The three-month program nurtures, engages and motivates local business professionals and residents to become community leaders, providing insight about Flagler County’s operations while inspiring participants to take active roles as stewards of and advocates for positive change within the community.
Florida Inverse: 2nd Highest Level of Uninsured, Dead Last in Affordable Care Grants
Judging by the grant totals of other states, Florida appears to have forfeited at least $100 million and possibly $300 million or more, not even including $51 billion the state is forfeiting by saying no to Medicaid expansion.
Find a Lawyer: Flagler Duo Launches Unique Web Venture Rating Attorneys’ Success Rate
CourtCaseResults.com, the brainchild of Trevor Tucker and Darren McGuire, is a freely accessible website that gives consumers full histories of lawyers’ success and failure rates in Flagler cases. Launched Monday, the site is gradually moving to include cases statewide.
Dump Truck Is Totaled in Defensive Wreck on CR305 and CR302
Eric McLaughlin, a 40-year-old driver from Bunnell, was a little sore but escaped more serious injuries when he was forced to drive his multi-ton dump truck down an embankment at the intersection of County Road 302 and County Road 305 Monday afternoon. The truck was totaled.
Sheriff Asking Public’s Help in Locating Tiffany Alyce Chapman, 16, Missing Since Sunday
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate Tiffany Alyce Chapman, 16, of 65 Blaine Drive in Palm Coast. She left her residence around 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 13.
John Morgan Has $6 Million in Pledges for Medical Pot Amendment, Not Including His Own
Renewed support from Morgan — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist’s boss and close friend — comes as opponents of the measure, aided by Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate and supporter of Republican Gov. Rick Scott, double down on efforts to kill it.
Mom’s 63-Year-Old Boyfriend Accused of Molesting 13-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl
Robert A. Zetrouer, 63, was held at the Flagler County jail on $75,000 bond on Friday on charges of lewd or lascivious molestation and attempted lewd or lascivious battery on a 13-year-old girl in May and June.
Palm Coast Man, Angered Over PlayStation, Accused of Battering Pregnant Wife; Rash of B-Section Burglaries End in Arrest
Cody J. Lynch, 21, faces an aggravated battery charge for allegedly battering his pregnant wife when he couldn’t find his PlayStation 4. Some half dozen break-ins involving mostly unlocked cars in Palm Coast’s B Section ended with the arrest of Michael Shawn McRoberts Jr., 18, who lives in the same neighborhood.
Why Obtaining Your Own Medical Records May Now Cost You a Small Fortune
For-profit companies in the new “release of information” or “disclosure-management” industry now charge $1 a page, in paper or digital format, for what used to be free, while the Florida Board of Medicine is looking to make the $1-a-page standard for all.
Thomas Trudell, 65, of Palm Coast, Is Killed in Motorcycle vs. Pick-Up Wreck at Belle Terre and Pine Grove
Thomas Trudell, 65, of Palm Coast, was riding his motorcycle on Belle Terre Parkway when he was killed Sunday morning as a pick-up truck pulled in front of him at the intersection of Belle Terre and Pine Grove Drive.
How U.S. Taxpayers Are Subsidizing Defense of Alleged Revenge Killers of Palestinian Teen
The tax-exempt donations do not appear to run afoul of U.S. law. But they do put U.S. taxpayers in the position of subsidizing aid to Israelis convicted of politically motivated violence.
Hobby Lobby and Religion’s
Assassination of Common Sense
The Supreme Court’s decision granting some companies authority to deny contraception to employees is a reminder that women-hating, science-bashing and religiously-based bigotry veiled as “faith” are alive and well in America.
Flagler School District Rated B For 2nd Straight Year Despite Seven A-Rated Schools
A-rated schools included Bunnell, Rymfire, Old Kings, Wadsworth and Belle Terre elementaries, along with Indian Trails Middle and Palm Harbor, the charter school that just two years ago was failing. The district will earn several hundred thousand dollars in bonuses.
Flagler Sheriff Deputy Williams Rescues Sandhill Crane Struck by a Car
Agricultural and Ranch Deputy Steve Williams responded to Grand Reserve Drive in Bunnell on Friday morning after the Sheriff’s Office received a call of an injured bird with a possible broken leg after being hit by a car.
Judge Throws Out Two of Florida’s Redrawn Congressional Districts, Affecting Flagler
District 5 wraps itself around much of the western flank of District 6, which includes all of Flagler County. If District 5 is re-drawn, it would likely affect District 6, which is currently represented by Republican Ron DeSantis.
Mounting Cost Overruns Latest Challenges To Bedevil Bulldog Drive Expansion
The Palm Coast City Council will approve doubling “contingencies” to $427,000 for the now-$5 million Bulldog Drive project, after approving change orders on the engineering contract that more than doubled the cost to $845,000.
Eddie Wayne Davis Is Executed for Murder of 11-Year-Old Polk County Girl
Davis is the 19th person executed by Florida since Gov. Rick Scott took office, the most in any governor’s single term, and surpassing the 18 executions that occurred under former Gov. Lawton Chiles, who served two terms between 1991 and 1998.
