- April 19, 2024
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The Palm Coast City Council spent their special workshop on Tuesday in the Sunshine.
Or, rather, they spent it reviewing Florida's Sunshine laws and council members' legal requirements as they sit on the dais. City Attorney Neysa Borkert and City Manager Denise Bevan spent the special workshop on Jan. 31 reviewing the legal requirements council members face.
In an effort to adhere to procedural due process requirements for quasi-judicial matters — like rezoning requests — Borkert said that the city will from now on have witnesses and applicants swear in before they begin.
"Moving forward, we'll be asking applicants if they will either swear in or they can waive the swearing in," Borkert said.
After reviewing the procedures and regulations they must abide, the council did consider changing a few processes, like adding in a moment of silence after the pledge and revising which order presentations are made. The council also considered adding in an invocation of some kind, like many other boards and commissions do.
Borkert said that because of separation of church and state, a specific policy needed to be written up based on case law. But as long as they don't exclude anyone, it could be added, she said.
"As long as you're meeting certain metrics with the policy, then it can be implemented," she said.
At the end of the meeting, Mayor David Alfin brought up a concern a resident had asked him. City employees are required to undergo background checks and the question was if elected officials should need to as well, after an election is won.
Vice Mayor Ed Danko — in a similar line of thinking from last May's debate on an ethics statement — said the issue isn't a part of their job.
"It’s just not our job. We’re not being hired by an organization, we’re being elected by the public.” — Ed Danko, Palm Coast vice mayor
"It’s just not our job," Danko said. "We’re not being hired by an organization, we’re being elected by the public”
Danko said it's up to the individuals to run their campaigns. The other council members agreed.
"It's up to the media and their opponents to dive into them if they desire," he said. "I just think that's a place we should not go."
The Palm Coast Open Men's 15K Tournament is returning for another round on Feb. 6.
The Palm Coast Tennis Center is hosting the tournament again for the 12th year. The tournament is a United States Tennis Association men's pro-circuit tournament, according to a press release from the city. Players are competing for a $15,000 grand prize and points toward their Association of Tennis Professionals ranking.
The ATP ranking is a merit-based method determining a player's tournament entry and ranking. Players can gain or lose points — and thus ranks — based on how well they do in professional tournaments.
The tournament will begin with a "Wild Card" qualifying round on Feb. 4 and 5, where amateur tennis players vie for two spots in the qualifying rounds. The winner of the Wild Card qualifier will receive a champion spot in the main draw and the runner-up will receive entry into the qualifier, the press release said.
On Monday, Feb. 6, the tournament's main draw begins at 10 a.m. and plays through Sunday Feb. 12. The semifinals will run on the 10th and 11th, with the finals and award presentation taking place on the 12th.
A food truck will be on-site providing snacks, meals, and drinks for purchase, the press release said. Residents are encouraged to come out to watch the tournament, but parking on-site is limited. Additional parking will be available at Lehigh Trailhead off of Belle Terre Parkway.
The Palm Coast Open is proud to be sponsored by AdventHealth Palm Coast, Flagler Broadcasting and Friends of Tennis. the press release said. Flagler County and the Tourist Development Council have also been instrumental in hosting this event, it said.
Tennis Expo Day will be on the 11th and feature fun, free activities for kids and special presentations by the Special Olympics players, the press release said.
