PALM COAST
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YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 16, NO. 26
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025
Students, put your phones away
Safety matters Flagler Strong hosts Flagler Beach Police equipment fundraiser 9A
State law further restricts cell phone use at school; how will it be enforced? PAGE 3A
What will it take to get a YMCA? Volusia Flagler YMCA asks Flagler Schools for $3 million for new Palm Coast YMCA. PAGE 5A
E-bikes are ‘somewhat out of control’
Emery, Elliot, Juliette Belleville, Lilly, and Myla Roda at the Flagler Beach Police Drive to 55k. Photo by Hannah Hodge
Sheriff Staly tells City Council he’ll propose regulations.
Palm Coast publishes Strategic Action Plan dashboard
PAGE 4A
Palm Coast’s Strategic Action Priorities serve as a guideline for some capital improvement projects and budget items.
INSIDE CHARTER REVIEW
Ten residents (including five alternates) have been selected to begin the review of the Palm Coast City Charter. PAGE 4A
TECH HUB FUTURE?
Palm Coast, the next tech hub? City officials hope new Google cable system puts city on companies’ radar. PAGE 6A
REPLACING HADEED
Flagler County wants former Apopka city attorney to replace Al Hadeed, who has served the community since 2007. PAGE 7A
FOCUS ON FAITH
Palm Coast United Methodist Church interns explore vocations through ministry. PAGE 11A
SIERRA WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Palm Coast has launched a new transparency website for residents to keep up-to-date on Palm Coast’s Strategic Action Plan priorities. The SAP Dashboard website, which was created entirely inhouse, will provide more transparency to the public and the City Council, Communications & Marketing Director Brittany Kershaw said. The dashboard was launched after the July 22 City Council meeting. “This is just another way to show the public and for you, City Council, to stay on top of where we’re at with these,” Kershaw said during the meeting. “Having an access point that you can view at any time, I think, is beneficial to both you and the public.” The website is accessible through palmcoast.gov by clicking on the
INDEX
Calendar....................PAGE 10A Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................PAGE 14A Letters........................ PAGE 8A Public Notices............ PAGE 5B Sports........................PAGE 13A Tributes ...................... PAGE 3B Real Estate................PAGE 12A
Courtesy photo
tile labeled “SAP Priorities” at the bottom of the page. The direct link to the site is found here: palmcoast. gov/priorities. On the site, viewers will see a video that walks them through the 2025 fiscal year budget, showing the budget items that fall under SAP priorities. The video will be updated after the 2026 budget is adopted, Kershaw said. Below that, there are links to each of the city’s four pillars: 1) A strong and resilient economy, 2) Safe and reliable services, 3) Civic engagement and 4) Sustainable environment and infrastructure. Within each pillar are the objectives for that pillar, summaries of those objectives and a progress bar showing how complete each item is. Kershaw said most of the objectives were adopted over the 2025 summer, and so are in the beginning stages. The website also includes links to previous city accomplishments, a booklet on the 2024-2028 SAP items, an annual progress report on city goals and achievements and the 2025 legislative priorities. Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri said the dashboard was “fantastic.” “Our Strategic Action Plan lit-
PALM COAST PILLARS OF PRIORITIES STRONG RESILIENT ECONOMY Support the expansion and smart growth of both population and businesses to ensure succes locally as well as regionally. Improve financial strengths within the City to promote fiscal responsibility and secure future stability.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Build a cooperative and trusting relationshi between the City and the community. Promote the opportunity for communication between the decision-makers. Enhance existing channels through which accurate and timely information is disseminated from the City. Increase the public’s understanding and support of the City’s goals and strategies.
SAFE & RELIABLE SERVICES A safe community for all is the catalyst to ensure that residents and regional visitors experience exceptional quality amenities year-round. Recruiting and retaining a quality, talented workforce to maintain uninterrupted services to the citizens.
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE Build and effectively manage sustainable infrastructure that promotes clean water, safe streets, and green infrastructure. Anticipate the need for additional services and infrastructure. Continue to provide opportunities for development. Maintain visual appeal by caring for our land, water, air, and wildlife.
erally dictates the larger projects that we’re focusing on and how the budget is affected by the project,” Pontieri said. “So this is super important.” IT Senior Programmer Zach Bauer said department staff can import updates to the items quarterly which will then generate an AI automated summary for each item. The staff can edit the summaries if need be. The next phase, he said, will bring in key performance indica-
tors, according to a press release from Palm Coast. These KPIs are measurable data points showing how Palm Coast is progressing toward its strategic goals in real time. “Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the area,” the press release said, “the SAP Dashboard offers a window into how your city is working to improve quality of life, promote economic development, and maintain infrastructure and public services.”