Flagler County Commissioner Charlie Ericksen spent his 72nd birthday under a surgeon’s knife to relieve a brain bleed, and two days later was again on a surgeon’s table for a gallbladder removal.
Attention Homeowners: Now’s The Deadline For Homestead Exemption Applications
Today is the deadline to file for a Homestead Exemption in Flagler County. If you miss the deadline, the Flagler County Property Appraiser’s office may be able to work with you within a reasonable window of time.
In Fear of ATS: The Palm Coast City
Council’s Red-Light Camera Delusions
After coming close to suspending its red-light camera [program, the Palm Coast City Council has retreated, again exposing a willingness to do its camera vendor’s bidding before looking after its residents’ interests.
Shackling Juveniles: Despite 2009 Court Decision, Practice Continues Away From Courtroom
Florida’s Supreme Court found shackling juveniles “repugnant, degrading, humiliating, and contrary to the stated primary purposes of the juvenile justice system” in a 2009 decision barring the practice in courtrooms, but shackling carries on elsewhere.
The State of the State Floridians Should Hear
With 3.2 million Florida households struggling every month to stretch paychecks to cover basic necessities, former Florida Sen. Dan Gelber outlines a State of the State Floridians swill not hear when the governor opens the Legislative session this week.
Why Almost 1 in 4 Floridian Driver Has No Car Insurance: Poverty
Florida’s poverty rate is 17 percent and 23.8 of its motorists are uninsured. Uninsured drivers face stiff fines in many states, but some that have such penalties on the books often fail to enforce them.
Good Samaritan Act Leads to Charges of Forgery, Grand Theft, Assault and a Stand-Off
John Sole, a 31-year-old resident of Paul Lane in Palm Coast with a brief but recurring history of trouble with the law, became allegedly violent with his mother after she could not cash fraudulent checks.
To Replace Manager Bruce Campbell, Flagler Beach Returns to Old Playbook: Doing Nothing
Like his predecessor, who was an interim manager of Flagler Beach for five years before he decisively quit, Bruce Campbell is finding it difficult to walk away from the job, and the city commission is not making it easy for him.
Bi-Partisan Lawmakers Looking to Expunge Criminal Records of Non-Violent Juveniles
An Orlando Senator is sponsoring a bill that would allow the expunging of records for minors who commit nonviolent misdemeanors and go on to complete diversion programs.
Emergency Grants of Up to $600 Available to Flagler Seniors For Home Energy Assistance
Eligibility is determined by income (gross household income must be below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines), and at least one member of the household must be at least 60 years old.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Performs Strings Around the World Concert at Auditorium Monday
The FYO presents an evening of music featuring compositions from five continents and a dozen cultures in the second of its 10th year anniversary performance featuring the entirety of its musician corps–five ensembles, upwards of 325 students.
Net Neutrality: If History Is Any Guide, The Battle Is Far From Over
The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to approve new rules that effectively barred Internet companies from prioritizing some Internet traffic over others.
From Harry Potter to Indian Trails Complex, Quidditch Tournament Snitches In on Brooms
Quidditch doesn’t exist. At least not officially. But for two days at Indian Trails, the United States Quidditch South Regional Tournament will feature 14 teams from four states competing in the game Harry Potter made famous, and that’s now played on thousands of college and university campuses.
Leonard Nimoy Is Dead at 83
Leonard Nimoy will forever be remembered for his “Live long, and prosper” line, which he seems to have borrowed from Voltaire in a pre-interstellar day.
Palm Coast Will Borrow $30 Million to Build New Sewer Plant, Pledging No Rate Increase For 5 Years
The new plant would be financed with a 20-year loan at less than 1 percent interest, and the city’s total debt load would rise to around $200 million. It also depends on steady growth in coming years.
Pot. Beer Wars. Gambling. Even Pension Reform. Sen. Rob Bradley Says Bring ‘Em On
Many of this Florida legislative session’s thorniest issues — and more — rest in the hands of Sen. Rob Bradley, a laid-back junior legislator and chairman of a committee dubbed by Senate President Andy Gardiner as the “Thunderdome.”
Palm Coast Man, 19, Charged With Raping 11-Year-Old Girl He Met on Facebook
Karl Westgate, a 19-year-old resident of Palm Coast who became a father two months ago, faces a capital rape charge and other charges of possessing child pornography after exchanging nude pictures of himself and the girl with her.
