The City of Palm Coast is asking residents to limit water usage after receiving an unprecedented 7-10 inches of rain over the past five days. This heavy rainfall has caused our wastewater plants to process an additional 6 million gallons of water in a single day—equivalent to 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The system is under significant pressure, with 23 lift stations nearing capacity, especially in areas south of Palm Coast Parkway.
In Victory for Freedom to Read, Florida School District Wil Return 36 Books to Shelves in Lawsuit Settlement
Authors of the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” and parents of students have reached a settlement with the Nassau County school district that will lead to 36 books returning to school libraries after being removed last year, according to court documents filed this week. The settlement came in a federal lawsuit filed in May amid widespread controversy about removing books from school libraries in Florida and other states.
County Approves Old Dixie Motel’s Plan for ‘Hotel Henry’ Even as Harsh Disputes in Court Continue
Flagler County government still doesn’t think the owners of the ruin known as the Old Dixie motel are admirable people by any stretch. But the Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday finally approved on a 6-1 vote the owners’ site plan for a refurbished “Henry Hotel.” The vote does not end the county’s three-year-old legal dispute with the owners nor does it scrap the county’s pending order to demolish the motel–unless construction begins swiftly and proceeds earnestly.
BJ’s Wholesale Club Opens Palm Coast Store on Sept. 20 as State Road 100 Girds for Crush
BJ’s Wholesale, a 103,000 square foot store, anchors the Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center on State Road 100, with an archipelago of gas pumps that opened earlier this month, Miller’s Ale House that opened last month, a LongHorn Steakhouse and a Chase bank opening soon, and a yet-unnamed chicken restaurant slated for the near future.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 12, 2024
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” dance marathons and Gloria telling off the moms for liberty of her day in “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They.”
The iPhone 16 Shows How AI Is Shaking Up Devices
The unveiling of the iPhone 16 could mark a turning point in the history of Apple’s smartphone brand. Visual Intelligence allows you to search for content on whatever you can see through your phone with the help of a new camera control button on the side of the iPhone 16.
Supreme Court Expediting Case Alleging DeSantis Interference with Abortion-Rights Amendment
The Florida Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to fast-track a lawsuit filed by a South Florida attorney alleging that Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials are interfering with the campaign for the abortion-rights amendment.
Property Owners Opposed to Public’s ‘Customary Use’ Of Beach Appeal Ruling in Case with Implications for Flagler
Property owners are challenging a ruling by U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington that said the town had adequately shown a history of “customary use” by the public of parts of the beach that are privately owned, to let the public keep using those beaches.
Cell Tower Planned to Improve Coverage for Developments Along U.S. 1 and B Section in Northwest Palm Coast
Bronx House Pizza Parking Lot Approved Over Objections as Owner and Planning Board Member Attacks Resident
Though stand-alone parking zones are not allowed in the Hammock, the Flagler County Planning Board Tuesday evening voted unanimously to approve a special exception allowing Bronx House Pizza to operate a valet parking lot south of 17th Road to alleviate overflow parking. Planning Board member Mike Goodman abstained from the vote, since he co-owns Bronx House Pizza. He did not abstain from a personal and–in the words of attorney Dennis Bayer–a “highly inappropriate” tirade against Dennis Clark, a Hammock resident and the chair of the Scenic A1A committee that opposed the parking lot plan.
Clara Louise Douglas, 1951-2024
Clara Louise Douglas, 73, of Flagler Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2024. Clara was born on May 12, 1951, in Putnam County, Florida.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
The Elks Lodge 2709 is holding its annual 9/11 ceremony, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, J. Michael Luttig recalls the prevarication of Mike Pence and how Jan. 6 almost caused an end to American democracy as Sept. 11 never could have.
Douglas Emhoff Campaigns for Harris in Central Florida Friday
Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, plans to make a campaign stop in Central Florida on Friday, with the campaign announcing the event as part of a battleground tour. The stops scheduled for Emhoff days after the first debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump also include Henderson, Nevada, and Tucson, Arizona. However, the campaign did not announce where the Florida stop would take place.
Trump Support of Florida Pot Legalization May Show Growing Bipartisan Consensus
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s early Monday statement that he would vote to legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida sent a strong signal that both major parties are moving to adopt popular marijuana reform efforts, unexpectedly elevating the issue in the presidential battle.
