Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Gopher Tortoises in Flagler Beach, Al Hadeed's Appointments

al hadeed flagler county — County Attorney Al Hadeed was appointed to two state committees during the annual meeting of the Florida Association of County Attorneys held in Orlando in June. Hadeed will serve as Vice-Chair of the Finance and Tax Committee – a committee he previously chaired for five years – and the Amicus Curiae Committee (which means “friend of the court”). “I was asked by the Association to once again chair the Finance and Tax Committee, but I declined in light of my present workload for Flagler County,” Hadeed said. “I instead agreed to be vice-chair of that committee for the coming year.” As part of the Amicus Curiae Committee, Hadeed will evaluate pending court cases for legal precedent affecting either county governments or their officials. “The committee recommends to the Florida Association of Counties about which cases the FAC should intervene,” Hadeed said. “It then finds lawyers and reviews briefs for such cases to assure the views of counties are fully and effectively presented to the courts.” The Florida Association of County Attorneys in 2017 presented Hadeed with its Ethics Award, and in 2018 with its Legislative Advocacy Appreciation Award. (© FlaglerLive)

Weekend: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy with chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. Northwest winds around 5 mph shifting to the east 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent. Heat index readings 102 to 106. Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 70s. West winds 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: 131
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: afflatus.
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

“One 2018 paper sketches the math in horrifying detail. In the journal Nature Climate Change, a team led by Drew Shindell tried to quantify the suffering that would be avoided if warming was kept to 1.5 degrees, rather than 2 degrees—in other words, how much additional suffering would result from just that additional half-degree of warming. Their answer: 150 million more people would die from air pollution alone in a 2-degree warmer world than in a 1.5-degree warmer one. Later that year, the IPCC raised the stakes further: in the gap between 1.5 degrees and 2, it said, hundreds of millions of lives were at stake. Numbers that large can be hard to grasp, but 150 million is the equivalent of twenty-five Holocausts. It is three times the size of the death toll of the Great Leap Forward—the largest nonmilitary death toll humanity has ever produced. It is more than twice the greatest death toll of any kind, World War II. The numbers don’t begin to climb only when we hit 1.5 degrees, of course. As should not surprise you, they are already accumulating, at a rate of at least seven million deaths, from air pollution alone, each year—an annual Holocaust, pursued and prosecuted by what brand of nihilism? This is what is meant when climate change is called an “existential crisis”—a drama we are now haphazardly improvising between two hellish poles, in which our best-case outcome is death and suffering at the scale of twenty-five Holocausts, and the worst-case outcome puts us on the brink of extinction. Rhetoric often fails us on climate because the only factually appropriate language is of a kind we’ve been trained, by a buoyant culture of sunny-side-up optimism, to dismiss, categorically, as hyperbole.”

–From David Wallace-Wells’s “Uninhabitable Earth” (2019).

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.

Tuesday: The Palm Coast City Council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall. It’s a limited agenda. Council members are expected to appoint alternate members to the planning board. The meeting is live here.

The County Government Evaluation Committee meets to review proposals submitted in response to RSQ# 19-027Q, Professional Construction Engineering & Inspection Services for Marineland Acres Improvement Projects at 1 p.m. Location: Government Services Building, Financial Services Conference Room, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg 2
Bunnell. The meeting is open to the public.

The Flagler Beach Planning and Architecture (or PAR) Board meets at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 105 S 2nd St. The board will consider a new ordinance relating to the protection of gopher tortoises, with new regulations applicable during development activities.

The Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission meets at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 105 S 2nd St.

Ventriloquist Mark Wade and his “Out of this World” Library Show is at the Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway, 9:30 a.m. You’ll laugh out loud at “GLORP”, the mixed up space alien trying to get back home. You’ll marvel at Mark’s INTERGALACTIC READING MACHINE…and that’s just for starters. Ages 3 to 5 years.

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):

Tuesday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, 1 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, 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: July 1

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.

July 4 Holiday Work Break:

The contractor will not be working on any of the three segments from July 4 through July 7. Work will resume on Monday, July 8, and will occur six days a week.

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

The contractor has placed most of the plants in this section. No planting is scheduled to occur over the next two weeks.

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

Work next week will take place Monday – Wednesday and will include removal of the old water main between South 13th Street and South 20th Street. French drain construction is expected over the next few weeks near South 10th Street, and between South 15th and South 16 streets.

Sidewalk installation is expected between South 14th and South 16th streets, with grading for new sidewalk occurring between South 16th and South 17th streets.

The contractor is also preparing to place lime rock base on the southern end of the project.

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

The contractor continues to drill piles for the secant wall, and form and pour the concrete cap over the wall. Drilling is expected to be finished within the next two weeks, with cap construction finishing a few weeks later. Crews also continue to place sand over the new wall and form the dunes.

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:

I-95 Project in Daytona Beach One Step Closer to Final Interchange Layout: Motorists traveling on southbound Interstate 95 (I-95) exiting to U.S. 92 (International Speedway Boulevard), westbound Interstate 4 (I-4), and eastbound State Road (S.R.) 400 (Beville Road) will do so at a new location, sooner than they usually would exit I-95, starting the morning of Friday, June 28. A new ramp system called a collector-distributor road, which is separated from and parallel to southbound I-95, will open, servicing three exit ramps: 260 A, B, and C. The collector-distributor road will service drivers that want to exit from southbound I-95 to U.S. 92 (International Speedway Boulevard), westbound I-4, and eastbound S.R. 400 (Beville Road). The exit numbers 260A/B/C for U.S. 92, I-4, and S.R. 400 will not change. Electronic message boards and other signs will be placed to alert drivers to the new traffic pattern. Drivers who miss the exit will need to travel to S.R. 421 (Taylor Road) and return on northbound I-95. To make the traffic switch to the new collector-distributor road detours will need to take place overnight from 10 p.m. Thursday, June 27, to 6 a.m. Friday, June 28, requiring southbound I-95 to be closed between LPGA Boulevard and I-4. This includes the southbound I-95 on ramps from both directions of U.S. 92 (International Speedway Boulevard). During the closure, the posted detours will be:

Traffic from southbound I-95
- Motorists will take Exit 265 for LPGA Boulevard and go east where they turn right onto southbound Williamson Boulevard to S.R. 400 (Beville Road) to access southbound I-95 and westbound I-4.
Traffic from eastbound and westbound U.S. 92 (International Speedway Boulevard)
- Motorists will be directed to take southbound Williamson Boulevard to S.R. 400 (Beville Road) to access southbound I-95.

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.

ELECTION RESULTS CERTIFIED: The Florida Elections Canvassing Commission will certify the results of June 18 special elections in state House districts 7, 38 and 97. Port St. Joe Republican Jason Shoaf was elected in North Florida’s District 7 to succeed former Rep. Halsey Beshears, a Monticello Republican who was appointed secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Dade City Republican Randy Maggard was elected in Pasco County’s District 38 to replace former Rep. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican who was appointed executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Coral Springs Democrat Dan Daley ran unopposed in Broward County’s District 97 and succeeds former Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Coral Springs Democrat who was appointed director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)

RUBIO, NELSON DISCUSS BIPARTISANSHIP: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., will discuss bipartisanship during an inaugural forum of the Bill Nelson Initiative on Ethics and Leadership at the University of Florida. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., University of Florida, Smathers Library, 1508 Union Road, Gainesville.)

—-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 June 28, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-june-28-2019-development.pdf

Cultural Coda

Marin Marais: Le Labyrinthe (the Labyrinth); Cassandra Luckhardt, viola da gamba