Having the freedom to choose your own health care provider is something many Americans take for granted. But the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority ruled on June 25, 2025, in a 6-3 decision that people who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance don’t have that right.
States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up: ‘Locals Won’t Step Up Unless They’re Dealing with a Catastrophe’
Many states rely on the federal government for the vast majority of their emergency management funding. Now, local leaders are looking for clues about the money — and the future of FEMA itself. W. Craig Fugate served as FEMA administrator under Obama and, before that, as head of Florida’s emergency management division under then-Govs. Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist. “My experience tells me locals will not step up unless they are dealing with a catastrophe,” Fugate said.
Palm Coast Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office Hold Joint Training at Long Creek Nature Preserve
The Palm Coast Fire Department held a three-day joint training exercise with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office – the latest in a long line of training efforts that the two agencies have worked together on to prepare for a variety of different emergencies.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 28, 2025
Peps Art Walk, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. eat Beachfront Grille in Flagler Beach, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Bruce Springsteen Hometown, Wendell Berry and Old Jack’s memories.
Understanding the Supreme Court Ruling Against Universal Injunctions
When presidents have tried to make big changes through executive orders, they have often hit a roadblock: A single federal judge, whether located in Seattle or Miami or anywhere in between, could stop these policies across the entire country. But the Supreme Court has just significantly limited this judicial power.
Flagler Beach Commissioners Blister Design for New A-Frame and Boardwalk as ‘Expensive Gingerbread’
Flagler Beach’s planned reconstruction of the A-Frame and boardwalk at the pier is now estimated to cost $3 million, up $300,000 from last year. And city commissioners are not too thrilled about the too-fancy architectural design. Not at all–especially proposed changes to the A-frame and shell-like exteriors to a new building’s facade. They killed both proposals, among others they panned, opting for simpler looks that preserve what they see as old charms. They directed their designer to return later this summer with a significantly revised plan.
DeSantis Warns: The Vetoes Are Coming
During a lengthy press conference on higher education held on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, the Republican governor took shots at the Legislature for not passing a budget on time. He also noted that the final $115.1 billion budget includes enough local projects for individual lawmakers to leave him “kind of numb.”
Environmental Groups Sue in Federal Court to Stop Everglades Stockade for Migrants
Environmental groups Friday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction and operation of a detention center for undocumented immigrants that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying it threatens ecologically sensitive areas and species in the surrounding Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit, filed by the group Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleges that federal and state agencies have violated laws that, in part, require evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Awarded State Association Honor for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Local Government Law’
A month from retirement after a career spanning four decades as county attorney for Flagler County government, Al Hadeed on Thursday received the Gordon Johnson Award “for his distinguished service to Flagler County and outstanding contributions to local government law in the State of Florida.” Hadeed received the award during the Florida Association of County Attorneys’ annual two-day continuing legal education seminar in Orlando. The association president prized Hadeed’s institutional memory and his mentorship of younger attorneys.
Fast times at Flagler Beach for DJ Vern’s Cherry Drops as Hall of Fame Inductees Take Over Pier for Music Video
Flagler Beach’s Vern Shank, also known as DJ Vern, whose band The Cherry Drops was inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame last year, is bringing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Robert Romanus to shoot a new music video on the Flagler Beach Pier this weekend, “I Dedicate This Song to You.” The new video is just part of what are heady times for Shank and the Cherry Drops, keeping Flagler Beach in the limelight.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 27, 2025
Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, Free For All Fridays with Host David Ayres, the Friday Blue Forum, Georges Lefebvre, Napoleon, and that bogus assassination attempt on 18 Brumaire.
Canada’s Strong Borders Act Is Bad News
The Canadian government advanced the controversial Strong Borders Act covering a wide swath of proposed legislative changes, from intensified border security measures to more restrictive immigration and asylum policies. Embedded within the proposed legislation are significant risks to digital privacy, along with increased executive authority — also known as “warrantless” powers — without judicial or civilian oversight. In these respects, the proposed Canadian legislation could be considered more worrisome than American travel bans.
DeSantis Joins Other Southern States to Develop Anti-‘Woke’ University Accreditation System
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced, alongside State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues and university leaders from Texas and South Carolina, that the states are developing a Commission for Public Higher Education that will combat “woke” ideologies such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and remake state higher education institutions to be more conservative.
Yummy: Palm Coast Residents Get Behind-the-Scenes Look at Water and Sewer Plants
Palm Coast residents gained an in-depth understanding of the city’s vital water and wastewater treatment processes during a guided tour of the city’s Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant. Not to worry: the two are not co-located.
