The 35 or so people who turned up for Wednesday evening’s Flagler Tiger Bay Club candidate forum would have gotten a general understanding of where the candidates stood on local issues. But sharp differences were surprisingly rare, and specific answers to questions even rarer. Too many questions lent themselves to open-ended speculation and the sort of bromides no one can quibble with. A few questions about temperament, public private partnerships and the “westward expansion” yielded more insights, and the candidates themselves had moments more revealing than they may have intended.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Palm Coast Council Approves Budget and Tax Rate and Rejects Latest Attempt to Nullify Debt Referendum
The Palm Coast City Council on Wednesday gave final approval on a 3-1 vote to a $358 million budget and a slight reduction in the property tax rate starting Oct. 1. The 50-minute hearing, which had been rescheduled from last week, when two of the council members were ill, turned indecorous again in its last 10 minutes. Council member Ed Danko challenged the city attorney over a lawsuit just filed against the city to stop a referendum on November’s ballot, and urged two of his colleagues to rescind their vote supporting the referendum, so the legal action is made moot. They declined.
‘Catastrophic’ Helene Landfall Projected for Big Bend This Evening, But Limited Outer-Band Impacts in Flagler-Palm Coast
In Northeast Florida, including Flagler County, outer rain bands will increase in frequency today, with stronger winds arriving after noon and local impacts increasing through Thursday night, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville says. But rain totals in coastal Flagler and Palm Coast are expected to be significantly less than in inland Flagler and counties further west and southwest: forecast models have coastal Flagler and Palm Coast receiving less than one inch, though localized thunderstorms may produce more. The flash flooding potential in Flagler is in the 5 to 15 percent range.
Flagler Beach Hears Substantial Opposition to Veranda Bay Annexation as Developer Counters: ‘I Have Agreed to a Lot Here’
More than two dozen people in an audience of 60 spoke against Flagler Beach’s annexation of the 2,700-unit Veranda Bay development as crafted in a special workshop Tuesday evening. Three commissioners raised substantial concerns as well. But none of it appears to be a deal-breaker as the developer agreed to continue negotiating, and to make several pledges and concessions.
Nov. 5 Election: The Live Interviews
Cornelia Manfre | Mike Norris
Temper and Temperament at Forum, Many Evaded Questions, Some Revealing Moments
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
55 Years in Prison for Devandre Williams, 20, in Killings of Keymarion Hall and Noah Smith, Who Were Both 16
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Devandre Bernard Williams to two concurrent 55-year prison terms for the shooting deaths of Noah Smith and Keymarion Hall, both 16, in 2022 in Bunnell. Williams had faced life in prison for either. He pleaded two weeks ago to a sentence of between 40 to 60 years with a mandatory minimum of 25 years on the count involving Hall, leaving it to Perkins to decide where to set the sentence. Co-defendant Tyrese Patterson is to be sentenced on November. Co-defendant Stephen Monroe’s case is still in the pre-trial phase.
Helene Will Be Major Hurricane by Landfall in Big Bend, Flagler at Edge of Concerns; Expect Messy Thursday
Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to strengthen and move rapidly, becoming a major Category 3 hurricane–with winds above 111 miles per hour–before landfall along Florida’s Big Bend and Nature Coasts on Thursday evening. Helene will become very large, so impacts will be experienced far from the center. The potential for direct impacts is increasing for northeast Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, with local impacts including heavy rain and some flooding possible beginning on Wednesday night and lasting through early Friday morning. Thursday will be messy locally.
Attorney Behind Lawsuit Challenging Palm Coast’s Debt Referendum Had Warned Council of Red Flags in August
Jay Livingston, the Palm Coast attorney who filed the lawsuit challenging the City Council’s proposed referendum removing limits on the city’s bonding, borrowing and leasing powers, was struck by ballot language he said was “designed to intentionally mislead the voters” as he heard it while waiting on an unrelated land-use issue before the council in July. Meanwhile, the city attorney suggested to council members that they only discuss the lawsuit in a “shade” or closed-door meeting, which raises issues of its own.
Stand-Alone AdventHealth ER Once Planned for Matanzas Woods Parkway Will Be Built a Few Miles North
AdventHealth has announced the first phase of plans for 10.75 acres in St. Johns County. The health care system will build a 12-bed off-site emergency department (OSED) to expand services in the rapidly growing area. Located east of I-95, near the intersection of State Road 207 and Wildwood Drive, construction is anticipated to begin in 2025 and be completed by early 2026. The location is roughly 23 miles from the center of Palm Coast, and a shorter drive for north and northwest Palm Coast, where development has been brisk.
Sheriff Staly: Why I Oppose Amendment 3 on Legalization of Recreational Marijuana
As Flagler County voters consider Amendment 3, which proposes the legalization of recreational marijuana in Florida, we must consider the serious consequences the amendment would impose on our community and what its backers, with their well-funded commercials, aren’t telling you, Sheriff Rick Staly writes.
