Monday Briefing: Gerald Medders On Trial, Stamp and Coin, A1A Update, Minimum Wage, Vietnam Memorial

Flagler Beach's A1A Project update: Installation of a new water main, as well as a new sewer line, is in progress between South 19th Street and South 18th Street. This work is expected to continue over the next few weeks. South of South 19th Street, installation of the French drain system is continuing. See further details below. — Flagler Beach’s A1A Project update: Installation of a new water main, as well as a new sewer line, is in progress between South 19th Street and South 18th Street. This work is expected to continue over the next few weeks. South of South 19th Street, installation of the French drain system is continuing. See further details below.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Clear. Lows in the mid 50s. East winds 5 to 10 mph in the evening becoming light.
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: 140
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: adversary.
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

“The memorial, an angle of polished black stone subtly submerged in a gentle slope, is an artistic abstraction. Yet its simplicity dramatizes a grim reality. The names of the dead engraved on the granite record more lives lost in battle: they represent a sacrifice to a failed crusade, however noble or illusory its motives. In a larger sense they symbolize a faded hope-or perhaps the birth of a new awareness. They bear witness to the end of America’s absolute confidence in its moral exclusivity, its military invincibility, its manifest destiny. They are the price, paid in blood and sorrow, for America’s awakening to maturity, to the recognition of its limitations. With the young men who died in Vietnam died the dream of an “American Century.”

–From Stanley Karnow’s “Vietnam: A History” (1983).

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.

In Court: Gerald Medders is scheduled to go on trial, starting with jury selection, in four counts of illegal sex with or molestation of a minor, before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse, 9 a.m. Medders, 53, of 6 Zelda Place in Palm Coast, was arrested in March 2016. The victim, according to Medders’s charging affidavit, reported to a counselorthat Medders had allegedly been having sex with her for three months at his home on Zelda Place. Medders allegedly blamed the victim. See details here.

The Bunnell City Commission meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 West Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. Little of note on the agenda.

The Flagler Palm Coast High School Advisory Council meets at 6 p.m. at the school.

The Buddy Taylor Middle School Advisory Council meets at 5 p.m. at the school’s media center.

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.

The 16th annual Jeep Beach in Daytona Beach’s beach. Over the years, the event has steadily grown in size and scope. Since 2012, Jeep Beach has donated over $1.5 million to local charities. Past recipients include, Boys & Girls Club of Volusia & Flagler County, Childhood Cancer Foundation, NASCAR Foundation, Mission 22 and over 100 other local charities.

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):

Monday: Palm Coast Ford, 1150 Palm Coast Parkway, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday: Post Office on Pine Cone Drive, Palm Coast, 2 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Daytona State College, Palm Coast Campus, 3000 Palm Coast Parkway, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday: Metro Diner, 250 Palm Coast Parkway, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, 1 to 6 p.m.
Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 4600 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 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.

Last Updated: April 22

Segment 2 (South 22nd Street to South 9th Street):

Installation of a new water main, as well as a new sewer line, is in progress between South 19th Street and South 18th Street. This work is expected to continue over the next few weeks. South of South 19th Street, installation of the French drain system is continuing.

This type of drainage system will collect stormwater into large gravel-filled, underground vaults set into what will be a new raised median. The vaults will be able to store water during heavy rains, which will improve the flooding that occurs to prevent erosion and undermining of the roadway. The water collected will percolate through the vaults into the aquifer. The roadway will be reconstructed at the appropriate slope to collect water at the median.

Pedestrian walkways are open. Pedestrians and bicyclists are asked to be alert to construction equipment and use caution. On South Central Avenue, the project team has applied reflective tape to stop signs to help increase visibility of the signs, and additional enforcement will be conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Segment 3 (North 18th Street to Osprey Drive) Project Update:

Residents can now see all phases of the secant wall process on this segment. At the very north end, the contractor is almost finished bringing in sand and preparing the dune for the drilling process. On the very south end, the concrete cap of the wall has been poured. In the middle of the project, workers are drilling the concrete piles and setting the fiberglass cages.

Once the wall is constructed and the cap has been poured throughout the length of the project, the contractor will shape the dune to the specified slope, place sand on top of the wall, and plant new vegetation.

A short presentation on how the wall is constructed has been added to our project webpage and can be seen below:

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:

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.

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:

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.

Announcements/Press Releases:

AdventHealth Selects New Executive Director of Regional Marketing: Russell Mariott has been selected to serve as the executive director of regional marketing for the five AdventHealth hospitals in Flagler and Volusia counties. In his new role, Mariott is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing plans for AdventHealth Daytona Beach, AdventHealth DeLand, AdventHealth Fish Memorial, AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach, and AdventHealth Palm Coast. He will also have oversight of the marketing plans for AdventHealth Medical Group locally, the hospital’s employed group of physicians. Mariott has nearly 15 years of experience in strategic marketing, communications and business development within the healthcare industry. He previously served as the vice president of marketing and communications at Tennova Healthcare, a seven-hospital system located in eastern Tennessee. In this position, he was responsible for driving brand strategy across the region, as well as developing integrated marketing and communication plans for key service lines. An Ormond Beach resident, Mariott earned his Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas.

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.

MINIMUM WAGE HIKE AT ISSUE: The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will discuss a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the minimum wage in the state. The proposal, which could go on the November 2020 ballot, would raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021 and increase by $1 each year until it hits $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026. The state’s minimum wage this year is $8.46 an hour. (Monday, 9:30 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

CASTOR DISCUSSES TRANSPORTATION: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., will hold a media availability before boarding a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority bus to discuss transportation issues with customers. (9:30 a.m., Marion Transit Center, 1211 North Marion St., Tampa.)

CRIST TOUTS CONSERVATION: U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., will talk about conserving the environment and recreational areas during an Earth Day event that is also expected to include St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. (Monday, 10 a.m., Bartlett Park, 2000 Seventh St. South, St. Petersburg.)

—-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 April 12, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-april-12-2019-developments.pdf

Cultural Coda

Buxtehude By The Netherlands Bach Society