The most notable change will be the addition of two medians to add traffic calming measures. One will be located to the north between Flinstone Court and Foster Lane. The other will be situated to the south between Fernham Lane and Farragut Drive.
Flagler County’s Labor Force Approaches Record Again as Workers Jump Back, or Move, In
Flagler County’s labor force is again approaching its record set in March 2020, an indication of economic and demographic dynamics. It reflects both the number of people willing or needing to rejoin the labor force as well as ne entrants to the labor force in the county, such as graduating students or people relocating to Flagler.
Florida Supreme Court Justices Again Reject Recreational Pot Amendment Despite Strict Regulatory Language
Justices, in a 5-2 decision, said a proposal by the political committee Sensible Florida included ballot wording that would mislead voters. By the same margin, the court in April rejected a recreational-pot proposal by the committee Make It Legal Florida.
The Weekend Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 18, 2021
UNF-Mednexus-Palm Coast’s new director Miriam Griffin is on Free For All Fridays, “All in the Timing” at the black box theater by the Flagler Auditorium, Frank Bruni says goodbye with a mea culpa.
Biden Signs Law Making Juneteenth a New Federal Holiday
“Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names—Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at the White House signing ceremony, noting that the White House was built by slaves. “And today, a national holiday.”
Supreme Court Declines to Overturn ACA — Again. Florida Was Among Losing Plaintiffs.
By a vote of 7-2, however, the justices did not even reach the merits of the case, ruling instead that the suing states and the individual plaintiffs, two self-employed Texans, lacked “standing” to bring the case to court.
Road Signs May Not Be Enough to Stop Sea Turtles’ Carnage on Flagler’s Beachside
A dead or stranded turtle on the side of the road is common, but prevention is not complicated, whether it’s reducing clutter and pollution on the beach or following up on the Flagler Turtle Patrol’s awareness tips.
Scam Alert: Someone Is Impersonating Sheriff Staly
An impostor impersonating Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is contacting Flagler County residents in an apparent scam involving the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Crews Will Work to Stabilize Rock Revetments in Flagler Beach Starting Monday, With Detours
The work between South 16th Street and South 12th Street in Flagler Beach will support dune maintenance previously done in this area and address the areas of revetment that are the least protected.
From ‘Hamlet’-Writing Chimps to Erotic Miniature Golf, It’s ‘All in the Timing’ for City Rep’s Latest Production
Whether it’s the three chimpanzees of “Words, Words, Words” discussing the crafting of high literature, the miniature-golf-as-metaphor-for-sex shenanigans of “Foreplay, or The Art of the Fugue,” or the multiple replays of murder in “Variations on the Death of Trotsky,” the “All in the Timing” one-acts are soaked in bizarro scenarios.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 17, 2021
City Repertory Theater returns to an actual indoor stage, at the Black Box at the Auditorium, with David Ives’ ‘All in the Timing’ all weekend. Stages are alive and well: the Flagler Playhouse’s workshop production of “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey” is also on all weekend.
A Debate Breaks Out During Florida Cabinet Meeting Between Fried and DeSantis, Imminent Contenders
Sniping between DeSantis and Fried was a marked feature of the meeting Tuesday. DeSantis, a Republican, has not yet announced for reelection next year but Fried is among a number of Democrats seeking her party’s nomination to try to deny him a second term. (So is Congressman Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg.)
Records Reveal Trump Wanted U.S. Supreme Court to Order New Election in 6 States
The complaint prepared by the Justice Department at Trump’s order but never filed asked the Supreme Court to nullify the electoral votes of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and to order all six states to hold special elections to appoint presidential electors.
UNF MedNexus in Palm Coast Names Dr. Miriam Griffin Program Director
The University of North Florida has named Dr. Miriam Griffin as program director and assistant professor for UNF MedNexus in Palm Coast. Griffin lives in the Palm Coast area and will lead the efforts in establishing and leading the UNF MedNexus nursing cohort program beginning fall 2021.
Reflections on a Bobcat Sighting on Palm Coast’s Squadron Place
“This is the first bobcat I’ve seen during my 31 years in Florida,” writes Rick de Yampert of his sighting outside his Seminole Woods home this morning. “At my hermitage beside the wilderness in Palm Coast, there are wild woods to the south and flatwoods to the east and southeast. Bob sat at the east edge of my backyard for a full 20 minutes.”
Man Who Killed His Father Says His Freedom Doesn’t Mean ‘I’m Going to Jump Off a Bridge and Kill Somebody’
A judge denied lifting all restrictions on Richard Dunn, 60, who killed his father in Palm Coast in 2006 and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. But numerous restrictions have been lifted, and Dunn’s other family members are objecting to further freedoms he may gain, which make them fearful for their safety.
