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Flagler Beach could use bed tax to pay for new event space near rebuilt pier

Deadline to apply for TDT grant is June 7

"Promenade Concept Plan," included in a City of Flagler Beach Facebook post May 10, 2024, titled "Friday Footnote." Regarding the concept's geolocation, the iconic "Flagler Beach" A-frame structure is visible toward the left side of the image. (City of Flagler Beach)

FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. – The city of Flagler Beach is working quickly to secure funding for the reconstruction and renovation of its iconic fishing pier and surrounding amenities which were significantly damaged during Hurricane Ian.

Commissioners have until early June to submit a proposal to use the county’s 5% Tourist Development Tax, aka “bed tax,” to help pay for the construction of a slightly-elevated 4,200-square-foot promenade just south of the pier, one that the city hopes sightseers and wedding planners alike can take advantage of, according to a social media post on Friday.

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The proposed promenade is currently planned to fill the area between the two dune walkovers immediately south of the pier, roughly between South 3rd and South 4th streets, the post states. It would be raised about two feet, would include two ramps for accessibility and would come with a railing for safety and privacy reasons.

The city is otherwise looking to make such changes to the pier area as a renovated bait shop, radio station and restrooms, as well as further boardwalk connections. The post specifies these ideas are part of a larger Beachwalk vision that should be considered separate from the promenade and the reconstruction of the pier, suggesting “construction of the Beachwalk will have to wait until the pier is nearly completed” due to “stringent Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations and the federal and state funding associated with the pier reconstruction.”

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Flagler Beach has been focused on rebuilding its iconic pier even before Hurricane Ian took a chunk of the structure with it in 2022. Commissioners in 2021 voted to replace it with a concrete structure that can better withstand such damage, expressing hopes at the time that work would be complete within four years.

Now though, the soonest deadline being planned around is June 7, when the city says it must have an application submitted to request up to $745,372 in available Flagler County TDT revenue to help fund construction of the promenade. That monetary figure represents the 20% TDT allotment approved by county commissioners for the Flagler County Tourist Development Council’s Capital Project Funding Program.

Commissioners are moving in this direction as opportunists, according to the post. After design engineers indicated the area to the south of the structure had been environmentally reviewed in order to support the demolition and rebuilding of the pier — meeting several regulatory requirements along the way — it was suggested that the city could perhaps take advantage of the new authorizations to contemplate a new gathering/event space.

The city limited comments on the social media post and directed all questions, comments and concerns to comments@cityofflaglerbeach.com.


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