The Flagler School Board Friday approved a want-ad and using the Florida School Board Association to lead the search, marginalizing what influence a local advisory committee may have and replicating the speedy process adopted three years ago.
Weekend Briefing: Love Letters at CRT, Bird Fest, Valentine Dances, and “Almost, Maine”
The school board holds a special meeting to pick a superintendent, City Repertory Theatre features three different casts on three successive representations of “Love Letters,” Bird Fest all weekend in Palm Coast.
Three Ways Forward on Enacting Florida Voters’ Medical Marijuana Mandate
Former Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre, just back from a state conference on medical marijuana, argues how and why to move ahead with consumer- and patient-centered regulation.
Safety Study on Deadly White Eagle Lounge Intersection Was Issued 7 Weeks Ago: No Traffic Light or Speed Limit Recommendations
Some 207 crashes have been recorded in three years at or near US1 and Old Dixie Highway, but a state transportation department safety study issued in December recommended only cosmetic changes.
Flagler Beach Is Proposing Draconian Restrictions and Prohibitions on Drones
Flagler Beach would even further than an Orlando ordinance that just passed, banning drones over public buildings, parks, assemblies and other places absent permission from the city.
Against Counsel: House Panel Backs Term Limits for Supreme Court and Appeals Judges
The proposal would revamp a decades-old system in which Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges do not face term limits — though they are required to go before voters every six years for merit-retention.
Thursday Briefing: Repairing the Pier, Regulating Drones in Flagler Beach, “Almost, Maine,” at FPC
The Flagler Beach Commission will award a bid for pier repairs out of three submissions ranging from $900,000 to $1.2 million, and regulate drones in the city, William Henry Harrison is remembered for his 32 days.
When There Almost Was a Bowling Green Massacre — By a White Supremacist
The case of Richard Schmidt in Bowling Green, Ohio, deserves an important place in any debate about what is real and what is fake, what gets reported on by the news media and what doesn’t.
Local Governments Nursing Headaches Over Legalized Pot as Health Department Holds Hearing Across Florida
Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and County government joined two dozen counties and four dozen cities in enacting moratoriums temporarily banning medical marijuana dispensaries.
Sheriff Seeking Public’s Help in Identifying 2 Alleged Shoplifters at Palm Coast’s Ulta Store
Two suspects entered the Ulta cosmetics store at 5224 State Road 100 in Palm Coast Saturday (Feb. 4) and allegedly stole many bottles of nail polish, valued at more than $2,400.
Recurring Offender Richard Westervelt Again Arrested After Chase in Mondex
Richard Westervelt has 11 bookings at the Flagler County jail since 2010, on charges that include battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, fleeing and eluding, illegally firing weapons and resisting arrest.
Wednesday Briefing: Canales in Court, Palm Coast Strategies, Enterprise and Visit Florida, Jules Verne
Jonathan Canales, the Mondex veteran accused of shooting his wife on the neck, is in court today, Superwash Express, the car wash on 110 Cypress Point Parkway, marks its grand opening, Palm Coast plans the budget year.
Palm Coast’s Jim Landon Gets 4% Pay Hike, Raising Total Compensation to $226,700
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously endorsed the $6,700 pay raise but limited annual automatic increases to 1 percent through 2021, and set aside concerns over Landon’s very generous severance package.
FPL Will Bill You an Extra $40 This Year For Restoring Power During Hurricane Matthew
The state Public Service Commission approved a $318.5 million request by FPL to cover the costs of restoring power after the storm pummeled Flagler and other Florida counties.
Flagler County May Be Out $2 Million as FEMA and State Deny Hurricane Reimbursements
FEMA denied $1.1 million in Flagler claims for debris pick-up, the state is not providing a match the county expected, and the county has yet to hear on millions more in claims to FEMA.
Never Gone, Barbara Revels Reemerges in Appointment to Economic Advisory Board She Launched
The County Commission appointed Ex-County Commissioner Barbara Revels to the Economic Opportunity Advisory Board on a 4-1 vote, with her opponent, Dave Sullivan, casting a vote for Jason DeLorenzo.
Kayaking Trips Planned For Flagler’s Centennial Celebration, on Haw Creek and Longs Landing
Registrations, for $15, are needed in advance. Each person registering will get a competition style tee shirt commemorating the County’s Centennial.
