The WHAM team presented the 2026 Health and Safety Employee Calendar, recognizing children of city employees who submitted winning artwork.
Honorable mentions were awarded to Cole Johnston, Lorenzo Forte, Sophia Mini (also a category winner and cover winner), and Tristan Priest.
Category winners were announced for the 3–6, 7–10, and 11–14 age groups, with Sophia Mini winning first place in the 7–10 group and the calendar cover for her 'Wear Your Sun Protection' drawing.
Deputy City Manager Lauren Johnston briefed council on the city's legislative rack card priorities for the upcoming Tallahassee trip: Burrows Drive, Old Kings Road widening Phase 2A, and the Woodland Stormwater Project on the front, with Seminole Woods dry lake lowering, a Flagler County community animal shelter, and saltwater canal dredging on the back.
All except Old Kings Road Phase 2A have been placed in a bill; for that project, a meeting with FDOT has been arranged.
The primary advocacy day in Tallahassee is Tuesday.
Gratitude for city support of the Rainbow Bridge Project at Holland Park; report of e-bike damage to the bridge and ongoing effort to redirect a park camera toward the bridge for coverage.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park in Palm Coast, citing growing demand from youth and adults, economic benefits of skate tourism, and the inadequacy of existing metal-ramp facilities.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park, noting local athletes who began with skateboarding, and arguing that Palm Coast should lead rather than lag surrounding communities in providing facilities for individual sports.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker is a lifelong Flagler County resident who regularly travels to other counties to skate and described the absence of a concrete park as an ongoing gap.
Flooding and drainage concerns related to a new house built adjacent to speaker's property; the builder and building department assured the speaker a swale and culvert cleaning would address drainage, but nothing was done and the house has since closed.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker noted that the existing Wadsworth Park skate facility is far from the C section and geared toward transition skating rather than street skating.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park, arguing that Flagler County is geographically well situated for skate tourism and that the existing Wadsworth facility is too advanced for beginners and focused on transition skating.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker is a mother of four teenage sons who travels to Tampa for tournaments and hosts neighborhood skaters in her garage.
Opposition to any development opening East Hampton Boulevard through to SR 100, citing traffic and neighborhood character concerns; also suggested the area next to Wadsworth skate park could be converted to a remote control car park.
Raised water bill composition and cost concerns, noting charges beyond actual water use including meter rent, garbage, and swale fees; also raised saltwater canal dredging needs citing a specific section with only 3-4 feet of depth at low tide.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker described stopping skating for years as a youth because transportation to Wadsworth was unavailable and noted the cultural presence of skating in Palm Coast.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker referenced his former community where advocacy resulted in three skate parks for a similarly sized population and offered to connect the council with Pivot Customs, a concrete skate park design firm, for cost and design information.
Advocacy for a concrete skate park; speaker takes her sons three to five times a week and noted that metal ramps at Wadsworth become dangerously slippery with moisture, requiring travel to other counties.
Brief support for a remote control car area near the existing skate park; also expressed opposition to making lots smaller in his street — was redirected as that item was on the agenda.
The January 20, 2026 Business Meeting minutes were approved with one correction: the vote on the affordable housing initiatives report resolution was amended from 4-1 to 3-2, reflecting that both Vice Mayor Pontieri and Council Member Sullivan voted no.
The Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicles ordinance passed unanimously on second read.
The ordinance permits food trucks as either principal or accessory uses in applicable zoning districts, with a maximum of three accessory-use spaces expandable to eight via administrative deviation for larger properties.
Two food truck operators — a barbecue vendor couple — spoke during public comment urging the city to maintain Food Truck Tuesday separately from the concert series and to address the fee schedule and parks-usage policy.
Council Member Pontieri raised the lack of a finalized fee schedule as a concern for a second read item, and the city manager indicated fees and the application process will be ready for applicants immediately.
The Easthampton MPD Amendment (Application #6302) by ICI Homes/CPHG Residential Lots LLC — requesting to increase residential entitlements from 58 to 71 dwelling units and reduce interior lot sizes to 5,500 sq ft — passed first read 3-2.
The Planning Board had unanimously recommended denial in December 2025.
Extensive public comment from East section residents opposed the amendment citing flooding, traffic, infrastructure strain, lot-size incompatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, and potential property value impacts.
Council members Pontieri and Gambaro voted yes while expressing conditions for second read: a public benefit from the applicant, a spite-strip easement at the southern boundary, and lot sizes brought to the LDC minimum of 6,000 sq ft.
Mayor Norris and Council Member Miller voted no, with Miller citing the sub-LDC lot sizes and Norris citing LDC section 2.05.05 and the public interest standard.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment, citing safety concerns from a single ingress/egress point, strain on water/utility infrastructure, and urging the council not to ignore the Planning Board's denial recommendation.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from a neighboring property owner whose lot backs against the ICI property; disputed ICI's claim that smaller lots would maintain or increase surrounding home values and urged the council to honor the 2012 settlement agreement.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from an Eric Drive resident who attended all prior neighborhood and planning board meetings; raised lot size comparisons, referenced the drainage ditch buffer being required rather than voluntary, and questioned the sewer zone capacity.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from an Egan Drive resident; argued ICI could build a nicer community with 58 lots and questioned the placement of the sewage lift station and adequacy of retention ponds given existing neighborhood flooding.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from a non-East-section resident, citing city-wide infrastructure problems with water and traffic and alleging that two council members received campaign donations from the same developer and that voting in favor could be criminal.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from an East section resident citing changing neighborhood demographics, increasing school bus traffic, single ingress/egress safety risk, and concern that future density pressures could force a punch-through.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from a 20-year E-section resident who supports property development generally but argues there is no need to downsize lots; stated smaller lots will devalue the surrounding neighborhood and urged the council not to degrade Cypress Knolls.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from a one-year E-section resident who paid $600,000 for his home; argued that quality homes on the existing 58 lots could still attract buyers at that price point.
