PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 16, NO. 5
In the Mardi Gras spirit PAGE 1B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025
Troubled utilities get a life preserver
Seeing no alternative, Palm Coast City Council votes 3-1 to raise rates and fix utility infrastructure PAGE 5A
Will Palm Coast support a half cent for the beach? County’s beach nourishment plan depends on buy-in. PAGE 5A
Good day, sunshine Springfest 2025 draws 400 kids into the Bunnell sunshine. PAGE 4B
INSIDE PARK DISPUTE
Lights, noise, cars at Ralph Carter Park are not OK, Gambaro says PAGE 4A
AIRPORT ORDINANCE
City Council wary of agreement with Flagler County for airport overlay ordinance PAGE 9A
NEW HEAD COACH
FPC names Patrick Turner new head football coach. PAGE 8B
FLAGLER BEACH, CITY OF BUNNELL CHOOSE NEW COMMISSIONERS The cities of Flagler Beach and Bunnell held their elections on Tuesday, March 4, and voters chose two candidates to represent each municipality on their respective commissions. The top two vote getters were elected (in bold below):
Flagler Beach John Cunningham — 40.57% James Patrick Sherman (incumbent) — 35.71% Jane Mealy (incumbent) — 23.71% Bunnell David John Atkinson — 29.19% Dean Sechrist — 28.32% Bonita Robinson — 20.25% Amanda Crosby Hawkins — 13.54% David Wilhite — 8.7% The elected commissioners from both cities will serve three-year terms. The Flagler County Elections Office reported a voter turnout of 20.4% in this election, with 1,477 ballots cast. A total of 7,239 voters were eligible to vote.
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 4B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner............... PAGE 8A Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices...........PAGE 10B Sports......................... PAGE 8B Real Estate................. PAGE 5B
Lily Ohlson, at Springfest 2025. Photo by Brian McMillan
City Council’s Ray Stevens resigns, will be replaced in April Applicants to replace Stevens must reside in District 3 by the end of the qualifying period. BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
Palm Coast City Council member Ray Stevens resigned his District 3 council seat Feb. 28 due to health reasons, and the City Council will appoint a replace by April 15. “Mr. Stevens is a very good man, and he worked very hard to get that seat,” Mayor Mike Norris said at the March 4 City Council meeting. He added that Steven has recovered enough to be moved out of ICU. “He did the honorable thing by resigning,” Norris said. Stevens tendered his resignation in a letter to Acting City Manager Lauren Johnson. “This decision has been difficult, as it has been an honor to serve our community and to the important work we have undertaken together, however I have made the decision to resign due to my health,” Stevens wrote. “I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity
Ray Stevens. File photo
to serve on the City Council and for the support I have received during my time here. Thank you once again for the trust and confidence you have placed in me.” Stevens, who ran and lost in a bid to become Flagler sheriff in both 2008 and 2012, found success running for the City Council, but it wasn’t easy. He finished second in the three-candidate primary in August 2024, advancing by a mere two votes, before easily winning his seat on the City Council in November, over Andrew Werner. Stevens was sworn in on Nov. 19, 2024, along with Norris and District 1 City Council member Ty Miller.
The appointed replacement member will serve from April 15, 2025, until the 2026 general election, when voters will elect a new District 3 representative to complete the final two years of Stevens’ term, which ends in November 2028. Miller praised Stevens at the conclusion of the March 4 meeting. “His decision to resign shows the type of person he is,” Miller said. Because of Stevens’ absence at recent meetings, “he expressed to me that he felt guilty at not being able to serve the citizens of Palm Coast.” “A career public servant,” City Councilman Charles Gambaro added. FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FOUR MONTHS
The City Council went through this appointment process just four months ago, when Gambaro was appointed to fill the District 4 seat vacated by Cathy Heighter’s resignation. Gambaro was approved by a vote of 3-1 and was sworn in on the same day, Oct. 1. Former state candidate Darryl Boyer, on Oct. 1, 2024, received two votes from the four-mem-
ber council, including the vote of Theresa Pontieri, who is the only member of City Council still at the dais. One reason Boyer failed to get the full support was his recent move into Palm Coast’s R Section, although that move did qualify him for the seat, accoriding to the City Charter. On March 4, Norris recalled the previous appointment process, which he experienced as a member of the audience at the time. It didn’t go well. “I had to get up and leave,” he recalled. This time, “I really don’t want to let it get out of control.” One resident suggested that the new council member should not be someone who moved only recently into the district. Miller said it wouldn’t be appropriate to restrict residency qualifications beyond the City Charter’s restrictions. The new council member will need to reside in District 3 by March 19, the conclusion of the qualifying period. To find your district, visit palmcoast.gov/council. Details for applying to be on the City Council will be posted on palmcoast.gov.