Flagler County plans Eco Discovery Center and Bulow Creek Headwaters Regional Park to expand ecotourism and trails

County officials and tourism staff described a planned Eco Discovery Center and an expanding conservation corridor around the Bulow Creek Headwaters Regional Park that they said will support ecotourism, trails and local business opportunities.

Amy Lukaseik, who identified herself as with the tourism development office, said the department is funded entirely through the 5% Tourist Development Tax (bed tax) and reported roughly $92 million in lodging sales last fiscal year, generating about $4.4 million in bed-tax revenue that is reinvested in marketing, operations, beach nourishment and capital projects. "We are focused on ecotourism," Lukaseik said, adding the office's marketing work highlights trails and natural assets in addition to beaches.

Lukaseik described an Eco Discovery Center concept for a county-owned parcel near State Road 100 and the pedestrian bridge that would serve as a visitor center, exhibit space, meeting rooms, a gift shop prioritizing local products, a trailhead with restrooms and parking, equipment rental and educational programming. The building was described as roughly 10,000 square feet in early renderings shared at the meeting.

County staff also discussed the Bulow Creek Headwaters Regional Park — a reported 1,180-acre passive park intended to link trails toward the Volusia County line — and a recent 153-acre preservation tied to a Summertown/Grande Reserve developer agreement that helps protect floodplain and watershed recharge areas. Officials said the county has received state appropriations in recent years, including two separate $10 million allocations tied to wildlife-corridor and ESL preservation, and cited the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council award for recent stewardship work.

On timing, staff said the visitor-trailhead parcel is in design and that the county plans grant-based phases for construction; separately, trailhead design was slated for Q1 2026 with construction targeted for Q4 2027, using FDOT funding for parking and bathrooms at the site. The tourism office invited local businesses to participate in retail, gallery and outfitter opportunities tied to the Eco Discovery Center and trailhead.

Ending: Tourism and county staff asked interested residents and businesses to consult visitflagler.com or the county's web pages to learn how to engage with the project and noted an April 25 Celebrate Trails Day event to promote local trails and programming.