Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday proposed an artificial intelligence “bill of rights” to stymie unfettered AI growth, crack down on sexual AI chatbots, and restrict AI data centers in Florida. Hinted at for months, these legislative proposals come in sharp contrast to pro-tech push marking President Donald Trump’s second term in office. Trump — allied with technology titans like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg — toyed with an executive order to thwart state-level AI regulations earlier this month.
Archives for December 2025
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Ardit Coma Arrested on Charge of Fleeing and Eluding Ormond Beach Police
Ardit Coma, a 28-year-old detective with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested by Ormond Beach police early this morning on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding law enforcement. The incident took place a little before 8 a.m. on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, as Coma was driving to work in Bunnell in his gray Taurus. He has been suspended without pay, pending the disposition of the case.
County Administrator Heidi Petito ‘Does Not Meet Expectations,’ 3 of 5 Commissioners Say, Putting Her Future in Doubt
In a set of evaluations potentially devastating to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s tenure, three of her commissioners—Chair Leann Pennington, Kim Carney, and Pam Richardson—concluded in their evaluations of Petito that she “does not meet expectations.” They each rated her a failing 2 out of 5, sharply criticized her leadership, and two of them explicitly said Petito is no longer the person for the job.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 4, 2025
Nexus Center Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting and Gala, Model Yacht Club Races, ‘Annie,’ at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine, the similarities between a Trump cabinet meeting and an SS’s self-esteem.
Matanzas High’s Remy Battles Is 2025 Leaders for Life Fellow, One of Only 6 Statewide
Remy Battles, a senior at Matanzas High School, has been named a 2025 Leaders for Life Fellow, one of only six students statewide selected for the prestigious honor by the Asofsky Family Foundation.
Constitutional Alarms Over Labeling Dissent as Terrorism
A largely overlooked directive issued by the Trump administration marks a major shift in U.S. counterterrorism policy, one that threatens bedrock free speech rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7, issued on Sept. 25, 2025, is a presidential directive that for the first time appears to authorize preemptive law enforcement measures against Americans based not on whether they are planning to commit violence but for their political or ideological beliefs.
DeSantis Makes Dubious Claims About Florida Being ‘Forced’ To Redistrict
Democrats and voting rights advocates this week voiced vehement opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call to redistrict Florida’s congressional map in a special session next year, calling it an “illegal” gerrymander in violation of the Florida Constitution. Not surprisingly, DeSantis disagrees.
Palm Coast Council Will Hold Fewer Meetings and More Flexibly Allow Members to Attend and Vote Remotely
The Palm Coast City Council is changing a few of its procedures: Fewer meetings. A more formalized allowance for remote participation in meetings (by council members, not the public). No votes on anything not on the agenda. The council approved the changes Tuesday.
Flagler County Paramedic, Step-Father and Homeless Man All Facing Grave Sex Charges and Life Terms Set for Trials
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols this morning scheduled three men for trials on unrelated sex-assault charges after each man declined to plead out, opting instead to risk facing 55 years to life in prison if convicted. The men are former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic James Melady, whose alleged victim was a patient he is accused of raping in an ambulance; Kristopher Henriqson, who is accused of raping his prepubescent stepdaughter for years; and Jose Valerio-Rodriguez, a homeless man accused of statutorily raping a minor.
McGlothlin Applauds ‘Due Diligence’ as Palm Coast Council Strips Several Clauses Before Approving His Contract
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved a nearly $300,000 compensation package for incoming City Manager Michael McGlothlin, but not before deleting several clauses from the contract, including a provision that would have made him eligible for additional pay during emergencies. McGlothlin followed the council’s deliberations on YouTube last night, and told FlaglerLive this morning that “I heard absolutely nothing that gives me any pause.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Ex-Firefighter James Melady is scheduled for docket sounding, so is Kristopher Henriqson, the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, Elio Vittorini and Robert Antelme on the human race, Lee Greenwood.
Florida Supreme Court Calls for 25 More Judges, One in 7th Judicial Circuit
Gov. Ron DeSantis may get a chance to appoint up to 25 additional judges in his final year in office if the Florida Legislature goes along with a new request from the state Supreme Court. DeSantis has repeatedly boasted about his efforts to reshape Florida’s judicial branch, including the state Supreme Court. Five of the seven justices on the court were appointed by the Republican governor. The court has made several crucial rulings including one that undid its previous decisions on the right to abortion.
Stop Calling Homosexuality a Choice
Numerous studies have established that sex is not just male or female. Rather, it is a continuum that emerges from a person’s genetic makeup. Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversion, and leads to discrimination and persecution.
