- April 16, 2024
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+ If the city employees don’t like City Marketplace, they can retire
Dear Editor:
It has been brought to my attention that the citizens of Palm Coast voted against the building of a City Hall several years ago. Now it appears that our mayor, council and city manager have decided to build a new City Hall within two years.
Maybe this issue needs another vote. This hardly seems to be a good time to start an expensive project when one considers Palm Coast is the second highest city in Florida in default mortgages and unemployment is at about 12%.
If the employees of the city government are unhappy in the work situation at City Marketplace, they have two options: put up with the situation or retire.
Dr. Robert E. Stanton
Palm Coast
Editor’s Note: Based on our interviews with City Manager Jim Landon, the city is not planning to build a City Hall. However, if a private developer would build one, the city would likely be interested in leasing or leasing to own.
+ If we can’t afford our taxes now, increasing them won’t help
Dear Editor:
The May 15 City Council meeting was very interesting. It lasted about four hours. One witnessing this confused meeting came away with a pronounced conviction that to raise money all you have to do is tax citizens.
A word to the wise: There’s only so much blood in the chicken. If we can’t pay our tax bill, you can tax all you want to but it does not make any difference.
Joe Sheldon
Palm Coast
+ Uncontrolled political signage is an ugly first impression
Dear Editor:
There are so many code violations in Palm Coast that it seems both wasteful and misleading for the city to talk about, announce, and publish their brochure of Top Code Violations.
For example, on page 6 of their brochure, it says “political campaign signs are regulated.” The brochure states: “Code Enforcement is empowered to remove any prohibited signs placed on public property or rights of way. The city of Palm Coast may either remove the signs or refer the violation to the Code Enforcement Board for possible fines.”
Maybe the Code Enforcement Board is too busy making sure no one cuts down a tree without paying the fees, or issuing other more lucrative violations, and they are unable to keep the beauty of a clean and presentable town on their priorities. Maybe they don’t want to offend a candidate who might get elected and have future power over them.
South Old Kings Road illustrates the ugliness of our community with multiple political signs in a variety of locations on the public property and right of way sites. That’s only a small part of the town and a small percentage of this visual blight. New sidewalks, walking paths, and other achievements lifted up as making us attractive cannot fix the first impression of this ugliness.
Omar Logan
Palm Coast
+ School Board does not need more sales tax money
Dear Editor:
The School Board must have figured out that they could lose the half-cent sales tax vote, so they moved the vote from November to August. The reason for doing this was the simple-minded folks in Palm Coast couldn’t handle everything that will be on the November ballot. They want a simple ballot for simple people. A School Board lawyer came up with this scheme.
Now it was really moved to August because the board and their lawyer know that, due to our apathy, not many people bother to vote in primary elections. This August there will be one large group voting — a group large enough to carry the election — and the School Board knows this; their lawyer knows this; I know this and you know this. This voting group is the teachers union!
They will vote because there’s a very good chance that this half-cent sales tax will eventually wind up in their pockets! The union will see to that.
The fairy tale about needing the money to repair leaking roofs and buildings falling down is basically a lie. They told us that the roof was leaking on Buddy Taylor Middle School and wound up rebuilding the whole school because they wanted it to blend in with the other two buildings. Fool me once, etc.
What it all boils down to is the School Board wants more money; they will always want more money; we don’t have enough money in Flagler County to appease these people. They have always gotten more money, and nothing has improved.
We’ve been out-foxed by a School Board lawyer; maybe we should get a lawyer. No, you’re known by the company you keep, and I got a bad enough rep as it is.
Douglas R. Glover
Palm Coast
+ Healthy beaches are important to countywide economy
Dear Editor:
Thank you for the article about the recent Flagler Beach City Commission vote to restore the beaches of our county. They have taken the first steps in a process to rebuild our beaches in natural ways to protect sea life and restore our vanishing coasts.
Beautiful and healthy beaches are important to everyone and to our economy. This action will be a demonstration to other communities that are losing their beaches. The vision of local people who formed Save Flagler’s Beach was instrumental in bringing about this action. It’s a great example of people working together with their elected leaders for the common good.
Richard Morgan
Palm Coast
