Flagler County proposes $120M beach and dune plan; half‑cent sales tax and MSBU offered as funding options

Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito presented a countywide beach and dune management plan and a proposed funding strategy to Palm Coast City Council at a workshop, outlining construction costs, maintenance forecasts and several potential revenue options.

Petito said the county’s coastal plan divides the shoreline into multiple reaches. Reach 1, an Army Corps project completed last year in Flagler Beach, placed about 1.7 million cubic yards of sand across about 3.4 miles at a reported total cost near $29 million. Reach 2 is planned as a 5.5‑mile dredge using an offshore sand source and is estimated at roughly 1.8 million cubic yards and $35 million. Petito said initial county estimates put total construction costs for the county’s 18.1 miles at about $120 million with a local share (matches and non‑federal portions) of roughly $42.4 million.

To sustain the shoreline after initial construction, consultants recommended periodic renourishment on about a six‑year cycle. The county’s equivalent annual cost for ongoing maintenance was presented at about $12 million per year (a six‑year total near $72 million). Petito said the…