[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6059771,"mediaKeyId","3293752-ada7ac96c3474d9bf38287e8908883da","parentId",3293752,"title","Council backs next design step for Saltwater Canal dredging; funding still open question","audioSeconds",4177,"startMs",7573000,"endMs",11750000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293752-ada7ac96c3474d9bf38287e8908883da&start=7573&end=11750","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293752-ada7ac96c3474d9bf38287e8908883da/thumbnail_7573000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6059771/Palm-Coast-City/Flagler-County/Florida/Council-backs-next-design-step-for-Saltwater-Canal-dredging-funding-still-open-question","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059771-7349641eac9dfd53dec61b294a0b2aea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200541&Signature=mjEylZ551h3DYMUHdyZb2Ez~JUtcQ0sGLtGakbOME~ECeyCkgaV86taTWynWioiGB6punyjEGyGBRqR0vtkFdRoxunLWdRyuefBpC03nMWsmyd-xq6I2gnsPqe92m7I7e~QFDEcbJQ1BPTEL~ixpmzFcUJkZa4HSLFck~Yb-aXyd9fv5AzfOL83zOFRZ9Gf0nyKPzHJc~Mcm-OUMrdAw3P9WPSPN2RfQ5hOMwrSQ4VmWuPXV84Fer2NXQnLqsuHbFz9xHiGFWhusm10yzwf0JC3NYiN-HDw-Odyvnng4cuk6-K2dUv0xNyZ0P-x5dlkGfzqjRhDpFD5hOq8bE-MvIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Palm Coast, FL","date","2025-05-13T23:29:01Z","article","Palm Coast — The City Council on May 13 supported moving into design and permitting for a phased saltwater canal dredging program after consultants reviewed bathymetric, permitting and sampling work completed to date, but council members said funding and a long‑term maintenance plan must be resolved before construction.

Taylor Engineering and city staff summarized phase‑two work including historical permit research, a bathymetric survey, limited sediment sampling and regulatory pre‑application meetings. Terry Cake, representing Taylor Engineering, said the team located original design depths for many canals and reported typical canal‑bottom material as organic silty sediment; chemical tests showed generally low contaminants with naturally occurring arsenic detected in small amounts. Cake said regulatory staff at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated the project could be treated as maintenance dredging if original constructed depths are used.

Consultants presented multiple scenarios for dredging and placement. Staff described three principal options: restore all canals to their originally constructed depths (deeper dredging); a compromise (deeper at entrance canals and shallower elsewhere); or dredge only the main collector canals. The city presented a mass‑balance price estimate using current assumptions (about $50 per cubic yard of material), and showed a substantial cost range depending on depth and which canals are included. Staff estimated a roughly $3.6 million to $4.0 million cost for a compromise scenario (dredge most canals to minus‑9 NAVD, smaller dead‑end canals to minus‑7 NAVD) and noted a higher‑depth, full restoration option could be an order of magnitude larger.

Staff recommended the compromise option (dredge entrance/major canals to minus‑9 and other canals to minus‑7) and asked council to authorize design and permitting work. The city manager and consultant advised the council that design and permitting fees were estimated during earlier work at roughly $310,000, while a later staff note placed the remaining design/permitting work at about $460,000. Taylor Engineering listed remaining tasks: final bathymetry review, final dredge prism and construction drawings, environmental permitting, funding applications, final specifications and bid support.

Discussion addressed boat access, long‑term maintenance and possible outside funding. The Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) was identified as a potential partner; FIND’s typical assistance model for entrance waterways is a 75/20/5 split (FIND/sponsor/other) for eligible projects, but staff said FIND’s current rules do not automatically cover interior private marina canals. Council members asked staff to pursue FIND and other funding discussions and to return with a funding strategy for council consideration during the next budget cycle. City staff also noted the earliest practical start for the next design phase is after the FY‑26 budget process.

Several residents who live on or near canal lots spoke in favor of dredging now, saying low tides prevent routine boat use and reduce property‑value utility. Others urged care on seawall foundations and raised concerns about who bears the cost of maintenance in front of private docks. A resident noted earlier municipal work and taxes had promised canal maintenance years ago and asked that the city account for previously collected funds.

