The Bunnell City Commission got a preview of the two sharply divided sides that will appear before it again soon in defense of and in opposition to the preservation of the cold-weather shelter for the homeless at First United Methodist Church on Pine Street.
DeSantis Signs Death Warrant of Homophobic Serial Killer Gary Bowles
Gary Bowles murdered six people in 1994. He is serving life sentences in the murders of John Roberts in Daytona Beach and Albert Morris in Nassau County, and is being killed for the murder of Walter Hinton in Jacksonville.
Wednesday Briefing: Narcan Stock, Flagler Beach Land Development, Florida Association of Counties, Grand Living
County paramedics get a 300-dose delivery of opioid-overdose-reversing Narcan, the Florida Association of Counties meets, Grand Living opens a new location.
Pete Buttigieg, Ahead of Miami Debate, Says No to Heavy-Handed Immigration Enforcement
Pete Buttigieg says he would set aside politics and work with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to fund “good” environmental projects, while expressing his opposition to Florida’s “heavy-handed” approach to federal immigration enforcement and expansion of school voucher-type programs.
Marion Gavins Jr. Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of Curtis Gray, Raising Prospect of Stand Your Ground
Marion Gavins Jr. has not denied shooting Curtis Gray in front of several witnesses the night of April 13, but has intimated it was self-defense as he feared Gray was reaching for a gun. Gray was unarmed.
Captain’s BBQ Sues Flagler County, Alleging ‘Politically Motivated’ Breach of Contract
The owners of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing filed a four-count lawsuit against Flagler County government, alleging breach of contract and seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
Good News: Straight People Don’t Need a Pride Parade
Organizers of the “straight pride parade” in Boston this summer have ties to numerous far-right groups. Here are conditions that would make such a parade easier to embrace.
Tuesday Briefing: Tedarius Abrams, Florida Park Drive’s Airs, Education Law’s Constitutionality
Bethune-Cookman University Senior Tedarius Abrams is the choice for Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Discover the Unexpected Program, the Palm Coast council talks air sensors around Florida Park Drive.
The Crisis Formerly Known as Climate Change: Wrong Re-Branding
The Guardian announced it was re-branding climate change, encouraging its writers and contributors to use more urgent terms like “climate crisis.” Here’s why this is very wrong.
Plotting to Win Biggest Battleground State in 2020, Florida Democrats Can’t Get Around GOP-Controlled Legislature
The Florida Democratic Party’s biggest event of the year wrapped up this weekend with a debate over Election Day voter registration, but any such changes would require GOP approval. That’s unlikely.
City Launches Civic Engagement Platform Called ‘Palm Coast Connect’ to Better Serve and Track Residents’ Issues
Palm Coast’s new citizen-engagement platform is hoping to better understand what’s driving the 10,400 calls a month to the city’s customer service lines, and to more efficiently remedy the complaints.
Coming Off Daring Banner Year, Flagler Playhouse Readies for a 41st Season of ‘Arsenic,’ Abba, Guys and Dolls
Founded in 1978, the Flagler Playhouse had one of its best ever seasons artistically and financially, and is preparing to stage five plays and musicals in the season opening in September with “Mama Mia!”
Why Some CEOs Are Figuring Out That ‘Medicare For All’ Is Good For Business
As health costs continue to grow, straining employer budgets and slowing wage growth, CEOs and others in the business community are beginning to take the Medicare for All option more seriously.
Monday Briefing: Roundabouts, Chief Judge Zambrano, Hurricane Irma Assistance, Bunnell v. Homeless
Raul Zambrano is named Chief Judge for a second term, the Bunnell City Commission may talk about its homeless complex, the transportation department and Commissioner Joe Mullins talk roundabouts.
Attorney General Moody To Supreme Court on Death Row Inmates: Let ‘Em Die
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is urging the Florida Supreme Court to reverse course on decisions that allowed dozens of convicted murderers to have their death sentences reconsidered.
Carjacking Suspect Attempts to Mow Down 2 Flagler Deputies on I-95 in Eerie Near-Replay of 2003 Cop Fatality
Jesse Estep, 29, of Bunnell, is accused of attempting to strike two deputies with a stolen truck as they deployed stop sticks in the same area of I-95 where a Flagler deputy was killed doing the same thing against a car thief in 2003.
