Some districts could get more in-state political power if Florida decides to use voting-age citizens as the basis for drawing districts, rather than total population, including children and immigrants who aren’t citizens.
A Little Over a Dozen Arrests, One Notable Fight, 2 Brush Fires and 30,000 People: A Heat-Soaked July 4 in Flagler
Flagler Beach witnessed one serious fight that led to two arrests, and two brush fires, while Palm Coast had a minor party-related disturbance and Bunnell seemed to verge on the brink of a serious commotion until an arrest defused the situation.
Costs Pile Up For Governor and Cabinet’s $400-a-Night Israel Junket, as Do Questions
When Florida Cabinet members jetted off to Israel in late May, some state employees who traveled at taxpayer expense stayed in a more than $400-a-night luxury hotel in Jerusalem, where a Cabinet meeting was held.
New Leadership Called ‘Capricious’ as 2 More High-Level Resignations Strike Palm Coast Government
Interim Communications Manager Jason Giraulo called the new city manager and council “capricious” and described his own managerial abilities as “castrated” in a resignation letter the new manager strongly disputed. Chief Building Official Ricky Lee also resigned.
After 3-Month Halt, Work Will Resume On U.S. 1 Roundabout at Old Dixie, With Road Closures
Work had stopped on the roundabout project at U.S. 1 and old Dixie Highway in mid-April and won’t resume until mid-July, with further road closures and detours. The $4.1 million project is the work of the state Department of Transportation.
In Big Breakthrough, County and City Will Jointly Accommodate Palm Coast Little League and Other Fields of Need
Palm Coast and county governments are drafting an agreement that would significantly relax the proprietary lock on each sides’ fields, instead prioretizing public need, with Palm Coast Little League the vanguard beneficiary.
Flagler Beach Fireworks and “Fabulous Fourth” Parade on July 4
Flagler Beach this year hosts its traditional July 4 celebration, with its Fabulous Fourth parade at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. fireworks. In Palm Coast, fireworks are on July 3 in Town Center. Both events will feature kid zones and games.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Beats 4-Time Slam Champ Stan Wawrinka in Wimbledon Upset and Biggest Win Yet
Showing poise and maturity well beyond his years, the 21-year-old Opelka scored the biggest victory of his young career in the second round of Wimbledon, defeating three-time Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in five scintillating sets on Court 2.
Independence Weekend Briefing: Heat Index to 110 Wednesday, Parade and Fireworks, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Madness,’ World Cup Final
It’s all about July 4, with fireworks on July 3 in Central Park in Palm Coast band of course in Flagler Beach on the 4th, “A Midsummer Night’s Madness” all weekend at City Repertory Theatre, and a July 4 Willie concert right here.
Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes
The three-year-old group, which has roughly 9,500 members, shared derogatory comments about Latina lawmakers who plan to visit a controversial Texas detention facility on Monday, calling them “scum buckets” and “hoes.”
A New Hospital For Flagler? Credibility Gap Yawns Between Commissioner Joe Mullins’s Pledges and County Administration’s Caution
The stories told by Mullins’s hyper-optimism and the county administration’s more cautious and deliberate approach illustrate a recurring gulf between the politician’s wishes and promises and what the government administration is in fact delivering (or not).
Flagler Students Mostly Improve in Math, English and Civics, Ranking District in Top Third of State, But Struggle in Science
Imagine School at Town center had a particularly strong showing in English and math, as did Old Kings Elementary. Buddy Taylor middle school had concerning numbers in math’s Florida Standards Assessments but stronger numbers in geometry and algebra.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Gopher Tortoises in Flagler Beach, Al Hadeed’s Appointments
Flagler Beach’s planning board talks gopher tortoises, County Attorney Al Hadeed is appointed to a couple of state committees overseeing legal issues, the Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission meets, a ventriloquist at the public library.
Two Motorcyclists Killed in Head-On Collision on A1A South of Varn Park
Two motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision on State Road A1A in the Hammock this evening, just south of Varn Park.
Boos, Jeers and Defiance as Flagler Beach Voices Its Opposition to The Gardens Development on John Anderson
Some 300 to 400 people turned out at a Palm Coast meeting hosted Monday by the developers of a planned 3,966-unit project on John Anderson Highway, the crowd promising staunch opposition.
Florida Turns to the Public To Solicit Ideas on Fighting Toxic Algae Blooms
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is formally accepting information through July 15 on ways to prevent, combat or clean up harmful algal blooms in freshwater bodies and estuaries.
Felon Several Times Over Accused of Brutalizing and Seizing Woman at Bunnell’s Country Store
Henry Brock, 29, of Bunnell, is seen in surveillance video brutalizing a woman in the parking lot of the Country Store in west Flagler, then placing her in the car. He was caught later by deputies and a civilian.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 105, The Gardens Development, Deputy Jennifer Prevatt, A Message From BCU President Brent Chrite
Details on The Gardens development along John Anderson Highway are presented in a public meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn, Deputy Jennifer Prevatt is the CrimeStopper Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Bethune-Cookman University President Brent Chrite provides a video message.
