- April 23, 2024
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County and city officials hope to get $2.8 million from the state to use on Palm Coast roads.
With public safety and millions of dollars in road impact fees on the line, Flagler County and Palm Coast elected officials agreed Tuesday morning to have their respective managers devise a “comprehensive and collaborative” plan to present to the Florida Department of Transportation to fund about $2.8 million for road improvements.
The proposed interchange at Matanzas Woods Parkway and Interstate 95 is the meat of the debate. City officials are concerned with the impact an interchange might have on nearby roads, such as Palm Harbor Parkway and Old Kings Road.
On Sept. 29, 2000, Flagler County and Palm Coast entered into an interlocal agreement regarding transportation impact fees (one-time charges paid by developers on the cost of construction; local governments then use the funds to improve roads in the area).
Between 2000 and 2004, the city collected $4.2 million in transportation impact fees, which it transferred to the county to spend on an agreed-upon list of projects. The county spent $700,000 on design of the Matanzas interchange and pledged an additional $2.1 to the state to expedite construction. Because the interchange is not a local project, officials believe the $2.8 million should eventually be refunded.
Members of the City Council say the money should be used on city roads before the interchange is built. They are concerned that when the interchange is built, the surrounding Palm Coast roads won’t be able to handle the increased traffic in the event of an evacuation, anyway.
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon suggested that the County Commission should agree to spend the funds on local roads because the state will eventually fund the interchange in full.
The local roads and the interchange itself also raise the issue of environmentally sensitive lands. Development on the wetlands would have to be mitigated by converting other land into protected wetlands, to preserve the same amount of protected land. Mitigation credits often cost millions of dollars. Considering there are three projects being proposed in that area, Landon suggested: “We can work together on mitigation to cut all our costs down to a minimum.”
Landon also said that the city would take responsibility for the eventual widening of Matanzas Woods Parkway to four lanes.
City officials have repeatedly said they want ownership of Matanzas Woods Parkway because it’s entirely within city limits. County officials confirmed Tuesday that they intend on handing over the road to the city once the interchange is finished.
County Commissioner Alan Peterson said the $2.1 million in construction costs is already pledged to the state and that it would be a detriment to the entire community if the local governments backtracked and damaged relations with FDOT.
“A pledge is a pledge,” Peterson said.
“And I think a contract is a contract,” Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts retorted, speaking in regard to the 2000 interlocal agreement. He contends that the impact fees may not be spent on the interchange at all because that wasn’t on the list of approved projects. County Administrator Craig Coffey was not convinced. He said, “People can respectfully disagree.”
County Commissioner Barbara Revels said that while it’s great the two entities are trying to work together, she stands by the $2.8 million pledge if the state has no other alternative funding.
Coffey stated early on in the meeting that, of all the impact fees collected, “the county has spent the lion’s share” on Palm Coast roads.
By the end of the meeting, the 10 city and county elected officials agreed to have their respective administrations present a collaborative plan to the state to seek out $2.8 million in new funds. That money, if available, would enable the county to keep its pledge, but also allow Palm Coast to spend the impact fees on road improvements near Matanzas Woods.
