An investigation into Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin by the Florida Commission on Ethics concluded that no legal wrongdoing was committed. The investigation was triggered after a complaint by resident Midori Imhoof about Martin’s involvement with the sale of the Ocean Palms Golf Club.
Imhoof submitted her complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics on June 16, 2025. The events described in the complaint took place over a period from October 2023 to May 2025. Alleged in the complaints was that Martin communicated with the golf club’s eventual buyer outside of the public eye in a way that benefited him in the sale process. An accusation was made that Martin misused a public position to benefit himself or others, and that he’d disclosed information which he was not at liberty to share.
The golf course was sold late last year to Jeff Ryan, the owner of the company that had been leasing the space from the city for almost two years. That sale advanced despite a split City Commission. Rick Belhumeur, Eric Cooley, and Scott Spradley voted in favor of the sale while John Cunningham and James Sherman opposed it.
Where Martin was accused of acting illegally by Imhoof was where he communicated information about the course to Ryan without notifying the public or City Commission. By doing so, Imhoof alleged, Martin was accelerating a sale in a way where the public couldn’t weigh in. This was ultimately not the findings of the Florida Ethics Commission. The investigation found that Martin did not provide Ryan with anything that wasn’t publicly available.
In April 2025, Martin asked City Attorney Drew Smith to begin planning a prospective sale of the golf course based on two appraisals conducted prior to then. Meetings between Martin, Smith, and Ryan had dated back to October 2023 according to public email communications. Having appraisals conducted without City Commission approval is within what Martin can do as city manager – provided the appraisals cost $35,000 or less.
The investigation results conclusively held that Martin did not misuse his public position as city manager, and that he did not disclose information that wasn’t available to the public. Thus, the two cruxes of Imhoof’s complaint were definitively refuted by the Ethics Commission.
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.
