A 24-15 party-line vote displayed the fissure between the parties on DeSantis’ approach to the pandemic, which in the past year has mostly concentrated on treating people who have tested positive for Covid-19 rather than boosting vaccinations. Ladapo has often echoed DeSantis’ positions since the September appointment.
17 Attorneys Apply for Appointment to Volusia County Court Seat; Interviews on March 1
Seventeen attorneys have applied for appointment to a county judge seat in Volusia that became vacant after the elevation to circuit court of Christopher Kelly of New Smyrna Beach late last year. Kelly replaced Circuit Judge Steven C. Henderson, who died at age 49 in August from Covid.
Residents of Hidden Lakes and Toscana Appeal Palm Coast Approvals of 2 Self-Storage Lots on Old Kings
A group of Palm Coast residents in the Toscana and Hidden Lakes subdivisions off Old Kings Road have filed an appeal of a decision by the Palm Coast Planning Board clearing the way for a self-storage facility on Old Kings Road. The same group is preparing to file a civil suit in circuit court seeking to quash decisions by the planning board and the Palm Coast City Council clearing the way for both that facility and another like it nearby.
Dozens of Anti-Semitic Fliers Tied to ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Appear in Palm Coast and Ormond Beach
The fliers, which authorities and the Anti Defamation League do not consider criminal, have been appearing at least since December in neighborhoods in Surfside, Miami, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, Kenosha, Wis., Cartersville, Ga., towns in Texas, and California, according to press reports and a tally by the ADL.
Full Federal Appeals Court Re-Hears St. Johns Schools Transgender Bathroom Case
In a case with local and national implications, a previous, three-judge panel of the court had ruled in favor of the student who was denied use of the boys’ bathroom. The St. Johns school district appealed to the full court.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
The trial of Philip Martin enters its third day, the county parks and rec committee meets, genocide in Ukraine, Brunei’s stoning-free National Day, “Defender of the Fatherland Day” in Russia.
At Least 650 Migrants, a Record, Died on the US-Mexico Border in 2021
A majority of people crossing the border are not from Mexico, having traveled instead from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. People migrate and attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border for complicated reasons, including violence and lack of work opportunities in their home countries.
Treasured, Embattled Whispering Meadows Ranch Has New Home as County Seals Partnership Deal
Whispering Meadows, the equine therapy ranch on John Anderson Highway treasured for nearly 15 years for providing a healing refuge to children with disabilities, veterans and others living with traumas, will move to 15 acres at the county fairgrounds as the County Commission unanimously approved a private-public arrangement through a special exception.
Florida Lawmakers Scale Back Broadband Expansion, Potentially Hurting Flagler Efforts
Flagler County has been making just such a broadband expansion a priority for its west-Flagler residents, who have been perennially underserved. The county was banking on both federal and state expansions, the federal portion proving not sufficient–so far–to reach the county’s goal of universal coverage. State lawmakers’ latest move, substituting federal dollars instead of supplementing state dollars, will likely be a setback to Flagler.
County’s Approval of Flagler Schools’ Impact Fee Increase Again Delayed, and Patience Wears Thin
The Flagler County School District and the county administration share the same building, and the same floor, but interpret construction’s impact on school enrollment very differently, thus causing one further delay that means the district will not see increased revenue from its development impact fees until a year later than it hoped.