Last November, Caisy Frank, a 40-year-old resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., was tried and found guilty of armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm, additional grand theft counts, and fraud, among 10 charges. On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Frank to life in prison. The severity of the sentence is a reflection of Frank’s status as a prison-release reoffender.
School Board’s Sally Hunt Is Getting Tired of All Those Celebratory Spotlights and Awareness Proclamations
Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt does not seem to be enjoying her job. At least not the fun parts, the parts that give district teachers, employees and students a chance to showcase their accomplishments, the parts that give the community a voice through proclamations. They just drag on too long, and maybe they shouldn’t be part of the “business” portion of the meetings, Hunt told her colleagues at a workshop earlier this week, as she spoke from an undisclosed location, phoning it in.
City Invites Residents to Grand Opening of Palm Coast’s Southern Recreation Center
The City of Palm Coast is thrilled to announce the grand opening of the long-awaited Southern Recreation Center and the new Lehigh Trailhead, adjacent to the current Palm Coast Tennis Center, on February 23rd from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, FL 32164. These projects are pivotal steps in aligning with the priorities outlined by the community during the recent countywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Heidi Petito Gets a Combined C+ from Commissioners’ Evaluation of Her 2nd Full Year as County Administrator
It was not the strongest evaluation year for Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito, who scored a C-plus from the five combined reviews by her county commissioner bosses, despite perfect scores from two of the five. But the commissioners’ written comments to Petito generally painted a more complimentary picture than their numbers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 8, 2024
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series–on tape worms, the Palm Coast Democratic Club, a lady’s hat catching fire at a theater has precedence over news of Jules Verne’s death.
School Board’s Christy Chong’s ‘Cause’ Letter to Fire Attorney Is a Tissue of Fabrications, Petty Grievances and Cluelessness
The six “causes” Flagler County School Board member Christy Chong listed as reasons to fire attorney Kristy Gavin come nowhere near “just cause” as defined in Gavin’s contract. Rather, they’re petty, inaccurate, gossipy and falsified grievances that have more to do with Chong being out of her depth, her embarrassment, her hatred for the press and her contempt for transparency and the public than anything to do with the quality of Gavin’s work in nearly two decades of representing the board.
Some Florida Justices Skeptical About State’s Attempt to Keep Abortion Rights Amendment Off the Ballot
Some justices questioned how far the court can go to prevent initiatives from being placed on the ballot as they heard arguments about whether a proposal to ensure abortion rights in the state should be placed on th November ballot. “People in Florida aren’t stupid. I mean, they can figure this out,” Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said.
Nonwhite People Are Drastically Underrepresented in Local Government
Across cities in the U.S., one commonality stands out: Nearly universally, the percentage of elected officials who are white is higher than the white share of the population. This overrepresentation persists from the early 1990s to more recent years among mayors.
U.S. News Ranks Daytona State’s Online Bachelor’s Programs Among the Best in U.S. for 12th Straight Year
For the 12th straight year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Daytona State College’s Online Bachelor’s Programs among the best in the nation. And DSC is again the top-ranked non-university college in the United States, advancing in the overall rankings among all colleges and universities nationwide.
Palm Coast Firefighters Honored for Heroic Acts, Bringing Back to Life Three Palm Coast Residents
Lieutenant Richard Cline (retired), Lieutenant Joseph Paci, Driver Engineer Brandon Davis, Driver Engineer Dylan Mulligan, Driver Engineer Julie Rivera (retired), Firefighter Kyle Gardner, and Firefighter Tyler Major were awarded unit commendations in recognition of their decisive actions that effectively led to the successful resuscitation and life-saving rescue of Palm Coast residents Mike Rowlings, Mark Leinemann, and Vito Mattioli.
Palm Coast Clears Way for $31 Million Connector to Loop Road Through Vacant West of the City, With a Warning to FPL
The Palm Coast City Council on approved four related measures that will advance the opening to development of 12,000 acres on the west side of U.S. 1, from the Matanzas Woods Parkway area, including a $25 million state grant contributing to the cost of a $31 million connector road, dubbed a “flyover,” that will cross above the Florida East Coast railroad corridor. But FPL drew withering criticism from council members over the manner in which the company is charging the city for an “estimate” about moving its infrastructure as part of the Matanzas Woods project.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Christopher Lemke, who pulled a gun on neighbors setting off fireworks, is sentenced, the Flagler County Republican Club meets, choosing Eubie Blake over Charles Dickens.
