Flagler Beach Approves Largest-Ever Land Annexation

The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to approve the annexation of 545 acres for a housing development called ‘Summertown’. The vote represented the final reading of three ordinances which, together, gave the developers the green light to proceed. Hanging in the balance of Flagler Beach’s vote was a plan for the county government to purchase a large portion of the land from the developer for preservation. Though the county and developer each reaffirmed their intent to move forward on the sale, a number of variables created momentary doubt about whether the entire issue should be tabled for another night. The lone dissenting vote on each of the three ordinances was that of Commissioner John Cunningham. He stated simply that there were “too many unknowns” for his liking. Cunningham also voted against a pair of later motions, urged by City Attorney Drew Smith, to amend a prior motion to correct a typo. One concern raised by multiple commenters Thursday – including former County Commissioner Barbara Revels – was the possibility that the Florida legislature could end residential property taxes statewide, eliminating a massive revenue source for local governments and placing an enormous burden on commercial property owners. If that ends up happening, one key benefit of Flagler Beach annexing the land for Summertown would vanish. The developer of Summertown, Ken Belshe, spoke before the City Commission to rebuff as many of their and the public’s concerns as he could. Also in his corner was attorney Michael Chiumento III, who worked to control the narrative and coax the commissioners into a confidence that none of the issues raised represented a reason to delay annexation. Representing the county on Thursday were County Commissioner Andy Dance and Assistant County Attorney Sarah Spector, each of whom spoke to the county’s steadfast desire to purchase around 153 acres for preservation. The county’s ability to make the purchase is dependent on whether they can obtain a grant from the state’s Florida Forever program to cover an appraisal of the acreage in question. If not the state, the county would likely pivot to the St. Johns River Water Management District for financial assistance. No language in the ordinance would compel either party to move through with a sale, and neither side latched onto Smith’s suggestion of agreeing to bring in a third-party mediator to resolve any potential cost disputes. And so for a moment, both the county and the developers appeared weary with one another’s resolve to accomplish the sale. In the end, the county is operating on the good faith of Belshe’s SunBelt Land Management firm, and their own determination to get to the finish line. On Flagler Beach’s end, the City Commission has now approved the largest land annexation in city history.