Wednesday Briefing: Opioids Crisis, Community Cats, Leadership Flagler, Hansen's Hammock

Today:: Cooler. Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 60s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Colder. Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming clear. Lows in the lower 40s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. 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: 68
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: teem.
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
US 1-Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates
Announcements
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development
Cultural Coda

“… golf, a sport that, like smoking pot, was a habit that I enjoyed cultivating.”

–From Willie Nelson’s “It’s A Long Story” (2015).

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 Public Safety Coordinating Council meets for the first time since April 2018 at 8:45 a.m. at the Emergency Operations Center in Bunnell. This is a joint meeting of the County Commission and the Public Safety council, with a discussion of the opioid crisis. See the agenda and background here.

The Bunnell Code Enforcement Board meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 West Moody Boulevard, Bunnell.

Community Cats: Palm Coast’s Animal Control Division is inviting caretakers of community cats to a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Palm Coast City Hall, 160 Lake Ave. Alice Burton and Brianna Lovell from Alley Cat Allies, a leading advocate for outdoor cats, will speak to the group via Skype, offering information about colony management, resources available, low-cost spay/neuter, and more. All are welcome to attend. Palm Coast Animal Control seeks to provide education and receive public information from community cat caretakers. For more information, contact Cindi Lane, Communications & Marketing Manager, at clane@palmcoastgov.com and 386-986-3708. (Rescheduled from its original Feb. 6 time.)

Leadership Flagler: The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce hosts a Leadership Flagler Kickoff Reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Chamber, 20 Airport Rd, Ste C, Palm Coast: Join the newest class of Leadership Flagler for a kickoff reception and orientation for Class 26. Meet past alumni, chamber staff and the newest class. The reception will consist of an orientation, ice breaker event, appetizers and drinks.

Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen speaks to the Hammock Community Association at the Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra Rd., to share information about emergency preparedness and community paramedicine, 6 p.m.

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, palmcoastdemocraticclub@gmail.com. The Blue Power forum meets every Wednesday.

COMMUNITY INPUT SOUGHT ON HEALTH ISSUES: Flagler county residents are being asked to speak up and voice their opinion on a variety of health-related topics through an online survey. The input from the community will be used to create health improvement plans to address community concerns and improve quality of life. The survey is online here countyhealthsurvey.com and is available in English and Spanish. Results of the survey provide the foundation of Community Health Needs Assessments, which are a collection of data used to inform communities and develop goals to improve health outcomes. Once the assessments are complete, they will be used to create three-year Community Health Improvement Plans for both Volusia and Flagler counties. The assessments are being conducted in collaboration with the Florida Department of Health in Flagler and Volusia counties, Flagler Cares, local hospitals and Volusia and Flagler county government. Residents, employers and community partners are encouraged to share this link and ask others to take the survey as well. The survey will close February 28, 2019. Please take the survey here.

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: Integra Woods Apartments, 1000 Integra Woods Blvd., Palm Coast, 3 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 402 North Palmetto St., Bunnell, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday: Chick Fil A, 1000 Palm Coast Parkway, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area, 3100 South Oceanshore Boulevard, Flagler Beach, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, 1 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 or local officials. If you have any relevant information or images, you’re welcome to email them to the editor here.

February 4 Update: Construction is scheduled to begin this week week on Segments 2 and 3 of the S.R. A1A project. Work on Segment 2, from S. 22nd Street to S. 9th Street will include removal of the existing low-profile barrier wall, and construction of the temporary lime rock base on the east side of the roadway to prepare for placement of temporary asphalt. This work will require single lane closures with flagging operations during the day. Work is expected to progress from south to north. Both northbound and southbound traffic will remain on S.R. A1A. The southbound S.R. A1A detour is expected to begin in late February.

Work on Segment 3, from N. 18th Street to Osprey Drive will include removing two existing beach walkovers near N.18th Street and one walkover in front of Oceanside Condominiums as noted in the plans. Work also will include importing and placing sand in preparation for installing the auger cast pilings. Traffic will be shifted slightly to the west on S.R. A1A to accommodate the work. Drivers can expect a single lane closure with flagging operations when traffic is shifted.

The contractor has 300 days to complete the work.

See Also:

The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county's most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view. (DOT) — The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county’s most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view.
(DOT)

U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to the planned 15-month, $4.1 million construction of a roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway. The project started in late January and is scheduled for completion by spring 2020.

This week southbound U.S. 1 will be reduced to one lane and be shifted slightly west onto new pavement. Southbound U.S. 1 traffic heading to Old Dixie Highway will be directed to stay on southbound U.S. 1 and make a U-turn to return to Old Dixie Highway using northbound U.S. 1. Old Dixie Highway drivers heading to southbound U.S. 1 will have to turn onto northbound U.S. 1 and make a U-turn to access southbound U.S. 1. Later this week, northbound U.S. 1 will be reduced to one lane and shifted west onto the existing southbound side of the roadway. Once this shift is made, U.S. 1 will have one lane in each direction through the project area. The speed limit will be reduced along U.S. 1 through the construction zone, and drivers are asked to be alert and use caution when traveling through the work area.

More details here.

