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.
Flagler Cares Adds Sunshine Psychiatric Care to Village
Flagler Cares, a one-stop health and social care organization, welcomed Sunshine Psychiatric Care to the Flagler County Village in Palm Coast, on August 1 as a community partner.
An Activist With a Problematic Past Says Brendan Depa’s Appeal of Prison Sentence Is Going Forward
Mark Hadden, a 56-year-old Vero Beach resident who describes himself as a former professional basketball player in overseas leagues and the founder in 1993 of an organization called the American Coalition for the Advancement of All People, who is also a registered sex offender, held a press conference at the county courthouse to announce that he had retained attorneys to handle Brendan Depa’s appeal.
One FireFlight Is Decommissioned After 22 Years, Another Takes Its Place as County Mulls 24-Hour Operation
At 8:50 Wednesday morning, FireFlight lifted off from near its hangar at the Flagler County Airport for the last time. The 24-year-old helicopter was decommissioned after 22 years of service in Flagler County, while its younger version, a $5.6 million helicopter, took its place. County Commission Chairman Andy Dance said there will likely be discussions starting in December to consider whether to go froma 12-hour to a 24-hour operation for the emergency helicopter.
Beach Project Nears Conclusion as It Moves to Pier and Heart of Flagler Beach, With a Few Traffic Disruptions
The $27 million beach renourishment project in Flagler Beach is nearing conclusion in the next few weeks, well ahead of schedule, at least its latest schedule: the project overall had been delayed a few years. It entails a few traffic disruptions this morning.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, August 22, 2024
Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s sixth annual Wine Tasting Meet & Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center, with the big reveal about next year’s lineup, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Sheherazade.
Another Threat to Democracy: Unregulated Online Political Ads
While television and radio political ads have been subject to strict disclosure requirements for decades, their online counterparts exist in a regulatory vacuum. Social media giants like Facebook, X – formerly Twitter – and Instagram have become central battlegrounds for political campaigns. Yet they operate without the transparency mandated for traditional broadcast media. This allows advertisers to use sophisticated microtargeting to tailor messages to voters, often exploiting detailed personal data.