More than 30 years after he murdered a Florida State University student who was on a camping trip in the Ocala National Forest, Loran Cole was executed by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. Cole, 57, was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. and became the first inmate executed in Florida this year. He could be seen breathing heavily and briefly trembling after the lethal-injection process started at 6 p.m. but did not move after 6:06 p.m.
A Man’s Arrest Over a Mental Crisis Highlights Needs, Available Resources–and Perils to Law Enforcement
A 33-year-old Palm Coast man’s mental health breakdown and subsequent arrest on Thursday highlights the depth of needs for services for people in crisis, the perils law enforcement and health care providers–the first line of response–face when attempting to manage the crisis, as do families, and the help available to Flagler County individuals and families facing those situations.
Six Joe Mullins Properties Ordered Into Receivership in Georgia; 2 Local Properties’ Delinquent Taxes on Installment Plan
A court has ordered Joe Mullins, the former Flagler County commissioner and a delegate to the recent Republican National Convention, to surrender into receivership three apartment buildings and three residential buildings in Georgia owned by Mullins Properties after Mullins’s lender accused him of breach of contract. In Flagler County, 2023 taxes owed on two Mullins properties were delinquent until an installment plan began in June.
Reilly Opelka, Grateful To Be Playing Again, Recounts Odyssey of Harrowing, Nearly Career-Ending Injuries
Though Reilly Opelka, the former Indian Trails Middle student who trained at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, lost his opening match at the US Open this week, he described in an interview with FlaglerLive how close he came to the end of his tennis career as a string of harrowing injuries sidelined him before unique surgeries helped him make his way back to the tour. He continues to be involved in Palm Coast’s tennis endeavors.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 30, 2024
Fall Horticultural Workshops at the Palm Coast Community Center, when Le Petit Journal, France’s most read daily in the old days, read like a broadsheet of the Trump era, Trump by the numbers, the Eisenhower years’ anti-immigration streak.
The Lebanese Make Survival an Art Form
Theodore Ell’s new book, “Lebanon Days,” spans the tumultuous period from 2018 to 2021, which include the country’s economic collapse, Covid, and the horrific explosion in Beirut’s port in August 2020. Ell’s book exudes reality to anyone who has lived in Lebanon. He describes vividly the Lebanese sense of fun, the nightclubs in East Beirut where patrons could drink and dance till dawn – and had done even in the depths of the civil war.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Says He’s Not ‘Losing His Grip.’
Gov. Ron DeSantis denied Thursday that he is “losing his grip on Florida” amid the backlash against his administration’s proposal to build golf courses, hotels, and other projects in Florida state parks. During a news conference in Crystal River, the governor was asked about a Tampa Bay Times article suggesting the outraged reaction to the proposal from a bipartisan collection of elected officials demonstrates a decline in his influence.
Flagler Humane Society Critics Urged to ‘Stop Accusations’ as County and City Seek Oversight and Expansion Plans
Officials at a joint meeting of the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council on Wednesday agreed to place representation from either government on the board of the Flagler Humane Society, which has faced significant criticism from current and former volunteers. while the 20-year-old shelter on U.S. 1 is old, overcrowded and growing more so, and the society’s director says it’s been outgrown, the Humane Society has neither capital plan nor savings either to build larger shelter or move to one, though it would be prohibitively expensive to do so. Local officials want that plan.
Labor Day Weekend Gas Prices May Be At Lowest in 3 Years, But Drivers Beware: Sheriff’s Patrols Are in Full Force
Florida gas prices may be at their lowest in three years as Americans take to the roads this Labor Day weekend, with the statewide average at $3.29 per gallon last Sunday and prices about 10 cents higher in Palm Coast as the weekend approaches, with a few locations in the $3.20 range. Meanwhile the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is cautioning drivers that the agency’s patrols, its “DUI Taxi” and roadside message boards will be deployed across the county to remind residents to avoid driving drunk or stoned or recklessly.
A Shark-Injured Dead Dolphin Is Recovered from St. Augustine Beach
St. Johns County Beach Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worked together to remove a dead dolphin from St. Augustine Beach after a beachgoer reported it to a toll worker.
BJ’s Wholesale Club and Traffic Nightmares on SR100: County Says Pain Will Ease With Coming Turn Lanes
With BJ’s Wholesale’s impending opening and traffic congestion already exacerbated by road construction, Flagler County and Palm Coast officials sought to allay public anxieties with assurances of a pair of turning lanes off of State Road 100, near BJ’s, that should relieve some of the bottlenecks. That construction is possibly slated for November. But larger concerns about traffic backups in the area are still looking for solutions, even as some transportation impact fee revenue is available to facilitate them.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 29, 2024
Palm Coast Concert Series: Soul Fire, this evening at The Stage, the old location of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation in Town Center, Arensky’s piano trio and why he should be reconsidered.
