Bunnell Landfill Approved Against Public Outcry

The Bunnell Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board on Tuesday approved a large landfill off SR-100 by a 3-1 vote. They did so despite a sizable crowd of residents opposing the project, filling the room even as the development application was made public one day before the hearing. The Bunnell PZA approved the landfill on a 3-1 vote. Members Francena Koch, Gary Gardner, and Coury-Paul Romaniuk were in the majority, while Chelsea Herbert dissented. Herbert made motions to reject the application outright and to table it so the public had more time to inform themselves. Neither suggestion passed. Lynn Lafferty was not in attendance. ‘Project Butterfly’, as the application is being referred to, was concealed from the public under a law protecting business negotiations. Confidentiality was waived on Monday at 10:46 a.m. Legally-required public notice was given in the Palm Coast Observer on August 20, excluding any mention of a landfill, where the development is located, or who was applying. It merely referred to a ‘special exception use for Project Butterfly within the AG&S Zoning District’. The proposed landfill’s location is at 518 County Road 45, just north of State Road 100 in west Flagler County. Several of the residents who appeared on Tuesday to urge the PZA against approval were those who live near this location. For all intents and purposes, their objections fell on mostly deaf ears. Though members of the majority vote assured residents their decision was not the end of the process, it was the public’s final chance to have their say. Had the PZA rejected the application, applicant Cocomero LLC could’ve appealed to the Bunnell City Commission. A public hearing would’ve been held at their meeting, giving residents another chance to voice their concerns. Residents would’ve also had more time to participate in the process had the PZA tabled the item temporarily. The issue would’ve been revisited at a later date, with all parties having had more time to consider the ramifications of the project and come with informed input. Both options were suggested, and the PZA passed both times. Flagler County Commission Chair Leann Pennington, who represents west Flagler County, spoke in the meeting to urge a postponement of any action. She pointed to an apparent discrepancy between the project being called a waste management facility for the purposes of the PZA reviewing the application, but called a Class 1 landfill in the application. This, she contested, potentially brought the issue outside the PZA’s authority. Similar concerns were also raised by fellow County Commission Andy Dance.