- April 25, 2024
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+ Tennis tournament nets 200 hotel rooms
According to City Manager Jim Landon, the USTA Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament brought in enough out-of-town visitors to fill more than 200 hotel rooms. The tournament offered a $10,000 purse and attracted more players and of a higher ranking than last year, he added.
The successful tournament matches the city’s economic development emphasis on sporting events to bring money into Palm Coast that might have been spent elsewhere, Landon said.
+ County lifts burn ban
Flagler County has lifted the countywide burn ban as a result of recent rainfall and more in the forecast, but officials are warning residents to continue to take precautions when burning outdoors.
Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Don Petito said in a Feb. 2 press release that conditions are still ripe for wildfires and a few weeks of dry weather would put the county right back into a ban on open burning.
“That allows us to spot fires when they are small and douse them with the helicopter water bucket,” Petito said. “And if need be bring in Forestry and ground crews to stop the fire in its tracks before it becomes a threat to the more populated areas of the of the county.”
+ County to begin sidewalk construction
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved to begin construction has of an 8-foot-wide sidewalk stretching from Belle Terre Parkway, east, to Bulldog Drive. Construction will begin in April or May, and will take about one year.
The cost of the project is $197,761.10, but falls under a $1.7 million grant the county received in December. Eventually, the county hopes to have a sidewalk stretch from Bunnell, east, all the way to Flagler Beach.
+ Public Meetings
Palm Coast City Council — the next regular meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the Community Center.
Flagler County Board of County Commissioners — the next regular meeting is 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, at the Government Services Building.
Flagler County School Board — the next regular meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, at Flagler Palm Coast High School.
+ Chamber offers special help for small businesses
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates sent out an e-mail Tuesday, Feb. 8, asking its members three simple questions:
— Do you need money to hire employees?
— Do you need money to train employees
— Could you benefit from free counseling to make your business more efficient and profitable?
About two hours later, Doug Baxter, president of the chamber, said he had been swamped talking to people inquiring about the e-mail.
“What I’m trying to do is engage the business owners,” Baxter said. “A lot of these small business owners don’t know what’s available to them. I’m just trying to get them with the right people.”
+ Chamber offers Candidate Education Program
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates will present a Candidate Education Program Feb. 16, open to all Flagler County residents.
This program is geared toward residents who have considered or may consider running for political office.
The session will feature a panel of former elected officials — Jim Manfre, Al Jones, Tom Lawrence and Jim O’Connell — sharing their insight and answering questions.
Topics will include fundraising strategies, campaigning tips, information sources, campaign communication vehicles, and other sources to raise visibility as a candidate.
There is no fee for this session. The program will be held at the chamber 4-6 p.m. Those interested should pre-register by calling the chamber at 437-0106.
+ County Commission considers paperless agendas
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners at its workshop Monday, Feb. 7, debated whether it should eliminate paper agenda packets and go paperless.
The County Commission didn’t come to a final conclusion as to whether it wants to go completely paperless, but county staff was directed to continue research and weigh the options.
The Palm Coast City Council currently uses Apple iPads, and that could be an option for the county, as well.
According to a presentation provided by the county, from July 2010 to December 2010, the County Commission had 11 regular meetings, 11 workshops and five special meetings. Those meetings amounted to nine packets, 67,113 pages of paper and 13.5 cases of paper.
The costs associated with those meetings, according to county data, is $438.62 in paper, $2,738.88 in staff time to copy and compile the packets, and $3,020.09 in copier costs, totaling $6,197.59 for the six-month span.