Trump Does Not Have the ‘Divine Right of Kings To Evade Criminal Accountability’
Trump can be criminally prosecuted for the actions he took to overturn the 2020 election. Whether the case makes it to trial or results in a conviction, what happens to all the other pending cases involving Trump, and whether the former president is returned to the White House, are unanswered questions so far. The Supreme Court will surely be asked to provide some of those answers.
Brenan Hill Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, as Her Cousin Tells Him: ‘I Loathe You’
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this afternoon sentenced Brenan Hill to life in prison for the murder of Savannah Gonzalez in the Publix parking lot off Belle Terre Parkway the morning of March 26, 2021. Gonzalez was 22 when Hill shot her that morning. She lived, incapacitated, hospitalized and unaware, until Nov. 9, 2022, when she died. Hill’s initial explanations for the shooting were a confederacy of lies.
Carlos Rivera-Hernandez, 32, Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison Over Child Sexual Abuse Materials
Ten years ago Carlos Rafael Rivera-Hernandez of Palm Coast served prison and was declared a sex offender on a conviction on statutory rape of a child. On Monday, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years on probation, and was declared a sexual predator, over possession of child sexual abuse material.
County Gives Its Constitutional Officers Extra Month to Prepare Budget in a Year of ‘Uncertainties’
The Flagler County Commission on Monday voted to give its constitutional officers an extra month–until June 1–to turn in their proposed budgets for the fiscal year beginning Oct.1, ahead of what County Administrator Heidi Petito described as a year of “uncertainty.” The commission also appeared to agree, without a formal vote, to reduce the tax rate next year, though that may end up being more of a symbolic than an substantial reduction.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Brenan Hill’s sentencing is scheduled for today, the Flagler County School Board holds a workshop, dubbed a “retreat,” before meeting for another workshop at 3 p.m., the Palm Coast City Council meets in the evening.
Biden Against the Poison of the Latest Lost Cause
Biden’s Mother Emanuel speech should rank with some of the most important speeches in our history. Biden acknowledged that he is not only running against the GOP front-runner Donald Trump but also against a “second lost cause” myth.
DeSantis Lends Support to Proposal Banning Local Governments from Giving Refuge to Homeless on Public Property
Saying that while no city in Florida is contending with the issues of homelessness that are prevalent in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday came out in support of a proposal moving through the Florida Legislature that would ban local governments from allowing people to sleep on public property without a permit.
Roundabout Will Be Built on Old Kings Road by Bulow Plantation, at Entrance to Radiance Development
The Flagler County Commission approved spending roughly $2.5 million to build a roundabout on Old Kings Road, at the intersection with the entrance to Bulow Plantation and what will be the entrance to the Radiance development–what used to be known as Eagle Lakes.
Fight at Dollar General Escalates to a Shooting as 2 Men Chase Each Other Through North Palm Coast
Victor Smith, 46, is at the Flagler County jail on $96,000 bond after a physical fight that escalated to a shooting in Palm Coast’s Matanzas Woods neighborhood at midday Sunday. The alleged victim is living with the woman to whom Smith is still married to, but from whom he’s been separated or five months.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 5, 2024
The Flagler County Commission meets and says farewell to the Baptist school in the old courthouse, remembering the joys and insults of Pat Buchanan, James Bennet.
Do Plastic Bag Bans and Fines Actually Reduce Waste?
Most people don’t set out to use more plastic. So the best solutions help consumers achieve their goals and make access to reusable bags easier. The key is to determine the biggest impediment to shoppers bringing reusable bags.
Florida’s Open Season on Civil Liberties
Florida lawmakers don’t care about the insurance crisis; they don’t care about runaway rents; they don’t care about hungry children or sick women or the climate crisis or pollution or the teacher shortage or anything that you and I and anyone else with two brain cells to rub together would identify as pressing problems here in the increasingly dysfunctional State of Florida. What they care about is ending your liberties. Here’s a list.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 4, 2024
Facebook at 20, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, a few lines from From Thornton Wilder’s The Bridge at San Luis Rey, Grace Community Food Pantry.
