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.
Trump Order Blocks 500,000 Legal U.S. Residents from Returning to America
In banning newcomers from seven countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days, the president has used language that will affect those who are in the U.S. already on visas and green cards.
Full Text of Trump Executive Order Banning Certain Refugees, Muslims and Green Card Holders
President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” banning certrain Muslims, refugees and immigrants from entry in the United States and cutting refugee admissions in half this year. Here’s the full text.
Ethics Panel Ratifies $4,500 Fine Against Barbara Revels in Closing Blur on Distinguished Service
The fine and public censure bookend Barbara Revels’s eight years of public service as a member of the Flagler County Commission, where she had been its most effective member and most skillful parliamentarian.
A Stolen Gun, A Cry for Help Over Crack, Then Surrender to Felony Charges
Pamela Guth, a 54-year-old resident of Rose Petal Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on two felony charges after turning herself in for stealing a gun to buy cocaine, and trying unsuccessfully to get the gun back.
In Flagler Again, Gov. Scott Issues $15.8 Million For Beach Fix in 4 Counties, $5.4M for Flagler
The $15.8 million is not necessarily new money but includes at least $5.3 million Flagler County has been lobbying for to rebuild dunes. Gov. Scott made the announcement at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park’s beach.
Weekend Briefing: Next to Normal, Revels Ethics Resolution, Meeker Dedication, Youth Orchestra Concert, Art Blakey
City Rep Theater’s “Next to Normal” has three last performances, the Youth Orchestra romps through the history of music, Gov. Scott is at Washington Oaks Gardens, soccer fields are dedicated to Frank Meeker.
Short-Listed for Top Job in Jackson County, Flagler Beach Manager Newsom Says He’s Not Interested
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom, who’s been in the middle of a different job-hunt swirl this week, had applied for the Panhandle job last summer, just six months into his job locally, as a back-up plan, he said.
Flagler Beach Approves $40 Million State Plan to Rebuild Dunes, With Sea Wall at City’s North End
In a surprising shift, Flagler Beach City Commissioners agreed to a state plan to build a sea wall at the city’s north end in exchange for a beach management plan the state would pay for.
Florida House Democrats Walk Out on Immigration Leader Who Associates With White Nationalists
Krikorian’s Center for Immigration Studies has been linked to the white nationalist movement and has been the target of criticism from the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors hate groups.
County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin Apologizes to Flagler Beach Officials Over Interference
Commissioner Nate McLaughlin apologized in person to Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom and City Commissioners Jane Mealy and Marshall Shupe over comments he claimed were misconstrued.
Gov. Scott Visiting With Flagler Commissioners Friday But County Keeps Meeting Veiled
As has been the case with previous such visits, the Flagler County administration did not send out notices about the governor’s visit to the county Friday, morning, his fourth since Hurricane Matthew struck.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Performs History of Music in 16 Chapters Saturday in Palm Coast
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s most advanced ensemble will perform the tour de force at Palm Coast United Methodist Church’s Concert Series at 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s free.
Woman Stabs Husband in Self-Defense Near Dead Lake; He Faces Four Felony Counts
Earnest E. Thomas, 27, was allegedly stabbed by his wife in a confrontation in front of their young children but had been allegedly assaulting, strangling and imprisoning her, and was charged with four felony counts.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Talks Dunes, Pot and Tourism Dollars, Homeless Census, Roth on Trump
The Flagler Beach City Commission has a full agenda regarding the future of its beaches and its relations with county government, Flagler’s homeless population is counted one by one, Philip Roth on Trump.