Illegal Campaign Stop? Rick Scott Owes an Apology To the Cops He Duped.
At a re-election campaign appearance in Tampa Monday, Scott burnished his law enforcement record with a cadre of uniformed cops. The cops expressed shock to the Tampa Tribune that they’d been used for a campaign stop.
Palm Coast Taxes Will Remain Flat This Year As City Projects “Stale and Boring” Budget
The typical Palm Coast property owner will pay roughly $534 for the year, about the same as this year and possibly a few dollars less, as the Palm Coast City Council prepares to adopt a caretaker budget.
Edging Out Flagler’s Jill Espinosa, Christie Bassett of Polk Is the 2015 Florida Teacher of the Year
Christie Bassett was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year just after 8 p.m. at the end of a ceremony from Hard Rock Live at Universal in Orlando. Jill Espinoa, Flagler County’s Teacher of the Year, was among the five finalists.
Two Florida Teens Missing 44 Days
Are Found in Montana, Out of Gas
Ivy Warhul, 14, and Ronnie Sousa, 16, went missing on May 27 at 4 a.m. when they left the Gulf Coast area in a gray Honda Element, and were spotted in Flagler before being found by an alert sheriff’s deputy in Montana on July 9.
Blame Democrats for the Court that
Birthed the Hobby Lobby Decision
On the other hand, Democrats appear to have been clueless — and (some even) complicit, writes Stephen Goldstein. Year after year, they approved the radical majority of justices who now make up the “Roberts Court,” even when they knew their extreme agenda.
Thomas Underwood of Palm Coast Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping Children He Babysat
Thomas Underwood was sentenced to two consecutive life terms on seven counts of raping children and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. Flagler County Circuit Judge J. David Walsh imposed the sentence today on cases dating back to the 1990s.
Sheriff’s Rookie Deputy Mark Sousa Severely Injured in Motorcycle Wreck on Palm Harbor Parkway
Mark Sousa, a Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy for the past year, was severely injured on July 5 when the motorcycle he was riding off duty swerved off of Palm harbor Parkway and ejected him. The wreck took place at 1:34 a.m. Sousa was not wearing a helmet.
Flagler County Argues Charge Against Commissioner Revels Belongs at Ethics Commission, Not in Court
County Attorney Al Hadeed countered a lawsuit alleging ethical improprieties by Commissioner Barbara Revels in last summer’s purchase of the old Memorial Hospital by claiming that the group suing has no standing in circuit court, but can take its case to the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Palm Coast Man Faces Child Abuse and Assault Charges After Firing a .357 During an Argument
James d’Esposito and his wife had just been celebrating his 43rd birthday when, back home, an argument exploded, with three children at home, and D’Esposito retrieved a gun, fired it, and was heard threatening to kill himself.
Gov. Scott Gives Up Drug-Testing Half of State’s Workers, But Still Aims Pee Cup at Rest
The governor has not conceded that forcing state employees to undergo urinalysis is unconstitutional despite lower court rulings that spurred the concessions. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year refused to take up the case, but it is believed Scott will again ask the high court to rule on the case if he ultimately loses in lower court proceedings.
Florida Lottery Spikes to Record $5.3 Billion in Sales; Only $1.4 Billion to Education
The Florida Lottery’s increased revenues stems largely from continued growth in scratch-off ticket sales, which range in price from $1 to $25 and are now available at more than 13,000 locations throughout the state.
America’s Sad New Motto: No We Can’t
Once a nation of doers who could find no obstacle too great to conquer, we always seem to be finding a way to say something can’t be done – health care, education, environment, gay people in the military. Now, writes Mark O’Brien, it’s every, man, woman and child for himself, and instead of America pulling together, it’s American pulling apart.
Bull Creek Restaurant, Seasoned By Woody’s BBQ Owners, Dedicated at Flagler’s West End
Bull Creek Restaurant on the shores of Dead Lake and in the heart of Bull Creek Camp Ground in western Flagler was dedicated Tuesday morning as the owners of Woody’s BBQ in Palm Coast take on the breakfast, lunch and dinner establishment to the delight of residents at the west end of the county.
Divided and in Crisis, Bunnell Begins Deep Cuts to Close $844,000 Gap But Police Department Survives, For Now
The Bunnell City Commission in a tension-filled, four=-hour meeting Monday voted 3-2 to eliminate code enforcement and the humane society, among a list of cuts, but delay eliminating the police and grants department for two weeks, giving department heads time to make their case for survival.
Regulators Draw Sharp Criticism Over Controls On Florida’s New Pot Industry
At the top of the complaint list: concerns about a proposed lottery system to award five organizations the chance to grow, manufacture and dispense a type of medical marijuana approved by Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature this spring.
New Flagler Jail and Sheriff’s HQ Cost Estimates Stun Officials, Who Call It “A Setback”
Construction cost estimates for the new jail came in at $22 million, far more than the county’s plan for $14 to $15 million, while the Sheriff’s Operations Center at the old Memorial Hospital came in at $6.2 million, instead of around $5 million.
