County staff presented a consolidated set of legislative funding and policy priorities the board will press with state lawmakers, highlighting several infrastructure and storm‑resiliency projects county leaders say align with state interests.

Holly Albanese, the county’s legislative liaison, and department staff reviewed funding requests they plan to pursue during the 2026 session. Key projects discussed included a potential county contribution toward a water expansion project partnered with the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA); drainage and stormwater projects; and two disaster‑resilience staging sites.

FGUA water/wastewater partnership: Albanese told commissioners FGUA has applied to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for a $17 million Clean Water Act grant to convert septic to sewer and that the county was exploring a phased county request of up to $5 million for the water portion adjacent to the FGUA wastewater project. Staff said the county does not currently have matching funds identified and would explore using the FGUA grant as part of an overall public‑private partnership match if the grant is awarded. Representatives said maps and more detailed impact information would be prepared for the board’s next meeting.

Black Branch North drainage: County engineering reported design for the Black Branch North drainage is estimated at $710,000 with construction estimated at $2.66 million. Staff suggested seeking design funding as a feasible legislative ask this cycle while pursuing construction funding later, and noted prior road paving work could serve as part of a local match.

Malacampa canal restoration: The county’s consultant provided conceptual cost ranges for canal restoration that vary substantially by design option, with estimates from about $13 million for a v‑section option to more than $20 million for options that include concrete walls and other structures. Staff and the county engineer discussed phasing the project, noting the box culvert under State Road A1A is a key bottleneck with an estimated cost of roughly $6 million.

Disaster staging sites: Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord briefed the board on two proposed hardened staging sites—one at the county property near 305/100 (the “Red Barn” site) and a second triangular county parcel near Cody’s Corner off County Road 304. The full grant ask would be $548,000; staff estimates the county match in in‑kind work at roughly $126,000 per site. Lord said both sites are owned by the county and would provide paved, year‑round staging areas for disaster response and for state mutual‑aid staging when needed.

Regional and program items: Staff also flagged regional priorities the Northeast Florida Regional Council will consider, and raised a change to SCRAP/SCOP match rules: county staff said Flagler may lose a historic match waiver and could face a 25% local match requirement on some state road projects moving forward.

Board members asked staff to refine maps, impact statements and phasing plans and to seek letters of support from legislators; staff said it would bring revised materials back at the first September workshop.