Black Journalists Have Always Known What These Confederate Monuments Really Stood For
Defenders of Confederate monuments like Donald Trump have argued that the statues should be left standing to educate future generations. But since the end of the Civil War, journalists at Black newspapers have told a different story. The statues were never designed to tell the truth about the Civil War. Instead, the monuments were built to enshrine the myth of the “Lost Cause,” the false claim that white Southerners nobly fought for states’ rights – and not to preserve slavery.
Florida’s Sunshine Law Is Dying
The battle, mostly lost, is not those individual exemptions to the Sunshine Law. It’s the totality of what’s been lost over the years: a presumption of openness has been replaced by the reverse, thanks to an unspoken but very effective bureaucracy of secrecy by process. The secrecy isn’t explicit. Most of your average government gatekeepers would never think of themselves as suppressing information. But the rules they have in place, allowing them to delay, obfuscate, censor and charge a ton of money before they comply, amount to the same thing: secrecy as standard operating procedure.
Law Restricting Chinese People From Owning Property in Florida Doesn’t Pass Smell Test, Court Rules
A federal appeals court said a Florida law restricting people from China from owning property in the state likely is trumped by federal law and blocked its enforcement against two plaintiffs who have been in the midst of real-estate transactions.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 3, 2024
Palm Coast hosts the 3rd Annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk, Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson, at Flagler Auditorium, Palm Coast Historical Society Speaker Series, Flannery O’Connor.
What If He Stood Down?
Practically, the odds of Biden changing course now look small. The two main reasons for pressing ahead haven’t changed since Biden announced his reelection bid last April. First, Biden is the only candidate who’s proven that he can beat Trump. Second, there’s no obvious heir apparent.
Vacation Rental Bill Weakening Local Control Passes Senate and Now May Depend on Renner in the House
While one bill passed the Senate on a 27-13 vote, the House version may depend on House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, on whose authority the bill may–or may not–eventually come to a vote on the floor. Sen. Travis Hutson, who represents Flagler County, voted against Flagler County priorities opposing deregulation, and in favor of the Senate bill last month.
Flagler County Lands $4 Million Grant for South Branch Library, Nearing $16 Million Needed for Construction
Drawing on federal funds channeled through Florida–and the strength of a grant application by Holly Albanese, the county’s library director and chief of special projects–Flagler County today was awarded a $4 million grant for its planned $16 million south-branch library in Bunnell, known as the “Nexus Center.” It is a major win for the county, all but securing the necessary funding for the library, which has been a dream of the library Board of Trustees for a decade.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 2, 2024
The Blue 24 Forum, First Friday in Flagler Beach, descending the Flagler Beach Bridge into the sight of the rising Margaritaville Hotel, a few words from Walter Kerr on ice cream.
Federal Judge Rules Against Palestinian Students on Florida Campuses, Saying They’ve Not Been Silenced
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida and Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of South Florida filed lawsuits in November alleging that efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state university leaders to disband the groups violated their First Amendment rights.
Why Taylor Swift Is an Anti-Hero to the GOP
Public opinion data suggests that most Americans think Taylor Swift is good for the NFL. But with her beau Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs heading to a fourth Super Bowl in five years, and with Swift herself reportedly preparing for a journey across the globe to cheer him on in the big game, the right-wing talk machine has gone into overdrive.
Disney Is Appealing Decision Dismissing Its Free-Speech Lawsuit Against DeSantis
Disney filed a notice of appeal on Thursday, one day after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor ruled against the company’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the governor’s replacement of the old Reedy Creek Improvement District with another governing entity that DeSantis personally controls.
Palm Coast Mayor Spotlights State of City’s Heroes and Names Flagler Cares’ Carrie Baird Citizen of the Year
At Palm Coast’s State of the City Thursday evening, Mayor David Alfin awarded David Lydon the Public Service Award for his work with veterans. Erik Libby and The To-Do-Dudes got the Next Generation Award, and Flagler Care’s Carrie Baird received the Citizen of the Year Award for her dedication to “building a robust social safety net for our community.”
Suspected Gas Station Armed Robber Who Was Shot By a Store Clerk in 2nd Incident Returns to Flagler to Face Charge
Qwinntavus Kwame Jordan, the 32-year-old man suspected of armed robbery at the Shell convenience store on State Road 100 in Palm Coast last April, and of another robbery in Georgia hours later, where a store clerk shot at him eight times, was booked at the Flagler County jail Wednesday, on no bond, to face a first-degree felony charge of armed robbery.
