Mary Ethel Matson, 81, who spent many of her final years in Flagler Beach, passed away on the 17th day of July, 2025, at Azalea Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care in Tallahassee, Fla., after an extended period of illness. Mary was an elementary school teacher for seven years before transitioning to work in the family construction business for over 20 years. Survivors include her husband, Edward Matson of Flagler Beach.
Beyond
America(n) Unbecoming
If the president can threaten citizenship revocation even for U.S.-born citizens, as he did this week, and just for holding opinions he doesn’t like, the rest of us certainly aren’t safe. For migrants, every night–every day–is Kristallnacht as ICE carries out its pogroms. A majority of Americans are either applauding or indifferent, while protesters are branded enemies and invaders to be crushed by militarized goonery. This is not the America any of us have known, or should tolerate.
As Texas Flood Death Toll Passes 50, Questions Arise Over Adequate Warnings and NWS Staffing
Catastrophic flooding that has claimed more than 50 lives in Texas came amid concerns about staffing levels at the NWS, after the Trump administration fired hundreds of meteorologists this year as part of Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts. The NWS Austin/San Antonio office’s warning coordination meteorologist announced in April that he was retiring early due to the funding cuts, leading to speculation that vacancies could have impacted forecasters’ response.
DeSantis, Appeasing Conspiracy Theorists, Signs ‘Chemtrails’ Bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed controversial legislation that bans weather geoengineering and prohibits what conspiracy theorists call “chemtrails.” The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, will require the Department of Environmental Protection to track and investigate complaints from residents about suspected weather modification or suspicious activity.
A Democratic Lawmaker Is Assassinated. Right-Wing Influencers Vomit Disinformation.
Immediately after Minnesota House Leader Melissa Horton’s assassination, right-wing influencers marred Hortman’s death and smeared Gov. Tim Walz on a pile of lies. In a different, saner world, they would be humiliated and slink away. But the smart money is that during the next moment of national crisis and mourning, they will again lie for profit.
Ex-Sen. Travis Hutson Joins St. Johns Clerk of Court as Government Affairs Adviser
The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s Office announced that former Florida State Senator Travis Hutson will be joining the team as Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Affairs, effective today.
Measure Deporting Gulf of Mexico Name from State Law Moves to Florida House Floor
While a public opinion poll conducted last month shows that a majority of Floridians do not support updating changes in the state from the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America,” that was of little concern to the House State Affairs Committee on Thursday. The committee voted along party lines to advance two proposals making that change into both state law and state agencies. Both measures will now head to the entire House for floor votes.
University of Chicago’s Tony Banout, Freedom of Expression Expert, Speaks at Stetson March 26
As academic freedom and freedom of expression become flashpoints on college campuses nationwide, Stetson University will host a national expert March 26 to speak about the importance of free inquiry and expression. Tony Banout, Executive Director of the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, will give a talk entitled “Why is Wrongheaded, Immoral, and Offensive Speech Protected on Campus and Constitutionally?”
Federal Judge Clears Way for Publishers’ Lawsuit Against Florida and Volusia Boards of Education Over Banned Books
With major publishing companies and authors arguing a 2023 state law violates First Amendment rights, a federal judge Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against members of the State Board of Education over the removal of school library books. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza, appointed by President Obama, rejected a state motion to dismiss the case, which also names as defendants members of the Orange County and Volusia County school boards.
Bill Would Require Schools and State Agencies to Buy Materials Reflecting ‘Gulf of America’ Change
State agencies and Florida schools would have to update materials to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America,” under a measure filed this week in the state Senate.
Lawmakers Seek to Roll Back Water Management Districts’ Environmental Efforts
A Florida Senate committee Tuesday will consider a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts. Sen. Brodeur said in a prepared statement that water management districts were founded to manage stormwater and flood-control efforts but have taken on other issues.
Trump Proposes a Crime Against Humanity in Gaza
Trump’s proposal to ethnic-cleanse Gaza of Palestinians, transfer them to Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries, and apparently annex Gaza’s 141 square miles (about the size of Palm Coast and the barrier island combined) to the United States, or at least rezone it as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” would be a crime against humanity on the scale of Stalin’s internal deportations and land expropriations of the 1930s and 40s.
Sen. Tom Leek Files Bill to Name St. Johns County Site for Florida’s Black History Museum
Sen. Tom Leek, a North Florida Republican, filed a bill Monday to officially name St. Johns County as the site for Florida’s Black History Museum. Leek’s filing of SB 466 comes more than six months after a panel tasked with making recommendations for the museum’s construction issued its final report to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the leaders of the Republican-led Legislature.
