Flagler Beach Sets June 1 RFQ for Paid Parking Plan

Flagler Beach will issue a request for qualifications on June 1 as it begins flagler beach paid parking planning, opening the door for companies to propose a system the city has discussed for years. City Manager Dale Martin said the process is only the first step in a 13-to-15-year process, while commissioners said they are still gathering data before any final decision.

Martin and Cooley

Martin told the commission, "It’s just the first step in a 13-to-15-year process." Commission Chair Eric Cooley answered, "Or longer," and added, "I want to make a statement to the public, because I know how this is going to get portrayed in the media." He also said, "You cannot make a decision until you have the data."

Cooley warned against treating the request as a done deal. "So we can’t even decide if paid parking is the right thing for us until we get them in front of us. Have active, real discussions, cover the nuts and bolts, see if this is the right thing for the city, because I know how this is going to come off. It’s exactly what you said. ‘Commissioner Cooley said we’re going to have paid parking starting tomorrow.’"

King and Spradley

Mayor Patti King said, "We’re starting our investigation into paid parking," and Commissioner Scott Spradley said, "I think it’s great that this is finally before us." Spradley also recalled serving on the paid parking committee 13 years ago, saying, "I’ve been saying for several years that I was on that paid parking committee seven or eight years ago. But I looked at this thing. It was actually 13 years ago when that paid parking committee was formed, and it was a different ball game back then."

The city formed that committee in 2013 and received its findings in 2015 after two years of work. Three companies visited the city during the earlier effort, which was based on stick or poled parking meters, before the current discussion moved toward newer systems that can use phone apps.

Residents and 2027

Under the current plan, Flagler Beach residents would be exempt from the proposed paid parking system, while Palm Coast residents would not. Based on the timeline Martin submitted, paid parking could be in place in early 2027, giving visitors and nonresidents a clear reason to watch how the RFQ process develops once companies begin responding on June 1.

The city’s current step is procedural, but it is the first formal move in a debate that has stretched across three decades and now has a scheduled start date.