Flagler Deputy County Administrator Sally Sherman’s “retirement” is an extreme example of double-dipping and an end-run around a law that requires retirees not to work at their old agency for at least a year.
Palm Coast’s Frieda Zamba Pool Is Target of Three Smash-And-Grab Car Burglaries
Over $1,000 in merchandise was stolen as well as a seven-night vacation package, gift cards, and miscellaneous items, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
29 Million Domestic Visitors Push Florida Tourism To New Quarterly Record
Florida drew an estimated 33.2 million visitors from January through March, which was a 7.4 percent increase over the same period in 2017.
Palm Coast Council Appoints Lawyer Vincent Lyon To Complete Steven Nobile’s Term
Vincent Lyon, 46, has been practicing law in Palm Coast since 2013 and works at the Chiumento law firm a few steps from City Hall. He will serve just six months.
Wednesday Briefing: Cars As Weapons, Smart City Workshop, FTI Graduation, Parent’s New Parent
Barbara Holley takes over Parent Magazine, Flagler Technical Institute holds its graduation, Palm Coast talks innovative city districts, Martha Argerich is 77.
Ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre on Troubled Operations Center: How We Got Here
Former Sheriff Jim Manfre, who completed his term in 2016, offers his side of the history of the acquisition of and subsequent issues with the potentially sick Sheriff’s Operations Center.
The Lord Before the Storms: Flagler Emergency Management Chief Wants Awareness, Not Fear
Jonathan Lord, Flagler County’s new emergency management chief, has been putting his vast state and local experience to work in preparation for hurricane season.
Billionaire Investor Jeff Greene Becomes 5th Florida Democrat In Race For Governor
Greene, 63, who lives in Palm Beach two doors down from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Questioning War Is No Disrespect to Veterans. It’s a Civic Duty.
Americans remain unconcerned about wars the U.S. is currently fighting (at last count, we’re bombing at least 7 countries) though they foot the bill both in tax dollars and lives.
Tuesday Briefing: Chess on the Porch, Sportsfishing Club, Code of Conduct, Sewer Plant Opening, Road Closure
The school board talks Code of Conduct and surplus property, Palm Coast basks in a new sewer plant, chess at the Humidor, Florida Park Drive road closure.
Flagler Sheriff’s Budget For 2018-19 Would Go Up $3.8 Million, Largest In Over a Decade
The surge is driven by another increase in sheriff’s deputies, and would bring the total number of new deputies to 22 in two years. The county commission is not objecting.
Homeless Man Accused of Child Abuse and Assault Against 5 Children at Public Park
Matthew Edward Marro, A 22-year-old homeless man, faces 10 felony counts following a confrontation with children at a Bunnell park Sunday.
More Rehash Than Clarity As Flagler’s Expert Addresses Sheriff’s Possibly Sick Building
County government in a workshop with an engineering expert could not tell the sheriff or his employees how soon there may be answers on reported health issues at the Sheriff’s Operations Center.
Domestic Violence’s Overlooked Damage: Concussion And Brain Injury
Survivors of domestic violence may be suffering largely in silence from the same traumatic brain injuries, memory loss and PTSD seen in veterans and athletes.
Palm Coast’s Epic Theatres Briefly Evacuated After Burnt-Smell Report
Epic Theatres in Palm Coast’s Town Center was briefly evacuated Saturday evening after a report of a burning odor in the area of the box office.
Monday Briefing: Tascarella v. Flagler, Customary Beach Use, Congressional District 6 Forum
Three Democrats and three Republicans for the congressional district seat that includes Flagler appear at a St. Augustine forum, the Flagler County Commission adopts a customary use of beaches ordinance.
Legalizing Recreational Pot Key Issue For Florida Democrats’ Gubernatorial Candidates
John Morgan calls recreational weed a make-or-break issue for Democratic candidates seeking to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Tammy Almond Charged With Manslaughter in Shooting Death of Darryl Wilson, 56
Tammy Almond, 43, of 12 East Palm Street in Bunnell, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting death of Darryl Wilson at a North Bacher Street house.
