- January 13, 2026
Palm Coast could be reestablishing a Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
The board would consist of five Palm Coast residents serving two-year terms, appointed and confirmed by the Palm Coast City Council. The board will serve as a “crucial link” between the community and local government, Parks & Recreation Director James Hirst said.
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris said the city needs to work on its recruitment to get more people interested in the board.
“It's like we have the same people on everything. We need to have fresh ideas,” he said. “One of the main things you need to look at is age and demographic. For something like Parks and Rec, these need to be people with children, young children.”
Hirst said he’s already received email from some people interested in applying to the board.
The board would provide advisory recommendations on parks and recreation priorities, projects, and initiatives, guided by the Parks Master Plan, focusing on arts, culture, history, recreation, park activities, and recreational space, Hirst said. The board would also advise on projects and funding opportunities, including public art, park capital projects, events, and advisory review of grant proposals.
Instead of the initial seven proposed board members, Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri suggested five, one from each city district, plus two alternates. The council members felt it appropriate to have representatives from each district on the board.
“Who better to advocate for some specific neighborhoods? Because parks in general are kind of a neighborhood amenity,” Councilman Ty Miller said.
“The board will establish community representation and input residents in Resident insight and strategic guidance, enhance department resources, support within initiatives and improve communication and transparency between the city and the residents.”
The board would meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center.
The Palm Coast Council will need to approve a resolution establishing the board at the upcoming Jan. 21 meeting. If the resolution is adopted and the board established, staff will begin taking applications and the City Council will select board members at a later date from a pool of applicants.
Palm Coast has several boards and committees where the board members are citizens appointed by the City Council, and this would make the city’s 10th board.
The other boards include the Residential Drainage Citizens Advisory Committee, the Beautification & Environmental Advisory Committee, the Code Enforcement Board, Planning and Land Development Regulation Board and the Citizens Advisory Committee.
The Residential Drainage committee will sunset on Feb. 20, 2026, unless otherwise directed by the council.
