The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has launched a new website that makes it easy for citizens who spot Florida panthers to share the information and pictures online.
The Winners: Fleming, Manfre, Holland, Conklin, Dickinson, Wadsworth, Larizza, Corbett, Ericksen, Meeker and the School Tax
Flagler County election results posted live and fresh as soon as they’re tabulated, with rolling analyses of the races.
Woodlands Residents Fear Radical Changes as Grand Haven Proposes New Developments
The Grand Haven developer is looking to plant a 200-bed assisted living facility at the southeast edge of the Woodlands, near their midst, potentially—and radically—changing the complexion of the old neighborhood. The proposal goes before the Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening, at 5:30.
Your Only Job Today: Vote
Polls opened at 7 this morning. They will close at 7 this evening. You have one, brief job today–by far a more important job than sitting at your desk or punching a clock: find your precinct and go vote.
In Two Key Flagler County Races, Candidates Swell Their Coffers With Their Own Money
As the primary campaign culminates with Tuesday’s vote, the races for Flagler County Court Judge and Flagler County Sheriff have overwhelmed all others in money raised and spent, but with notable exceptions, candidates’ own money talked loudest.
Fire Consumes Seminole Woods House That Belongs to a Family of Four
A single-family house on 15 Seaman Trail East in Seminole Woods, belonging to a couple with two young children, was demolished by a fire that started at 3:30 Monday afternoon. A neighboring house was protected. No one was injured.
Florida Hospital Flagler Spared Sister Hospitals’ Fraud Lawsuit and Medicare Penalties
Florida Hospital Flagler came out unscathed by readmission penalties Medicare is levying on 2,000 hospitals, including most hospitals in Florida. FAF was also not among seven sister-Adventist hospitals named in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraudulent billing that a federal judge said last week may now go forward.
Paul Ryan’s Budget: The CBO Analysis
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office produced a 17-page analysis of the budget Congressman Paul Ryan submitted in 2012. The full analysis is presented.
Election Homework: The Goods on Paul Ryan
Everything you always wanted to know about Paul Ryan but were afraid was true: profiles, backgrounders, an FAQ on his plans for Medicare, and some of the best reporting on Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick.
Elmer Leroy Goostree of Bunnell in Critical Condition Following US1 Wreck Early Today
Goostree was traveling south on U.S. 1, not far past State Road 100 in Bunnell, when he ran off the road, on a curve, “for reasons unknown,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Hurricane Andrew 20 Years Later: Memories of Resilience in a Storm’s Wake
Frank Gromling, who lived and worked in the path of Hurricane Andrew 20 years ago, remembers the days of the storm and its aftermath in a South Florida ravished beyond recognition. A spirit for rebirth was left intact, however.
Second Multi-Vehicle Pile-Up in 2 Weeks, Involving 3 Trailers, on Palm Coast Part of I-95
A tractor trailer overturned in the pile-up and leaked fuel, triggering a hazardous material situation, while two other trailers were damaged and a sedan was nearly demolished, and two of I-95’s northbound lanes were closed for more than seven hours.
Two White Men Who Like to Cut Things: On Romney’s Nomination of Paul Ryan
Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan, the seven-term Wisconsin congressman, born during the first Nixon administration, is a puzzling choice, more calculated than inspiring, more cautious than bold, and in some respects, just as strategically faulty as John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin.
Chronic, Scandalous Abuse and Worse at a Florida Brain-Injury Center Demands Attention
It is impossible to look at the pages-long list of abuse allegations at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation and not wonder how it is allowed to remain open: Sexual abuse. Mental abuse. Burns. Broken bones. Bruises. Cuts and punctures. Bizarre punishment. And much worse.
Flagler 911: Details on the Buffalo Grove Drive Stand-Off; From Break-in to Arrests
A husband’s alleged battery of his pregnant wife, a car smash-in at Varn Park leads to a double arrest, the stand-off at Buffalo Grove Drive was feared to have entailed a “suicide by cop,” a car is set ablaze by the “Palatka Botys” at Flagler Estates, and a long list of other crimes.
Palm Coast Data Revenue Down Another 20% in Latest Quarter as Parent Company Posts Loss
Palm Coast Data’s entire revenue for 2012 was less than half its revenue for just two quarters barely four years ago, when it signed a job-incentive deal with Palm Coast government and the state of Florida. The promised jobs have not materialized.
