A Road Worth Saving: Flagler County Takes a Stand for One of America’s Last Intact Stretches of the Historic Dixie Highway

Affordable Housing Advisory Committee annual report: Seven recommendations reviewed

The afternoon workshop opened with a presentation from Health and Human Services Director Joe Hegedus and Planner Simone Kenney on the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee’s 2025 Annual Report, which had been received by the board in December. The board had asked staff to return for a deeper workshop discussion. The committee presented seven recommendations, and the board worked through each one to determine which to advance.

Recommendation 1 calls for formalizing a policy for ongoing AHAC review of housing cost impacts. This is required by state statute and would apply when an ordinance or land development code change could affect the cost of housing. Staff would create a brief packet for AHAC at their monthly meetings. The board noted this would be a priority given its statutory nature. Consensus reached to advance.

Recommendation 2 asks for a formal policy for reviewing and disposing of publicly owned land for affordable housing purposes. The county already publishes a list of available parcels online, but there is no system for how those parcels are sold or conveyed for housing purposes. The board discussed the need for appraisal-based pricing, anti-flipping restrictions, right-of-first-refusal clauses, and monitoring to ensure affordability is maintained. Consensus reached to advance.

Recommendation 3 is to establish representation and support for a Community Land Trust initiative, in which a nonprofit holds land while residents own the homes built on it — preserving long-term affordability. The board discussed whether the county has sufficient available land and staff capacity. Several commissioners expressed support for the concept but said they need more information and examples before committing. Consensus: continue researching, do not advance formally yet.

Recommendation 4 proposes an inclusionary zoning ordinance encouraging developers to include affordable housing units within market-rate developments in exchange for density bonuses or other incentives. The board raised concerns about the potential for abuse, the impact on surrounding neighborhoods from increased density, and the absence of clear mechanisms to ensure units remain affordable over time. Multiple commissioners said they do not support moving forward at this time. No consensus to advance.

Recommendation 5 calls for expanding local incentives to support affordable housing. Staff noted most of the available incentives are already codified in Chapter 16 of the county’s code, and that they apply to 100% affordable housing developments. The board agreed to have staff pull those incentives from the PUD framework and evaluate how they could apply outside of a PUD process, particularly for individual smaller-scale applications. Consensus reached to advance with that analysis.

Recommendation 6 proposes developing an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance. ADUs — sometimes called mother-in-law suites or guest cottages — are secondary living spaces on a residential property. Staff said this should be the top priority because the state legislature has repeatedly come close to passing a law preempting local control over ADUs, and having an ordinance in place could provide some protection similar to short-term rental regulations. The board discussed the importance of keeping ADU rules appropriate to the county’s rural and suburban areas, including septic considerations and size constraints. All commissioners expressed support. Consensus reached to advance as the first priority.

Recommendation 7 is to establish a local affordable housing trust fund — a dedicated account funded by various revenue sources such as developer contributions, surplus land sales, or short-term rental registration fees, used to support affordable housing development in ways that SHIP funding cannot cover. The board expressed general support and asked for examples from other counties and cities that already have such funds. The board noted Daytona Beach has recently implemented a linkage fee approach that has withstood legal challenges. Consensus reached to continue developing the concept and return with examples.

AHAC Chair Valerie Clymer addressed the board during public comment, emphasizing that Recommendation 1 is statutorily required and urging the board to move quickly. She also clarified that the committee is simply asking for support of the community land trust concept, not asking the county to do anything specific. Public commenter Raymond Royer, who sits on AHAC, expressed frustration that the county has little to show for years of affordable housing discussions. Carla Amaral offered detailed observations on appraisal-based pricing for public land, incentive standardization, and the importance of reasonable affordability periods.

Old Brick Road and westward development: A historic treasure meets new growth

The most extensive discussion of the workshop — and the day — centered on the Old Kings Road / Old Brick Road, a nearly eight-mile stretch of historic brick road in the western part of Flagler County. The road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents the longest uninterrupted stretch of the original Dixie Highway remaining in the United States.

County Planner Sean Moylan presented the background and status of an interlocal agreement the county has been negotiating with the City of Palm Coast to protect the road as westward development moves forward. The land on either side of Old Brick Road is privately owned and falls within Palm Coast’s jurisdiction for land use decisions. The county owns only the 50-foot right-of-way of the road itself — 25 feet on each side of the centerline.

Moylan explained that in 2004 the county adopted a management plan for Old Brick Road with the long-term goal of turning it into a linear park. One of the top priorities in that plan was to get logging trucks off the road; however, no viable alternative routes have yet been established, so trucks continue to use it. The county has been burying the bricks under sand and topsoil as a protective measure for decades. Theft of bricks and illegal dumping have also been ongoing problems.

The development pressure now coming to a head involves a large master plan development (MPD) by a company identified as Radiant, which has acquired much of the land along Old Brick Road and is currently going through the City of Palm Coast’s rezoning process. The proposed conceptual plan for that development shows a new state highway, designated 2209, running contiguous — or parallel — to Old Brick Road, which several commissioners found deeply troubling. The plan as drawn also shows two at-grade road crossings through Old Brick Road.