Council consensus was to proceed with design and permitting for the compromise option and to return with a clear funding plan, including pursuit of FIND coordination and potential assessment or grant strategies, before committing construction funds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Business Workshop - May 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff and consultants summarized a multi‑phase study of Palm Coast’s saltwater canal system and, by consensus, directed staff to pursue design and permitting for a compromise dredging option; the council asked staff to return with funding options before committing construction dollars.","taxTitle","Palm Coast City, Flagler County, Florida","taxId",3807,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6059776,"Palm Coast council agrees to formalize traffic‑calming policy after mixed pilot results",6684,859000,7543000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3293752-ada7ac96c3474d9bf38287e8908883da&start=859&end=7543","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3293752-ada7ac96c3474d9bf38287e8908883da/thumbnail_859000.jpg","/articles/6059776/Palm-Coast-City/Flagler-County/Florida/Palm-Coast-council-agrees-to-formalize-trafficcalming-policy-after-mixed-pilot-results","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6059776-a81945e69055681fb32ba65f49f83c4d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200541&Signature=BZmp0B9OqBecK70BoVFGg~mhKpeBNBTC5Gb-d723jyVgRVf7PzP3vATMRwWiwRKqGt0wVOyZcFUwggg573UrLa55N1qZoHvcWRJMOIO0Ya23ls2iQKNfP5uPCveDqyIf00Z63buQ5ZfqZ8x5GK4~iNraz5WBJXBfCKosb3mpPaoHHBTRcqxUGuvHDD6JlrfNFJ~458qZV31KyNcv0rz8vqyHImiB9T-iXK~N3IpVQuku0-rOF6C8wmSFJjKozx5v9lMFf9AWe9L8dSdasIccri~F8F-eG0SATfB2VR-md~d6FiLZa6CkTun1zd8eMu2TvGWMjUr-4qCD6D7Gn1oXhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Palm Coast — The City Council directed staff on May 13 to develop a formal traffic‑calming manual and an application process after a pilot program showed speed cushions reduced speeds in some locations but other measures were less effective or raised concerns.

The direction came after staff and consultant presentations on a pilot study that tested speed cushions, chicanes and lane‑narrowing striping on several residential collector streets. Vaneesh Crawford, project manager for the city’s stormwater and engineering department, summarized the study’s origin: “In June 2024, the city completed … the speed limit study throughout the city of Palm Coast and presented our recommendation to the council,” and the council subsequently asked staff to develop a traffic‑calming plan.

The consultant, Emmanuel Rodriguez of Kimley‑Horn, presented the pilot data. He said the speed cushions were the most effective treatment tested, noting the measured reduction in the 85th‑percentile speed and the upper end of the 10‑mph pace at the cushion locations: “Speed cushions, very effective.” Chicanes produced smaller speed reductions, and lane narrowing by striping produced no reduction and in some spots showed a small increase in speed.

Public comments and some council members raised practical and equity concerns. Several residents reported improved safety on Florida Park Drive after cushions were installed. Paulette Hatfield, who lives near Florida Park Drive, told the council: “The traffic calming speed humps on Florida Park Drive have brought a welcome change to our neighborhood these past few months. They need to remain in place.” Other residents, especially on Cimarron Drive, said cushions made ambulance and fire response more difficult, increased noise and caused vehicles to circumvent the devices into yards. A resident said ambulances sometimes “have gone around these devices.”

Fire and rescue staff said they are tracking response data and evaluating vehicle compatibility. The fire chief told the council the dual‑rear wheels on some engines make traveling over the cushions problematic and that the department cannot yet quantify any effect on response times.

Council discussion focused on balancing effectiveness, resident support and unintended consequences. Council members and staff discussed alternatives including speed tables and “inverted” trough‑style devices that may produce less noise, and lowering neighborhood speed limits as a separate policy option. Staff and the consultant warned that lane striping could worsen speeds in some places and that speed tables can affect roadway drainage.

Council gave staff the following direction by consensus: develop and return with a traffic‑calming manual and formal application process (including how affected households are defined), finalize the public‑engagement and ballot method (the consultant recommended a 70 percent approval threshold for the impacted residents), explore other device types (speed tables and inverted designs) and evaluate emergency‑vehicle compatibility, and remove the experimental cushions on Cimarron Drive and consider relocating them as test devices elsewhere. Staff was also asked to provide the full survey breakdown and the vendor/cost details for the pilot installations.

The presentation included pilot costs and participation numbers: the city purchased a system of speed cushions for the pilot for about $20,000 (roughly $2,500 per cushion location), chicanes for about $5,000 per set (with the pilot spaced across multiple sites), and the public survey collected about 1,200 responses. Staff noted the survey was open (not unique per email) and that more granular address‑level results would be provided.

Next steps include producing the traffic‑calming manual and application process for council review, refining public‑engagement methods (an app‑based single‑vote option was discussed), testing additional device types where feasible, and returning with costs and an implementation plan as part of the next budget cycle.","After a months‑long pilot on residential collectors, the Palm Coast City Council directed staff to draft a citywide traffic‑calming manual and application process, keep speed cushions as a proven tool but refine the toolbox and public‑vote threshold, and remove experimental cushions on one Cimarron segment pending further review.","actionData","errors"]

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Council backs next design step for Saltwater Canal dredging; funding still open question

Palm Coast council agrees to formalize traffic‑calming policy after mixed pilot results