Join us to protect Flagler County
The Issue
Enough Is Enough: A Call for Accountability and the Dissolution of the City of Bunnell
We believe the time has come for Flagler County to take a serious look at the future of the City of Bunnell.
For years, residents have watched development decisions, annexations, infrastructure challenges, and the deterioration of the historic community of Bunnell unfold with little meaningful consideration of their broader impact on Flagler County.
The most recent example occurred on September 1, 2026, when the City of Bunnell Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board approved Project Butterfly, a proposed 610-acre Class I landfill on land designated for agricultural and silvicultural uses, through a special-exception process.
The property had been annexed into the City of Bunnell in March 2026.
Residents filled the chambers on September 1 to voice their opposition. Many learned of the hearing with less than 36 hours' notice, leaving extremely limited time for citizens to research the proposal, organize, and meaningfully participate in the process.
For residents living outside Bunnell's municipal boundaries, the message increasingly feels unmistakable:
If you don't live inside the City of Bunnell, your voice doesn't matter—even when decisions made by the city directly affect your home, your roads, your health, your property, your farms, and your quality of life.
Are We Seeing a Pattern?
Project Butterfly is not an isolated concern.
Project Butterfly — September 1, 2026
A 610-acre Class I landfill was approved through a special-exception process on agricultural and silvicultural land.
Residents have raised serious concerns regarding potential impacts on:
Nearby property values
Traffic and road infrastructure
Agricultural operations
Rural character
Environmental resources
Quality of life
Emergency services
Potential impacts associated with landfill operations
These concerns deserve careful, countywide consideration—not decisions made in isolation from the surrounding communities that will experience the consequences.
U.S. 1 "Park" — December 8, 2025
The City of Bunnell approved rezoning involving more than 1,259 acres to L-2 industrial zoning, one of the city's most intensive industrial zoning classifications.
Residents expressed concerns about the potential environmental, traffic, infrastructure, and health impacts of introducing heavy industrial uses into an area surrounded by homes and agricultural properties.
A major concern was the lack of a clearly identified end use at the time of rezoning, leaving residents questioning what ultimately could be developed on the property.
Haw Creek Development — September 9, 2025
The City of Bunnell Commission approved the Haw Creek Development, a proposed development of approximately 6,100 homes.
Such a project represents an enormous transformation for a city whose existing population is dramatically smaller.
The scale of this development raises legitimate countywide questions about:
Roads and traffic
Water and wastewater
Emergency services
Schools
Public safety
Drainage
Infrastructure capacity
Environmental impacts
The future character of historic Bunnell
These are not merely Bunnell issues. They are Flagler County issues.
Annexation and Countywide Consequences
One of our greatest concerns is the use of municipal annexation to bring large parcels under the City's jurisdiction and then make development decisions that can have consequences far beyond city boundaries.
When projects are located within the City of Bunnell but their impacts extend into surrounding unincorporated Flagler County, county residents can be left bearing consequences for decisions in which they have limited political representation.
The roads, emergency services, schools, environmental resources, agricultural operations, and surrounding neighborhoods do not stop at the city limits.
The impacts don't stop at the city limits—and neither should the responsibility for evaluating them.
What Happened to Historic Bunnell?
Bunnell has a remarkable history and a unique cultural identity.
It should be a community Flagler County is proud to preserve, restore, and invest in.
Instead, residents have watched the community struggle with deterioration and stagnation while large-scale development proposals continue to move forward.
We believe economic development does not have to mean sacrificing the identity of the community.
Restore Bunnell. Revitalize Bunnell. Preserve its history. Diversify its tax base.
There is another path.
Rather than continually expanding the city's footprint through large-scale development and annexation, we should be asking how existing Bunnell can be revitalized and transformed into a thriving historic destination.
Bunnell could become to Flagler County what other historic Florida communities have become to their regions: a place where history, small business, tourism, culture, and community investment create a sustainable economic future.
Questions About Financial Management and Stewardship
Residents also deserve transparency regarding the City's financial management and the long-term financial consequences of development decisions.
