Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris doesn’t have to change his politics. But if he is to be a relevant mayor rather than an isolated nobody on the council for the next four years, he should change his conduct. He would benefit from giving his Napoleonic ego a four-year sabbatical and from giving up the illusion that his power is more than one-fifth of the council’s, that his word is law, or that the mayor’s position is defined by authority more than ceremony. He has plenty of time to rescue his mayorship. The council would be his first ally. So would the administration. He doesn’t seem interested.
Main Content
Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 25, 2025
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Brendan Depa Appeal: Court Abused Its Discretion By Imposing State Prison Instead of Juvenile Sanctions
The long-expected appeal in the case of Brendan Depa argues that Circuit Judge Terence Perkins abused the court’s discretion last summer when he imposed a five-year, adult prison sentence and 15 years of probation rather than what would have amounted to two years in a juvenile prison. Depa, who will be 20 in August, was a 17-year-old Matanzas High School special education student when he attacked then-teacher aide Joan Naydich after he got angry for being disciplined over the use of a Nintendo game. Surveillance video of the attack circulated around the globe, turbocharging the case’s visibility.
Cowpen Fire in West Flagler Jumps to 250 Acres in Hours Before Firefighters Contain 90%
A fire that started about 3 p.m. Thursday (April 24) on the west side of Flagler County quickly grew from 7 to 250 acres in a matter of hours, reflecting the brittle conditions resulting from increasingly dry ground. The blaze, identified as the Cowpen 2 fire, is still burning but is 90 percent contained this morning.
Bunnell Commission Bids Farewell to 5-Year Commissioner Tonya Gordon as New Members Are Sworn-In
The Bunnell City Commission bid farewell to Commissioner Tonya Gordon, who was elected in 2020 and chose not to run for re-election. Commissioners David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist were sworn-in, as was Mayor Catherine Robinson. John Rogers was named vice-mayor again. In Robinson and Rogers, the commission has the longest- and second-longest serving elected officials on major boards in the county.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Another Stunner from Mayor Norris: He Interviews City Manager Candidates By His Truck in Parking Lot
Less than 24 hours after he posted a sepia-colored “WANTED” poster of himself, thumbing his nose at his critics, Palm Coast Mayor this morning held his two interviews with prospective city manager candidates in the City Hall parking lot, standing by his truck–and forcing the two candidates to do likewise.
In Somewhat of a Setback for County’s Beach Plan, Tourism Council Awards Only Half the Money Asked
The county’s own Tourist Development Council on Wednesday rejected a request for roughly $2.6 million over the next three years to help with reconstruction of the county’s beaches and the county’s ambitious $120 million beach-management plan. Instead, the council voted to award half that amount, or roughly $1.3 million, depending on what the tourism sales surtax generates. The county may still apply for TDC grants to make up the difference.
Palm Coast and Flagler County Issue Burn Ban as Drought Index Rises and City’s Water Consumption Raises Concerns
Flagler County and Palm Coast have jointly issued a seven-day burn ban starting today as a result of increasingly dry conditions, which heighten the likelihood of wildfires. The fire danger index is moderate for the county. In Palm Coast, water use is rising to alarming levels, a city official said, which could hinder firefighting efforts in big wildfire emergencies.
No Plea Offers in Jermaine Williams’s Death-Penalty Trial for Murder of His Wife, Yolonda Williams, in Bunnell
The death penalty case against Jermaine Williams, the 52-year-old Bunnell resident accused of stabbing his 50-year-old wife Yolonda Williams in the couple’s South Pine Street driveway last August, will not be tried until fall or perhaps next year, Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis told the court today. The defense told the court that numerous depositions have been conducted, and numerous depositions still remain. The prosecution and the defense have not discussed a plea. That remains a possibility, though anything less than life in prison is unlikely.
Divider. Coward. Bully. Dictator: 4 Palm Coast City Council Members on Mayor Mike Norris, In Their Own Words
As the Palm Coast City Council in a pair of unanimous votes censured Mayor Mike Norris, expressed its no-confidence in him and forwarded a complaint to the Florida Ethics Commission, each of the four council members spoke at length about their vote on motions unprecedented in Palm Coast’s 25-year history. Their statements follow.
Timing of YMCA’s $16 Million Facility in Palm Coast May Hinge on City and School Board Cash Contributions
The Volusia Flagler YMCA is prepared to build a $16 million, 44,000-square-foot YMCA in Palm Coast’s Town Center with a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool. But the organization is asking Palm Coast government for $3 million, and to take over management of the city’s Aquatic Center, known as Freida Zamba pool. The Y is also asking the Flagler County School Board for $3 million, which the board will see as a very heavy lift, and will be approaching the county with a similar request. The Y’s Palm Coast project does not appear to be contingent on the government’s cash contributions, but its immediacy will be.
