Flagler County and state environmental officials are hosting a workshop and hearing Thursday evening in Bunnell that will set a new and perpetual boundary between private properties and state property along the county’s beaches, what is officially referred to as an Erosion Control Line. The new ECL is slated for what’s called Reach Two on the county’s beaches, from North 7th Street in Flagler Beach to the northern limits of Varn Park. Here’s an explanation about what this means.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park Wins State Planning Association’s Great Places in Florida Award
The American Planning Association’s Florida Chapter named Waterfront Park the winner of the Great Places in Florida People’s Choice Award for 2024, taking 60 percent of the vote in a statewide competition driven by community boosting. Waterfront Park, Palm Coast’s 20-acre treasure on the Intracoastal, opened in 2010 as the 12th of the city’s parks, quickly becoming a favorite among local residents and a draw to visitors.
“Shut up and Listen!” City Repertory Theatre’s Production of “The Niceties” Explores the Mis-Education of Black History
In “The Niceties,” Eleanor Burgess’ 2018 two-person play, Zoe – a Black millennial Ivy League student – heatedly confronts her white, female Boomer history professor: “Listen, there is one appropriate way to respond to a woman of color when she says ‘I have an idea to assert,’ and that is to shut up and listen because she has experiences that you cannot possibly know and insights you can learn from.” The play, running from Thursday to Sunday at City Repertory Theatre, challenges conventions of Black history, the generational divide, and the meaning of objective truth.
New Big-Box Store and Shops Slated Near BJ’s Wholesale, But Palm Coast Is ‘Leery’ of 255-Apartment Allowance
The Palm Coast City Council approved on first reading the annexation from the county of a 39-acre parcel on State Road 100, adjacent to the BJ’s Wholesale Club property just east of Bulldog Drive. The property is slated for a development similar to the BJ’s shopping center. But the council did so with an informal condition: that a portion of the land zoned for apartments, entitling a developer to build 255 units there, be converted exclusively to commercial zoning. No apartments.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Judge Denies Bond ‘Across the Board’ to Kristopher Henriqson, Who Faces Capital Felony Over Girl’s ‘Reprehensible’ Abuse
Kristopher Henriqson, 47, of Palm Coast, will remain in jail, a judge ruled today, pending the disposition of the charges against him, including a capital rape charge stemming from three years of alleged sexual abuse of his step-daughter when she was between 9 and 12. He had sought to lower his bond. Instead, it was entirely revoked.
Jordan Pittmon, 26, Faces Statutory Rape Charge After Sex with 14-Year-Old Runaway
After Jordan Scott Pittmon had assured the girl’s aunt that he would never have any interest in a minor, he was arrested and charged with statutory rape of the aunt’s 14-year-old niece, who had run away from her Palm Coast home last May.
Lawmakers Seek to Roll Back Water Management Districts’ Environmental Efforts
A Florida Senate committee Tuesday will consider a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts. Sen. Brodeur said in a prepared statement that water management districts were founded to manage stormwater and flood-control efforts but have taken on other issues.
Plane Crash Victim Identified as Skydiving Pilot and Ex-USAF Crew Chief Thomas Russell Harvey
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon identified the victim of Friday evening’s plane crash in the isolated woods of southwest Flagler County as Thomas Russell Harvey, a 75-year-old pilot celebrated by Skydive Palatka as “our favorite pilot and friend.”
With Little Controversy, Flagler Beach Approves Water, Sewer, Garbage and Stormwater Rate Increases
After months of delay, the Flagler Beach City Commission last week approved a series of rate increases for water, sewer, garbage and stormwater. Water, sewer and garbage-collection rates will increase 3.5 percent. The monthly stormwater fee will increase 37.2 percent. Further increases may be slated for coming years. Combined, a typical household with consumption of 5,000 gallons a month will see the monthly utility bill go from $192.55 to $204.26, an increase or $11.71, or $140.52 for the year.
Climate-Fueled Hurricanes Do to Florida What Politicians Won’t: Slow Down Rampant Growth
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that “Residents moving to Florida drop to levels of those who are leaving.” Climate-fueled hurricanes and subsequent increases in insurance rates had done what everyone believed impossible: Make Florida seem unattractive. The end of runaway growth should solve so many of Florida’s serious problems, argues Craig Pittman.