Four Arrested After Fleeing in Stolen Vehicle and Hiding in B-Section Woods
Three young men were arrested and sent to the Flagler County jail Friday, and a juvenile was also arrested, after the quartet allegedly fled in a stolen vehicle and hid in the woods before being caught.
Green New Deal Me In
The Green New Deal may have a hoaky name but at least it’s a beginning, an attempt to push back against a republic of insects and grass, inviting debate in the face of indefensible Republican inaction.
FPC’s IB Class of 2019 Soars as 45 Students Collect 176 Acceptances from 60 Colleges and Universities
Stanford, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, and of course UF and Florida State were among the 60 schools that accepted some of FPC’s IB students in one of the program’s most successful years.
Former Flagler Beach Gallery Owner Arrested on Charge of Drugging and Raping a Woman
Larry Cavallaro, 72, a Beverly Beach property owner and former owner of Castle Designs Gallery in Flagler Beach, was arrested on a charge of raping an incapacitated woman he is alleged to have drugged at his home.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Bob Wallace Resigns After Just 10 Months
For FPC, Wallace’s departure means the school will have its sixth principal in 14 years by the time school resumes in August. The former Volusia County administrator had never quite fit in in Flagler.
Weekend Briefing: Donut With a Deputy, Urban Surf 4 Kids, Willie’s Weed, Portugal Flag
The unique Urban Surf for Kids Surf Camp kicks off in Flagler Beach, deputies mark National Donut Day with the public, First Friday in Flagler Beach, a flag-raising at Palm Coast City Hall.
Is State Law Restricting Local Governments’ Gun-Safety Ordinances Constitutional? Judge Hears Arguments.
Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. But in 2011, lawmakers went further by approving a series of penalties that local governments and officials can face if they violate the prohibition.
Allegations of Falsified Records and Bogus Inspections Lead to Resignation of Palm Coast’s Chief Building Inspector
Charlie Mini, Palm Coast’s Chief Building Inspector, resigned after an investigation concluded that he was falsifying records about inspections he did not perform and favored one pool contractor in particular.
Richard S. Hartung, 76, Dies in Apparent Suicide, County’s 3rd Self-Inflicted Death in 8 Days
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the death by apparent suicide of Richard S. Hartung, 76, in his condominium at 7 Avenue de la Mer in Palm Coast on May 30.
Florida TaxWatch Calls For Eliminating $133 million in Budget ‘Turkeys’; Flagler Is Spared
As of Wednesday afternoon, DeSantis had received 123 of the 174 bills approved by the Legislature during this year’s session. He’d signed 80 and vetoed two.
Thursday Briefing: Last Chance for Disaster-Prep Tax Holiday, D-Day’s 75th Anniversary, ‘At Paso Rojo’
The annual disaster-preparation tax “holiday” ends at midnight tonight, the nation and Europe mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, a Paul Bowles excerpt.
Lawmakers Promise Flagler Schools a $242 Per-Student Increase. That’s a Lie. District Faces a $1.5 Million Deficit.
A look behind the state’s allegation of a per-student funding increase for Flagler reveals the line-item fine print of deceptions, slippery definitions and unfunded mandates, resulting in a deficit, not an increase.
Talk of Divorce Preceded Shooting that Resulted in Apparent Man’s Suicide and Woman’s Injury
Maureen Lockwood said she’d told her husband Ralph that she wanted a divorce before he shot her then turned the gun on himself. He died. She survived. The investigation is continuing.
Ex-School Deputy Scot Peterson Arrested On Child Neglect Charge in School Shooting
Peterson, the longtime resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, refused to investigate when he heard gunshots on campus and retreated while students and faculty members were shot and killed.
Wednesday Briefing: ‘Behind the Walls,’ Beachwalk Development on A1A, Judge’s Reprimand
Flagler Republicans mark D-Day’s 75th anniversary, Broward Judge Dennis Daniel Bailey’s misbehavior at trial, Jaume Plensa’s ‘Behind the Walls,’ the A1A committee discusses a proposed development.
Bunnell Rudely Tells Church’s Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless to Get Out Of Town
Bunnell’s zoning board voted to disallow the Sheltering Tree, the county’s only cold-weather shelter, from operating out of the United Methodist Church, potentially ending 11 years of service by the non-profit. The Sheltering Tree intends to appeal to the city commission.
Pit Bull Attacks and Injures Woman, 45, Then Bites Sheriff’s Deputy in Palm Coast’s P Section
A 45-year-old resident of Patric Drive in Palm Coast was attacked and seriously injured on her lip and belly by a pit bull, which then attacked and injured Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Jonathan Schmidt as Schmidt was investigating the incident the following day.
