If the budget reconciliation package before the U.S. Senate becomes law in the coming weeks, reproductive health advocates say the provision that would cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics could serve as a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, eliminating access to 1 in 4 abortion providers.
Opening No Wrong Doors to Dignity, Flagler Cares Marks 10 Years of Closing Gaps For the Most Stressed and Depleted
As Flagler Cares marks its 10th year anniversary with a Legacy of Care celebration at the Palm Coast Community Center Saturday, its no-wrong-door approach under the leadership of Carrie Baird has served nearly 5,000 clients to date, including 765 last year with over $11 million in grants. Its rent, mortgage and utility programs alone have provided nearly $2 million in emergency help to keep people in their homes. The organization is navigating an increasingly challenging landscape for social service non-profits.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 13, 2025
Commissioner Leann Pennington on Free For All Friday, Volusia County Drug Court Celebrates 100th Graduation, targeting journalists, Jeff Sharlet’s “Scenes from a Slow Civil War.”
A Radical Change in Federal Environmental Reviews
Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.
Senate Plan Would Lower Burden of Cost Shift to States for Food Stamps
The Agriculture section of the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill, like the House version that passed last month 215-214, would create the possibility that states for the first time would shoulder some of the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits starting in 2028. But unlike the House version, the Senate’s language would allow states an opportunity to avoid paying anything if they hit an efficiency benchmark, Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, told reporters at the Capitol.
Officials Threaten Floridians with Jail as They Prepare for Anti-Trump Rallies
Floridians in more than 70 cities throughout the state plan to join nationwide demonstrations to protest the Trump administration on Saturday, prompting Attorney General James Uthmeier and other law enforcement officials to say they won’t hesitate to quash protests. The protests, part of the “No Kings” movement, are set to take place the same day as the multimillion-dollar military parade in D.C. and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Two protests are planned in Palm Coast at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Commerce Parkway Slated for August Opening. But Why Is a County Release Snubbing Bunnell?
Flagler County government, upstaging Bunnell–and the Bunnell city manager’s reflexive incantation about his city–is calling it a “splendid day” when, sometime in August, the newly constructed roadway corridor called Commerce Parkway will open for traffic, linking State Road 100 to U.S. 1 in a 1.7-mile, two-lane loop.
As Pier Construction Begins in Flagler Beach, Major Changes to Pedestrians, Traffic, Boardwalk, Parking and Beach Access
Significant restrictions to beach-goers, pedestrians, boardwalk buffs and parking are about to change the complexion of two and a half blocks near the Flagler Beach pier as its demolition begins in coming days and for the next year and a half. Here’s a rundown.
Palm Coast Woman Arrested for Chasing Down 14 Year Old on E-Bike on Pine Lakes Parkway Footpath
Julia Lynn Kalthof, 65, faces a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after she was captured on video driving off the road and onto a foot-and-bike path to chase a 14-year-old boy on an e-bike on June 7. The incident underscores the increasing prevalence of electric bikes on public roadways and foot paths. The boy was not at fault in any way and did not commit infractions. But certain cities are adopting tough new rules to regulate e-bikes.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 12, 2025
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, the glee for arresting powers in traditional refuges, Learned Hand on red baiting.
Here’s How Government Silences Opponents Without Censorship
When most people think of how governments stifle free speech, they think of censorship. That’s when a government directly blocks or suppresses speech. In the past, the federal government has censored speech in various ways. It has tried to block news outlets from publishing certain stories. It has punished political dissenters. It has banned sales of “obscene” books. Today, however, the federal government rarely tries to censor speech so crudely. It has less blatant but very effective ways to suppress dissent.
Per-Student Funding in Florida Will Increase Just 1.59%, Well Below Inflation
In a time when the Legislature is trying to pare back the size of the state budget, lawmakers agreed this week to pump more than $29 billion into K-12 education, a $945 million increase over current year spending.
Florida School Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Allow Christian Prayer Over Stadium Loudspeakers
Arguing the case “presents issues of utmost importance for religious liberty in this country,” a Tampa Christian school wants the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a years-long battle about whether the school should have been barred from offering a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a high-school football championship game.
Ex-Council Member Ed Danko’s Ethics Complaint Against Mayor Norris Found ‘Legally Insufficient’
The Florida Ethics Commission on Friday tossed out a complaint by former Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko against Mayor Mike Norris, finding it “legally insufficient.” As often as not, that sort of dining is equivalent to saying: “Not the Ethics Commission’s venue.” It is not necessarily to the discredit of the complaint’s allegation, as indeed several of those allegations are either in the public record, have been corroborated in an investigation conducted on behalf of the city, or have been argued in a city filing in Circuit Court.