Pilot Is Killed in Crash of Eagle Air Transport Plane in Isolated Part of Flagler County, Near Lake Disston
A man piloting an Eagle Air Transport Cessna crashed in an isolated, wooded area of southwest Flagler County near Lake Disston Friday evening for unknown reasons. The pilot died. There were no passengers.
I Confess: I Like Palm Coast
On WNZF’s annual year in review show with local media in January host David Ayres asked me if I liked Palm Coast. I replied with a mix of sarcasm and sourness. It was more of a show-offy attempt to sound clever than an honest reflection of how I felt. For all its many flaws, there are good reasons to appreciate Palm Coast down to its irradiating redness, even for a Bolshevik like me.
Jury Finds Stephen Monroe, 26, Guilty of Murder in Killing of Noah Smith, 16, and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison
It took less than 20 minutes for a 12-member jury to find Stephen Monroe guilty as charged, just before noon today: first degree murder for the killing of 16-year-old Noah Smith on a Bunnell street in January 2022. It was not a surprise.
In Murder Trial, Stephen Monroe Takes Stand in His Own Defense Only to Face an Inquisition Into His Rap of Lies
Stephen Monroe gambled today and testified in his own defense in his jury trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in Bunnell three years ago. He did so by going up against Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, a merciless cross-examiner who had Monroe grimacing, snorting, eye-rolling, huffing, gesturing, interrupting and talking over Lewis and so many times that he drew several rebukes from the judge, apologizing every time. It did not go well for Monroe, who at no point in the hour-long inquisition figured out that dueling with Lewis might not be a good idea.
Flagler County Seeks to Protect Old Brick Road, a Historic Treasure, from Logging Trucks and Palm Coast Development
Flagler County is exploring ways to protect the eight miles of historic Old Brick Road in the soon-to-be-developed portion of west Palm Coast. The more than 100-year-old road, built of bricks, is used by logging trucks and will be rimmed by housing developments. The county sees the best course of action as working with Palm Coast and Rayonier, the logging company, to craft protections.
The Conversation
Deporting Millions of Migrants Would Shock the Economy with Higher Housing, Food and Other Prices
Removing millions of immigrants would be costly for everyone in the U.S., including American citizens and businesses. Overall, immigrants without legal authorization make up about 5% of the total U.S. workforce. But that overall percentage doesn’t reflect these immigrants’ concentrated presence within various industries. Approximately half of U.S. farmworkers are living in the country without legal authorization. If those workers were to be suddenly removed from the country, Americans would see an increase in food costs, including what they spend on groceries and at restaurants.
Florida and Beyond
DeSantis Signs 9th Death Warrant: Edward James, for 1993 Murders in Seminole County
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for inmate Edward James, who was sentenced to death in the 1993 murders of a woman and her 8-year-old granddaughter in Seminole County. The death warrant came five days after the state put to death James Ford in the 1997 murders of a couple in Charlotte County.
Don’t Blame Trans People for Your Own Struggles
Today, both in the United States and in many parts of the world, trans and nonbinary people — a tiny, frequently poor, and marginalized percentage of the general population — are being used as scapegoats, as symbolic threats to the “right” way of being. These constant attacks are aimed at getting struggling people to blame trans folks for their problems. And they’re designed to keep us all politically reactive, overwhelmed, and unfocused on the deep systemic failures of our society, Aaron Scott, Moses Hernandez McGavin argue.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Prosecutors seek to deny Kristopher Henriqson bond, the Palm Coast City Council takes on its Comprehensive Plan 2050, the moronic renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, Bill Bryson on American place names.
More Florida and Beyond
Eviscerating the Kennedy Center’s Non-Partisan Mission
The six-year terms reflect a goal of establishing a largely nonpartisan governing board, since presidents usually appoint board members aligned with their own party. Until now, that balance has been the norm. But that outcome wasn’t mandated when Congress passed legislation establishing the Kennedy Center. Having a politically balanced board has historically helped the Kennedy Center raise money and attract world-class artists.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 17, 2025
Schools and most government offices are closed in observance of Presidents’ Day, our misguided notion of a golden age of political discourse in the United States, Charles Dickens meets the spitting culture.
