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Flagler Beach approves mobility plan and mobility-fee study despite split vote
Summary
The commission voted 3-1 to contract New Urban Concepts to prepare a mobility action plan and mobility-fee study. Supporters said a local plan would unlock funding and multimodal projects; a dissenting commissioner said existing local plans and traffic studies already cover needed work.
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Feb. 13 approved Resolution 2025-13, awarding a contract to New Urban Concepts to prepare a mobility action plan and calculate a mobility fee that could be charged to new development. The motion passed 3-1.
The mobility plan is intended to create a 25-year vision for multimodal transportation in Flagler Beach and produce the technical study (an "impact/fee study") required under Florida law to implement a mobility fee. New Urban Concepts principal transportation planner Lauren Rushing told commissioners the firm has prepared mobility plans and fees for communities across Florida and said the work would pull together existing local documents, recommend projects (sidewalks, bike lanes, low-speed street treatments, parking and potential circulator routes) and establish the fee methodology.
Why it mattered: A mobility fee differs from a traditional roadway impact fee because it is directly tied to a locally adopted mobility plan and considers "person miles" rather than vehicle miles. The fee can be used to fund a broader set of multimodal projects. Supporters said a locally controlled revenue stream would help the city match grants and accelerate projects; opponents worried the study duplicates prior local planning work and that residents might not accept a new fee.
Debate and concerns - Support for adoption: Several public commenters and commissioners argued the plan would help Flagler Beach secure state and federal grants and fund sidewalks, crosswalks and other pedestrian improvements. "If we get a sidewalk on any street from this mobility plan, it's well worth it," Commissioner Meeley said.
- Opposition and caution: One commissioner said the city already has many planning documents (charrette, downtown design guidelines, Veranda Bay traffic study) and questioned whether a new planning contract was necessary. The city attorney advised a fee study is legally required to adopt an enforceable mobility fee and that a fee study is distinct from, and often complementary to, planning documents.
- Scope and next steps: Rushing described a typical sequence: develop a mobility plan tailored to local priorities, calculate fees for one or more assessment areas, prepare an implementing ordinance, and recommend code updates and administrative processes required by statute. She cited Alachua County's earlier work and Saint Augustine's use of a mobility plan to structure downtown circulation and to support park-and-ride and circulator approaches.
Vote The commission approved Resolution 2025-13 by a 3-1 roll-call vote (Bellheimer: yes; Meeley: yes; Cooley: no; Sherman: yes). The contract funds the mobility plan, the mobility-fee analysis and an implementing ordinance; staff and consultant will follow with implementation steps if the commission adopts the fee after public hearings.
Provenance and follow-up The commission directed staff to proceed with the New Urban Concepts contract. If commissioners later adopt a mobility fee, staff will need to (1) adopt an implementing ordinance that establishes assessment areas and fee schedules, (2) update the comprehensive plan data and analysis and (3) align land-development code provisions as necessary.