Florida Revenue May Grow by $2.6 Billion as Recovery Solidifies, Contradicting Romney
President Obama and Gov. Rick Scott will be competing t take credit for Florida’s continuing economic improvements as the state turned in a relatively healthy $407 million surplus in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Commission Candidates Support a Jail Sales Tax, But Not the Way the County Went About It
Four of the five candidates for the Flagler County Commission agree with renewing the county’s portion of a half-cent sales tax, on the books for 20 years, but they’re very critical of the way the commission opted out of a voter referendum on the issue.
Zimmerman Will Attempt Stand Your Ground Defense; Prosecution Flubs Release of Records
Lawyers for George Zimmerman confirmed Thursday that he will assert a “stand your ground” defense. If successful in a pre-trial hearing, the murder charge against Zimmerman, in the killing of Trayvon Martin, could be dropped.
Sheriff’s Deputy Calls on Rodeo Skills to Corral a Mini-Horse Hurdling Traffic in the Mondex
The Flagler County Sheriff’s office sent out an unusually cheeky press release this afternoon, summarizing the capture and repatriation of a lost mini-horse in the Mondex. The horse is not necessarily a friend of sheriff Fleming’s.
Florida Is 6th Worst Toxic Polluter from Coal-Fired Power Plants Despite Natural Gas Gains
Coal-fired power plants in Florida expose residents to toxic pollution at the sixth highest rate in the nation even as natural gas now accounts for almost two-thirds of the state’s power generation, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Palatka Immigrant Khaled Mohd Sentenced To Life in Prison for Setting His Wife on Fire
Khalid Mohd, a Palatka shopkeeper from Jordan, set his wife Rema Jamal on fire, burning 85 percent of her body, when she threatened to return to Jordan with their two boys, after Khaled had himself threatened to bring a second wife to Palatka.
AP Oncology: What a Teacher Did On Her Summer ‘Vacation,’ and How It is Ending
Matanzas High teacher and columnist JoAnn Nahirny returns from what was not exactly a summer break, with a story of her students’ unique success in the Flagler school district–and shattering news about herself for her returning students next week.
In Flagler Commission Race, Ronald Reagan Club Targets Fellow-Republican Meeker
A complaint alleges that Frank Meeker, the Palm Coast council member running for county commission, is violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits employees of any agency receiving federal dollars from running for office. Meeker works for the St. Johns River Water Management District, which gets 0.4 percent of its revenue from the federal government.
Drought, Wildfires and the Hottest Month Ever: July Scorched American Earth
July 2012 was the hottest month ever in the contiguous United States, after a June that was the hottest in the northern hemisphere, in 132 years of record-keeping. The effects of global warming are especially pronounced in the polar regions.
Undocumented Immigrant Is Not Disqualified from Practicing Law, Florida Bar Says
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has found no “good moral character and fitness issues” that would disqualify Jose Manuel Godinez Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, from being admitted to practice law in Florida, but is still waiting for an opinion from the Florida Supreme Court before making a decision.
Complaint Cites Broad, Harsh Discrimination Against Black Students in Flagler Schools
Flagler County schools are among five Florida districts cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center in complaints filed with the federal Office of Civil Rights, calling for federal investigations into discriminatory punishments that disproportionately target black students.
Florida’s Doctors Are Nation’s 3rd Worst When It Comes to Accepting Medicaid Patients
Only 59 percent of doctors in Florida accept accept new Medicaid patients, well below a national average 69 percent. Better reimbursements would improve both rates, but that’s not about to happen in Florida, which is rejecting increased federal aid.
Uniform Policy Rules and Penalties Dress Up School District’s New Code of Conduct Edition
The Flagler County School Board Monday approved rules and penalties that apply to the district’s new uniform policy. But the Code of Conduct makes many allowances for students who cannot wear uniforms.
Palm Coast Warns of Unlicensed Contractors Soliciting Local Work
The Palm Coast and Flagler County administrations are warning of an increase of unlicensed business activity across the region. Working most trades without a license is against the law. Here’s how to be prepared against unlicensed contractors.
Smart-Phone Canvassing: Is Your Neighbor A Democrat? Obama Has an App for That.
![For each targeted address, the app displays the first name, age and gender of the voter or voters who live there: "Lori C., 58 F, Democrat." All this is public information, which campaigns have long given to volunteers. But you no longer have to schedule a visit to a field office and wait for a staffer to hand you a clipboard and a printed-out list of addresses. With the Obama app, getting a glimpse of your neighbor's political affiliation can take seconds. While The New York Times dubbed the app "the science-fiction dream of political operatives," some of the voters who appear in the app are less enthusiastic about it. "I do think it's something useful for them, but it's also creepy," said Lori Carena, 58, a long-time Brooklyn resident, when she was shown the app. "My neighbors across the street can know that I'm a Democrat. I'm not sure I like that." It's unclear if the app displays all registered Democrats who live in a certain area, or only a subset of voters President Obama's campaign is trying to reach. Asked about the privacy aspects of the new app, a spokesperson for the Obama campaign wrote that "anyone familiar with the political process in America knows this information about registered voters is available and easily accessible to the public." The information included in the app has "traditionally been available to anyone who walks into a campaign field office," said the spokesperson, who declined to be named. While the app makes voter information instantly available, it displays only a small cluster of addresses at a time. It has built-in mechanisms to detect when people are misusing the data, "such as people submitting way too many voter contacts in a short period of time," the spokesman said. "The campaign is strongly committed to ensuring the safety and privacy of the public and follows up with appropriate action, including alerting appropriate authorities if necessary, in any case of abuse or inappropriate behavior," said the spokesperson. "Any voter who requests not to be contacted again is immediately removed from any provided to volunteers." This isn't the first time campaigns have released digital tools that make voter information freely available. Both the Obama and Romney campaigns currently have online calling tools that give anyone who registers for their websites the names and phone numbers of voters to contact. In 2008, the Obama campaign's "Neighbor to Neighbor" program allowed volunteers to use their home computers to print out lists of names and addresses to contact. Two years later, the Democratic group Organizing for America, formed to keep mobilizing the president's supporters after Obama was elected, released a mobile app that was in some ways a prototype of Obama's new app. Volunteers in the 2010 midterm elections could use their mobile phones to map voters in their immediate vicinity and then send in responses from the voters they had contacted, which eliminated the need for clipboards and printed lists. Natalie Foster, who was the new media director of Organizing for America, said the tools used in 2010 had built-in privacy limits, "where you are only given a certain number of voters that you could conceivably canvass. If somebody goes above that limit, or is just obviously clicking a button over or over, we'll just shut it down." Privacy "was definitely a consideration and something that was focused on, to make sure people aren't just going in and downloading a lot of data," said Joshua Hendler, the former director of technology for Organizing for America. Foster, who is now the CEO of the economic advocacy group Rebuild the Dream, and Hendler, who now works for PR firm Hill and Knowlton Strategies, said that making voter information more open makes the political process more democratic, because it lowers the barrier for people to get involved in political campaigns. Shaun Dakin, a voter privacy advocate and longtime critic of political robocalling, flagged the Obama app last week as a "total privacy fail." Dakin, who criticized the Obama campaign's 2008 Neighbor to Neighbor program on similar grounds, said voters should have the right to opt out of being contacted by political campaigns. He also questioned why the Obama app included the ages of nearby voters, another piece of information that people might not want to have made public. Lori Carena, the Brooklyn voter, said she doesn't object to having canvassers knock on her door. In fact, she said she wishes it happened more often in New York, a state that's such a Democratic stronghold she feels the campaign isn't interested in hearing her concerns. Asked what she feels is the difference between the traditional way of canvassing — with voter names and addresses on a printed-out list — and the new mobile app, she said, "Well, I just don't get all this new stuff with computers and apps. That's probably more creepy to me." Even low-tech tools used to distribute voter data can upset some voters. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this June that a liberal group in Wisconsin was sending fliers to voters which included a list of their neighbors and whether they had voted in 2008 and 2010. The fliers encouraged recipients to help get out the vote for the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker. Some voters were angry that their names and addresses were being distributed publicly. "I think this is invasion of my privacy and every other woman's privacy. It's like — 'Here, this is where all the women are,'" one woman told the Journal Sentinel. Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard law professor and the co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, said the Obama app represented a significant shift. While voter data has been "technically public," it is usually accessed only by political campaigns and companies that sell consumer data. He said it was "heartening" that the app makes data available to citizens who want to talk to their neighbors about their political choices. "The purpose of this app may be Democrats visiting Democrats. I can see apps where you ask Republicans to visit Democrats and Democrats to visit Republicans." "If we're comfortable enough to have [this information] go into the maw of big data processors, both political and otherwise, it seems consistent for neighbors to talk to neighbors over it," he said. "Much of our feelings around privacy are driven by what you might call status-quo-ism," he said, so many people may feel that the app is creepy simply because it represents something new. Interested to learn more about how political groups are using your personal information? See our reporting on tailored campaign emails and the new wave of targeted online ads.](https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/obama-app.jpg)
The Obama for America app, “the science-fiction dream of political operatives,” is turning canvassing on its head as public information long available no longer has to scheduled through a visit to a field office and waits for staffers to hand volunteers clipboards and a printed-out lists of addresses.
