Wednesday Briefing: Walk-Ins at Eight Schools, Jason Altmire at Tiger Bay, Lukasik’s TDC, Parental Consent
FlaglerLive | April 17, 2019
Earlier this month, Waste Pro’s staff in Palm Coast spent three days honoring the hardworking employees of the city by treating them to lunch. On April 3rd, Waste Pro’s team fed approximately 130 public works employees. The next day, the team provided lunch to 130 utility workers and on April 5 it was the turn of City Hall’s 140 employees. Each meal was delivered by Cracker Barrel and served by employees from Waste Pro’s Palm Coast and Jacksonville offices. In an effort to raise awareness about recycling and the harmful effects of single-use plastics on the environment, Waste Pro did not provide throw-away cups for the lunches. Instead, each city employee received their beverages in a reusable Waste Pro cup. (Waste Pro)
Today: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 80s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
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: 188
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: shanghai.
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
“[I]n all countries at all times, frustration with political leaders is the default posture of professional warriors, who are themselves almost invariably blessed with less wisdom than they suppose.”
–From Max Hastings’s “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy” (2018).
Previously:
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 online auction to raise money for the G.W. Carver Foundation, the funding mechanism for Carver Gym in Bunnell, is live until April 24. Click here to participate.
Walk-Ins at Eight Schools: The Flagler County Education Association and the Flagler County Educational Support Personnel Association, the county’s two faculty and support personnel unions, hold a district-wide walk-in at 7:30 a.m. at the Flagler Palm Coast High School flagpole, with teachers, staff, administrators, and community members. The event is intended to raise public awareness and increase communication with legislators.
The Flagler County Technical Review Committee meets at 9 a.m. in the First Floor Conference Room of the Government Services Building, Bunnell.
The Tourist Development Council meets at 3 p.m. in board chambers at Government Services Building, Bunnell, with Amy Lukasik as the tourism bureau’s interim director.
The Flagler County Contractor Review Board meets at 5 p.m. in board chambers at the Government Services Building, Bunnell.
The Palm Coast Planning Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in Town Center.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Welcomes Jason Altmire, former Pennsylvania Congressman and author of “Dead Center.” 11:30 a.m. At the Hammock Dunes Club, 30 Avenue Royale, Palm Coast. No cost to members, guests and future members, $40. Altmire served three terms in the United States House of Representatives, between 2007 and 2013, earning a reputation for his centrist views and bipartisan efforts. He’s a business leader and nationally recognized expert on health care. Representing both sides of the aisle, Altmire is lauded by influential thought leaders and colleagues alike, including Neil Cavuto, Sr. Vice President and anchor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, Bob Cusack, Editor-in-Chief of The Hill, former Florida Governor Bob Graham, a Democrat, and former Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker, a Republican. His presentation at the Flagler Tiger Bay Club luncheon, “Leading From the Middle”, will offer insights on returning political discourse back to the days of civility. A limited book sale and signing will follow. Members and guests are cordially invited to visit www.flaglertigerbayclub.com for registration and details.
The Rymfire Elementary School Advisory Council meets at 5:30 p.m. at the school’s media center.
Auditions for “Spotlight on Flagler,” the annual youth talent show, 5 p.m. at the Flagler Youth Center.
Rockin’ Dolphin Spring Concert Series. Come out and enjoy live music at Marineland There will be live bands playing from noon to 3 p.m. Local food trucks will be onsite with great food for purchase.
Stetson Woodwind Ensembles. Join us during an evening of varied and exciting music for clarinet and flute choirs and saxophone ensembles on Stetson’s beautiful DeLand campus. 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.
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: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 12 to 4 p.m.
Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours' Incidents in Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell
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Sheriff's night shift incident reports, July 8 Sheriff's day shift incident reports, July 8 Flagler Beach's night shift incident reports, July 8 Flagler Beach's day shift incident reports, July 8 Bunnell police's night shift incident reports, July 8 Bunnell police's day shift incident reports, July 8 |
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.
Last Updated: April 1
Segment 2 (South 22nd Street to South 9th Street):
The contractor continues installing a new water main along the west side of S.R. A1A. The contractor is moving north through the project clearing the area and removing existing sidewalk in preparation for the pipe installation. In the coming week, the contractor also will begin taking up the existing roadway to begin installation of the French drains.
Pedestrians are asked to stay within the temporary pedestrian walkways for safety. Residents and visitors also are reminded that all of the dune walkovers are closed, and removing any signage or barricades to access a walkover is unsafe and unlawful.
Segment 3 (North 18th Street to Osprey Drive) Project Update:
The contractor has completed more than 200 of the approximately 1,800 piles that need to be drilled to create the secant wall.
