THE HAMMOCK
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
PIRATES WRESTLING 4 FREE • DECEMBER 2019
VOLUME 4, NO. 6
County to spend $250,000 to help beach qualify for aid
Merry Christmas
JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
Flagler County will seek to have a portion of its coastline designated as a flood protection and wildlife preservation facility, a move that could ease the process of applying for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for beach dune reinforcement or repairs. County Commissioner Greg Hansen proposed the designation change during a County Commission meeting Dec. 2, adding that he would like to see the county establish an erosion control line and add additional sand to the areas that county staff has already renourished, so that they will have protection comparable to the areas that will be built up by the Army Corps of Engineers in its beach renourishment project in Flagler County. “I believe it behooves us to get our entire beach built up to protect our citizens and their homes,” he said. “This opens the SEE BEACH PAGE 2
“I believe it behooves us to get our entire beach built up to protect our citizens and their homes.”
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BCH FL PERMIT #447
GREG HANSEN, county commissioner
Jeanine Ammirati waves from the Flagler Sheriff PAL float at the Flagler Beach Parade.. More at palmcoastobserver.com.
Aimee Stafford hopes to ‘re-create’ the Flagler Chamber Former VP in Kentucky inherits an organization with four employees, down from 14. BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
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Photos by Shanna Fortier
A former vice president at one of the nation’s best statewide chambers of commerce is now president of the Flagler Chamber. The executive board ratified the hire of Aimee Stafford on Dec. 4. “She is exactly the type of individual we were looking for,” said Allen Goodman, chairman of the Flagler Chamber. He said she is professional, articulate, positive and has a strong demeanor. Stafford inherits the Flagler Chamber at a time when there are just four employees, down from 14 at its peak. She plans to do a
lot of listening, both from chamber members and nonmembers, to understand what people expect from the organization. “I’m not from the community,” she said. “I think that might be an advantage at this point. I don’t have any preconceived notions. … I anticipate re-creating the chamber.” As senior vice president of administration for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce from 2005 to 2019, Stafford was responsible for a staff of 40 and an annual budget of $10 million. The Kentucky chamber was named 2017 Chamber of the Year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She said she has seen many best practices for chambers and can help to institute them here. “I want people to join the chamber because they believe in what the chamber’s doing,” she said. “… It’s all about quality of life for
everyone, not just the business members. I see the chamber as a community organization, not just a business organization.” With a low unemployment rate, Flagler County has a lot of potential, Stafford said. She hopes to promote workforce development, to keep more young talented high school graduates in Flagler County. She is open to using the chamber’s platform to advocate for candidates or policies — but only if the board and members are interested in doing so. Stafford replaces former president Jorge Gutierrez, who resigned Sept. 13. “We’re faced with some challenges but nothing that is insurmountable,” Goodman said. “We’re poised to have a great year next year.”
“I want people to join the chamber because they believe in what the chamber’s doing.” AIMEE STAFFORD