Palm Coast – In an effort to provide better alignment with industry trends and an improved recovery model for direct benefit services, the City of Palm Coast is amending the fee structure for Parks and Recreation services and rentals.
A detailed breakdown of the proposed fee changes was presented to the Palm Coast City Council at a workshop meeting on August 10. The fee resolution was adopted by the City Council on Tuesday, August 17.
“They’ve done their homework and this is also a work in progress so the fees will be monitored to be consistent with what is appropriate for the public without being too demanding,” Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said during Tuesday’s council meeting before the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new fees.
In April 2021, the Parks and Recreation Department reached out to local user groups to receive feedback on potential fee adjustments. This included in-person, phone calls, and email surveys to previous rental users, Sports Alliance members and pass holders. The overwhelming majority of those surveyed agreed that the nominal fee increase was worthwhile for the quality parks and facilities maintained by the City.
- Palm Coast Community Center room rentals: out of 77 respondents; 59 replied “yes” and 18 replied “no”
- Palm Coast Tennis Center court reservation fees and pass holder rates: out of 45 respondents; 41 replied “yes” and 4 replied “no”
- Palm Coast Aquatics Center pool pavilion fees and pass holder rates: out of 53 respondents; 47 replied “yes” and 6 replied “no”
- Palm Harbor Golf Course greens fees and cart fees: out of 219 respondents; 159 replied “yes” and 57 replied “no”
- Park pavilion daily rental rates and group rates: out of 82 respondents; 45 replied “yes” and 37 replied “no” (An additional 26 people informed staff that they would have said yes if the rental time increments proposed were increased to 4 hours instead of 3 hours. Staff implemented that feedback immediately.)
- Athletic field permit fees: out of 8 respondents; 8 replied “yes” and 0 replied “no”
The Palm Coast Community Center room rentals will vary based on the needs of the non-profit or for-profit organization utilizing the space, including room size, sound equipment, tablecloths, and more.
For the Palm Coast Tennis Center, court reservation fees
For the pass holder rates, increase the Adult Annual Pass monthly payments from $45.84 to $50 and increase the Limited Annual Pass monthly payments from $25 to $30. Additionally, the Junior Annual Pass will increase from $149 to $175 and will accompanied by a name change to Student Annual Pass.
For the Palm Coast Aquatics Center pool pavilion fees the increase recommended is a $10 increase per day, from $15 to $25. For the pass holder rates, the family rate for two adults and their dependents is $250. The proposed change is that the base rate stays the same for two adults and three dependents or less. There would be a $10 charge for each additional child.
For the Palm Harbor Golf Course greens fees, the 18-hold rate increases by $1 to $7 depending on type of player and time of day and season. The 9-hole rate increases by $1 to $6 depending on type of player and time of day and season. A $2 fee for golf carts is also being implemented as a means to fund the golf cart maintenance and replacement fund. This fee has already been incorporated into the increases mentioned above.
For the park pavilion daily rental rates, the Holland Park playground pavilions will have offerings two times per day: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The rental fees for small and medium pavilions will increase to $45 daily and the large pavilions will increase to $75 daily. For the group rates at the Holland Park Splash Pad, groups are defined as over 25 participants. Groups would be required to rent out the Play Pavilion inside the playground area. This includes a $50 deposit and $75 rental fee for four hours. The second time block could be reserved for an additional $75. An admission fee of $1.50 per child and adult would also be applied.
The athletic field permit fees are currently set at $25 per field per day. The new fee structure will be $15 per hour for residents and $20 per hour for non-residents. If lights are required, the fee increases by $5 per hour. There will be a tiered approach for Sports Alliance for-profit members. For one field, the fee would be $250 per season. For two to three fields, the fee would be $350 per season. For four or more fields, the fee would be $500 per season. Sports Alliance non-profit members will not be charged.
The new fee structure goes into effect immediately after adoption. All pre-existing rental agreements will be honored.
Media Release: City of Palm Coast. Brittany Kershaw. Director Public Information & Engagement.
