[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6174279,"mediaKeyId","5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c","parentId",5370874,"title","Commission votes 4-1 to begin formal negotiations on sale of Ocean Palm golf course; deed restrictions and stormwater easements highlighted","audioSeconds",1272,"startMs",4784000,"endMs",6056000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c&start=4784&end=6056","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c/thumbnail_4784000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6174279/Florida/Commission-votes-4-1-to-begin-formal-negotiations-on-sale-of-Ocean-Palm-golf-course-deed-restrictions-and-stormwater-easements-highlighted","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174279-a164ddfdd4eeca44011fcfbf2823bf13/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446328&Signature=m46E6Qb5b8a0B2In3-Rvuo2D0DME3ZlepfCA5LiPuJwnS7rKt0RLR~q7EWPUj5GU22Ti5mN7KjAndkZoVc~~~ux-ztK4a65zh6Hmj8PF~DKPmm2ujup52TmhixqQ7p0FnowpdlsvrdgXWh6KrhIAOumYjTKZ24fIg8xs7B7lZK4e8IJXyq8SqUwN2NU1TUcgXkUSkPIxh-pomJgv9ns7DaB9jEsV1Zw9s7Sp12nOblfJyAxJk8cAHlWqZ8siPcmogGMq4Hn1ez7vN84wuckJurK5mF4Sc4iGjJy0Dcb2VCuK4MbNOz401QkVc2qZTcYRH4uYKXedUVIXsRNThmLhvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Flagler Beach, FL","date","2025-07-12T04:03:05.553Z","article","The City Commission voted 4-1 to authorize formal negotiations and permit the city manager to sign a letter of intent (LOI) related to the possible sale of the Ocean Palm Golf Course, after hearing a presentation from the tenant-proponent and extensive public comment.

What the buyers proposed: Jay Livingston, attorney for Ocean Palm Golf Club LLC, told the commission the prospective owners have updated the LOI to reference the average appraisal value, include a deed restriction that would be terminable only by unanimous commission consent, and address drainage easements needed for an already-issued stormwater permit. The buyers said they have a permit in hand from the St. Johns River Water Management District for course renovation and irrigation work and proposed a phased build-out that the presenter estimated would cost about $6,000,000 overall.

Key factual points
- Vote and motion: The Commission voted 4-1 to enter formal negotiations and to authorize the city manager to sign the LOI; Commissioner Cunningham cast the lone vote against entering negotiations.
- Permit and site work: The buyer’s team said a revised permit sequence (St. Johns River Water Management District) is in hand and that the renovation plan includes expanded wet detention ponds, irrigation pond and higher-level water-quality treatment required for discharges to the outstanding Florida waterway.
- Financing and timeline: The buyers reported they have invested roughly $200,000 in engineering/architectural and permitting work and described a 28-week target schedule to reach construction milestones once acquisition occurs; they said fee ownership may be required by lenders to secure financing.
- Easements and maintenance: Because the city currently owns the land, the consultants said drainage easements have not been recorded; if the sale proceeds, the buyer would record easements or the city would reserve easements at closing to preserve existing off-site drainage and ongoing permit obligations.

Public response and council concerns
Dozens of residents spoke during public comment with competing views. Some neighbors urged selling to a local buyer who promised to reinvest and upgrade the course, arguing the city has repeatedly lost money while operating the property. Others urged the city not to sell the 40-acre parcel, requesting that the city consider alternate uses (parks, stormwater storage, reuse reservoir) or retain control to protect long-term public interests.

Commission questions and staff notes
Commissioners and staff discussed protections to ensure the buyer meets benchmarks after purchasing fee title. City legal staff explained options that can be written into a purchase-and-sale agreement or deed restriction — for example, a reversion clause that returns title to the city if contractual benchmarks are not met within a defined period. The city attorney cautioned that overly stringent deed restrictions can complicate financing because lenders may be reluctant to extend loans on highly encumbered property; the commission discussed escrowed purchase funds or performance-based reversion language as possible middle-ground protections.

