An unnerving, and to Mayor Milissa Holland frightening, incident interrupted tonight’s Palm Coast City Council meeting as a man menacingly walked up to within a foot or two of the mayor before a Flagler County Sheriff’s commander quickly stepped between him and Holland and eventually directed the man away from the dais.
Palm Coast Doffs Mask Ordinance With a Few Theatrics and the Usual Disinformation
The Palm Coast City Council this evening revoked its year-long, never-enforced but influential mask mandate on the heels of the city administration lifting mask requirements in city facilities and county government doing likewise on Monday.
Charlie Crist Launches Bid to Reclaim Governorship
More than a decade after walking away from the governor’s office, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist launched a campaign Tuesday to try to unseat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Lauryn Darnell, 19, Will Serve 3 Years in Prison for Role in W-Section Conspiracy and Shooting That Left a Man Disabled
Lauryn Darnell, one of four co-conspirators in the armed robbery and shooting of Carl Saint Felix on Palm Coast’s White Star Drive in 2018, pleaded today to conspiring to armed robbery and principal to armed robbery and will be sentenced to three years in prison followed by three years’ probation.
Benjamin Allen, Now 18, Will Go on Trial May 24 for Murder of Elijah Rizvan, 17, in W-Section Shooting
Benjamin Allen, accused of shooting 17-year-old Elijah Rizvan to death in front of 7 Westford Lane in Palm Coast almost two years ago, faces life in prison if convicted. He previously turned down a plea deal requiring him to serve 30 years in prison, with a possibility of early release after 25.
‘Warehouse’ or ‘Marina’? Battle Lines Are Drawn Again Over Dry Boat-Storage Facility Along Scenic A1A
A developer wants to turn an old boat-manufacturing facility into dry storage for 240 boats along with a restaurant on 4.3 acres next to Hammock Hardware. He calls it a “marina.” The Hammock Community Association calls it a warehouse and says it’s not allowed in the Scenic A1A overlay area.
Why Trump Is More Likely to Win in the GOP than to Take His Followers to a New Third Party
Former President Donald Trump has claimed at times that he’ll start a third political party called the Patriot Party. In fact, most Americans – 62% in a recent poll – say they’d welcome the chance to vote for a third party. His chances of success taking that route are slim.
From Vacation Rentals to Bright Futures Eligibility, THC Caps and School Board Term Limits: Bills That Died
From abortion restrictions to vacation rentals, many high-profile bills died Friday when the Florida legislative session ended. Here are 10 issues that did not make it through the Legislature.
County Sends Stronger Signals that It’s Finally Getting Serious About Getting Broadband to West Flagler
Flagler County government is looking to the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, a separate federal fund through the Federal Communications Commission and potential subsidies for money that may finally underwrite expansion of broadband internet service to some 400 West Flagler households that have been clamoring for service for years.
Sheriff Staly and Deputies Chase Accused Armed Carjacker to Daytona, Where He’s Tased and Arrested
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and and Chief Mark Strobridge found themselves in the thick of a chase for an accused carjacker who’d just fled from a deputy after pointing a rifle at a passenger. The chase ended in Daytona Beach with the suspect’s arrest after he was tased.
Flagler Government Lifts Masking Rules But Flagler Beach Commissioner Warns Mullins: ‘Don’t Tell Us What To Do’
Flagler Beach Commissioner Jane Mealy twice told county commissioners this morning, specifying Joe Mullins, “don’t tell us what to do,” reasserting why the city is not holding July 4 festivities even as a county commissioner has been harping on it to reverse course.
CVS and Walgreens Have Wasted More Vaccine Doses Than Most States Combined
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 182,874 wasted doses as of late March, three months into the country’s effort to vaccinate the masses against the coronavirus. Of those, CVS was responsible for nearly half, and Walgreens for 21%, or nearly 128,500 wasted shots combined.