Mobil Station on SR100 Vandalized; Deputies Make 30 Arrests Over July 4 Weekend
The Mobil gas station and convenience store on Palm Coast’s State Road 100, near I-95–notorious for being the site of the execution-style murder of a store clerk 17 months ago–was vandalized by a 19-year-old Palm Coast resident Thursday, and Charles Cowart was among the 30 people arrested over the holiday weekend.
City Marketplace Softens Tone Against Tenants, But Sheriff Still Disputing New Fees
John C. Bills, the new owner of City Marketplace, sought to mitigate fallout from bad publicity through a memo to tenants that explains sudden, higher costs without retreating from them.
Florida Giving Up 63,800 Jobs By Rejecting Federal Medicaid Expansion
Florida has not accepted the offer of federal funds — estimated at $51 billion over a decade — provided in the Affordable Care Act to cover uninsured people who fall into a gap. Florida has about 850,000 of them.
Fracking in South Florida? Environmentalists Steamed Over Texas Company Drilling Near Lake Tafford
The Dan A. Hughes Company used an unapproved method of drilling that had never been used before in Florida to extract oil from a well near Lake Trafford. Florida’s DEP has not been entirely forthcoming.
Can Felons, Barred From Carrying Weapons, Still Claim Stand Your Ground? Court Will Decide.
The Florida Supreme Court will consider whether convicted felons have the right to claim immunity under the state’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law, even if they are barred from possessing guns in the first place.
Flagler Firefighter’s 3-Year-Old Son Burned in Campfire Accident Now Recovering at Home
Chase Price got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 20 percent of his body—on his back and on his legs. He was treated at Shands’ burn unit and released on Tuesday to continue recovering at home. A fund-raising campaign was set up to help the family.
288,000 New Jobs in June Add Up to 2.5 Million This Year, Most in Eight Years
Unlike in previous months, the bright jobs picture in June was the result of more people getting jobs and fewer people losing them–as opposed to more people dropping out of the labor force.
Bulldog Drive War Over: Palm Coast Settles With Ajram, Paying Him $215,000 More Than It Offered in 2011
Palm Coast agreed to pay GEA Auto owner Gus Ajram $1.15 million for his two properties on Bulldog Drive, $25,000 more than even he was asking three years ago, ending years of acrimony and clearing the way for the city to eventually (and again) widen Bulldog Drive unimpeded.
Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, “Undocumented” Immigrant, Earns Florida Bar Recommendation To Be an Attorney
The action benefiting Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, of Largo, came less than two months after Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill (HB 755) that allows “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, to be eligible for The Bar.
Obama as Worst President Since 1945, Pains of Being a Black Gun Owner, Target’s Gun Ban, Killing Civil Rights
A new poll finds a third of Americans rating Obama the worst president since World War II and Reagan the best, Target finally bans guns from its stores, how the Civil Rights Act could never pass today, Huckleberry Finn’s censors, and more.
Tropical Storm Arthur Strengthens Toward Hurricane As It Veers Off Flagler’s Worry Path
Tropical Storm Arthur is strengthening into a hurricane, but is veering off the coast. Still, severe rip current dangers remain on beaches, and some periods of heavy rain are expected between Wednesday night and Thursday, but no impacts on the holiday weekend.
Lawsuit and Ethics Charge Cite Flagler Commissioner Revels Ties to Business Associate in County’s Old Hospital Buy
A group calling itself the Flagler Palm Coast Watchdogs filed a lawsuit against Flagler County, seeking to stop construction on the old Memorial Hospital property slated to be the sheriff’s headquarters, and alleging that Commissioner Barbara Revels did not disclose owning shares in the bank run by one of the men who sold the hospital to the county for $1.23 million last August.
USA 1, Belgium 2: Back to Flanders Fields (or Houligan’s)
A US win over Belgium is a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time since 2002, but Belgium is fielding the strongest team in its history, stronger than both Ghana and Portugal. There will be goals.
Thank You EPA: Satellite Imagery Shows Dramatic Air Quality Improvements
An animated map created from NASA satellite data shows stunning improvements in air quality in U.S. cities between 2005 and 2011.
Birth Control Coverage: Hobby Lobby Decision May Not Be The Last Word
The Supreme Court’s decision Monday saying that “closely held corporations” do not have to abide by the contraceptive coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act may not give those firms the ability to stop providing that coverage after all.
Crist and Scott Campaign Cash Keeps Rolling In, But Spending Differs Widely
Scott’s political committee spent about $3.94 million on advertising during the first three weeks of June, while Crist continued to stay off the airwaves, funneling money to the Florida Democratic Party instead.
Corporate Religious Liberty: The Supreme Court’s Misguided Decision
When companies have clear policies on religious discrimination, their employees are less likely to be looking for a new job. The Hobby Lobby decision may undercut such successes when companies opt to follow its dictates, writes Joyce S. Dubensky.