Construction activities will continue during daylight hours Monday through Saturday. The contractor is requesting that spectators stay off the shoulders and out of the work zone for safety. Drivers need to obey the 25-mph speed limit and remember that parking is not allowed on the shoulder.
Recently, DOT received a few questions from residents that DOT wants to answer:
1. Why do some properties have the black silt fencing and others do not?
The silt fencing is an erosion control requirement to prevent dirt and debris from leaving our work area and being deposited into waterways or onto private property. In some areas, the property to the west of our work area slopes up away from the work area, so erosion control is not required.
2. Will the contractor repair areas on my side of the sidewalk that have been disturbed?
Residents and property owners can get a general idea of where the department’s right of way ends by looking at the placement of the power poles, as well as stakes that have been placed along the project. In some areas, the back edge of the new sidewalk will be slightly farther to the west. For the most part, the back of the new sidewalk will be very close to, or right at, the right of way line.
This project calls for all of the work to be performed within the Florida Department of Transportation right of way. If, however, the work disturbs or damages private property outside of the right of way, the contractor is responsible to make repairs once the work is finished.
Please note that all restoration of conditions within the department’s right of way, including landscaping, hardscaping and driveways, is dictated by the construction plans and existing permits.
3. When will the sidewalk be replaced?
The contractor has begun installing the new sidewalk to the south of 19th Street. As the new water main is installed, there are several types of testing that need to be performed on the new line, and the work needs to be accepted by the City of Flagler Beach before the new sidewalk can be placed. The water main installation is expected to continue for the next several months.
Pedestrians are asked to stay within the temporary pedestrian walkways for safety. Residents and visitors also are reminded that all of the dune walkovers are closed, and removing any signage or barricades to access a walkover is unsafe and unlawful.
Caution! Flagler Beach police and and Sherriff’s deputies are actively monitoring speed and writing tickets. “I got a warning on north section of A1A before construction actually began so I keep to the 25 limit, but still getting tailgated by cars wanting to go faster,” a reader tells us.
See Also:
- In Flagler Beach, A1A Shops and Restaurants Hope Their ‘Open For Business’ Signs Are Louder Than Road Construction
- $22.4 Million A1A Rebuilding and Sea Wall Construction in Flagler Beach Starts in January
- A New, Not Much Improved A1A in Flagler Beach: Median, 30MPH, Drainage, But No Added Protection
- Council Endorses Raising Flagler’s Tourism Tax to 5% to Pay For Beach Repairs
- FDOT’s Regional Construction Page
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.
The Florida Department of Transportation will be closing Old Dixie Highway and C.R. 325 at U.S. 1 on Monday night, March 4, from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The closure is needed to allow the contractor to make improvements to the crossover at the temporary intersection. U.S. 1 will remain open in both directions.
More details here.
See Also:
- Roundabout Construction on US1 and Old Dixie Begins: Be Prepared For Traffic Shifts and Single Lanes
- Roundabout Construction at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Begins in Weeks; Expect Detours
- Strident Opposition to Roundabout at US1 and Old Dixie Even As Another Crash Results In Critical Injury
- FDOT’s Project Page
I-95 Construction, Repaving: 
Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., single lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line. Monday – Friday, 9 p.m. – 7 a.m., double lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line.
See this week’s full Interstate Construction Report for Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns here.
None.
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.
SENATE HOLDS FLOOR SESSION: The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor session and could approve a bill (SB 178), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, that would lead to the tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida operating for at least the next eight years. The agency, which has been criticized by House leaders, will be eliminated Oct. 1 unless lawmakers reauthorize it during this year’s legislative session. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., Senate chamber, the Capitol.)
PARENTAL CONSENT DEBATED: The House will take up numerous issues during a floor session, including a proposal (HB 1335), filed by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, that would require parental consent before minors could have abortions. Among other bills that will be considered is a measure (HB 171), sponsored by Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, that could lead to needle- and syringe-exchange programs in various parts of the state. The Senate has already passed its version of the bill (SB 366) as lawmakers look to curb the spread of diseases by intravenous drug users. (Wednesday, 11:30 a.m., House chamber, the Capitol.)
UCF SALARY INCREASES ON TABLE: The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees will hold a conference call to discuss an agreement with the United Faculty of Florida that would provide salary increases to employees. (Wednesday, 11 a.m. Call-in number: 1-800-442-5794. Code: 463796.)
‘TASTE OF TALLAHASSEE’ TIME: Capitol denizens can go across the street for food and craft beer as the city holds “A Taste of Tallahassee.” (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Adams Street in front of Tallahassee City Hall.)