Astor Defence, a British Manufacturer of Military Packaging, Is Opening Plant in Palm Coast with 30 Jobs
Astor Defence, an England-based military contractor that makes ammunition containers, bomb pallets, mortar packs and other military packaging, will open a manufacturing facility at 15 Hargrove Grade in Palm Coast, where it is expected to be operational by January with 30 mostly local jobs. It’ll be the company’s first American site. The company will not be getting any tax benefits or incentives.
No Forensic Audit for Palm Coast, But Council Explores Citywide ‘Risk Assessment’ for $45,000
The Palm Coast City Council agreed today to set aside any considerations of anything like a forensic audit, which would cost an estimated $500,000, and instead conduct a citywide “risk assessment” that could point to vulnerabilities, if any. The approach would placate what few members of the public have been asking for while resulting in a useful exercise for the city, according to some of the council members.
Former Mondex Man Convicted of Unlawful Sex Returns to Ask for a New Trial, Arguing More Bizarre Claims
Four and a half years ago Tonda Royal, 54 at the time, testified in his defense that he’d never had sex with a 16-year-old girl in his camper in the Mondex, or Daytona North, even though his DNA was found in her. He claimed it was a conspiracy, that another girl had gotten hold of his sperm and passed it to the alleged victim, who then inserted it in her to incriminate him. He claimed that racial motives were behind the conspiracy. Royal was back in court today, arguing that he was owed a new trial because his defense attorney, Regina Nunnally, had been ineffective.
Rural Voters Don’t Necessarily Love Walz
The selection of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ running mate has sparked a wave of commentary suggesting that simply by elevating a former small-town football coach to the candidacy for vice president, Democrats will naturally secure the allegiance of rural voters nationwide. Not so.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The Community Traffic Safety Team meets, the Palm Coast City Council holds a workshop, the Flagler County Planning Board meets, when The New York Times advertised Florida real estate, Alex Shoumatoff’s Florida Ramble.
The US Military’s Shift from Terrorism to China and Russia
President Joe Biden’s recent approval of a major shift in U.S. nuclear weapons strategy highlights the attention the country’s national security officials are paying to Chinese ambitions for influence in the world. Over the past decade, the Pentagon’s efforts have shifted back to preparing for what officials call “great power competition” among the U.S., Russia and China.
Bronx House Pizza in Hammock Sees Valet Parking Lot as Solution to Overflow, Scenic A1A Sees Hazards
Almost since it opened several years ago, Bronx House Pizza in the Hammock has been the victim of its success: its popularity has grown in proportion to neighborhood parking headaches as rights-of-way became de-facto parking zones. On Tuesday, Bronx House Pizza goes before Flagler County’s Planning Board, seeking approval of an overflow parking lot it would build south of the restaurant, but not contiguous to it, on four lots totaling 20,000 square feet south of 17th Road. It’s facing opposition.
Gov. DeSantis Showcases LINE Funding Successes for Nursing Programs at Daytona State College
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at Daytona State College last week (Sept. 3) to highlight Nursing program achievements made possible through funding provided by the State and community partners.
Flagler School Board’s Lease of Old Courthouse Hides Sharply Higher Costs and Falling Enrollment
When the Flagler County school district administration first proposed last May to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell, it did so under the rosiest of assumptions: that the lease would allow the district to consolidate half a dozen programs under one roof, that it would create more classroom space at some of its elementary schools, and that it would save money. By the time the School Board approved the proposal last month, and the County Commission followed last week, only one of the three propositions was true.
Kidnapping, Child Abuse, Aggravated Battery: 2 Men Face Charges in Separate Domestic Incidents That Spiraled
Justin John Peralta, a 40-year-old resident of Richmond Drive in Palm Coast, and Steven McSwain, 47, of Cranberry Avenue in Bunnell’s Mondex, are at the Flagler County jail on grave charges resulting from unrelated domestic violence incidents that spiraled out of control just before the weekend.
