Without explaining why, and to her colleagues’ surprise, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt told the board she feels unsafe in workshop settings on the third floor of the Government Services Building, and has requested the posting of a deputy there, which would cost the district at least $2,600 a year.
At 2.9%, Flagler Unemployment Continues in Same Low Range for 13th Month, With More than 50,000 Employed
For 13 months running, Flagler County’s unemployment rate has remained steady, fluctuating by a few decimal points between 2.6 and 3.4 percent. In April, it was 2.9 percent in the seasonally unadjusted calculation the state’s labor department released today.
A Tattoo Studio Is Approved Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, But Outdated Stigmas Endure
The fact that Supreme Custom Tattoo on Old Kings Road required a special exception and planning board approval reflects enduring stigmas and stereotypes that still attach to tattoo and body piercing studios, though in studios’ cases, the city is far more accommodating than landlords, who often arbitrarily discriminate against them.
2023 Sheriff’s Gala Raises $130,000 for Employee Assistance as Attorney General Ashley Moody Headlines
More than 180 guests attended the 5th Annual Sheriff’s Gala to benefit the Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Trust at the Hammock Beach Resort including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, raising $130,000.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, May 19, 2023
Remembering Malcolm X on his 98th birthday, unemployment figures are released, a federal judge hears the request for an injunction against state bans on doctors providing trans care.
Record Global Warming Year By 2028, and 1st Above Crucial 1.5-Celsius Limit
One year in the next five will almost certainly be the hottest on record and there’s a two-in-three chance a single year will cross the crucial 1.5℃ global warming threshold, an alarming new report by the World Meteorological Organization predicts.
DeSantis Will Announce His Presidential Bid From Dunedin
Gov. Ron DeSantis expects to announce his candidacy for president after Memorial Day and from his hometown of Dunedin, the more conservative part of what has been considered a politically moderate county.
State Board of Education Will Consider Book-Ban List
The state Board of Education is slated next week to consider a new rule that would lead to Florida’s education commissioner publishing an annual list of library books and instructional materials that people have objected to, carrying out part of a controversial 2022 law.
Palm Coast’s Population at 98,411 in Latest Census Estimate, 18th-Fastest Growing in U.S.
Palm Coast grew 10.3 percent between 2020 and 2022, to 98,411 people, according to the Census Bureau’s latest estimate, released today. The city is on pace to cross well past the 100,000 threshold this year, and based on the last two years’ trend, likely did so in February or March.
LaShakia Moore Is Flagler Schools’ Interim Superintendent. Why Would She Want Permanent Post?
The question LaShakia Moore isn’t yet answering is whether she will apply for the permanent position, which the board hopes to fill by Jan. 1. She enjoys district and community support and respect. Yet the more valid question, given this school board’s volatility, may be: why would Moore want to be the permanent superintendent?
3-2 Vote to Keep Belle Terre Swim Club Open Is Only One More Uncertain Reprieve for Troubled Facility
The Flagler County School Board’s 3-2 vote Tuesday to keep the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club open to the public is only one more extension of uncertain length. The board has yet to decide how long it will keep it open, and on what terms, in essence leaving fundamental questions that have bedeviled the club for years unanswered.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, May 18, 2023
The Census Bureau releases Vintage 2022 population estimates today, drug court convenes, Bertrand Russell, at 151, wonders why God hasn’t made a better world.
Woodie Guthrie and the National Debt
Woodie Guthrie had a lot to say about Congress in general and how it handled the national debt in particular. In his early version of “This Land Is Your Land,” he ended it with his narrator surveying a line of hungry people lined up “by the relief office” and then asked, “Was this land made for you and me?”
U.S. Army Col. Peggy Hengeveld Is Featured Speaker at Memorial Day Ceremony
Join Flagler County at its Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, May 29, featuring special guest speaker Peggy Hengeveld, Colonel, U.S. Army (retired).
A Federal Lawsuit Is Filed Against Florida School District, Calling Book Bans Unconstitutional
The lawsuit is against the Escambia County School District and its local school board. Plaintiffs include PEN America, powerhouse publisher Penguin Random House, several authors, and parents of children. A remedy: Return books to school library shelves, particularly books considered “targeted,” according to the lawsuit.
In Trial of Man Accused of Raping 7 Year Old, Judge Will Allow Evidence ‘Devastating to Defend’
Monserrate Teron, a 59-year-old nurse and Army veteran, goes on trial Monday on charges of raping a 7-year-old girl. Today, a judge let stand an order allowing the prosecution to question two adult sisters who will testify that Teron abused them in the 1980s similarly to the way he abused the younger girl more recently, complicating the defense.