Ban on Homeless Sleeping in Most Public Places Among 34 New Florida Laws Going in Effect Oct. 1
Nearly three dozen new state laws will take effect Oct. 1, including a contentious measure that will limit where homeless people can sleep. Other measures include creating a license plate for Parrot Heads living the life of the late singer Jimmy Buffett and requirements about flood disclosures for home buyers. In all, 34 laws that passed during the 2024 legislative session will take effect, with the homeless changes (HB 1365) drawing the most attention.
In Flagler Expect More Rain as PTC9 Morphs into Helene; State of Emergency for Panhandle and West Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday declared a state of emergency for 41 counties as a storm system is expected to rapidly grow into a powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. The counties do not include Flagler or its surrounding region, which is expected to be spared the brunt of the storm. But Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said Flagler could see up to 4 inches of rain on already saturated grounds over the next four days from what is currently known as Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, and will be known as Helene.
Judge Rejects ‘SLAPP’ Suit by Veranda Bay Developer Against Opponents Who’d Challenged County’s Approval
Rejecting what he saw as an attempt to silence an advocacy organization’s right to challenge development, Circuit Judge Chris France on Friday ruled in favor of Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek, ending a year-and-a-half-old lawsuit filed against the group by Palm Coast Intracoastal. France termed PCI’s action a SLAPP suit impermissible under state law, handing the grass-roots group a major victory against the chilling effect of such lawsuits on speech and participation in matters of public concern. PCI is under the umbrella of SunBelt Land Management, the company overseeing Veranda Bay near Flagler Beach.
Lawyer for Victim of Alleged Rape by Flagler Paramedic Informs County of Her Intention to Sue
A lawyer representing the victim of an alleged sexual assault as she was being transported unconscious aboard a Flagler County Fire Rescue ambulance has notified county government of her intention to sue. The notice is not a surprise. James Tyler Melady, who had worked as a paramedic with Flagler County Fire Rescue since 2018, had a checkered record and was going to be fired when he resigned in June, was arrested on Sept. 12 on a charge of sexual battery–or rape–of a patient who was passed out with intoxication and was being transported by ambulance to a local hospital the night of Oct.16-17, 2021.
A Florida Editor Told Clay Jones His Political Cartoons Were Too Political. He Responds.
Celebrated and fearless cartoonist Clay Jones, whose work has been appearing at FlaglerLive for a year, received a complaint from a Florida editor (not us) that his political cartoons were too political. His response: I refuse to change how I cartoon to the point that my work is frivolous and meaningless. Other cartoonists are doing that. Let them have it.” Clay Jones will not play nice. For good reason.
Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Referendum That Would End Limits on Palm Coast’s Borrowing Power, Calling Language Deceptive
Alan Lowe, one of the candidates for Palm Coast mayor defeated in the August primary, sued the city and the Supervisor of Elections on Friday to remove from the November ballot a charter amendment that would scrap limits on the city’s borrowing and leasing capacities. The suit argues that the amendment’s language is misleading–a point two of the four sitting council members have made, as have both remaining candidates for mayor and some of the candidates for council seats.
The Conversation
The Ethics of Editing Fetal Genomes
Human prenatal genome editing has not happened yet – as far as we know. Prenatal genome editing isn’t the same as editing ex vivo embryos, like the Chinese scientist did, because prenatal editing involves editing the DNA of a fetus visible inside a pregnant person’s womb – without the intent to affect future descendants. But the societal implications of this technology are still vast. And researchers can already start exploring the ethics by engaging communities well ahead of time.
Florida and Beyond
Florida Retains US News Title as Top Higher Education State
Florida was named — for the eighth year in a row — the top state for higher education by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings, released Tuesday, take into account factors including graduation rates, social mobility, student debt, retention rates, and academic reputation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
The Palm Coast Tiger Bay Club presents a candidate forum ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, the Flagler County Public Library Book Club on Isabelle Allende’s Japanese Lover, Jake Scully in Australia and memories of John Glenn over Perth.
Alexander von Humboldt, Groundbreaking Naturalist
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous figures of his time, not only in his native Prussia but throughout the world. In addition to being a leading geographer, climatologist, ecologist and oceanographer, he attached great importance to the dissemination of knowledge to society as a whole.
Briefs and Releases
Flagler Cares Offers One-Stop Help Night on Range of Social, Medical and Legal Services
State Adds More Than 1,300 Acres to the Little Big Econ State Forest
Harris Within Margin of Error in Florida, New Poll Shows
All the Incendiary Comments Mark Robinson Made
Stetson Receives National Recognition for Promoting Student Voter Engagement
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council’s workshop is cancelled, UF/IFAS’s Fall Horticultural Workshops at the Palm Coast Community Center, Israel shifts the mass killings with the worst attack on Lebanon since 2006.
