- December 15, 2025
He will resign from the City Council, where he will likely be replaced by appointment.
Palm Coast City Councilman Frank Meeker confirmed Thursday that he will resign from his city seat and run for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners District 2 seat this summer.
“I’ve always said, regardless of political affiliation, I don’t run against friends,” Meeker said Thursday in a phone interview. “When (County Commissioner) Milissa (Holland) decided to step down, I felt I have unique life experiences from the last 25 years of living in Flagler County — where I’ve grown up as an adult — that I can offer to the County Commission. And that’s what I want to do.”
Holland announced her resignation last week from the County Commission to run for Florida House of Representatives District 24, the newly drawn seat that includes all of Flagler County.
Meeker, 57, was elected to the City Council in 2005. He said he formally wrote his resignation letter and mailed it overnight to the city clerk’s office. (He was in Georgia visiting his 96-year-old mother and is as required to resign 10 days prior to qualifying.)
Because Holland filed her resignation prior to May 25, the County Commission District 2 seat will be decided by an election as opposed to a special appointment by Gov. Rick Scott.
Both Holland and Meeker will remain in their respective seats until Nov. 6. Whether Meeker and Holland win their respective races, they will not be able to return to their previous positions.
According to Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks, two others have announced candidacy for the County Commission seat as of Thursday afternoon.
Dennis McDonald, a Republican who often attends City Council meetings, will run. Carole Ruffalo, also a Republican, will be a write-in candidate.
Weeks said no Democrats have declared yet.
With a write-in candidate in the race, the election won’t be decided in the August primary regardless of whether a Democrat declares. The write-in candidate automatically makes it to November’s general election.
The winner of the seat will serve for the remainder of Holland’s term, which ends in 2014. He or she could then run for reelection, Weeks said.
All candidates must qualify during the county’s qualifying period, which is noon June 4 to noon June 8. Meeker said he will pay the qualifying fee since it’s too late to get petitions. The qualifying fee is $2,883.66 for partisan candidates — or 6% of the annual salary of $48,061.
City Clerk Virginia Smith said Thursday that she had not yet received Meeker’s letter in the mail. City Attorney Bill Reischmann has suggested to city staff that Meeker’s replacement will come via appointment by the City Council.
In 2008, when Alan Peterson vacated his seat to run for County Commission, the City Council received about 13 inquiries. Of those, the council dwindled it down to five and held one-on-one interviews. Then a vote was made at a special meeting.
City Manager Jim Landon said that while the same process could take place this time for Meeker’s vacancy, the City Council ultimately decides.
City Council District 2 covers the C-, F- and L-sections. The newly appointed city councilman must come from the district and also must be selected within 30 days of Meeker’s effective resignation date of Nov. 6. The new person will serve out the remainder of the term, which ends in 2014. Then, he or she could run for re-election, Smith said.
