City of Palm Coast Wins Statewide Planning Award for Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update

The City of Palm Coast was honored with the 2025 Florida Planning and Zoning Association’s Outstanding Public Outreach & Community Involvement Award for its exceptional public engagement efforts during the Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan update. The award was presented on Friday during the 72nd Annual FPZA Conference at the Casa Monica Hotel & Spa in St. Augustine.

Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston, Director of Communications & Marketing Brittany Kershaw, Deputy Director of Community Development Ray Tyner, Senior Planner Jose Papa, and Planners Estelle Lens and Michael Hanson accepted the award on behalf of the City. They were joined by JB Pro consultants Kathie Ebaugh and Nick Hill. 

Earlier in the week, Tyner and Kershaw, alongside consultant partners from JBPro, hosted a featured 90-minute session at the conference titled Balancing Growth through Community Voices. The session offered a detailed roadmap of Palm Coast’s engagement strategy, guiding attendees through the innovative and extensive process that earned statewide recognition.

Imagine 2050: City on the Rise is Palm Coast’s visionary update to its Comprehensive Plan, designed to capture the voice of a growing community. Since the last major update in 2010, the city’s population has grown by 28%, prompting the need for a strategic, community-centered approach to future development. Through a wide-reaching engagement strategy—including pop-up events, civic group meetings, student outreach, a dedicated interactive project website, social media campaigns, and more—the City reached nearly 82,000 residents.

Palm Coast’s outreach strategy was noted for its adaptability and effectiveness in gathering actionable feedback. The result was a set of clearly defined Vision and Guiding Principles, shaping new goals, objectives, and policies—along with specific updates to address economic development, future expansion, and property rights.

Imagine 2050 reflects the community's values and priorities and sets a new standard for public involvement in city planning across Florida.

To learn more about the Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan, visit www.palmcoast.gov/Imagine2050. The plan was adopted by City Council exactly one month ago, on May 6, 2025. 

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Photo from left: JB Pro consultant/Senior Planner Nick Hill, Planner Estelle Lens, Senior Planner Jose Papa, Deputy Director of Community Development Ray Tyner, FPZA President Katie LaBarr, JB Pro consultant/Director of Planning Kathie Ebaugh, Director of Communications & Marketing Brittany Kershaw, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston, and Planner Michael Hanson.