- December 16, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council has unanimously passed an ordinance designating one of the few remaining industrial-use properties as a Brownfield Area.
“The whole point of this ordinance is to try to spur that economic development and get jobs into our community,” Mayor Mike Norris said.
A Brownfield Area designation is for economic redevelopment purposes, making the city eligible to receive state funding through the Florida Department of Commerce’s Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, according to a city staff report. Community Development Director John Zobler said in the Dec. 2 council meeting that the program provides funding for infrastructure improvements in support of the site.
“This designation and grant application are incremental steps by our economic development team to improve the site's prospects for development and attraction to the market,” he said.
This grant fund provides state funding for public infrastructure improvements like water, sewer and reuse extensions, traffic signalization and roadway improvements, fiber and gas line extensions, and more.
The property is zoned institutional, and, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said, has an allowable use of industrial. That industrial use was added in 2024, though Palm Coast does not have industrial entitlements to build on the land.
Palm Coast purchased the property from the Palm Coast Park DRI in 2021, with the intention to build a park on the site. Because of that, the city did not purchase the building entitlements, which would cost between $3-4 million, according to a previous presentation on Tract 17 in May.
The property has also received designated a Florida Power & Light Florida First Sites, as it is located near a water and wastewater facility and across from a FP&L substation.
According to the staff report, staff will immediately apply for a $6 million grant from the state grant fund. The goal of the program is to improve the site’s readiness for development and employment, the report said.
The next cycle of awards is in April 2026.
