Wednesday Briefing: Pro Tennis, Flagler's Interim Choices, Vegetable Gardens, Blue Power Forum

See the rising stars of men’s tennis from around the world all week through Sunday, at the Palm Coast Men’s 25K: A USTA M25 Event at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway. See details below. (© FlaglerLive)

Today:: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the evening, then showers likely and slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Lows around 60. South winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60 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: 78
The OED’s Word of the day: naometry, 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
Flagler Beach A1A Construction Updates
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

“Manhattan has energy and money; Brooklyn has hipster cachet and old-world, brownstone beauty; the Bronx has pugnacity; Staten Island has apartness. Queens has no clear defining quality (and it is most definitely not hip, whatever the estate agents may tell you). But it has the vibrancy of a whole world. Around 160 languages are spoken across the borough; residents hail from almost 200 countries. Nearly half its residents are foreign-born; most speak a language other than English at home. Few places can boast the linguistic, ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of Queens. To wander its streets is to walk through what makes America great.”

–From “The glorious diversity of Queens, New York,” The Economist, Dec. 18, 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 County Commission holds a special meeting at 3 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center to discuss applications for the interim job of county administrator.

The Flagler County Economic Opportunity Advisory Council meets at 9 a.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building, Bunnell. John Birney Jr. of Youth Leadership Flagler (YLF), Garry Lubi, Senior Vice-President of Commercial Banking, CenterState Bank., and Tom Hellman, president of SCORE, are the scheduled speakers. The group will also discuss rescheduling its meeting day.

The Flagler County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meets at 10 a.m. in the First Floor Conference Room, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. 2, Bunnell.

The Blue Power 2020 Action Forum, 12:30 p.m. at the Fair Trade Cafe at Palm Coast’s City Marketplace, 160 Cypress Point Pkwy. 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, [email protected]. The Blue Power forum meets every Wednesday.

Stetson Faculty Recital, Kathy Thomas, horn. Join School of Music professor Kathy Thomas for a night of all things brass. The program is packed with a variety of brass mixers: duets, trios and quartets. This Brass Buddies concert features special guests Jeff Thomas, Ryan Sorenson, Michael Fee, Dr. Benjamin Lieser, Chris Hunter, Kevin Brooks and Josh Parsons playing works by Nelhybel, Bozza, Poulenc, Rossini and more! 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand. All concerts are free and open to the public. Call 386/822-8950.

Palm Coast Residents’ Survey: Palm Coast residents have until Feb. 2 to take the 2018-2019 Palm Coast Citizen Survey, which may be taken online here. The city is conducting the survey as part of its annual goal-setting process. The survey covers a variety of topics related to quality of life; city services such as stormwater drainage, street maintenance, garbage, recycling and streetlights; recreational programs and events; amenities such as parks, trails; economic growth and development; traffic flow; and crime prevention and public safety. It also allows residents to provide comments on any subject they’d like to share with the city. For more background, go here.

Tennis tournament: See the rising stars of men’s tennis from around the world all week through Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Palm Coast Men’s 25K: A USTA M25 Event at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway. The pro tournament has a new name this year. This is the City of Palm Coast’s 10th year hosting the tournament, and USTA will be presenting Palm Coast an award for that achievement. This year the Tennis Center has qualified to host a higher-level tournament with a $25,000 purse (as opposed to a $15,000 purse) – bringing in a greater caliber of players and offering an even more competitive event. Up to 50 touring professionals will compete. Spectator admission is free Jan. 21-24. Also free is Net Generation Kid’s Day at 9 a.m. Jan. 26, where children 16 years and under will have fun and games on-court with the head pro of the Palm Coast Tennis Center as well as USTA pros! Advance registration for Net Generation Kid’s Day is recommended at www.parksandrec.fun/events. Events Jan. 25-27 require tickets at $5 non-member adult, $3 Tennis Center pass holder, $3 children ages 10-17, and free for kids under 10. Tickets are valid for the whole day. Tickets are available for purchase daily at the front desk or in advance at www.parksandrec.fun/events. Tickets to participate in the Pro-Am Event on Jan. 22 are $35; advance registration is required and can be done so at www.parksandrec.fun/events or at the Palm Coast Tennis Center. Play right alongside touring professionals. The schedule is as follows, with more details on times here: www.palmcoastgov.com/tennisfutures.:

Through Friday: Singles and Doubles Main Draw
Saturday: Net Generation Kid’s Day, 9 a.m., Doubles finals
Sunday: Singles Finals.

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):

Wednesday: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 402 North Palmetto Street, Bunnell, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: Flagler Palm Coast High School, at the Flagler Home and Lifestyle Show, 5500 State Road 100, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday: Flagler Palm Coast High School, at the Flagler Home and Lifestyle Show, 5500 State Road 100, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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


Jail Bookings, June 19-22 Sheriff's night shift incident reports, June 21 Sheriff's day shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's night shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's day shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's night shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's day shift incident reports, June 21
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.

Flagler Beach Is Open For Business: A1A Construction Update:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to year-long construction on and near State Road A1A in Flagler Beach as the Florida Department of Transportation rebuilds a 1.5-mile segment from South 9th Street to South 22nd Street, and builds a sea wall at the north end of town. These updates are provided through DOT. If you have any relevant information or images, you’re welcome to email them to the editor here.

