- April 23, 2024
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The Palm Coast City Council plans to honor its $1.5 million commitment to MedNex regardless of the governor’s final decision on state funding, according to the latest discussion of city priorities at a June 9 workshop. City Councilman Jack Howell, who was absent, had proposed that the city discuss reallocating the $1.5 million if the MedNex doesn’t get state funding, but that proposal found no support among other City Council members on June 9.
“It is a real project. It will happen.”
MILISSA HOLLAND, Palm Coast mayor
MedNex, a medical training facility similar to a college campus, is planned for Palm Coast Town Center, and it is backed by many public and private entities, including the University of North Florida, AdventHealth and Allete Energy. The city of Palm Coast voted on Jan. 7 to transfer $1.5 million out of the reserve fund and earmark it for MedNex, with the hopes that the city’s support would help the project secure passage in the Legislature’s budget.
Funding for MedNex was included in the state’s budget, and it’s up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign the budget or, potentially, veto line items.
Mayor Milissa Holland said in a June 8 interview with the Palm Coast Observer that she has met with members of the governor’s office multiple times and believes DeSantis will not veto MedNex. Stakeholders have committed to invest $19 million in MedNex, including the city of Palm Coast’s commitment of $1.5 million, and the request to the state was for a recurring $6 million annually from the state, Holland said.
She said that regardless of the governor’s decision, UNF is dedicated to MedNex and would explore alternative fundraising to make sure it happens.
“It’s completely official,” Holland said. “It is a real project. It will happen.”
However, she said, the city's $1.5 million is not officially spent yet; it was earmarked for MedNex in January, with the understanding that the City Council will need to vote a second time to spend the money. In a May op-ed in the Palm Coast Observer, Howell had proposed that MedNex be placed on the “back burner” until it’s clear how COVID-19 will impact the city’s budget.
Also at the June 9 workshop:
The City Council will continue to hold virtual meetings for the next month or so, but, on July 7, it will hold an in-person meeting for the first time since the pandemic began. Attendees will have their temperatures checked prior to entering City Hall, and there will be other screening questions. Masks or face coverings will be required.
With the recent hiring of Steve Harris, director of Implementation and Architecture, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, the city of Palm Coast also gained the ability to mold its software in-house, rather than using consultants.
City Manager Matt Morton announced on June 9 that the city has implemented "field service lightning" in Public Works, thanks to Harris and Public Works Director Matt Mancill's team, including Marvin Calderon. The new implementation will give the city data that will help staff analyze levels of service provided to residents, so that areas for improvement can be identified. "We did those projects in house, at no additional cost to the city," Morton said.
With guidance from Health Department Medical Director Stephen Bickel, the city is exploring testing waste water to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in Palm Coast, Mayor Milissa Holland said at the June 9 meeting.
