Palm Coast council signals it will not support proposed Belvedere fuel terminal after residents raise safety and property concerns

Dozens of Palm Coast residents urged the City Council on April 8 to oppose a proposed fuel terminal near the Belvedere area, citing safety, property-value and environmental concerns. Council members told speakers they would not move forward with site-selection work and asked staff to inform the company and Flagler County officials.

Residents said the project would sit too close to homes, schools and public water supplies. Vicky Haley, introduced herself as a Flagler County resident and told the council the terminal “would be right in my backyard,” saying she worried about leaks, accidents and property devaluation. “We plan on staying in Palm Coast for 18 years, and we’re planning on staying in our home until we die,” Haley said.

The nut graf: Residents focused on emergency response and long-term health risks tied to storage of large fuel volumes; city leaders said control over the county-level permitting process limits local authority but pledged to communicate the council’s position to county officials and the applicant.

Several speakers asked the council to coordinate with the Flagler County Commission and other agencies. Angela Dawson, a resident of Sawmill, thanked the mayor for requesting staff pause consideration of the project and asked the council to reject it in public meetings the same way Ormond Beach officials had acted on a recent similar proposal. Narina Speaks, a resident of Palm Coast’s Sawmill/ Samuel Branch area, repeated the call for a formal rejection and asked for clarity on next steps and public notice.

Developer and local stakeholders also addressed technical and life-safety gaps they said were missing from public outreach. A longtime developer who identified himself as Mr. McDonald said fire-safety and life-safety analyses — including the fire marshal’s input and training for first responders — should have been presented to the public before the proposal moved forward. “How could you even begin to roll this thing out to the public without first having some type of presentation from the fire marshal?” he asked.

Council members and the mayor responded that county approvals would be required for any grant or siting step. Councilmember Miller said it was his understanding that the county must approve a grant before any site-selection work could proceed and signaled he would not support the project in Palm Coast if it returned from the county. Vice Mayor (not specified) said she appreciated the mayor’s reversal on the proposal and called it “not our brand” of economic development.

Mayor Norris later instructed staff to convey the council’s direction to the project proponents. “I will take city council’s direction of not moving forward with Belvidere and let the company know that we do not need to move forward with the site selection analysis,” the city manager said on the dais, reflecting council consensus.

Ending: Residents and elected officials said they expect further coordination with Flagler County and the applicant. The transcript and speakers show the council did not take a formal vote during the workshop; instead, leaders recorded a council direction not to proceed with site-selection work and asked staff to follow up with county and applicant contacts.