Could AI Replace Politicians?
While the idea of AI politicians might make some people uneasy, survey results tell a different story. A poll conducted by my university in 2021, during the early surge of AI advancements, found broad public support for integrating AI into politics across many countries and regions. A majority of Europeans said they would like to see at least some of their politicians replaced by AI.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Blue Jeans and Bling Fundraiser at the county fairgrounds, Artist Talk by M. Kathleen Warren at Expression Art Gallery, Annual Strawberry festival in Palm Coast’s Central Park, short-term rentals in Europe.
Fake Papers Are Contaminating the World’s Scientific Literature
Over the past decade, furtive commercial entities around the world have industrialized the production, sale and dissemination of bogus scholarly research, undermining the literature that everyone from doctors to engineers rely on to make decisions about human lives.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 15, 2025
History Academy Talk Presented by the Palm Coast Historical Society. Today’s talk: “The Seminoles of African Descent in Florida,” by Dr. Vincent Adejumo, the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County meets, annual strawberry festival in Town Center, Breece D’J Pancake’s “Hollow.”
Federal Courts Are Unlikely to Save Democracy from Ongoing Assault
The problem with relying on the courts for help goes beyond ideology and right-leaning justices going along with a right-leaning president. One challenge is speed: The current administration is moving much faster than courts do, or even can. The other is authority: The courts’ ability to compel government action is limited, and also slow.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 14, 2025
Palm Coast’s firefighters and the city’s management team hold a bargaining session at City Hall, the Friday Blue Forum, the madness of “god, guns and country” in the context of the Parkland massacre.
Selfish or Selfless? When Going Childless Is an Ethical Choice.
Plenty of childless people want children but can’t have them. Other people may not want kids for personal or economic reasons. But advocates for “anti-natalism,” a relatively new social movement, argue giving birth is immoral. They push back against the idea that childlessness is selfishness. They believe they are protecting their unborn children, not neglecting them: that childlessness is the ethical choice.
Florida Court Clears Way for Trump Lawsuit Against Pulitzer Board Over Russian Interference Articles
A Florida appeals court Wednesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Pulitzer Prize board members in a dispute rooted in the organization awarding a prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for reporting about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Stephen Monroe’s trial continues, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Dr. Carlos Lois takes on “The Illusion of Reliable Brain Function” in Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series, recalling Decision, the journal, before Decision, the magazine.
The Gaza Ceasefire May Not Hold
Interviews with over 1,400 respondents in a demographically matched online panel of the Jewish Israeli population, and as part of an in-person survey in Gaza, show why 16 months of extreme violence and suffering have created psychological barriers to peace. The interviews also suggest ways to achieve a more positive future.
Florida Lawmakers May Ban Hotels, Golf Courses and Pickle Ball Courts in State Parks
After a bipartisan uproar last year about a proposal dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the Florida Senate on Tuesday began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building such things as golf courses, pickleball courts and hotel-style lodges in state parks. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the bill (SB 80), sponsored by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.
Commentary
How Big Oil Made Climate Change a Partisan Issue
Working behind the scenes since the 1950s, researchers working for companies such as Exxon, Shell and Chevron had made their leaders well aware that the widespread use of their product was already causing climate change. They then started making large donations to national and state-level candidates and politicians they viewed as friendly to the interests of the industry.
What If Fema Didn’t Exist?
Imagine a world in which a hurricane devastates the Gulf Coast, and the U.S. has no federal agency prepared to quickly send supplies, financial aid and temporary housing assistance. Could the states manage this catastrophic event on their own?
Reading Alice Munro Now That Secrets Have Been Revealed
For months readers have been learning about the enormity of Andrea Skinner’s suffering, following sexual abuse by her stepfather, and her mother Alice Munro’s decision to stay with and protect him. As scholars re-read Munro with a knowledge of the secrets she kept and the pain she caused, we have an opportunity — if not an obligation — to use our re-readings to reckon with sexual abuse of children and the silence that so often surrounds it.