Six highly experienced candidates have been shortlisted to become the next Flagler Beach Police Chief. The finalists include internal acting chief Lance Blanchette, local veterans Anthony Raimondo and FBI agent Andrew Klopfer, alongside external leaders Pedro Delgado, Edward Fingers, and Jeffrey VanAuken. The diverse pool features extensive backgrounds in municipal administration, federal investigations, and large-scale state operations. City Manager Dale Martin will make the final selection following upcoming interviews conducted by a peer panel.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, January 26, 2026
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Flagler County Unemployment Drops Slightly from 5 1/2-Year High But Labor Force Also Shrinks
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in December, down from November’s 6.1 percent, though the labor force shrank a bit. State legislators are advancing a bill to further tighten unemployment benefit eligibility. Florida saw anemic job growth in 2025, hampered by losses in construction and manufacturing. Locally, the housing market reflects a slight cooling trend, with inventory rising and homes taking significantly longer to sell.
Sheriff’s Office Answers 19 Questions on Acquisition and Future Operations of Emergency Helicopter
Answering 19 questions submitted by FlaglerLive, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office addressed concerns regarding its recent $1.4 million helicopter acquisition, half of which was funded by attorney Dan Newlin. The agency defended the lack of a feasibility study by citing the sheriff’s prior air-operations experience in orange County. The agency clarified that the aircraft will focus on proactive patrols and emergency medical transport, and maintained that the independent office acted within its constitutional authority.
Mourning for a Vanishing America
The United States is undergoing a self-inflicted social and economic trauma through aggressive mass deportations. By prioritizing performative violence and warrantless incursions over economic stability, the current administration mirrors historical failures like the 1924 Immigration Act whose agents are dismantling the nation’s community fabric in a futile pursuit of an unattainable, exclusionary utopia.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Federal Agents Kill U.S. Citizen in Minneapolis, Firing Over 10 Times in Third Shooting in Three Weeks
Federal agents in Minneapolis fatally shot a 37-year-old U.S. citizen Saturday, the third such shooting in three weeks. While the Department of Homeland Security claims the man approached officers with a handgun and “violently resisted,” local officials and bystander video tell a different story. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara identified the deceased as a lawful gun owner with no criminal record, while Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey demanded an immediate end to the federal “siege.”
Palm Coast and Flagler County Propose New $2.1 Million Animal Shelter, Side-Stepping Humane Society
A joint task force between Palm Coast and Flagler County government is recommending a new $2.1 million, 9,500-square-foot animal shelter in Palm Coast to handle city and county animal control intakes. The proposal reflects growing dissatisfaction with the Flagler Humane Society and seeks to establish a municipal-run “no-kill” facility. However, the plan faces scrutiny regarding its lack of funding sources, the exclusion of the Humane Society from discussions, and projected operating costs that may exceed current expenditures while offering fewer services.
Florida Democrats Denounce Attorney General’s Memo Calling Anti-Discrimination Laws Racist
Florida House and Senate Democrats have condemned a legal memo from Attorney General James Uthmeier, which labels several state anti-discrimination laws as unconstitutional and racially discriminatory. Issued on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the memo declares Uthmeier will not defend laws providing minority preferences. Democratic lawmakers argue this move threatens decades of bipartisan progress in government contracting and representation, accusing the appointed Attorney General of using his office to dismantle diversity efforts for political gain.
Flagler Beach Advances Veranda Bay Annexation and Seeks Resolution of County’s ‘Bobbing and Weaving’ Threat to Sue
The Flagler Beach City Commission approved the Veranda Bay annexation on first reading in a 4-1 vote, despite a looming threat to sue from the county. The dispute centers on whether 122 existing homeowners must individually sign off on the deal. While developers argue deed restrictions are enough, the county cites state law requiring explicit consent. Commissioners moved forward to force a definitive stance from the county, though a final second reading remains contingent on avoiding litigation.