Citing Impact on Education Funding, DeSantis Kills ‘Addiction’ Warning on Lottery Tickets
Noting potential impacts to money for education, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a controversial bill that sought to require warnings about addiction and caution to play responsibly on the front of all lottery tickets.
Interested In Adding More Longleaf Pine Acreage to Flagler County? Forest Service Wants To Help, Including Incentive Money
The Longleaf Pine Incentive Program offers incentive payments for the completion of timber stand improvement, invasive species control, prescribed burning, planting longleaf pine, establishing native plant understory and mechanical underbrush treatments.
Barbara Petersen, Fierce Open Government Advocate for 25 Years, Is Stepping Down From First Amendment Foundation
Barbara Petersen’s retirement from the First Amendment Foundation, after 25 years, takes place as legislators have piled up 1,122 exemptions to Florida’s open government laws.
Group Files Federal Suit Challenging Florida Restrictions on Felons’ Voting Rights Moments After DeSantis Signs New Law
A partisan firestorm erupted in the waning days of this year’s legislative session after Republicans tacked onto the elections package provisions aimed at implementing the voter-approved constitutional amendment that restores the voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.
Vaping, School Vouchers, Texting While Driving: New Florida Laws Take Effect Monday
A new ban on texting while driving and a ban on vaping, adding toll roads and preventing local governments from uprooting vegetable gardens are among the new laws that take effect in Florida Monday.
The Gardens Project Off John Anderson Highway: The View From the Developers’ Perspective
The Gardens is an 825-acre, 3,966-unit mixed-use development proposed off John Anderson Highway by SunBelt Land Management as a successor to a Ginn proposal a decade ago. Ken Belshe, a member of the development group, describes the scope and intent of the project.
Palm Coast Cell Tower Update: 2 of 3 Monopoles Are Up, With Carriers On The Way
AT&T Wireless will be the first to have service on a new tower behind Palm Coast Parkway, with a tower also up in Palm Harbor and the tallest of the three going up near the tennis center.
How Palm Coast’s Rugrat Group and The Ned Brought a ‘Do It Together’ Vibe to the Local Music Scene
Palm Coast’s Rugrat Music Group began small as The Ned, a band, and turned into “full-service music community for the independent artist” that lists 21 area music makers under the “Rugrat Family” roster who continue to influence the the local music scene.
Weekend Briefing: Junior Lifeguard Camp, Trish Vevera Show, First Aid Class, ‘Opry Reunion’
Junior lifeguard class at Palm Coast’s municipal pool, a CPR class at Fire Station 25, Artist of the Year Trish Vevera has a new show, the school board closes out its fiscal year.
County Prepares to Give One Company $680,000 Subsidy Over 10 Years, Dwarfing All Previous Incentive Packages Combined
A furniture distribution company would build the largest structure in Flagler, a 250,000 square foot building, off U.S. 1 and provide 50 jobs in exchange for the $680,000 in direct subsidies over the next 10 years, an amount extrapolated from a largely speculative guess of how much the company would be taxed.
Citing Trump’s ‘Contrived’ Reasoning, Supreme Court Blocks Citizenship Question on Census–For Now
The 5-4 decision, however, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion, leaves open the possibility that the Trump Administration could readdress the citizenship question, if it can justify it.
Seminole Woods Teen, 15, Arrested After Grandfather Finds Stash of Stolen Weapons and Ammo In His Room
A 15-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s Seminole Woods faces a half dozen charges, among them illegal possession of firearms by a delinquent and grand theft of a firearm, after his grandfather found what amounted to a small arsenal in the teen’s bedroom, ans deputies found more weaponry in the car he was driving around Palm Coast Wednesday.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Murals and A1A Signs, Sea Rise, Pablo the Turtle, Democrats Watch Parties
The Flagler Beach City Commission talks murals and signs, Palm Coast’s Beautification Committee talks climate change and sea rise, and Democratic candidates for presidents hold a second debate.
Death Penalty: Now It’s Florida’s Conservative Supreme Court’s Turn To Be Accused of ‘Judicial Activism’
Reversing the state’s retroactive consideration of certain death-penalty cases would amount to “the most egregious judicial activism in the history of Florida,” a lawyer for a Death Row inmate argued in a brief filed this week.
Toddler in ICU For Overdose Just Months Ago Has Thumb Severed By Mother’s Anger Monday
Megan Nicole Moss, 27, of Palm Coast, in September had left her 18-month-old son unsupervised long enough that he reached for a narcotic and overdosed. On Monday, she slammed a sliding glass door on his thumb, severing its tip.
Flagler’s HIV Rate More Than Doubled in 2017; Health Department Offers Free Screening on Thursday
With the HIV infection rate reaching its highest level in Flagler County in 20 years in 2017, the Flagler Department of Health will offer free HIV screenings for county residents at the department’s facility in Bunnell on June 27 in recognition of National HIV Testing Day.
