ITT built Palm Coast with a water and sewer piping infrastructure designed to serve 225,000. The city has half that population, leaving rate-payers saddled with the cost of upkeep of the aging infrastructure. Lacking population growth, utility budgets will continue to be strained, chasing too few taxpayers and ratepayers, as the system ages.
Main Content
Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 21, 2025
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Re-Appointed Vice Mayor, Theresa Pontieri Rebuffs Mayor’s Attempt to Take Back Committee Roles He’d Abandoned
The Palm Coast City Council re-elected Theresa Pontieri as its vice mayor in a 4-1 vote Tuesday. The dissent was from Mayor Mike Norris. Norris wanted to be the council representative to the Flagler County Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council. Pontieri rebuffed him on both counts, saying he’d “abdicated” those roles, whereas she was now elbow-deep in them, and was not prepared to relinquish them. A miffed Norris stuck to minimal committee assignments.
Palm Coast Council’s Theresa Pontieri Calls for Stronger Controls on City Utility to Protect Against Privatization
As more than a dozen states, including Florida, are encouraging the privatization of utilities, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri wants new guardrails protecting the city’s water and sewer utility from being bought by a private company. Palm Coast bought the water and sewer utility in 2003 for $82.3 million. The utility is not for sale. Council members are not interested in a sale. No company has proposed buying the utility. But Pontieri is proposing that if the utility were to be considered for a sale, a non-binding referendum would be required first, as well as a supermajority of the five-member council before approval is ratified.
A Brief History of Palm Coast’s Water and Sewer Utility
Palm Coast’s first utility department was established in 1970 by ITT, the developer, when Palm Coast was the size of a small subdivision. ITT sold the utility to Florida Water Services in 1999, the year Palm Coast incorporated. Palm Coast bought the utility for $82.3 million in 2003.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
In Milestone, SMA Breaks Ground on Flagler’s 1st Residential Treatment Facility for Men, Closing a Critical Gap in Care
SMA Healthcare, the behavioral health and addiction-recovery non-profit, broke ground Tuesday on what will be Flagler County’s first residential care facility for men in treatment for addiction and mental health issues. The 23,600-square-foot facility broke ground off Justice Lane in Bunnell, next door to the nearly 20-year-old Vince Carter Sanctuary, where SMA operates a 70-bed treatment facility for women. It will also be Flagler County’s first Baker Act receiving facility, ending the need to transport patients to Volusia County.
After 9 Hours, 103 Votes and Immeasurable Entitlement, Will Furry Grasps Vice Chair for School Board
In possibly the most embarrassing and cringeworthy meetings of a board that has not lacked for contemptible meetings over the last few years, the Flagler County School Board, after nine hours and 103 votes, elected Will Furry its vice chair, after Furry had been chair for two years, denying the position to Lauren Ramirez. A divided board the previous day–in the same meeting–had elected Christy Chong chair. For most of Tuesday night and early this morning, the board deadlocked in 2-2 votes over the vice chair nomination.
16-Year-Old Arrested for Armed Robbery and Pistol-Whipping in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Dakoda Nodelman, a 16-year-old Palm Coast resident of Pitt Lane, is facing three felony charges, including armed robbery, following an incident at his home shortly after midnight on Nov. 16. He fired during the incident. No one was injured from the gunshot, but another individual sustained injuries from being pistol-whipped.
Facing Life in Prison, Man Wants to Represent Himself and Depose Step-Daughter Accusing Him of Rape
Kristopher Henriqson is a 47-year-old state and federal felon and Palm Coast resident facing accusations of having routinely raped and abused his stepdaughter since she was 9. He has turned down a deal to serve 45 years. He faces 11 felonies, including two capital felonies, and life in prison if convicted. Today, a judge granted his request to represent himself, and has indicated he wants to depose his allege victim, now 12. He would also have the right to cross-examine her at trial.
Commercial Vehicle Parking Allowance in Palm Coast’s Residential Driveways Is Now Law, Within Limits
The Palm Coast City Council voted 3-2 today to approve on second reading the ordinance that now makes it legal to park certain commercial vehicles–or vehicles with large advertising or other markings on their exterior–in residential driveways without covering them with tarps. The allowance extends to typical work trucks and pick-up trucks up to 20 feet long and 9 feet high.
Palm Coast Council Chooses Michael McGlothlin to Be 7th City Manager, Ending 20-Month Interim
The Palm Coast City Council this morning appointed Michael McGlothlin, a former city manager in Florida, North Carolina and Oregon who also spent a decade as a police chief, its next city manager. McGlothlin outlasted David Fraser, a candidate who built his career in the West. The formal vote was 5-0, following a 3-2 vote by ballot, when Mayor Norris, Council members Charles Gambaro and Theresa Pontieri were in the majority, with Ty Miller and Dave Sullivan in the minority. Both dissenters had no objections to joining the majority for the formal vote to ensure unanimity.