See Also:

Announcements:

Scholarship Applicants Wanted: The Flagler Woman’s Club will award multiple $2000 scholarships to male and female graduating seniors in all areas of study including Theatre, Art, Music, and Trade Schools. Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen; a resident of Flagler County for a minimum of one year; have a financial need and qualify for acceptance to a college or a trade school. Printed applications are now available at the Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High Schools’ Guidance Departments; the Flagler County Library in Palm Coast and the Flagler Beach Library. The application is also available on our Face Book page at The Flagler Woman’s Club. The application deadline is February 8, 2019. For more information call Kay Johnson at (386)439-3960 or (386)405-8518.

County Commissioner Joe Mullins. (© FlaglerLive)

Commissioner Mullins named to national steering committee: The National Association of Counties named Commissioner Joe Mullins to serve on its Telecommunications and Technology Policy Steering Committee. “A great deal of NACo’s strength is in our committees and your active participation reflects and reinforces that strength,” NACo president Greg Cox wrote to Mullins about the nomination. “The expertise and engagement of our steering committee members is a main reason why Congress and federal agencies often look to NACo for feedback on legislative policy decisions being made in Washington D.C.” As a member of the steering committee, Mullins is required to participate in monthly conference calls and attend NACo’s Legislative Conference and its Annual Conference. This year’s initiative is “Connecting the Unconnected: Counties Linking Residents to Services.” “It is a great honor to be nominated to this important committee,” Mullins said. “I look forward to serving our local residents at the national level. We are trying to bring fiber to the area, which will attract high-paying jobs.”

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.

EVERGLADES RESTORATION DETAILED: The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee will take up numerous issues, including receiving a presentation from the Department of Environmental Protection about Everglades restoration. (Wednesday, 8 a.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

PRISON HEALTH CARE AT ISSUE: The House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a presentation from the Florida Department of Corrections about inmate health services and litigation. (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

‘FRACKING’ BAN WEIGHED: The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee and the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee are scheduled to take up bills (PCB ANRS 19-01 and SB 314) that would prohibit the controversial oil- and gas-drilling process known as “fracking” in the state. (Wednesday, House Agriculture & Natural Resources, 1:30 p.m., 12 House Office Building, the Capitol. Also, Senate Environment and Natural Resources, 1:30 p.m., 37 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

WORKFORCE HOUSING SOUGHT: The Senate Community Affairs Committee will consider a proposal (SB 250), filed by Chairwoman Anitere Flores, R-Miami, that would create a tax-credit program to try to boost workforce housing. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 301 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

LOCAL TAX REFERENDUMS TARGETED: The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee will take up a bill (SB 336), filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that would require local governments to hold sales-tax referendums during general elections. Supporters of the proposed restriction contend tax referendums should not be held during what are often sparsely attended special elections. But critics have argued, in part, that sales-tax issues can get lost on lengthy general-election ballots. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 412 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

PROFESSIONAL LICENSING CHANGES PROPOSED: The House Business & Professions Subcommittee will consider a bill (HB 397), filed by Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, that would make changes in professional licensing to try to help people get jobs after leaving prison. The changes would apply to certified nursing assistants, barbers, cosmetologists and several types of contractors. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

SUNPASS SYSTEM DRAWS SCRUTINY: The House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee will receive a presentation from the Department of Transportation about the SunPass Centralized Customer Service System. Implementation of the system last year caused major problems and a backlog of toll invoices. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

CONSTITUTION REVISION PANEL TARGETED: The House Civil Justice Subcommittee will take up a proposal (HJR 53), filed by Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach, and Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, that would require ballot measures proposed by the state Constitution Revision Commission to contain only single subjects. Also, the subcommittee will consider a proposal (HJR 249), filed by Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheeanna, that would repeal the commission, which meets every 20 years and has unique powers to place measures on the ballot. The commission drew criticism last year for “bundling” unrelated issues into single constitutional amendments. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)

‘MASS VIOLENCE’ RECORDS EXEMPTION SOUGHT: The House Oversight, Transparency & Public Management Subcommittee will consider a proposal (PCB OTM 19-08) that would expand a public-records exemption to prevent the release of photos, videos and audio recordings that show or record the killing of victims of “mass violence.” (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

SCHOOL SAFETY MONEY DISCUSSED: The House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee will receive presentations about “safe schools” funding. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.)

ELECTION QUALIFYING STARTS: A qualifying period will begin for candidates in special elections in three House districts vacated by lawmakers who took positions heading state agencies. The special elections will be held in District 7, which was vacated by former Rep. Halsey Beshears, R-Monticello; District 38, which was vacated by former Rep. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills; and District 97, which was vacated by former Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs. Beshears recently became secretary of the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Burgess became executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and Moskowitz became director of the Division of Emergency Management. (Wednesday, qualifying starts at 8 a.m.)

STONE SPEAKS AT TIGER BAY; Republican political operative Roger Stone, who was recently charged as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, is scheduled to speak to the Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club. (Wednesday, 11:30 a.m., City Fish Market, 7940 Glades Road, Boca Raton.)

—-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 Feb. 8, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-feb-8-2018-developments.pdf

Cultural Coda

Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Miniatures for String Quartet