Letters

Q+A NICK KLUFAS, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER Preserving the identity of Palm Coast

BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Does Palm Coast need to change with the times, or does it need to hold fast to the characteristics that made it the city it is today? Nick Klufas was elected to the Palm Coast City Council in 2016 and again in 2020 and now, at age 33, he believes that the answer is generally the latter.

He met with the Palm Coast Observer on May 19, in a Facebook Live recording of the new YouTube show, “Observations,” to discuss the turmoil on the City Council as well as what he’s learned about leadership.

Mayor Milissa Holland resigned on May 18 due to her daughter’s poor health. What is her legacy?

First, I would like to say that I hope the absolute best outcome for both Milissa Holland and her daughter, Tori. They’ve been through so much together.

Her legacy in Palm Coast is one that really defines the trajectory of Palm Coast. An example is the Holland Park splash pads. These are the type of legacy projects that impact future generations.

Her legacy will be defined by the incredible job we’ve done embracing the UNF MedNex project and bringing in medical campuses to Palm Coast. I think that is going to be how we lever the tremendous student that we produce in the Flagler County school system.

You often voted in similar ways to Milissa Holland. Does your vision align well with hers?

We understand the value of Palm Coast amenities and that people choose Palm Coast because the quality of life here is so high. The utilization of our taxpayer dollars and being a responsible steward is something that I take very seriously. Over the years we have aligned on projects we agree will beautify Palm Coast. It was nice having a like-minded ally who never would shy away from any conversation we would have.

Are you interested in running for mayor?

I am not. My goal is to move on to the County Commission in 2024.

City Council meetings have been raucous — someone charged the dais at one meeting — and council members have gotten personal, and traded insults. Where do we go from here?

A lot of the unrest from the crowd — the majority I had never been at a City Council meeting before. The rules and procedures are not something we take lightly. So approaching the dais was complete nonsense.

But I think how we shift the tone to a more positive outlook is … we can combat the negative rhetoric, which oftentimes is “fake news,” and it just leads to more questions than actionable items.

What kind of “negative rhetoric” are you talking about?

For example, the $34 million to water the clay tennis courts. Things like that that get put out there. And the person saying these things saying, “I’m not sure if these numbers are real.”

You’re talking about Alan Lowe, who brought these numbers up at the last meeting and then defended his decision. And you feel like that’s a bad approach, to use the numbers without being sure about them?

My question is, do you feel a responsibility, before you put these numbers out to the public, that you have done research to back it up, to at least the first degree of certainty? Otherwise, you’re spreading rumors. That’s very serious.

We’re getting a racquet center. Does the city need a skate park?

The actual running cost of a skate park isn’t that much, and I’ve seen the Wadsworth skate park, and it’s packed, So I think it’s definitely an amenity that a growing city should have.

Median household income in Palm Coast is about $53,000. Typically, you try to spend no more than 30% on housing,

Watch the full interview with Nick Klufas on the Palm Coast Observer’s You Tube page under the “Observations” channel.

which comes to $1,472 per month. Do we have a problem?

I don’t necessarily think we have a problem. We’re market driven. But the diversity of our housing index isn’t diverse enough to supply everyone who works in Palm Coast a place to live.

Does government need to do something about the housing market, to make it more affordable?

I think that would be reasonable in an area that didn’t have organic expansion opportunities for the market voids to be filled. If we were in a city that had limited space, that’s when you start talking about rent control and making it livable.

Can you sympathize with that group that wants the city to stop growing so fast?

We all moved here from somewhere else. More critical to the feel of Palm Coast is keeping the feel and quality of life just as high for every new resident who moves here, and that we sustain that level of service.

We do a great job spending our tax dollars to give us the quality of life we have. As long as we can sustain that, it’s more rhetoric than anything.

I do sympathize specifically with people who have unknowingly bought into an area where the future land-use map is already approved for multifamily or light commercial, and at the time of the development occurring, they’re like, “This is terrible.” But it’s been that way for the last 15 years.

When MedNexus was first announced, it came with renderings of an impressive building, and now they’re looking at leasing space instead. Does the project inspire the same excitement today that it did a year ago? Was it a sales job?

I’m still just as high about it as before. They’ve committed $1 million to scholarships for students. They have 50 students and 70 students on the books for this upcoming semester (UNF and Jacksonville University). These are realities, whether or not the actual structural building has started to be built yet. This is a sales job that is, I think, going to come to fruition.

Is our sign code too restrictive?

Measuring the temperature of our community is really important with critical issues like this. These are the type of ordinances that make Palm Coast, Palm Coast. Can you have an ordinance that says “No ugly trucks”? No, you can’t. That’s part of the sign code as well. If you have to read the words that are on the sign to make an ordinance apply to a sign or not, you can’t do that because of freedom of speech. You have to be all or nothing.

I’m hoping our city attorney can come back with ordinances that are more liberating to vehicles that are not in disrepair. People who have moved to Palm Coast knew that level of exceptional living was what they were moving to Palm Coast for; the last thing I would want to do is unravel that.

What leadership principles guide you in your role in the City Council?

Don’t ask people to exert more effort than you exert yourself. Empathetic behavior is so critical to have someone on your team, and also ensuring that those individuals who are working hard and want to be part of the team are recognized. You always try to grow from within.

I think the best thing we can do as a city is have happy employees. Residents come to me, and say, “The water utility came to my house to fix my PEP tank. Best interaction I’ve had with the city.” That is the difference between whether that person likes the city and does not. So we put such an emphasis on ensuring the happiness level of employees is high.

If you can make sure those who are fighting for you are happy and believe in the mission, I think that’s one of the most important things in leadership.

Email editor@palmcoastobserver.com.

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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LETTERS

Open letter to Flagler County officials

Dear Editor:

In light of recent events at local public meetings, we, as individual members of the Flagler Tiger Bay Club Board of Directors, want to offer our experience to our community.

Three years ago the Flagler Tiger Bay Club was formed in response to an evident lack of civility in our national political discourse.

Our membership, consisting of community leaders — Republicans Democrats and NPAs — from across the county, has been committed to: • Civility in our conduct and discussions • Respect for and to all • Passion on issues without anger

Our members have diverse opinions and do not lack for passion, but all agree that civil discourse is the surest path to understanding and a better community.

We believe this is a road map for a better political environment for us all.

WALKER DOUGLAS, DAVID FOURNIER, ED FULLER, HOWARD HOLLEY, TELDRA JONES, MARK LANGELLO, JAKE SCULLY, GAIL WADSWORTH AND DR. KIDESTE YUSEF

Tantrums on Palm Coast City Council are embarrassing

Dear Editor:

What has happened to our City Council? It has sadly devolved into an embarrassing controversial entity, staffed with controversial characters engaged in petty name-calling, temper tantrums, irresponsible antics and unwelcome partisan showmanship. There has been a breakdown of professional decorum by people without the demeanor, skill sets, and abilities to take on the responsibilities they were given by voters.

A sea change is in order. It’s time to acknowledge that we simply have elected the wrong people. It seems many voters have been too impressed with candidates with the most campaign signs and have cast votes accordingly without any semblance of a deeper dive into their past, their character, experience and qualifications. The majority of those seated now would not have passed muster in one or more of those categories with just minimal research.

We now have a declared candidate for mayor election whose questionable past and bizarre ideology has already been exposed during a failed attempt to be mayor in 2020. Let’s hope voters will pay attention and say no to more of the same controversial characters.

I would like to believe that Palm Coast has quality qualified potential candidates. Where have they been and where are they now?

BOB GORDON

Palm Coast