A Man Is Shot and Killed on North Bacher Street in Bunnell, Apparently By Girlfriend
A woman shot and killed a man at 705 North Bacher Street in Bunnell this evening around 7:30 p.m. The man died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Life In Prison For William Schwarz, Drunk Driver Who Killed Kathy and Carl Boos in Flagler Beach
The sentence against William Schwarz was extraordinarily harsh, but also driven by his very lengthy record of drunk driving and other criminal arrests.
In Her Own Words: Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Reveals Anguish and Fears Over Sick
Building in Plea For Urgency
An internal sheriff’s investigation uncovers a three-page letter Detective Annie Conrad wrote Sheriff Rick Staly, urging that employees’ concerns of a potentially sick building be taken seriously.
Flagler Property Values Rise 7.5%, Best Since Recession, But Government Revenue Faces Shock
Higher values ease pressure on government revenue but a potential increase in the homestead exemption would reduce revenue by millions, absent tax hikes.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday in Flagler Beach, Synchronized Swimming Show, LGBT Pride
Flagler Beach’s increasingly popular First Fridays, assuming there’s no rain, the Synchro Belles put on a show, Flagler Volunteer Services put on a hurricane prep presentation.
Florida Prisons Proposal To Cut Visitation Hours In Half Draws Outrage and Pleas
Visits help cut recidivism and keep families close, as recognized even by state law, but Florida prison officials are looking to cut costs.
Clarence Murphy Is Sentenced To Life In Prison, No Parole, In Murder of Cousin Ahmad Laster
Clarence Murphy Jr. shot his cousin Ahmed Rashad Laster on Palm Coast’s Parkview Drive last September during an argument, and soon confessed.
47-Year-Old Felon With Long Prison Record Arrested After Shooting at 3 in Bunnell
Gerald Tyrone McCaskell, who spent 15 of his 47 years in prison, is accused of firing a gun at three people outside a house in Bunnell Monday night.
Marineland’s Latest Adventure Rededicates Iconic Arch to Memories Past and Future
Marineland’s arches are stamped in the memory of the town and its millions of visitors through the years, and today one of the iconic arches was reopened and dedicated.
Flagler’s and DSC’s Education Chiefs Talk Bunkers, Breweries, Graduation and Jobs
Superintendent Jim Tager, Flagler Technical Institute Director Renee Stauffacher, and Daytona State College President Tom LoBasso were the featured speakers an education breakfast.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler’s Education Leaders, African-American Mentoring Program, Marineland Arch
Flagler County Superintendent Jim Tager and DSC’s Tom LoBasso and FTI’s Renee Stauffacher at Common Ground breakfast, African American Mentors and their students are recognized.
County’s Reply To Sheriff on Sick Building: We’ll Get Back To You On That
The Flagler County administration in an unsigned statement said the county was hiring an engineer to further study the sheriff’s potentially sick operations center.
John Ward’s Insult To Puerto Ricans
John Ward is a GOP candidate for the congressional that includes Flagler. He doesn’t think Puerto Rican storm refugees–American citizens, all–should register to vote in Florida. He’s wrong.
Just 3 Applicants For Palm Coast Council’s Nobile Seat; All 3 To Be Interviewed Tuesday
Charles Johnson, a retired Sea Ray Boats employee, attorney Vincent Lyon and Robert Thomasey, a retired electrician, are the three applicants to fill out the six months remaining on Steven Nobile’s term.
Wednesday Briefing: Horseshoe Pitching Champs, Pickleball Open Court, Emerson Quartet’s Bach
Bob Flanagan and Steve Hoffman take horseshow tourney, give pickleball a try, longshot Republican gubernatorial candidates Bruce Nathan and Bob White debate.
Calling It an Unsafe “Albatross,” Sheriff Demands Immediate Relocation Out of Sick Building For Dozens of Employees
Unequivocally referring to the Operations Center as a sick building, Sheriff Rick Staly made the demand for alternate space to County Administrator Craig Coffey, who pushed to buy the old hospital in 2013 and convert it.