Mad Dogs Completes Spring 2021 Season, Crowning List of Champions
Mad Dogs Flag Football of Palm Coast completed its Spring 2021 season with its Championship Weekend festivities on June 12 at Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach.
Patient Batters 3 People at AdventHealth’s ER Waiting Room Before One Victim, a Security Guard, Stops Him
Kory Prusaitis, a 25-year-old resident of Winterling Place in Palm Coast, was upset at hospital staff when told that that his mother couldn’t come into the waiting room with him, and went on a brief rampage against three people.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 16, 2021
All about credit unions at a virtual Flagler Tiger Bay lunch, Jasper Johns on becoming an artist, a man found not guilty by reason of insanity wants his total freedom back, and a trio of matches from Euro 2020.
Robert Hill Had Threatened to Smash His Girlfriend’s Face In Before Shooting Her. She Recorded Him.
It was Brenan Hill, 32, who unknowingly led detectives to the gun used in the shooting of his 22-year-old girlfriend in Palm Coast last March, and the victim’s own recordings of him that made him the chief suspect, as a trove of digital footprints unraveled his many lies to detectives.
Sale and Lease Are Out, Belle Terre Swim Club Down to 2 Options: Keep As Is, Or Convert to K-12 Facility
The Flagler school board today talked today as if it had two options for the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, but the math makes one of those two options almost impossible, leaving the board with turning the facility into primarily a K-12 campus where existing programs at various schools could be consolidated into their own at the club.
Richard Dunn Nearing Full Freedom from Restrictions 15 Years After Being Found Insane in Father’s Murder
Richard Dunn, the 60-year-old former Palm Coast resident found not guilty by reason of insanity in the stabbing death of his father Jack Dunn 15 years ago, will again appear in court Wednesday to seek his full freedom, without medical or other supervisory restrictions.
Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.
The dramatic rollback of mask-wearing and physical distancing recommended last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention applies only to people who have been fully vaccinated. Even if you are vaccinated, though, you don’t need to change your behavior one iota if doing so makes you uncomfortable.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 15, 2021
The Flagler County School Board has a trio of meetings, most importantly a special meeting at 5 p.m. to discuss impact fees in light of a new law restricting how much those fees may be raised, just when the district needs them most. Plus Michael Jordan on being Black and the immorality of zoos.
Fourth Court Challenge to Florida’s New Election Law Is Filed, Targeting Voter-Registration Hurdles
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the groups HeadCount and the Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighters Corp., is narrowly tailored to one section of the law that involves what are known as third-party voter-registration organizations.
America’s Back, But to What?
If you refuse to become the president, and if you still refuse to understand that the rest of the world looks to America to be strong and not weak, then you’ve emboldened the enemies of America and freedom, argues Michael Reagan ahead of Biden’s trip to Europe.
Attempted Murder Charge for Brenan Robert Hill in Shooting of Girlfriend Near Microtel in March
Brenan Robert Hill was charged today with attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of his girlfriend near the Microtel March 26, a shooting Hill had blamed on a robbery and that had briefly seemed like an inexplicable, unnerving act of violence.
‘Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough’: Flagler Marks Pulse Nightclub Massacre at Year 5 with a March and Vigil
It has been five years since a gunman ended the lives of 49 people and injured 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Saturday night the Flagler community honored the dead with a march across the Flagler Bridge and a vigil at Veterans’ Park.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 14, 2021
The Bunnell city administration will start tracking its drivers. Jeff Bezos has money to burn. José de Nebra’s Vendado es amor, performed by Concerto Koln.
Sexism + Socialism: The Republican Line on Florida’s Democratic Women Candidates Is Emerging
“Do-nothing.” “Delusional.” That’s the way Republicans are talking about Nikki Fried and Val Demings, the top Democratic women running for governor and U.S. senator in next year’s elections, reflecting a concerted strategy of sexism and denigration with no factual basis.
Here’s What I Tell Middle and High School Teachers About How to Teach Young Students About Slavery
Nervous. Concerned. Worried. Wary. Unprepared. This is how middle and high school teachers have told me they have felt over the past few years when it comes to teaching the troublesome topic of slavery, writes Raphael Rogers, with advice.
Appeals Court Overturns Alachua County’s Mask Mandate, Citing Right to Privacy
Pointing to privacy rights, a divided state appeals court Friday overturned a circuit judge’s decision last year that allowed Alachua County to keep in place a mask requirement to try to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Tornado Warning Issued for Bunnell and State Road 100 to Flagler Beach Until 4:15 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning until 4:15 p.m. for the area of State Road 100 from Bunnell to Flagler Beach.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 13, 2021
Last of the first weekend showings of the Flagler Playhouse’s The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Joe Biden’s clone, and how the admonition to be “clear and clean,” to be “professional” serves as an excuse to whitewash.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 12, 2021
The memorial walk and vigil for the victims of the Pulse massacre in Orlando in 2016 begins with participants gathering at Wadsworth park in Flagler Beach after 6 p.m. The walk across the Flagler Beach bridge is at 7 p.m.