What We Can Learn From Canada’s Clarity on Pot
The inherent contradictions of American cannabis laws is undermining consumers and businesses unfairly and at times absurdly. Federal law must change, as it has fallen behind states’ efforts on marijuana in several ways.
Asked to Boost Jobless Benefits for Everyday Floridians, Lawmakers in the House and DeSantis Say No
Legislation that would have boosted the top unemployment benefits by $100 per week in Florida has died because the state House declined to take up a bipartisan Senate bill to that effect on the final day of the annual legislative session.
To Business Groups’ Delight, Bill Granting Consumers More Data Privacy Dies
Business lobbyists claimed victory Friday after the demise of a bill that would have given consumers more control over personal data collected by companies.
Daytona Tortugas Announce Preliminary 2021 Roster
The Daytona Tortugas, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, have announced their initial roster for the upcoming 2021 campaign, headlined by 2020 first-round pick OF Austin Hendrick and 7 of Baseball America’s top 20 Reds’ farmhands.
Protests, Twitter, Covid, Elections, LGBTQ: Ten Big Issues from the 2021 Florida Legislative Session
Controversial issues from the banning of transgender girls in sports to restrictive voting and protesting laws to bills on education, taxes, covid, insurance and other issues defined the 2021 legislative session just ended. Here’s a recap.
Flagler County Makes a Little History With Its First Aerial-Ignition Prescribed Fire at Princess Place
A successful prescribed fire, sometimes also referred to as a “controlled” fire, removes the hazardous level of fuel in a given area. Unplanned wildfires have a greater risk of being destructive, because the accumulation of vegetation serves as the fuel for these hotter, faster moving fires.
‘Armed and Dangerous’ Felon Kyle Knever Is Found Following Two-Hour Search in W-Section
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies Saturday morning were searching in the area of Commerce Boulevard and Wells Place in Palm Coast for Kyle Knever, a 35-year-old felon considered “armed and dangerous,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
How Garry Lubi and Friends Scored the Palm Coast Songwriters Festival as it Rebounds from Covid Year
The festival is now in its fourth year, has grown from nine songwriters and an attendance of 275 in its first year to some 30 songwriters this year, and hopes to exceed the 700-some who attended when it was last held in person. The festival is the brainchild of Garry Lubi, the Palm Coast banker.
Palm Coast Asks Residents a Smidge Tendentiously: Is It Time to Relax Ban on Work Vehicles in Residential Driveways?
Palm Coast forbids commercial vehicles to park in residential driveways on anything but work calls, unless the commercial signs are covered. At least two council members want the rule relaxed. The council is issuing a public survey to gauge interest in that direction.
Mayor’s State of the City Address: The Year of Covid, Universities and Renewed, Robust Growth
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland delivered the annual State of the City address and recognized the year’s recipients of three awards, including Citizen of the Year and the Public Safety Award. Here’s the full text.
George Floyd-Inspired Bill Requiring Use-of-Force Training for Police, Termed a ‘Good Start,’ Clears Legislature
The measure seeks to address aspects of policing that came under scrutiny after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin nearly a year ago. Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty by a jury last week of murdering Floyd.
Palm Coast’s K and Z Sections Targeted as Sheriff’s Detectives Investigate 20 Car Breaks, All Unlocked
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a rash of 20 car breaks, possibly more, that all took place in Palm Coast’s K and Z Sections Tuesday night into Wednesday. Every single vehicle that was broken into had been left unlocked.
Measure Banning Transgender Girls From High School and College Teams Heads for DeSantis Signature
Under the measure on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis, female students’ eligibility for sports teams would be based on their “biological sex” on birth certificates issued “at or near the time of the student’s birth.”
Palm Coast Man, 28, Arrested on Charges of Soliciting a 14-Year-Old Girl by Computer for Months
Oleg Walker is accused of carrying out a relationship by text with a 14-year-old girl over months until his phone was confiscated by police. Law enforcement was tipped off by a friend of Walker’s.
