Palm Coast council, county seek audit and one‑year contract option for Flagler Humane Society; oversight options discussed

Council members and staff reaffirmed actions from a recent joint city‑county meeting to increase oversight of Flagler Humane Society after public testimony alleged management and animal‑care deficiencies.

City Manager Lauren Johnson summarized the joint meeting takeaways for Palm Coast City Council: the governments will consider a one‑year contract with the humane society while developing enhanced reporting and oversight requirements; the society’s bylaws will be shared with both governments; and the county will evaluate a range of options including keeping the status quo, creating an interlocal agreement that gives increased oversight to local government, or bringing animal control functions in‑house.

Public commenters urged immediate scrutiny and an independent audit; one speaker noted Florida law requires nonprofits soliciting more than $1,000,000 annually to obtain an independent audit and asked that the next contract include that requirement. Council members and the city manager said that an audit and a capital improvement plan from the humane society had been requested at the joint meeting and would be part of future contract discussions.

Councilman Ty Miller said the city should not immediately walk away from the society because it is the single provider at present; instead, he supported a one‑year contract to allow time to plan for alternatives and potential secondary shelter capacity. Council discussion also noted that other jurisdictions had planned funding to repair or replace worn equipment at the Wadsworth skate facility and that collaboration with the county would be necessary to avoid duplicative efforts.

The council did not take a separate vote on the humane society matter at the May 6 meeting; rather, staff reported the joint meeting outcomes and said the next steps would be contract negotiations and further discussions with the county.