County reopens Old Brick Road preservation discussion as Palm Coast annexation advances

The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners revisited preservation of the Old Brick Road — a historic, brick‑paved section of the former Dixie Highway — during its Feb. 10 workshop, with Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan urging early action to conserve the corridor as nearby lands are annexed and developed.

Moylan told commissioners the county maintains roughly eight miles of continuous brick road within Flagler County and that the road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the Florida Master Site File. He said parts of the corridor now sit inside Palm Coast city limits after recent annexations and that development pressure means the county should update earlier work to protect the road’s character.

“You can see it starts just at the North end of Espanola and it goes all the way up to the county line,” Moylan said, noting the road’s length and history. He described earlier consultant recommendations — such as limiting heavy trucks, reusing bricks from crossings for repairs, interpretive kiosks and preserving large buffers — and said the county could file a map in its official records to document ownership and right of way.

Why it matters: The brick road is a cultural resource and possible recreational linear facility for hiking, bicycling and heritage tourism. Moylan said the road remains a public road (the county maintains it) even though private landowners own up to the center line of the roadway and that future development will require crossings and access points that can erode the roadway’s character if not planned.

Commissioners and staff discussed possible tools: filing a map to clarify county ownership of the right of way (statutory recordation after 7 years of maintenance), interlocal coordination with Palm Coast to memorialize preservation goals, including PUD (planned unit development) commitments or interlocal agreements, and targeted use of restrictive covenants. Moylan said covenants can be undone later and suggested the PUD and interlocal processes may be more durable.

Palm Coast and Rayonier representatives, Moylan said, have told county staff they view the brick road as an amenity and do not want it paved. Commissioners requested that staff file a definitive map and pursue an agreement to “meet at the table” with the city and developers when development proposals reach the PUD stage.

Next steps: Staff recommended (1) filing a map in the county official records to document maintenance/ownership, (2) continued coordination with Palm Coast and Rayonier on future PUDs and crossings, and (3) exploring an interlocal or a board resolution memorializing shared intent to preserve the corridor. Moylan said map filing could be accomplished quickly — possibly at the March meeting.