Housing, real estate and local government officials this morning diagnosed the sources of Flagler-Palm Coast’s affordable housing crisis and proposed a few solutions in a unique discussion at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Flagler Beach’s Christmas Parade Is Saturday, Starlight Parade in Palm Coast On Dec. 9
Flagler County’s two biggest holiday parades take to the streets over two successive weekends, with awards and peripheral events rich in photo ops with Santa.
Flagler County Warns of Scam Under the Guise of Waste Management Trash Hauler
Waste Management notified Flagler County officials about a scam in another state asking “valued customers” to wire transfer money to a different account
Pariente Stays: Supreme Court Rejects Scott’s Bid to Remove Justice in Succession Case
The Florida Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Gov. Rick Scott to remove Justice Barbara Pariente from a case that could determine the shape of the state’s highest court for decades.
Thursday Briefing: Thanking Flagler’s Volunteers, Growth and Development, End of Hurricane Season
A Common Ground Breakfast discussion hosted by the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce features leading voices on growth and development, Flagler Voluntgeer Services thanks its own, hurricane season ends.
Investigation and Officials Detail Ordeal in Alleged Rape Case That Ended Off Old Kings Rd
Obtravies Watkins, a 34-year-old registered sexual offender, faces attempted murder, rape and kidnapping charges after the alleged brutalization of a 25-year-old woman found naked and pleading for help Tuesday morning.
Scott Announces Trip to Israel With Inflaming Call To Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem
The issue is particularly inflaming to Palestinians, who would see a move of the embassy as a provocation and a signal that the United States would then no longer be pursuing a two-state solution.
Flagler Education Foundation’s Connect Bus Showcases School District’s Tech Evolution
The Connect Bus, which just scored a $15,000 donation from Ameris Bank, is appearing more and more around town, a school district showcase of evolving classroom technology.
Sex Offender Arrested on Rape and Kidnapping Charges in Attack Extending Between Volusia and Flagler
Obtravies Watkins, 33, of Palm Coast and Daytona Beach, a felon and sex offender with a long record, is accused of kidnapping a woman in Volusia and raping her there and in Palm Coast.
Wednesday Briefing: Hurricane Volunteer Recognition, Flagler Playhouse Open House, Howell Sentence, Making of a Nazi
Phillip Haire is in court again for a pre-trial, Flagler Volunteer Services hosts an awards ceremony for its hurricane volunteers with lots of officials, Flagler Playhouse celebrates its new wing, and the making of an American Nazi.
Not Dead Yet: County Must Formalize Medical Pot Ban By Ordinance, Giving Advocates Another Go
The Flagler County Commission’s Nov. 20 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries was only one step: commissioners must still pass an ordinance formalizing the ban, twice, giving proponents of dispensaries another chance to make their case.
Defense Will Argue That Bobby Gore Suffered From “Battered Spouse Syndrome” When He Killed His Son
Bobby Gore, 74, shot and killed his son Lucas in Flagler Beach in April and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. To reduce his life sentence, his defense attorney will argue that Lucas had been terrorizing his father to the point of reducing him to the equivalent of a battered spouse.
Taken For A Ride: Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills as Insurers Balk
Ambulance and private insurance companies often can’t agree on a price. That leaves patients stuck in the middle with out-of-network charges that are not negotiated.
Tuesday Briefing: Hurricane Irma After-Action, Nathan Shimmel Pre-Trial, A.O. Wilson on Limits of Atheism, Connect Bus
Nathan Schimmel, accused of murdering his mother, and Bruce Haughton, who faces a manslaughter charge in the suicide-death of his ex-girlfriend, have pre-trial appearances, the Palm Coast council talks after-Irma.
Flagler Deputies’ Thanksgiving Break: A Half Dozen Domestic Violence Arrests
Cases included a siblings’ brawl that turned into charges of felony child abuse and strangulation and the case of a repeat domestic-violence offender biting his wife on the head after she declines sex.
New Regulations Give Flagler Government Policing Powers Over Towing Companies
A new Flagler County ordinance sets out requirements, fees and penalties for the county’s three towing companies, reining in what the county administration said had been some abuses in the industry.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Florida’s Ban on Openly Carrying Firearms, Ending 6-Year Case
State lawmakers have proposed measures that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry firearms, but the proposals have not passed.