Palm Coast Council Signals Approval of Proposed Budget. Danko Wants $2.14 Million Slashed, But Won’t Say How.
Even as a three-member majority of the Palm Coast City Council lent support to a proposed budget and tax rate, Council member Ed Danko repeatedly pushed for a rolled back rate that would eliminate $2.1 million from the budget, yet just as repeatedly refused to provide any direction on how to get there, saying that it isn’t his job, but that of the city manager and her staff. In fact, the city manager had submitted the plan based on the city council’s priorities.
Princeton Review Names Stetson Among ‘Best 390 Colleges’ for 10th Straight Year
For the tenth straight year, Stetson University has been named as one of The Princeton Review’s Best 390 Colleges in America for 2025, a distinction awarded to only about 15% of four-year institutions.
How Dementia Rates Could Be Reduced by Up to 45%
Nearly half of all dementia cases could be delayed or prevented altogether by addressing 14 possible risk factors, including vision loss and high cholesterol. That is the key finding of a new study published in the journal The Lancet.
Ponce Preserve, 74-House Gated Development in Palm Coast’s P-Section, Gets Final Approval Amid Truck Traffic Strains
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the final plat for Ponce Preserve, a gated development of 74 single-family homes on 35 acres between Point Pleasant Drive and Ponde de Leon Drive, the last such contiguous expanse of open space in the P-Section. Truck traffic in and ou of the construction zone has drawn complaints.
As Advocates Protest at Anastasia State Park, DeSantis Calls Golf Courses and Hotel Plan ‘Half Baked’
Trying to quell a bipartisan uproar, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that “half-baked” plans to bring golf courses, resort-style lodges and pickleball courts to state parks will be revamped. DeSantis said the Department of Environmental Protection will gather more public input before it could move forward with what is dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
Flagler’s Officials Hope Congressman Mike Waltz Will Be Their Sandman as They Dredge for More Beach Dollars
Flagler County officials asked U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, the Republican whose six-county district includes all of Flagler County and who was visiting Flagler Beach today, to give them help in efforts to federalize larger portions of the 10 miles of shore that still need new beach sand. The county has no money to extend beach renourishment to that portion of the barrier island. But the congressman, who is not big on climate change measures, was reserved, making no promises.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, August 28, 2024
The River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization meets, the Flagler County Public Library Book Club takes on “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women,” the American divide on perceptions of slavery’s impact.
Bunnell Police’s Micheal Fansler Gets Second Life Saving Award in 5 Months
At the regular city commission meeting Monday evening, Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon presented Officer Micheal Fansler with the agency’s Life Saving Award. In attendance at the meeting was the patient Officer Fansler saved along with several of the patient’s family members.
If You Want Americans to Pay Attention to Climate Change, Just Call It Climate Change
You probably have been hearing phrases like “climate crisis,” “climate emergency” or “climate justice” more often lately as people try to get across the urgent risks and consequences of climate change. The danger is real, but is using this language actually persuasive? It turns out that Americans are more familiar with – and more concerned about – climate change and global warming than they are about all those other ways to describe the problem.
Appeals Court Stays Judge’s Injunction, Allowing Florida to Restrict Treatment for Transgender for Now
A federal appeals court has at least temporarily allowed Florida to move forward with restrictions on treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender people. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday issued a stay of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle that blocked the restrictions. The stay effectively means the restrictions can take effect while the appeals court considers an underlying appeal of Hinkle’s decision.
Infuriated Over Vague Ballot Measure Enabling Vast Borrowing, Danko Drags Council Back to Ugliest Days
Post-election tempers crackled and burned at the Palm Coast City Council this morning when Mayor David Alfin and Council member Ed Danko got into a confrontation over a proposed referendum that recalled the panel’s ugliest meetings of a few years ago. Danko snapped, yelled, derided Alfin, the city attorney and the council. Council member Theresa Pontieri called Danko “ignorant.” Alfin, striking unheard decibel levels until now, threatened to end the meeting or throw Danko out. Pontieri soon apologized to Danko, who apologized to no one. It looked like Cathy Heighter had resigned just in time.
Swarm of Sheriff’s Units and FireFlight Searching for 2 Wanted for Home Invasion and Theft of Ferrari
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the new FireFlight emergency helicopter, were engaged in a pursuit of someone driving a metallic-blue Ferrari at speeds of up to 110 or 120 mph through the heart of Palm Coast early this afternoon. Four schools were briefly on secure status.
