Flagler County staff presents FDOT model airport zoning ordinance; first reading tentatively set for March

County planning and airport staff briefed the commissioners on a proposed airport zoning ordinance Feb. 10 that adapts a 2024 Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) model and ties local regulation to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 14 CFR‑defined airport surfaces.

Anna Mingle, growth management deputy director, said staff compared the FDOT model ordinance to the county’s prior text and prepared parcel‑level data so residents and applicants can identify whether a property falls inside one of several airport safety zones — primary surface, approach surface, transitional surface, horizontal and conical surfaces — described in FAA guidance (14 CFR Part 77). Mingle said staff prefer to maintain a GIS parcel lookup rather than adopt a static map because airport master plans and noise contours can change over time.

“I was surprised then to find that the state had adopted new guidance as recent as 2024, for us for use by local governments,” she told the board, and said the model ordinance includes notification and permitting steps intended to protect airspace and the public investment in the airport.

Airport director Roy Seager noted an important technical clarification: the county’s current airport master plan includes a large instrument‑approach‑related area that staff expect to remove in an upcoming master‑plan update. “That big area outside the conical will be going away,” Seager said. He added that Runway 11/29 could be extended to about 5,500 feet and, in the longer term, to roughly 6,500 feet, while the crosswind runway (Runway 6/24) is not likely to be extended.

Why it matters: the proposed ordinance would create two principal local zones — an airport height notification zone and an overflight zone that includes runway protection and noise contours — and would require extra review and FAA coordination for development in those zones. Staff showed parcel counts and population estimates for affected zones and said the county would still rely on FAA notification processes for certain temporary obstructions but that local review would be strengthened.

Next steps: staff said the county will present the FDOT model ordinance in “substantial form” at the March 3 meeting for first reading and that changes could be made at that meeting prior to second reading and adoption (tentatively March 17). Staff recommended pursuing the ordinance by interlocal with Palm Coast and Bunnell rather than by a joint planning board in order to keep the process manageable and to ensure municipal alignment.