The cost is two to four times more than a previous council was told in 2016, and the money comes out of a fund that pays for street improvements.
Backgrounders
Only a Handful Turn Up at Palm Coast’s 1st Charter-Review Workshop; Public Input Limited
Just 13 or 14 people turned up for the first of four city charter-review workshops, and that public’s chance to weigh in was severely constrained by rules that leave the process largely in the council’s control.
Historically Low School Tax Will Diminish Effects of Tax Increases in Palm Coast and County
Even though county government, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell are all increasing taxes, homeowners’ bills will not see a steep increase thanks to a lower school tax.
How Florida’s Failing Charter Schools Exploit Voucher Program To Stay Alive on Public Dime
Charter schools that fail two years in a row should close by law. Instead, they reopen as private schools and use publicly funded vouchers to keep operating, with the state’s blessing.
Students Can Rejoice: Only 1 Hurricane Make-Up Day, No Disruption of Thanksgiving Week Off
The district will make up one day on Oct. 16, with three days already accounted for in the existing schedule and two days waived by the state.
Trying To Make Up For Mistakes, Florida Health Officials Seek To Speed Up Medical Pot Licensing
The Florida Health Department had until Oct. 3 to issue 10 medical pot licenses to producers, a deadline it will almost certainly miss even as it scrambles to ease the application process.
Flagler County Appeals Dangerous Dog Ruling, Challenging Judge DuPont’s Interpretation of Law
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont in August quashed the Flagler County Commission’s order declaring a dog dangerous, saying the commission acted improperly. Flagler is appealing.
How Health Insurers Fuel Opioid Crisis By Denying Claims For Less Addictive But More Expensive Drugs
Insurers limiting access to drugs with a lower risk of addiction or dependence. Why? Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%, But Florida’s Rate Still 5th Highest in U.S.
Florida’s rate of uninsured would have been lower had Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature not prevented the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid.
FPL Lies
FPL’s response to Hurricane Irma in Flagler has been disgraceful and secretive, both at the expense of local emergency responses and at the expense of residents.
Post-Irma Daily Digest: Flagler Beach Crossovers and Pier Update, FEMA Registrations, Senior Games
Local governments’ drizzle of information releases related to post-Hurricane Irma recovery are distilled for their essentials and published in a running tally.
In Flood-Pummeled Flagler Beach, Mountains of Heartbreak, But Surges of Grit And Samaritans
No place was hardest-hit by floods than Flagler Beach, yet no place seems as vibrant with community support as neighbors have mobilized to help neighbors cope.
As Emergency Yields to Recovery in Flagler, More Inconveniences Than Damages Or Troubles
More than 60 percent of Flagler residents were still without power Tuesday evening but recovery efforts were powering up and destruction from the storm was limited.
Spotty Cell and Internet Service in Flagler: “How Many Bars Do You Have?” Is A Post-Irma Refrain
The infuriating cell and internet signal failures residents in the Flagler-Palm Coast region are experiencing will parallel power failures and restoration.
In Flooded Flagler Beach, Caring For Neighbors In Cops’ Colossal Trucks Or in Tiny Kayaks
The Sheriff’s Office sent out its colossal military-surplus trucks on search and rescue missions, while at least two Flagler Beach residents conducted their own in canoes and kayaks.
FPL Says 10 Percent of Flagler Residents Expected to Lose Power, Millions More Across Florida
FPL is deploying nearly 17,000 line workers across the state and conducting repairs between Hurricane Irma feeder bands to minimize outages.
Sheltering From Irma in Flagler: 4 Shelters, 3,000 Spots, Food, WiFi, Power And ♥ Left Behind From Students
Here’s what to expect at Flagler County’s four emergency shelters opening at 7 a.m. Saturday, who’s paying for all that food, and what you can stream on WiFi.
What To Expect in Flagler In Next 48 Hours on Shelters, Evacuations, Storm Effects and Hunkering Down
As Hurricane Irma approaches, a complete run-down of what you should expect from emergency responders and what you should do in the next 48 hours.
