Florida pastors are urging elected officials to reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians following a Supreme Court ruling allowing the federal government to end the program. Led by the Reverend Doctor RB Holmes_Jr., the faith leaders called on state and federal lawmakers to protect the 93,000 Haitian TPS holders currently working across Florida and establish a clear pathway toward permanent American citizenship.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thelonious Monk Teddy Roosevelt LBJ
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Flagler’s 1st Death Penalty Trial in 2 Decades Begins Monday For Man Accused Of Stabbing His Wife To Death
Jermaine Williams Sr. faces a capital murder charge on Monday in Flagler County’s first death penalty case since 2007. Prosecutors seek the death penalty for the 2024 stabbing death of his wife, Yolonda, who’d been a local advocate for individuals in difficulties, including domestic violence victims. Surveillance video of the attack is part of the evidence. The defense lost two dozen pretrial motions before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols.
Tempers Flare As Palm Coast Council Advances Parts of $600 Million Utility System Expansion and Improvements
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved $8.3 million in utility infrastructure spending on Tuesday. The routine approvals, part of the much larger $600 million plan to expand and improve the water and wastewater system, provoked confrontations with local candidates and residents over public comment boundaries even as council members spoke of the approvals’ transparency. The oldest municipal treatment plant requires expansion to meet a state environmental consent order.
Palm Coast Council Pushes for Pedestrian-Safety Crosswalks and Signs Near Lehigh Trail at Royal Palms
The Palm Coast City Council is pushing for crosswalks, signs, and traffic safety enhancements at several busy Town Center intersections following safety complaints from a P-Section resident who described difficulties safely crossing Royal Palms Parkway to access the Lehigh Trail.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
DCF Reports 3 Verified Flagler Cases of Child Commercial Sexual Exploitation in 2025, and 434 in the State
A new state legislative report reveals Florida verified a record 434 child sexual exploitation victims in 2025, three of them in Flagler County and 14 in Volusia. Oppaga attributes the increase to improved agency identification methods rather than increased incidence. Serious infrastructure gaps remain. Florida lacks sufficient safe foster homes and data-sharing systems, leaving vulnerable juvenile victims without critical placements, survivor mentors, or specialized therapeutic treatments.
Palm Coast Teenager Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charge After Starving Puppy Dies From Organ Failure
18-year-old Chance Jones of Palm Coast faces a felony animal cruelty charge after a 5-month-old puppy died from starvation on July 4. Authorities found the severely malnourished dog locked inside a detached apartment garage without food, water, or ventilation. Jones said he only fed the animal every few weeks due to care difficulties.
Flagler Beach Programmer Rory Belmont, 44, Arrested on Rape and Other Charges Following Ordeal with Girlfriend
Flagler Beach resident Rory Victor Belmont, 44, was jailed without bond following accusations of a brutal domestic assault on his long-term girlfriend, including repeated rapes. The state filed a motion for pretrial detention on allegations of severe physical abuse, repeated strangulation, and forced sexual acts. Authorities located Belmont in Volusia County after he fled on an electric scooter. He five felony charges, including first-degree forcible rape.
Former Athens Theatre Director Craig Uppercue Steps Into Leadership Role At Flagler Auditorium Today
Craig Uppercue brings decades of theatrical and educational experience to his new role as director of the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center. Taking over for Amelia Fulmer, the veteran arts administrator plans to prioritize student programs and explore bringing live music and touring shows to the venue. He hopes to replicate the growth he previously helped to orchestrate at the vibrant Athens Theatre in DeLand.
July 4 Fire Destroys Building At Santore And Sons Fireworks Manufacturing Complex In West Flagler
A July 4 fire destroyed a cinder block storage building at the Santore and Sons fireworks manufacturing compound in West Flagler. The structure contained paper goods and partially assembled pyrotechnics. No employees were present and there were no injuries. First responders quickly extinguished the blaze. The state fire marshal is currently investigating a potential lightning strike as the cause.
What, Then, Is An American?
The question–what is an American–has been asked for 250 years and has always been more important than the answer. The clue is in the asking. There is no single answer to what cannot be defined, what should not be defined. The moment we answer the question with any kind of finality, the moment we say an American is this, that or the other, we are asking an un-American question
Bryan Jackson, Deputy Who’d Accidentally Shot 11-Year-Old Boy, Resigns Ahead of Internal Affairs Sanctions
Bryan Jackson, the Flagler County sheriff’s deputy who took responsibility for firing a rifle bullet that accidentally grazed the neck of an 11-year-old neighbor boy last year, resigned today, effective July 15, just as the Sheriff’s Office was completing an internal affairs investigation that found him to have violated two policies.