The Grand Reserve development was presented to the community as an important source of future revenue and economic stability. Residents have legitimate questions about whether the financial benefits ultimately delivered have matched the expectations presented to the public and whether the costs imposed on public resources have been adequately considered.
These questions should be answered with documents, financial records, independent analysis, and transparency—not political talking points.
We are asking Flagler County officials and residents to examine the City's finances, infrastructure, service delivery, development agreements, annexations, and long-term obligations carefully.
Potential Conflicts and Public Trust
There are also questions regarding the appearance of potential conflicts of interest when individuals connected to property involved in major development proposals simultaneously participate in municipal planning or advisory processes.
Public officials and board members must not only comply with Florida's ethics laws; they must also maintain public confidence that decisions are being made independently and in the public interest.
The appearance of a conflict can be just as damaging to public trust as an actual conflict.
We believe these relationships and circumstances deserve full transparency and appropriate ethical review.
This Is About More Than Roads and Garbage
This is not simply a disagreement over one landfill.
It is not simply a disagreement over one industrial park.
It is not simply a disagreement over one housing development.
It is about whether the current municipal structure is capable of making decisions that protect the long-term interests of both Bunnell residents and the surrounding Flagler County communities affected by those decisions.
Residents deserve government that:
Protects property rights and property values
Plans infrastructure before approving massive growth
Protects agriculture and rural communities
Considers environmental consequences
Provides meaningful public participation
Practices responsible financial management
Preserves historic resources
Makes decisions transparently
Considers impacts beyond municipal boundaries
A Different Path Forward
We believe Flagler County should seriously evaluate whether the City of Bunnell's continued municipal incorporation is in the best interests of its residents and the county as a whole.
Florida law provides mechanisms for addressing municipal government organization, including procedures concerning the dissolution of municipalities. We call upon county and state officials to fully investigate the legal, financial, and governmental feasibility of dissolving the City of Bunnell and transferring appropriate municipal responsibilities to Flagler County, consistent with Florida law.
A countywide government structure could provide a broader perspective when evaluating major development proposals and infrastructure needs.
Under such a structure, decisions could be evaluated based on their effects on the entire community—including:
Transportation
Emergency services
Schools
Water and wastewater
Solid waste
Drainage
Environmental protection
Agriculture
Economic development
Historic preservation
Long-term financial sustainability
Our Demand
We, the undersigned residents, property owners, and concerned citizens of Flagler County, call upon the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners to formally investigate and pursue, where legally appropriate, the dissolution of the City of Bunnell and the assumption of its municipal services, responsibilities, assets, and obligations by Flagler County.
We are asking our elected officials to:
Investigate the City's financial condition and management of public funds.
Review recent annexations and major development approvals.
Examine the countywide impacts of projects approved within Bunnell's municipal boundaries.
Review potential conflicts of interest and ethics concerns associated with municipal decision-making.
Evaluate the adequacy of public notice and public participation in major development decisions.
Determine whether continued municipal incorporation is financially and operationally sustainable.
Explore every lawful avenue available for restructuring or dissolving the municipality if that is determined to be in the public interest.
Develop a plan to preserve and revitalize historic Bunnell rather than allowing its historic identity to be lost amid large-scale development.
Our Homes. Our County. Our Future.
We moved here because we believed Flagler County offered something worth protecting.
We should not have to watch decisions made within a municipal boundary fundamentally alter the surrounding communities while county residents have little ability to influence those decisions.
We are not anti-growth. We are pro-responsible growth.
We are not against economic development.
We are against development that occurs without adequate planning, transparency, infrastructure, accountability, and consideration for the people who will live with the consequences.
Enough is enough.
The people of Flagler County deserve a government structure that works for the entire county—not one that allows decisions with countywide consequences to be made without meaningful countywide consideration.
Join us in demanding accountability.
Join us in demanding transparency.
Join us in protecting our homes, farms, roads, environment, history, and quality of life.
Join us in calling for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners to investigate the dissolution of the City of Bunnell and determine whether county government can provide a better path forward for our community.
Sign the Petition.
Our homes.
Our history.
Our county.
Our future.
Enough is enough.