Palm Coast Swipes Sheriff’s Peerless PR Director Brittany Kershaw in Latest Revamp, at a Salary of $105,000
Palm Coast is elevating Brittany Kershaw’s position to the level of director, and in all local governments, directors’ salaries begin in the 90,000 and go up from there. She takes over a communications division that has been in flux, to put it mildly, since City Manager Matt Morton’s arrival two years ago.
QAnon Hasn’t Gone Away: It’s Alive and Swarming In Local Republican Politics Across the Country
Perhaps the greatest success of the conspiracy is its ability to create a shared alternate reality, a reality that can dismiss everything from a decisive election to a deadly pandemic. The QAnon universe lives on – now largely through involvement in local, not national, Republican politics.
After Easing Pandemic Pains, Booze To Go Is Set to Become Permanent Allowance with Take-Out Food
Drinks would need to be placed in secured containers and placed in locked compartments, vehicle trunks or in areas behind the last upright seats in vehicles. Restaurants would be prohibited from including alcoholic drinks in orders being delivered by people under age 21.
Flagler’s Population Increases at Fastest Pace in 13 Years as Housing Inventory Shrinks Despite Construction Boom
Flagler County in 2020 added 3,538 residents, after an almost equally strong gain in 2019. The gains are still less than half what they were at the peak of the county’s boom years, but they are remaking the landscape. The boomlet is reflected across other indicators–property values, the shrinking available inventory of single-family homes, and the sharp rise in permitting for new single-family homes.
In Flagler Beach, Bank of America’s Blockish Eyesore Will Be Replaced By Vacation Rentals and Shops
The blockish and unsightly Bank of America building that sat for decades at South 3rd and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach will be renovated into the unrecognizable Ocean Club, with seven short-term rentals upstairs and clothing and gift shops downstairs.
Palm Coast Songwriters Festival Returns, Starring “Same Ole” Paul Overstreet and 30 Top Songsmiths
The Palm Coast Song Festival runs April 29-May 2 at various area venues, featuring 30 songwriters who have penned hits, including more than 125 No. 1s, for such country stars as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and many others – including George Jones and Randy Travis.
Colleges and Universities Could Sponsor Charter Schools
The Senate on Monday passed a measure that could lead to state colleges and universities sponsoring charter schools. Senators voted 29-11 to approve the bill (SB 1028), which would allow higher institutions, after receiving the go-ahead from the Department of Education, to solicit applications for charter schools.
Volusia Schools and AdventHealth Partner to Screen Student Athletes for Cardiac Health
Student-athletes from Volusia County Schools will for the first time be offered free electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings in addition to the annual state-required sports physical for middle and high schoolers, through a partnership with AdventHealth.
Flagler County Human Resources Director Pamela Wu Adds Feather to Leadership Cap
Flagler County government Human Resources Director Pamela Wu has added a feather to her leadership cap, as earlier this month she graduated from the National Association of Counties (NACo) High Performance Leadership Academy.
News-Journal: Joe Mullins’s Political Stunt with Constitution Is More Theatrics of Duplicity
Outlining a long list of Joe Mullins contradictions, bigotries and discrimination, the News-Journal in an editorial joins “those registering doubt of his sincerity last week, when he pushed the resolution of support for the Constitution that allowed him to unleash a flood of patriotic-sounding rhetoric in the middle of a commission meeting.”
Sharp Acceleration of Shifting Tax Dollars to Private Schools Clears Senate and Heads for DeSantis Signature
The proposal also would increase the maximum income eligibility to receive vouchers to 375 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning a family of four making nearly $100,000 a year would qualify.
Bill Clears Way for Guns on School Campuses Co-Located With Churches and Other Religious Institutions
Schools co-located with churches, synagogues and other religious institutions may soon see firearms on school campuses – despite the gun-free school laws Florida created in 2018.