Palm Coast Council Excoriates an Absent Mayor Norris in Extraordinary Unanimous Censure and No-Confidence Vote
“Coward.” “Bully.” “Dictator.” “Abysmal.” “Shocking.” “Conspiracist.” “Ego.” “inferiority complex.” “An embarrassment.” Those are some of the terms Palm Coast City Council members used today to describe their colleague, Mayor Mike Norris, before a pair of unanimous votes extraordinary for their reach and intent–one to formally censure him and express the council’s no-confidence in him, one to forward a formal complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics. If sustained, the council intends the complaint to be the precursor of a request to Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Norris from office.
Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course: Palm Coast Will Seek Buyer for City’s Deficit-Prone ‘Gem’
Possibly ending the city’s 17-year ownership of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the Palm Coast City Council will look for a buyer for the 137-acre course and backyard to hundreds of properties in the C-Section. The request for proposal will include the condition that the land remain a golf course in perpetuity. The council is framing the initiative as an “option” and as information-gathering rather than an absolute commitment to sell. But it would also be the first time in the course’s history that the city has taken this step.
Palm Coast Council Poised to Call on Governor to Remove Mayor Norris, Who Is a No-Show at Today’s Meeting
Less than a day after an independent investigative report blistered Mayor Mike Norris for violating the city charter and for chronically unbecoming conduct at City Hall, Council member Charles Gambaro this morning called on the council to request that Gov. Ron DeSantis remove Norris from office for “malfeasance.” Norris was a no-show for a 9 a.m. workshop this morning.
Independent Investigation Sustains Accusations of Interference and Hostility By Mayor Norris, Suggesting Malfeasance
Raising the possibility of malfeasance, an independent investigation sustained allegations that Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris violated the charter by interfering with city management and calling for the resignation of City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo. The findings go much further, drawing the portrait of a mayor at times unhinged with hostility, rudeness, foul language, misplaced humor and demeaning statements, revealing “a pattern of inappropriate conduct and unprofessional behavior” that undermines Palm Coast’s government “and creates a hostile work environment for city employees.”
Flagler County Prepares to Rebuild 5.5 Miles of Beach for $36 Million North of Pier Even as Long-Term Plan Is In Doubt
Flagler County government revealed a plan to rebuild–or renourish–between 5.5 and 7 miles of beach north and south of the area the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt last year, for $36 to $40 million, starting as early as October. State and federal grants are in hand to pay for the project. But a majority of county commissioners are reluctant to ensure that the renourishing is not wasted–as it will be if it is not followed by subsequent renourishments. That majority appears unwilling to support a long-term financing plan for all 18 miles of beach.
The Conversation
The Government Is Repurposing Your Data To Spy On You
Data that people provide to U.S. government agencies for public services such as tax filing, health care enrollment, unemployment assistance and education support is increasingly being redirected toward surveillance and law enforcement.
Florida and Beyond
House Panel Drops Investigation of Casey DeSantis Charity That Funneled $10 Million to Political Committees
After weeks of investigation, a state House leader said Thursday his panel is halting a probe into a foundation linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida. Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, spent weeks scrutinizing the foundation’s receipt of $10 million as part of a $67 million legal settlement that Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid managed-care company, reached last fall with the Agency for Health Care Administration, then redistributing the $10 million to two anti-pot political committees.
Social Media Before Bedtime Wreaks Havoc on Our Sleep
Poor sleep isn’t just about feeling tired − it’s linked to worsened mental health, emotion regulation, memory, academic performance and even increased risk for chronic illness and early mortality. At the same time, social media is nearly universal among young adults, with 84% using at least one platform daily. While research has long focused on screen time as the culprit for poor sleep, growing evidence suggests that how often people check social media − and how emotionally engaged they are − matters even more than how long they spend online.
With House and Senate Split on Size of Tax Cuts, Florida Legislature Goes Into Overtime
With the Senate and House unable to reach agreement on tax cuts and spending, lawmakers will not finish negotiations on a new state budget in time to end the legislative session as scheduled next week. The House has proposed a tax package (HB 7033) totaling about $5 billion, with the cuts largely stemming from a plan to permanently reduce the state’s sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent. The Senate proposed a $1.83 billion tax-cut package (SB 7034) that includes eliminating sales taxes on clothing and shoes that cost $75 or less.
