Flagler Economic Development Dilemma

Flagler Economic Opportunity
Advisory Council

   There is a lot of chatter in Flagler County now, regarding "Economic Development," especially in light of the recently disbanded Enterprise Flagler private-public venture.  The newly established Economic Opportunity Advisory Council (EOAC), and its soon-to-be hired Executive Director, will surely be scrutinized, analyzed, and editorialized, till the cows come home (the closing phrase rendered in deference to Flagler's rich agricultural history).

So, the first conversation overheard goes like this:  "Why are we making all the fuss about growth?  Flagler County is plenty big enough now."  "We moved here from New Jersey to get away from all the traffic, noise, crime, and crowding... Now Palm Coast wants to become like Newark!"  "When we moved here, Flagler Beach was empty on the 4th of July and Belle Terre was like a rural road.  Now they're even talking about making the Matanzas overpass an interchange!"  "And another thing... why are my taxes so high?  And don't get me started about the schools... My kids are grown and gone... the young people should be paying for this."

You probably guessed where the second is going:  "Hmmmph!  My property values keep going down."  "Why doesn't the county pay more attention to fixing the roads, building sidewalks, and replenishing the eroded sand at the beach?  With the exorbitant salaries we pay these politicians, you'd think they'd take a voluntary pay cut to help out!"  "A Carrabba's in Palm Coast would be nice... and a Texas Roadhouse... and a PF Chang's - like in Orlando at the Mall of the Millennium... and a regional mall... and it would be nice if they'd just finish building out Town Center.  Then we could lure more large, well paying, green businesses to Flagler.  And maybe a Nordstoms in the old Bealls and a Ritz Carlton at the beach?"


When these two folks (above) talk across the fence, they probably don't agree on many things.  Therein lies
"The Dilemma."  We want to have all of the benefits that growth brings, without... ummmmm... growth!
It's all those sticky issues like, "Who's gonna pay for this?" and "Jobs would be nice, but I don't want commercial development near my home... (Think NIMBY)"  Because this has been in the news lately, the editorial commentary (and I use that term very loosely) has been none too complimentary (almost comical, really).  Check The Palm Coast Observer, www.FlaglerLive.com, and the Daytona Beach News-Journal.  Various and many brave "Anonymous" souls have much to say on the Economic Development topic, such as the well-thought-out:  "These 8 bozos don't have a clue what they are doing!"  Which, by the way, was penned after the very first meeting, in which the members were being introduced to the county and to one another!  I'm thinking that takes a lot of insight!

The truth is that every municipality and county in the country has some form of "Economic Development" effort in place.  And they are all dealing with the global economic downturn.  To put it in nautical terms, if a boat is taking on water, it's wise to assign some crew members to bail.  A good friend of mine "up North" was hired last year to be the executive director of such a group.  I asked him to summarize the first year's effort, and he said:  "A fishbowl... Expectations much higher than can be reasonably met... With a budget too small to make many waves.  I'm the new coach and they want the Super Bowl now!"  


We all want things to be wonderful in Flagler, but we aren't ready for a General Motors Assembly Plant or a Microsoft Regional Headquarters.  We have an amazing quality of life here and it's our strong suit.  We also have a well organized political environment.  Yes, they squabble some.  And, yes, Palm Coast is the elephant in the room.  But for the most part it works as well as most.  It's important to consider that "economic development" is not just "jobs;" it's also "revenue generation."  Like a great football program, "wins" come from a fine coach, staff, offense, defense, special teams... boosters, and fans.  To get the jobs and the revenue, we need to work on refining our  current terrific quality of life.  Companies will come here, not so much because we have a "50,000 square foot industrial building with utilities, roads, and rail access" ready for them to occupy... But because management knows Flagler County is a great place to live!
In order to be successful, this effort needs to define "who" and "what" Flagler County is... and what it wants to become.  And like good parents encouraging their children, it's OK for Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Marineland, Beverly Beach, The Hammock resort areas, and the agricultural Western County to be what they want to be... as long as the family gets along and encourages one another.  In all the Goal Setting models I've ever seen, the scenario starts with:  "Make sure your goals are challenging (lest they not inspire)... and achievable (lest they go undone)."  I'm hoping Flagler's new effort keeps this at the forefront.