Taxable Property Values Rise 9% Over Last Year, But Rate Is 3rd Decline in a Row in Cooler Housing Market
Annual taxable property value increases local governments depend on to fuel growth in their budgets have continued their descent from a post-crash high of 18 percent in 2022, to just 9 percent as of June 1 in Flagler County, according to figures released by the Flagler County Property Appraiser. In Palm Coast, values increased 9.29 percent in 2025, with more than half of that powered by new construction. In Flagler Beach, it was 7.56 percent, and in Bunnell it was just 5.5 percent.
Coaches in All Local Sports Organizations Will Need Higher-Level Criminal Background Checks; Palm Coast Seeks Standards
Palm Coast government wants to align city policy with a new state law requiring more detailed criminal backgrounding of youth athletic coaches and others who supervise children in organized sports even when they do not work for the city. The backgrounding could result in disqualification from coaching in some cases, but council members want to more precisely define those thresholds so that, say, a drug offense from 10 years ago isn’t a life sentence away from coaching. The city attorney is cautioning council members to be consistent, whichever policy they adopt.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Flagler Beach is hosting a Public Engagement Forum on Pier Replacement, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the Flagler County Public Library, on the death of Socrates and Lao-Kung on the arts by way of Hendrick van Loon.
Gutting USAID Is Musk’s Deadliest Legacy
By making disease-stemming drugs, clean water, and food available to millions, USAID has probably saved more lives worldwide than any entity in history. Since 2000, USAID’s programs have prevented the deaths of 58 million people from tuberculosis, 25 million from HIV/AIDS, and over 11 million from malaria. It’s given 70 million people access to safe drinking water and, working in concert with global vaccine initiatives, helped to nearly eradicate polio. All that is getting demolished.
The Authoritarian Message Behind Military Parades
Adolf Hitler turned his birthdays into massive national events with military parades, mass rallies and highly estheticized scenes of domestic cheer. These displays blurred dominance and intimacy, fatherliness and force — an approach revived today in the digital era, where curated imagery and social media entangle leadership with affective spectacle.
$118 Million Buy of 76,000 Acres for Preservation in North Florida Approved
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Tuesday approved spending nearly $118 million to conserve about 76,000 acres of land in North Florida. Using money from the Florida Forever program, the state will buy two conservation easements.
Abandoning Most Public Responsibilities, But Not Pay, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Forces Council Members to Pick Up Slack
Attending and chairing most meetings aside, a piqued and vengeful Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is no longer fulfilling basic public and administrative council responsibilities that his four colleagues are fulfilling, in some cases causing his colleagues to carry the weight of the responsibilities he’s shrugging off. He has abandoned all but one of his committee responsibilities, he refuses to meet with the acting city manager to prepare for meetings, his petulance or absence has required Theresa Pontieri, as vice mayor, to step in and lead high-profile public functions, and he’s now refusing to participate in town halls.
Bunnell Kills 8,000-Home ‘Reserve’ Development as Commission Reflects Public Furor Over ‘Enormity’ in 4-1 Vote
The Bunnell City Commission in a 4-1 vote on Monday rejected the planned Reserve at Haw Creek, a stunning defeat for a proposed 2,787-acre, 8,000-home development and 800-site RV park that would have increased Bunnell’s population sixfold and in the words of a commissioner, “forever change the face of the city of Bunnell” and Flagler County. The Reserve–a name as disingenuous as its representative’s recurring claim that it was “everything you as a city asked for to grow orderly in a controlled manner,” or that it would shower the city in dollars–would have been the largest single development in the county since ITT planned Palm Coast in the 1960s.
28-Unit Affordable Apartment Complex for Foster Youth and Poor Wins Swift Approval in Bunnell
Without discussion, the Bunnell City Commission on Monday evening unanimously approved the development agreement for Phoenix Crossings, the 28-apartment complex breaking ground this summer on 8 acres off North Bay Street, not far from the city’s sewer plant. The project overcame some strident but localized public opposition in recent months. In contrast, Monday’s hearing drew no public participation, and the commission approved the development order in barely a minute.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
The Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop, a special school board meeting on rule development, remembering the blood of Hungarians in the 1956 uprising, Albert Camus, and the Los Angeles uprising.