July 3 and 4 Celebration of 250th Anniversary from Flagler Beach Parade to Palm Coast Fireworks at County Airport
Flagler County Government and the Cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell invite all Flagler County residents and visitors to the 2026 United Flagler Community Celebration on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4, this time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration and American independence. It’ll start with First Friday in Flagler Beach and culminate with a 15-16 minute firework show featuring thousands of shells at the county airport. All events are free.
Name-Clearing Hearing for Fired Flagler Beach Fire Chief Cox Exposes Deep Divisions And Lack Of Documentation
A Flagler Beach Personnel Review Board recessed a name-clearing hearing for fired fire chief Stephen Cox without reaching a decision. City Manager Dale Martin terminated Cox on May 11 after seven department members signed a no-confidence letter. Hearing testimonies revealed a glaring lack of documented evidence supporting the abrupt termination. Acting Chief Jennifer Fiveash testified extensively about her loss of trust in Cox’s flawed leadership.
Flagler Schools Return to A Rating for 1st Time in 7 Years as FPC and Buddy Taylor Also Score 1st A in Eons
Flagler County schools earned a district-wide A rating for the first time in seven years as every single school within the district achieved an A or a B grade. Notable successes include Buddy Taylor Middle School and Flagler Palm Coast High School receiving A ratings for the first time in years. Superintendent LaShakia Moore, School Board Chair Christy Chong and principals credit the collective efforts of teachers, staff, students, parents, and the community.
Michael Struhar, Owner of Sunshine State Contractor Services, Accused of Defrauding Homeowners of $40,000
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested contractor Michael Struhar for grand theft after he allegedly took a $40,000 deposit from a local couple and performed no work. Investigation subpoenas revealed Struhar spent the funds on personal online auctions and Zelle payments. Authorities believe there are additional victims in the region and urge defrauded consumers to contact the sheriff’s non-emergency line.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
July 2026
Jul 09 2026
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Town Center
Central Park in Town Center
Jul 09 2026
Palm Coast Democratic Club Meeting
Flagler County Democratic Party HQ
Jul 09 2026
The Circle of Light A Course in Miracles Study Group
United Methodist Church
Jul 09 2026
Flagler Beach City Commission Meeting
Flagler Beach City Hall
Jul 09 2026
Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series
Whitney Laboratory Lohman Auditorium
Jul 10 2026
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
WNZF
Jul 10 2026
Coffee and Conversation with Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin
Jul 10 2026
Friday Blue Forum
Flagler County Democratic Party HQ
Jul 10 2026
Food Truck Friday on the Farm: At the Ag Museum
Florida Agricultural Museum
Jul 11 2026
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
In Front of Flagler Beach City Hall
Jul 11 2026
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Law Office of Scott Spradley
Jul 11 2026
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
No event found!
The Conversation
Stricter SNAP Stocking Rules Threaten Small Grocery Stores
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is introducing stricter stocking rules for retailers accepting SNAP benefits. Small corner stores and bodegas must significantly expand their offerings of perishable and nutritious foods by November 2026. Experts warn these mandates could prompt small shops to abandon the program entirely. This shift reduces food access for low-income families, compounding recent legislative cuts that reduced overall program enrollment.
Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, July 8, 2026
The Public Safety Coordinating Council meets, Conversations in Democracy, an updated image of Fire Station 51 on the west side, goons on masked parade in Washington.
Malthus’s Doom and Gloom’s Lessons for Today
Understanding Malthus in a broader context reveals a very different character. As discussed in the 2025 book “Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress,” Malthus was an innovative and insightful thinker. Not only was he one of the founding figures of environmental economics, but he also turned out to be a prophetic critic of the belief that history tends toward human improvement, which we call progress.
Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE Act’ at Universities Ruled Unconstitutional in Blunt Decision by Trump Appointee
A federal appeals court decisively ruled Florida’s Stop WOKE Act unconstitutional in public university classrooms. The Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed that the First Amendment protects academic freedom, preventing viewpoint discrimination by the state government. The ruling blocks Florida from restricting diverse classroom discussions regarding Critical Race Theory and marks a major constitutional legal defeat for the DeSantis administration’s efforts to control higher education classroom speech.
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
The Palm Coast City Council meets at 6 p.m., Flagler Beach’s Planning and Architectural Review Board meets, The Bunnell Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board meets, car dealerships as surgical wards.
Teacher’s Career Hinges On First Amendment Battle After Her Firing Over Charlie Kirk Comments
Kelly Brock-Sanchez, a former Clay County public school teacher fired for making controversial Facebook comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is fighting to save her career after her private posts went viral. She filed a federal lawsuit claiming the punishment violates her First Amendment rights. An administrative hearing will determine whether she permanently loses her Florida teaching certificate.