Mosquito Board’s Julius “Jules” Kwiatkowski, Flagler County’s 2nd Longest-Serving Elected Official, Dies at 90
Jules “Julius” Kwiatkowski, Flagler County’s longest-serving elected official after Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson–with 17 years on the East Flagler Mosquito Control District, many of them as chair–died Monday in Palm Coast, the district announced this evening. He would have been 91 on Jan. 4. Kwiatkowski was one of only two Democrats still serving in elected office in Flagler County or its cities.
A Year and A Half Investigation of Drive-By Shooting Leads to Arrest, and Almost Immediate Release
Traycan Verdell, 27, accused of a drive-by shooting into an occupied house in Bunnell in June 2024, was arrested on a Flagler County warrant in Daytona Beach last week, but was almost immediately released after posting bond, and after Bunnell police spent a year and a half investigating the shooting.
Palm Coast Charter Revisions Take Shape: Easier to Run, Stricter Term Limits, No More Health Benefits
As Palm Coast’s Charter Review Committee continues to meet bi-weekly as it did last night, and before audiences that can be counted on one hand, its proposed revisions are taking shape well ahead of a March 1 deadline: the committee expects to be done next month. The council will then decide what, if any, proposals make it onto next November’s ballot. The council may edit, delete, rewrite or accept in whole the committee’s proposals. The committee itself may meet only one or two more times, likely in January. Here’s what it’s come up with.
Defying Trump Threat of Court Martial, Senator Stands by Call for Military to Refuse Illegal Orders
Arizona Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly said Monday the threat of a court-martial for a video he and other senators released telling military members not to follow illegal orders is an effort to silence the president’s political opponents. Kelly, a retired Navy captain, was one of six Democratic lawmakers with backgrounds in the military or intelligence agencies who appeared in the video that was posted on social media in mid-November. President Donald Trump alleged the lawmakers had committed “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
Flagler Free Clinic Marks 20th Anniversary with $400,000 Bequest, Seed Money for Permanent Home
The Flagler Free Clinic marked its 20th anniversary on Nov. 15 at the Grand Haven Golf Clubhouse in Palm Coast. The “Evening of Gratitude” drew community leaders, healthcare partners and donors to recognize two decades of health care provided to uninsured residents of Flagler and Volusia counties.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council meets this evening, the Bunnell Planning board meets, Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry holds evening hours, Nixon, Kissinger, Trump, Cambodia and Venezuela.
Israel’s Continuing Provocations of War in Lebanon
Since the truce was announced on Nov. 27, 2024, there have been more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations inside Lebanese territory, according to the latest report from UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. And in the run-up to the ceasefire’s first anniversary, a spate of Israeli strikes over its northern border saw the assassination of Hezbollah’s top military commander and a deadly attack on a Palestinian refugee camp.
Thousands Drawn to Palm Coast’s Tree-Lighting in Central Park
Palm Coast welcomed more than 6,000 residents to Central Park this past weekend for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, with an additional 10,000 viewers joining the celebration through the livestream. The remarkable turnout reflects the community’s enthusiasm for one of Palm Coast’s most cherished traditions and marks an exciting start to the holiday season.
Consultant’s Report Finds Lead Levels Insignificant at Flagler County Airport as Complaints Again Take-Off
An analysis of lead levels at Flagler County airport yielded insignificant levels in the air and in the soil at four locations, according to the county attorney’s office. Flagler County last winter commissioned the lead analysis from Timothy Scott of Melbourne-based Consolidated Environmental Engineering, what appears to be a one-man shop. The tests he conducted at the far edges of each runway at the airport showed levels of lead exposure to be well below the permissible exposure limits established by OSHA.
Palm Coast City Manager McGlothlin Set for Pay Package of Close to $300,000 and ‘Disaster Pay’ Bonus in Emergencies
Incoming Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin would be paid $225,000 a year and have a total compensation package that would push the total near the $300,000 mark based on the proposed contract the City Council is set to approve on Tuesday. The base pay is 29 percent higher than that of his predecessor in the permanent job. McGlothlin would be eligible for hourly pay at his base rate for every hour he works during an emergency, past his regular 40-hour week, a first for local government executives.
4-Day School Weeks Winning Popularity But Fail Data Test
Four-day school weeks come down to staff recruitment and retention, fewer discipline problems and improved attendance, while they also help stretch tight school budgets. But the promised benefits have not shown up in the data as longer school days can harm academic performance. Such concerns might not matter as four-day school weeks become more popular nationwide.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 1, 2025
The Palm Coast Charter Review Committee meets, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, the Flagler County Commission meets, Holiday Plant Class Series at UF/IFAS Extension Flagler County at the county fairgrounds, Peter Taylor’s “Allegiance.”