Flagler Beach Breathes Sigh of Relief as Beach Front Grille Announces It’s Here to Stay
After days of uncertainty when Beach Front Grille owner Jamie Bourdeau had publicly announced that the business was over half a million dollars short of the money needed to buy out the location, Bourdeau today announced that the deal had worked out, and that the restaurant, which opened in 2014, would remain at its A1A location.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 1, 2024
Palm Coast State of the City address at the Community Center, Flagler Schools FAFSA/Financial Aid Night, Conan O’Brien on 60 Minutes, the Upanishads on the human condition.
Challenging Medieval Art’s Dark, Gloomy Reputation
The Middle Ages as typically imagined in cinema, television, literature and Romantic paintings are dark and sinister, plagued by the diseases that ravaged Europe, with filthy, unhealthy cities and buildings. Research by Medieval scholars in recent decades – combined with new digital reconstruction techniques – has shattered these myths, presenting us with a wholly different picture.
Judge Dismisses Disney Lawsuit That Claimed DeSantis Had Retaliated Against the Company
In a win for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a federal judge Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the state unconstitutionally retaliated against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts because of the company’s opposition to a controversial education law.
Flagler Pride Installs Its New Board as It Looks To Be a ‘Beacon of Support and Empowerment’
Flagler Pride, the non-profit Eryn Harris established four years ago as the county’s first LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, and the organizational muscle behind the annual Pride Fest, installed its new, four-member board at Coquina Coast Brewing on Jan. 12. It’s led by President Tyler Jones, with Skyler Loder as vice president, Margaret “Maggie” Potter as secretary and Calvin Vincent Neugent as treasurer. The organization’s founding board members–Harris, Erica Rivera and Garrett Marinconz–have taken on advisory roles.
Ending Speculation, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Announces Re-Election Run and Joins Crowded Field
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, first elected in July 2021 to complete the term of Melissa Holland, will run for a full four-year term in an Aug. 20 primary that has drawn four other candidates so far. In 2021, Alfin won in a six-way race, taking 36 percent of the vote. His absence from the list of declared candidates had begun to draw speculations about his intentions, though he left no doubt about those in an interview on Tuesday.
Palm Coast City Council Hold Strategic Action Planning Orientation on Feb. 5
The Palm Coast City Council will hold an orientation session focused on the strategic action planning process on Monday, February 5th, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Palm Coast Community Center. Facilitated by Dr. Joe Saviak, an expert in strategic planning, the session aims to chart a course for the city’s future growth and prosperity. The session is open to the public.
Threatening Charges, Florida Forbids Trans’ Preferred Gender Identity on Driver’s Licenses
Transgender people can no longer obtain a driver’s license that reflects their gender identity under a new policy that treats “misrepresenting one’s gender, understood as sex, on a driver license” as fraud punishable by civil and criminal penalties plus cancellation, suspension, or revocation of the license.
Mother of 6-Week-Old Boy at Project Warm Is Charged with Aggravated Child Abuse After Discovery of Burns
Jessica Marie Jordan, a 35-year-old resident of Project Warm, the behavioral health program in Bunnell for pregnant women and young mothers who have battled addiction, is at the Flagler County jail, facing two grave child abuse charges after her 6-week-old child was found to have burn marks that were several days old. Jordan has been a client, or resident, at Project Warm since May 2.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 31, 2024
The Bronx Wanderers, at Flagler Auditorium, Separation Chat, Open Discussion, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the public library, Alabama proudly revives the gas chamber.
The New York Times v. ChatGPT
On Dec. 27, 2023, The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging that the company committed willful copyright infringement through its generative AI tool ChatGPT. The Times claimed both that ChatGPT was unlawfully trained on vast amounts of text from its articles and that ChatGPT’s output contained language directly taken from its articles.
Bill Would Impose $100 Fee on Non-Parents Who Want Books Banned, But Only If They Lose the Challenge
An earlier version of the bill (HB 7025) proposed a $100 “processing” fee for people who file more than five book objections in a calendar year if the people do not have students enrolled in the schools where the books are challenged. But under the change approved Tuesday by the House Education & Employment Committee, the fees would only be assessed if book challenges are unsuccessful. The House panel unanimously approved the revised bill.