- February 9, 2026
Flagler Beach’s slower pace and coquina sand seashore draws tourists in search of a more laid-back destination reminiscent of Old Florida before condominiums blocked ocean views. And sometimes those visitors become residents.
Realtor-associate Deborah Ronson, featured on a recently aired episode of “House Hunters: Amazing Water Homes,” has no trouble sharing all that the area has to offer and connecting buyers with sellers.
“I've lived here [in Florida] 46 years and I don’t regret a day of it,” Ronson said.
She’s called several cities home through the years including Tarpon Springs, Gainesville, St. Augustine, Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The Palm Coast area always seems to call her back; she’s an 18-year resident.
Ronson left corporate life about eight years ago and decided to put her energy into real estate, following in the footsteps of her father and several other family members.
“It seemed like a natural progression,” Ronson said, “to put my corporate sales management experience and interior design degree into a less stressful career. I market outside Florida and track where I’m getting hits — California, Texas, Colorado, the northeast and Georgia.”
In the last five years, the Flagler area has seen an influx of buyers from Atlanta likely because it’s a relatively short commute down I-95 and offers such a different atmosphere from the urban sprawl.
A friend introduced Ronson to Andre and Folami, the Atlanta, Georgia couple featured in HGTV’s season 3, episode 9 “House Hunters,” titled “From RV to Oceanfront in Flagler Beach.” Filmed over four days in December 2024, the episode was cut to the usual 20 minutes.
“We didn’t know when it would be aired until about six weeks ago,” Ronson said.
She had no idea what would be included out of the four days of filming. The episode premiered Feb. 4 and is available to stream on HGTV GO and Disney/Hulu.
Andre, Folami and their two children had vacationed in their RV at Flagler Beach for several years and finally decided to purchase a home instead of just camping. Their dream Florida home would be oceanfront with four bedrooms, a well-designed kitchen with a view, large bathrooms, a two-car garage, and, ideally, an extra room where Andre could chill out with friends. The budget was $1.5 million.
Ronson went to work forming a list of potential properties and got to know the couple through email, phone calls and, especially, video calls. Ronson’s office is in Palm Coast, but she lists and sells property throughout Flagler, Volusia and Duval counties.
“It’s more about the relationships you build with your agent than the office location,” Ronson said. “I don’t go to areas I’m not familiar with. There is nothing more enjoyable than helping people with the next chapter, whatever that may be.”
By the time Andre and Folami arrived for filming, the list was narrowed down to three properties.
“You really get to know what they [buyers] like when you work with them for a while,” Ronson said.
The film crew followed along as Ronson showed the couple an oceanfront home at the target price of $1.5 million, an ocean-view home over target at $1.6 million, and the (potentially) obstructed view property at $1.4 million. Watch the episode to learn what “potentially obstructed view” means.
Ronson said filming with HGTV wasn’t much different from a typical home-showing experience.
“I actually was very comfortable showing the houses and pointing out features,” Ronson said. “I wasn’t nervous or intimidated, and the crew made it very comfortable. It was a great experience.”
Ronson described Andre and Folami as being, “so much fun and so excited about finding this beach home. They were just giddy.” At one point, they danced in a luxury shower that was considerably larger than the RV’s.
The buyers had some differences, as most couples do. Folami wanted her kitchen in a certain spot and didn’t really want to remodel. Andre wanted at least a double garage. Spoiler alert: the couple purchased one of the three homes featured in the television show.
“I was really honored to have been selected in the process to represent the city and county that I love so much and I hope it brings recognition to all the community has to offer,” Ronson said.
For now, Flagler Beach is a second home, but Andre, Folami and their two children will eventually relocate permanently to relish the ocean view that drew them to the area in the first place.