Let Prison Inmates Vote
In the era of mass incarceration, forbidding inmate voting, disenfranchising them after release, and counting them as residents where they’re imprisoned are all components of prison gerrymandering.
$100 Million Will Raise 91-Year-Old Tamiami Trail, Easing Everglades Flow
Environmentalists say the Tamiami Trail, or U.S. 41, has dammed the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay.
Tuesday Briefing: Daytona Tortugas Kids’ Clinic, Homeless Task Force, New Area Code 689
The Daytona Tortugas host a clinic for kids ages 7-13 at Indian Trails Sports Complex, new area code 689 takes effect in Central Florida, the Palm Coast council discusses the city’s new citizens’ portal.
County Will take Back Control of All Plans and Construction for Captain’s at Bing’s in Major Concession to Hammock Group
Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s will not get to build its own, larger building as the County Commission today voted to take over all future plans, whether to repair the existing structure or build a new, smaller one.
Flagler Braces for Hurricane Season as Florida Reels From 3-Year Streak of Landfalls
Flagler County is still paying the millions in bills from Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, and the state is recovering from a direct hit from a Cat 5 last year, costing $26 billion, as the 2019 hurricane season begins.
Monday Briefing: Mid-90s, Decision-Time on Captain’s BBQ, Chris Sepe, Albert Roussel
Flagler County Commissioners are expected to make a decision on the lease and location of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing, the Sheriff’s Chris Sepe graduates from the Commanders’ Academy.
2 Shots, 2 Victims, 1 Dead in Palm Coast’s B Section in Feared Attempted Murder Suicide
A man and a woman, both shot in the head, were flown out of Palm Coast’s B Section this morning after a double-shooting on Beechwood Lane. The shooting is feared to be an attempted murder-suicide.
Police Train to Be ‘Social Workers of Last Resort’ as Mental Health Calls Multiply
Lacking proper mental health resources, families and community members across the country all too often call police to respond to someone having a mental health crisis.
2019 Flagler Jail Bookings, Sheriff’s, Bunnell and Flagler Beach Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2019 Flagler County jail bookings, commanders’ crime and incident reports, Flagler Beach and Bunnell police shift reports and archive.
Inmate at Flagler Jail Manages to Facebook Live, Breaching Security and Angering Sheriff Over County’s IT Protocols
A inmate Facebooked live during a GED class at the jail, the second such breach in two months after sheriff’s officials warned the county, which handles the sheriff’s IT, to address the issue. A county employee has been suspended.
A Trust-Worthy Inspection of Captain’s Building at Bing’s Is Essential Before Any Decision
The Hammock Community Association is urging the County Commission to delay any decision on Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s pending a reliable inspection of the restaurant building. The association is willing to pay up to $4,000 for the inspection.
At FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Curtis Gray’s Memory Echoes in Honors and Emotions
Curtis Gray, the 18-year-old FPC senior gunned down on April 13, was awarded a posthumous honorary degree at what would have been his graduation Thursday evening, accepted by his mother, Carmen.
Weekend Briefing: Heat Aplenty, Lifeguard Class, Giant Book Sale, Sales Tax Holiday
The Friends of the Flagler Public Library hold the biggest book sale of the year, American Red Cross lifeguard certification classes all weekend, the weeklong sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness.
Floridians Have a Right To Access Medical Malpractice Records. Shands Sues to Prevent That.
Under Florida law, patients have the right to access adverse medical incident reports, which can play an important role in malpractice cases. UF Health Jacksonville says federal privacy law trumps Florida’s constitutional amendment.
To Spur Town Center’s ‘Innovation District,’ Palm Coast Eagerly Gives Developers
What They Want
Palm Coast’s Town Center is finally stirring with sustained development after a decade and a half’s slumber, with generous financial breaks and changes in regulations attracting developers.
Trump Against the First Amendment
Julian Assange and Wikileaks are giving Trump a chance to challenge First Amendment freedoms of the press and get a radical ruling from his new buddies on the Supreme Court.
Chamber’s Public Leadership Institute Seeking Applicants for Non-Partisan Training Program
The Flagler Volusia Public Leadership Institute trains participants in business-minded leadership, advocacy and potential runs for local office. Four graduates from two previous classes are in office currently.