- June 18, 2026
Palm Coast officials are considering whether to use approximately $1.5 million in project savings to address parking shortages at the Southern Recreation Center, advance a long-discussed skate park project or pursue a combination of recreational improvements.
The discussion took place during the Palm Coast City Council's June 16 meeting as members reviewed a proposal to redirect savings generated from the Indian Trail Sports Complex parking expansion project. Staff initially recommended using the funds to construct additional parking at the Southern Recreation Center, which currently lacks enough parking to meet city requirements.
Stormwater and Engineering Director Carl Cote explained that the parking project was intended to address a known issue at the facility.
"With those savings, we're looking to address a known issue, an existing facility and to meet our initial obligations of that project to provide the required parking," Cote said. The proposed work would also include stormwater improvements, sidewalks and related infrastructure.
Mayor Mike Norris, however, suggested the city consider using a portion of the available funding to accelerate construction of a skate park, an amenity identified in both the city's Strategic Action Plan and Parks Master Plan.
"What I was thinking was why don't we add an additional amenity out there at the Southern Recreation Center," Norris said. "It's also in the parks master plan — a skate park. We can get a nice skate park put in out there for under a million dollars, and it's diversifying the amenities to other residents within the city."
The suggestion sparked a broader discussion about recreational priorities and how impact fee dollars should be spent.
Cote noted that city staff had previously attempted to incorporate a skate park into plans for the Southern Recreation Center property but ran into restrictions from Florida Power & Light.
"We did propose basketball courts and a skate park to FPL and they shot us down. They said not allowed," Cote said.
As the discussion continued, Norris questioned whether a skate park should be located at the Southern Recreation Center at all, suggesting a more central location within the city could better serve residents.
"If we did something with a skate park, I'd rather have it in the center of the city. Geographic center of the city," Norris said.
Councilman Ty Miller voiced support for moving the skate park project forward but cautioned that doing so would require shifting priorities within the city's long-range recreation plans.
"I support trying to get the skate park done sooner rather than later," Miller said. "It's just as mentioned right now it's like year 13 of the parks master plan or something, way off, right, not budgeted. So that means shifting it forward and shifting something else back in order to accommodate that."
The conversation later turned to the financial performance of the Southern Recreation Center, a topic that has generated debate in recent months.
Norris asked Parks and Recreation Director James Hirst whether the facility was currently operating in the black and whether parking shortages were the primary reason it was falling short of full cost recovery.
Hirst said additional parking would help increase memberships, programs and special events.
"Parking can definitely help. We are limited with space out there. So, more parking, more members, more programs, more events, those can definitely help us get close," Hirst said.
When Norris pressed further, Hirst acknowledged other factors contribute to the facility's financial performance but maintained parking remains a significant issue.
"There are other factors, but I do believe parking is one big part of that, why we can't get as close as we can to cost recovery," Hirst said, estimating the facility currently operates at roughly 65% to 70% cost recovery.
The exchange highlighted one of the central questions facing council members: whether the available funding should be used to solve an existing operational challenge at the Southern Recreation Center or invested in a new recreational amenity.
Staff explained that the parking expansion was already included in the city's five-year Capital Improvement Program and was originally expected to be funded later with Community Redevelopment Agency dollars. The savings from the Indian Trail Sports Complex project created an opportunity to move the work forward sooner.
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri ultimately proposed tabling the resolution so staff could return with a more comprehensive analysis.
"I'll make a motion to table this item so that staff can bring back a workshop providing options to council of what can be done with these monies, including possibility for a skate park either on this property or on another property, expanding parking for SRC and the benefits that we anticipate would flow from that and safety improvements at ITSC," Pontieri said.
The motion passed unanimously.
Staff will return at a future workshop with potential skate park locations, parking expansion options for the Southern Recreation Center, safety improvements at the Indian Trail Sports Complex and a detailed breakdown of available funding sources before council determines how the savings will ultimately be spent.
