Palm Coast outlines ADA compliance plan and updates HUD Section 504 housing policy

City staff on Jan. 7 presented a multi‑year plan to bring Palm Coast facilities, programs and public‑facing digital services into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the City Council unanimously approved a replacement HUD Section 504 policy for the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing program.

Virginia Smith, who is serving as the city’s ADA coordinator, told the council the city must meet federal web accessibility timelines and that, as a community of more than 50,000 residents, Palm Coast’s public‑facing website must conform to accessibility standards by April 24, 2026. Staff said roughly 850 documents on palmcoast.gov require review and conversion; city IT has purchased an ADA auditing tool and will supply departments lists of documents that need conversion. Zac Bauer (IT) said the city already runs automated scans and that most pages show only a small number of medium‑ or high‑priority issues, but converting legacy PDFs and complex budget workbooks will require department time and, in some cases, vendor assistance.

Smith described priorities including designation of an ADA coordinator (the city already has that role assigned), a grievance procedure, three‑year self‑evaluations, and transition plans that detail timelines and budget requests for upgrades to parks, buildings, meetings and online services. The presentation included park and recreation accessibility work — the kayak launch at Waterfront Park with a wheelchair transfer platform, pool lifts at the Aquatic Center, and adaptive programs such as an autism‑spectrum social group and adaptive tennis.

Smith also identified options and estimated costs tied to meeting‑access requirements: live sign‑language interpretation at every council meeting would cost roughly $100 per interpreter per hour (with two interpreters needed for meetings longer than two hours); providing an interpreter at every council meeting in 2024‑level frequency would cost roughly $30,000 annually, staff said. Staff are evaluating alternatives, including on‑demand interpretation services, software for live captioning, and hiring part‑time or on‑call interpreters.

Separately, the council adopted a revised HUD Section 504 policy (Resolution 2025‑xx) for the city’s CDBG housing program. Jacqueline Gonzalez, community development site coordinator, told council that the updates clarify nondiscrimination obligations for program recipients and subrecipients, update grievance procedures, and document program accessibility steps that must be completed and reported to HUD to maintain entitlement funding. Gonzalez said the housing forms in her program have already been kept in accessible formats.

Council members asked staff to return with budget‑level estimates and options for meeting‑access technologies; the city manager said most of the work will be staff time coordinated across departments, with certain complex conversions (for example, budget books) likely requiring contracted support.

What happens next: Departments will inventory and prioritize documents for conversion, build departmental transition plans, and seek funding during the budget cycle for software or vendor assistance as needed. Staff will also continue evaluating meeting‑access options (on‑demand interpretation, software for live captioning) and the potential to partner with local nonprofit and education resources.

Votes: Resolution to repeal and replace HUD Section 504 policy: passed unanimously.