- December 4, 2025
Dear Editor:
Let’s talk about the Flagler County Airport Overlay Ordinance—the latest topic setting off alarm bells. Height restrictions! Mysterious "overlay surfaces"! The "65DNL" (65 Decibel Day Night Average Sound Level). Before we grab our pitchforks, let’s unpack what’s really happening.
The airport itself has long frustrated some residents. Noise complaints, flight schools, and endless touch-and-go landings are common. Concerns about safety, property values, and quality of life? All valid. But many of these issues fall under FAA jurisdiction. Local officials can advocate, but they don’t control air traffic, noise levels, or flight patterns. If you want to yell at someone, try the FAA.
Now, the ordinance. It looks intimidating, packed with government-speak and migraine-inducing maps. It establishes five airport “surfaces” — Horizontal, Conical, Primary, Approach, and Transitional — a Runway Protection Zone (RPZ), and the 65DNL noise standard. Sounds ominous? Here’s the reality: Flagler County is simply following state and federal law—Florida Statute 333 and FAA regulation 14 CFR Part 77. The county isn’t making new rules; it’s ensuring compliance.
The ordinance covers a 3.5-mile radius around the airport, affecting over 16,000 parcels and more than 10,000 residents. Sounds massive—until you realize most restrictions are about building heights. Flagler County already has height limits: residential properties max out around 35–45 feet, and commercial buildings rarely exceed 100 feet. The overlay’s height limits? Mostly 50, 100, and 150 feet. For most property owners, it changes nothing.
What about the 65DNL? Another FAA creation determining acceptable noise levels. The county can’t change it. A "Part 150 Study" could reevaluate it, but guess who decides if that’s needed? The FAA. See the pattern?
The RPZ has some land-use restrictions, but it’s almost entirely within airport property. Only three private parcels are affected, none of them homes. The “they’re taking our land” panic? Unfounded.
Ultimately, this ordinance is government paperwork aligning us with federal regulations. It’s not a land grab, and it’s not bulldozing anyone’s house. Bureaucratic jargon makes these things seem scarier than they are, but when broken down, the impact is mild.
How do we tackle issues like this? The same way you eat an elephant—one bite at a time. Before assuming the worst, remember: our elected officials live here, too. They deal with the same ordinances, the same airport noise, and the same FAA red tape as the rest of us.
Ron Long
Palm Coast
