Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developer, county outline plan to protect Beulah Creek floodplain; Florida Forever application expected
Summary
Developer and county representatives described a tentative agreement to conserve most headwaters near Beulah Creek and said the county will pursue a Florida Forever application; the city signaled willingness to draft a support letter. Residents pressed for maps, stronger protections and timing clarity.
Michael Shamento, speaking for the project applicant, told the Flagler Beach City workshop that developers and county staff had a “long productive meeting” about environmentally sensitive lands along Beulah Creek and a path to a government purchase and sale in the future. He said the parties reached a tentative agreement to identify and study the area and to seek supplemental funding from county and state sources.
Andy Vance, who spoke during public comment, said discussions produced a compromise to protect about 75–80% of the floodplain closest to the creek — “acreage total is going to be about 150 acres plus or minus,” he said — and that county staff plan to submit an application to the state’s Florida Forever program. Vance said staff and the water management district were “very excited” and that a willing-seller letter would be included in the application package.
City staff described timing and next steps. The city planner said the municipal water facility supply plan had been transmitted to the state and noted the city is pursuing a consumptive-use permit for late 2025, steps staff said are tied to meeting utility capacity to support development. The city manager asked whether the commission would support drafting a letter of support for the Florida Forever application; commissioners and attendees voiced support during the workshop.
Residents repeatedly urged more transparency and data. Speakers asked for acreage maps, clearer boundaries of the area the county would consider for acquisition, and assurances that sensitive AE floodplain and creekhead areas would be conserved rather than annexed for development. Several public commenters warned that building in AE flood zones shifts flood risks to the rest of Flagler Beach.
The developer said it would include in the planned development (PD) a two-year commitment not to file applications for development of the identified government-interest lands — “we're willing to put in the PD that we won't make any application for development for 2 years,” Michael Shamento said — except where the Spine Road right-of-way might intersect the parcel.
Next steps: county staff said they plan to assemble the Florida Forever application before the program deadline and will provide the city and public copies when submitted; the commission is scheduled to review related materials at an upcoming public meeting on Dec. 15 and again before a second reading in January.
The workshop closed without a formal land-sale vote; city officials and county representatives said further briefings and documents would be shared as the application and negotiations proceed.