No Wrong Choice: Between Fraser and McGlothlin, Palm Coast Council Faces Difficult, Welcome Decision on City Manager
When the Palm Coast City Council meets Tuesday morning, it will almost certainly vote on a new city manager. It’ll be either David Fraser or Michael McGlothlin. neither of whom appears to have an inside track, both of whom seem to have an equal chance by the time the council votes. It’ll be among the more difficult council votes, a difficulty the council welcomes. At least three council members think there’s no wrong choice, whoever is picked.
2 Wounded in Shooting at Palm Coast’s Beach Village Apartments, Both Claim Stand Your Ground
A 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old juvenile injured in a shooting Sunday night at Beach Village Apartments in Palm Coast both claim Stand Your Ground, according to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. The shooting stemmed from an earlier confrontation between the 22-year-old and his girlfriend. Both the man and the juvenile suffered non-life-threatening wounds in the shooting. Two firearms were recovered. It is not yet clear whether both firearms were discharged, or whether the wounds resulted from a single gun.
Charles ‘Skeeter’ Cowart Back in Jail for 1st Time in 7 Years After Axe-Wielding Rampage at His Apartment
Charles Larkin Cowart, the 42-year-old West Flagler resident known as Skeeter, spent a decade and a half until 2018 in and out of jail, often resulting from bizarre behavior. Last Wednesday, Cowart was back in jail facing three felony charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, after allegedly splitting with an axe the door to his apartment where a teenage boy–his wife’s son–was staying, and allegedly nearly striking another man with his car. But the arrest report by Bunnell police may be problematic.
Behind BlackRock’s Deal to Buy Allete, Major Landholder in Palm Coast’s Town Center
The seizure of public utilities for the sake of profit may lead to a disaster for consumers — and the planet. Ratepayers across the U.S. are facing rising electric bills — a trend that could be turbocharged by Wall Street’s growing effort to capture the electric utilities we all depend on. A critical turning point in this development occurred in October when Minnesota state regulators greenlit the acquisition of Allete by asset management behemoth BlackRock. Allete subsidiaries own large portions of Palm Coast’s Town Center.
The U.S. Citizenship Test Shouldn’t Be Like Trivia Night at Tortugas
The new citizenship test “for aspiring Americans” is out. It is supposedly longer and harder than its predecessor. In fact, it’s not a civics test. It’s certainly not a citizenship test. It’s the sort of questions Jay Scherr baritones between nachos at his weekly trivia night at Tortugas, and it is riddled with errors while projecting an unrecognizably chauvinist America.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
November 2025
Nov 21 2025
Friday Blue Forum
Flagler County Democratic Party HQ
Nov 21 2025
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at City Rep Theatre
City Repertory Theatre at City Marketplace
Nov 22 2025
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
In Front of Flagler Beach City Hall
Nov 22 2025
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Law Office of Scott Spradley
Nov 22 2025
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
Nov 22 2025
Peps Art Walk Near Beachfront Grille
Nov 22 2025
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at City Rep Theatre
City Repertory Theatre at City Marketplace
Nov 23 2025
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Presbyterian Church
Nov 23 2025
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
Nov 23 2025
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
European Village
Nov 23 2025
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach
Nov 23 2025
Al-Anon Family Groups
Silver Dollar II Club
No event found!
The Conversation
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Menopause: Why the FDA Removed the Warning Label
For more than 20 years, hormone therapy for menopause has carried a warning label from the Food and Drug Administration describing the medication’s risk of serious harms – namely, cancer, cardiovascular disease and possibly dementia. No longer. On Nov. 10, 2025, the FDA announced that drugmakers should remove these “black box” safety warnings. Here’s how the decision will affect health care for people going through menopause or postmenopause.
Florida and Beyond
FPL Customers Face $6.9 Billion Rate Increase in 4 Years as Regulators Approve Controversial ‘Settlement’
The Florida Public Service Commission approved a four-year settlement with Florida Power & Light Thursday for about $6.9 billion, which opponents claim is the largest rate hike in U.S. history. FPL says that in 2026, its “typical” 1,000-kWh residential customer bill in most of Florida will increase by $2.50 a month, or about 2%, from the existing $134.14 to $136.64. There would be additional increases in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, November 20, 2025
Town of Marineland Commission Meeting, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond, Scott DuPont at the Flagler County courthouse, Al Pacino at the Criminal Courts Building in Baltimore Bertrand Russell on human impulses.
About That Bill Gates Climate Memo
Shortly before COP30 talks begin in Brazil, tech billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has launched a “narrative grenade” into the discourse of climate politics by publishing a lengthy memo calling for a rethink of how the climate crisis is framed and addressed. Gates calls for a “strategic pivot” in climate strategy. That appears to have hit a nerve. Both social and traditional media were ablaze with erroneous assertions about Gates’ supposed reversal of opinion on climate change.