Formal action and next steps
Motion text recorded at the meeting: authorization to enter formal negotiations and authorize the city manager to sign the letter of intent (mover/second not specified in the transcript). The motion passed 4-1 in a roll call vote. Staff said, if direction stands, attorneys and staff will negotiate a purchase-and-sale agreement and return a draft for commission approval before any closing. The sale would include discussions about recorded drainage easements, maintenance responsibilities required by the water-management permit, and whether to structure escrowed protections or reversionary remedies in the purchase documents.

Authority references on the record
The buyers cited their St. Johns River Water Management District permit sequence and noted the Clean Water/river quality standards that apply to local discharges. Appraisals and deed-restriction language were referenced on the record; appraisers reportedly discounted value because of the intended deed restrictions.

Ending note
The committee’s vote authorized staff to negotiate but did not commit the city to sell the property; commissioners and the public stressed the need for clear performance protections and easements to preserve public drainage interests if a sale proceeds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Workshop and Regular City Commission Meeting 07102025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission voted 4-1 to enter formal negotiations over a proposed sale of Ocean Palm Golf Course and to authorize execution of a letter of intent; the prospective buyer presented a permit in hand and a 28-week schedule to reach construction milestones after acquisition.","taxTitle","Flagler Beach City, Flagler County, Florida","taxId",57027,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6174284,"Consultants present $41 million phase of Flagler Beach stormwater master plan; city urged to pursue grants and annual updates",1017,1755000,2772000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c&start=1755&end=2772","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c/thumbnail_1755000.jpg","/articles/6174284/Florida/Consultants-present-41-million-phase-of-Flagler-Beach-stormwater-master-plan-city-urged-to-pursue-grants-and-annual-updates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174284-82ed27f90d7102e8493824a6df2ca63b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446328&Signature=kUv7ewyqt~fLpJQ2VXM7VRJAm0FK0PHhyDhj4FpBM5-WTs3TGh5-P7rZIsSgFvRMg6fw-PMhwfQzBcdyRmCQezLF~FWD9en1xDWx6R0c-7auG7USy4wFhxi9ljEfPzSLJS3tXORZaK1QynXTFowIUDaFF4fHlm74pbHG4dnqEGcbUH3vCIEqB-rK0i-PEly5NY~G6XSygRT1a-fi2ofnmsTx3uFSrnymeIj8bSWkd1vmTBM4wrNrymVuXSOsSvkxuIJW-zPUKpXLWLxiuXbr16QuatFpBJL2M87Feswyv3JQMoHCdDEfOGN0vxftPaclayYDvLYSveHBPgA9jt7JcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","McKim & Creed consultants presented Phase 2 of the City of Flagler Beach stormwater master plan to the City Commission, summarizing a citywide evaluation that produced 75 conceptual projects and recommended 23 priority projects that together total about $41 million.

The consultants said the plan is a “roadmap” the city can update annually and use to pursue external funding. “This whole master planning effort was intended to be a starting point to give you all a roadmap to move forward,” the presenter said, adding the plan should be reviewed as part of the city’s annual budgeting cycle.

Why it matters: the plan frames capital and programmatic options for a community where roughly half of properties fall in a flood zone and where the city’s existing stormwater revenue streams are limited. The consultants recommended blending “low-hanging-fruit” administrative actions from Phase 1 with capital investments targeted by their scoring framework to make projects more competitive for grants.

Most important facts
- Inventory and scoring: consultants inventoried city rights-of-way and easements, defined a weighted scoring framework prioritizing structural flood reduction and cost, and incorporated public input to score projects.
- Project counts and costs: the study identified 99 drainage basins, conceived 75 conceptual projects and prioritized 23 for recommendation. Those 23 projects were estimated conservatively at roughly $41,000,000 in total, with individual planning estimates ranging from about $250,000 to $7,000,000 and a planning-level average near $2,000,000 per project.
- Implementation approach: the consultants proposed a 20-year horizon that averages roughly one to two projects per year, recommends clustering geographically related projects for economies of scale, and urges annual reprioritization tied to the city’s budgeting calendar.
- Funding strategy: consultants urged the city to pursue state and federal grants and to use limited local funds as match where required. They flagged the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and recent hurricane-related appropriations as potential sources and recommended developing grant-writing capacity—either assigning staff responsibility or hiring consultants—to proactively pursue and manage grants.