The Devastating Consequences for All if Israel and Hezbollah Go All Out
All parties surely know the likely destructive consequences of such an eventuality for themselves: Israel has the military power to devastate Beirut and other parts of Lebanon as it did in Gaza, while even a weakened Hezbollah could fire thousands of missiles at Israeli strategic sites, from the airport to central Tel Aviv, water supply lines and electricity hubs, and offshore gas rigs.
Florida’s New Covid Booster Guidance Is Straight-Up Misinformation
In what has become a pattern of spreading vaccine misinformation, the Florida health department is telling older Floridians and others at highest risk from covid-19 to avoid most booster shots, saying they are potentially dangerous. Clinicians and scientists denounced the message as politically fueled scaremongering that also weakens efforts to protect against diseases like measles and whooping cough.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 23, 2024
The Bunnell City Commission meets, the Flagler County Beekeepers Association meets, the final words of a dying coal miner in the Fraterville mine disaster of 1902, a few words from Frank Kilgore’s “J. D. Vance Is a Fake Hillbilly.”
The Jet Stream, Climate Change and the Hottest Summer on Record
Summer 2024 was officially the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest on record. In the United States, fierce heat waves seemed to hit somewhere almost every day. Here’s how heat domes, the jet stream and climate change influence summer heat waves and the record-hot summer of 2024.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 22, 2024
Jesus Christ Superstar at City Rep Theatre, ‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’ at Daytona Playhouse, ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students, a few words about the great William Maxwell and his story, “Billie Dyer.”
When DEI Policies Work Best
While it’s easy to dismiss the backlash as purely a result of bigotry – as not all criticisms of DEI are made in good faith – it’s important to consider how DEI efforts themselves can be made to be more inclusive, in order to garner the support necessary to help society as a whole progress.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup, Jesus Christ Superstar at City Rep Theatre, Coffee With Commissioner Scott Spradley, The Onion thinks print is the way of the future, Gregor von Rezzori in Lolitaland.
When the Mediterranean Dried Out: Lessons for Today
The Mediterranean’s drying out 5.5 million years ago, known as the Messinian salinity crisis, is the biggest extinction event suffered by the Earth since the meteorite that wiped out the flightless dinosaurs and ended the Mesozoic era 65 million years ago. No one knows yet how long it will take for marine life to recover from the kind of global-scale change that is currently underway.
Tech Matters: Why Cornel West isn’t on Florida’s Presidential Ballot
Despite earlier claims by his campaign, Cornel West is not on the Florida presidential ballots that supervisors of elections are sending to overseas and military voters, giving Floridians dissatisfied with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris one less option to vote for president this year. The campaign blamed “administrative technicalities.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 20, 2024
Flagler and Florida unemployment numbers are released this morning, Free For All Fridays on WNZF, ‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’ at Daytona Playhouse, an odd message about life insurance, the opening of “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”
Israel’s Sophisticated, Illegal Attack on Hezbollah
The acts that apparently led Israel to strike Hezbollah are also illegal under international law. Hezbollah, a nonstate armed group supported by Iran, has no right to use violence of any kind, let alone missile strikes targeting civilians in northern Israel. But under law, hiding explosives in everyday objects makes them booby traps – and in almost every case, using a booby trap designed to kill is a crime.
Senator Who Sponsored Vacation Rental Bill Deregulating Local Control Says He Won’t Do So in Next Session
Florida lawmakers may once again attempt to pass legislation tightening regulation of short-term vacation rentals next year but, if they do, the state senator who has sponsored those bills during the past two sessions won’t be the one carrying it.
The Live Calendar
The Live Calendar is Flagler County’s most complete list of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Commentary
It’s All About Play
In contrast to foraging and hunting – behaviors with clearly defined goals – play is undirected. When a pony frolics in a field, a dog wrestles with a stick or chimpanzees chase each other, they act with no goal in mind. But an animal at play is far more likely to innovate – and some of its innovations may in time be adapted into new ways to forage and hunt.
When Retirement Stirs Fears of Irrelevance
Most discussions of retirement focus on the financial aspects of leaving the workforce: “How to save enough for retirement” or “How do you know if you have enough money for retirement?” This might not be the biggest problem that potential retirees face. The deeper issues of meaning, relevance and identity that retirement can bring to the fore are more significant to some workers.
Pennsylvania’s Mail-In Ballot System Problem
Mail-in voting in Pennsylvania will not begin on Sept. 16, 2024, as was previously slated. Due to ongoing court cases, the past is poised to repeat itself in the commonwealth in the upcoming presidential election. Legal battles over Pennsylvania’s election system drew national attention in 2020 as former President Donald Trump and his allies in the state leveraged quirks of the system to sow doubt about the results of the election. Trump is setting the stage to do the same in 2024.