- April 19, 2024
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When Janelle Wadman was growing up in Palm Coast, she rode her bike alone and always felt safe. As an adult, she bought her first home in the B-section and hopes to live here for a long time. But, she told the City Council on April 2, “I just don’t feel safe anymore.”
And that, she said, is because of the presence of the homeless at the Flagler County Public Library on Palm Coast Parkway.
Wadman’s mother, Bea, also spoke and asked the City Council, “What’s going to be done about it?”
A third resident also spoke in the public comment section to begin the meeting. Katherine Werzanski called homelessness an “epidemic” in the city. She was “shocked” that the council did not even mention homelessness in the previous city meeting, even though social media is abuzz with the issue.
“Do you think it’s impacting our property values?” she asked. “What is going to be done?”
“The city is part of this discussion,” Mayor Milissa Holland responded. “But we are not the land owner.”
Homelessness, like other complex issues that cross municipal lines, needs a countywide solution, she added.
Councilman Jack Howell, who represents the city on the Public Safety Coordinating Council, also attended the Volusia/Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless recently.
“I was not overly impressed with what I saw,” he said, “ … and I’m going to take charge. … It needs to be done my way, because they’re spinning around, and they’re not doing what has to be done.”
He said he had flown over other homeless camps in Palm Coast (he is a flight instructor) and said the private property owners need to be notified so they can post “no trespassing” signs. That hasn’t been successful so far, but, he said, “I have ways. We’re going to get that done."
Churches should play an important role in solving homelessness, and he said he would do everything he could personally.
“You have my word,” he said.