As Flagler Prepares For Irma: “We’re Anticipating A1A To Be Severed In Multiple Locations”
Law enforcement, first responders and local governments were in full preparation mode with evacuation orders policing planning going into gear. The details.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights: For Workers
At the end of his last State of the Union message to Congress in 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt outlined an ambition plan for a “Second Bill of Rights” to ensure “”economic security and independence.”
Behind Solar Shades Soon in Palm Coast, A “Voluntary” FPL Program of Limited Benefit But Ample Marketing
FPL’s SolarNow program bills willing customers $9 a month then uses the money to build solar-power installations like those coming to Holland Park, City Hall and the Community Center.
In Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and County, More Contempt For Medical Pot
Elected officials in Palm Coast, Flagler County and Flagler Beach are still peddling false or misleading assumptions as they draw up more restrictive medical pot dispensary zoning.
For David Snelgrove, Sentenced in Palm Coast Double-Murder in 2000, Execution Again In Question
The Supreme Court threw out David Snelgrove’s death sentence as unconstitutional because twice juries were not unanimous. A re-sentencing’s complicated road began today before Judge Dennis Craig.
White Supremacists Joked About Using Cars To Run Over Opponents Before Charlottesville
Leaked chat room conversations by white supremacists reveal expectations of violence — along with detailed planning and intelligence gathering on left-wing adversaries.
In Preventive Demonstration, Sheriff Highlights Lethal Danger of Leaving Children in Hot Cars
With an average of 39 children killed each year for being left in hot cars, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly and DCF officials underscored the danger in a demonstration in Palm Coast this morning.
In the Hammock, A Concern That a Small Rule Change Will Turn Rustic A1A Into Commerce Central
The Flagler County administration is reinterpreting how the residential and commercial mix along A1A must be applied, raising fears that it’ll open the way to innumerable businesses there.
Palm Coast Approves Its First Microbrewery: Moonrise Brewing Co. at European Village
The brewpub and restaurant, opening in October, will produce about 15,000 pints a month. Its three owners, in the industry many years, expect it to become a big draw for European Village.
With First Win in US Open Qualifiers, Opelka Looks To Turn Frustrating Pro Season Around
Reilly Opelka won a three-set qualifier Tuesday but needs to win two more matches to qualify for the U.S. Open men’s main draw for the first time, which would be a huge accomplishment for the 19 year old.
A Centenarian Eclipse Winks at Flagler’s Centennial in Hour of Luminous Awe
Flagler County couldn’t have asked for a more apt coda to its centennial, a centenary gift from moon and sun under a radiant sky witnessed to the delight of many in Flagler Beach this afternoon.
Cash Resigns at Depleted Mosquito Control As Board Mixes Denial With End to “Frivolous Things”
In their first meeting since revelations of a $1.1 million deficit, Mosquito Control commissioners mixed a sense of denial with vows of being more transparent and in control.
Beating Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, County Will Be 1st to Welcome Pot Dispensaries; Bunnell May Ban Them
The Flagler County Commission is expected to approve opening the county to medical pot dispensaries Monday, becoming the first local government formally to do so.
Misconduct Charges Mount Against Flagler Judge Scott DuPont, Now Pointing To Courtroom Violations
Seven new charges against Circuit Judge Scott DuPont bring the total to 12 and now point to disturbing allegations of violations against people appearing in court and lawyers.
Palm Coast Man Arrested For Confronting Teacher (and Ex) in Belle Terre Elementary Parking Lot
Joshua Laks, a 34-year-old resident of Karlstad Place in Palm Coast, arrested for throwing eggs and a souvenir cup at a teacher, has a history of arrests in Volusia.
Christopher Hollinger Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison Over Sex Assault of 2 Teen Girls At Long Creek Preserve
Hollinger was 23 when he got two girls, then 14 and 15, drunk before having sex with them at the Palm Coast nature preserve in March 2016.
