{"id":438565,"date":"2026-08-20T18:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/438565\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T18:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:22:09","slug":"city-manager-says-coronado-has-had-a-difficult-past-with-coronado-flower-lady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/438565\/","title":{"rendered":"City Manager says Coronado has had a “difficult past” with Coronado Flower Lady"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Coronado City Manager Tina Friend said that things \u201cweren\u2019t going well\u201d with the Coronado Flower Lady and the city will reconsider its use of Rotary Plaza, where the Flower Lady business has operated since 1981.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a very long history of late payments and non-payments, and we\u2019ve threatened revocation of permits before,\u201d said Friend at the Coronado City Council meeting on August 18. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a difficult past with this particular vendor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City of Coronado also responded to a public records request, sending along a document dated April 14, 2026, that showed that Shanel Albert, the owner of the Coronado Flower Lady, was three months behind on rent. The document also showed that Albert had not repaid her COVID small business loan, for which there was a balance of $15,8070.83.<\/p>\n

But Albert \u2014 who has owned and run the Coronado Flower Lady business since 2016 \u2014 says she\u2019s current on her monthly rent. She doesn\u2019t owe the city anything, she says, except the remainder of her COVID loan, which she says she\u2019s been paying in monthly installments.<\/p>\n

Albert says she was shocked earlier this month when she recieved a letter from the City of Coronado,<\/a> dated July 30, that said her commercial use permit was set to expire on August 31. The email said she must stop doing business at Rotary Plaza and vacate the premises before the permit expired.<\/p>\n

And she disputed Tina Friend\u2019s statement to City Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t owe the city any rent,\u201d said Albert. \u201cThere have been times I have paid for multiple months at a time, like I\u2019ve always done for the last 10 years. I don\u2019t want people to think I owe the city anything, because I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says that until recently, there has always been a casual agreement with the city, whereby she would come in and pay in big chunks, two and three months at a time. She said that\u2019s the way it\u2019s always been, since the inception of the Flower Lady Business in 1981.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Albert says no one from the city contacted her regarding her rent and how it was paid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nothing out of the ordinary until it became \u2018something\u2019 to someone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Before Friend addressed the city council, several residents spoke in support of the Coronado Flower Lady. Longtime resident Maris Dunn Yaple asked the city to reconsider ending Albert\u2019s permit.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has contributed to the charm and ambience of Rotary Plaza with her beautiful, fragrant flowers, which bring joy to all who pass,\u201d she said. \u201cCoronado has enjoyed 45 years of the Coronado Flower Lady at Rotary Plaza, and I hate to see it end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mila Albertson said the Flower Lady has become an \u201cambassador\u201d for the city, as tourists often stop by to ask for recommendations. She says she\u2019s also sad to lose the city\u2019s only florist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually buy flowers there once a week,\u201d said Albertson. \u201cSure, you can go into Vons and buy some flowers and hope to put something together, but there\u2019s no flower store here that you can go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patricia Faircloth said the Coronado Flower Lady is a cultural icon and has become part of neighborhood atmosphere of Coronado. She said the first \u201creal color and vibrancy\u201d that visitors see when they visit the island comes from the flower stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m disappointed city council decided to get rid of it in closed session without the general public knowing,\u201d said Faircloth. \u201cI feel you should reconsider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, Friend shared that the city had intended to keep the matter private, as it was a business transaction. But because of public concern and misinformation, she thought it was important to share more details.<\/p>\n

Friend said that August 31 was a \u201cnatural end\u201d of Albert\u2019s conditional use permit, which was issued five years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city really does want to support small businesses, and all the vibrancy for the reasons we heard from the community today,\u201d said Friend. \u201cThat\u2019s something that matters greatly to the council. But there is also a very overwhelming duty for the integrity of public property and the stewardship of public property.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that nothing has been decided, and that no deal has been struck with another business or vendor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for the city to pause and consider the use of the park,\u201d said Friend. \u201cIs there a different activation? Do we want another vendor there? Could it be flowers, or is it something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

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