- December 15, 2025
Expanding the jail and Sheriff’s Office are Flagler’s priorities for the decade.
In an April 3 presentation to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, County Administrator Craig Coffey highlighted an estimated $15 million to $25 million necessary to expand the county’s jail and Sheriff’s Office within the next 10 years.
He also listed other priorities, such as courthouse maintenance, senior services, emergency services, the library and the health department, in order to emphasize the county’s need for increasing its share of the Local Government Infrastructure Surtax, or half-cent sales tax, while decreasing Palm Coast’s share.
“What’s so obvious is … a majority of our services are going to the largest municipality — in this particular case Palm Coast,” said County Commissioner George Hanns. “So they are benefiting tremendously for that.”
Having initially proposed the increase at a March 5 workshop, Coffey supported the Department of Revenue’s default disbursement breakdown, which dictates that Palm Coast would get 49.9% of the $4 million annual tax, instead of its current 64%, as granted by an interlocal agreement.
In raising its share from 28.9% to 45.2%, the county would receive an extra $671,000 per year. Palm Coast would receive $561,000 less per year.
Based on that distribution, and the potential growth in Flagler’s retail sector, Coffey also estimates that renewing the 22-year-old tax could generate up to $22 million for the county over the next decade.
Coffey and the commission focused in on its area of greatest need: public safety.
The jail is currently at capacity, Coffey said. There is no local facility for juveniles, which means there are deputies on payroll whose primary duty it is to transport youth from local courts to facilities out of Flagler. There also is no segregation between violent and nonviolent offenders in the jail.
Comparatively, Coffey added, St. Johns County, which is not even double Flagler’s size, has about 700 beds in its prison. Flagler has 132.
“I’m not trying to say, ‘Do this,’ just to anger anyone or cause any problems,” Coffey told the board. “But if you are still in an agreement where you don’t have adequate revenues to address these issues, you will be stuck with raising taxes.”
“The default formula is fair and reasonable for the residents of the county — all residents,” Commissioner Alan Peterson said. “We need to convince the public that we must increase our jail capacity … or we will be forced to release criminals early into the general population.”
But that is already occurring, according to Coffey. Every day, criminals are released early because there is no room left for them in jail, he said.
“I think there’s been a lack of community, and that’s why we’re sitting here today. We’ve basically discussed this subject through the media,” Commissioner Milissa Holland said. “In the absence of coming together … I think we’re doing a disservice to the public. … We all have to get on the same page.”
Commission Chairwoman Barbara Revels agreed.
“(Palm Coast) is doing the exact same thing in their body that we’re doing here. They’re looking out for their citizens and (their property),” she said. “There’s not a spirit of cooperation … but we all have the exact same duties.”
Sales tax distribution is planned as the main topic of discussion at the April 10 intergovernmental meeting.
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