Five People Killed, 3 Hurt in 3-Vehicle Crash at White Eagle’s US1 Intersection With Old Dixie; Deadliest Crash in 6 Years
Five people were killed in a three-vehicle crash late this morning (Feb. 5) at the notoriously dangerous intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1, by the White Eagle lounge, in Korona.
Tuesday Briefing: Landon’s Raise, School Board’s Toil, Texting and Driving, Eubie Blake, Philip Roth on Death
Palm Coast City Manager will seek a 4 percent raise even though a majority of the city council has never evaluated him, the school board holds its first all-workshop evening, the great Eubie Blake.
Proposal to Require Unanimity from Florida Juries in Death Penalty Cases Advances
But efforts to broaden the legislation to address other issues involved in a series of court rulings that prompted this year’s measure appear, at least for now, to be doomed.
Commissioners Uneasy With Flagler’s Bail-Out of Agriculture Museum and New 400-Acre Park
Flagler County government would pay off an $185,000 museum mortgage and grant it $25,000 a year while acquiring more than 400 acres of the museum’s land, calling it an “extension” of Princess Place Preserve.
County Breaks Ground on 5,500-ft Runway at Airport to Accommodate Larger Corporate Jets
The $12.1 million project will be carried out over the next 350 days at Flagler County Executive Airport. It will also create new space at the north end of the airport for more building construction.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Murdering a Man in Daytona Before Fleeing to P-Section
Dominic Neeley Jr., 21, was arrested at his home at 41 Peppercorn Lane in Palm Coast in early evening Sunday after a chase triggered by an alleged murder of a man and the shooting of a woman in Daytona Beach within the same hour.
Health Savings Accounts Gain GOP Favor as Obamacare Sub; Gimmickry May Hurt Most
Expanding the use of such accounts, greatly favored by Wall Street, is part of almost every GOP replacement plan under consideration on Capitol Hill. But less well off people and the sick would not likely benefit.
Monday Briefing: Revels v. DeLorenzo, New Runway at Airport, Death Sentences, Obamacare Repairs
Barbara Revels and Jason DeLorenzo reemerge in a bid for a seat on the economic development council, the county breaks ground at its airport’s runway extension.
Don’t Play Into Trump’s Hands on the Muslim Ban
Dina El-Rifai, a Muslim woman, writes of being terrified, heartbroken, and outraged by Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban.” But, she notes, The Obama administration’s wars were often justified through the demonization and dehumanization of Muslims.
Florida Senate Moves to Replace Tuition Billing By Credit Hour With Controversial Flat-Fee Plan
The dilemma: how to move to a block-tuition system without financially penalizing students while at the same time providing incentives for them to take enough courses per semester to graduate in four years.
After NY Cop Salutes Violence Against Anti-Trump Protester, His Online Post Comes Under Review
An anti-Trump marcher got punched in the face. A Port Authority cop posted “Grow up bitches and get a job.” The department’s inspector general gets a referral.
Palm Coast Man Irate Over $128 Bill Jailed Over Allegedly Bashing Washing-Machine Repairman With Baseball Bat
Norman Ferris, 56, ended up at a hospital after allegedly getting smashed in the face and back with a baseball bat by a man who didn’t want to pay the repair bill for his washing machine.
Prosecution Puts Kim Weeks’s Lawyers on Defensive After Arguing She Must Testify
The prosecution today questioned whether Kimberle Weeks had standing to challenge the validity of the search warrant that uncovered all the evidence against her. Her defense was shaken up by the ploy.
Kim Weeks’s Lawyers Seek to End Case Against Ex-Supervisor In Double-Barreled Attack
Lawyers for ex-Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks spent much of today arguing before a judge two motions that would, if successful, end the nearly two-year-old felony case. Weeks is accused of making illegal recordings.
Weekend Briefing: Kimberle Weeks Wants Out, Men’s Futures Tennis, Medical Pot Summit, Sugar’s Evils
The Men’s Futures tennis tournament heads into its finals weekend at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, Kim Weeks moves to have all charges against her dismissed, a children’s fair at Carver Gym.
Behind Woman’s Suicide in Flagler Beach, Despair and a Last Evening With Caring Strangers
Janis Washburn, the 68-year-old Palm Coast resident found dead in the Intracoastal last week, had spent the last three hours of her life with a group of strangers who took her in to cheer her up. She had long spoken of suicide.
Tax Collector’s New Branch Office in Flagler Beach Compelled By Rising Traffic–and Guns
The new tax collector’s branch at the Food Lion shopping center in Flagler Beach will be the exclusive location for the boom in concealed weapons permitting, and possibly a commercial seed for the long-moribund Flagler Square.