Reported Abortions in Florida Down 46% from 2024
A reported 17,377 abortions had been performed in Florida this year as of June 2, a 45.8 percent decrease from a comparable period in 2024, according to state data.
Facing $3 Million Deficit, Flagler County Asks Sheriff, Court Clerk and Other Constitutionals for Doge-Like Cuts
The Flagler County Commission must close a $2.9 million deficit as it prepares a $150 million 2026 budget that goes in effect on Oct. 1. The county and its five constitutional officers are projecting a 10.7 percent growth in their collective budgets, from $137.2 million this year to a requested $151.9 million. Projected revenue will grow by 9.6 percent, or $11.8 million. But that is not enough to fully cover the gap.
Charter Review Committee Field Grows to 10, With Notably Experienced Additions
The list of applicants to serve on the five-member Palm Coast Charter Review Committee has grown to 10, with a little over a week left before the application window closes. The four new applicants since last week bring distinct and varied experience, including Donald O’Brien, who just ended an eight-year tenure as county commissioner, two of them as chair, Jake Scully, the data architect, former member of the Palm Coast Planning Board and former long-time owner of PC Bike, and Karen Sousa, a 10-year employee of the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office.
From Kent State to Los Angeles: Risks of Using Troops Against Civilians’ Legal Protests
Responding to street protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration enforcement raids, the president has ordered 2,000 soldiers from the California National Guard into the city on June 7 to protect agents carrying out the raids, and authorized the Pentagon to dispatch regular U.S. troops “as necessary” to support the California National Guard. The actions chillingly echo those that led up to the Kent State shootings. Some active-duty units, as well as National Guard troops, are trained today to respond to riots and violent protests – but their primary mission is still to fight, kill, and win wars. It is not policing.
One for the History Books: Inaugural Bunnell History Day Explores Past of “The Crossroads of Flagler County”
The inaugural Bunnell History Day drew drew visitors, vendors, artists and activists to the county’s 108-year-old city Saturday. Co-organizers Ed Siarkowicz, the president of the Flagler County Historical Society, and Pete Johnson, a 32-year-old handyman and former Palm Coast mayoral candidate, credit Elaine Studnicki, the immediate past president of the Palm Coast Historical Society and a grant writer for the Flagler County Historical Society, with coming up with the idea to celebrate Bunnell’s history.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 9, 2025
Heat index up to 105 today. A Flagler County Commission Workshop is scheduled for 1 p.m., the Flagler County Library Board of Trustees meets, so does the Bunnell City Commission, Raymond Chandler on newspapers.
The Staggering Cost of Parents’ Substance Abuse on Their Children
About 1 in 4 U.S. children – nearly 19 million – have at least one parent with substance use disorder. This includes parents who misuse alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids or illegal drugs. Our estimate reflects an increase of over 2 million children since 2020 and an increase of 10 million from an earlier estimate using data from 2009 to 2014.
Lu, the Hippopotamus of Homosassa Springs, Dies at 65
Born at the San Diego Zoo on Jan. 26, 1960, Lu came to Homosassa Springs in 1964. A charismatic actor, he was a movie and television star with the Ivan Tors Animal Actors troupe and starred in popular films and television shows of the 1960s, including Daktari, Cowboy in Africa, the Art Linkletter Show and the Herb Albert Special. His Hollywood past added to his charm, but it was his calm presence and gentle personality that endeared him to generations of Floridians and visitors alike.
Federal Appeals Court Rejects Florida’s Attempt to Override Halt to Law Targeting Migrants
A federal appeals court Friday kept on hold a new Florida law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state, rejecting arguments by Attorney General James Uthmeier that enforcement should at least temporarily be allowed.
Imagine If Florida Government Shut Down. Would Floridians Even Notice?
Instead of addressing our numerous problems, from unaffordable housing to unaffordable insurance to inflation to flooding, elected officials prefer to spend much of their time worrying about pronouns, boasting about helping Trump’s storm troopers arrest brown folks, or trying to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 8, 2025
Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area, the Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Al-Anon Family Groups, a day in the life of America circa 1903, when they were not quite the good old days.
A More Diverse Model for Diversity Training
Diversity training is more effective when it’s personalized, according to my new research in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Psychology. This personalized approach worked especially well for one particular group: the “skeptics.” When skeptics received training tailored to them, they responded more positively – and expressed a stronger desire to support their organizations’ diversity efforts – than those who received the same training as everyone else.
