- April 20, 2024
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Palm Coast is preparing to fine heavy commercial vehicle drivers who ignore the city’s “no trucks” signs on Florida Park Drive or take their trucks onto other residential city streets.
The City Council during a Nov. 19 council meeting voted 4-0 (Mayor Milissa Holland was absent) to approve the ordinance, which establishes certain roads as heavy truck routes and bans heavy trucks from deviating from them without an approved cause.
The city has two potential options for enforcement, City Attorney Bill Reischmann told board members: It could treat the violations like a code enforcement violation, or it could work with the Sheriff’s Office so that deputies would be able to ticket violators under the state law which requires obedience to “traffic control devices.”
“That will allow a sheriff’s deputy to enforce that provision of the Florida Statutes, as would be appropriate,” Reischmann said. “So there’s two different tools that would be available for the city and for the Sheriff’s Office to go out and try to achieve the objectives of this ordinance.”
It was the council’s second vote on the proposal, and there was little discussion.
“I am working on creating an ordinance on the prohibition of selling vaping materials to kids under 18. … We need to at least have something from our standpoint that says, ‘Hey, enough is enough of this stuff, it’s dangerous.’”
—JACK HOWELL, Palm Coast city councilman
The city is defining “heavy trucks” as trucks having four or more axles (including any trailers) or weighing more than 8,000 pounds.
Approved causes would include performing work at or making a delivery in an area that isn’t accessible from a heavy truck route, or driving to the operator’s personal home.
The offense would be a Class III violation under the city’s code of ordinances, and therefore subject to a fine of $200 if the city treats it as a code enforcement violation.
The approved heavy truck routes would be: Matanzas Woods Parkway, Palm Coast Parkway, Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Harbor Parkway, Pine Lakes Parkway, Royal Palms Parkways, Whiteview Parkway, Seminole Woods Boulevard, Old Kings Road, Citation Boulevard, Belle Terre Boulevard, US 1, SR 100 and Colbert Lane.
Councilman Nick Klufas, who has served as vice mayor this past year, will continue in that role for another year. The position traditionally rotates between council members each year, and the vice mayor leads meetings when the mayor is absent.
Klufas has led numerous meetings because Mayor Miilssa Holland has frequently been absent attending to the health of her daughter, who recently had a liver transplant.
“Watching you taking over the reins over the last few months, I’m in agreement that we should have you prolong, if you don’t mind, have you prolong ... your job,” Councilman Eddie Branquinho said during he meeting, nominating Klufas for the position. Councilman Bob Cuff added, noting that the position traditionally changes hands each year, “I’ll give Mr. Klufas the chance to escape if he really wants to by invoking precedent, but I certainly have nothing to add ... if you’re willing to do it.”
Diamond Communications will construct a 150-foot monopole cell tower near the Frieda Zamba pool.
The company has a contract with the city to build towers. The council approved the proposal for the tower 4-0.
