. In 2024, the numbers are 3,661, 4,311, 4,065, and 4,590. In 2025, the quarterly counts are 4,107, 4,641, 4,398, and 4,600.
| Year | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,941 | 5,842 | 4,476 | 4,603 |
| 2024 | 3,661 | 4,311 | 4,065 | 4,590 |
| 2025 | 4,107 | 4,641 | 4,398 | 4,600 |
Building Permits: $3,779,254
Building Permits, which applies the Florida Building Code through permitting, plan review, and inspections, is budgeted at $3,779,254 for FY2026. Here the direction flips: the budget drops by $440,669 from the $4,219,923 adopted for FY2025. FY2024 actual spending was $3,247,773.
Unlike the other three, Building Permits is supported by the Building Permits Fund, an enterprise fund backed by permit fees rather than tax revenue. Each major line declines. Personnel Services fall to $2,834,320 for FY2026, down $175,267 from the $3,009,587 adopted for FY2025, compared with $2,296,866 in FY2024 actuals. Operating Expenses decrease to $944,934, down $93,973 from the $1,038,907 adopted for FY2025, versus $799,442 spent in FY2024. Transfers to Other Funds go to zero, a reduction of $171,429 from the $171,429 budgeted in FY2025, with FY2024 actual transfers at $151,465.
| Actual FY2024 | Adopted FY2025 | Adopted FY2026 | Change FY25–FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Services | $2,296,866 | $3,009,587 | $2,834,320 | ($175,267) |
| Operating Expenses | $799,442 | $1,038,907 | $944,934 | ($93,973) |
| Transfers to Other Funds | $151,465 | $171,429 | — | ($171,429) |
| Total | $3,247,773 | $4,219,923 | $3,779,254 | ($440,669) |
Staffing also ticks down slightly, from 25.63 full-time equivalent positions in FY2024 and FY2025 to 25.33 in FY2026, a cut of 0.30.
Inspection activity is shown over four years: 66,073 in 2022, 68,345 in 2023, 58,146 in 2024, and 89,916 in 2025, the high point of the period and a steep rebound after the prior-year dip.
| Year | Inspections |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 66,073 |
| 2023 | 68,345 |
| 2024 | 58,146 |
| 2025 | 89,916 |
The Four Divisions Combined
Taken as a whole, these four Community Development divisions total $9,637,403 in the city’s FY2026 budget: $1,818,365 for Economic Development, $226,919 for Business Tax, $3,812,865 for Code Enforcement, and $3,779,254 for Building Permits. Three of the four increase year over year, while Building Permits declines. Combined staffing across the group is about 53 positions.
| Division | FY2026 Budget |
|---|---|
| Economic Development | $1,818,365 |
| Business Tax | $226,919 |
| Code Enforcement | $3,812,865 |
| Building Permits | $3,779,254 |
| Total | $9,637,403 |
Up Next: Law Enforcement
The budget documents also bring in the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement services in Palm Coast through a contract reviewed each year, rather than through a city-operated police department. Earlier material in this series put that contract at $11,181,587 for FY2026, plus $12,000 in a Police Education fund. A later installment will drill further into public safety spending.
Disclaimer: Everything here is public record and comes from budget documents published on the City of Palm Coast’s website. More detailed budget information would need to be obtained through a FOIA (public records) request.
