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Florida · Northeast Florida · #514 Most Populous County in the US
Flagler County, Florida
Northeast Florida's fastest-growing county — from Palm Coast's remarkable master-planned grid of canal communities to Flagler Beach's laid-back Atlantic surf town, Bunnell's historic courthouse, and a county that has absorbed waves of St. Augustine and Daytona Beach overflow with one of Florida's highest growth rates. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Flagler County residents.
County SeatBunnell
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Office: Flagler County Emergency Management – (386) 313-4200 | flaglercounty.gov/em
Alert System: Flagler County Alert; Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; Flagler County Emergency Management; alertflagler.com
FEMA Region: Region 4
Notes: Northeast Florida coastal county; Bunnell is county seat (Palm Coast is the largest city); hurricane risk (Atlantic coastline; Matthew 2016 caused significant beach erosion and flooding; Dorian 2019 impacts; Irma 2017); coastal flooding (Intracoastal Waterway; Matanzas River; Bulow Creek); severe thunderstorms; wildfire risk (the county is in the Wildland-Urban Interface; Flagler’s fast growth puts new homes in fire-prone areas; the county has experienced significant prescribed fire and wildfire activity); Palm Coast is one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities (planned by ITT Corporation in the 1970s; now one of the largest planned communities in the US)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Flagler County Road Department – (386) 313-4100
Transit: Flagler County Transportation – (386) 313-4204 (demand-response; limited); VOTRAN accessible from south; primarily auto-dependent
Notes: I-95 (north-south through the county – the main corridor; Palm Coast’s exponential growth has been driven by I-95 access to Jacksonville (50 miles north) and Daytona Beach (30 miles south)); US-1 (coastal route); SR-100 (east-west through Bunnell to Palatka west and Flagler Beach east); Flagler Beach is a charming old-Florida beach community on A1A; Palm Coast is a massive planned community with an extensive network of canals (dug for drainage)
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Flagler County Building Services – (386) 313-4003 | flaglercounty.gov
Services: County permits; Palm Coast (separate – extremely active residential development), Flagler Beach, Bunnell, Beverly Beach, Marineland separate
Notes: Palm Coast is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US; enormous residential construction; ITT’s original canal-dredged subdivision structure creates unique development patterns; commercial development lagging residential (many Palm Coast residents commute to Jacksonville or Daytona Beach); Flagler Beach’s beachside development is more traditional and small-scale; hurricane rebuilding
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Flagler County Veterans Services – (386) 313-4008
VA Medical: VA Daytona Beach CBOC (Volusia County – about 30 miles south); VA Jacksonville for hospital care
Services: Benefits claims; Daytona Beach CBOC accessible; large veteran retiree population in Palm Coast
Notes: Flagler County has a large and growing veteran population – Palm Coast attracts many military retirees; Daytona Beach CBOC serves the community; Jacksonville VA accessible via I-95
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Flagler County Public Library – (386) 446-6763 | flaglerlibrary.org; 2 branches
Branches: Palm Coast (main – excellent modern library), Bunnell
Services: Books, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi, genealogy, children’s programs; Flagler County heritage; Florida history; Bulow Plantation heritage; sea turtle conservation information
Notes: Palm Coast branch is a well-funded modern library reflecting the growing community; Bulow Plantation heritage (the ruins of a major sugar plantation near Flagler County – Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park); the library serves a community that has grown from about 10,000 people in 1980 to 120,000+ today
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
State Parks: Washington Oaks Gardens State Park (Palm Coast – one of Florida’s most unusual state parks; the former Doris and Owen Young estate on the Matanzas River; formal gardens with an extraordinary coquina rock garden on the beach (the only place in Florida where coquina rock creates tidal rock formations – an extraordinary geological feature); the garden is one of Florida’s finest formal gardens; birding and river access); Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park (Bunnell – extensive ruins of an 1821-1836 sugar, cotton, and indigo plantation destroyed during the Second Seminole War in 1836; the ruins (sugar mill kettle, chimney, spring house, well) are atmospheric and historically significant; the location on Bulow Creek is beautiful); Tomoka State Park (Ormond Beach – Flagler/Volusia County border; excellent natural history and Native American heritage)
Regional: Flagler Beach (A1A beachside community – old-Florida character; the Flagler Beach Fishing Pier; the surf scene; restaurants on the beach; significantly less developed than more commercial Florida beaches; loved for its preserved character); Palm Coast’s canal system (the 47,000+ acres of canals dug by ITT in the 1970s create a unique landscape; the canals provide boat access from many residences to the Intracoastal Waterway; dolphins, manatees, and alligators use the canals)
Notes: Washington Oaks Gardens is one of Florida’s most unexpected state park gems – the coquina rock formations on the beach (worn by wave action into jagged, organic shapes – unlike any other Florida beach) are geological curiosities found nowhere else in Florida; the formal gardens (roses, camellias, azaleas in a riverine setting) are beautifully maintained; Flagler Beach’s preserved old-Florida character (small beachside restaurants, independent shops, a functioning fishing pier) contrasts with the enormous Palm Coast planned community just inland; the irony of Palm Coast (a vast artificial canal system and planned suburban community) existing alongside these natural treasures is distinctly Floridian
Notes: Active GIS for a fast-growing county; Palm Coast canal system mapping (extensive); wildfire hazard zone mapping; Intracoastal Waterway and Matanzas River flood plain maps; sea turtle nesting site mapping at Flagler Beach
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Flagler County Humane Society – (386) 445-1611 | flaglerhumane.com (separate from county); County Animal Control – (386) 313-4500
