- December 4, 2025
Flagler Beach city commissioners are not in favor of a Flagler County plan that would have given their taxpayers a $1.4 million annual bill for beach upkeep. The confrontation leaves the county’s coastal management strategy in jeopardy. In a countermove, Flagler Beach commissioners insisted the county put a half-cent sales tax to a county-wide voter referendum, a maneuver that would return the funding crisis to the County Commission.
The county’s ultimatum came from Deputy County Administrator Jorge Salinas, who specified a $2.4 million local match for immediate construction needs and the recurring $1.4 million for future sand renourishment. He presented several mechanisms for the city to raise the funds, from special assessments to new property taxes. You "need to participate in providing the funding for the portions that you are responsible from a Flagler Beach perspective," Salinas said.
Commissioner Eric Cooley framed the opposition not as a financial dispute but as a matter of principle.
"I view this program as... quickly becoming disproportionate and unequitable because that does not align with who is on the beach," Cooley said.
Resident Paul McCickka echoed the sentiment during public comment. "The beach is a county amenity... this is a county wide amenity that should be supported by all and not disproportionately."
Rather than debating the terms of the county, city commissioners united around a single path forward.
"Oh, tell you which one I like. That's the referendum," Commissioner Rick Belhumeur said.
Commissioner Scott Spradley supported the position, calling the referendum the "one option" while the other four "fall way by the wayside."
This demand for a public vote on a sales tax heeds back to the original, broader funding plan the County Commission itself was unable to pass due to internal disagreement.
Sensing the unified opposition, the county’s delegation shifted its tone. Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan attempted to de-escalate the situation. "We weren't intending for you to make any sort of decisions... it's just a conversation," Moylan said.
The meeting ended in a stalemate, leaving the future of all 18 miles of county coastline uncertain.
