Despite the increasingly disproportionate influence of Grand Reserve, the city’s largest subdivision, the Bunnell City Commission this week narrowly rejected a proposal to ask voters in a referendum whether they’d favor adopting voting districts to even out electoral representation across the city. But the matter may soon return before the commission. The 3-2 majority opposing the proposal included two commissioners–David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist–who live in Grand Reserve. If districts were in effect, only one of them could serve on the commission.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, October 30, 2025
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Free the Food Trucks: Palm Coast Will End Strict Regulations on Popular Roving, Popup Businesses
Palm Coast is ready to make it easier for food trucks to sell in the city–at public parks, in commercial parking lots, on private property–with basic permitting. Council members don’t yet agree on the details. But they all agree that regulations must be loosened, that food trucks be more accessible on public and private grounds, that the city control them with a much lighter hand, and that local food trucks be given preference.
Parents Each Charged 4 Days Apart With Felony Child Abuse Involving Same Autistic Teen Son
Jason Joseph Reed, 42, of Raeland Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on Oct, 21 and charged with felony child abuse following an incident captured on internal video and involving his autistic teenage stepson. Four days later, Jason’s wife Janet Lynn Reed, 41, was arrested on an identical charge following a different incident with her son, who will be referred to here as Tom (a pseudonym). Tom was taken to the hospital after the second incident.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Osvaldo Sene Is Kiwanis Club’s Firefighter of the Year
The Flagler-Palm Coast Kiwanis Club has named Palm Coast Firefighter Paramedic Osvaldo “Ozzy” Sene its 2025 Firefighter of the Year. Firefighter Paramedic Sene joined the Palm Coast Fire Department two years ago and has quickly become a standout member of the team through his dedication to professional development, community service, and mentorship.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
In a Flagler First, Three Former FPC Students Are Its Teacher, Employee and Rookie of the Year
In what appears to be a first in the county’s history, three former Flagler Palm Coast High School students–Alex Giorgianni, Calvin Grant and Madison Mead–have been named the school’s Teacher of the Year, Employee of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year. FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet celebrated the occasion in a schoolwide.
Palm Coast Will Not Join 25 Local Governments in Lawsuit Against SB180, Which Disables Development Regulation
The Palm Coast City Council today said it is declining to join a lawsuit by 25 other local governments against a new state law, known as SB180, that has sharply restricted governments’ regulatory authority on local development. Bunnell, Flagler Beach and county government have also declined. Council member Theresa Pontieri pushed back against Mayor Mike Norris’s suggestion to join the lawsuit, saying the city should not risk its political capital by alienating lawmakers whose help and appropriations it needs, at a time when lobbyists are near certain that the law will be amended by next March.
Concrete Company Looking to Open Batch Plant on Hargrove Lane in Palm Coast Gets Approved for One in Bunnell
In January a split Bunnell City Commission rejected a request by Hard Rock Materials to rezone 1.4 acres at the end of Hibiscus Avenue for a concrete batch plant. Neighborhood residents had objected, fearing noise and raising safety concerns. On Monday, the commission unanimously reversed itself, saying the conditions Hard Rock is willing to abide by are sufficient to warrant a change of heart.
Bankruptcy Judge Rejects Marineland Sale for Now, Ordering Community Bidder to Be Considered
Displeased with the way a community bidder was locked out of the process and concerned about the fate of the historic treasure and its animals, a federal bankruptcy judge in Delaware this afternoon refused to approve the $7.1 million sale of the Marineland Dolphin Adventure property to a developer and ordered the debtors’ attorney to have discussions with the lower bidder, Jack Kassewitz, a dolphin specialist proposing to save the facility as an oceanarium.
Florida Cabinet Questions Voucher Dollars Going to Muslim Schools, But Not Christian Schools
All three members of the Florida Cabinet are questioning the legality of the state voucher system that has steered taxpayer-funded scholarships to private Islamic schools that they contend undermine “Western” values. Attorney General Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, all Republicans and allies of the governor, spoke against extending vouchers to the Hifz Academy and Bayaan Academy, Islamic schools in Tampa now accepting these scholarships.
Arlene Volpe, Quiet Force Behind Culture and Gargiulo Art Foundation’s Heyday in Palm Coast, Dies at 85
Arlene Volpe, the organizational force behind the Gargiulo Art Foundation as it fostered a rich art scene in Palm Coast and Flagler County for two decades, died on Oct. 4 in North Carolina. Volpe had been for 50 years Tom Gargiulo ‘s partner, and with him a champion of local arts and a key hand, for 21 years, behind the annual naming of the Flagler County Artist of the Year.
Leigha Mumby, 24, Now Faces Vehicular Homicide Charge in Crash Death of Boyfriend Daniel Waterman
Prosecutors this morning filed a vehicular homicide charge against 24-year-old Leigha Catherine Mumby in addition to the two previous felony charges Mumby has faced since July. The new charge is the result of the death of Daniel Waterman, 22, earlier this month, eight months after he was critically injured in a car crash on I-95 in Palm Coast, as Mumby drove. An FHP investigation determined Mumby intentionally caused the crash when she was upset with her boyfriend.
