- April 25, 2024
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For the first time, visitors to Palm Coast's City Hall will encounter an armed security guard at the main entryway and signs warning that weapons are banned.
"We’ve had several very similar incidents with folks coming in that were highly confrontational, highly unstable."
— MATT MORTON, Palm Coast city manager
The Giddens Security Corp. guard made his appearance after the city's staff endured a series of confrontations from belligerent, threatening members of the public.
The city trespassed one resident from City Hall in October for creating a disturbance and is working with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office to resolve another incident that occurred with a resident before a recent council meeting.
Council meetings have also been punctuated by tense moments between the city's staff and members of the public who refuse to abide by City Hall's mask rule.
Other parts of the county are facing similar problems. In neighboring Flagler Beach, two residents were recently arrested at a City Commission meeting after refusing to wear masks or to leave when told to do so.
The county government's main building on State Road 100 has long had security provided by Giddens. After anti-mask residents refused to abide by the county building's mask rule or instructions to leave, the county increased the number of deputies providing security at County Commission meetings.
Palm Coast City Councilman Eddie Branquinho mentioned the guard and the signage during his comments at the end of the council's Feb. 9 meeting, asking City Manager Matt Morton why they were needed.
"We’ve got a few specific reasons," Morton said. "One: Just the national political landscape, or the climate, unfortunately, has impacts across the county. We’ve had a few incidents in City Hall that seem to have been escalating over the last year — I would call them confrontations. Traditionally, we’ve asked staff to deescalate those confrontations. We’ve gotten to a point where it’s inappropriate for staff to be put in that position of deescalating."
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies that attend council meetings are helpful, he said, but they're not always around; the Giddens guard will supplement, not replace, the deputies. Giddens is on a 90-day trial period, but Morton anticipates keeping them.
And, Morton added, "We just came to a situational moment two council meetings ago where we had a very bad situation unfold at City Hall. ... That was the final move that made us do that, because we’ve had several very similar incidents with folks coming in that were highly confrontational, highly unstable once asked to either quiet down or leave."
Branquinho said the city should pursue charges against those people.
As to the signs, Morton said, the very day they were added, he was walking into City Hall and saw a person take a handgun out of their bag and return it to their car.
"We’re raising awareness on that issue, especially the fact that there are never any weapons permitted where a government body meets," Morton said. "Whether you’re a concealed carry permit holder or not is irrelevant."
The city is also looking at adding extra cameras, additional routng of citizens through the facility to certain areas, and securing other areas.
"I also expect to add some kind of magnetometer or metal detector," Morton said. "I just think it’s time to modernize the security in this facility."
"That’s so sad, though," Branquinho said. "... Especially to the appearance of this city — what a few people can do to the whole entire community."
"It is a very, very small number," Morton said, "but they've elevated that temperature to that point."
Councilman Ed Danko commended Morton for implementing the new security measures.
"It’s a changing world we live in," Danko said. "It’s unfortunate, as Councilman Branquinho said. But I’m glad Matt's on top of it, and we need to do what we need to do to keep our city workers safe, to keep us safe and to keep our government running."
