Palm Coast is a city built on drainage. Its swales, ditches, canals and lakes move rain away from thousands of homes, and keeping that system working is one of the city’s biggest jobs.
The budget
Flagler County Buzz reported in August 2026 that Palm Coast’s stormwater and engineering budgets for fiscal year 2026 total $44,283,723. The largest pieces are Stormwater Engineering at about $22.4 million and Stormwater Maintenance at about $13.7 million, along with about $6.7 million in non-departmental stormwater spending and about $1.5 million for Construction Management and Engineering.
A reorganized department
The city folded its Stormwater Operations division into other teams. According to the report, Stormwater Engineering grew by seven positions to 12, and Stormwater Maintenance grew by 10 positions to 65.
The size of the system
The department maintains 1,222 miles of swales, 177 miles of ditches, 58 miles of freshwater canals, 14 control structures and 14 freshwater lakes covering 111 acres, Flagler County Buzz reported. Planned work includes improvements to more than 50 miles of swales, the London Waterway expansion and Long Creek Nature Preserve construction. The department reported responding to 97.5 percent of resident requests within three weeks.
For more on how that work is going, see our articles on Palm Coast’s swale program and the K-Section box culverts.
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Questions and answers
How much is Palm Coast’s 2026 stormwater and engineering budget?
$44,283,723, according to Flagler County Buzz.
How many miles of swales does Palm Coast maintain?
About 1,222 miles, plus 177 miles of ditches and 58 miles of freshwater canals.
Did the stormwater department change?
Yes. Stormwater Operations was folded into other divisions, and Engineering and Maintenance added staff.
This article is general information drawn from the sources listed below. It is not professional, legal, insurance or restoration advice. DIY-DRY is an equipment rental company.
Sources
- Flagler County Buzz, “Draining the Swamp, Literally: Palm Coast’s Stormwater and Engineering Budgets Pass $44 Million”, Aug. 23, 2026 – flaglercountybuzz.com