Monday Briefing: Palm Coast Survey, Bunnell Alcohol Sales, School Board Term Limits, Trump Tax Demonstration, Male Libido
The Palm Coast City Council wants to hear your opinion, Bunnell’s alcohol-sale hours may change, the brutality of the male libido, the constitutional revision commission considers term limits for school board members.
No Smoking at Work Could Be Followed by No Vaping: Constitutional Panel Reviews Proposal
More than 70 percent of voters approved the original workplace smoking ban in 2002. A state senator wants them to follow suit with a ban on electronic cigarettes.
Nine Flagler County Firefighter-Paramedics Get Lifesaving Awards For I-95 Truck Rescue
Crews were called out to a rollover crash on Interstate 95 and worked four hours to extricate the driver, Scott Breidenstein, from the crushed cabin – a mere 24 inches of space to maneuver.
Florida’s Cold Shoulder to Trump
The first holiday weekend Donald Trump brought his presidency home to Mar-A-Lago was a true come-to-Jesus lesson in business loss and lifestyle chaos for locals.
How Residents of One Street, Citing False Information, Got 3 Flagler Commissioners To Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries
Residents of Treetop Circle in Plantation Bay made false but popular claims about medical pot dispensaries to convince Commissioners Greg Hansen, Charlie Ericksen and Dave Sullivan to ban dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler.
For Some Victims, Reporting a Rape Can Bring Doubt, Abuse — and Even Prosecution
There are many reasons for women to think twice about reporting sexual assault. But one potential consequence looms especially large: They may also be prosecuted.
Armed Robbery Victim in Hammock Seeks Out and Finds Suspect, Leading to Arrest
Cody Wilson, 26, was booked at the Flagler jail on $110,000 bond after he allegedly robbed at gunpoint a man who was smoking marijuana in his driveway in the Hammock.
Paul Miller, Serving Life for Murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach in 2012, Returning To Court
Now 70, Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall, 52, in a dispute over barking dogs in 2012. Miller is arguing that he did not get a proper defense from his attorney.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood Injured in Crash Caused By Fleeing Hit and Run Suspect
Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood was bleeding significantly after crashing his motorcycle when a fleeing driver stopped abruptly then fled.
Sheriff Again Urges Transportation Secretary to Improve Safety at “Deadly” White Eagle Intersection
The transportation department last February largely ignored recommendations by Sheriff Rick Staly for more safety measures at the crash-prone intersection on U.S. 1. Staly again wrote the transportation department on Tuesday.
Grower Sues, Charging Florida Illegally Delays Granting Medical Pot Growing Licenses
Michael Bowen, an epilepsy patient who had a seizure during a Senate committee meeting this year and who uses marijuana to treat his illness, is also a party to the lawsuit.
Thanksgiving Weekend Briefing: Compassionate Friends, Kristol’s Liberalism, Lighting Up, Arts Festival, Feet to Feast
It’s a calm weekend in deference to Thanksgiving activities, with a 5k before the feast, lighting up at the Ocean Center, the Bloodmobile at Walmart on black Friday, and Pires playing Mozart.
In Rare Move, Sheriff Is Publicly Critical of Judge’s Decision to Let Shooting Suspect Out of Jail
Judge Margaret Hudson allowed Michael McRoberts, 21, to go under house arrest at his home even though he violated probation and is a suspect in the Nov. 13 double-shooting on Seamanship Trail in Palm Coast.
Scott Wants Justice Pariente Disqualified From Decision on Governor’s Authority to Pick Her Successor
The issue in the case is whether Scott or his successor will have the power to make the appointments — an issue that could shape the balance of the court for years.
Tuesday Briefing: Food Truck Tuesday, Chairmanship Votes at School Board, Voltaire’s Birthday, Bill Ryan’s Trip
The School Board votes to decide whether to stick with Trevor Tucker or pick a new chairperson, Bill Ryan takes you on a trip around Flagler’s historical sights, food in Central Park.