241
The Issue
Enough Is Enough: A Call for Accountability and the Dissolution of the City of Bunnell
We believe the time has come for Flagler County to take a serious look at the future of the City of Bunnell.
For years, residents have watched development decisions, annexations, infrastructure challenges, and the deterioration of the historic community of Bunnell unfold with little meaningful consideration of their broader impact on Flagler County.
The most recent example occurred on September 1, 2026, when the City of Bunnell Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board approved Project Butterfly, a proposed 610-acre Class I landfill on land designated for agricultural and silvicultural uses, through a special-exception process.
The property had been annexed into the City of Bunnell in March 2026.
Residents filled the chambers on September 1 to voice their opposition. Many learned of the hearing with less than 36 hours' notice, leaving extremely limited time for citizens to research the proposal, organize, and meaningfully participate in the process.
For residents living outside Bunnell's municipal boundaries, the message increasingly feels unmistakable:
If you don't live inside the City of Bunnell, your voice doesn't matter—even when decisions made by the city directly affect your home, your roads, your health, your property, your farms, and your quality of life.
Are We Seeing a Pattern?
Project Butterfly is not an isolated concern.
Project Butterfly — September 1, 2026
A 610-acre Class I landfill was approved through a special-exception process on agricultural and silvicultural land.
Residents have raised serious concerns regarding potential impacts on:
Nearby property values
Traffic and road infrastructure
Agricultural operations
Rural character
Environmental resources
Quality of life
Emergency services
Potential impacts associated with landfill operations
These concerns deserve careful, countywide consideration—not decisions made in isolation from the surrounding communities that will experience the consequences.
U.S. 1 "Park" — December 8, 2025
The City of Bunnell approved rezoning involving more than 1,259 acres to L-2 industrial zoning, one of the city's most intensive industrial zoning classifications.
Residents expressed concerns about the potential environmental, traffic, infrastructure, and health impacts of introducing heavy industrial uses into an area surrounded by homes and agricultural properties.
A major concern was the lack of a clearly identified end use at the time of rezoning, leaving residents questioning what ultimately could be developed on the property.
Haw Creek Development — September 9, 2025
The City of Bunnell Commission approved the Haw Creek Development, a proposed development of approximately 6,100 homes.
Such a project represents an enormous transformation for a city whose existing population is dramatically smaller.
The scale of this development raises legitimate countywide questions about:
Roads and traffic
Water and wastewater
Emergency services
Schools
Public safety
Drainage
Infrastructure capacity
Environmental impacts
The future character of historic Bunnell
These are not merely Bunnell issues. They are Flagler County issues.
Annexation and Countywide Consequences
One of our greatest concerns is the use of municipal annexation to bring large parcels under the City's jurisdiction and then make development decisions that can have consequences far beyond city boundaries.
When projects are located within the City of Bunnell but their impacts extend into surrounding unincorporated Flagler County, county residents can be left bearing consequences for decisions in which they have limited political representation.
The roads, emergency services, schools, environmental resources, agricultural operations, and surrounding neighborhoods do not stop at the city limits.
The impacts don't stop at the city limits—and neither should the responsibility for evaluating them.
What Happened to Historic Bunnell?
Bunnell has a remarkable history and a unique cultural identity.
It should be a community Flagler County is proud to preserve, restore, and invest in.
Instead, residents have watched the community struggle with deterioration and stagnation while large-scale development proposals continue to move forward.
We believe economic development does not have to mean sacrificing the identity of the community.
Restore Bunnell. Revitalize Bunnell. Preserve its history. Diversify its tax base.
There is another path.
Rather than continually expanding the city's footprint through large-scale development and annexation, we should be asking how existing Bunnell can be revitalized and transformed into a thriving historic destination.
Bunnell could become to Flagler County what other historic Florida communities have become to their regions: a place where history, small business, tourism, culture, and community investment create a sustainable economic future.
Questions About Financial Management and Stewardship
Residents also deserve transparency regarding the City's financial management and the long-term financial consequences of development decisions.
