Thursday Briefing: A Lawyer’s Gift to Flagler Beach, Jose Antonio Jimenez Execution, ITMS Band Concert

FlaglerLive | December 13, 2018

In October 2014, Flagler Beach Attorney and photographer Scott Spradley presented the mayor and City Commission with a large print of a photograph of the pier seen from just north of it. The gift marked Spradley’s 25 years as a member of the Florida Bar. It’s been hanging in the commission’s chamber, where all public meetings are held, since. This evening, Spradley is presenting a new print of the pier–not as sunny, but more arresting and symbolic. ‘I am doing it in conjunction with my 30 year anniversary of practicing law, and 10 years living and working in Flagler Beach (I’m my 10th year of sobriety as well),’ Spradley explained in a text. The presentation takes place at the beginning of the meeting, at 5:30 p.m. (© Scott Spradley)

Today: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 70. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Warmer. Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the evening, then chance of showers after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent. Details here.
Today’s document from the National Archives and the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Drought Index: 119
The OED’s Word of the day: badmash, n.
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

First Light
In Flagler and Palm Coast
Flagler Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours of Incident Reports
Announcements
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development
Local Road and Interstate Construction
Cultural Coda

“Poor white Americans were, in other words, killing themselves, and this was not a mere blip in the data. In late 2015, the British economist Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize for work he had done with fellow economist Anne Case, showing that the mortality gap between wealthy white men and poor ones was widening at a rate of one year each year, and slightly less for women. A couple of months later, “economists at the Brookings Institution found that for men born in 1920, there was a six-year difference in life expectancy between the top 10 percent of earners and the bottom 10 percent. For men born in 1950, that difference more than doubled, to 14 years.”22 Smoking could account for only one-fifth to one-third of the excess deaths. The rest were apparently attributable to alcoholism, opioid addiction, and actual suicide—as opposed to metaphorically killing oneself through unwise lifestyle choices.”

–From Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Natural Causes” (2018).

Previously:

In Flagler and Palm Coast:

Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Many can be heard or seen live through each agency’s website.

The Sheriff’s daily incident reports and jail bookings are posted here.

The Flagler Beach City Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall with an opening surprise from Flagler Beach attorney Scott Spradley, the swearing out of Sgt. William Shamp, and a presentation from Walker Consultants regarding a parking study.

Evening at the Whitney Lecture Series: Ruth Francis-Floyd, director of the University of Florida Aquatic Animal Health Program, will be the guest speaker for the final talk in the fall Evenings at Whitney lecture series. Her talk is titled “Ecosystem Challenges in Florida: The Diadema Story (a case study…).” Lectures and parking are free and registration or reservations are not necessary. The event is at 7 p.m. at Center for Marine Studies, Lohman Auditorium, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, Florida. For further details, call (904) 461-4000.

The Indian Trails Middle School Advisory Council meets at 5:30 p.m. at the school.

The Indian Trails Middle School band is in concert at the school’s gym at 6:30 p.m.

Rotary Club Annual Fantasy Lights Festival in Palm Coast’s Town Center’s Central Park, through New Year, every evening until 9 p.m. Free admission, with recommended donation to the Rotary Club, which makes the lights possible.

Blood Donations: The Big Red Bus will be at the following locations this week (schedule your donation by going to the website and entering a Palm Coast zip code, then locating one of the venues below):

Thursday: Starbucks in Target, Target shopping center, 5270, East Highway 100, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area, 3100 South Oceanshore Boulevard, Flagler Beach, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday: Chick Fil A, 1000 Palm Coast Parkway, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday: Advance America Palm Coast, 800 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, 2 to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Starbucks, Island Walk, 250 Palm Coast Parkway, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours' Incidents in Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell


Jail Bookings, May 2-3 Sheriff's night shift incident reports, May 2 Sheriff's day shift incident reports, May 2 Flagler Beach's night shift incident reports, May 2 Flagler Beach's day shift incident reports, May 2 Bunnell police's night shift incident reports, May 2 Bunnell police's day shift incident reports, May 2
Previous and archived reports

Sources: Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Flagler Beach Police Department, Bunnell Police Department. This is Flagler County's only comprehensive, one-stop compilation of all local law enforcement's daily day and night shift commanders' reports.

Announcements:

Watch Saturday’s Starlight Parade Through Town Center

On the video, you will see this year’s outstanding entries as they make their way through Town Center, with the wonderful Fantasy Lights in Central Park as the backdrop. The Starlight Parade was hosted by Palm Coast Fire Chief Mike Beadle and his wife, DeeDee, and this year’s Grand Marshal leading the parade was Bill Butler, recently retired City of Palm Coast Landscape Architect, who is responsible for the landscaping that makes Palm Coast so beautiful and is also one of the Rotary Club of Flagler County’s founders of the annual Fantasy Lights.