Palm Coast Council Will Appoint Heighter Replacement on Oct. 1, with Sept. 11 Deadline for Applicants
A diminished and humbled Palm Coast City Council met for the first time this morning since last week’s wipe-out election and decided to appoint a replacement for Cathy Heighter on Oct. 1. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, public interviews on Sept. 17, and a vote to appoint on Oct. 1.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council discusses how and when to replace Cathy Heighter, who abruptly resigned last week, Fall Horticultural Workshops at the Palm Coast Community Center, numbers of the Middle Passage, a few words from Olaudah Equiano’s narrative.
Philosophy Is Crucial in the Age of AI
If AI alignment is the serious issue that OpenAI believes it to be, it is not just a technical problem to be solved by engineers or tech companies, but also a social one. That will require input from philosophers, but also social scientists, lawyers, policymakers, citizen users and others.
Critics Want DeSantis Parks Plan Shredded For Good
Environmentalists are seeking assurances that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has scrapped plans for a series of golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park after a state spokeswoman said the proposal has been dropped. Audubon Florida, the Sierra Club and other groups also are rallying against additional changes floated by the state Department of Environmental Protection for eight other award-winning state parks. The plans, which include a pair of resort-sized lodges, pickleball courts and disc-golf courses, have drawn fierce opposition from Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
New Device Will Help Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Detect Drugs and Explosives Faster and Safer
The MX908 enables deputies to safely analyze trace amounts of substances without exposing themselves to potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl or other deadly drugs or explosives. FSCO investigators have already used the device multiple times in the field, including during undercover operations, and assisted the Special Investigations Unit in identifying illegal narcotics without the risk of exposure.
Controversial Solitude Development on A1A Moving Toward 14 Three-Story Condo Units Instead of 16 Houses
On the drawing board for almost 20 years, the controversial Solitude at Matanzas Shores development proposed for 3.9 acres of beachfront property on A1A just south of the Surf Club condominiums is now moving toward construction as 14 three-story condominium units in an L-shaped pair of buildings rising 35 and 36 feet. Each unit would have a pool deck.
Forbidding a Margaritaville Hotel Rooftop Spike Repeat, Flagler Beach Limits All Building Heights to 35 Feet
A rewritten ordinance will forbid rooftop bars, dance floors, lounges, or any other public uses on 35-foot-high buildings in Flagler Beach, with the notable exception of the Margaritaville Hotel’s rooftop lounge, whose height city officials permitted by mistake even though it exceeds limits set out in the city charter. The Flagler Beach City Commission last week sharply rejected a recommendation by its own Planning and Architectural Review Board to approve an ordinance that would have allowed some features on buildings to go as high as 49 feet.
‘Hell No!’ Response and Plan Sponsor’s Pull-Out Force DeSantis Administration to ‘Pause’ State Park Scheme
In a masterpiece of spin and understatement, the DeSantis administration credited “overwhelming interest” for temporarily pausing a scheme to put golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts on nine of Florida’s pristine state parks. “Overwhelming opposition” better describes the thunderous “Hell no!” Tallahassee was hearing from private citizens and public officials throughout the state. The secretive groups behind the plan heard the dissent loud and clear. The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation acknowledged it sponsored the plan to build on the park and has pulled out due to the public backlash.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, August 26, 2024
The Flagler County Beekeepers Association meets, remembering Larry Newsome on the fourth anniversary of his death, Joseph Brodsky’s Watermark.
Arms Embargo Demands Won’t Stop Military Aid to Israel
Activists are calling for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel, which the Democratic Party’s new national platform does not include. Dov Waxman, a scholar of Israel studies, explains what is behind the U.S.’s relationship with Israel and the strategic reasons why an arms embargo is, at best, a remote possibility.
DSC and Florida Surf Film Festival Host ‘An Evening with Shaun Tomson,’ World Champion Surfer, Sept. 4
World champion surfer, documentarian and best-selling author Shaun Tomson will be the keynote speaker at “An Evening with Shaun Tomson,” Wednesday, Sept. 4 at Daytona State College’s News-Journal Center. The event includes a showing of the classic 2008 surf film “Bustin’ Down the Door.”
17 of Ron DeSantis’s 23 School Board Picks Either Lost or Must Face Runoff
Only six School Board candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated victories in Tuesday’s Primary. Out of DeSantis’ 23 endorsed candidates, voters rejected 11 outright. Six others failed to get majority support, meaning they must face a General Election runoff. Those rejected included Derek Barrs in Flagler County, who lost to Janie Ruddy, a Democratic-backed candidate.