The Grand Reserve development was presented to the community as an important source of future revenue and economic stability. Residents have legitimate questions about whether the financial benefits ultimately delivered have matched the expectations presented to the public and whether the costs imposed on public resources have been adequately considered.
These questions should be answered with documents, financial records, independent analysis, and transparency—not political talking points.
We are asking Flagler County officials and residents to examine the City's finances, infrastructure, service delivery, development agreements, annexations, and long-term obligations carefully.
Potential Conflicts and Public Trust
There are also questions regarding the appearance of potential conflicts of interest when individuals connected to property involved in major development proposals simultaneously participate in municipal planning or advisory processes.
Public officials and board members must not only comply with Florida's ethics laws; they must also maintain public confidence that decisions are being made independently and in the public interest.
The appearance of a conflict can be just as damaging to public trust as an actual conflict.
We believe these relationships and circumstances deserve full transparency and appropriate ethical review.
This Is About More Than Roads and Garbage
This is not simply a disagreement over one landfill.
It is not simply a disagreement over one industrial park.
It is not simply a disagreement over one housing development.
It is about whether the current municipal structure is capable of making decisions that protect the long-term interests of both Bunnell residents and the surrounding Flagler County communities affected by those decisions.
Residents deserve government that:
Protects property rights and property values
Plans infrastructure before approving massive growth
Protects agriculture and rural communities
Considers environmental consequences
Provides meaningful public participation
Practices responsible financial management
Preserves historic resources
Makes decisions transparently
Considers impacts beyond municipal boundaries
A Different Path Forward
We believe Flagler County should seriously evaluate whether the City of Bunnell's continued municipal incorporation is in the best interests of its residents and the county as a whole.
Florida law provides mechanisms for addressing municipal government organization, including procedures concerning the dissolution of municipalities. We call upon county and state officials to fully investigate the legal, financial, and governmental feasibility of dissolving the City of Bunnell and transferring appropriate municipal responsibilities to Flagler County, consistent with Florida law.
A countywide government structure could provide a broader perspective when evaluating major development proposals and infrastructure needs.
Under such a structure, decisions could be evaluated based on their effects on the entire community—including:
Transportation
Emergency services
Schools
Water and wastewater
Solid waste
Drainage
Environmental protection
Agriculture
Economic development
Historic preservation
Long-term financial sustainability
Our Demand
We, the undersigned residents, property owners, and concerned citizens of Flagler County, call upon the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners to formally investigate and pursue, where legally appropriate, the dissolution of the City of Bunnell and the assumption of its municipal services, responsibilities, assets, and obligations by Flagler County.
We are asking our elected officials to:
Investigate the City's financial condition and management of public funds.
Review recent annexations and major development approvals.
Examine the countywide impacts of projects approved within Bunnell's municipal boundaries.
Review potential conflicts of interest and ethics concerns associated with municipal decision-making.
Evaluate the adequacy of public notice and public participation in major development decisions.
Determine whether continued municipal incorporation is financially and operationally sustainable.
Explore every lawful avenue available for restructuring or dissolving the municipality if that is determined to be in the public interest.
Develop a plan to preserve and revitalize historic Bunnell rather than allowing its historic identity to be lost amid large-scale development.
Our Homes. Our County. Our Future.
We moved here because we believed Flagler County offered something worth protecting.
We should not have to watch decisions made within a municipal boundary fundamentally alter the surrounding communities while county residents have little ability to influence those decisions.
We are not anti-growth. We are pro-responsible growth.
We are not against economic development.
We are against development that occurs without adequate planning, transparency, infrastructure, accountability, and consideration for the people who will live with the consequences.
Enough is enough.
The people of Flagler County deserve a government structure that works for the entire county—not one that allows decisions with countywide consequences to be made without meaningful countywide consideration.
Join us in demanding accountability.
Join us in demanding transparency.
Join us in protecting our homes, farms, roads, environment, history, and quality of life.
Join us in calling for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners to investigate the dissolution of the City of Bunnell and determine whether county government can provide a better path forward for our community.
Sign the Petition.
Our homes.
Our history.
Our county.
Our future.
Enough is enough.
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Petition created on September 9, 2025