Father Jailed on Felony Child Abuse After 15-Year-Old Films Beating and Abuse on Mac
Anthony Schneider, 42, of Royal Leaf Lane in Palm Coast, represents the fourth arrest of a parent or guardian in Palm Coast this month over charges of violently abusing a child.
1.6 Million Floridians, 6,000 in Flagler, May Lose Health Subsidies: Supreme Court Decides
Subsidies may be lost for 90 percent of ACA participants if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that residents of states like Florida, which have no health marketplace of their own, may not qualify for federal subsidies. The Supreme Court hears arguments in the case next week.
FPC’s William Gibbs and Alex Lull Will Represent Flagler at Boys State in June
William Gibbs and Alex Lull, with Devin Ritter as an alternate, were chosen Thursday from a field of five applicants by American Legion Flagler Post 115 representative George Stockley.
Gov. Rick Scott Heading Back to Paris Air Show in Hopes of Attracting Aerospace Jobs
In 2013, the every-other-year air show drew more than 315,000 visitors, 2,215 international exhibitors and delegations from 102 different countries. The effectiveness of Scott’s trips, however, remains suspect to some.
Rudy Giuliani Loses It
Donald Kaul has been trying to make up his mind about Rudy Giuliani: “I can’t decide whether he’s a nutball or a sleazeball,” he writes. “For now I’m going with a sleazy nutball, but I’m open to suggestions.”
Edmon Welch Sentenced to Life in Prison For Home Invasion and Battery on 88 Year Old
A jury had found Edmon N. Welch guilty of the home invasion and battery on Ray Mercer in August 2013. An accomplice Jody Medders, is already serving five years in prison.
Palm Coast’s Public Access TV Changing Name and Bright House Channel, To 495
Palm Coast Municipal Access is moving from Channel 199 to Channel 495 for Bright House subscribers, and changing its name to Palm Coast Television.
Special Election Candidates Slog Through Only Local Forum, Except When Talk Turns to Guns
The largely plodding Q&A forum organized by three Flagler business groups held few surprises and featured Senate candidates David Cox and Travis Hutson and House candidates Adam Morley and Paul Renner.
Armed Car-Jacking in Bunnell Ends in Volusia With Arrest of Four Flagler Teens
All four suspects are from Palm Coast and Bunnell, the youngest being 15. They were arrested after a pursuit involving four police agencies and Volusia County’s Air One helicopter.
Days Before 11th Grade Language Test, Gov. Scott Issues Executive Order Suspending It
Union officials had pushed for suspending the entire school-accountability testing system for a year. The education commissioner wants a few more tests curtailed, but the bulk of the system would remain in place.
City Hall Rising: Walls Go Up at Palm Coast’s Future Home
Walls built in place went up Tuesday morning on the site of the future Palm Coast City Hall in Town Center, marking a significant visual advance in the nearly $10 million project as it moves toward completion by fall.
Palm Coast May Reduce Red-Light Cameras to 5, But Won’t Scrap Program For Fear of ATS
Fearful of a lawsuit from ATS, its red-light camera provider. the Palm Coast City Council says it would reduce the cameras from 43 to five, but not eliminate them, even if it means ending all its revenue from the cameras but preserving that of ATS.
Flagler Jail Inmates Charged With Lewdness For Masturbating During GED Class
James Simmons, a 40-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P-Section, is facing a series of felonies in other incidents, and now faces an additional third-degree felony.
County Attorney Al Hadeed Responds to “Extreme Allegations” in Ex-Supervisor Weeks’s Florida Bar Complaint
The Florida Bar complaint against Hadeed by Kimberle Weeks, never made public until the county administration released it Monday, was part of a series of similar maneuvers Weeks and an ally filed with the state ethics commission and the state elections commission.
Dustin Sims of Flagler Palm Coast High School Named Florida’s Assistant Principal Of the Year
For the first time in recent memory–and possibly in the district’s history–a Flagler County educator has won his category’s top honor in Florida.
As FAA Issues Rules, New Palm Coast Drone Company Beguiles Realtors and Others
CAVU Aerial Photography, a drone company in Palm Coast since August, has been showing Realtors, communications companies and others the many uses of drone technology, which is expected to boom with the FAA’s new, more permissive rules.
Obamacare Enrollment Will Re-Open From March 15 to April 30 For Penalized Tax Filers
The Obama administration will allow a special health law enrollment period from March 15 to April 30 for consumers who realize while filling out their taxes that they owe a fee for not signing up for coverage last year.