Nearing Presidential Run, DeSantis Signs Series of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Critics Call ‘Slate of Hate’
With LGBTQ advocates decrying it as a “slate of hate,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a suite of bills that will prohibit or limit medical care for transgender people, prevent minors from attending drag shows and impose restrictions on which bathrooms trans people can use.
A Different ‘Battle of the Books’ Cheers Competing Students at Rymfire Elementary
At Rymfire Elementary this morning, it was a very different “Battle of the Books” from the kind that’s been crumpling Flagler County’s school libraries for the last couple of years: this battle was all about the love and joy of reading, as 80 students competed to match blind quotes with any of the 15 books they’d read this year.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, May 17, 2023
A judge hears motions in the case against Monserrate Teron, the Palm Coast planning board meets, Bridge and Games at Flagler Woman’s Club, Kissinger at 100.
Covid’s Total Cost to US Economy: $14 Trillion by Year’s End
The economic toll of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. will reach US$14 trillion by the end of 2023, a team of economists, public policy researchers and other experts have estimated.
Trump Suckered CNN Into His Sewer
CNN, anxious to get maximum ratings mileage from its MAGA informercial, attached a sewer pipe to his mouth and pumped his demagogic diarrhea directly into our homes, argues Dick Polman.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Wants Supreme Court to Kill Recreational Pot Initiative
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has submitted ballot language to the Florida Supreme Court for a proposed 2024 constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida. She also informed the court that she opposes the measure.
AdventHealth Offering Physicals for Flagler County Students May 23-24
The annual Flagler County Schools Sports Physicals event will be on May 23 and 24 from 5 – 9 p.m. at Flagler-Palm Coast High School located at 5500 East Highway 100 in Palm Coast.
Federal Judge Signs Order Releasing Flagler County Dunes Easement It Sought for 3 Years
A federal judge late this afternoon signed the order approving a settlement agreement between the county and Cynthia d’Angiolini, who for three years had held out from signing an easement that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild 2.6 miles of dunes south of the Flagler Beach pier.
750-Home Gated Community Called Coquina Shores to Rise North of SR100, Along Old Kings Road
Though a 750 single-family home development on 505 acres, Coquina Shores will be a vastly scaled back development from what JX Properties had planned there in 2006 and 2007–2,400 homes, most of them apartments, and 80,000 square feet of retail and office space. All of that will be reduced to the single family homes.
Metronet’s Ultra-Speed Broadband Now Available in 4 Palm Coast Neighborhoods
Metronet’s ultra-high-speed service is now available in Pine Lakes, Matanzas Woods, Palm Harbor and Indian Trails, with the network spreading in Palm Coast by some 20,000 to 25,000 feet per week. Flagler Beach and Bunnell are down the line.
Palm Coast Adopts 75% Stormwater Rate Increase Over 5 Years, Then Cap on Future Hikes
The Palm Coast City Council this morning voted 3-2 to adopt a stormwater fee increase of residents’ monthly bill from $22.27 currently to $39.10 by 2028, a 76 percent increase. Increases after 2028 will be limited to the rate of inflation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
The Palm Coast City Council and the school board have long meetings, hitchhiking, from Neil King’s American Ramble, Semyon Barmotin.
You Shed Identifiable DNA Everywhere, Raising Ethical Questions About Privacy
There are myriad ethical implications relating to the inadvertent or deliberate collection and analysis of human genetic bycatch. Identifiable information can be extracted from eDNA, and accessing this level of detail about individuals or populations comes with responsibilities relating to consent and confidentiality.
240-Unit Apartment Complex Planned Next to BJ’s Wholesale Club on State Road 100 in Palm Coast
The Flagler County Commission Monday evening unanimously approved rezoning 28 acres just east of what will be the BJ’s Wholesale Club shopping center, clearing the way for an eight-building, 240-apartment complex called Republic Palm Coast there.
Federal Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against Andrew Gillum Weeks After Mistrial
Less than two weeks after a mistrial, federal prosecutors on Monday filed a motion to dismiss conspiracy and fraud charges against former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum.
Vidya Herbs Launches Its Manufacturing Plant in Bunnell, Promising 100 Jobs and Bounty of Extracts
Vidya Herbs, founded in India 24 years ago, launched its first American-based manufacturing operation in Bunnell today, where it projects 100 or more employees over the next four years as the plant manufactures a saw palmetto extract and other products.
When Prison Is Preferable to Probation: Holly Norris’s Case and How Probationers Must ‘Walk on Water’
The case of Holly Norris, 44, illustrates how long probation terms can unreasonably trip up defendants even for minor violations, preventing them from reintegrating society. That’s why defense attorneys at times ask for prison instead. Norris was sentenced to a two-year prison term and 10 years on probation in the negligent death of her uncle in 2013.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 15, 2023
The Flagler County Commission has a busy meeting, Vidya Herbs USA and Metronet launch their local operations in separate events, Loreen of Sweden’s win, Turkey’s election, suburban homes.