—-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. ♦ July 19: Urban Surf 4 Kids Surf Camp, 9 to 1 p.m. at South 6th Street on the Beach in Flagler Beach. ♦ July 19: The Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission meets at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 105 S 2nd St. ♦ July 19: Dive-in Movies, 8 p.m. at Palm Coast Aquatics Center, 339 Parkview Drive. Just bring your swimsuit and enjoy the show! Dive-in movie nights at the Palm Coast Aquatics Center provides a unique outdoor movie viewing experience for the entire family. Be sure to grab your favorite snack, sit back and enjoy the show! Food and snacks will be available for purchase. This month features “Incredibles 2” (PG). More info: 386-986-4741 and www.palmcoastgov.com/movies. ♦ July 20: Flagler Pier Fishing Tournament, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Flagler Beach Fishing Pier. For any questions, please contact the Pier bait shop at 386-517-2436. ♦ July 20: Youth Fishing Derby, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Waterfront Park, 150 Waterfront Park Road, Palm Coast. Come out to Waterfront Park for a day of family fun, food, and catch-and-release fishing. Youth will be eligible for various prizes based on different categories such as longest fish, heaviest fish, most fish, smallest fish and others. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Any adult actively assisting a youth must have a fishing license. For ages 15 and under. Free and registration is encouraged but not required at www.parksandrec.fun/events. More info: 386-986-2323. ♦ July 20: Meet with your local Fire Rescue personnel, while you tour your community’s Fire Station and equipment, at Flagler County Fire Station 92 at the county airport, 130 Airport Rd., Palm Coast, from 9 a.m. to noon. Additionally, personnel from Florida Forest Service and Flagler County Emergency Management will be available to explain and assist residents in signing up for the ALERTFlagler emergency notifications, and Special Needs Sheltering programs. For more information please contact Chief Fire Marshall (386) 313-4258 ♦ July 20-21: Jr. Lifeguard Camp, 8 a.m-12p.m. at Palm Coast Aquatics Center, 339 Parkview Drive. The Junior Lifeguard Camp offers step-by-step lifeguarding skill development. Learn water safety, lifeguard rescues, and First Aid CPR/AED in a weekend camp. Class attendees will receive a CPR mask, Red Cross whistle and T-shirt. For ages 11-15 years. $70/session. Registration required at www.parksandrec.fun/camps. More info: 386-986-2323. ♦ July 20-21: "Sleeping Beauty," at the Daytona Playhouse, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., Adults $13, Seniors 55 and up, $18, Youths 18 and under $7. Address: 100 Jessamine Blvd., Daytona Beach, or see directions here. Buy tickets online here. Box office: 386-255-2431. ♦ July 22:  The Flagler County Stamp and Coin Club meets at 4:30 p.m. at the VFW Post 8696 47 N. Old Kings Road. From 4:30 - 6 p.m. the time is used for buying, selling and trading stamps and coins. The club meeting starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30. There is a live auction of stamps and coins at the end of the meeting. The club is open for members, the general public, and all who are interested in stamp and coin collecting and investing. Free stamps and coin evaluations at all our meetings. The club is the only non-profit Stamp and Coin Club in Flagler County. For more information please visit the club's web site.♦ July 22: Nar-Anon offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts. Every Monday, 6 p.m., St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. ♦ July 23: Flagler County is hosting a ceremonial signing of its beach renourishment agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers at 2 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Government Services Building. Commission Chair Donald O’Brien and Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly will make a few opening comments about the 2.6 mile 10-foot dune and beach profile extension in Flagler Beach. They, along with County Attorney Al Hadeed, will sign four copies of the final agreement. The 50-year, $100 million project is largely unfunded but will depend on Flagler County to secure half the money. The federal government would assume the other half. It applies to only 2.6 miles of beach in Flagler Beach. See: "Flagler About To Sign 50-Year, $100 Million Deal to Rebuild 2.6 Miles of Dunes in Flagler Beach. It Has Only a Fraction of the Money." ♦ July 23: The Flagler County Opioid Task Force meets at 6 p.m. at the Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway. The task force will meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at the library through November. ♦ July 24: A meeting of Facing Grief Together, formerly known as Compassionate Friends, is scheduled at the Vitas Office at 4 North Old Kings Road (across from Kentucky Fried Chicken) in Palm Coast. