Mikes Plan:
It's Time to Give the People of Palm Coast a "R.A.I.S.E"
I am committed to improving the quality of life in our city by focusing on five key areas of concern:
Revitalizing Existing Infrastructure
Our city’s infrastructure is aging and is being strained by the upsurge in growth. We have to get back to the basics and prioritize resources to address critical systems that support our residents’ well-being. This includes safe and well-maintained roadways, a fully functioning stormwater system, and safe water. Our priorities for state revenues should be concentrated on shoring up existing infrastructure before expanding our city’s boundaries.
Attract Industrial Growth and Employment Opportunities
By promoting the strategic location of our wonderful city. This means increasing industrial zoning in the city, specifically to attract industries seeking to capitalize on access to an active railroad system, the I-95 corridor, and the close proximity of the Jacksonville port. Approximately 25,000 residents commute out of our county each morning for work, that’s 23% of the total population of the county. A significant portion of them are career-minded professionals who are unable to find employment that provides livable wages because those types of industries are just not available in our city and county. We need to significantly diversify our economy in order to ease the tax burden of our residents. Some 90% of our city’s budget comes from residential property taxes, which is unsustainable without undue burden on our citizens. The only way to correct these shortcomings is to aggressively promote and recruit industries that manufacture
products and services on a larger scale which will provide higher wages. We are ideally positioned to accomplish these goals while maintaining the “Old Florida” feel that makes our city such an ideal place to live.
Increase Public Safety and Security
We have to focus resources on our failing and congested roadways. With the significant increase in growth, along with the age of our roadways, we have to make improvements and maintain this vital part of our infrastructure as a top priority. Citizens’ concerns regarding dangerous streets and roadways have to be addressed to ensure the safety of our
residents. We will continue a proactive relationship with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to ensure root causes of criminal activity are adequately tackled. This includes improving lighting and surveillance systems, partnering with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to increase patrols and
investigations, and investing in social programs that help at-risk individuals and families.
​Smart Growth and Expansion by Promoting Sustainable Development
by promoting sustainable development. This means balancing
economic growth with environmental responsibility, encouraging the development of green spaces and parks, and creating pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that reduce reliance on cars. With the passing of the Live Local Act, we have to ensure that we use the pedestrian-friendly city concept to encourage the development of the town center area of the city. No further expansion of the city boundaries should happen until our existing infrastructure is capable of sustaining the exponential
growth of what could be a doubling of our city’s footprint.
Empower the Commercial Development of the Town Center by Supporting the Growth of Businesses in the Central Business District
This can include working with centers of influence to bring long-
awaited development of the Town Center into the thriving business district it was meant to be, and promised to the residents of the city. The use of public/private ventures can be used to expedite development by using properties owned by the city in partnership with developers to create attractive retail spaces. We have to have a commitment from centers of influence and developers to ensure we create an appealing commercial business district at the heart of the city. This could include cultural
and civic venues that would attract both economic growth and civic pride.
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