Kevin Porter is running unopposed for Seat 1 on the Hammock Dunes Community Development District board. Photo courtesy of Kevin Porter.
Kevin Porter poses before deploying to Iraq as commander of the 40th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division. Porter is running unopposed for another term on the Hammock Dunes Community Development District board. Photo courtesy of Kevin Porter.
Kevin Porter is set to secure another term on the Hammock Dunes Community Development District board after qualifying unopposed for Seat 1, bringing decades of engineering, military and disaster recovery experience to the position.
Porter is one of two candidates who qualified without opposition for seats on the board. George DeGovanni is also running unopposed for Seat 5 and is expected to serve on the board following the election cycle.
Porter, who has lived in the Hammock for six years, said he is seeking another term to continue helping oversee critical infrastructure and utility operations that serve residents throughout the district. First elected to the Dunes CDD board in 2022, Porter is running unopposed for another term in Seat 1.
The Hammock Dunes Community Development District is responsible for operating the Hammock Dunes toll bridge, maintaining portions of the parkway system, providing water and wastewater services, managing reclaimed water for irrigation and overseeing stormwater infrastructure throughout much of the Hammock area.
"It stands for the Dunes Community Development District, and it owns the toll bridge," Porter said. "It does all the water and sewer for Ocean Hammock, Hammock Dunes and other little communities around in the Hammock. It also does all the irrigation for those areas and it does stormwater management."
Porter's background includes a 23-year career in the U.S. Army, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point before entering military service.
Following his military career, Porter became part owner of an engineering company based in Virginia and worked on numerous infrastructure projects. He also spent years assisting with disaster recovery efforts through FEMA, responding to major disasters across the country.
After retiring and moving to Palm Coast, Porter became involved with the Hammock Dunes Shoreline Committee. His interest in shoreline protection eventually led him to become more involved with the Dunes CDD.
"I worked on the Hammock Dune Shoreline Committee for a while and actually got involved in DCDD because I was trying to get them to help fund shoreline projects," Porter said.
Porter said his engineering and disaster recovery experience has helped the district secure funding for critical infrastructure improvements.
One of those projects involved replacing an irrigation line damaged during Hurricane Milton. Porter said he assisted the district in obtaining a FEMA grant worth approximately $1.8 million to fund the repairs.
"The line has been replaced. The money made us whole," Porter said.
He also said he has worked alongside Flagler County officials in pursuit of additional mitigation grants aimed at improving infrastructure resiliency, although not every application has been successful.
Porter said the board's responsibilities include overseeing the district's budget and voting on major infrastructure projects.
"We oversee their budget," Porter said. "Today we had a lengthy budget meeting."
Among the projects approved by the board was the intersection improvement project near the Hammock Dunes bridge.
"That was a DCDD project. Turned out really good," Porter said.
Looking ahead, Porter said keeping costs under control while maintaining service levels will be one of the district's biggest challenges.
"Money's the biggest challenge for DCDD," he said. "The water bills are too high, and we're trying to keep our water bills down."
Porter said district leaders are focused on maintaining water quality, ensuring adequate water supplies during drought conditions and continuing stormwater management efforts designed to reduce flooding risks throughout the district.
"We're trying to keep our budget down, trying to keep the water quality up, and we're trying to make sure that when there's a drought that we have sufficient water," Porter said.
"I'd say budget is our number one problem."
Despite those challenges, Porter said he believes the district compares favorably to other utility providers in the region.
"I would just like to say that we probably have one of the best water districts in this area," Porter said.
He also emphasized the importance of the district's working relationship with the City of Palm Coast.
"We work closely with Palm Coast, and we couldn't exist without them," Porter said. "If there's a problem, they have more resources than we have. We're just a small little district."
With both candidates facing no opposition, Porter and DeGovanni are expected to help guide the district's future as it manages utility services, infrastructure improvements and long-term planning for the Hammock community.
