The City of Palm Coast is beginning the process of reviewing and updating its Land Development Code (LDC) and is inviting the community to participate in this important effort. A series of public workshops will be held during the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board (PLDRB) meetings and City Council meetings, all of which are open to the public. The first workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at Palm Coast City Hall.
Flagler County’s Development Authority Board Wants to Wade Into Economic Development, Conjuring Grim History
Some of the members of Flagler County’s newly appointed Industrial Development Authority wants to be more than just an industrial development authority. They want to be the county’s economic advisory council–reviving the sort of council the county killed in 2020 after years of meager results. Just as IDA members have mixed feelings about that, so did the Flagler County commissioners who appointed them.
Fact-Check: How Flagler County Misuses Numbers in Pitch of $110 Million Sports Complex
In a pitch to the Flagler County Commission on Monday, the county’s tourism bureau and its consultant backed up an analysis of a proposed $110 million sports complex with numbers that, while accurate in themselves, were entirely without context and, on close inspection, had little to do with Palm Coast, and in some regards contradicted the county’s rosy claims.
More Skepticism and Vagueness than Hard Data to Support Mammoth $110 Million Sports Complex in Palm Coast
A company pitching a proposed $110 million sports complex for west Palm Coast claims it could attract up to 400,000 a year even though the county as a whole doesn’t attract more than 100,000 total visitors a year, including those who flock to its beaches. Yet the Flagler County Commission, with some strong skepticism from one member and questions from others, continues to encourage its tourism office to further explore the possibility of just such a complex, which would require a $6 million a year “rent” payment from taxpayers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, October 7, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council, Flagler Beach’s and Bunnell’s planning boards all meet, when Nixon was claiming he would not use personal attacks in the same issue of the New York Times that led to the Sullivan ruling, Anthony Lewis on “Make No Law.”
Florida Attorney General Leads 21 States Backing ‘Parental Rights’ Over Child’s Gender Privacy in Court Case
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier led 21 states in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday supporting a Tallahassee mother who claimed her rights were violated when a local middle school created a secret plan supporting her child switching genders.
Jorge Salinas, Flagler County’s Steadying Deputy Administrator Since 2020, and His Wife, Are Killed in Crash
Jorge Salinas, Flagler County’s deputy administrator since 2020, a steadying voice of the county administration and one of the more beloved people at the Government Services Building, was killed late Sunday night in a four-vehicle hit-and-run car crash on I-4, as was his wife and an unrelated motorcyclist.
The Supreme Court Resumes Its Rightward Reel
This year’s controversies at the Supreme Court focus on three dominant themes. One is the continuing constitutional revolution in how the justices read our basic law. The court has shifted from a living reading of the Constitution, which says the Constitution should adapt to the American people’s evolving values and the needs of contemporary society, to an original reading, which aims to enforce the constitutional principles understood by the Americans who ratified them.
Hearings Begin Over FPL’s Proposed Rate Increase
FPL’s originally proposed base rate hike in February would have allowed it to collect $9.8 billion in revenue over the next four years — the highest in U.S. history. Since then, that has been negotiated down by approximately $2.9 billion — still far too high, energy advocates argue.
Sirius Healthcare, Specializing in HIV and Hepatitis C, Joins Flagler Care’s Village at City Marketplace
Sirius Healthcare, established 15 months ago and headquartered in Orange City, is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals impacted by HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as mental health and primary care services. Founded on principles of compassion and excellence, Sirius Healthcare focuses on improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations by empowering patients through education, support, and comprehensive care tailored to their unique needs.
In a Surprise, Flagler Commissioners Vote 4-1 to Indemnify Contractor of South-Side Library for Up to $1.25 Million
In one of the most unusual–if not unprecedented–moves on behalf of a building contractor, the Flagler County Commission this morning voted 4-1 to indemnify Ajax Construction for up to $1.25 million for non-structural-related contractual matters in its construction of the Nexus Center, the south-side library Ajax is building for the county.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, October 6, 2025
The Flagler County Commission meets in the morning, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets in the evening, and the Mediterranean brings back all sorts of memories from Homer to Braudel.
The US Edges Closer to War Footing with Venezuela
For many in Venezuela, the question is no longer whether tensions with Washington will reach a boiling point – they already have. Rather, the big unknown now is whether the U.S. will follow up on threats and the sinking of drug boats with something more drastic: direct military engagement or even regime change.