January 21 update: The project team had anticipated beginning construction this week on S.R. A1A. However, the work is pending some utility relocations, which have not yet been completed. The project team is working diligently with utility owners on the relocations so that construction may start as soon as possible.

See Also:

Announcements:

Intracoastal Bank today announced financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018:

Total assets at December 31, 2018, were $326.3 million up $11.6 million, or 4%, from $314.8 million at December 31, 2017. Total deposits at December 31, 2018 were $294.3 million, up 9 million, or 3% from $285 million, at December 31, 2017. Total loans at December 31, 2018 were $219.6 million, up 21 million, or 11% from $198.5 million, at December 31, 2017. Net income for the full year 2018 increased by 14% from the full year 2017.

Intracoastal Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce E. Page reported the Tier 1 capital ratio was 9.29% at December 31, 2018, above what is required to be considered well capitalized. The Bank continues to prove its safe and sound with excellent credit quality with no delinquent loans, no foreclosed properties and no charge offs for 2018. Mr. Page said, “Intracoastal‘s 2018 results far exceeded expectations and the Bank continues to perform significantly better than industry norms in overall performance. Intracoastal’s proven track record of producing strong financial results has positioned the Bank to continue grow and make loans for the betterment of the local community and economy.” Intracoastal Bank is a locally owned and operated financial institution. Intracoastal Bank’s Flagler County banking center is located at 1290 Palm Coast Parkway, NW, Palm Coast, Florida 32137. The Bank’s Volusia County Banking Center is located at 2140 LPGA Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32117.

Leadership Academy Graduate: Commander Philip Reynolds of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office graduated from the 43rd Class of the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institutes’ Florida Leadership Academy on January 11, 2019. “I’m very proud of Commander Reynolds and his determination to continue to learn and develop as a leader,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “On behalf of our agency, we all wish to congratulate him on this achievement.” The Florida Leadership Academy is a four-week course held in Tallahassee, Florida, designed to prepare first line supervisors in criminal justice organizations to exemplify the character and integrity expected of criminal justice professionals. Graduates understand leaders as role models, and the importance of leaders as coaches, teachers, and mentors to other members of the organization. Participants in the Florida Leadership Academy learn the skills necessary to support the technical and administrative needs of their agency. These skills include proactive problem solving, effective communication, and related leadership skills. The Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute, which is part of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and is affiliated with the State University System, was established in 1990 by the Florida Legislature to address the need for an innovative and multi-faceted approach to the education and training of criminal justice professionals (www.fdle.state.fl.us).

Innovative Financial Solutions announces new office location in Palm Coast: Innovative Financial Solutions, a leading financial services firm, announces its new location in Palm Coast at Creekside at Grand Haven office/retail complex on the corner of Colbert Lane and Waterfront Park Drive at the entrance to Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park on the Intracoastal Waterway. For Innovative Financial Solutions, the new office space offers the latest in design while incorporating the beauty of the development. A full solar electric with battery back up and geothermal heating/cooling are but a few of the amenities in the new building. The complex is also one of the first commercial developments in Palm Coast to offer electric vehicle charging stations under the SemaConnect network. The new office will allow for additional growth in meeting the increasing demand for independent financial advisors in Palm Coast. The new address is: 4 Concorde Lane, Suite 1, Palm Coast, FL 32137. The firm’s phone number will remain as 386-597-2856.

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.

WATER WOES AT ISSUE: The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a presentation from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection about algae blooms and red tide. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

TECHNOLOGY, SURVEILLANCE EYED: The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will receive a presentation about the impact of technology and surveillance on Fourth Amendment rights that shield people from unreasonable searches and seizures. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

VEGETABLE GARDENS GET BACKING: The House Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 145), filed by Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff, R-DeLand, that would largely prevent local regulation of vegetable gardens on residential property. The bill stems from a legal dispute between homeowners Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll and the Village of Miami Shores over an ordinance that banned front-yard vegetable gardens. The couple had maintained a front-yard garden for nearly two decades but uprooted their vegetables when faced with the possibility of fines. They challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance but lost in court. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., 12 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT ISSUE: The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee will receive an overview of mental-health programs and services in public schools. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 412 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

PANEL WEIGHS RED-LIGHT CAMERA REPEAL: The House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee will consider a proposal (HB 6003), filed by Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the-Hills, that would eliminate a law that allows red-light cameras. The House voted during the 2018 legislative session to approve such a repeal, but the Senate version did not advance in committees. The House estimated at the time that lifting the law would save drivers $159 million a year. Supporters of the cameras say the devices help improve traffic safety, but critics contend they are more about increasing government revenue than public safety. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

CABINET AIDES MEET: Aides to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will meet to discuss issues in advance of a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)

GULF RED SNAPPER AT ISSUE: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will continue a series of meetings about state management of Gulf red snapper. The council is seeking input on a draft plan that would allow the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to set the recreational red snapper fishing season and, potentially, other management measures in state and federal waters off Florida. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., Farris Bryant Building, 620 South Meridian St., Tallahassee.)

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

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

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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 Jan. 18, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-revoew-jan-18-2019-development.pdf

Road and Interstate Construction: