- April 26, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Flagler County will redraw the boundaries for its five County Commission and School Board districts to even out the population levels between them.
Proposals presented to the commission at a meeting Sept. 27 included adding to District 1 a large chunk of land that is currently to its east, extending District 2 slightly to the west, contracting District 3, and adding to District 5 a chunk of land to its south. District 4 may lose a small wedge of land on its northeast.
Because commissioners and School Board members are elected countywide, the changes won’t affect who can vote for whom.
“We’re elected on an open ballot, so it really doesn’t matter to me at all — I think it’s just a numbers game,” Commissioner Greg Hansen said. “So let’s get it as close to perfect as we can, and be done with it.”
The redistricting exercise is one the county, School Board and local cities undertake every 10 years, after census results are released. Palm Coast is also beginning its redistricting process.
Local government bodies are required to redraw their district boundaries so that their population is balanced between them, ideally with population differences of less than 10% from the “even value” each district would have if their populations were the same — in Flagler’s case, 23,075.6 people per district.
The county must finish its redistricting effort by Dec. 20.
Two county districts are currently over or approaching the 10% deviation mark.
District 3 — which includes the bulk of the land south of Palm Coast Parkway and east of I-95, and a few areas west of I-95 — is 12.9% above the “even value.”
District 5 — which includes a large swathe of Palm Coast south of Matanzas Woods Parkway and north of Whiteview Parkway, largely west of I-95 and largely east of Belle Terre Parkway — is 7.5% under the even value.
The School Board uses the same district boundaries as the County Commission, so the two boards will hold joint meetings on the redistricting process.
The redrawn boundaries can not diminish minority voting rights or draw incumbents out of their own districts, and are expected to follow natural or manmade boundaries and avoid splitting communities.
Commissioners weren't fully satisfied with proposals presented by the county administration at the Sept. 27 meeting.
Commissioners Andy Dance and David Sullivan, noting current population trends, suggested that some of the proposed changes might lead to a significantly skewed population distribution down the line, even if they even things up in the short term.
Commissioners Joe Mullins and Greg Hansen suggested the district stick to the information it has now, rather than working from projections that could turn out to be wrong.
The County Commission will hold a joint redistricting meeting with the School Board at 6 p.m. Oct. 5.