Gordon Therrien, 60, Killed When Motorcycle and Semi Truck Collide on U.S. 1 at White Eagle
The White Eagle Lounge intersection claimed its 6th traffic-crash death in nine month when a motorcyclist and a semi truck collided in mid-afternoon.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Man at Wheel of Truck in Crash That Killed 10-Year-Old Arrested on Drug Charges; Cited 3 Times in Last 6 Months For No License
Thomas Rando, the Palm Coast man at the wheel of an SUV that crashed Friday, killing 10-year-old Hannah Beard, was arrested Sunday trying to leave a house allegedly with backpacks of drugs and has a long history of driving without license.
Monday Briefing: No School All Week, Short-Term Rentals Workshop, Mickey Mouse’s Carmen
There may be no school all week but that doesn’t mean Flagler politicians won’t be immersing themselves once again in discussions about short-term rentals. Mickey Mouse gives a musical break.
Unnecessary ‘Proof of Citizenship’ Voting Laws May Surge Under Trump, Suppressing Turnout
Some lawmakers have been emboldened both by President Donald Trump’s false claim that millions of noncitizens voted in 2016 and by his creation of a panel to investigate alleged fraud.
Hearing Over Development at Lakeside on A1A, Expected to Be Contentious, Postponed to Dec. 18
Lawyers representing three different sides of the proposed 185-home development have all asked for a postponement, and the county attorney has advised commissioners to agree.
Stephen Bittell, Party Chair and High Hope for Florida Democrats, Is Latest Disgraced Over Leering Behavior
Bittel’s boorish behavior was hardly a secret in Democratic circles. It was impossible for him to remain the chairman after all four Democratic gubernatorial candidates demanded that he step down.
Hannah Beard, 10, Is Killed, 3 Seriously Hurt in Single-Car Crash on I-95 South of Palm Coast Parkway
The crash took place at 6:39 p.m., involving a single vehicle that somehow lost control, rolled and ended up on its flank on the driver’s side, facing north in the grassy shoulder next to the center guard rails.
Robert L. Emmanuel, 60, Is Murdered at His Home. Bunnell Police Refuse To Release Information.
Robert Emanuel was the victim of a brutal beating at his home in mid-September, and died either this week or last, but Bunnell police has refused the sheriff’s assistance in investigating a case it may have bungled.
Case Against Kimberle Weeks Now Hinges On Judge’s Precedent-Setting Decision on Searches in Electronic Age
Ex-Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorneys argue that the search warrant that produced incriminating evidence against her was an illegal fishing expedition. Without it, the case against Weeks collapses.
Florida Adds 125,000 Jobs, Dropping Unemployment to 3.6%, Flagler’s at 3.8%
In essence, the state saw little negative effect from Hurricane Irma despite its severity and the disruptions it spread over Florida.
Threat of Violence at FPC, Mirroring Pranks Elsewhere, Prompts Heightened Cop Presence
The threat of violence in a boys’ bathroom told students not to show up today at FPC. It is similar to threats made at schools elsewhere on social media.
Weekend Briefing: Kim Weeks Hearing, Benefit Concert for Puerto Rico, Solisti Concert, CRT’s Desert Cities, Nights of Lights
A benefit concert for Puerto Rico featuring Wintley Phipps, ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks back in court, the annual 72-mile garage sale all along A1A, “Other Desert Cities” at City Rep Theatre, and plenty more.
Flagler County on Periphery of Opioid Crisis, But Deaths Report Signals Lethal Spikes
Deaths related to heroin and fentanyl use are rising locally, and deaths related to prescription drugs spiked 22 percent as the region proves not immune to the opioid crisis.
A Pair of Fights At Matanzas High School Spill Over Into B Section, Implicating Several Teen Girls
Battery charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office against several Matanzas High girls following a series of fights that stretched over several days and locations.
Trump Administration Plan to Add Medicaid Work Requirement Stirs Fears
advocates who see the changes as a way for states to kick millions of adults off the program and undermine its mission of providing health coverage to the poor.
Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune May Replace That of Confederate General in U.S. Capitol
Over the objection of a senator who decried “cultural purging,” a Senate panel approved 18-1 replacing the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in the National Statuary Hall in Washington.
School Taxes Would Rise To Pay For Per-Student Increase, But Formula Could Further Hurt Flagler
Flagler is the 6th-highest taxed district in the state, by legislative formula, yet gets back the 65th lowest dollars per student. A governor proposal to increase education funding could make that worse for the district.