Floridians Are Hurtling Towards Economic Disaster
Florida is the second most distressed state in the union in terms of its residents’ debt obligations. The state saw a 23% increase in the share of people with distressed bank accounts between 2024 and 2025, the data show. In addition, Florida holds the sixth-highest overall share of people with accounts in distress, at 7.3%. In human terms, this financial distress looks like a sharp increase in bankruptcy filings; residents with accounts in forbearance or deferred payments; America’s lowest average credit scores; and higher prices for groceries, rent, mortgages, gasoline, and health care.
Trump Endorses Randy Fine, Sharply Steepening Hill Climb for Gambaro and Furry
President Donald Trump is giving his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to U.S. Rep. Randy Fine. Challenger Charles Gambaro, currently a Palm Coast City Council member who had a role in the final months of the first Trump administration, recently expressed confidence that Trump would endorse him over the former state lawmaker, but clearly that’s not coming to pass. Will Furry, the Flagler County school board member, is also among the numerous candidates running against Fine.
Tired of County’s Internal Conflicts and ‘Politics,’ Flagler Beach Is Ready to Raise Its Property Tax for Beach Protection
Flagler Beach Is ready to raise its property tax and dedicate the new revenue to beach protection in the city as a blunt message to the county: We’re doing our part. Now do yours. The move is not in defiance of the county so much as a challenge to it to get its management plan in order and to stop using Flagler Beach as a scapegoat to veil its own internal conflicts.
Only Two Residents Unaffiliated with Charter Review Show Up at Latest Community Workshop
Only two residents unaffiliated with the charter-review process showed up at Thursday evening’s community workshop designed to solicit ideas and input from residents about the ongoing rewrite of the Palm Coast City Charter. It was the second of four such scheduled workshops. Another is scheduled for tonight at 6 at the Palm Coast Community Center. The first, on Sept. 29 at the Southern Recreation Center, drew barely a dozen people, though they were engaged and proposed several changes. Not so on Thursday.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
October 2025
Oct 30 2025
Hall of Terror at Fire Station 21
Palm Coast Fire Station 21
Oct 30 2025
Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town,’ at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine
Limelight Theatre
Oct 30 2025
‘The 39 Steps,’ at the Daytona Playhouse
Daytona Playhouse
Oct 30 2025
Rocky Horror Picture Show at Athens Theatre
Athens Theatre
Oct 31 2025
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
WNZF
Oct 31 2025
Friday Blue Forum
Flagler County Democratic Party HQ
Oct 31 2025
Hall of Terror at Fire Station 21
Palm Coast Fire Station 21
Oct 31 2025
Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town,’ at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine
Limelight Theatre
Oct 31 2025
‘The 39 Steps,’ at the Daytona Playhouse
Daytona Playhouse
Oct 31 2025
Rocky Horror Picture Show at Athens Theatre
Athens Theatre
November 2025
Nov 01 2025
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
In Front of Flagler Beach City Hall
Nov 01 2025
Flagler Beach All Stars Beach Clean-Up
No event found!
The Conversation
4.7 Million Floridians Have Obamacare. Here’s What Happens If They Lose Their Subsidies.
The number of people insured under the ACA in each state varies. But the state with the largest number of residents on marketplace insurance plans is Florida. About 4.7 million Florida residents are covered through these plans, representing 27% of the state’s under-65 population, compared to the national average of 8.8%. Of those on marketplace plans, 98% receive a subsidy at some level. There are several reasons why this rate is so much higher in Florida than elsewhere.
Florida and Beyond
‘There Will be Some Changes’ to SB180, Sen. Tom Leek Says of Law Favoring Developers At Home Rule’s Expense
State legislators are discussing the possibility of revising a new law that has drawn legal challenges because it blocks cities and counties from approving “more restrictive or burdensome” changes to growth plans. Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said Monday during a Manatee County legislative delegation meeting that he has talked with sponsors of the 2025 legislation and that “tweaks” are being discussed.
State Kills Norman Grim for 1998 Murder of Cynthia Chapman, Record 15th Execution of the Year
After declining to fight the execution in court, Norman Grim was put to death by lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison for the 1998 sexual assault and murder of a woman in Santa Rosa County. Grim, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m., becoming the 15th inmate executed in Florida this year — a modern-era record.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Another Clay Jones special on his recovery and a rewind to those Obama years, weekly chess club for teens at the county library, Frances Fitzgerald on a 2008 letter imagining Obama’s America in 2012.