Against 2 Colleagues’ Claims of Inexperience, Lauren Ramirez Achieves Elite FSBA Certified Status
Flagler County School Board member Lauren Ramirez has earned the Florida School Boards Association’s Certified Board Member distinction, a credential held by only 27 percent of members statewide. This achievement comes months after fellow board members Will Furry and Christy Chong blocked her vice-chairmanship, citing a lack of experience. Despite managing a business and four children, Ramirez completed 96 hours of specialized training. She is currently the only member of the Flagler board to hold this professional certification.
Flagler Beach Poised to Annex Veranda Bay 2 Weeks After Incorporating Summertown, But Legal Hurdles Loom
The Flagler Beach City Commission is considering the annexation of Veranda Bay, following the recent 545-acre annexation of the Summertown development. While developer Ken Belshe envisions a vibrant, “Winter Park” style mixed-use hub, Flagler County is threatening litigation over compliance and homeowner consent issues. Concerns persist regarding the economic viability of new commercial centers, as similar projects in the region struggle to attract tenants despite decades of growth and ongoing residential expansion.
Palm Coast Sex Offender Rejects Plea Deal and Seeks Trial in New Child Abuse Imagery Case
Gary Durso, a 62-year-old registered sex offender from Palm Coast, has rejected an 18-month plea deal and will head to trial in March. Facing five years in prison, Durso maintains his innocence regarding a single illicit image uploaded to Flickr. Though he admits to downloading the file via Craigslist contacts, he claims he was targeted by unknown individuals.
Sheriff Staly Quietly Acquires Helicopter from Attorney Dan Newlin, Launching Agency Into Air Operations
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has acquired a Bell 505 helicopter, formerly owned by prominent attorney Dan Newlin. The county administrator was surprised, noting the acquisition was never discussed during public budget hearings. While Sheriff Rick Staly has considered independent air support for years, the acquisition will lead to funding and operational costs, especially as the county already maintains the FireFlight emergency helicopter for law enforcement assistance.
Who Will Pay? Palm Coast Debates Future Growth Assumptions as It Approves New Bond and $582 Million Debt
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved a historic $330 million bond to fund essential water and sewer infrastructure improvements and refinance existing debt. Totaling $582 million with interest over 30 years, the loan sparked debate regarding its reliance on future population growth to offset ratepayer costs. While critics and candidates voiced concerns over the financial burden on current residents, city officials argued the investment is necessary to prevent utility failures and ensure long-term service.
Preliminary Findings in Death of Axel Aldridge, 27, Point to Accidental Fall from Nautilus Condo in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach authorities have preliminarily classified the death of 27-year-old Axel James Aldridge as an accident following a consultation with the Medical Examiner. Officers discovered Aldridge’s body outside the Nautilus condominiums early on January 6. Evidence suggests a fall. A used needle was found in the eighth-floor apartment he occupied, and maintenance reported frequent noise complaints.
3 Weeks Before Rape Trial, Henriqson Wanted DNA Evidence Suppressed and Witness Tampering Investigation
Kristopher Henriqson, representing himself against 11 felony rape and molestation charges, appeared in court to argue for the suppression and rewriting of DNA evidence. Henriqson claims the FDLE’s “sperm cell fraction” labeling is prejudicial and misleading, suggesting transfer DNA was mischaracterized as semen. The judge denied his requests to rewrite reports or initiate a witness tampering investigation regarding a secret recording. Henriqson remains set to represent himself when the trial begins in three weeks.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
January 2026
Jan 26 2026
Nar-Anon Family Group
St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church
Jan 26 2026
Palm Coast Charter Review Committee Meeting
Palm Coast City Hall
Jan 26 2026
Bunnell City Commission Meeting
Bunnell City Hall
Jan 27 2026
Palm Coast City Council Workshop
Palm Coast City Hall
Jan 27 2026
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church
Jan 27 2026
Community Preparedness Workshop
Emergency Operations Center
Jan 27 2026
Flagler County School Board Information Workshop
Government Services Building
Jan 27 2026
Flagler County Affordable Housing Committee Meeting
Emergency Operations Center
Jan 27 2026
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 10-18, at the Flagler County Public Library
Flagler County Public Library
Jan 27 2026
Book Dragons, the Kids’ Book Club, at Flagler Beach Public Library
315 South 7th Street, Flagler Beach
Jan 27 2026
Budgeting by Values: A Virtual Class to Learn Budgeting Skills
Jan 27 2026
NAACP Flagler Branch General Membership Meeting
No event found!
