David Alfin is the incumbent candidate in the Palm Coast mayoral election, facing four challengers. Alfin was elected in the 2021 special election, which commenced following the resignation of former Mayor Milissa Holland. His opponents are Peter Johnson, Alan Lowe, Cornelia Downing Manfre, and Mike Norris.
The primary election for Palm Coast Mayor will take place on August 20th and will be open to all Palm Coast residents. If any candidate obtains one more vote than 50.0%, they will win the mayoral election outright. If none reach that threshold, the top two candidates will move on to the general election in November.
Other Candidate Interviews
Flagler County Commission:
- Andy Dance – Flagler County Commission, District 1
- Fernando Melendez – Flagler County Commission, District 1
- Kim Carney – Flagler County Commission, District 3
- Bill Clark – Flagler County Commission, District 3 (Did Not Complete)
- Nick Klufas – Flagler County Commission, District 3
- Ed Danko – Flagler County Commission, District 5
- Michael McElroy – Flagler County Commission, District 5
- Pam Richardson – Flagler County Commission, District 5
Flagler School Board:
- Derek Barrs – Flagler School Board, District 3
- Janie Ruddy – Flagler School Board, District 3
- Lauren Ramirez – Flagler School Board, District 5
- Vincent Sullivan – Flagler School Board, District 5
East Flagler Mosquito Control Board:
- Julius ‘Jules’ Kwiatkowski – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 1
- Perry Mitrano – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 1
- Lance Alred – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 3
- Ralph Lighfoot – East Flagler Mosquito Control Board, Seat 3
Palm Coast City Council:
- David Alfin – Palm Coast Mayor
- Peter Johnson – Palm Coast Mayor
- Alan Lowe – Palm Coast Mayor
- Cornelia Downing Manfre – Palm Coast Mayor
- Mike Norris – Palm Coast Mayor (Did Not Complete)
- Kathy Austrino – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
- Shara Brodsky – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
- Ty Miller – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
- Jeffery Seib – Palm Coast City Council, District 1
- Dana ‘Mark’ Stancel – Palm Coast City Council, District 3
- Ray Stevens – Palm Coast City Council, District 3
- Andrew Werner – Palm Coat City Council, District 3
Interview Criteria
- The object of the interview is not to grill the candidate, nor to give them softballs. Ideally, in their answers the candidates provide to voters a useful insight into their ideology, their priorities, and their knowledgeability and preparedness for office.
- These questions are sent to each declared candidate in Flagler County’s local elections. All candidates running for the same office received the same exact questions.
- The only edits made are for spelling, formatting and basic grammar (i.e., ‘their’ when it should be ‘there’). Censorship of profanity may also be applied if it were applicable. Otherwise, answers are presented in their full form as the candidate provides them.
- Answers are subject to fact-checking if they contain information that’s blatantly misleading or untrue (misrepresenting factually verifiable information, misquoting a statistic, etc). Clarifications will be added underneath the candidate’s answer if applicable. The answers will still be presented as given even if a fact-check or clarification is needed.
Candidate Interview
Date of Birth: February 20th, 1953
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida
Career/Educational Resume: Click to View Resume
1. Name three issues in Palm Coast you see as most pressing right now, and what you see as the first steps in addressing them under the new City Council.
“Economic Development:
- Rolled back tax millage rate for streamlined government efficiency.
- Secured $52 million from Florida legislature for infrastructure replacement, upgrades, and renovation.
Public Safety:
- Partnered with Sheriff Staly to deploy additional deputies for enhanced city security.
- Secured financing for construction of a new fire station in the Seminole Woods section.
Infrastructure Investment:
- Engaged community in Imagine 2050 project for long-term planning.
- Obtained state funding for construction of additional turn lanes on Old Kings Rd and SR-100.
- Created a citizen advisory task force to address isolated flooding issues.
- Overhauled Palm Coast’s comprehensive plan to guide future development, ensuring safety and economic viability.
- Reduced residential permit growth by over 20% in 2023.
Quality of Life:
- Preserved sensitive lands like Long Creek and Palm Coast Pkwy tree canopy.
- Developed water quality protection plan.
- Constructed floating dock at Waterfront Park for kayak and canoe access.
- Expanded Palm Coast Tennis Center into Southern Recreation Center, including new tennis and pickleball courts.
- Partnered with healthcare and educational institutions for top-quality medical staff retention and new hospital facilities.