Ray Stevens, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Ray Stevens is one of five candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 14 primary–three Republicans, two Democrats. The winners of the two primaries will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s the Live Interview.
John Pollinger, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
John Pollinger, a Republican, is one of five candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 14 primary–three Republicans, two Democrats. The winners of the two primaries will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s the Live Interview.
Jim Manfre, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Jim Manfre is one of five candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 14 primary–three Republicans, two Democrats. The winners of the two primaries will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s the Live Interview.
Don Fleming, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Don Fleming is one of five candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 14 primary–three Republicans, two Democrats. The winners of the two primaries will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s the Live Interview.
Karl Tozzi, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Karl Tozzi is one of five candidates for Flagler County Sheriff in the Aug. 14 primary–three Republicans, two Democrats. The winners of the two primaries will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s the Live Interview.
Rick Scott Tapped as Speaker at Republican Convention in Tampa, But Role May Be Minor
Rick Scott is not as strong a public speaker as a number of other GOP leaders, and his message – that the Florida economy is looking up is at odds with the national message of presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
In the Race for State Attorney for the 7th Circuit, the Aug. 14 Election Will Decide It All
Incumbent R.J. Larizza is challenged by long-time Volusia County Judge Stasia Warren in the race for State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam. All registered voters in all four counties are eligible to cast a vote on Aug. 14 regardless of party affiliation.
Stasia Warren, State Attorney Candidate: The Live Interview
Stasia Warren is running against R.J. Larizza in the the Aug. 14 election for State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Warren Answers 15 questions in the Live Interview.
R.J. Larizza, State Attorney Candidate: The Live Interview
R.J. Larizza is running against Stasia Warren in the the Aug. 14 election for State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Larizza Answers 15 questions in the Live Interview.
When Good Lawyers Defend Bad Men
Melissa Moore Stens, a candidate for Flagler County judge, has been unfairly criticized for defending Paul Miller, the Flagler Beach man who shot and killed his neighbor over barking dogs. But Paul Miller should be on trial, not his lawyers–or the Sixth Amendment.
Early Voting Is On for the Primary. Go Vote.
Early voting for the Aug. 14 primary is on at the Flagler County Public Library on belle Terre and at the elections office at the Government Services Building, through Aug. 11. A full schedule, sample ballot and more.
SWAT Called Out to Buffalo Grove Drive Domestic Situation
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team was called out to 53 Buffalo Grove Drive Sunday morning, where a domestic disturbance unfolded after 7:30. James White, 52, was arrested and jailed.
5-Vehicle Wreck Involving 14 People Shuts Rain-Soaked I-95 Late Saturday Night
A chain wreck on I-95 two miles south of Palm Coast Parkway Saturday night shut down the highway for 90 minutes as rescue personnel tended to 14 people involved, including six juveniles.
Two Flagler School Board Races Will be Decided Aug. 14: The Live Interviews
Three-term incumbents Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin are being challenged by Bill Corkran and Debbie Laury in two contests for the Flagler County School Board that will be decided Aug. 14. All registered voters may vote regardless of party affiliation or address.
Seven Candidates Vying for that Flagler County Judge Seat: The Live Interviews
FlaglerLive interviewed the seven candidates for Flagler County judge: Don Appignani, Craig Atack, Josh Davis, Marc Dwyer, Sharon Feliciano, Melissa Moore-Stens and W. Scott Westbrook. The full interviews are presented.
Undiscovered Country: A Census of the Seas
Over a ten-year period, a group of international scientists studied the oceans and their inhabitants in an effort to, in part, answer the question Frank Gromling poses: how many animal and plant species live in the sea?
Small Business Saturday: Community Building One Mom and Pop Store at a Time
Small Business Saturday is about changing mindsets, supporting community businesses and keeping dollars local, writes Carol Fisher, owner of the Beachhouse Beanery in Flagler Beach.
Andy Dance: Why You Should Support Flagler Schools’ Renewal of the Half-Penny Sales Tax
Andy Dance, the school board member, explains why your vote approving the renewal of the half-penny sales tax in the Aug. 14 referendum is critical for Flagler County schools. All registered voters may cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation.
Ed Hess, Beverly Beach Commissioner and Walter Brennan Alter Ego, Died in A1A Wreck
Ed Hess was a Beverly Beach commissioner for at least 16 years, and had performed on stages and elsewhere for half a century, especially his Walter Brennan imitations.