- March 27, 2024
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County officials seek $226,610 in grant funding for a camera system and park improvements.
Big Brother could soon be watching over the Intracoastal Waterway, if Flagler County obtains grants for its latest tourism initiative. The county agreed April 3 to submit the applications for funds from the Florida Inland Navigation District Waterways Assistance Program to support the cameras.
“Essentially, they’re tourism cameras and boaters’ cameras,” County Administrator Craig Coffey explained.
The idea of the Eyes on Navigation Project — originally named Project Eagle Eye — is to have cameras linked back to the county website, which will stream live video of local attractions. The site will serve boaters, fishermen and surfers, Coffey said, who would be able to check weather, tide and water conditions online, updated every six minutes.
The video will also promote tourism, he added, by offering out-of-staters the opportunity to check out Flagler’s beaches and waterways, and will provide free Internet access at Bings Landing, Herschel King County Park and the Moody Boat Launch.
Over time, Coffey expects up to 10 cameras to be installed in Flagler, from Whitney Lab through Bings Landing, Herschel King, the Hammock Dunes Bridge and the State Road 100 bridge, covering all but three miles of the Intracoastal Waterway. Initially, though, two to five would be installed.
The city of Palm Coast is collaborating on the $64,420 project.
Improvements on way at Bings, Varn
The County Commission also will submit an application for a $194,400 grant from the FIND program, for improvement at Bings Landing.
The funds requiring a 50% match, which the county anticipates to pay for with vessel registration and general and environmentally sensitive land funds. The grants would fund a new bathroom and basin dock, as well as car/boat parking, sidewalks, lighting and trail features on the park’s north side.
The current rest room at Bings Landing has “extensive” termite damage and wood rot, according to county staff, and is not up to code. It will be demolished and replaced with a concrete-block-and-stucco facility.
If granted, the funds would also replace the existing wooden dock within the boat basin with an aluminum and concrete floating dock, which would also include a disability-accessible ramp.
Requiring a $90,000 local match, which the county will pay for with impact fees, a local agency agreement was also approved with the Florida Department of Transportation for $360,000 in improvements to Varn Park. The grant will be used to expand parking, connect the park to the county sewer system, improve landscaping and construct a new beach-dune crossover.