- April 20, 2026
Flagler County commissioners want to protect the county’s Old Brick Road.
The eight-mile stretch of Old Dixie Highway, runs from Espanola north to the county line. It is the longest stretch of rural brick highway in the United States. Build in 1915, it is just 9 feet wide, which was wide enough at the time to accommodate one Model T. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005 and is part of Florida’s Heritage Crossroads.
Logging trucks currently rumble over the Old Brick Road because they have no alternative route. The county has been burying bricks in the sand to protect them. Because of the road’s isolation, people have been stealing bricks as well as dumping trash, Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan told commissioners at a workshop on Monday, April 20.
But the major threat to the historic road is development. Palm Coast has annexed land west of U.S. 1 up to and beyond the Old Brick Road. Development is an inevitability, Moylan said. Developer Raydient, a subsidiary of Rayonier, has proposed a massive mixed-use development that would take a generation to build out, Moylan said.
In October 2025, the county adopted a resolution vesting all rights and title to the Old Brick Road. Since then the county and city have worked on an interlocal agreement to protect the eight-mile stretch.
The draft of the agreement would allow up to four at-grade crossings of the road at least a mile apart with no limit on overpasses or “flyovers.” Utilities would be permitted to bore under the brick road. The city would require parallel roadways when approving development for adjacent land. The city would consider enhanced buffers when reviewing development applications but wouldn’t guarantee them. The 21 connections to logging roads would remain until viable alternative routes are developed for adjoining landowners.
The longterm vision is that the old brick road be an amenity for nearby development and a cultural resource for residents and visitors.
Commissioners agreed at the workshop that they do not want the ILA to allow any at-grade crossings.
There are currently two crossings in the works for four-lane County Road 2209 extension, running parallel to the Old Brick Road. Being a four-lane road, Commissioner Andy Dance said that would need to be a flyover.
Dance said he is more concerned about natural buffers on each side of the road. He said the area “will lose its character, not just bricks and road itself, but the setting.”
The county had talked about developing a linear park along the eight-mile stretch, but the county’s right-of-way is just 25 feet on each side form the center of the road.
Commissioner Kim Carney said the county needs to protect the road “to the highest level we possibly can.”
“We own this road,” Commission Chair Leann Pennington said. “And we can preserve this road. I say preserve it as intact as possible.”
This is a piece of America. Flagler County needs to stand up. … We need to be proactive.
— PAM RICHARDSON, Flagler County commissioner
Commissioner Pam Richardson said, “This is a piece of America. Flagler County needs to stand up. … We need to be proactive.”
During public comment, the Flagler County Historical Society announced it has collected over 1,300 signatures on a petition to protect the Old Brick Road from development. Palm Coast Historian Preston Zepp said the road would collapse if utilities are permitted to bore under it because the bricks are just buried in dirt.
Dance said he would like present some of the county’s ideas to developer Raydient and to the historical society, which, Dance said, should have a voice in negotiations.
Moylan said in speaking with Palm Coast city staff, he will push forward on buffers and inform them the commission is not interested in any at-grade crossings.
Moylan said an ILA discussion is slated for the Palm Coast City Council’s May 5 business meeting. The agenda to that meeting has not yet been released.