Opposition to the Easthampton MPD amendment from a 10-year Cypress Knolls resident noting over 30 homes currently on the market in the neighborhood and suggesting that potential buyers of the 13 additional homes should purchase existing inventory instead; also challenged the planning board's role in regulating orderly growth.
First-time attendee questioned whether the $55,000 check from the Town Center CDD presented earlier in the meeting represented a conflict of interest, noting the check was brought by a person in the audience and presented by another party, and questioning the connection to the Easthampton developer.
Raised three interconnected concerns: the $330 million utility bond in the context of a density increase, campaign finance records showing five $1,000 contributions from entities at the ICI Homes corporate address to council members in Q4, and whether updated stormwater, traffic, and utility capacity studies had been performed specific to the 13-unit increase.
The council accepted a $55,000 donation from the Town Center at Palm Coast Community Development District for enhancements to the stage at Town Center, specifically the construction of a food truck pad by the city's public works special projects team.
The work is intended to be complete by May 28 for the inaugural 'Beats and Eats' event combining Food Truck Tuesday and the concert series.
Greg Eckley, co-chair of the Town Center CDD board of supervisors, presented the check.
The council unanimously appointed Preston Zepp as City Historian on recommendation of the Palm Coast Historical Society.
The Historical Society's new president, Peter Johnson, presented background on the position's history dating to 2000 and sought council guidance on clarifying the appointment process, term structure, and whether co-historian language should remain.
Council members expressed support for a single historian and directed the city attorney to draft a resolution or clarifying document establishing a periodic review process.
Zepp is a combat veteran, Flagler County Historical Society preservation specialist, and founding member of the Kings Road Historic District.
Endorsement of Preston Zepp's appointment as City Historian on behalf of the Flagler County Historical Society, whose 13 board members unanimously supported the nomination; described Zepp's hands-on fieldwork and dedication to teaching history to children.
Personal endorsement of Preston Zepp's appointment, describing his extensive field research and calling him 'swamp man' for his hands-on historical investigation work in Flagler County.
The council approved a contract with Halifax Paving Inc. for milling and resurfacing of Palm Coast Parkway from US1 to Hammock Dunes Bridge, including turn lane extensions at Pine Lakes and Bridge Haven, Clubhouse Road striping, two Best Foot Forward safety walks, and curb work for the future street lighting plan, at a total cost of approximately $6.5 million funded from the Streets Improvement Fund (gas tax and state revenue sharing).
Council Member Pontieri raised concerns about whether the included side streets had been scanned and whether worse roads elsewhere should be prioritized; staff explained the engineering rationale for treating the arterial as a monolithic project and noted the PCI data supports the work now.
Questioned why Palm Coast continues to approve development amendments that increase infrastructure demand while simultaneously taking on $330 million in utility bond debt; asked whether roads are being prioritized based on data and cited deferred maintenance as a systemic problem.
The resolution adopting the Flagler County Local Mitigation Strategy Plan passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda after Council Member Pontieri asked questions about the LMS process.
Fire Chief Barry Hill explained that the LMS gives Palm Coast a seat at the table to rank projects eligible for FEMA mitigation funding, and that six of the top nine scored projects in the current list are Palm Coast projects including pep tank improvements and manhole cover upgrades.
The Master Services Agreement with MedQuick Urgent Care Centers for occupational health services passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda.
Staff confirmed that only vaccine pricing changed slightly and the total expenditure is expected to remain near $40,000–$41,000, consistent with the prior three years.
Reiterated concerns about the $330 million utility bond cycle of growth-ahead-of-infrastructure, the resident directed to litigate his flooding issue, and the absence of a promised email from the city manager addressing alleged deletion or alteration of permit notes in the public record; again asked whether a written policy authorizes alteration of permit records.
The agenda worksheet and calendar were briefly noted.
The city manager's team confirmed the strategic action plan process has been adjusted to allow completion of the community survey first, with a retreat scheduled for February 24 and one-on-one council meetings to follow.
A funding sources workshop will be incorporated into the retreat.
Opposition to the planned merger of Food Truck Tuesday with the Thursday concert series, citing eight years of continuous participation and financial impact on small business operators; proposed moving Food Truck Tuesday to Lake Avenue while keeping both events separate.
Questions about the mobile food dispensing ordinance table designations (A vs.
PA), the process for food trucks at public parks during sporting events, and concerns about permit fees and the lack of a fee schedule.
Reiterated concerns about the merger of Food Truck Tuesday with the concert series and the $70 per-event fee structure; urged the city to revisit keeping both events separate and to clarify the rationale for combining them.