DeSantis Wants to Build Golf Courses and Hotels in Florida’s State Parks
The DeSantis administration has plans to transform Florida’s award winning state parks. One of the worst plans talks of building not one, not two, but three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. There are plans at the other parks for big motels and pickleball courts and disc golf courses, all of which run completely counter to what our state parks are all about.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, August 25, 2024
Farmers’ Market at European Village, what god created in Flagler Beach after his/her/their third day, to the sips of a martini, Bill Withers.
Members of Congress Undermine the Country with Antidemocratic Rhetoric
Differences over politics and policy have a long history of being divisive, of course. But it’s one thing to disagree over substantive matters such as tax rates or foreign aid and something very different to undermine the legitimacy of your opponents. It’s the difference between framing those who disagree with you as fair and equal competitors or as enemies who must be defeated.
It’s Official: Pam Richardson Takes Down Ed Danko, Ending Term of Bluster and Animosity
When it was all done, the result was unchanged from Tuesday, except for this: it’s now official. The often cheery, at times underestimated Pam Richardson has taken down the blustery and divisive Ed Danko, the one-term Palm Coast City Council member, in the most closely contested Flagler County Commission race in memory.
Longer Than Expected Recount Recesses at 1 AM to Continue Saturday at 9
A bleary-eyed Flagler County Canvassing Board recessed the recount in a Palm Coast City Council race and a County Commission race a few minutes before 1 a.m. Saturday, only to resume it eight hours later, at 9, as the recount took significantly longer than expected and a hiccup further delayed it.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Coffee With Commissioner Scott Spradley, why we love Colleen Conklin and why Barry White is never gonna give ya up.
K-9s Odin and Baro Retire from Flagler Sheriff’s Office
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announces the retirements of K-9s Odin and Baro after five and six years of service with the Agency, respectively. K-9 Odin, a 7-year-old German Shepherd, was born on June 15, 2017. He began with FCSO in 2019 when he was 2 years old.
No, 5G Does Not Affect Your Health
Since 5G’s rollout, which coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, it was accompanied by all manner of conspiracies and falsehoods, notably that it was causing or spreading the pandemic, and that vaccines contained computer chips that would allow us to be controlled from a distance via 5G technology. Don’t believe the fabrications.
Supreme Court Refuses to Block Killing of Loran Cole, Murderer of Florida State Student
The Florida Supreme Court on Friday unanimously rejected an appeal by Death Row inmate Lauren Cole, who is convicted of killing a Florida State University student three decades ago, likely setting in motion last-minute federal court appeals before a scheduled execution next week.
Flagler Beach Will Lower Speed Limit to 20 Across the City, Citing Safety and Streets Shared by Many Non-Motorists
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to drop the citywide speed limit to 20, from a variety of higher speeds–30 along some streets, 25 along others. Speeds along State Road A1A and State Road 100 will remain at 25. Whether, and to what extent, the Flagler Beach Police Department will be able to enforce what for many residents and visitors will be a significantly lower speed limit than they’re used to is an unanswered question.
Ballot Review Doesn’t Change Outcome: Richardson Beats Danko, Stevens Holds 2-Vote Lead
With afternoon recounts still pending, this morning’s review of 46 provisional ballots and questionable mail-in ballots did not change the outcome of Tuesday’s election in the closest contests. Pam Richardson’s victory over Ed Danko for County Commission held. Ray Stevens’s two-vote lead held over Dana Stancel in a Palm Coast City Council race to determine who moves onto the runoff against Andrew Werner.
Flagler Beach Agrees to $600,000 Deal with Data Company for Undersea Cable Landings, with Potential for $750,000 More
Ending a four-month tangle of negotiations, and to Palm Coast’s immense relief, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday approved a deal with an Atlanta-based DC Blox, a data-service company, that will allow it to use city rights-of-way to land undersea internet cables for $600,000, with a potential for up to an additional $750,000. There would be no subsequent payments. DC Blox is planning a data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But that plan, to be subsidized with tax incentives, was contingent on a successful deal in Flagler Beach.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, August 23, 2024
The Canvassing Board wraps up the election, the Scenic A1A Pride Committee meets, Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, a few thoughts about ocean depths.
Au Revoir, Alain Delon
Alain Delon’s death at the age of 88 brings down the curtain of one of postwar European cinema’s most important film stars. Known for his striking “movie star” look – chiselled features, piercing blue eyes – and magnetic screen presence, Delon portrayed characters who seemed on the surface to be effortless and suave.