More Florida and Beyond
DeSantis Signs 19th Death Warrant of the Year, for 1987 Double-Murderer Frank Walls, 58
In what could be Florida’s record 19th execution this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for an inmate convicted in the 1987 murders of two people in a home in Okaloosa County. Frank Walls, 58, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18 in the murders of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson. The warrant came as the state prepares to execute Richard Barry Randolph on Thursday and is slated to execute Mark Allen Geralds on Dec. 9.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Leigha Mumby in court, Jean Stafford’s “The Echo and the Nemesis,” Flagler Tiger Bay’s monthly lunch, The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meets, a 1969 Dick Cavett monologue.
Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia’s Toughest Cop Maga Harbinger
In August 2025, the city of Philadelphia agreed to return a statue of Frank Rizzo to the supporters that commissioned the memorial in 1992. The 2,000-pound bronze tribute to the former police commissioner-turned-mayor had stood in front of the city’s Municipal Services Building from 1998 until 2020, when then-mayor Jim Kenney ordered it removed days after protesters attempted to topple it during the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
Judge Rejects City’s Challenge to Controversial Home-Rule-Smothering Law Known as SB180
An administrative law judge Tuesday rejected Ocoee’s challenge to a decision by the Florida Department of Commerce that changes to a city comprehensive plan were “null and void” because of a controversial new state law. The law, passed during this spring’s legislative session, has drawn criticism from cities and counties throughout Florida and two constitutional challenges in Leon County circuit court.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council meets at 9 a.m. at City Hall. It is voting on a new city manager, groundbreaking for SMA Healthcare’s new facility on Justice Lane in Bunnell, Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Elsa Morante on Mussolini, and ICE.
Climate Models Got These 5 Ominous Forecasts Right
Critiques of climate science, such as the report written for the Department of Energy by a panel in 2025, often point to this complexity to argue that these models are too uncertain to help us understand present-day warming or tell us anything useful about the future. But the history of climate science tells a different story.
Justice Charles Canady Resigning Florida Supreme Court Seat for UF Civics Post
The longest-serving current member of the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Charles Canady, is leaving the bench to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. Canady — whose wife, state Rep. Jennifer Canady, is in line to become state House speaker in 2028 — announced his departure Monday, calling it a “great privilege to serve the people of Florida as a justice” for the past 17 years.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 17, 2025
Palm Coast Charter Review Committee meets, the Mosquito Control Board meets, the Flagler County Commission meets, Voltaire and Casanova meet and talk Trump, Christopher Weyant on a distant return to normal.
Can We All Quit Coal?
Coal is the dirtiest source of fossil fuel energy and a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, making it bad not just for the climate but also for human health. That makes it a good target for cutting global emissions. A swift drop in coal use is the main reason U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell in recent years as natural gas and renewable energy became cheaper.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 16, 2025
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at City Rep Theatre, 3 p.m., Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town,’ at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine, Grace Community Food Pantry from noon to 3 p.m., John Cheever’s first story in The New Yorker.
Social Media’s Value: A Lifeline for Many Abused and Neglected Young People
social media has become a crucial outlet for young people to disclose abuse, connect with peers who’ve had similar experiences, and learn about safety strategies. In the midst of growing concerns about social media harming young people, its platforms offer important benefits for some vulnerable youth.
Federal Judge Denies Reinstatement of FWC Biologist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Post
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit filed by biologist Brittney Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alleging that her Sept. 15 firing — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights. Brown sought a preliminary injunction to require the commission to reinstate her. While Walker’s order sided with state officials in denying a preliminary injunction, he also indicated that a decision about reinstating the fired employee could change if more information is provided to bolster Brown’s arguments.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 15, 2021
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at City Rep Theatre, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Democratic Women’s Club meeting, a confederacy of crocodile tears, Casanova on what to keep private.
Commentary
Florida’s 1,100 Natural Springs Are Under Threat
North and central Florida comprise one of the largest concentrations of freshwater springs in the world. Many of these springs provide a home to a variety of wild animals and plants. But they are also canaries in the coal mine for Florida’s groundwater system, because they draw upon the same groundwater that many Floridians depend on for drinking water, farm irrigation and industrial use. Right now, many Florida springs suffer from reduced flow and habitat loss, as well as excessive algae and heavy pressure from human use.
Age-Verification Laws Are Threatening Free Speech
In Florida and around the world, large swathes of the open web are being replaced by walled gardens. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Texas’s age restriction law. Twenty-one other states have similar laws in place, and more have been proposed. Australia restricts young people’s access not just to specific websites, but to all social media, and it will soon extend this to search engines.
Millions Are Losing Food Aid Even with Shutdown Ending
The roughly 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps did not receive their November 1 SNAP benefits as the government shutdown dragged on. Lawmakers have now negotiated an end to the shutdown. But the threat to the nation’s primary nutrition assistance program is far from over. As the government reopens, millions will still lose access to food assistance starting almost immediately.