Flagler County leaders press municipalities for countywide plan to fund ongoing beach renourishment and maintenance

County and municipal elected officials and residents at a Feb. 5 Flagler County joint workshop urged coordination on funding and maintaining future beach renourishment projects, while stopping short of any formal commitment from municipalities to share renourishment costs.

County Chair Andy Vance and Commissioner Greg Hansen laid out the county’s beach-management history and the case for a coordinated, multi-jurisdiction approach. Hansen said the county has spent about $25 million on an initial nourishment and described technical expectations that follow-up renourishments are likely on roughly six-year intervals.

Officials and residents said the beaches are a countywide economic engine and a priority for protecting property, tourism revenue and infrastructure. But municipal leaders expressed concern about asking their residents to shoulder ongoing renourishment costs, and several municipal speakers pressed for clearer breakdowns of who uses and benefits from the beaches.

Hansen framed the county’s request as two parts: (1) ensure cities and towns have maintenance plans that meet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit requirements, and (2) discuss whether municipalities will commit to participating in ongoing renourishment funding options. He said the initial renourishment followed engineering recommendations and that additional renourishments help build the offshore shelf that reduces wave energy during storms.

Flagler Beach Commissioner Scott Spradley and Beverly Beach Vice Mayor Jeff Skadema said their communities accept the required maintenance obligations. Spradley said Flagler Beach recognizes “its obligation for the maintenance part of renourishment” and that a maintenance plan exists for repairing escarpments and related work. Beverly Beach Mayor Steve Emmett and Vice Mayor Skadema said their small town’s residents oppose new taxation; Emmett repeatedly said Beverly Beach would not support a tax increase for renourishment and emphasized reliance on Flagler Beach and interlocal cooperation for services.

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris said Palm Coast bears a large share of county costs and customers who use the beach: county data discussed at the meeting indicated a majority of beach users are Palm Coast residents. Norris and other municipal officials said any funding proposal would have to be vetted with their councils and voters.

Public commenters and property representatives urged urgency. Greg Davis, president of the Hammock Dunes Owners Association, urged an immediate truck-sand project before hurricane season and said private owners there have already spent millions on shoreline work; he said he will ask his association board to support a locally funded maintenance district (an MSBU) for Northern unincorporated areas (the “Northern 10” MSBU). Painters Hill resident Steve Davis told the panel structures and seawalls face rapid worsening without a larger-volume dredge project.

County staff and several officials noted federal and state grant eligibility often requires local matching funds or demonstrated local commitment; the county’s presentation listed possible local tools including special taxing districts, special assessments, benefit units (millage), user fees and existing local revenue sources. Officials emphasized that while Army Corps or state grants helped pay much of the initial work, relying solely on outside grants is not a durable strategy.

The workshop did not include any vote. County leaders asked each municipality to take the county’s materials and renourishment plan back to their councils and report whether there is appetite to participate in a countywide funding approach. The group set a follow-up workshop for March 12, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. to continue the discussion and to provide additional data ahead of local budget decisions.

Local next steps and clarifications raised at the meeting included county offers to help municipalities develop or review Army Corps–compliant maintenance plans, and county staff availability to share engineering reach-by-reach details and funding scenarios. Officials also stressed that maintenance work (escapement repairs, walkover repairs) is distinct from larger dredge/renourishment projects, which carry much higher costs and typically require more extensive permitting.

A county presentation and the written “Flagler County Coastal Erosion and Management Executive Summary” were cited repeatedly and the county committed to distributing the county’s study and outreach materials to municipal staff for further review before March 12.