Supporting details and staff follow-up
The consultants said cost and structural flood-reduction benefit were the two most heavily weighted criteria in their prioritization. They also included feasibility, environmental and water-quality co-benefits, and grant competitiveness as secondary criteria. The planning-level cost methodology used a standardized roadway section for comparability across projects.

Commissioners pressed for clarification about whether the plan requires new outfalls, how curb-and-gutter designs tie to treatment and outfalls, and whether projects could be phased or scaled to capture “early wins.” The consultant explained that where there was no existing outfall the plan proposes new outfalls sized by hydraulic analysis and that projects include water-quality treatment—either wet detention ponds or inline water-quality units—before discharge.

Several commissioners asked for a public update on progress implementing the Phase 1 “low-hanging fruit” recommendations; Commissioners asked staff to prepare a short, public-facing status update listing those Phase 1 items and whether they have been completed, are in progress, or remain unstarted.

Public comment and scope
Members of the public asked whether monthly stormwater fees should already have produced maintenance results and whether the program aims to prevent major storm surges. City staff and the consultant clarified the plan’s focus: to reduce routine and “sunny day” flooding, drainage failures and local nuisance flooding, not to provide comprehensive protection from extreme storm surge or major hurricane-driven coastal flooding.

Next steps
The consultants asked the Commission for feedback and suggested the city formally adopt the plan as a living document and budget for annual review. Staff accepted requests to post a clear Phase 1 status update to the city portal and to pursue the grant-following recommendations with defined staff or consultant roles.

Sources and attribution
Quotes and on-the-record attributions in this article come from: Mr. Haley (McKim & Creed, presenter), Alexis Ward (McKim & Creed, engineer referenced by the presenter), the City Manager and Commissioners present at the meeting. Public commenters included RJ Santore and Steve Dally.

Ending note
The plan gives Flagler Beach an organized, scored project list and a multidecade implementation pathway. The work required to fund and build the projects — from matching funds to grant-writing capacity — was identified by the consultants as the most actionable short-term need for the city.","McKim & Creed presented Phase 2 of a citywide stormwater master plan that identifies 75 conceptual projects, prioritizes 23 as recommendations totaling about $41 million, and recommends a 20-year implementation strategy emphasizing grant-seeking, annual reprioritization and combining projects for cost efficiency.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6174269,"Commission asks staff to form permanent parks committee after debate over Veterans Park fountain and phased improvements",1084,13963000,15047000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c&start=13963&end=15047","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c/thumbnail_13963000.jpg","/articles/6174269/Florida/Commission-asks-staff-to-form-permanent-parks-committee-after-debate-over-Veterans-Park-fountain-and-phased-improvements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174269-0fd8fe308591d8ef570fd29cd3ddec28/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446328&Signature=Qd4AyZN6-t5XAGmhzSzvvo4D8Y9auy4qumQZ2Igd-zkJ9yyLA94mFyanWKDRJsy3SmPL0kKpA7w-aesKnrMN9A37tn6edCgwVDWhCxY36jXnmRMIw2fXJSUJYF6hoZWXr4JA-AJcaYh75QstUsVdhyBBLc6~LJV2TaaDLj45kJz8vvG359u5fz9VxZ~wHVwOjQb7JykQ6kXH-ja5yLpsrIy3kDo4A2-FTBAIDnJXkt8MGURuNn5E5HBIjFchGJO404mtMH53YGYsEC97sqMZTvPIhyR2DpCAzf9-B0IC4zwd5BngewI7pCYZCkIZicNGY8pnLlPLlkSSZkXMy7FOEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission directed staff to create a permanent parks advisory committee to develop comprehensive recommendations for Veterans Park and other city parks after debate about a proposed fountain design and fundraising efforts.

Background and competing views
Resident and volunteer Ken Bridal outlined a community-driven effort that previously produced student-submitted fountain designs and raised some private funds; he also presented a lower-cost stone-and-plaque option to honor veterans. Some residents and commissioners supported moving forward with a near-term fountain installation as a phase of larger park improvements. Others urged a full park master-plan process and recommended a parks committee carry the planning work to ensure coordinated, phased improvements.