Gaines Smith Jr. Arrested Over Bunnell Shooting Spree Targeting Two Women, With Children Present
Two Palm Coast women, ages 35 and 44, reported to police that Gaines Smith Jr. had allegedly threatened them and fired his gun, along with several other armed men, in the area of East Martin Luther King Avenue and South Moore Street in Bunnell. Children were near the women. No one was injured.
Contrary to Commissioner’s Claim, Flagler County Is Not at Herd Immunity, Health Officials Warn, Only Nearing It
Local health officials cautioned against ending covid-19 precautionary restrictions in response to a false claim by Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins that herd immunity has been reached, and that he would call for an end to restrictions at the next county commission meeting. Mullins often writes or speaks falsehoods or makes misleading statements about covid-19 and numerous other matters.
Greg Schwartz, Principal at South Daytona Elementary, is Named Tom Russell’s Replacement at FPC
Greg Schwartz, Principal at South Daytona Elementary, today was named principal at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Schwartz replaces Tom Russell, the popular and charismatic principal who’d led FPC for less than two years by the time of his death from covid last December.
Florida Senate Passes DeSantis-Priority Bill That Would Force Political Candidates’ Speech on Social Media Platforms
The bill, in part, would bar social-media companies from removing political candidates from the companies’ platforms. Companies that violate the prohibition could face fines of $100,000 a day for statewide candidates and $10,000 a day for other candidates.
CareerSource Flagler Volusia Hosts Virtual Job Fair for Healthcare Careers on April 29
CareerSource Flagler Volusia will host the Virtual Job Fair for Healthcare Careers on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Veterans and their eligible spouses will receive priority of service and may join the event starting at 10:00 a.m. The event will be open to the general public from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Vaccines Now Exceeding Demand, Health Department’s ‘Ground Game’ Targets New Veins in Flagler Beach
As vaccine supply edges past demand and the rate of those getting vaccinated is slowing, the Flagler County Health Department is shifting strategies and making walk-in vaccines available at four Flagler Beach restaurants and later, on Sundays, at the Flagler Beach branch of the tax collector’s office.
Daytona State College Awarded $73,000 Career Pathways Grant to Support New Automotive Apprenticeship Program
The apprenticeship is expected to deliver approximately 2,650 hours of employer-based training through a combination of direct on-the-job training and one-on-one mentorship provided by qualified senior employees of Daytona Toyota.
Two Elderly Men Stranded in a Jon Boat in Intracoastal Marshes for 7 Hours Are Rescued Near Bings Landing
Two men who’d gone fishing Friday afternoon in a jon boat spent seven hours stranded after the jon boat’s engine died and they proved unable to summon a tow, finally resulting in a late night rescue by public safety agencies.
Rise and Fall of the Anglo-Saxon Caucus and Its Florida Fellow Travelers
You may have heard that some of the most MAGA-ty of the congressional MAGA types — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Duelling Banjos; Paul Gosar, R-Trump Tower; plus our own Matt Gaetz, R-Lolita Shores — recently proposed a new caucus dedicated to promoting the “values” of Donald Trump, by which they mean white supremacy.
This Supermoon Has a Twist: Expect Flooding, But a Lunar Cycle is Masking Sea Level Rise Effects
A “super full moon” is coming on April 27, and coastal cities know that means one thing: a heightened risk of tidal flooding. Because of the moon’s long-term cycle, these are the years to implement infrastructure plans to protect coastal areas against sea level rise.
Court Sides With Sumter County Teacher, Allowing Gun on Campus
An appeals court Friday sided with a Sumter County high-school teacher who challenged a school-district policy that barred him from having a gun in his car on campus.
Seminole Tribe Gets Control Over Sports Gambling Statewide in Exchange for $2.5 Billion Over 5 Years
Under the proposed compact, the Seminoles would serve as the state’s hub for online sports betting, with pari-mutuel operators contracting with the tribe. The deal would allow pari-mutuels that contract with the Seminoles to keep 60 percent of sports-betting revenue, with 40 percent going to the tribe.