Record Heat Is Forcing Some to Choose Between Food and Power Bills
A growing number of Americans struggle with what is known as energy poverty, including the inability to afford utilities to heat or cool a home. Households that spend more than 6% of their income on energy bills are energy-poor. Energy poverty can increase one’s exposure to extreme heat or cold, which raises the risk of developing numerous health conditions. The burden falls disproportionately on households in communities of color, which experience it at a rate 60% greater than those in white communities.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 9, 2024
The Flagler County Library Board of Trustees and the The Bunnell City Commission meet, Teddy Pendergrass, China’s beer consumption, the first four crusades showing the unpleasant face of greed.
Gift Card Scams and Failing Regulations
An estimated US$8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through stranger-perpetrated frauds, according to AARP. Increasingly, gift cards are a leading fraud payment method reported by older adults, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Ron DeSantis Is Getting Angrier, and He’s Taking It Out on Florida
DeSantis was always a rage-hampered homunculus, but now that he’s been humiliated on the national stage and his presidential aspirations squashed like a palmetto bug, he’s only gotten angrier. And he’s taking it out on Florida.
Low Wage Work Hurts Employees–And Customers
A business that’s focused on exploiting employees to make those at the top even richer isn’t just bad for workers, but for customers as well. And anyone who’s worked for one of these low-wage companies can tell you those businesses are hardly unique. If we want a strong economy, we need to do more to make sure all workers can make a decent living and feel safe and respected in their workplace.
Flagler County Fire Rescue’s Andrew Shook Receives Sons of American Revolution Medal
Members of the Sons of the American Revolution on Tuesday awarded Flagler County Firefighter Paramedic Andrew Shook with the Emergency Medical Services Commendation Medal during the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 8, 2024
‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’ at Daytona Playhouse, Modern Jewish Food Festival at Jacksonville Beach’s Margaritaville Hotel, On Graphomania and the comment section, Joseph Brodsky remembered, a few lines from “Watermark.”
Why Still a Gap Between Public Opinion and Scientific Consensus on Climate Change?
At least 97% of scientists agree that humanity contributes to climate change, but the same cannot be said for society at large. In the United States, where only 12% of citizens are aware of the scientific community’s near-total unanimity. This is a result of, among other things, disinformation, media portrayals, and cognitive bias.
How Illegal Short-Term Rentals Hide in Plain Sight on Booking Sites
In the midst of an ongoing housing emergency, the city of Los Angeles has struggled to keep rent-controlled housing, which includes some of the city’s most affordable dwelling units, from turning into short-term rentals. Even though a 2018 law prohibits such conversions, enforcement has been lax.
The Problem with DeSantis’s ‘Election Police’ Intimidation
Is Gov. Ron DeSantis going too far in trying to defeat an amendment to restore abortion access? “Gov. DeSantis is using his election police to intimidate voters who dare to have beliefs that differ from his. This opens the door towards making voters and all Floridians feel unsafe for voicing their constitutionally protected opinions on important issues like abortion,” says All Voting is Local Action’s Florida State Director Brad Ashwell.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 7, 2024
Flagler Woman’s Club’s Casino Night at the Italian-American Club, ‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’ at Daytona Playhouse, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, a rainbow over Ponce de Leon.
The Longest Journey: When the Jews of Rhodes Were Deported to Auschwitz
In the Old Town of Rhodesa marble obelisk commemorates the deportation of the island’s small but vibrant Sephardic Jewish community to Auschwitz-Birkenau on July 23, 1944. The 1,700 Jews of Rhodes had the misfortune not only of experiencing deportation late in the war, when Allied victory was almost in sight, but also of enduring the longest journey of any Jewish community sent to Auschwitz — a treacherous voyage that lasted 24 days.
Biden Administration Appeals Ruling Blocking Rule Barring Gender-Based Discrimination
The Biden administration has gone to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a federal judge blocked a new health-care rule about discrimination based on gender identity.
Legislative Analysts Warn Florida’s Surpluses Could Turn to Billion-Dollar Deficits as Federal Aid Dries Up
While there are numerous caveats, the picture could go from a $2.09 billion surplus during the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year to a potential deficit of $2.826 billion in the 2026-2027 fiscal year and a potential deficit of $6.941 billion in the 2027-2028 fiscal year.
