Thursday Briefing: FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Salute to Heroes, A1A Committee, Last Day of School

It's graduation time tonight for Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High students at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. (© FlaglerLive) — It’s graduation time tonight for Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High students at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds around 5 mph shifting to the southeast in the afternoon. Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 70s. South 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: 354
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: bread.
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

“Didn’t you once ask what makes me go on, or do I imagine that you did? What gives me the strength to bear poverty, sickness, and, worst of all, hopelessness? That’s a good question, my young friend. I asked the same question when I first read the Book of Job. Why did Job continue to live and suffer? So that in the end he would have more daughters, more donkeys, more camels? No. The answer is that it was for the game itself. We all play chess with Fate as partner. He makes a move; we make a move. He tries to checkmate us in three moves; we try to prevent it. We know we can’t win, but we’re driven to give him a good fight. My opponent is a tough angel.”

–From Isaac Bashevis Singer’s “A Friend of Kafka,” first published in the Nov. 15, 1968 New Yorker, republished in “A Friend of Kafka” (1970).

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.

Early dismissal in Flagler schools as the district winds down the school year. Thursday is the last day of school for students. They return Monday, Aug. 12.

The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce’s A1A Committee, designed to ensure minimal interference with business from road and sea wall construction projects on A1A, meets at 4 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce on Airport Road in Palm Coast.

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.

Salute to Heroes: Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach hosts the 2019 Salute to Heroes, sponsored by Nexgen Car Care and Monster Energy on May 30th from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The restaurant and festivities will be located at 2444 South Ocean Shore Blvd in Flagler Beach. This event honors our community’s police, firefighters, and veterans. During the event, Jamie Bourdeau will present checks from the restaurant’s 23rd Annual Spring Classic Golf Tournament last month to the Flagler Beach Police Department as well as Flagler County Fire Department. The check presentation is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The event will also consist of live music, great food, and free gifts when attendees R.S.V.P. ahead of time at https://www.getnexgen.com/flagler.

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):

No other appearances by the Big Red Bus scheduled this week in the area.

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: May 20

Protecting Turtles

Now that turtle nesting season has started in the Flagler Beach area, local Turtle Patrol volunteers are checking the beach within the project limits every day to locate any new nests. In Segment 3, north of North 18th Street, work cannot begin until the beach is checked. If a nest is discovered, the nest will be marked, and work will not be allowed within 10 feet of the nest, as specified in the environmental permits issued for this project.

The Turtle Patrol also is monitoring the beach in the project limits of Segment 1, from South 25th Street to South 22nd Street, where plans call for dune revetment involving additional sand and plants.

Segment 1 South 25th Street to South 22nd Street):

Work will be starting on this segment within the next two weeks. This segment involves dune revetment with additional sand and vegetation. Motorists can expect potential short-term lane closures with flagging operations to accommodate the trucks hauling in the new sand and plant material.

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

The contractor continues to work on installing the new water main between South 18th Street and South 16th Street. Within the next few weeks, crews will begin installing water main beginning at South 13th Street and working south toward South 16th Street.

The contractor also continues to install French drain system. Over the next few weeks, the contractor will be constructing some sidewalk transitions to side streets on the south end of the segment, and installing curb mats in compliance with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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

The contractor is expecting to finish drilling the concrete piles for the buried seawall by early July. Work continues on contouring the sand to create the desired dune where wall construction is completed. The first dune plants are expected to be installed within the next few weeks.

Work on this segment also includes the relocation of some utility poles on the north end of the segment. That work has begun and may require short-term lane closures with flagging operations.

Caution! Flagler Beach police and and Sheriff’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:

Animal Control Officer Certification: The School of Emergency Services at Daytona State College announces a 40-hour certification course beginning June 3 for people who love animals and want to become animal control officers. The course, approved by the Florida Animal Control Association, emphasizes protection, care and humane law enforcement, and promotes the peaceful co-existence between animals and Florida residents. Classes meet daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7 at Daytona State’s Advanced Technology College, 1770 N. Technology Blvd. The course fee is $475 and includes all class materials and books, as well as a state licensing examination fee. To register or for more information, contact Robin Davis, (386) 506-4141 or [email protected].

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.

DESANTIS MEETS WITH NETANYAHU: The final full day of a trip to Israel by Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Florida delegation will include a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; ceremonies for signing memorandums of understanding; and a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE ON TABLE; The Florida Chamber of Commerce will host a Florida International Trade and Investment Conference, which is expected to include speakers such as Boeing Latin America President Donna Hrinak, BBVA Compass Chief U.S. Economist Nathaniel Karp and U.S. Southern Command Military Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Mike Plehn, along with panels on e-commerce and trade in the Americas, life sciences, aerospace, and infrastructure. (Thursday, 8:30 a.m. Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables)

‘CAT FUND’ CONSIDERED: The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council will hold a conference call. (Thursday, 10 a.m. Call-in number: 1-888-585-9008. Code: 973664296.)

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

‘CANNABIS ECONOMY’ AT ISSUE: Andrew Freedman, who served as Colorado’s director of cannabis coordination, will speak to the Economic Club of Florida. Freedman, co-founder and senior director of the firm Freedman and Koski, will discuss the topic, “The Cannabis Economy: What Everybody is Getting Wrong About the ‘Green Rush.’” (Thursday, noon, FSU Alumni Center, 1030 West Tennessee St., Tallahassee.)

TRAIL SYSTEM DISCUSSED: The Florida Department of Transportation will hold an open house to discuss a planned multi-use trail along U.S. 17, from State Road 40 to the border of Volusia and Putnam counties. The 14-mile stretch is expected to be part of the 260-mile St. Johns River to Sea Loop. (Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Pierson Community Center, 124 West Washington Ave., Pierson.)

—-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.

[ai1ec view="agenda"]

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 May 24, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-may-24-2019-developments.pdf

Cultural Coda

HAYDN – Piano Trio No. 39 in G major Hob. XV/25 (“Gypsy”)