Palm Coast’s City Council continued debate and formally tabled proposed amendments to Chapter 44 (traffic, stopping, standing and parking) on Nov. 4 after a split 3–2 vote to delay final action until the Nov. 18 meeting.

The ordinance under discussion would amend Section 40‑34(c) to clarify when commercial vehicles may be parked in the city and to add length and height limits for permitted vehicles. Miss Grossman, staff presenter, said changes requested at the Oct. 21 meeting had been incorporated into the redline packet and that staff had researched other city ordinances to produce recommended dimensions.

Council members and members of the public debated both the methodology used to pick height and length limits and how the ordinance would be enforced. Mayor Norris and Council Member Miller pressed for more permissive length allowances for common family and work vehicles; Miller said an 18‑foot limit would exclude many standard pickups and vans and asked to increase the limit to 20 feet. Council reached informal consensus on 20 feet maximum length and roughly 9 feet maximum height but agreed to a further reading to finalize wording. City Attorney Duffy cautioned that making substantive restrictions could require another read; the council chose to continue the item and hold a formal second reading on Nov. 18.

Public commenters raised concerns about enforcement, neighborhood quality and environmental effects. Chantal Preninger asked if the city would use measuring tools and whether box trailers would be treated the same as work vehicles. One longtime resident warned that allowing commercial vehicle parking would "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" and predicted negative effects on neighborhoods.

Survey and enforcement notes

The mayor reported a city‑commissioned poll: 986 voters were contacted and 361 responded; 64.8% of respondents favored relaxing the rule while 34.1% opposed it and 1.1% were undecided. Council members discussed enforcement approaches including measuring devices carried by code officers and limiting permitted vehicles to driveway parking.

Vote and next steps

A motion to continue the ordinance to the Nov. 18 business meeting, with suggested revisions to vehicle length (20 feet) and height (roughly 8.5–9 feet), passed 3‑2. Council members asked staff and the city attorney to redraft the ordinance language and return it for a second reading and vote.