July 4 Celebration from Flagler Beach Parade to Palm Coast Fireworks at County Airport
Flagler County Government and the Cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell invite all Flagler County residents and visitors to the United Flagler 4th Community Celebration on Friday, July 4, starting with the Independence Day Parade in Flagler Beah and culminating with a 15-16 minute firework show featuring 3,300 shells at the county airport. All events are free.
Answering Appeal, Attorney General Says Brendan Depa’s Adult Sentence for Beating Teacher’s Aide Was Deserved
Answering the appeal of Brendant Depa’s conviction to five years in prison and 15 years on probation for assaulting his teacher’s aide at Matanzas High School in February 2023, the Attorney General’s Office in a 25-page brief argued that Circuit Judge Terence Perkins did not abuse his discretion when he imposed an adult sentence in Augsut 2024, as the defense argued in its appeal.
Flagler County Students Post Strong, Across-the-Board Improvements in All Grades and Disciplines, Boosting Superintendent
Flagler County students in all grades improved their scores year over year in English and math, in some cases markedly so, as well as in all other disciplines subject to standardized tests, according to figures released by the state Department of Education Wednesday. The results are a boon to Superintendent LaShakia Moore and her administration, reflecting the first testing cycle entirely on her watch since her appointment in September 2023.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 26, 2025
Palm Coast Concert Series at the Stage at Town Center with Half Step Down FLA, The Flagler Beach City Commission talks Beachwalk/Boardwalk redesign, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, J.M. Coetzee on the barbarians.
Bombing Iraq’s Osirak Nuke Plant Fueled Saddam’s Ambitions
Israel, with the assistance of U.S. military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. We have been here before, about 44 years ago. In 1981, Israeli fighter jets supplied by Washington attacked an Iraqi nuclear research reactor being built near Baghdad by the French government. It didn’t work. Had Saddam not invaded Kuwait over a matter not related to security, it is very possible that Baghdad would have had a nuclear weapon capability by the mid-to-late 1990s.
DeSantis Scoffs at Environmental and Ethical Concerns Over 1,000-Bed Migrant Stockade in Everglades
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that the temporary detention center being constructed at an isolated Everglades airfield will have “zero impact” on Everglades restoration, rebuking concerns by environmental advocates and local officials who say the project threatens drinking water and protected land. He scoffed at environmental and ethical concerns while appearing at a bill-signing event in Tampa on Wednesday, contending the opposition from critics stems from their antipathy to the crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Palm Coast Man Arrested for Faking His Mother’s Signature on Checks After Her Death and Stealing $9,000
Last Oct. 24, Janet Sterry died at a hospital in Palm Coast. She was 76. Last week, her 56-year-old son, Thomas Frazzetto of White Star Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony charge of grand theft and a felony charge of fraud. He’d faked his late mother’s signature on a series of checks in November and made a half dozen electronic transfers out of her bank account in October and November, allegedly stealing some $9,000 before family members got an alert from the bank: someone was attempting to cash a $51,200 check.
Palm Coast Council Will Seek At Least a Small Reduction in Property Tax Rate, Leaving Open Possibility of More
The Palm Coast City Council will seek at least a modest decrease in next year’s property tax rate when it adopts its budget in September, continuing a trend begun in 2021. It is not ruling out a full rollback in the tax rate, something the council has done only once in the city’s history, in 2023, at heavy cost to the city’s operations. The council resisted rolback last year.
Largest Restoration Project in FWC’s History Conducted on Lake Kissimmee
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is undertaking a historic restoration effort to promote native plant communities through large-scale revegetation on Lake Kissimmee. The FWC has allocated an unprecedented $2.35 million over two years to support this restoration effort, marking the largest revegetation project in agency history.
‘We’re Not in a Great Shape,’ School Board’s Derek Barrs Warns as Vouchers Fuel Financial Crunch and Enrollment Drop
The Flagler County school district is caught in a feedback loop draining its budget as enrollment drops: more students are abandoning the district for private or homeschool education paid for with public money. That reduces the amount of state money the district can count on. More limited resources may encourage more students to leave, further reducing state dollars going to the district.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 25, 2025
‘Let’s Talk Palm Coast’ Town Hall with Council Member Theresa Pontieri, The River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization meeting, Separation Chat, Open Discussion, the erasure of transgender people.
Europe Can Lead the World the US Is Abandoning. But Will It Seize the Moment?
Europe’s decision-making processes are sub-optimal. Indeed, they were built for a different age. There is no shared voice on foreign policy – the EU has been able to say far less on Gaza than individual countries like Spain or the UK, for example. This may have the practical consequence of eroding the “moral leadership” that should still be Europe’s soft advantage.