In Florida and in State Government:

Note: Some proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel. Most legislative proceedings can be followed through the Senate or House websites.

BUDGET, RULES, ESTIMATING CONFERENCES DISCUSSED: The House will offer an introduction to the state budget, an introduction to House rules and a meeting about estimating conferences. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., budget meeting, Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol. Also, 10 a.m., rules meeting, 306 House Office Building, the Capitol. Also, 10 a.m., estimating conferences, 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

SENATORS GET ETHICS TRAINING: The Florida Commission on Ethics and Jeremiah Hawkes, the Senate general counsel, will provide an ethics presentation to senators. (Thursday, 9 a.m., 401 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, PUBLIC RECORDS AT ISSUE: House members will attend a meeting about working with stakeholders, receive an overview of public records and open meetings and get information about filing appropriations project bills. (Thursday, 10:15 a.m., working with stakeholders, 306 House Office Building, the Capitol. Also, 10:15 a.m., public records overview, Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol. Also, 10:15 a.m., filing appropriations bills, 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

SCHOOL SAFETY COMMISSION MEETS: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was created to make recommendations after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Broward County high school, will meet in Tallahassee. It is expected to finalize findings and recommendations, including about issues requiring legislative action. (Thursday, 8:30 a.m., Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, 505 West Pensacola St., Tallahassee.)

FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION MEETS: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold the second day of a meeting and is expected to take up issues such as proposed rule changes for deer hunting. (Thursday, 8:30 a.m., Renaissance World Golf Village, 500 South Legacy Trail, St. Augustine.)

SUPREME COURT RELEASES OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to release its regular weekly opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)

PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT ANALYZED: The Education Estimating Conference will discuss enrollment in the pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade system. (Thursday, 1:30 p.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

EXECUTION SET IN MIAMI-DADE MURDER: Death Row inmate Jose Antonio Jimenez is scheduled to be executed in the 1992 murder of 63-year-old Phyllis Minas during a burglary in Miami-Dade County. Neighbors tried to enter the home through an unlocked front door after hearing Minas’ cries, but Jimenez slammed the door shut, locked it and fled by going onto a bedroom balcony, according to court documents. Scott signed a death warrant in July and initially scheduled the execution of Jimenez in August. But the Florida Supreme Court issued a stay of execution so it could look further at issues in the case. The Florida Supreme Court on Oct. 4 lifted the stay, allowing Scott to reschedule the execution. (Thursday, 6 p.m., Florida State Prison, 23916 N.W. 83rd Ave., Raiford.)

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast, Flagler and the Occasional Beyond:

To include your event in this section, please fill out this form.

♦ May 28: The Flagler County Opioid Task Force meets at 6 p.m. at the Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway. (note the venue change: it had previously been scheduled at the Government Services Building). The task force will meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at the library through November.
♦ May 29: The Blue Power 2020 forum, hosted by Mike Cocchiola, who heads the Flagler County Democratic Party, meets at 12:30 p.m. at the Democrats' office, 2 Office Park Drive, Suite D, all welcome. The weekly forum is intended to discuss local, state and national issues and to develop action plans to influence policy.
♦ May 30: Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School hold graduation ceremonies at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center. Matanzas High School’s ceremony begins at 4 p.m. and Flagler Palm Coast High School’s starts at 7. Doors to the Ocean Center open one hour before the start of each ceremony. The student procession begins approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Tickets for the ceremonies are free. However, both schools have a 10-ticket limit per student. There may be opportunities for additional tickets. Students will be notified and information is located on each school’s website. Parking passes are also available for pre-purchase. Parking is $5. security measures instituted last year will be in place this year. Please take note and be prepared before you head to the Ocean Center. There will be security checks before ticket holders are allowed entry into the ceremony. Watch livestreams of the ceremonies: Matanzas here, and FPC here.
♦ May 31-June 1, 2 and 8: American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification Class – May 31-June 2 and June 8, Friday 5-6:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Palm Coast Aquatics Center, 339 Parkview Drive. The American Red Cross Lifeguarding course provides entry-level knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies and to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries, and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services (EMS) personnel take over. For ages 15 and up. Cost is $200 (includes CPR mask and certification fee). Registration required at www.parksandrec.fun/aquatics. More info: 386-986-4741.
♦ June 1: The Palm Coast Arts Foundation hosts its First Saturday Creative Bazaar, an arts and crafts flea market. at 1500 Central Avenue in Town center. Arts foundation members and other vendors will have booths of goods for sale. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
♦ June 1: 2nd Annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors Golf Benefit for Homeless Animals: Neighbors Helping Neighbors is a local group of business professionals coming together to raise money for the Halifax Humane Society. Join us for 18-holes of premiere golf at the legendary LPGA International Golf Club. Shot gun start at 8 a.m. Registration at 7. 1000 Champions Drive Daytona Beach. To download entry form, visit https://www.halifaxhumanesociety.org/events/index and then scroll down to the golf outing listing. Hole Sponsorship $100. Single Player $125. Lunch Provided. For more information contact Gus Schutt (386) 233-5302.
♦ June 4: Daytona Tortugas Youth Baseball Clinic, 8:30 a.m-12 p.m. at Indian Trails Sports Complex, 5455 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast. The Daytona Tortugas will be teaching kids, ages 7-13, skills to improve their ball game in this coed baseball clinic. Grab your glove and bat and learn from the pros! Participants will receive a free ticket to a Daytona Tortugas game. $37/person. Registration required at www.parksandrec.fun/camps. More info: 386-986-2323.
♦ June 4: The Hammock Community Association meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Hammock Community Center on MalaCompra Road, with County Attorney Al Hadeed as speaker, who will present a History of the Hammock Part II.
♦ June 5:

