Flagler County explores ‘beach renourishment tax’ for all property owners

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County commissioners said they have to find money to keep nourishing their fragile beaches in the future. One of their options is looking to residents with a county-wide tax.

It’s in very early talks, but it’s an idea commissioners have unanimously decided to keep exploring.

The county thinks it’s going to need about $7 million to $10 million a year for its current and future beach restoration projects, especially to match any federal or state grants it can get.

“Getting a dependable dedicated funding source is absolutely critical to protecting everybody in Flagler County from the risk of significant storm damage,” said Al Hadeed, the Flagler County attorney.

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Previous News 6 reports have shown the crumbling dunes and how hurricanes and even smaller storms have wiped out parts of A1A along the 18 miles of beaches in Flagler.

Hadeed said commissioners are now figuring out how they could make this tax fair.

“There is the question that, ‘OK, if someone is paying for a lower-priced home, (are they) going to pay the same amount as someone on the ocean front?’ Well, obviously, you know that’s not fair, we know that’s not fair,” he said.

At their meeting this week, commissioners saw a few examples of numbers where county property owners could pay anywhere from $36 a year to over $570. The amount would depend on how close the property is to the beach and if it’s a home or business.

“Putting it all on the businesses and the residents isn’t fair, but they’re scrambling, as well as they should be. It’s the most prized commodity,” said Johnny Lulgjuraj.

Lulgjuraj owns Oceanside Beach Bar and Grille, just steps from the beach. He said he’s watched the edge of the road creep closer over the years, so he understands the need.

“I know how important the beach is. We donate whatever we can as far as our time, energy, efforts as residents and business owners anyways, so it’s great to see the whole county is going to be supporting, the state and especially the feds,” he said.

Commissioners have another workshop on Monday to discuss this and another the following week. If this all goes through, it could be enacted by the end of the year.

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