- December 4, 2025
The Flagler County Commission has chosen the company that will build its new Eco-Discovery Center.
Collage Companies will be taking over the design and build of the Eco-Discovery Center, which will connect to the State Road 100 Pedestrian Bridge and the future Bulow Creek Headwaters Regional Park. The Flagler Commission voted 5-0 to approve the contract with Collage Companies as part of the Sept. 15 meeting’s consent agenda.
“We have a unique opportunity to really talk to the public about what an eco-discovery site is,” Commission Chair Andy Dance said. “I think we have an award-winning project in how we integrate the existing site with the architecture and being able to demonstrate all kinds of either water gardens or native plants.”
A presentation from Collage Companies and the architecture firm about the center’s design was held earlier on Sept. 15 during a commission workshop. The Discovery Center will function as a source of tourism revenue and environmental educational center for Flagler County, Tourism Development Director Amy Lukasik said.
“This facility will not only serve as a visitor center, but also an education facility, recreation rentals, locally sourced gift shop, bathrooms, additional parking and event and meeting space, and permanent office space for the tourism and economic development office,” Lukasik said.
The Discovery Center will be located on the west side of the S.R. 100 Pedestrian Bridge. The site will have two stormwater ponds, parking, the Discovery Center building, trails and an outdoor venue site. There are also ideas to use the Discovery Center as a spot for bus transportation to Flagler Beach, to help alleviate some of the parking issues for beach-goers.
The Discovery Center has been in the works since 2022, and is funded, Lukasik said, entirely through visitor revenue. The county has set aside $10.3 million for its design and construction.
This is the first of several projects in the area, including trailheads, a shared use path along Old Kings Road South, and the massive 1,160-acres Bulow Creek Headwaters Regional Park, which will extend from the Discovery Center to the north property line of the Polo Club Development.
The Bulow Creek park will have multi-mile trails, water access points and observation areas for visitors, as well as ecosystem enhancement and restoration areas.
County engineer Hamid Tabassian said the Discovery Center, which is fully-funded, is estimated to be complete by 2028.
The Center will be self-sustaining and 100% paid for by visitors, Lukasik said.
“The visitors are paying for a visitor center,” she said. “No local ad valorem taxes are used ever.”
Collage Companies’ Bob Gilbert, who is a Flagler County resident, said the company will be utilizing several local Flagler companies to help with the project. Collage Companies is the company that has worked on the recently-opened Bunnell Public Safety Complex and is undertaking the Bunnell Coquina Historic City Hall restoration project and the Flagler County Nexus Center.
“Our motto is to build projects that strengthen the foundation and the fabric of the community,” Gilbert said. “And we couldn't think of a better project that meets our motto.”
Rhodes+Brito Architects, an architecture firm working with Collage Companies, has preliminarily designed a low-profile footprint for the site that prioritizes Florida ecology.
“That's a big consideration for us on this site,” Firm founder Ruffin Rhodes said. “We want to minimize the footprint of everything and leave this environment as natural as possible, and get people to appreciate the ecology of it.”
The preliminary designs show the Discovery Center will have a little under 100 parking spaces, with additional bus parking, an outdoor venue lawn, and trails and bathrooms, with connections to the Pedestrian Bridge and other trail systems planned for the area.
The outdoor area will also have space for sustainability initiatives like solar trees for outdoor lighting, rainwater harvesting and green stormwater infrastructure.
“I’m very excited about this project,” Commissioner Pam Richardson said.
The building itself, in addition to the permanent office spaces, will have room for exhibits and multipurpose rooms with moveable partitions. Rhodes+Brito’s Adel Shalaby said their team has an on-staff exhibit designer to help plan the space, and their team is incorporating flexibility into it.
“This is going to be an amazing experience,” Shalaby said. “Not just a blip, but a destination.”
Lukasik said a benefit of focusing on ecotourism is that it would support the county’s “shoulder season,” from August to February, when children are in school and the weather is not as sunny. Ecotourism could help fill and stabilize that six-month gap, she said.
“Without a visitor center, you may only visit one or two main points of interest or attractions in the community before leaving,” she said. “But with a visitor center, you have staff that's able to recommend hidden gems, maybe events around town.”