The draft interlocal agreement, as originally crafted, would have permitted up to four at-grade crossings of Old Brick Road, each at least a mile apart, with unlimited above-grade crossings allowed. Logging trucks would retain their 21 existing access points to the road until alternative routes become available. The interlocal included a provision allowing for future amendments as the development evolves over what is expected to be a generation-long buildout.

Moylan noted that last October, the county formally recorded a map confirming its ownership of the right-of-way under Florida statute. The interlocal is scheduled for the City of Palm Coast’s agenda on May 5.

Commissioners raised multiple concerns, particularly about the adjacency of the new highway to the road and the loss of the buffer zone that had been part of the original Old Brick Township DRI, which has since been replaced by the new MPD. Commissioner Dance said he has a particular concern about the buffer and would push for the city to commit to meaningful setbacks between the road and any new development.

Multiple members of the public addressed the board. Ed Sharkovich, president of the Flagler County Historical Society, said Flagler County holds the longest uninterrupted stretch of the historic Dixie Highway in the entire country, and that history tourists regularly travel to the county specifically to drive it. He urged the board to protect the road fully.

Sierra Shatner, a public history student and recipient of a Historical Society scholarship, said once historical integrity is compromised, it cannot be authentically restored. She urged the board to treat the road as irreplaceable.

“We can document what was lost, we can preserve records and photographs, we can provide narratives, but we can’t recreate the original experience or the original place once it’s been altered beyond recognition.”

— Sierra Shatner, Flagler County resident and public history student

City historian Preston Zepp warned that utilities cannot easily be bored under the road — which he described as bricks laid on dirt — without causing collapse, and that if the road is cut up too much, it could lose its National Register of Historic Places designation. He said he had a two-hour conversation with the National Register about that risk the previous Friday. He also noted that a petition to preserve the road started four days earlier had already reached 1,307 signatures, with supporters as far away as Albany, Georgia, and Alabama.

After public comment, the board debated the crossings, the buffer, and what leverage the county has. Chair Pennington expressed strong opposition to any at-grade crossings. She said the county owns the road and should exercise that control. Several commissioners agreed and the discussion shifted toward the possibility of converting the right-of-way into a linear park — similar to rail-trail conversions — which would legally change its status from a public road to a dedicated recreational path, making motorized access far more difficult to allow.

“This is a piece of America. They have been slowly but surely reducing our history over and over and over again throughout our country. This is a great opportunity for us to show the wherewithal that Flagler has as a small county to be willing to stand up for what’s right.”

— Commissioner Pam Richardson

County attorney Rodriguez noted that recent changes in Florida statutes allow a property owner to impose restrictions on its own land, which could provide a pathway for the county to permanently protect the right-of-way. Staff confirmed that FDOT completed a study in 2008 on how to convert the road to a linear park, and a copy is held by the Historical Society.

Stormwater program: Annual update and call for funding plan

Richard Zion of the Flagler County Engineering Department presented the 2026 annual stormwater program update. He outlined the progress made since the county adopted its Stormwater Master Plan in April 2024, obtained a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and conducted a canal capacity expansion project that cleaned approximately 12.72 miles of canals in 2025.

Active and upcoming projects include the Malacompa Canal Restoration and Resiliency Project, currently 40% complete with an estimated $12.4 million construction cost; the First Avenue Drainage Phase Two project in the Hammock, where design plans are complete and a permit modification from the water management district is expected shortly before construction begins; and Rima Ridge East, identified as the top priority from the stormwater master plan’s capital improvement list due to documented flooding impacts.

The board raised concerns about how the stormwater program would be funded. Zion acknowledged the program is largely dependent on grants and that stormwater work is moving slowly as a result. Commissioner Dance pointed out that in 2024 the board had directed staff to conduct a financial feasibility study for a stormwater fee or utility structure, but the study was never completed. The board directed the interim county administrator to revisit that direction and bring back options for how a stormwater funding mechanism could be structured.

“We need to focus on stormwater and roads and beach. Those three things.”

— Commissioner Kim Carney, Vice Chair

Flagler Estates update

Commissioner Dance raised an emerging issue in Flagler Estates, an unincorporated area shared between Flagler and St. Johns counties with no water or sewer infrastructure on the Flagler side. Dance said he recently attended a meeting of the Flagler Estates Road and Water Control District where the district presented the county with a bill of approximately $1,300, claiming the county should pay for road dragging costs on Division Street — a road with only one home on it. Dance said he challenged the charge, noting there is no interlocal agreement authorizing it.

He said farms — particularly L&M Farms operating off Potatoville Road — are now active in the area and are requesting road maintenance and law enforcement presence, and that permits for new residential construction are being held by some lot owners. He asked the interim administrator to schedule a workshop on Flagler Estates growth issues, which may be included in the May 18 workshop agenda.