- December 4, 2025
Flagler County broke ground on its future Fairgrounds Expo Hall, a multi-purpose building that will in part serve as the county’s first stand-alone emergency shelter.
The county has relied on its public school system for storm shelters for years. Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance said at the Nov. 5 groundbreaking that though it always comes together, this system paralyzes the school system and interrupts people’s jobs for days.
“This new Fairgrounds Expo Hall will change that,” he said.
Construction on the Expo Hall, which will be located at the Flagler County Fairgrounds off Sawgrass Road, began on Nov. 5 and is expected to finish in the summer of 2026. It will be a one-story, 10,000 square-foot hall with additional square footage for storage, a kitchen, restrooms and a foyer, according to a county press release.
“This building represents preparedness, resiliency and community,” Dance said.
The hall will be built to Category 5 hurricane standards and built on elevated ground to withstand flooding. It will have an electrical system designed to provide power evacuees with special medical needs, a generator that can power the entire building at maximum capacity and back up water and waste-water capabilities.
The on-site restrooms will also have showers and enough toilets and sinks for when the building is being used as a storm shelter, the press release said. Flagler County has contracted with Meyer Najem Construction for the project.
The hall will not just be an emergency shelter, however. It will also host events and recreational activities.
“A place for our community to come together on our best days,” Dance said, “and a place to support one another on our more challenging days.”
Commissioner Leann Pennington led the initiative to get the program off the ground and to get state funding for the building’s construction.
“The commissioners’ support reinforces our county’s strong commitment to agriculture, the fair program and our 4-H program, county-wide,” Pennington said.
The county is continuing its efforts to expand the county’s resiliency efforts with its 2025 legislative requests. Among the pared-down requests – in light of a tight prospective state budget – Flagler County is asking for funding to help create disaster resilience staging sites on the west side of the county.
Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said early on in his career, he learned the best time to prepare for a crisis is before the crisis is even on the radar. The groundbreaking was a “perfect example of that forward-thinking,” he said.
“I can tell you this building is going to make a difference,” he said. “It’s going to give us peace of mind.”
Lord said that Expo Hall will give the county options for its emergency preparedness needs and will also serve as a central location for post-disaster services. The building will also allow for Flagler County to support its neighbors during emergencies.
“As we turn the soil to symbolize the beginning of the construction phase,” Lord said, “we’re not just building a structure. We’re building capacity and resilience for our community. We’re building a future that is stronger than ever.”