Services: Stray intake, adoptions; wildlife management (sea turtles – Flagler Beach is a significant loggerhead nesting beach; alligators in the canal system; gopher tortoises; scrub jays in scrub habitat)
Notes: Sea turtle nesting at Flagler Beach is monitored by volunteers; loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles all nest; the canal system’s alligator population is significant – alligators in residential canals is a routine feature of Palm Coast living; FWC manages alligator nuisance complaints; gopher tortoise management in Palm Coast’s remaining scrub areas; Florida scrub jays in the scattered scrub habitat; Flagler County has significant black bear activity as bears range between the Ocala National Forest and Flagler County’s wooded areas
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Flagler County Solid Waste – (386) 313-4100; Palm Coast city collection; recycling programs
Environmental: Florida DEP; St. Johns River Water Management District; Florida Forest Service (wildfire management in the urban interface); Matanzas River (protected as part of Matanzas State Forest and Washington Oaks); Intracoastal Waterway; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (sea turtle nesting)
Key Issues: Wildfire in the urban-wildland interface (Palm Coast’s rapid expansion into areas of scrub and pine flatwoods (naturally fire-adapted ecosystems) creates significant wildfire risk; the 2007 Flagler County fires burned thousands of acres and threatened neighborhoods; the Florida Forest Service and county work on prescribed burning and fuel management; new development in fire-prone areas requires hardening standards); canal water quality (Palm Coast’s extensive canal system can develop water quality problems from residential runoff, fertilizers, and pet waste; the canals drain into the Intracoastal Waterway; blue-green algal blooms have occurred in the canals; SJRWMD and the city coordinate canal management); sea turtle nesting beach protection (Flagler Beach’s lighting ordinances and nest monitoring protect nesting sea turtles; the beach nourishment program (adding sand to eroding beaches) must be managed to protect nesting habitat); scrub habitat preservation (Flagler County’s scrub ecosystems are among the most fragile in Florida; Florida scrub jays require large patches of open scrub; development is rapidly fragmenting remaining patches; the county has a scrub habitat management program)
Notes: Palm Coast’s planned community heritage (ITT’s 1970s vision of a self-contained community carved from Florida scrub and flatwoods) created one of the largest planned communities in the US; the canal system (designed to drain the flat scrub land and provide boat access) is both a distinctive feature and a water quality challenge; the community’s growth (from 10,000 in 1980 to 120,000+ today) has placed enormous pressure on the surrounding natural systems; Flagler County’s position between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach (equidistant from both major metros via I-95) makes it attractive for commuters seeking larger homes at lower prices than either metro core
About Flagler County
Flagler County’s Palm Coast growth story is one of the more dramatic in Florida’s recent history. The ITT-developed planned community – originally sold through mail campaigns to Northerners who sometimes bought lots sight unseen – spent decades as a landscape of roads and infrastructure with relatively sparse development before rapid growth in the 2000s and 2010s filled it in. The result is a city of unusual demographics: more planned and homogeneous infrastructure than most Florida communities, with a population that skews older and Northeastern-origin.
Flagler Beach, the county’s barrier island community, has maintained a quieter, Old Florida character relative to Palm Coast’s planned geometry. The beach is one of Florida’s designated sea turtle nesting sites, and summer sea turtle monitoring attracts conservation volunteers. Flagler County’s Matanzas State Forest and Washington Oaks Gardens State Park provide natural area access.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Florida assesses at just value each January 1. TRIM Notice in August – 25-day petition window to the Flagler County Value Adjustment Board. Homestead exemption: File with the Flagler County Property Appraiser at 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, FL 32110, phone 386-313-4150, by March 1. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Recommended
Flagler County TRIM notice August — 25-day appeal window. Palm Coast among Florida's fastest-growing — strong appreciation from northeast Florida corridor demand. No FL estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Circuit Court (Probate): The Flagler County Circuit Court – 7th Judicial Circuit at 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, FL 32110, phone 386-527-2300, handles probate, estate administration, and all civil and criminal matters. Clerk of Courts at flaglerclerk.com.
Senior Services
Flagler County Senior Services
1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, FL 32110
Phone: (386) 313-4100
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Flagler County Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Flagler County Health Department, Office of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 847, 301 S. Lemon Street, Bunnell, FL 32011, (386) 437-7350 ext. 230 or 222.
Local societies
No dedicated Flagler County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Flagler County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division Kim C. Hammond Justice Center, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building #1, Bunnell, FL 32110 (386) 313-4400 Flagler County sits in Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit. Circuit Judge: Hon. Andrea K. Totten.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida DOH in Flagler County – (386) 437-7350 | flagler.floridahealth.gov
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; behavioral health; wildfire smoke health (increasingly significant given fire seasons)
Hospital: AdventHealth Palm Coast – (386) 586-2000 (the county’s primary hospital; Adventist Health system; solid community hospital for a fast-growing county); Daytona hospitals accessible
Notes: AdventHealth Palm Coast serves a rapidly growing population; behavioral health demand is growing with the population explosion; the new residents (many from the Northeast US) are adjusting to Florida’s climate and pace of life; wildfire smoke health management is increasingly important
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