Why the commission acted
Commissioners said the city needs a deliberate, publicly vetted approach so upgrades are consistent with long-term park and budget planning. The manager proposed and the commission agreed to stand up a parks committee (job description, member count and duties to be returned for appointment) to do the detailed design and fundraising coordination and to return a recommended phased plan and budget.

Next steps and timeline
Staff will bring a resolution establishing the parks committee and a volunteer application process; the manager said appointments will be considered once the council sets the committee’s composition (anticipated in upcoming meetings). The committee’s work will inform phased capital budgeting; commissioners indicated they expect the committee to consider both the fountain proposal and other park-wide elements. One commissioner noted that full-park redevelopment would likely require phased work over multiple years and multiple funding sources.","After a multi-year public conversation about a proposed Veterans Park fountain and broader park redevelopment, the commission directed staff to form a permanent parks committee to develop a master plan and phased improvements rather than decide on a single feature immediately.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6174273,"Commission awards three utility construction projects to lowest bidder; homeowners remain responsible for laterals and pep tanks",1397,10986000,12383000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c&start=10986&end=12383","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5370874-e5194b59c412630b07254a0e1fd4751c/thumbnail_10986000.jpg","/articles/6174273/Florida/Commission-awards-three-utility-construction-projects-to-lowest-bidder-homeowners-remain-responsible-for-laterals-and-pep-tanks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174273-82cf1f5f47956753c1d9aa7c246d03b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446328&Signature=JkFxx~LDGkjq~K1iWkcyZxJxLAWeDerfqA6fIcwHgAq1dmuiSKkQBjWl5OgREP3PdTcOOeWMkGJN894aCnkr~2vBYopwi3sMPFP5bCj2ibqBfwZIjUCGownQGe57h3P4xQ~m6X9xaSmfOjZ1eRTzrWR8HAgttJcLKv5MRCpmeRLL3k88XWWLqqfPT2b4SzMsYUqzRBincPX1S5ha8PU9avSB3LlroWhraIl0bdsBKjKYhjSAn50MbdeyfIzmI4rXmd~NY9QpRkkp5S1KgaNc~Uekrsho9Q7uvTBIv6uoDPgVUy-8VLfglSELyHEmHXCGO5DC4a2z5EFsGptvE~qrjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission approved Resolution 2025-58 to award construction services for three public-works projects to US Water Solutions Corporation in an amount not to exceed $165,638. Staff said the work had been included in the current capital budget and that the firm submitted the low responsive bid among two proposals.

What the contract covers
Staff described three discrete project elements: (1) connecting residences along Oak Street to city sewer, (2) replacing a two-inch line in a north-south alley with a four-inch PVC main, and (3) replacing and improving cross-connection water lines on South 13th–16th streets to increase supply reliability and reduce main-break potential.

Homeowner impacts and technical clarifications
City engineering staff clarified that homeowners are responsible for on-site hookups, inspection and associated connection fees. For two Oak Street properties currently on septic, staff said homeowners will have to install grinder/PEP tanks where needed and maintain them under the city’s code. The city already allows payment plans in some circumstances for impact fees and staff suggested options can be explored with property owners if the cost is burdensome.

Vote and procurement
Commissioner Cunningham moved and another commissioner seconded the award; the motion passed unanimously (5-0). Staff presented the low bid of about $165,638 and noted the other bid received was substantially higher. Staff confirmed performance bonds and insurance documentation were in the procurement files.

Next steps
Staff will finalize the contract, provide the contractor’s schedule and notify affected residents about timing and any necessary property-access arrangements. Staff will also relay the contractor-provided schedule to the Commission when available.","The commission approved a contract to US Water Solutions Corporation for city public-works projects including sewer connections on Oak Street and water main upgrades, with staff clarifying homeowners are responsible for individual connection costs and any required grinder/PEP tanks.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission votes 4-1 to begin formal negotiations on sale of Ocean Palm golf course; deed restrictions and stormwater easements highlighted

Consultants present $41 million phase of Flagler Beach stormwater master plan; city urged to pursue grants and annual updates

Commission asks staff to form permanent parks committee after debate over Veterans Park fountain and phased improvements

Commission awards three utility construction projects to lowest bidder; homeowners remain responsible for laterals and pep tanks