Court Largely Sides With Florida State In Weapons Dispute With Florida Carry
An appeals court Friday backed Florida State University in much of a legal battle with a gun-rights group about weapons on campus, though the case goes back to circuit court.
Flagler Jail Deputy Who’d Reported to Work Drunk Is Fired Over Obscene Gesture at Bar
Mark Sousa was fired and detention deputy Laura Gadson disciplined for posting an image of Sousa on Instagram flipping the bird at a bar the night his suspension had been revealed.
County Defends $284,000 Tourism Website Deal and Commissioners Are Mollified
County Administrator Craig Coffey and tourism officials put commissioners’ questions about the expense of a website to rest with 75 minutes of details and only a few straw men.
Tuesday Briefing: Graduation Time, County Defends Tourism Website, Palm Coast Shortlists Council Candidates
FPC and Matanzas have their graduation ceremonies at the Ocean Center, Palm Coast short-lists candidates for the appointment to a council seat, the county administration defends its expensive tourism website.
Yes, You May Smoke It: Judge Rules Florida’s Ban on Smoking Medical Marijuana Unconstitutional
Judge Karen Gievers found that a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 gives eligible patients the right to smoke the treatment in private.
Voices From the Grave
Maj. Sullivan Ballou’s Last Letter to His Wife
Maj. Sullivan Ballou’s letter to his wife, written a week before he was killed at Bull Run in 1861, is one of the great eulogies of sorrow and divided duty to nation and family. As a memorial to the victims of war, who include survivors, especially civilians, the letter has few equals.
Flagler Government Spent $1 Million on 3 Websites Since 2010, Wants $300,000 More In Next 4 Years
Flagler County government wants to spend $284,000 on a tourism website over the next four years. It has already spent $1 million on three websites in the past nine.
Palm Coast’s Melody Ann Stuffle, 49, in Apparent Suicide By Gunshot
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an apparent suicide by gunshot on Lancelot Drive in Palm Coast early Thursday morning.
Daytona State Students Will See No Tuition Increase in 2018-19, Some Adjustments to Fees
For the 2018-2019 academic year that begins in August, Daytona State College once again plans to hold the line on tuition, with a zero-tuition increase for its 27,000 students.
Sales Tax ‘Holiday’ For Disaster-Preparedness Supplies Set For June 1-7 Across Florida
Expanded from three days last year, the tax holiday has drawn added attention after Florida experienced hurricanes in 2016 and 2017 after a decade’s calm.
Memorial Weekend Briefing: Last Day of School, Historical Society Lunch, Lifeguard Classes, Patriotic Jax
Three days of lifeguard certification classes, Scenic A1A Committee meeting, Jacksonville Symphony plays to the armed forces, history talks at Bunnell’s Holden House.
Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, F-Section Arsonist Leaves Judge Craig Puzzled By ‘Senselessness’
Circuit Judge Dennis Craig spoke heartfully and at length of the senselessness of 29-year-old Vitaly Tsabak’s burning of a family home before sentencing him to what proved to be a remarkably lenient 20-year term.
Yet Another Storm Brews With Heavy Rains–and Hurricane Season on Horizon
A massive storm over the Yucatan Peninsula may drench Florida over Memorial Day weekend, days before the start of another hurricane season.
Man Injured In Single-Vehicle Rollover on U.S. 1 Just South of White Eagle Lounge
An older man was injured and entrapped shortly before noon today when his vehicle rolled over and ended on its roof on U.S. 1’s southbound lanes just sough of the White Eagle Lounge.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach PD’s Liz Williams Swears-Out, Talent Show, Beach Privatization
Liz Williams retires after 23 years on the Flagler Beach police force, most of them as a detective, the Spotlight on Flagler Youth takes center stage at the Auditorium, FHF officials address the economic development board.
To Protect Public Use of Private Beachfronts, Flagler Calls on Memories of
Long-Timers’ Customs
To ward off a new state law potentially allowing private property owners to fence off beach sands, the Flagler County Commission is enacting an ordinance to preserve public use and forbid fencing.