Fringe in Check, Palm Coast Approves More Expansive Budget with Slightly Lower Tax Rate, No Rollback
Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston’s proposed budget and tax rate for the year starting Oct. 1 survived almost intact Thursday evening as the council, keeping its swaggering fringe in check, approved in a series of 3-1 votes a $61.2 million general fund budget with a $5.3 million increase and a slightly lower tax rate, but nowhere near the so-called rolled-back rate.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 6, 2024
a Margaritaville Hotel photographic update, Tyrese Patterson Sentencing, First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, First Friday in Flagler Beach, , Jackie Gleason, an excerpt from VS Pritchett’s “The Evils of Spain.”
Fewer Problems at Bulow RV Park, But Evictions and Code Violations Loom as Deadline Approaches
The conflict between residents of the Bulow RV Park off Old Kings Road is not as intense as it was last year. Numerous issues have been resolved. But some problems persist, with more than a dozen residents still out of compliance with county and park rules, and with water pressure and water cleanliness issues now coming to the fore. The county continues to attempt to mediate a solution, with limited success. In the assistant county attorney’s characterization, the matter can be “intractable.”
Charisma Drives Trump’s Die-Hard Support
Of all the questions confronting voters in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, few are as puzzling as the seemingly unwavering support for Donald Trump even though he is deeply mired in embarrassing sex scandals and criminal business practices. Part of the reason may be explained by Max Weber, an early 20th century German sociologist and social theorist. At the center of Weber’s thinking about political authority was the word “charisma.”
Abortions Down 13% in First 8 Months After Florida’s Restrictions Became Law
The number of abortions reported in Florida during the first eight months of this year was nearly 13 percent lower than during the same period in 2022 and 2023, as a law preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy has led to fewer procedures.
Joseph Horovsky, 21, Is Charged with a Life Felony on Accusations of Molestation of a 10-Year-Old Relative
Joseph Horovsky, a 21-year-old resident of 11 Wasserman Drive, was arrested Wednesday and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, and today, in a filing by the State Attorney’s Office, was charged with molestation of a child younger than 12, a felony punishable by up to life ion prison. He was placed under arrest at his home and booked at the Flagler County jail on no bond.
Flagler Tiger Bay Host U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg on Sept. 18, and Candidate Forum on Sept. 25
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger B. Handberg will be the keynote speaker at Flagler Tiger Bay on Sept. 18, and all the local candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot, including write-ins, have been invited to a Sept. 25 forum. The forum is open to the public.
Palm Coast Tries to Police Short-Term Rentals, Balancing Property Rights Against Residents’ Aggravations
Responding to a surge of vacation rentals in certain parts of the city, especially the C-Section, and complaints from permanent residents around the rentals, the Palm Coast City Council will soon adopt regulations limiting occupancy, setting registration fees and restricting the parking of recreational trailers or boats. But the city continues to face competing tensions from permanent residents aggravated by the disruptions of vacation rentals and operators of the same rentals, who say the city is jeopardizing their livelihood.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 5, 2024
The demise of New York City’s great WCBS 880 Newsradio, Rally for Women’s Reproductive Rights at the northwest corner of Belle Terre and Pine Lake Parkways in Palm Coast, Story Time for Preschoolers at Flagler Beach Public Library.
Reviewing 28 Years of Research Debunks Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Cancer
A systematic review into the potential health effects from radio wave exposure has shown mobile phones are not linked to brain cancer. The review was commissioned by the World Health Organization and is published today in the journal Environment International.
BP’s Flagler County Rainfall and Climate Report for August 2024
August 2024 rainfall figures were quite variable this past month. Normal year to date numbers are overall healthy with a few a below and above normal expectations. Normal rainfall for August is 6.40”. Normal year to date (YTD) rainfall is 33.13”. Localized rainfall has caused some areas to get more while others less which is typical of rainy season showers and storms.
Free EKG Could Save a Student Athlete’s Life. School Board’s Furry, Hunt and Chong Oppose Mandating It With Physical.
To play sports in Flagler County, high school students must pass a physical. A 10-minute ECG or EKG is an option regularly provided by AdventHealth, but not a requirement. The Flagler County School Board’s Colleen Conklin wants to make it part of the physical. Fellow-Board members Will Furry, Christy Chon and Sally Hunt are opposed, saying that should be a parent’s decision. The board is voting on the options later this month.