Special Election’s Final Four: Cox, Hutson, Morley and Renner in Tuesday Forum
This time the forum, at the Realtors building on SR100, will feature audience questions. All four candidates are scheduled to appear at the 6 p.m. event.
Dancing, Archery, History: Native American Festival at Princess Place Saturday and Sunday
In a first, Flagler County is hosting a Native American Festival at Princess Place Preserve Saturday, February 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday March 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $5 per carload, up to four, and $1 for each additional passenger.
2015 Legislative Session: 10 Issues To Watch
Starting March 3, and for 60 days, the House and Senate will grapple with hot-button issues ranging from standardized testing in public schools to reforming the troubled prison system, plus the one must-pass bill of the session: a roughly $77 billion state budget.
FPC’s Dustin Sims Is One of Three Finalist For State Assistant Principal of the Year
The Assistant Principal of the Year receives a cash prize of $2,500 and a weekend resort stay at the Walt Disney World Resort and theme park admission also courtesy of Disney Youth Programs.
When Your Armed Neighbor Comes
Knocking: Guns and Muslims in Chapel Hill
What kind of country do we live in, where it’s legal for a man to bring a weapon to a noise complaint? Or a parking dispute? Mitchell Zimmerman confronts the Chapel Hill killings of three Muslims.
Cyclist Susan Lantz, 62, of St. Augustine, Is Killed on A1A in Collision With a Car
Susan Lantz, a 62-year-old resident of St. Augustine, was killed Sunday morning (Feb. 22) as she rode her bicycle on State Road A1A just north of Crescent Beach, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Florida Ports Want Government Help Luring Shipping From New York, Georgia and Texas
The Florida Ports Council calls for lawmakers to create an advertising effort to attract shipping, import-distribution centers as well as export-oriented manufacturing companies to Florida.
Lily Sara, Humanitarian and Founder of
La Voix de La Femme Libanaise, 1929-2014
Lily Sara, one of Lebanon’s leading humanitarians and founder of La Voix de La Femme Libanaise–the Voice of the Lebanese Woman–died in Beirut on Dec. 10, 2014. Testimonies and eulogies were offered on Dec. 13.
From His Flagler Beach Home Base: Ray Black Jr.’s Road to NASCAR’s Truck Series
Ray Black Jr., competing tonight in NASCAR’s Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, tells of his joujrney from Alabama to Flagler Beach, and the wisdom in not wrecking.
After Just One Arrest in 4 Years on Prostitution-Related Charges, Sheriff’s Detectives Arrest 4 in 48 Hours
Flagler sheriff’s detectives Wednesday and Thursday arrested two men for soliciting sex, a woman for prostituting herself, and a man for pimping another woman, to a group of men who turned out to be undercover detectives.
Lawmakers Punt to Full Legislature on Millions in Tax Subsidies for Speedway and Jaguars
A process intended to reducing lobbying may do the opposite now that the Joint Legislative Budget Commission moved any funding decisions regarding the stadiums to the full Legislature.
Southwest Palm Coast Records a Low of 25 as Cold Snaps Power for Over 800 Customers
The lowest temperature in the county was reported at Eagle Rock, sinking to 24. Despite a cloudless sun, temperatures were still around 40 in Palm Coast at mid-morning, with winds strong enough to make it feel more like in the lower 30s.
Ending Long Fight, County Approves Short-Term Rental Regulations–With Grandfather Clause
New rules limit short-term rental homes to 10 overnight occupants, and require inspections and a certification process, ending a three-year effort by the county to change state law and enable the commission to regulate the industry.
Fearful of Scaring Buyers or Undervaluing Property, School Board Haggles to $2.3 Million Price for Corporate Building
The Flagler school board now finds itself in the paradoxical position of attractively advertising the ex-ITT property for sale after it was essentially condemned as a school facility.
“Halleluiah Jesus”: From “Project Hot Dog” to Foreign Investors, Flagler Sees Commercial Real Estate Turn-Around
Ukrainian entrepreneurs, Chinese investors and local businesses looking to expand are resulting in robust new activity on Flagler’s long-dormant commercial real estate sector, the county’s economic development council learned this morning.
Education Commissioner Stewart Joins Calls For Eliminating Some High-Stakes Testing
Stewart recommended that the state get rid of a language-arts test students take in 11th grade, eliminating some final exams and making optional a college readiness test.