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Facing Grief Together, a nonprofit self-help bereavement support organization for families that have experienced the death of a child. The meeting is open to all parents, grandparents, and siblings over age 18 who has suffered the loss of a child of any age. For more information, call John Brady at 610-428-3139. To learn more about Facing Grief Together, visit their national website at www.compassionatefriends.org. ♦ July 25:  Carolyn Gosselin, Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, is the featured speaker at the Flagler Chamber's Common Ground breakfast, 8 a.m. at the Palm Coast Hilton Garden Inn, 50 Town Court. Registration is required by July 19. Members can preregister for $25, Guests and future members can attend for $35. No walk-ups. ♦ July 27: Tour de Palm Coast: Ride along the scenic route of St. Joe Walkway on this free tour. The tour will begin leaving promptly at 8 a.m. from the Palm Coast Community Center. Riders are encouraged to bring water, and all riders must wear a helmet. ♦ July 27: First Aid and CPR/AED, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fire Station 25, 1250 Belle Terre Pkwy., Palm Coast. This class is a seven-hour course (one hour for lunch) designed to meet OSHA regulations and teach administering CPR to children and adults, using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), using a mask or barrier device, assisting with bleeding, broken bones. $50/person with registration required by 9 a.m. June 27. Register at www.parksandrec.fun/adults. More info: 386-986-2300 and cprcertification@palmcoastgov.com. ♦ July 27: The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce and the Palm Coast Area Council invites you to a small business development workshop. With Thaddeus Hammond, Economic Development Director of the SBA North Florida District, a leading expert in developing small businesses as guest speaker. 5 to 7 p.m., The Windsor of Palm Coast, 50 Town Ct, Palm Coast. Chamber Member: $15 per person, Guest and Future Chamber Member: $25 per person. Contact Melinda Rivera at 386-437-0106 or send her an email at melinda@flaglerchamber.org. ♦ July 29-Aug. 2: Monday-Friday, July 29-Aug. 2, 8 a.m-5 p.m. at Palm Coast Aquatics Center, 339 Parkview Drive. Love art? Come enjoy a week where you can let your creative side take flight. Campers will spend their days creating, drawing, sketching, painting and more! Of course, we’ll go to the pool and play some games, too. Lunch is provided at no extra charge by the Flagler County School District. For grades 6-8 (grade just completed). $80/entire week. Registration required at www.parksandrec.fun/camps. More info: 386-986-2323. ♦ July 29: Nar-Anon offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts. Every Monday, 6 p.m., St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. ♦ July 31:  An evidentiary hearing twice postponed is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the case of James McDevitt, who is serving a 40-year prison sentence in the 2015 rape of a woman in Flagler Beach, has been postponed to July 31. McDevitt pleaded guilty to the rape charge, but is now claiming ineffective counsel by two successive lawyers and is seeking to have the conviction and sentence vacated. The hearing is before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse. Perkins has reserved one hour for the hearing. The hearing had originally been scheduled for early April. McDevitt's lawyer asked for it to be rescheduled because of an emergency family issue (regarding the lawyer's family). It was again postponed to May 17. McDevitt has been at the Flagler County jail since April 4, awaiting the proceeding. He is normally incarcerated at Taylor prison in Perry, in Florida's Big Bend area. See details here.For events beyond this date, see the fuller Coming Days here. |
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 March 29, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.
https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/week-in-review-march-29-2019-developments.pdf
Cultural Coda
Yo-Yo Ma at the Mexican Border
And be sure to check out the latest performances at the Netherlands Bach Society.
Previous Codas:
- Wynton Marsalis: Jazz in Marciac 2009
- Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, The Bavarian Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
- Maria-Magdalena Kaczor plays J.S.Bach, Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C major BWV 564
- Oscar Peterson Piano Lesson
- Keith Jarrett Trio: Georgia On My Mind (Poland 1985)
- Symphony N°25 KV 183 W A Mozart Mozarteum Salzbourg Orchestra
- Elgar, Introduction and Allegro: A Far Cry
- Louis Spohr: Concerto for Quartet and Orchestra
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Symphony in C major
- J.S. Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D minor BWV 1043: Oistrakh and Menuhin
- J.S. Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D minor BWV 1043 Krakowska Młoda Filharmonia
- Willie Nelson: Hello Walls
- Jacques Loussier Trio Plays Bach
- Norbert Burgmüller: Duo for clarinet and piano, op. 15
- Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra
- Nina Simone: Good Bait
- Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody
- FPC Jazz Band, 2019 District MPA, Love is Here to Stay
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Triosonata in C Minor BWV 526, Katja Sager, organ
- J.S. Bach: Trio Sonata in E-Flat Major, BWV 525, Doug Marshall, Organ
- Willie Nelson and His Sons Discuss Growing up on Tour and Performing as a Family
- Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Miniatures for String Quartet
- Joseph Marx: Trio-Phantasie (1914)
- George Antheil: Violin Sonata Nr. 2
@In Florida and in State Government:
The Floriduh Legislature consists of 40 State Senators and 120 State Representatives.(1) They are currently scraping by with a mere 21,859 lobbyists.(2)
It must be a real chore deciding who to let write your bills, hire your friends and family, pay for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, etc. – off the record and just between friends – of course. The critters in the Tallahassee swamp must be some of the best fed specimens in existence.
(1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Legislature
(2)https://floridalobbyist.gov/