- April 24, 2024
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With Enterprise Flagler set to dissolve Sept. 30, the county commissioners met to hash out a new plan.
Flagler County’s first economic development summit took place March 4. After that, four follow-up summits were held and a fifth was canceled twice.
That’s when the tide started shifting.
Since the county’s last summit, the city of Palm Coast opened its Business Assistance Center (June 16), Bunnell launched a Coalition of Cities initiative (July 15) and a retooling plan for Enterprise Flagler was rejected (Aug. 8), leading to a decision for the organization to dissolve (Aug. 18).
After Aug. 22’s budget session, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners met to discuss its latest plan, proposed by County Administrator Craig Coffey: an Economic Development Council modeled after the Tourist Development Council.
The workshop ended with a plan to vote on structure possibilities at a future meeting, Sept. 7.
“It is like ‘Groundhog Day,’” County Commissioner Milissa Holland said of the ongoing workshop series. Her father, James Holland, a former county commissioner, was active on economic development boards, as well, she said, and he had the “exact same discussions” she and her colleagues have been having for the past half-year.
Hanns echoed her frustration.
“Six months ago, we had the same meeting, the same things were being said, and it was the same consensus,” he said. “Enterprise Flagler wasn’t gangbusters in providing things, but at the same time … other counties are saying the same thing: ‘Whatever we have in place isn’t working.’”
He suggested that the failure of economic development lies not in the developers but, simply, in the down economy.
“I’m not opposed to trying something new,” he said, “it just seems like every three years we do this … The economy doesn’t warrant people locating from (wherever) to Flagler … when we can’t even compete with what Jacksonville has to offer.”
The EDC has a proposed nine-person board, including one county commissioner (Barbara Revels was unofficially nominated) and eight individuals from the community.
Hanns jokingly referred to the future board, tasked with accomplishing what none to this point could, the “Magnificent Eight.”
After a short dispute over whether marketing should be included in the EDC board’s required areas of specialization (others include agriculture, manufacturing and technology), Holland said that before any further debate take place, the commission must define the term “economic development.”
“We keep going around and around in circles,” she said. “Until we come up with a unified front, or at least a consensus, we’re going to sit here spinning our wheels ... and I’m not interested in doing that … Economic development means something different to each and every one of us.”
The five basic issues Coffey presented to the board at the start of the workshop included staffing, organization, board structure, funding and marketing.
Commissioner Nate McLaughlin served as the EDC’s main advocate and presenter, while Commissioner Barbara Revels suggested a completely different plan, combining elements from Coffey’s EDC and Enterprise Flagler’s restructuring proposal.
McLaughlin described the EDC as an affiliate to the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates. He envisions it strengthened with subcommittees and in close cooperation with Palm Coast’s Business Assistance Center, he said, “tackling every aspect of economic development … (which) hasn’t been done in the past.”
Revels wanted it separate from the chamber, and most other organizations, to avoid Enterprise Flagler’s oft-criticized “unwieldy board.”
She then suggested a paid, private membership system, which Commission Chairman Alan Peterson said sounded “like Enterprise Flagler, just with another name.”
Also, Revels sees the organization contracting with the cities directly. For example, if a prospective company wants $50,000 in incentives to move to Palm Coast, Palm Coast would be contacted with that request.
“At the bare minimum, today, we have to decide how we’re going to phase (from Enterprise Flagler to the new organization),” McLaughlin said.
Revels suggested contracting Greg Rawls, current Enterprise Flagler executive director, for a six-month consulting job, “to get us over this hump.” Otherwise, she worried, companies Enterprise Flagler had in the pipeline could be lost.
Peterson and McLaughlin agreed, but Holland felt uncomfortable with any sort of contract, as long as Rawls is being paid severance and there is money in Enterprise Flagler’s reserves.
Coffey agreed to present structuring options at the commission’s next meeting, Sept. 7.
“We need to sit down and have as many meetings as possible,” Holland said. “This should be our No. 1 priority in this county.”
ACCORDING TO REVELS …
“What does economic development mean to us?” County Commissioner Milissa Holland asked the board. Barbara Revels prepared a definition. With a tweak from Chairman Alan Peterson, it went like this:
Economic development, n: The expansion of existing local companies, creation of new quality jobs and diversification of the tax base.
Contact Mike Cavaliere at [email protected].