More Florida and Beyond
Trump Scrapped Detailed Annual Food Insecurity Report, Making It Harder to Know American Hunger
The Trump administration announced plans to stop releasing food insecurity data. The federal government has tracked and analyzed this data for the past three decades. Food banks relied on the data to understand who was most likely to need their help. The data also allowed policymakers to see the big jump in need during the Great Recession starting in 2008. It also showed a slight decline in food insecurity with the rise in government assistance early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
2.9 Million Floridians Will Lose Food Stamps Benefits Saturday if Shutdown Doesn’t End
Nearly 3 million Floridians who rely on federal food assistance will see their benefits end in November due to the federal government shutdown. Florida has the fourth largest SNAP enrollment nationwide with 2.94 million relying on the assistance for their food security, behind California, Texas, and New York. Nationwide, 41.7 million people rely on SNAP benefits, August 2025 data show.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council and the School Board hold meetings, the latest Israeli theft of Gaza, the Flagler County Affordable Housing Committee, Budgeting by Values: A Free, Virtual Class to Learn Budgeting Skills at Flagler Cares.
Workplace Exhaustion’s Connection to Extremism
A new study of 600 employees suggests burnout may quietly fuel worrying attitudes – specifically, the potential justification of violent extremism – towards the perceived source of their distress. In the study, employees made daily notes of their burnout symptoms, emotional states, and violent extremist attitudes. On days when employees felt more burnt out, they reported significantly more sympathy toward extremist ideas, such as justifying violence against perceived injustices.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, October 27, 2025
The Bunnell City Commission meets and will discuss the possibility of having voting districts in the city, Pasco County library director Sean McGharvey reminds us of library’s jazziness, a few words from Bertrand Russell.
Speaking Spoofs to Power: Those Inflatable Costumes at Trump Protests
activists taking part in protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across the United States have donned inflatable animal costumes. The aim is to disrupt the Trump administration’s claim that the protests are violent “hate America” rallies. The result is a sight to behold, with many encounters between police and protestors going viral. Whether they know it or not, these costumed activists are contributing to a rich history of using humour and dress to mobilise against and challenge power.
When Florida Sends Goons to Intimidate Government Critics
Retired Florida resident James O’Gara sent a postcard to Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, saying simply, “You lack values.” Soon after the postcard, two guys in armored vests emblazoned “POLICE” showed up at the O’Gara home and asked if James O’Gara had mailed that little missive to Tallahassee. They didn’t identify themselves, but the O’Garas checked with Largo police and found out the men were from the Department of Financial Services’ investigations unit.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, October 26, 2025
‘The 39 Steps,’ at the Daytona Playhouse, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Gamble Jam, Hendrik Willem van Loon’s prejudices, Sam Cook’s Wonderful World, bubl-shaped church spires’ history.
From Albert Speer to Donald Trump
the Trump administration is mobilizing heritage and architecture as tools of ideology and control. He is seeking to roll back inclusive historical narratives at U.S. parks and monuments. And he is reviving sanitized myths about America’s history of slavery, misogyny and Manifest Destiny, for use in museums, textbooks and public schools. Dictators, tyrants and kings build monumental architecture to buttress their own egos, which is called authoritarian monumentalism. They also seek to build the national ego – another word for nationalism.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Palm Coast Founders’ Day, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Peps Art Walk, Rick Belhumeur’s birthday, Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town,’ at Limelight Theatre, ‘The 39 Steps,’ at the Daytona Playhouse.
What would Mark Twain Think of Donald Trump?
Mark Twain would have found Trump the showman – the pre-2016 version – a fascinating figure. He would have been appalled, however, by much about Trump the president. Imagining how Twain would view Trump is timely because when some have tried to look to history for an equivalent political moment, they’ll sometimes point to two decades – the 1880s and the 1900s – that happened to also be important in Twain’s life and career.
Florida Judge Rules Concealed Weapons Ban for Under-21 Unconstitutional
Siding with a 19-year-old man who was spotted with a gun in his waistband, a Broward County circuit judge Friday ruled that a state law barring people under age 21 from carrying concealed weapons violates Second Amendment rights.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, October 24, 2025
The Florida Ethics Commission meets, Sheriff Staly discusses open carry on Free For All Fridays, Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, Wikipedia’s unsung heroes.
Commentary
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.
The Great Louvre Heist and Security Challenges to Museums Everywhere
On Sunday October 19, criminals managed to steal eight pieces of extremely valuable jewelry from the Louvre Museum’s Gallery of Apollo, in Paris. The robbery highlights long-standing issues for criminology in the field of cultural heritage, as museum security has to address traditional and emerging threats as well as a range of symbolic visions and criminal dynamics. From a security point of view, there are five key ideas that can help us understand what the flaws were in the Louvre, as well as how, and why, criminals target museums.
The Real Reason Conservatives Are Furious About Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Gig
The spectacle of a Spanish-speaking rapper performing during the most-watched sporting event on American TV is a direct rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to paper over the country’s diversity. Beyond that, there’s his gender-bending wardrobe. He has slammed the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies. He has declined to tour on the U.S. mainland, fearing that some of his fans could be targeted and deported by ICE. And his explicit lyrics – most of which are in Spanish – would make even the most ardent free speech warrior cringe.