Grand Jury Reported Imminent in Hope Florida Scandal
Subpoenas are being issued to Gov. Ron DeSantis staffers over the Hope Florida spending scandal. The subpoenas come as prosecutors in Tallahassee are convening a grand jury to meet during the week of Oct. 13, according to the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times. Hope Florida has been the subject of increasing scrutiny. Leaders of the organization faced lawmakers’ questions during the last Legislative Session.
Rampant Gaslighting About Freedom of Speech at Florida Universities
Our state government is authoritarian and proudly ignorant, hell-bent on destroying what makes universities great — freedom of expression, critical thinking, creativity, exposing students to ideas that may challenge them (or even upset them), unfettered research, scientific rigor, and advances in knowledge based on data. Why would a scholar want to pursue a career in such a fact-resistant, small-minded, censorious state?
Do ‘Conversion Therapy’ Bans Violate Free Speech?
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday in a challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” – treatment intended to change a client’s sexual orientation or gender identity – for young people. Kaley Chiles, a therapist in Colorado Springs and a practicing Christian, argues that the ban violates her right to free speech because it imposes “a gag order on counselors.” Colorado counters that the ban merely regulates the treatments that mental health professionals can provide because conversion therapy has been found to be “unsafe and ineffective.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, October 5, 2025
Final day of the Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve, final chance to see ‘Avenue Q,’ at City Repertory Theatre, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, ‘Sweeney Todd’ at Athens Theatre in DeLand, the wonderful George Hanns turns 79.
The Shutdown and the Battle Over Obamacare Subsidies
In the lead-up to the current shutdown, Republicans needed Democratic votes in the Senate to pass a bill that would keep funding the government at existing levels at least until November. In return for their support, Democrats sought several concessions. A major one was to extend subsidies for ACA insurance policy premiums, which were established during the COVID-19 pandemic. These subsidies addressed a shortcoming in the ACA by decreasing premiums for millions of Americans – and they played a crucial role in more than doubling enrollment in the ACA marketplaces.
Privatizing the VA Is a Disaster in the Making for Veterans
The VA MISSION Act of 2018, passed under President Trump’s first term, established a parallel private network, the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The VCCP now sees 60 percent of VA patients and eats up over $30 billion a year that could go to hiring more staff and improving the VA’s aging infrastructure. This year, VA Secretary Doug Collins asked Congress for a 50 percent increase in VCCP funding and — in an unprecedented move — a reduction in VA funding.
Universal Is reopening Stardust Racers at Epic Universe
Despite potential litigation and an ongoing probe, Universal Orlando is reopening Stardust Racers after a man’s death last month. Stardust Racers had been closed since Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died Sept. 17. Rodriguez Zavala died from multiple blunt force trauma after his family’s lawyers said he hit his head repeatedly on the metal bar of the ride. They called his injuries extensive although the full autopsy has not been released.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve postponed, ‘Avenue Q,’ at City Repertory Theatre, The Flagler Beach All Stars hold their monthly beach clean-up, Random Acts of Insanity Standup Comedy at Cinematique in Daytona Beach, the American Dream.
George Washington’s Lesson to Pete Hegseth
Washington’s overall vision of a military leader could not be further from Hegseth’s vision of the tough warrior. For starters, Washington would have found the concern with “fat generals” irrelevant. Some of the most capable officers in the Continental Army were famously overweight. Washington became a soldier not because he was hotheaded or drawn to the thrill of combat, but because he saw soldiering as the highest exercise of discipline, patience and composure. His “warrior ethos” was moral before it was martial.
Teacher Who Certified Student as ‘Most Likely to Become Dictator’ Battles Pending Firing
With state Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas vowing to prevent her from teaching again, an Alachua County teacher is fighting a disciplinary case that includes allegations she presented a certificate to a student that said he was the most likely to “become a dictator.”
State Debating Trophy Will be Named After Controversialist Charlie Kirk
The top student debaters in the state will hoist a trophy named for the late, controversial conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced Friday that the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative championship trophy will be named for Kirk, who gained notoriety for debating students on college campuses before he was assassinated.
Keith Johansen, Serving Life for Murdering His Wife, Now Claims Stand Your Ground Would Have Exonerated Him
Former Palm Coast resident Keith Johansen, 43, who shot and killed his wife Brandi Celenza at their F-Section home in 2018, now claims a Stand Your Ground motion would have exonerated him and made trial unnecessary. Four years ago this month a jury found Johansen guilty of murdering Brandi, 25, in their home on Felter Lane while Brandi’s young son was in another room, waiting to go to the county fair.
