- May 19, 2026
The Palm Coast Council has approved the ballot language for three Palm Coast City Charter amendments that will go before voters on Nov. 4.
Palm Coast just finished reviewing the City Charter for updates and changes and three sections at the heart of recent controversy will be before voters in November. The three proposed amendments that will appear on the ballot address City Council member vacancies, the removal of a City Council member and the city’s borrowing power, updating Article IV(7)(e) Article IV, Section (7) and Article IV, Section (7)(e), respectively.
City Attorney Marcus Duffy presented summaries of how each charter section changes to the council at the March 19 meeting. The City Council unanimously approved the ballot language summaries, which will go before voters on the Nov. 4 election for approval.
“I think this is very accurate to what the changes are, and so I appreciate that,” Councilman Ty Miller said.
The proposed changes include requiring a special election within 90 days to fill a vacant City Council seat if there are more than 18 months remaining in a term or if the vacancy occurs within 60 days or less of a general election.
After Mayor Mike Norris was twice censured in 2025, the Palm Coast Council considered petitioning Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Norris from the seat. The proposed change to Article IV, Section (7) would require three formal censures of a council member or mayor for a petition of removal to be allowed.
That section also updates attendance requirements and defines ethics violations as those “under Florida law.” The current language does not specifically define what code of ethics is. Absences are also limited to a total of six unexcused absences in a calendar year.
Article IV, Section (7)(e) of the charter currently limits the city’s borrowing power to $15 million with a term not more than 36 months. This limitation has not been updated in over 20 years.
The Charter Review Committee and the City Council are proposing to update the $15 million to $30 million to reflect the changes in inflation over the years, with an annual CPI increase of a maximum of $1,000. The changes also extend the borrowing period to 30 years.
Voter approval would still be required for any borrowing greater than those amounts.
To ensure the public’s understanding, Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri asked staff to arrange for informational public workshops ahead of election day to ensure voters understand the proposed changes.
“We want to make sure that people understand exactly what they're voting on, that we're clearly communicating what they'll see on their ballot,” Pontieri said.
Norris said in the case of the council vacancies, it was an issue of timing. Previously, former Council member Cathy Heighter left her position less than two years into her term just after the 2024 primary election. The vacancy was too close to the general election date to be placed on the ballot, and the current charter language requires the vacancy to be filled by appointment.
Councilman Charles Gambaro was appointed to fill the seat, which is on the 2026 general election ballot. But Gambaro’s appointment caused rampant controversy with residents, leading to the review of Article IV(7)(e) by the Palm Coast Charter Review Committee.
“It was just absolute timing,” Norris said.
Councilman Dave Sullivan is also filling a council seat by appointment after former City Councilman Ray Stevens stepped down in early 2025, just months after being elected, for health concerns.
Norris did ask Duffy to reach out to Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart to review the Article IV(7)(e) amendment regarding council appointment and special elections. Duffy said that is already in the works.
The City Council will need to vote on the ballot language one more time before it is placed on the ballot for November.