World Cup’s Credibility Is Red Carded After Trump’s Call
Fifa, international football’s governing body, has not only so far declined to give any detailed reasoning for its decision to suspend what would be a standard one game ban following Balogun red card. The reversal appears to result from direct pressure from the White House. Media reports suggest that Donald Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure that the red card was overturned. The White House has said that the call was made to understand why Balogun was sent off and the reason for the suspension.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 6, 2026
The Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, the cost of data centers in electricity, dueling banjos, a note from Mar Reisener’s “Cadillac Desert” on another age’s power hogs.
Texas Approves Mandatory Public School Bible Readings
The Texas State Board of Education recently mandated a public school reading list featuring various biblical passages, violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment by prioritizing Christian teachings. Historical legal precedents over the past century consistently reject non-secular classroom instruction. Texas’s narrow policy fails to reflect religious diversity and faces inevitable litigation before its staggered implementation begins.
Red and Blue States Align in Unlikely Bipartisan Push for States’ Rights Against Federal Overreach in Trump Era
Liberals, longtime proponents of a stronger central government, are now championing an ideology that evokes odious memories of slavery and segregation. Many state leaders hope that a renewed focus on federalism could help lower the national political temperature. By shifting more political decisions to the states, they envision a nation less subject to blue-red swings that change the entire course of federal law enforcement, environmental policy and business regulation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 5, 2026
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Chekhov’s “Beggar,” a story of caring before hectoring, Andy Sipowicz saves Danny’s job, a few lines from Joseph Heller’s Something Happened.
The Federalist Papers: Indispensable Guide to Understanding Constitutional System
The Federalist served as a critical theoretical bridge for ratifying the Constitution. The essays by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay advanced political science by redefining republics and creating institutions to channel human self-interest. They remain the most important commentary on American constitutional governance.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Independence Day Events in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast, deconstructing the phrase make America great again, Willie Nelson’s July 4 picnic with friends, Abraham Lincoln’s style.
‘Rededicating’ US to God? Jefferson and Madison Would Not Approve.
Jefferson’s and Madison’s half-century of collaboration on behalf of religious freedom and equality is an important chapter in the nation’s founding history. Its legacy should be remembered and celebrated, not discarded.
CAIR Florida, the Muslim Advocacy Organization, Sues State Over ‘Unprecedented’ Terrorist Designation ‘Regime’
Immediately after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state would soon designate the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) a domestic terrorist organization, the Muslim civil rights advocacy group filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging that designation as unconstitutional and are calling for an injunction to halt its enforcement.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 3, 2026
First Friday in Flagler Beach kicks off the Independence weekend celebrations, First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, top ten things we’re doing this weekend, This Land Is Your Land, so is LBJ’s Hill Country.
Trump’s Assault on the Green Card
More than half a million people rely every year on the ability to apply from within the United States for a green card, the government-issued ID that allows an immigrant to legally live and work in the country long term. The federal government has now issued a draft change to current policy that denies immigrants the ability to apply for a green card while in the U.S. Instead, they would have to return to their home country to do it.
Commentary
A Democracy or a Republic? Americans Are Asking the Wrong Question
The United States has functioned as a hybrid of democratic and republican ideals since its founding. James Madison distinguished between “pure” democracy and representative republics, yet he incorporated democratic elements to ensure actual representation. History reveals a continuous struggle between aristocratic elites and popular power. Americans should embrace both traditions to ensure the government remains accountable to the people rather than ruled by few.
Your Cellphone Location Data Is Now Protected by the Fourth Amendment
The Supreme Court ruled that whenever police obtain an individual’s cell location data, even from a third-party tech company, it constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable government searches and seizures, and it does so in part by requiring search warrants based on probable cause that describe the particular person or thing to be searched.
As Route 66 Turns 100, What Is It That We’re Actually Celebrating?
As Route 66 approaches its centennial, the history of the highway reveals a stark division between promotional myths and historical reality. Early civic marketing manufactured an idealized American image of freedom and romance. This legendary status excluded Black and Latino travelers who faced systemic discrimination on the road. The subsequent rise of midcentury interstate highways eventually caused the economic decline of the route.
Sponsored Content
The Solana Agent Kit and the Rise of Programmable On-Chain AI
A quiet but significant development in the AI and crypto intersection over the past year has been the rise of programmable agent frameworks that run natively against blockchain infrastructure. The Solana Agent Kit, released by Send AI in late 2024 and significantly expanded through 2025 and early 2026, has become one of the most widely used toolkits for building AI agents that interact with on-chain state.
AI in Automation Testing: The Tech Skill Florida Job Seekers Should Know in 2026
AI in automation testing is opening doors for career changers and aspiring tech professionals in Florida. Learn how this in-demand skill helps job seekers enter tech without a programming background.