Greg Hansen originally moved to Palm Coast to retire, but instead he is spending his time serving as the Flagler County Commission Chairman and using his extensive background in government relations to help make Flagler County a great place to live, work and play.
Hansen was born in Wisconsin, but raised in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1969. After graduation, he served 27 years in the Navy and retired as a Captain. Throughout his time in the Navy, Hansen served a year in Vietnam and commanded two Naval Warships, the USS McClusky (FFG-41) and the USS Antietam (CG-54).
After retiring from the Navy, Hansen worked for a government relations firm in Washington, D.C., helping companies supply products to the Navy.
Hansen and his wife, Linda, moved to Palm Coast in 2005, when he retired. The couple was eyeing locations up and down the East Coast when one of his colleges mentioned Palm Coast.
In January of 2017, Hansen was appointed to the Flagler County Board of Commissioners by Gov. Rick Scott and served as an appointee for two years. He was then re-elected to the post twice by a landslide.
During his tenure as District 2 Commissioner, Hansen has been a part of several successful community projects, served on various committees and has helped manage future development of the County.
“I am very proud of my role in managing future development,” Hansen said. “You can’t stop development, but you can manage it.”
He has also helped establish good relationships with the cities and county.
“Good relationships with the city and county are important because we all have to sing from the same sheet of music,” Hansen said. “We all have to have the same goals. That’s the way we can succeed as a county.”
Hansen and the Board of Commissioners have been working to replenish the Flagler County beaches that were battered by hurricanes in the past years. After hurricane Matthew in 2016, they commissioned a massive emergency replenishment of sand and added sea walls in Flagler Beach.
In spring of 2024, they expect to begin a project with the Army Corp of Engineers to complete dredging 2.6 miles off the shore of Flagler Beach. The goal is to protect State Road A1A and improve the beaches. The board is also working on a plan to replenish beaches north of Flagler Beach to the St. Johns County line. They hope to keep dredging and replenishing sand as far north as Jungle Hut Rd.
Hansen currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Agricultural Museum, on the Community Redevelopment Agency Committee for Marineland and is chair of the Flagler County Value Adjustment Board.
As a County Commissioner, Hansen fights every year to keep taxes low and closely guards the tax-payer dollar.
“Every year we fight the battle of ‘don’t raise the taxes,’ and, in fact, we cut it,” said Hansen.
He credits his staff for providing the board with a sound budget plan that they review very closely to evaluate needs verses wants.
“Every year we seem to come out just right,” said Hansen. “But there is never enough money to do everything you want.”