DeSantis Signs ‘Customary Use’ Bill Securing Public Beach Access, a Step Flagler County Took in 2018
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill reversing a controversial 2018 law that led to limited public beach access in some areas. Lawmakers in April passed the bill (SB 1622) after widespread complaints about waterfront property owners in Walton County preventing people from using beaches. Flagler County was ahead of the curve. Beating a deadline, and at the urging–and orchestration–of County Attorney Al Hadeed, the Flagler County Commission in 2018 enacted an ordinance that preserved customary use on the county’s 18 miles of shore, in essence grandfathering the county under the new law.
DeSantis Seizes Land in Everglades to Open ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Mass Migrant Detention Center
Florida started this week to build a temporary detention center in the Florida Everglades for undocumented immigrants arrested by state police and federal immigration authorities. Gov. Ron DeSantis is using emergency powers to take control of the facility after his administration offered to buy the land from the county. According to the governor’s office, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava offered what DeSantis’ office called an “unreasonable” price tag for the state to buy the county land, $190 million.
Ex-Teacher Union Leader Katie Hansen is Buddy Taylor’s New Principal, Mike Rinaldi Takes Over at Matanzas
Flagler County School Superintendent LaShakia Moore has named Katie Hansen the next principal of Buddy Taylor Middle School, following Cara Cronk’s retirement, and Mike Rinaldi the principal of Matanzas High School, following the resignation of Kristin Bozeman, who is moving to North Carolina with her family after three years leading the school.
Palm Coast Council Deadlocks Over Selling Palm Harbor Golf Club; It May Raise Rates Again and Beg Loopers for a Cut
The Palm Coast City Council deadlocked over the future of the Palm Harbor Golf Club today, split between council members who want to sell it and those who don’t. Other proposals include sharply raising rates, bringing in new management, reconfiguring overhead costs, and even asking Loopers, the successful restaurant at the golf club, to renegotiate its lease for a little profit sharing that would benefit the club’s bottom line. Previous councils have tried most of these tactics for years, almost going back to the city’s acquisition of the 141-acre property in 2008.
Bunnell Mayor in Stunning Maneuver Revives 8,000-Home Development Commission Killed 2 Weeks Ago
The Bunnell City Commission in a stunning move at the very end of its meeting Monday night, before a nearly empty chamber, voted 3-2 to revive the 8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek development the commission rejected just two weeks ago. The item was not on the agenda. Mayor Catherine Robinson, who asked for the motion, had met with the city manager and the developer for three hours Monday morning. She said the developer was prepared to submit a revised plan that takes public concerns into account.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council talks property taxes and the potential sale of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the LAPD’s shameful apology for a humanist tweet, Budgeting by Values: a free virtual class to learn budgeting skills at Flagler Cares.
Christianity Has Long Revered Saints Who Would Be Called ‘Transgender’ Today
There are at least 34 documented stories of transgender saints’ lives from the early centuries of Christianity. Originally appearing in Latin or Greek, several stories of transgender saints made their way into vernacular languages.
60 Missing Florida Children in ‘Critical Danger’ Rescued in Largest U.S. Operation
Federal, state, and local officials say 60 children ranging in age from 9-17 have been recovered in what an official called the “the largest in the history of the United States Marshal Service.”
“Operation Dragon Eye” involved 20 agencies and more than 100 people, recovering 60 missing children in “critical danger.” Eight people arrested face various charges, including human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession, and drug trafficking.
After He’s Declared in Contempt, Uthmeier Takes Immigration Defiance to Supreme Court
After an appeals court rejected his arguments, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and at least temporarily allow enforcement of a new law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state. If the Supreme Court grants Uthmeier’s request, the state could enforce the law while what could be a lengthy court battle plays out.
Still on Warpath, Palm Coast Mayor Files Records Requests Targeting City Manager’s Communications
In an unprecedented inquisition into the city’s top staff by its own mayor, Norris filed a public record request, seeking to know every communication Acting Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston has had with Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, local developers, county and sheriff’s officials, local media and others, from the day of his election–Nov. 6–to the present. It is unusual that an elected official would seek with such sweep what amounts to an interrogative of his own city manager’s administrative paper trail, especially in light of his recent censure.
Leaseholder Issues Letter of Intent to Buy Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Without Accountable Milestones City Expected
The leaseholders of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club in Flagler Beach on Friday submitted a brief letter of intent to buy the 37-acre property on South Central Avenue that the city bought at auction for $490,000 12 years ago. The City Commission was expecting the letter. But it was also expecting the leaseholder to show how he would meet a set of milestones to prove that he’s capable of fulfilling his promises of turning the property into a functioning, attractive golf course. Those milestones were not in the letter.