Tuesday Briefing: Are You Kidding Us? Heat Index To 110, Kids’ Computer Safety, Joseph Milici Sentenced
Superintendent Jim Tager gets a bonus amendment to his contract, school board discusses students’ computer safety, Palm Coast talks medical pot, Joseph Milici sentenced.
Between Umbras and Penumbras, Flagler Schools and Others Ready For Great Eclipse
The greatest solar eclipse to cross the United States since 1918 on Aug. 21 has the Flagler school district and others talking safety, best viewing practices and Palm Coast time checks.
Kim Jong-Trump
There is no pre-emptive military option against North Korea. None. No matter how much Korea “provokes.” There is only containment, and shutting up Donald Trump.
Weekend Briefing: Art League’s Exhibits, Dinosaurs, Henry Flagler, Chamber President, Kascel Therapy
The Chamber of Commerce outs its three short-listed president candidates, the Flagler County Art League opens new exhibits, movie in the park, a new kind of therapy business.
Big Pharma Bullies: How Insurers Force You To Buy Name-Brand Drugs Instead of Generic
Some pharmaceutical companies are cutting deals with insurance companies to favor their brand-name products over cheaper generics. Insurers pay less, but sometimes consumers pay more.
Alarming Federal Report On Global Warming Elicits Fears Trump Will Suppress It
The report all but erases doubt that climate change is the result of human activity and that warming will worsen, but it’s awaiting President Trump’s approval and that of the Environmental Protection Agency.
December Trials Set For 2 Flagler Residents Facing Capital Murder Charges
Bobby Earl Gore, 74, is accused of shooting his won execution-style in Flagler Beach, Dorothy Singer is accused of shooting her husband and burying him in the couple’s backyard.
12-Year Effort to “Renourish” Beaches All But Washes Out as County Urges Wall of Dunes Instead
Flagler County is urging Flagler Beach to sign on to a $20 million plan to rebuild dunes on top of a wall of rock, though most of that money has yet to be secured.
At Florida Hospital Flagler, Donated School Supplies, and Children’s Art for ER
Employees at Florida Hospital Flagler and other hospitals in the group donated school supplies by the mound in June and July, and, separately, the Art of Healing program was started in FHF’s ER.
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith Wins State’s Top Prosecutor Award
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith received the Gene Berry Award at the Florida Prosecution Attorneys Association Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida on July 31.
In Some States, Sales Tax Holidays Lose Luster as Hype Overshadows Cost
Tax holidays don’t increase buying but merely concentrate it around specific dates. They’re regressive. They’re more political than useful: in Florida, the Legislature turned down Gov. Scott’s request for 10 days.
Flagler Mosquito Control District In Crisis as It Faces $1.1 Million Deficit in $1.8 Million Budget, Weeks After Dedicating New HQ
Six of the tax-supported district’s 14 employees have been laid off and other cuts are ahead weeks after it celebrated moving into a new, $2.1 million building at the Flagler County Airport.
Weekend Briefing: Heat Index Up to 109, Disney’s Aladdin at Playhouse, Back To School Jam, Future of Fake News
Paul Dykes and Erin Vickers, accused of child rape and child porn possession, appear in court, the Back to School Jam at FPC Saturday, the Playhouse features its junior thespians.
Next Stations of the Cross In Obamacare’s Near-Death Experiences: Debate and Amendments
Senators are limited to 20 hours of debate, following which numberless amendments may be introduced–but not debated. It may get messy and difficult to follow.
It’s Not Just Palm Coast: Credit Card Skimming at Gas Stations Up 160% in Florida
State figures show 315 skimmers had been discovered at Florida gas pumps through July 18, compared to 120 skimmers discovered through the first seven months of 2016.
Alternative to FPL-Matanzas Footpath Dies as Administration Hits Council With Done Deal
A potential $400,000 temporary sidewalk along Old Kings Road, sought for years by F-Section resident, turned out to be an illusion as its proponent was outmaneuvered today.