Arguing that Florida’s decision to hold a bear hunt in December is not based on “sound” science and research, the group Bear Warriors United, a conservation group, asked a judge for an emergency temporary injunction to halt the hunt.
Archives for October 23, 2025
The Disgraceful History of Erasing Black Cemeteries
Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, the largest burial ground for enslaved and free people of color in the United States, has witnessed deliberate acts of violence. As the historian Ryan K. Smith writes, Shockoe “was not, as some would say, abandoned – it was actively destroyed.” In recent years, similar threats to Black cemeteries and questions about preservation have been reported at the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana, the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 in Maryland and a rediscovered graveyard in Florida, among many others.
Critical After February Crash, Daniel Waterman, 22, Died on Oct. 8. His Pregnant Girlfriend Is Accused of Causing the Crash.
Last Super Bowl Sunday, the day Leigha Mumby, 24, discovered she was pregnant by her boyfriend, Daniel M. Waterman, 22, Mumby drove her Honda into a tree on I-95 in Palm Coast, seriously injuring herself and critically injuring Waterman, who was hospitalized since and who died on Oct. 8. Mumby was charged with a second-degree felony when an FHP investigation determined she had intentionally caused the crash. The charge may be aggravated, now that Waterman has died. His family is seeking custody of the child.
DeSantis Ridicules Spate of House Proposals to Cut Property Taxes as ‘Political Game’
Florida House members have proposed seven constitutional amendments for the 2026 ballot that would slash the state’s property tax. Gov. DeSantis dismissed them all, saying that “placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes,” and describing it as “a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people.”
County Completes $1.88 Million Buy of Marlow Property on Intracoastal for Linear Park Extension
County Attorney Michael Rodriguez on Monday said the county just closed on the purchase of a 5.2-acre parcel on the Intracoastal Waterway for perpetual preservation under the county’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands program, and as an extension of Palm Coast’s popular linear Park.
Flagler Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Percy Sayles Named as County Administrator Petito’s Deputy in Place of Salinas
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Peito has named Deputy Fire Chief Percy Sayles deputy county administrator, replacing Jorge Salinas, who died in a car crash on Oct. 4. Petito informed county commissioners of her decision in individual meetings on Monday, and announced the decision publicly this morning in a release. Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker appointed Sayles his deputy in December 2021.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, October 23, 2025
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets this evening, Model Yacht Club Races in Central Park, Trump protests are three times as voluminous as in his first term, Peter Paul and Mary blow in the wind.