To get a broader idea of what is going on in Flagler County these days, it helps to look beyond the obvious.
There are many metrics available to measure development activity and economic growth. New businesses opening and new homes going up are only the most obvious.
To get a broader idea of what is going on in Flagler County these days, it helps to look beyond the obvious.
Before the ribbons are cut at grand openings or the moving van rolls into the driveway at a new home, those structures — and many others large and small — have to be inspected. And there are a lot of things getting inspected these days.
According to Flagler County officials, inspections have skyrocketed in recent weeks. One day earlier this month, building officials had nearly 100 inspections scheduled, above the average of about 70 per day.
While not all this activity is the result of new commercial buildings or homes — the county building department is responsible for carrying out inspections of “anything vertical” being built — the fact that inspectors are seeing more on their schedules is an indication of the breadth and depth of development activity in the county.
That comes as no surprise to debi Peterson, executive officer at the Flagler Home Builders Association, who has seen her members working hard to keep up with growing demand.
“I do see increasing residential homes being built and sold,” she said.
On the residential construction side of things, Peterson said permiting activity is running well ahead of last year’s numbers, which were fairly robust. Through April, 452 permits have been issued for all of Flagler County, including Palm Coast. That compares to 295 permits issued during the same period in 2017, according to Peterson.
While builders remain challenged by a lack of skilled workers — and Peterson said there are no indications the situation is getting any better — the burst of activity is good news for Flagler County’s economy.
Not only are the builders and contractors keeping busy, and employing as many workers as they can find, the amount of building underway and the wide variety of jobs indicates that residents are feeling more confident in the economy and more comfortable spending money. And more money flowing into the local economy in more diversified ways is a good sign of sustainable growth.
From Peterson’s perspective, the increase in activity is also providing revenue for local governments, which is doubly important as budget season is heating up.
“We are building and Flagler County is collecting more taxes and revenue,” she said.