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Robert Reich on Tariffs, The Flagler Beach City Commission meets and hears about its latest audit, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, a few words about nuts from Richard Powers.
Relatively Low Fluoride Levels May Affect Intelligence in Children
A new study found that relatively low exposure to fluoride during the foetal stage (as a result of the mother’s exposure to fluoride) or in the child’s early years may affect their intelligence.
Florida Sues Snapchat, Alleging Social Media Platform Is Not Blocking Minors
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit alleging that the operator of Snapchat is violating a high-profile 2024 law aimed at keeping children off some social-media platforms. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Santa Rosa County circuit court, came after a federal judge last month rejected a request by tech-industry groups for an injunction to block the law. In a federal-court filing Monday, attorneys for the state said Uthmeier “expects that additional investigations and enforcement actions will commence soon.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Jermaine Williams, who stabbed his wife to death in Bunnell last year, is in a pre-trial hearing, the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization meets, Flagler Beach Commissioner Scott Spradley sends a few pictures from England.
Would Branson-Type Shows at the Kennedy Center Be Such a Bad Thing?
Rather than ridiculing the president’s taste, responses to the takeover would be better placed focusing on more fundamental questions about the role of the U.S. government in the nation’s artistic life. How can a national arts institution best reflect the country’s diverse range of people and interests? Prior to Trump, how well was the Kennedy Center doing at that?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Stetson University’s 2025 Holocaust Memorial Lecture, the Palm Coast City Council will have a look at a proposed YMCA in Town center, it will discuss the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the city’s 10-year capital improvement plan, and other issues, the school board holds a pair of meetings.
How Pope Francis Mattered
Francis had served as pope for 12 eventful years, after being elected on March 13, 2013 after the surprise resignation of Benedict XVI. Prior to becoming pope, he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, and was the first person from the Americas to be elected to the papacy. He was also the first pope to choose Francis as his name, thus honoring St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century mystic whose love for nature and the poor have inspired Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 21, 2025
The county commission in a pair of meetings today discusses replacing County Attorney Al Hadeed, who retires this summer, and further discusses its teetering beach management plan, the East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets, manufacturing an America crisis.
The Law Behind National Monuments’ Creation–and Elimination
One of the new administration’s early orders was for the Department of Interior to review all national monuments for potential oil and gas drilling and mining. At least two national monuments that President Joe Biden created in California are among the new administration’s targets. The avenue for many of these changes is rooted in one century-old law, the Antiquities Act of 1906, signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt.
New College Hides Russell Brand Sleaze Behind Free Speech
Florida attracts sleazeballs, creeps, and the criminally-inclined the way cookie crumbs attract roaches. It’s always been like this: Al Capone wintered in Miami Beach; Richard Nixon escaped to his Key Biscayne compound so he could hang out with his mob-affiliated pal Bebe Rebozo; Charles Ponzi made a name for himself for selling Florida swampland — impossible to build on— to unsuspecting Yankees. Russell Brand almost made it on the list.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 20, 2025
J.S. Bach’s dark vision on Easter Sunday, the complete St. John Passion, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Richard Taruskin revisits the cantatas.
The Threat of Deep-Sea Mining
Deep-sea mining can pose a danger to what lives above it, in the midwater ecosystem. If future deep-sea mining operations release sediment plumes into the water column, as proposed, the debris could interfere with animals’ feeding, disrupt food webs and alter animals’ behaviors.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 19, 2025
The North East Florida Jazz Association (NEFJA) Jazz Appreciation Concert, “Henry Flagler: Florida Visionary,” a Palm Coast Historical Society talk, ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, Ayşegül Savaş’s “Marseille.”
Commentary
Studying Hooters’ Servers
Declining sales, rising costs and a large debt burden of approximately US$300 million have threatened Hooters’ long-term outlook. A researcher looked into breastaurants and the toll they take on servers. Here are her findings.
How ‘Doge’ Is Eliminating Government Accountability
Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services are continuing as the agency makes good on its intention, announced on March 27, 2025, to shrink its workforce by 20,000 people. Among workers dismissed in early April were several teams responsible for fulfilling requests for access to previously unreleased government data, information and records under a federal law known as the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.
Florida to Immigrants: Get Lost
DeSantis has savaged lawmakers for not doing enough to support President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to detain and deport as many as 20 million undocumented immigrants. He has worked assiduously to engineer Florida’s reactionary version of “how many ways can we screw over immigrants?”