Acquitted of Molestation 4 Years Ago, L’Darius Smith Loses Stand Your Ground Argument and Heads for Trial Again
L’Darius Smith, the 25-year-old Bunnell resident who in 2017 was on trial for molesting two of his step-sisters years earlier, is going to trial on aggravated assault and burglary charges after a failed attempt to acquit himself of the assault charge on a stand your ground defense.
Made Invisible at DeSantis’s Pandemic Briefings, Surgeon General Scott Rivkees Will Remain as Surgeon General
Following a tumultuous two years filled with surges in Covid-19 cases, transparency issues and limited public appearances after being off-message at a DeSantis news conference, Scott Rivkees will stay on as Florida’s Surgeon General.
The Weekend Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 11, 2021
A weekend of performances and memorials: The Flagler Playhouse’s stage will come to life again, the Jacksonville Symphony performs Schubert’s “Great,” and the Pulse massacre’s victims are remembered with a walk and a vigil Saturday in Flagler Beach.
Palm Coast Fire Chief on Joe Mullins: a ‘Wrecking Ball’ who ‘Disgraces the Hard Working Men and Women of Flagler County Fire Rescue’
After County Commissioner Joe Mullins spoke to Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte about Palm Coast taking over county fire services, Forte ripped into Mullins in a scathing email to the county administrator and his deputy, calling Mullins a “hack” who seeks to incite hostility when he “stay in his own lane.”
State Education Board Approves Rules Dictating More Sanitized Version of History Classes in Schools
The board, meeting in Jacksonville, voted after members of the public squared off on the rule, with some saying it would whitewash history and others saying it would prevent Marxist theory from being taught in Florida classrooms.
City Hall Trespass Against Mark Phillips, Who’d Rushed Toward Mayor at May Meeting, Is Lifted
Mark Phillips, the North Flagler resident at the center of a tense moment at a May meeting of the Palm Coast City Council, when he aggressively rushed the dais toward then-Mayor Milissa Holland, is no longer trespassed from City Hall.
For Whispering Meadows Ranch, a Slow But Likely Trot Away from John Anderson, to New Site at County Fairgrounds
If negotiations between Whispering Meadows Ranch’s owners and county government officials continue on the constructive course they’ve followed for the last few weeks, the ranch appears headed out of its 13-year location at a residential property on John Anderson Highway and will be recreated on the grounds of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off of County Road 13.
Construction Crew Severs Gas Line at Old Kings and Celico Way, Requiring Detours
A construction crew working on Palm Coast’s re-engineered and widened intersection at Old Kings Road and Palm Coast Parkway struck a gas line by mistake around noon today, triggering a gas leak.
The Live Daily Quote Archive, 2017-2021
The archives of the Briefing’s Live Daily Quote, covering every imaginable idea, philosophy, religion, politics, from the sublime to the outrageous to the astonishing, with style and substance, selected daily by the editor. This is not your grandpa’s Bartlett.
Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 10, 2021
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets this evening, Drug Court is in session, and 19 percent of respondents in the latest poll still hold out the constitutional impossibility that Trump will be “reinstated” as president.
One Man Rapes a 13-Year-Old Girl and Walks Free. Another Raped a 16-Year-Old Girl and Is Serving 12 Years in Prison.
Bo Jeremiah Sirrine, 23, and Tonda Royal, 55, once shared a cell at the Flagler County jail. They also shared a predilection for underage girls and were both charged with raping girls–a 13 year old, in Sirrine’s case, a 16 year old, in Royal’s case. Sirrine walked out of the Flagler jail a free man weeks ago. Royal is serving 12 years in state prison.
Orlando Democrat Val Demings Launches Bid to Unseat Sen. Marco Rubio
With the theme “Never Tire,” Orlando Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings on Wednesday formally launched her campaign to try to unseat U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2022.
An Unhappy Ending for Employee of Star Massage on Palm Coast Parkway
An undercover deputy was offered more than a massage when he went to Star Massage, where the Sheriff’s Office had been getting “multiple reports of alleged prostitution at the business” on Palm Coast Parkway.
Florida Ethics Commission: June Session Wrap-Up
Meeting in Tallahassee on June 4th in closed session, the Florida Commission on Ethics took action on 17 matters, Chair JoAnne Leznoff announced today.