Every Flagler/Palm Coast Development Past, Present and Future Now Mapped Out and Accessible Thanks to Toby Tobin
Imagine an interactive site where every housing development in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Flagler County, past, present, and future, is mapped out and available at a click. Every development’s details–number of homes, apartment units, commercial or industrial square footage–is listed, often with illustrations and links. Developers are listed. So are construction dates or projected buildouts. That map is now public and free to use, if not quite as free to its creator, who’s paying for it.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, October 3, 2025
First Friday in Flagler Beach, ‘Avenue Q,’ at City Repertory Theatre, First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, The Friday Blue Forum, Free Family Art Night: Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Jane Goodall Redefined What It Meant to Be Human
Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.
Loving Penguins Lose as Federal Judge Backs School Board’s Ban of ‘And Tango Makes Three’
A federal judge this week rejected a challenge to a 2023 decision by the Escambia County School Board to remove the book “And Tango Makes Three” from school libraries, ruling the move did not violate First Amendment rights. “And Tango Makes Three,” which tells the story of two male penguins who raised a penguin chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo, has become a prominent part of a debate in recent years about removing or restricting access to books at Florida schools. The Escambia County lawsuit alleged the book was targeted for its depictions of same-sex parents raising a child.
DeSantis May Call Special Session to Force Amendment on Property Tax Repeal
Gov. Ron DeSantis is threatening to put lawmakers on the spot about property taxes during the heat of their reelection campaigns. The governor, during a news conference at Jacksonville International Airport Wednesday, reiterated that he believes voters should decide the fate of the property tax in the state come the November 2026.
FC3, Flagler’s Cultural Council, Marks 3rd Year With Grant Showcase and Hopes Still Brighter Than Achievements
The Flagler County Cultural Council, the volunteer organization known as FC3 and designated local arts agency, marked its third year since that designation at its annual meeting Wednesday evening at the Palm Coast Community Center by featuring grant recipients, selecting winners of a high school photo contest and installing a new slate of officers. The fledgling council is still finding its footing, its “pillars” lifting more aspirations than achievements for now.
Flagler County Home Builders Sue Palm Coast Over Impact Fees, Seeking Immediate Invalidation of Sharp Increases
The Flagler County Home Builders Association (HBA), five local builders and an individual jointly filed the 69-page, four-count suit in Flagler County Circuit Court late Wednesday afternoon. The suit challenges the City Council’s unanimous adoption last June of sharply higher impact fees for fire services, parks and transportation. The lawsuit is not seeking damages, monetary or otherwise. It is seeking the immediate and permanent invalidation of the ordinances that enacted the higher impact fees. It is an extraordinary challenge. It is neither unprecedented nor unheeded, though with extreme rarity.
Bunnell Maid on Probation for Theft Accused of Defrauding and Stealing from Clients in C-Section
Kayla Conner, 38, of Bunnell, was on probation for a 2024 conviction for felony theft when she was arrested again last week on accusations that, as a housekeeper, she defrauded her employer of $776 for cash, or to pay her wireless fees, or to pay for pet supplies, and stole a Pandora bracelet worth up to $800, and pawned off numerous jewelry items for cash.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, October 2, 2025
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond, ‘Nunsense,’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, ‘Sweeney Todd’ at Athens Theatre, the problem with theology, ideology and teleology.
What the 1st Amendment Protects, and What It Doesn’t
What the First Amendment makes clear is that it does not just protect the rights of speakers who say things with which Americans agree. Or, as the Supreme Court said in a separate decision it issued one year after the case involving the funeral protesters: “The Nation well knows that one of the costs of the First Amendment is that it protects the speech we detest as well as the speech we embrace.” But free speech is not absolute.
Florida Schools and Parents Censored 444 Book Titles in 2025, Down from 732
Both the Florida Department of Education and PEN America, a nonprofit advocating for freedom of expression, have released their annual lists of books removed from school classrooms and libraries, each reporting fewer removals than last year.
Cops May No Longer Search Your Car Based on Pot Smell Alone, Court Rules
Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal’s main opinion said that for “generations, cannabis was illegal in all forms — thereby rendering its distinct odor immediately indicative of criminal activity.” But the opinion said legislative changes have “fundamentally changed its definition and regulation” and made cannabis legal to possess in multiple forms.
Open-Carry Leaves Flagler County’s Government Attorneys Grappling with Ruling’s Application to Public Spaces
A Sept. 10 appeals court ruling that made it legal to openly carrying guns in Florida has created some confusion for Flagler County’s local government attorneys on the law’s applicability in certain public places such as government buildings and parks in light of a loophole in law that appears to leave long guns unregulated, and the permissibility of carrying guns in certain public spaces unclear.