Energy Association Warns Florida Could Lose Up to 21,800 Solar Jobs If President’s Tax Bill Is Enacted
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) says Florida could lose potentially up to 21,800 solar and storage jobs if the current bill isn’t altered by the U.S. Senate before making its way to the president’s desk and signed into law.
Moral Collapse: Florida Thinks Letting Prisoners Live in 100-Degree Heat with No Air Flow Isn’t Cruel Enough
The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. You’d think that would settle the question of whether a person should be left to endure 100-degree heat in a locked dormitory with no air conditioning, no airflow, and no escape. But in Florida, the state argues that this kind of heat doesn’t rise to the level of cruelty. It’s just part of the sentence.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 7, 2025
It’s Bunnell History Day, with daylong activities, speakers, music, tours and all sorts of other things, staring at 9 a.m., Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, Paul Bowles’s “Thousand Days for Mokhtar” and “The Echo.”
Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
Flagler County Commissioners Pam Richardson and Kim Carney are sacrificing our beaches to an ideological fantasy. They are opposing an increase in the half-cent sales tax that would fund beach protection, claiming there are alternatives. They have not offered a single viable proposal, preventing the enactment of a beach management plan. Their poorly informed obstructionism only ensures accelerated erosion and a shorter lifespan for the beaches–and the barrier island.
City of Palm Coast Wins Statewide Planning Award for Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update
The City of Palm Coast was honored with the 2025 Florida Planning and Zoning Association’s Outstanding Public Outreach & Community Involvement Award for its exceptional public engagement efforts during the Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan update. The award was presented on Friday during the 72nd Annual FPZA Conference at the Casa Monica Hotel & Spa in St. Augustine.
DCF Threatens Reporter Investigating Hope Florida Scandal with Cease and Desist
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has sent a cease and desist letter to an Orlando Sentinel reporter who has been digging into the Hope Florida scandal. Jeffrey Schweers, the Sentinel’s Tallahassee bureau reporter, has broken some scoops regarding the embattled charity backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis.
8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
The development agreement for the controversial 8,000-house development and 800 RV sites known The Reserve at Haw Creek goes before as Bunnell City Commission Monday evening. The outcome of the controversial proposal–the single largest development in Flagler County’s history after ITT started Palm Coast in the late 1960s–is uncertain.
Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
The Palm Coast City Council approved the first phase of a five-year, $304,000 plan to integrate all city surveillance cameras–on streets, on and inside buildings, at utility and other facilities–with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center. Integration will significantly expand the center’s capabilities and give the Sheriff’s Office immediate and unimpeded access to the camera streams, though the city will retain control of the network, the software, and the implementation of the system.
Why Some Towns Lose Their Local News and Others Don’t
Five factors often decides whether local newspapers survive: Newspapers follow the money, not community needs. Newspapers don’t adequately serve diverse communities. Population growth doesn’t always save newspapers. Left or right? Local papers die either way.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 6, 2025
Free For All Fridays takes on the beach and Bunnell History Day, First Friday in Flagler Beach, First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, remembering D-Day through the eyes of Le Havre.
Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
The Palm Coast City Council agreed to scrap plans to charge residents and businesses bank or digital check fees–the ACH autopay system, or ACH debit–when making electronic payments for utility bills and other city-related costs. But the transaction fee applying to credit or debit card transactions will remain.
DeSantis Suspends Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez After Arrest in ‘Massive’ Gambling Operation
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez from office on Thursday shortly after he was arrested in a “massive Central Florida gambling operation,” according to a press release issued by the attorney general’s office. DeSantis has appointed Christopher Blackmon to take over the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department. Blackmon has been serving as the Central Region Chief for the Florida Highway Patrol since November 2023.
Young Americans’ Support for Free Speech Has Cratered
For much of the 20th century, young Americans were seen as free speech’s fiercest defenders. But now, young Americans are growing more skeptical of free speech. In 2021, 71% of young Americans said people should be allowed to insult the U.S. flag, which is a key indicator of support for free speech, no matter how distasteful. By 2024, that number had fallen to just 43% – a 28-point drop. Support for pro‑LGBTQ+ speech declined by 20 percentage points, and tolerance for speech that offends religious beliefs fell by 14 points.
AP, IB and AICE Face Sharp Cuts if Florida Senators Have Their Way
The Senate is warming to a new funding means for advanced courses allowing high school students to earn college credits. But the upper chamber has still only offered 70 percent of the funding calculated under a model in use for decades. A Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee offer Thursday provides $418 million in the form of a categorical grant to school districts. That’s more than $175 million less than the House wants to fund.