The Conversation
Again Flouting International Law, Israel Is Razing Lebanon’s Orchards and Wildlife
More than a year after a ceasefire nominally ended active fighting, much of southern Lebanon bears the ecological scars of war. Avocado orchards are gone and beehives destroyed. So, too, are the livelihoods they supported. Fields and forests have disappeared under Israel’s white phosphorus shelling. This destruction indicates a grave breach of international environmental law and raises the question of whether Israel committed war crimes in Lebanon by deliberately targeting natural resources and engaging in environmental warfare.
Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, January 25, 2025
The Stetson University Concert Choir in concert with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Jules Verne on Greenland.
Stripping DEI from Health Care May Make Americans Sicker
As of Aug. 20, 2025, the National Institutes of Health has terminated over 5,100 grants totaling over US$4.4 billion in research funding. Likewise, the National Science Foundation, which seeks among other things to advance the nation’s health, has rescinded over 1,700 research grants totaling over $1 billion in funding. These terminations have disproportionately affected projects that study the experiences of marginalized groups and funding to scientists from social groups that are underrepresented in academia.
Saturday in Byblos:
Saul Bellow Goes Looking for Mr. Black
In “Looking for Mr. Green,” Saul Bellow crafts a “Heart of Darkness” in Depression-era Chicago. Classically educated George Grebe hunts for an elusive check recipient, navigating a Black neighborhood Bellow depicts as a “blighted” backdrop. The author’s sublime prose serves a supremacist lens, reducing human beings to transactional props for Grebe’s enlightenment.
More Florida and Beyond
Footage and Documents Contradict DHS Accounts of Violent Immigration Crackdown Incidents
Growing discrepancies between official Department of Homeland Security accounts and video evidence have sparked a crisis of accountability regarding federal immigration enforcement. While DHS frequently cites self-defense in use-of-force incidents, court records and bystander footage often suggest otherwise. Despite a federal judge’s recent ruling that characterized official testimony as “not credible,” legal doctrines like qualified immunity and the limitations of the Federal Tort Claims Act continue to make holding individual agents responsible nearly impossible.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, January 24, 2026
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, a few words about the Song of Songs, Neil Postman’s Technopoly.
Just 1% of Coastal Waters Could Power a Third of the World’s Electricity
Just 1% of the world’s coastal waters could, in theory, generate enough offshore wind and solar power to provide a third of the world’s electricity by 2050. That’s the promise highlighted in a new study by a team of scientists in Singapore and China, who systematically mapped the global potential of renewables at sea. But turning that potential into reality is another story. Scaling up offshore renewables fast enough to seriously dent global emissions faces formidable technical, economic and political hurdles.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, January 23, 2026
Free For All Fridays welcomes Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin, Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, remembering Andrei Amalrik and IF Stone’s tribute.
American Capitalism Is Being Remade by State Power
Recent moves by Washington, such as taking a 10% share of semiconductor maker Intel, point to a shift in that direction. For decades, Washington has supported free-market capitalism. Today, the government appears to be supporting a new direction – state-directed capitalism.
Florida House Advances Plan to Phase Out Non-School Property Taxes Despite Anguish Over Local Services
Florida House committees advanced two major property-tax proposals on Thursday, including a constitutional amendment to phase out non-school homestead taxes over ten years. While Republicans argue the move prevents local governments from treating residents like an “ATM,” Democrats and local officials warn of decimated public services. Meanwhile, the Senate has yet to release a companion plan, leaving the final form of a potential November ballot initiative in a holding pattern as leaders negotiate.