Creekside Music and Arts Festival Set for Weekend Is Postponed to February as Precaution Against Storms
The Creekside Music and Arts Festival scheduled for this weekend–Oct. 4 and 5–at Princess Place Preserve in Flagler County is being rescheduled to February due to an inclement forecast of lightning and storms ahead. The festival, the largest cultural festival on the county’s calendar, both in attendance and vendors, is rescheduled to February 7 and 8. It is the second time in eight years that the festival has had to be postponed due to weather. In 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, it was moved to November.
FWC Employee Fired Over Charlie Kirk Instagram Post Sues Accuses Agency of 1st Amendment Violation in Lawsuit
A biologist has filed a federal lawsuit challenging her firing by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because of a post on a personal social-media account after the murder of Charlie Kirk. Brittney Brown, who worked for the commission studying shorebirds and seabirds in the area of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panhandle, alleges in the lawsuit that her firing on Sept. 15 — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
The Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3) annual meeting, The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, the Flagler County Republican Club holds its monthly meeting, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the county library, reflections on the horrors of classical music at a young age and Bach’s Orchestral Suite in B Minor.
Daytona State Offering 25 Art Scholarships for Veterans and Their Families Through Vets Create Program
Daytona State College is offering up to 25 scholarships for classes in ceramics, painting, drawing, design, photography, dance, theater and music to veterans and their dependent family members as part of the College’s Vets Create program.
Militarism for Show
The president’s and the defense secretary’s campaign-like pair of bombastic speeches to hundreds of generals summoned to Quantico, Va., signals an escalation in the administration’s embrace of a militaristic mindset that, as long ago as 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against in his farewell address, and that the nation’s founders deliberately aimed to constrain.
About 750,000 Federal Workers Will Be Furloughed in Shutdown
A government shutdown could have significant economic consequences, though an analysis released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said it’s difficult to pinpoint ramifications without knowing the length of a funding lapse or how exactly the Trump administration will try to reshape the federal workforce. Director Phillip L. Swagel wrote in a four-page letter the agency projects about 750,000 federal workers would be furloughed, leading to a $400 million impact per day.
Paul Renner Isn’t Interested in UNF Presidency
Don’t expect a former House Speaker and current candidate for Governor to swoop in as President of the University of North Florida. UNF’s President Moez Limayem is the sole candidate in the running for the presidency of the University of South Florida, creating a likely opening at the Jacksonville school and stoking speculation about whether Renner might want the job.
A Safe Haven Baby Box Is Blessed at Palm Coast Fire Station 25 as Door to Hope, Mercy and Second Chance
Some 90 people stood in diluvian rain outside of Palm Coast’s Fire Station 25 this afternoon for the blessing of the city’s first Safe Haven Baby Box, a $41,000 gift to the city from the local Knights of Columbus, the Palm Coast Kiwanis Club and others who worked nearly two years toward the installation of the box. “It’s a tangible reminder that in moments of crisis, that there is hope,” Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill said. The founder Monica Kelsey, was also among the speakers.
At 1st Public Input Session on Palm Coast Charter Review, a Small But Engaged Crowd Makes Half a Dozen Suggestions
The first of four workshops designed to let Palm Coast residents describe how they want to see the city’s charter changed drew just 17 people Monday evening, 13 if you didn’t count four of the five members of the Charter Review Committee who attended, and a few less if you didn’t count the alternates picked for the committee. But the two-hour discussion was generally thoughtful and informed, engaged, varied, and–with occasional exceptions–free of the strident polemics and mistrust that routinely fill public-comment segments before the City Council.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
“Nunsense,” at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, Random Acts of Insanity, the Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and what it owes Sykes-Picot and Wilson.
Charlie Kirk, AI-Generated Martyr
An AI-generated image of Charlie Kirk embracing Jesus. Another of Kirk posing with angel wings and halo. Then there’s the one of Kirk standing with George Floyd at the gates of heaven. When prominent political or cultural figures die in the U.S., the remembrance of their life often veers into hagiography. And that’s what’s been happening since the gruesome killing of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Battalion Chief in Lee County Faces 31 Charges, from Embezzlement to Voyeurism and Stalking
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Albert “Shane” Sibert, 54, of North Fort Myers, a Battalion Chief with the Estero Fire Rescue department in lee County, on one count, each, of a scheme to defraud, grand theft, official misconduct, digital voyeurism dissemination, unlawful use of a tracking device, aggravated stalking, violation of injunction for protection against stalking, battery and money laundering. Sibert is also charged with 16 counts of unlawful interception of wire or oral communications and six counts of video voyeurism.