Luddites Then and Now
It’s not clear whether Ned Ludd was a real person, or simply a figment of folklore invented during a period of upheaval. But his name became synonymous with rejecting disruptive new technologies – an association that lasts to this day.
The Student Protesters Were Arrested. The Man Who Got Violent in the Parking Lot Wasn’t.
College students arrested. A parking lot altercation. A retired teacher waking up to a broken window. Events at a school district in Conway, Arkansas, illustrate the alarming trend of unrest at school board meetings across the country.
Jeannette Simmons on Mental Health Month
The City recently collaborated with Jeannette Simmons, a Licensed Mental Health counselor and Chief Innovation Officer of local non-profit organization Flagler Cares, to highlight some of the most important mental health issues in our area.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 14, 2023
It’s Mother’s Day, Maya Angelou’s love or her mother, Toni Morrison on motherhood, Shine Mindfulness Group, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village.
Deconstructing Tupac’s ‘Dear Mama’ and Hip-Hop’s Relationship with Motherhood
Of the long list of lyrical tributes to mothers that rap artists have recorded over the past 50 years, perhaps none has had as an enduring impact as Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama.”
Sky’s The Limit Touch-a-Truck Event Set for May 27 in Palm Coast
The third annual ‘Sky’s the Limit’ Touch-a-Truck event will be on May 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Park Street in Central Park featuring more than 75 vehicles from multiple agencies.
Ban the AR-15, ‘America’s Rifle’
A bipartisan bill was introduced in Texas to raise the minimum age to buy assault weapons. It shouldn’t have taken nearly this long for gun-loving Texas to take an action that is supported by a majority of Americans. The slaughter at a suburban shopping mall was the tipping point.
Jeffrey Giancaspro, 60, Dies in Single-Vehicle Crash on Landing Boulevard in Town Center
A 60-year-old Palm Coast man was found unresponsive at the wheel of his car in Town Center, after it crashed into brush on Landing Boulevard Friday evening. Jeffrey Giancaspro was pronounced deceased shortly afterward at AdventHealth Palm Coast.
Andrew Mintz Turns Himself In to Jail and Is Released on $100,000 Bond in Flagler Beach Pier Crash
Andrew Craven Mintz, the 34-year-old Palm Coast man at the center of a three vehicle crash that narrowly missed several local officials and a child near the pier in April, turned himself in at the Flagler County jail Friday evening, six weeks after he was charged.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 13, 2023
The American Association of University Women scholarship awards and installation banquet, Palm Coast Spring Makers Market, discussing artificial intelligence with ChatGPT, and HAL.
Comstock Laws Make a Comeback
Anti-abortion groups are looking for new ways to wage their battle against abortion rights, eyeing the potential implications of a 150-year-old law, the Comstock Act, that could effectively lead to a nationwide abortion ban.
An Artist’s Tribute: Diana Gilson’s ‘Intuitive Sensibility for Color, Shape and Line’
“We shared a common interest in art history and many of the same influences,” writes JJ Graham of Diana Gilson, who died in April. “The time that I spent with her and the studio artists at Hollingsworth will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most enriching and rewarding periods of my life as a painter.”
Sheriff’s SWAT Team Members Place in Top 10 at National Sniper Competition
This is the second year in a row FCSO’s SWAT Snipers have placed in the top 10 during the annual national sniper competition. This year’s competition and training was held in St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Taylor Manjarres Pleads Out in R-Section Home Invasion Murder, and Faces Up to 20 Years Instead of Life
Taylor Manjarres, 19 at the time, had teamed up with Kwentel Moultrie and Zaire Roberts for a drug deal with Danial Marashi at Marashi’s parent’s home on Regent Lane in Palm Coast in December 2021. Marashi shot and killed Roberts. Manjarres and Moultrie were charged for murder. Manjarres will now testify against Moultrie, who faces life in prison.
At Sheriff’s Ceremony: ‘Behind Every Fallen Officer, a Family Who Bears the Burden of Loss’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office held the annual Fallen Heroes Memorial Candlelight Vigil Thursday evening, the first time the ceremony was held at the new Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell.
In Flagler Beach, Jane Mealy Warns Eric Cooley of ‘Consequences’ Over Conduct. He Doubles Down.
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Jane Mealy warned Commission Chairman Eric Cooley of unspecified “consequences” if he were to ever treat her the way he did at a special meeting last week. Cooley conceded that he had been “spitting fire,” doubled down, dismissing Mealy’s criticism as “armchair quarterbacking” and accusing her of not behaving like an adult.