The Blue Power 2020 Action Forum, 12:30 p.m. at the Democrats' office, 2 Office Park Drive, Suite D. Come and join other progressive Democrats to discuss local, state and national issues, and propose actions to influence elected leaders. The Forum is open and informal and all opinions and ideas are welcomed. This is your opportunity to meet and lend your voice and knowledge to people who share your values. For more information, contact Mike Cocchiola, palmcoastdemocraticclub@gmail.com. The Blue Power forum meets every Wednesday.
♦ June 7: Coffee Series: 9-10 a.m. at Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy. NE. This month’s topic: “The History and Development of Palm Coast” with Elaine Studnicki of the Palm Coast Historical Society. The event is free, but registration is required (while space available) by 9 a.m. June 5: www.parksandrec.fun/adults. More info: 386-986-2323.
♦ June 7: Daytona State College holds another session in its strategic planning process for 2020-2023 and wants your ideas and insights about initiatives the college might pursue during that timeframe. The session is from 9 to 10 a.m. at DSC's Hosseini Center, in the ballroom, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach. Interactive focus groups are scheduled on each campus, starting at the end of April and ending the second week of June. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend and participate. Plan to attend and share your vision for DSC’s future. To participate, bring your mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.). For more information, contact Dr. Karla Moore, (386) 506-3650, Karla.Moore@DaytonaState.edu; or John Brady, (386) 506-3837, John.Brady@DaytonaState.edu.
♦ June 8: The 2019 Flagler County Republican Club's annual barbecue is scheduled from 4 to 9 p.m. at Caldwell Dairy Barn at the Florida Agricultural Museum, 7900 Old Kings Road, $20 per ticket, $35 for couples, with a live auction. Be sure to get your cookbook out and slip on your apron if you're taking part in the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Cake & Pie Contest. One of the most anticipated competitions of the year, bakers tempt celebrity judges with their skill and guests get to enjoy sampling the entries! Enjoy tours of the museum's grounds and historic buildings from 4-6 pm, followed by food, music and live auctions in the evening.
♦ June 10-14: Tennis Summer Camp (Session 1) – Monday-Friday, 9 a.m-4pm. at Belle Terre Park, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast. Tennis and so much more! Please come with athletic clothes and shoes, swimsuit (for the pool), water bottle, sunscreen, lunch, snacks and drinks. For ages 6-13 years. $175/week. Registration required at www.parksandrec.fun/camps. More info: 386-986-2550.
♦ June 10: Daytona State College holds another session in its strategic planning process for 2020-2023 and wants your ideas and insights about initiatives the college might pursue during that timeframe. The session, the only one in Flagler, is from 9 to 11 a.m. at DSC's Student Center Building on the Palm Coast campus, Room 106. Interactive focus groups are scheduled on each campus, starting at the end of April and ending the second week of June. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend and participate. Plan to attend and share your vision for DSC’s future. To participate, bring your mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.). For more information, contact Dr. Karla Moore, (386) 506-3650, Karla.Moore@DaytonaState.edu; or John Brady, (386) 506-3837, John.Brady@DaytonaState.edu.

For events beyond this date, see the fuller Coming Days here.

To include your event in this section, please email the details, including date, time, a brief description of the event, contact information, and, if you wish, an image, please use this form.

A Twitter List by PierreTristam

Keep Up with Donald Trump’s attacks on the press through the ACLU’s running tab here.

Keep Up with mass shootings in a running database here.

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

Here’s a summary of the latest city developments as of Dec. 7, 2018, with a link to the full week in review here.

Road and Interstate Construction: