Tuesday Briefing: Tedarius Abrams, Florida Park Drive's Airs, Education Law's Constitutionality

Today: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then mostly cloudy with chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent. Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s. South winds around 5 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: 215
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: ineffable.
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

“Tyranny is a crime in a state, but in a woman, intellectually, it simply means she insists she is right; emotionally, it means she is loved.”

–From Harold Brodkey’s “Largely an Oral History of My Mother,” in “Stories In an Almost Classical Mode” (1988).

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 Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop at City Hall at Town Center at 9 a.m. The council will yet again discuss Florida Park Drive, this time to evaluate the cost of air sensors–whether it’s cheaper for the city to lease or buy them.

The Flagler County Affordable Housing Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. in the Financial Services Conference Room, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. 2, Third Floor, Bunnell.

The Flagler County Planning and Development Board meets at 6 p.m. in Board Chambers at the Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. 2, first floor, Bunnell.

Flagler Beach’s Beach Management Plan Ad-Hoc Committee meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

The St. Johns River Water Management District Board holds its regular monthly meeting on June 11 at district headquarters in Palatka. The full board meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the Governing Board Room after 9 a.m. committee meetings. 4049 Reid St., Palatka.

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: Florida Health Care Plans, 309 Palm Coast Parkway, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday: Florida Health Care Plans Town Center, 145 City Place, Suite 100, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday: Aaron’s, 229 St. Joe Plaza, Palm Coast, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: Lowe’s, 315 Cypress Edge Drive, Palm Coast, 11 a.m. to 5 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: June 3

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):

Clearing and placing sand is complete on this segment. The contractor expects to begin planting new vegetation next week. This activity may require single lane closures with flagging operations.

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

The contractor is completing the necessary testing and certifications on the new water line between South 20th Street and South 17th Street. Once that process is complete, the contractor will be switching service onto the new line. This is expected to begin the week of June 10. As customers are transferred to the new line, a short interruption of service is necessary, typically less than 30 minutes. The contractor is working to switch businesses over during non-working hours. The contractor will attempt to notify residents and businesses prior to any interruption of service.

Water main installation is also occurring between South 14th and South 16th streets. Work on the French drain system is taking place between South 12th and South 13th streets.

The contractor also will be constructing new sidewalk between South 13th and South 14 streets, and South 16th and South 18th streets over the next few weeks.

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

Drilling of the concrete piles for the new secant wall continues north of Ocean Marina Drive. This is followed by construction of the concrete wall cap. Once the cap is finished, the dune sand is reworked to achieve the designated slope so that vegetation can be planted. The first plants are expected to be put in next week.

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:

Hurricane Irma assistance still available: Flagler County residents with unrepaired damage from Hurricane Irma may still qualify for assistance. “Although it has been almost two years since Hurricane Irma caused damage to many local homes, residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the storm,” Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said. “We would like to make these residents aware that assistance is still available.” The Flagler County Communities Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) group has received an American Red Cross Hurricane Irma Financial Assistance Grant to assist with home repair projects related to Hurricane Irma. To know if you may qualify for assistance, please contact Geri Scott, Flagler County COAD’s Program Coordinator for Hurricane Irma Recovery at 386-416-7925.

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.

APPEALS COURT WEIGHS EDUCATION FIGHT: The 1st District Court of Appeal will hear arguments in a battle about the constitutionality of a 2017 education law known as HB 7069. Numerous school boards contend that the law is unconstitutional because it intrudes on the decision-making powers of local school districts and creates a public-school system that is not uniform. The dispute focuses heavily on parts of the law designed to boost charter schools, including the creation of what were dubbed “schools of hope.” Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper last year upheld the law, spurring the school boards to take the case to the Tallahassee-based appeals court. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., 1st District Court of Appeal, 2000 Drayton Dr., Tallahassee.)

FREIGHT ISSUES EYED: The Florida Department of Transportation Freight & Multimodal Operations Office will hold the first in a series of forums about a plan that identifies freight transportation facilities expected to be critical to state economic growth. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., Florida Department of Transportation, 1000 N.W. 111th Ave., Miami.)

DUKE HURRICANE COSTS CONSIDERED: The Florida Public Service Commission will consider a proposal that would lead to Duke Energy Florida using $223.5 million in federal tax savings to pay costs related to Hurricane Michael and to replenish a storm reserve. Utilities in the past have typically been allowed to tack extra charges onto customers’ bills to pay the costs of restoring power and rebuilding electric systems after hurricanes. Duke is seeking to recoup costs and replenish a storm reserve, after October’s Hurricane Michael caused major damage to part of the utility’s service area in Northwest Florida. Instead of adding extra charges to customers’ bills, the utility has proposed using money from a 2017 federal tax overhaul to cover the storm-related costs. The tax overhaul, in part, lowered the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, creating savings for companies such as Duke. If the tax savings were not used to cover the storm costs, they could be passed through to customers on monthly electric bills. (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)

CITRUS FORECAST UPDATED: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is scheduled to release the second-to-last monthly forecast for Florida’s citrus-growing season. (Tuesday, noon.)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA BATTLE EYED: The 1st District Court of Appeal will hear arguments about whether lawmakers and the Florida Department of Health violated a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. The Department of Health went to the appeals court in October after Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the Tampa-based firm Florigrown in a dispute about how the state is carrying out the constitutional amendment. Dodson found that a 2017 law was unconstitutional and issued a temporary injunction requiring state health officials to begin registering Florigrown and other medical-marijuana firms to do business. Dodson’s ruling targeted parts of the law that placed caps on the number of medical-marijuana licenses and dealt with issues such as the creation of a “vertical integration” system that requires marijuana operators to grow, process and sell medical marijuana — as opposed to businesses being licensed to play different roles in the industry. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., 1st District Court of Appeal, 2000 Drayton Dr., 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 May 31, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

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

Cultural Coda

Mozart: String Quartet No.15 K.421, Emerson String Quartet