Palm Coast – The City of Palm Coast would like to thank the residents who participated in the 2020-2021 Citizens Survey held Jan. 1 through Feb. 7.
Results were presented to the City Council, Tuesday March 9 and can be viewed at www.palmcoastgov.com/about/cit
The survey was designed by in-house talent and asked residents about various topics including quality of life, development, services, safety, infrastructure and more. By being created in house, questions were able to be more specific regarding topics like services and recreation. The survey was available to all residents online and in-person at various city facilities.
“We tremendously value our residents’ feedback about our City’s services, quality of life and future growth, and appreciate their time in sharing their input with us,” said Mayor Milissa Holland. “This homegrown survey is helpful because it was customizable and specific to what we needed to know as we set goals and establish direction going forward.”
Some highlights of the survey show favorable marks in several areas. Many of these percentages are increases compared to previous years. Respondents were asked to rate Palm Coast as:
* a place to work – 35.24 percent
* employment opportunities – 15.81 percent
* business and services – 56.58 percent
* shopping opportunities – 49.66 percent
* a place to visit – 71.12 percent
* overall appearance – 89.6 percent
* overall quality of life – 85.02 percent
* overall economic health – 60.25 percent
* how safe or unsafe you feel in your neighborhood – 95.98 percent
* how likely or unlikely you are to remain in Palm Coast for the next five years – 92.13 percent
*percentage shown reflects those who said it was excellent or good; very likely or somewhat likely; very safe and somewhat safe)
Other questions of note asked ‘what should be the top economic development priority.’ The answer concluded that 35.47 percent of respondents said preserving natural environment, and 24.55 percent said workforce development. To add to that, when asked what type of development is needed most in Palm Coast, the majority of votes were aimed at the development of the Innovation District (Town Center).
Another piece of the survey gauged residents’ knowledge of the Be Local Buy Local campaign. It asked if the respondent knew that revenue generated by local sales tax funded parks and other community projects. The result was 65.59 percent of respondents saying ‘yes.’ And for those that said ‘yes,’ they were asked if they’ve changed shopping habits to shop local more often, and 69.63% of respondents said yes.
The most recent survey, called the National Citizens Survey, was completed in 2019. It targeted 1700 households at random through direct mailings and garnered 30% participation, or 400 residents who responded to the survey. High marks given on that survey resulted in the city receiving the ‘Transformation in Foundations of Livability’ Award last October.
This year, 2,970 surveys were completed. The City Council and staff evaluate the survey results and use them in the Strategic Action Plan process to guide future City priorities and budget decisions that improve services.
Media Release: City of Palm Coast, March 9, 2021
Kimberly Norman, Public Relations Associate Photo provided. City of Palm Coast
