Seemingly out of nowhere, Cathy Heighter has resigned her seat on the Palm Coast City Council. Having only been elected in 2022, she’ll have ultimately served less than half of the term voters elected her to.
“This decision has been difficult, as it has been an honor to serve our community and contribute to the important work we have undertaken together,” Heighter said in a letter to acting City Manager Lauren Johnston. “Over the course of my tenure, I have been privileged to work alongside dedicated colleagues and committed citizens, and I am proud of the progress we have made in Strategic Action Plan of 2050 and so many other milestones we have achieved. However, after careful consideration, I have decided that it is time for me to step down to focus on my personal health and well-being, my aging family members while I continue to pursue my passions in life of serving our Veterans, Military families and the communities of Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns, Putnam County and the rest of the State of Florida.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the City Council and for the support I have received during my time here. I have learned a great deal and will carry these experiences with me as I move on to new challenges. Please know that I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition, and I am available to assist in any way necessary during this period. I will work closely with the team to hand over my responsibilities and ensure that ongoing projects continue without interruption. Thank you once again for the trust and confidence you have placed in me. I look forward to staying in touch and hope our paths will cross again in the future.”
The timing of Heighter’s departure was especially inconvenient; the Council is about to swear in two if not three new members and they’re currently in the midst of budget season for next year. It still remains to be seen whether an interim member will be appointed to the Council by the remaining members, or a special election will be held on the November ballot. The City Council has seen resignations before, but none this close to election time. The Council is bound by its city charter to fill the seat within 90 days of any resignation.
“Our City Council has been committed to solving problems and maintaining the momentum that keeps Palm Coast thriving,” said Mayor David Alfin. “We are resilient and will continue to work hard for our community, ensuring that our city remains strong and focused on the future.”
Heighter is the third member of the City Council to resign since the 2020 election, following Mayor Milissa Holland in 2021 and Councilman Victor Batbosa in 2022. She was elected in 2022 with a 54% of the vote over Fernando Melendez.
Asked for additional comment, Heighter said her letter contains her full remarks. This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
What a surprise.
Are you really? I’m not. I had (and still am) an issue at my house. I contacted Mrs. Heighter (because i live in her district) and she came to my house and we discussed the problem as I showed it to her. She then said she would go talk to the person in the department at city hall that would be best suited to fix the problem. That was over a year ago and the problem continues. The city doesn’t want to fix it. The sheriff’s office doesn’t want to fix it. So I guess I will fix it, even though it was the mayor and the city council that caused the problem to begin with. It has been a problem throughout the city with residence that own property on a corner lot. I have had to deal with this issue for over 15 years and my hundreds of attempts to fix it go unanswered or ignored which leads me to believe the mayor, city council, code enforcement, swale department and the sheriff’s office don’t care.