Planning New Roads:
- Citation Blvd construction (underway)
- Belle Terre Safety Project construction (2024)
- Whiteview Safety Project (2024)
- Old Kings Road North Phase 2 widening construction (2024/25)
- Old Kings Road/Town Center Blvd. design (2024)
- Matanzas Woods Flyover Construction (2024/24)
- Loop Road (2025 and beyond based on state budget)
New Dollars for Water/Sewer:
- $1 million in state budget for wastewater treatment plant 1 expansion (if approved)
Improved cell/fiber:
- Metronet 2/3rds built out
New Parks:
- Splash Pad reopening in July
- Southern Recreation Center
- Lehigh Trailhead, dog park, and community gardens
- Developer-built public disc golf course (2025 – corner of Pine Lakes and White Mill)
New Retail Construction:
- Florida Skin Care Institute (Kings Pointe)
- The Tire Outlet (Kings Pointe)
- Jeremiah’s Italian Ice (Town Center Perimeter)
- Tijuana Flats (Town Center Perimeter)
- BJ’s (Cornerstone)
- Miller’s Ale House (Cornerstone)
- Longhorn Steakhouse (Cornerstone)
- Chick-Fil-A (Cornerstone)
- Chase Bank (Cornerstone)
- The Promenade (Town Center Urban Core)
- New Shopping Center (near SR-100 Wawa)
- Car wash (next to Culver’s)
- New Wawa (Palm Coast Pkwy)”
2. One of the key duties of a mayor is chairing City Council meetings. Describe your temperament in ways that are relevant to that responsibility.
“I am a dedicated and experienced professional who thrives in an atmosphere of civil debate that is well-ordered with decorum and respect.”
3. With what you know now, give your evaluation of these city leaders: interim City Manager Lauren Johnston, Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, and Stormwater & Engineering Director Carl Cote.
“City government is best served with collaborative team effort, I believe our municipal executives work well together in a collaborative fashion and lead with professional effort that results in a synergy of leadership that is a model for all city staff.”
4. Are there any new or underutilized revenue streams you can name that Palm Coast could tap into to support its operating budget? If so, expand upon your plan for implementation.
“The city should work with well-respected financial institutions to study leveraged financing or bonding that allows capital improvement projects to be paid for by current and future residents, all of whom will use infrastructure improvements.”
5. In recent months some residents have broached the idea of having a forensic audit, a practice typically undertaken due to reasonable suspicion of financial misconduct. Do you see a forensic audit as being necessary for Palm Coast?
“The city publishes all budget details every year. City financial operations are audited by competent, certified, and well-known CPA firms. Additional audits are redundant, expensive, and unnecessary.”
6. One of the duties of Palm Coast’s mayor is to lobby Tallahassee for state funding. What experience do you have that would prepare you to execute this duty effectively?
“I have successfully managed the city’s efforts to appropriate hundreds of millions of funding dollars during the last three legislative sessions in Tallahasee.”
7. Adults under 25 in Palm Coast have a median income of $34,663, against a median annual rent of $24,156. Can Palm Coast take any additional steps to provide affordable housing to keep FPC and MHS graduates in town? Could doing so threaten to create a potentially excessive pace of residential development?
“The city can identify companies capable of building $200k-$250k housing that is well-built, code-approved, with starter-home curb appeal and can be purchased by young professionals who qualify for mortgages with salaries of approximately $80k or higher.”
8. What does the long-term solution for public safety in Palm Coast look like? Do you think the city’s future growth will create enough tax revenue to fund indefinite, incremental additions of Flagler Sheriff’s deputies? If not, how does Palm Coast make ends meet to facilitate adequate law enforcement coverage?
“The city will eventually realize a population that generates sufficient revenue and dictates transition to municipal policing when the county is no longer able to provide the increased service levels demanded by Palm Coast residents.”
Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
TR
August 17, 2024 at 3:54 pm
One point, he doesn’t want a forensic audit because it goes deeper then the audits that are done monthly. Not to mention they are done within the city, are they not. He just said they are done by competent, certified, and well known CPA firms. This may be true, but are they trustworthy to do them correctly. Then he’s worried about the cost to have one done. Why not stop wasting the tax payers money on things this city doesn’t need and then they would have the money to do one. I don’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth. He’s gotta go and then maybe the next mayor will either slow down or stop the developments and start fixing the things this city really needs.