- April 18, 2024
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The Flagler County Commission is set to come to a decision Monday, June 3, on the future of Captain's BBQ at Bings Landing.
The restaurant, which has operated in a building within the county-owned park since 2012, has become a source of local controversy ever since the previous county government administration, under then-County Administrator Craig Coffey, placed a proposal for its relocation within the park on a County Commission meeting consent agenda.
That's the portion of the agenda that commissioners generally vote on as a package, without considering each individual item, because they're generally routine and uncontroversial.
But this one was controversial, all the more so because Captain's BBQ owners Mike Goodman and Chris Herrera had donated to the campaigns of County Commissioner Greg Hansen and then-Commissioner Nate McLaughlin.
The issue prompted a Nov. 19, 2018, FlaglerLive.com story with the headline "How Flagler County Is Readying to Upend Bing’s Landing Park to Benefit Private Restaurant–and Political Donors," followed by additional local press coverage and a series of protests by locals who opposed the changes.
The county administration, laying out the reasons for the relocation, stated that the building in which Captain's operates is falling apart and can't easily be repaired; it would need to be replaced. But Captain's has a lease with the county, and shutting down the restaurant for months' worth of reconstruction would have breached the lease and opened the county up to a lawsuit, in the county's interpretation. So, the county and the restaurant came to an agreement that the restaurant would build a new, larger building elsewhere in the park at the restaurant's expense, while continuing to operate out of the current building during the construction process. The county would add additional parking spaces. (Click HERE to see a letter from Captain's BBQ's owners explaining their reasons for seeking a new building.)
The County Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the proposed changes at Bings on McLaughlin's very last meeting as a commissioner, and over the objections of incoming Commissioner Joe Mullins, who had won McLaughlin's seat and had urged the commission to wait before making a decision. Commissioners Charlie Ericksen and Donald O'Brien were the two who voted against the proposed relocation.
The vote followed several dozen comments from community members, most opposed to the relocation. Opponents said the restaurant has already been getting a sweetheart deal on its rent — it pays $750 per month— at the expense of taxpayers, and that an expansion could change the character of Bings Landing and turn it into a parking lot for the private business. Many noted that the land had been bought with Environmentally Sensitive Lands funds. (The county has countered that that does not bar private businesses from using the space.)
The terms of the new lease approved by the commission let the restaurant expand from 4,157 square feet to 5,200, and from up to 100 seats to a maximum of 150 — the number required to ease the process of applying for a liquor license. (See more details of the deal HERE.)
Two weeks later, with Mullins seated on the commission, the board backtracked, voting 4-0 to reconsider its previous approval.
For a while, it looked like the county may have a couple of options to resolve the problem: Option 1: The restaurant offered to build, at its own expense, a new building on a patch of reclaimed land that currently contains a pavilion. The building would be turned over to the county, but would be large enough to allow for an expansion to 150 seats. Option 2: The county would build a new building for Captain's, without an expansion to 150 seats, on the same patch of reclaimed land.
The county administration placed the matter on an agenda for the County Commission's May 6 meeting, but withdrew it when both proposals fell apart: Captain's told the county it would not agree to pay for sewer and water connections if it has to construct a new building, and it threatened to sue for loss of future business if the county displaces it.
Meanwhile, the Hammock Community Association, which had opposed the expansion but had been willing to consider Option 2, raised concerns about that site as a feasible relocation spot, in part because the Option 2 site contains a popular pavilion.
Now Bings is on the County Commission agenda for the commission's June 3 meeting, and the commission will discuss two new options — one presented by Captain's, the other by the Hammock Community Association.
They are, in brief, as follows (for details, see the county meeting documentation HERE):
Captain's BBQ's proposal:
The Hammock Community Association's proposal:
The County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. June 3 in the commission chambers at the Government Services Building at 1769 E. Moody Blvd.
