Residents urge pause, more transparency on potential sale of Flagler Beach golf course

Several Flagler Beach residents called on the City Commission to slow any sale or development of the municipal golf course and to make records and plans more transparent.

At the commission meeting, speakers pressed for details about a conceptual site plan and the apparent absence of required architectural drawings in public records. Rich Phelan said he filed a public-records request and that the materials he received appeared incomplete, including a discrepancy in reported parcel acreage and inconsistent pervious/impervious percentages. “This document is completely flawed,” Phelan said during public comment.

Other neighbors said they had reviewed roughly 1,000 pages of materials and worried a low appraisal and poor maintenance by the current lessee could lead to a sale and subsequent development. Mark Emhoof warned that selling the land after it had been allowed to deteriorate would risk losing a community asset. “Imagine for a minute if New York City had decided to sell off the land now known as Central Park,” Emhoof said.

Commissioners and staff responded that no formal sale or site-plan approval has come before the commission. Commissioner Cooley and others explained the submission in question was a conceptual site plan—used to show a developer’s idea and solicit comment before the developer spends money to produce a full formal site plan—and therefore does not constitute formal approval. “There is no site plan approval on that,” the city manager said.

Commissioners also described procedural steps that would follow any formal proposal: planning-board review (where required), public hearings, and final commission action. Commissioner Bellheimer added that certain land-use matters would return to the planning board before commission consideration.

Neighbors asked for additional transparency: clearer maps of phased work, clarification of parcel acreages, and firm answers about whether architectural elevations and other required documents had been submitted. Commissioner Cunningham, who had inspected the course, said the course condition warranted consideration of “every option” for the property’s future, including non-golf uses.

City staff said they will present more information at upcoming meetings and that workshops and public hearings would be held prior to any final decision. The city manager and city attorney noted that staff routinely meets with applicants and that the commission only takes action when an item is formally brought before it.

The commission did not vote or otherwise take action on the golf-course property during the meeting. Commissioners repeatedly told residents the city would publicly post agendas and backup materials when any formal item is scheduled and that the public would have opportunities for comment at that time.