Thursday Briefing: Animal Control, Flagler Audubon, All Flagler Democratic Club, Re-Joyce
The emerging All Flagler Democratic Club meets, the Flagler Audubon Society gets ready for the annual Shorebird Survey, James Joyce and Ayn Rand improbably share a birthday.
Divided School Board Blocks Internal Hire of Next Superintendent, Opting for Fast Search
In a 3-2 split, Flagler School Board members opted against cutting short the search for Superintendent Jacob Oliva with an immediate, internal hire despite the risks of an expedited, broader search to fill the position by June 1.
Cops’ Dash-Cam Video Evidence Gets Big Boost in 5-2 Ruling By Florida Supreme Court
“We cannot expect officers to retain information as if he or she were a computer,” the court ruled, granting power to judges to review video evidence when available.
Tased and Detained, Felon 10 Times Over Escapes from Cop’s Car Before Chase and Arrest
George Garland Wood, 31, of Bunnell, led cops on a chase after he was tased and after he managed to escape from a patrol car. He faces a half dozen charges, all but one felonies.
Town Center Developer Palm Coast Holdings Will Close By March and Sell Assets
The decision was made recently and unexpectedly by Palm Coast Holding’s parent company, Allete Properties of Duluth, Minn. Seven employees will be affected.
Wednesday Briefing: Superintendent Search, Tax Collector’s New Branch, Buddy Taylor Agronomy Lab, Gorusch
Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston opens a new branch office in the old Food Lion shopping center in Flagler Beach, the Flagler County School Board this evening begins the process of replacing Superintendent Jacob Oliva.
Scott’s $83.5 Billion Budget Seeks 3% Boost in Per-Student Funding and $618 Million in Tax Cuts
House Speaker Richard Corcoran has been a harsh critic of the governor’s plan to spend $85 million for business incentives and another $76 million to market the state’s tourism industry.
At Staly’s Sheriff’s Office, Deputies Speak of “Concerted Effort” to Raise Morale and Profile
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies contacted independently of the sheriff’s own public relations efforts say the improved morale and more commanding leadership is sincere, though the changes are less fundamental than about attitudes.
Palm Coast Council Favors $6,800 Raise for Manager Landon, and Automatic Increases
Vying for a raise for the third time in 10 months, Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon appears to have convinced a new council to award him a 4 percent raise and build in automatic annual raises absent intervention by the council.
Qualifying Over in Flagler Beach and Bunnell March 7 Elections, Still Time to Register to Vote
Both cities’ incumbents and one challenger in each have qualified–Marshall Shupe, Kim Carney and Paul Eik in Flagler Beach, Bonita Robinson, John Rogers and John Sowell in Bunnell, with two seats in play in each government.
Tuesday Briefing: Jim Landon’s Raise, Meeker’s Late Goal, Vienna Boys’ Choir at Peabody, Hugo Chavez Redux
Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon makes yet another pitch for a raise, the soccer fields at Wadsworth Park were dedicated to the late Frank Meeker, David Altmaier in Daytona.
As Gov. Scott Announces His Budget, His Math Doesn’t Match Lawmakers’
Scott’s $2.8 billion surplus estimate makes some unlikely assumptions about how lawmakers will act when they return to the Capitol for the legislative session that begins March 7.
Different Kind of Home Intrusion in Hammock: Intruder Apologizes (But Is Arrested)
Benjamin Wytiaz, a man with a long arrest record in three other counties, startled a Hammock woman in her home as she was getting out of the bathroom, and was later arrested. He said he was looking for a place to sleep.
Federal Judge Dubious of Florida Law Requiring Abortion Counselors To Register
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle repeatedly challenged an attorney fpor Attorney general Pam Bondi over the seemingly prosecutorial intent of the law, which penalizes those who don’t register.
Olando Ellis, 63, Killed on I-95 Near Matanzas Exit When Semi Slams His Stalled Mercedes
Olando Ellis’s car had stalled in the right-most southbound lane and lost all power and lights. He’d called 911 for help, then was struck and killed by the truck.
Monday Briefing: Suicide Prevention Training, Juvenile Arraignments, Romeo and Juliet, FDR
A regional suicide prevention specialist hosts a three-hour seminar on the subject at EOC in Bunnell, a non-eventful day in local government, Romeo and Juliet’s and FDR’s anniversaries.