Proposed Rezoning to Industrial of 1,842 Acres in Bunnell Will Be Reduced by About 500 Acres and Its Uses Restricted
The proposed and controversial rezoning in Bunnell of 1,842 acres from agricultural to industrial will be reduced by about 500 acres and designations limited to light industrial and heavy industrial, dropping the previous request for agricultural community industrial, the attorney for the landowners said today. The owners are also pledging to make the rezoning conditional on permanent restrictions, so such uses as landfills, fuel depots and hazardous chemical processing would be prohibited. Public opposition had cited all three among its concerns. The “voluntary restriction list” is in the works.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 23, 2025
The Bunnell City Commission takes on the rezoning of nearly 1,900 acres to industrial, the Flagler County Beekeepers Association meets, visiting the caves of Altamira and Lascaux, and that first moment when Maria Justina encountered the bull.
‘Jaws’ and Those Two Musical Notes that Changed Hollywood
Two simple notes – E and F – have become synonymous with tension, fear and sharks, representing the primal dread of being stalked by a predator. And they largely have “Jaws” to thank. Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film – along with its spooky score composed by John Williams – convinced generations of swimmers to think twice before going in the water.
Court Strikes Down Law Requiring Posting of 10 Commandments in Classrooms
The 5th U.S. Court of Appeals, often described as one of the most conservative courts in the nation, found the law unconstitutional because it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which bars the government from endorsing a religion or creating laws that favor one religion over another.
This Will Not End Well
We’ve been here before. It’s never ended well. It’s never ended, period. A few bunker-busters aren’t about to end it either, whether they have Fordow’s Mount Doom in the bag or not. The opposite always happens in the Middle East the moment Israel and the United States substitute barbarism for diplomacy. Always. There’s not been a single exception to the rule since 1956, the last time the United States intervened to stop Israeli aggression on a neighbor.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Gamble Jam for musicians of all ages and just about all instruments, at Gamble Rogers Recreation Area, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, David Foster Wallace’s commencement and Kenneth Fearing’s Big Clock.
How School Choice Went from Minority Boost to Middle Class Hand-Out
School voucher programs had been pitched as a tool to provide children from low-income families with quality education options. They have now evolved into subsidies for middle-class families to send their children to private and parochial schools, redirecting money from public schools, many of which are serving Black students, while ironically adopting language from civil rights activists pushing for equal access to quality education for all children..
DeSantis, Appeasing Conspiracy Theorists, Signs ‘Chemtrails’ Bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed controversial legislation that bans weather geoengineering and prohibits what conspiracy theorists call “chemtrails.” The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, will require the Department of Environmental Protection to track and investigate complaints from residents about suspected weather modification or suspicious activity.
Ex-US Attorney Roger Handberg Joins GrayRobinson in Orlando as Litigator
Former Middle District of Florida U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg has joined GrayRobinson in its Litigation practice. Handberg, who will be based in GrayRobinson’s Orlando office, brings more than two decades of experience in high-stakes white-collar defense, government investigations and complex litigation to the firm. GrayRobinson is frequently the firm Palm Coast government retains for special cases; the firm is representing the city in the Splash Pad case. It represented it in last year’s charter-amendment case. It is representing it to defend against Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s lawsuit against his own city.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County meets, what Hallmark birthday wishes sound like in China, a few words about the Chinese Exclusion Act now that these laws are back in vogue.
Jason DeLorenzo, Palm Coast’s Chief of Staff and Target Mayor’s Attacks, Leaving to Be Assistant City Manager in Palm Bay
Jason DeLorenzo, Palm Coast government’s community development director and chief of staff for the last six years, previously a city council member for five years, and one of the administration’s most institutionally versed and versatile executives, will be leaving City Hall July 11 to be the assistant city manager in Palm Bay in Brevard County. The move up for DeLorenzo is a huge loss for the city administration, and a portend of a brain drain exacted by Mayor Mike Norris’s continued scorched-earth assaults on the city administration.
Smartphones vs. ICE
Across the United States, Latino organizers are raising their phones, not to go viral but to go on record. They livestream Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, film family separations and document protests outside detention centers. Their footage is not merely content. It is evidence, warning – and resistance.
U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa Will Take Up Resolution Critical of ICE Raids
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is holding its annual meeting in Tampa this weekend, and one of the resolutions they are poised to vote on calls upon federal authorities to focus their deportation actions on convicted criminals, and not on undocumented individuals who “contribute to their local communities.”