Controversial Education Bill Mandating Anti-Abortion Videos and Campus ICE Access Moves Forward
A Florida House subcommittee approved HB 1071, a huge education bill that mandates 6th-12th grade lessons on fetal development, including specific video-watching requirements. The legislation also prohibits spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and requires school administrators to grant law enforcement, including ICE, full campus access. While proponents argue the bill focuses on merit and biological facts, critics raise concerns regarding medical accuracy, potential ICE presence on campuses, and the erosion of inclusive programming.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, January 22, 2026
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets and discusses annexation, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond, rethinking Eugene O’Neill’s “Dreamy Kid” and the politics of cultural appropriation.
The Consequences of Trump’s Greenland Grab
President Donald Trump’s relentless and escalating drive to acquire Greenland from Denmark could affect the functioning and even existence of NATO, the post-World War II alliance of Western nations that “won the Cold War and led the globe,” as a recent Wall Street Journal story put it.
Florida Education Commissioner Seeks Expanded Power Over ‘Political’ School Board Members
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas wants the Legislature to grant the state more authority over locally elected school board members following racist social media remarks by Clay County’s Robert Alvero regarding the African American community. Critics and legal counsel say such oversight constitutes First Amendment retaliation. The debate highlights a growing tension between state-appointed boards and locally elected officials.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Dave Whamond on our fake Ubu Roi, the Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board holds a workshop on the Land Development Code, juxtaposing WH Auden’s famous funrela poem with one from the Thousand and One Nights, Mme de Sévigné ponders decline and death.
Florida Bills Would Give Data Centers Public Record Exemption for a Year and Shield Ratepayers from Energy Costs
The Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee has advanced legislation to create a regulatory framework for large-scale data centers. Senate Bill 484 requires facilities to account for broader electricity and water costs, preventing financial burdens from shifting to general ratepayers. While the bill emphasizes local authority and transparency, a companion bill proposes a one-year public-records exemption for companies planning new developments. Lawmakers view these measures as essential to remaining competitive in the AI sector.
What Air Pollution Does to the Human Body
For years, when the Environmental Protection Agency assessed the economic impact of new regulations, it weighed both the health costs for Americans and the compliance costs for businesses. The Trump administration is now planning to drop half of that calculation – the monetary health benefits of reducing both ozone and PM2.5 – when weighing the economic impact of regulating sources of air pollution.
Commentary
12 Ways the Trump Administration Dismantled Civil Rights and Inclusive Democracy in 2025
One year after Donald Trump’s second inauguration, a pattern emerges. Across dozens of executive orders, agency memos, funding decisions and enforcement changes, the administration has weakened federal civil rights law and the foundations of the country’s racially inclusive democracy.
The Debris Around Google’s Data Center in Space
A single, medium-sized data center here on Earth can consume enough electricity to power about 16,500 homes, with even larger facilities using as much as a small city. Over the past few years, tech leaders have increasingly advocated for space-based AI infrastructure as a way to address the power requirements of data centers. Google unveiled Project Suncatcher, a bold proposal to launch an 81-satellite constellation into low Earth orbit. The company will soon have to reckon with a growing problem: space debris.
From Flamingos to SNAP Cuts: Florida’s Legislative Circus Begins
As the 2026 Florida Legislative Session begins, lawmakers are prioritizing cultural symbols and controversial social reforms. Proposals range from replacing the mockingbird with the flamingo to implementing “fetal personhood” laws and cutting essential healthcare and food assistance. While Democrats seek transparency for ICE detainees, the Republican majority focuses on deregulating environmental protections and restricting abortion access. The session reflects a deep ideological divide, pitting local conservation and public health against developer interests and hardline partisan agendas.