FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. - As the only candidate registered at the 5:00 pm deadline on Friday, Patti King will become the next Mayor of Flagler Beach by default. She will receive the torch from Suzie Johnston, who opted not to run for re-election after serving one three-year term. King enjoyed the endorsement and support of Johnston, who has spoken highly of her temperament and qualifications throughout the election process.
“I’m shocked and surprised and at the same time extremely excited that I now know for sure the direction I’m headed in,” King said after learning of her victory. Alongside her new title as mayor-elect, King serves as the Director of the Flagler Beach Historical Museum. That office and her new one won't entail too far a commute; City Hall and the museum are located in the same building adjacent to one another. Her existing working relationship with City Commission no doubt provides her a leg up on the orientation process of becoming a public servant.
King will not appear on the city ballot due to the lack of another challenger. “I’m not quite sure exactly how to read that," she said. "I’ve got many friends and business acquaintances in this city [tell me] that I was the best candidate for the position, and others didn’t feel [it was] necessary to run against that.” Even then, King speculated that other potential candidates may have forgotten the deadline. More likely the former is true.
Like the city commissioners, Flagler Beach's mayor serves a three-year term in office as opposed to the four years of most of the county's other elected bodies. The duties differ from the city commissioners, however, as Flagler Beach's mayor does not have the power to log an official vote or make a motion during meetings. In practice, the mayor's voice is taken under strong consideration by the commissioners, and they carry out numerous diplomatic and ceremonial tasks on behalf of the city.
King's victory is also significant as it marks the fourth straight woman to hold the office of mayor in Flagler Beach. Alice Baker served from 2006 to 2012, then Linda Provencher from 2012 to 2021, and Suzie Johnston from 2021 to 2024. Though elected officials in Flagler County are over half men, but both other cities have also had female mayors in recent years: Milissa Holland in Palm Coast from 2016 to 2021, and Catherine Robinson in Bunnell from 2008 to the present.
Though the mayoral election in Flagler Beach is a non-contest, there will still be one election held: one seat on the City Commission is up, with two candidates: Bob Cunningham III and Eric Cooley. The latter of the two is the incumbent, and current chairman. Cunningham has run for office before, most recently placing fourth out of five in last year's City Commission election with 15.21% of the vote. In Flagler Beach's elections, candidates who live anywhere in the city can run every year if they choose until they get elected. Cooley was first elected in 2018 and then re-elected in 2021.
The transition from Johnston to King will take place during the March 21st City Commission meeting, along with the swearing in of the winner of the Cunningham vs. Cooley contest.
