This statement is to formalize Flagler County’s response to a variety of social media conversations regarding the Ragga Surf food truck within the town limits of Marineland.
Flagler County allowed Ragga Surf to use the Preserve on a temporary basis until the end of this calendar year (December 31, 2024) after Ragga was abruptly evicted from nearby privately owned lands.
Meanwhile, the county began working on an RFP (Request for proposal) so that Ragga Surf and any other business could compete to be a concessionaire at the River-to-Sea Preserve. The county does not question the value of Ragga Surf as an asset to the community, or that it has been a good steward of the Preserve.
Flagler County and the Town of Marineland jointly purchased the River-to-Sea Preserve with grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Like all grants, there are many conditions imposed on both the county and the town. If the grant agreement is violated, the ultimate sanction to the county and town would be to lose ownership of the River-to-Sea Preserve to the FDEP.
When FDEP learned of the presence of Ragga Surf on the River-to-Sea Preserve, FDEP instructed the county and town to immediately remove Ragga from the premises. The county had no choice but to provide Ragga the 30-day notice that the temporary license would expire at the end of the calendar year.
Flagler County will work with Marineland and the FDEP to, hopefully, allow for a concessionaire at the River-to-Sea Preserve that would enhance the experience of visitors while maintaining the rural character of the preserve. The concessionaire would also operate in accordance with the educational, historical, and recreational goals of the Florida Communities Trust Preservation 2000 grant program, which funded the county and Marineland in their joint purchase of the 90-acre preserve.
Please note this will NOT be an item for discussion on the agenda for Monday December 16, 2024. However, it WILL be a topic of discussion in the upcoming Town of Marineland town meeting on December 19 at 6 p.m.