Wednesday Briefing: iFlagler Honored, Flagler Beach Business Town Hall, Facing Grief Together, Florida Bar, Democratic Debate
A town hall focused on Flagler Beach business, iFlagler honored in Orlando, Democrats hold the first presidential debate of the election season in Miami, with the second on Thursday night.
Flagler County Officials Disavow Confederate Flag That Flew at Princess Place Preserve’s Caretaker Grounds
A Confederate flag hung at the grounds of the caretakers for Flagler County’s Princess Place Preserve even as county employees came and went on the public park’s lands–until a Palm Coast resident noticed it and complained.
Out of Patience, Sheriff Demands County Action on Space Needs: ‘This Situation Cannot Continue’
The sheriff’s letter to the county commission chairman echoes the same urgency and call for action that the sheriff used just over a year ago to compel the county to provide a healthier space for employees than the troubled Operations Center.
State and Utilities Gang Up Against Proposed Amendment Deregulating Electricity
The proposal, backed by Citizens for Energy Choices, calls for creating “competitive” electricity markets in which customers would have the right to choose electricity providers or to produce their own power.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 107, Renters’ Rights, School Diversity Awards, Opioid Task Force, Palm Coast Budget
The Palm Coast Council takes on its 2019-20 budget, teachers Nina deBodisco and DeAndre Harris are Flagler Schools Excellence in Diversity Education Award winners, Flagler County hosts a renters’ rights workshop.
In Proxy War Over Homeless Shelter, Bunnell Shuts Down Church’s Other Relief Works
The Bunnell commission voted 5-0 to deny First United Methodist Church on Pine Street so much as new showers or new bathrooms, in essence preventing the church from operating as an overnight relief center for volunteer emergency crews during natural emergencies.
5 Palm Coast Residents, 4 of them Felons, Arrested on Drug Charges in R-Section House
Friday morning, several Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives and deputies, including a SWAT Team detachment and members of the federal secret service, served a warrant at 11 Raemoor Drive. Five individuals were in the house and arrested.
Flagler County Crime Falls 20%, Steepest Drop in Decades and Almost 3 Times Larger Than Florida Average
Flagler County’s crime index in 2018 fell by 20.2 percent, by far the largest year-over-year drop in at least 18 years, and a decline almost three times the 7.4 percent drop in crime across Florida over the same period.
Meth In The Morning, Heroin At Night: Inside The Seesaw Struggle of Dual Addiction
Researchers who have tracked drug use for decades believe the new meth crisis got a kick-start from the opioid epidemic: Across the country, more and more opioid users say they now use meth as well, up from 19% in 2011 to 34% in 2017.
Monday Briefing: Mid-90s, Bunnell Decision on Homeless Shelter, FPC’s Own K-9, Bow Wow Bingo Benefit
The Bunnell City Commission takes up an appeal of its zoning board’s vote shuttering the cold-weather shelter run by volunteers at a Bunnell church, the Flagler Humane Society has a fund-raiser at the Elks Lodge.
Calling It ‘Fiscally Responsible,’ Governor Signs $91 Billion Budget, Vetoing Just $131 Million
Gov. DeSantis praised lawmakers for exceeding his request for spending on environmental projects and for a boost in per-student funding in public schools, though as FlaglerLive previously reported, that funding increase is not necessarily what it seems.
Michael Wilson Acquitted of Attempted Murder of His Pregnant Wife, Jury Convicts on Lesser Charges
Michael Wilson was acquitted of the most serious charge against him–attempting to electrocute his wife–but convicted on a grand theft charge and a battery charge, exposing him to up top five years in prison.
Just Fired in Volusia, Tom Russell Overcomes Deep Skepticism to Win FPC Principal’s Job
Tom Russell, Fired last week after a four and a half year tenure as Volusia’s superintendent, becomes the eighth principal in 15 years at FPC, but pledges to be there for up to seven years, and finish his career there.
Weekend Briefing: JJ Graham’s New Works, ‘Carrie: The Musical’ at Playhouse, Senior Cookout, Wilson Verdict
Artist JJ Graham has a new show at Salvo Art House in Bunnell Saturday, the Spotlight Performers stage “Carrie: the Musical” at the Flagler Playhouse, a family fun day, Dive-In Movies and a senior celebration, among other events.
State By State, the War on Pot Is Ending
Dozens of new state laws are expanding legal cannabis use — and expunging the records of users caught up in the system. This unprecedented wave of legislative activity at the state level is yet further evidence that public consensus on cannabis legalization has undergone a seismic shift.
‘I Do Hear Voices,’ Man Accused of Plotting Wife’s Electrocution Says, But He’s Not Allowed to Tell the Jury
Wilson faces an attempted first-degree murder charge, for rigging his own home’s entry door in Palm Coast with a contraption intended to electrocute his wife around Christmas 2017. But he’s barred from speaking of his mental health or issues in front of the jury.