Daytona Solisti String Quartet Will Feature Mozart, Irish Tunes and Guest Guitar Soloist Miles McConnell
A work Mozart wrote for a king, but which the cash-strapped composer sold “for a song” to a music publisher, will be featured during “Chamber Music Masterpieces,” a concert by the Daytona Solisti String Quartet. The concert, the second in Daytona Solisti’s Winter Festival celebrating the group’s 20th anniversary, also will include a Mozart serenade featured in the 1984 Oscar-winning biopic “Amadeus,” and Orlando-based guitarist Miles McConnell will perform classical works and Irish tunes.
Sheriff Grady Judd Opposes Trump Pardons of Jan. 6 Insurrectionists and Tells Deputies: I Have Your Back
Grady Judd, one of the most well-known sheriffs in Florida is letting his officers know that he has their backs against people recently pardoned by President Donald Trump. And furthermore, he thinks the President messed up by getting them released from lockdown.
American Trilogy: OJ Simpson, Louis Farrakhan, Donald Trump
On Oct. 3, 1995, after a trial that had lasted as long as a presidential election campaign, a jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Blacks cheered. Whites were horrified and angered that Blacks cheered. Blacks cheered even louder at whites being horrified. All they saw was white derangement syndrome. Sound familiar?
Protesters Disheartened and Disbelieving at an Abortion-Rights Rally in St. Pete: ‘Florida Is Gone’
Two months after a proposal to repeal Florida’s six-week abortion law and enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution failed to gather the 60% required for passage, more than 100 people gathered Wednesday on four street corners in downtown St. Petersburg to advocate for the cause. But it was a dispirited and disbelieving protest.
Sorry Palm Coast, No Snow For You: Winter Storm Warning Boundaries Are North and West of Flagler
If you’re hoping to see a few snow flurries as a rare winter storm barrels through the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll have to go north and west of Flagler County even as winter storm warning boundaries were extended southward to include all of Duval and Clay counties overnight. Putnam and St. Johns have a winter storm advisory.
Manifest Perfidy: Trump Is No Seward
As the Dear Leader asserted the other day in his completely rational press conference, if the 51st-staters don’t play nice, we’ll bring them to their frostbitten knees with “economic force” and turn their so-called “provinces” into good Christian Florida counties with lousy hospitals and empty libraries.
When Democracy Dies in Broad Daylight
While Trump openly bellows whatever imperial fever dreams about Greenland, Canada, the Panama Canal and the Gulf of Mexico visit him in the dark of night, once proud institutional bulwarks rush to prostrate themselves before him in advance of any demand that they do so. Alas, the mainstream media is not immune to this siren-call of cowardice.
Howard Holley Presses Legislators for Money for Florida Museum of Black History
Howard Holley, a board member of the Museum of Black History and member of the state task force establishing the museum, pressed the St. Johns County legislative delegation to fund the new Florida Museum of Black History.
Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra Opens 20th Concert Season Jan. 19 with ‘Baroque and Classical Gems’
The Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra will open their Winter Festival – the group’s 20th concert season – with “Baroque and Classical Gems,” featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, a work by his youngest son Johann Christian Bach, and an original piece, based on a 17th-century Lutheran hymn, by Solisti principal cellist Joseph Corporon.
Rethinking Who Belongs on Historical Markers
As the United States prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, many states are inventorying, mapping and repairing old historical markers, as well as installing hundreds of new roadside signs, plaques and interpretive panels. In South Carolina, the focus is on sharing lesser-known stories of women, children, Native Americans, enslaved and free Black people and even the Loyalists who sympathized with King George III.
LGBTQ+ People Relive Old Traumas as They Age on Their Own
Of the 3 million Americans over age 50 who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender, about twice as many are single and living alone when compared with their heterosexual counterparts. This slice of the older population is expanding rapidly and faces a daunting array of problems, including higher-than-usual rates of anxiety and depression, chronic stress, disability, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, according to numerous research studies.
Largest Rubber Duck Store Opens in Miami Beach
Duck World, the internationally beloved purveyor of iconic rubber ducks, announced the grand opening of its largest North American store at 1622 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, just off Lincoln Road. Spanning 1,500 square feet, this destination offers over 800 unique designs.
Trial Will Decide Whether Florida’s DEP Violated Endangered Species Act, Causing Manatee Deaths
A federal judge has rejected a state attempt to end a lawsuit stemming from manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon and said a trial is needed to determine whether the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has violated the Endangered Species Act. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza issued a 17-page order last week siding with arguments by the environmental group Bear Warriors United that wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon have led to the demise of seagrass and, as a result, the deaths of manatees.
Ragga Surf Eviction Stands as Marineland and Flagler County Snipe at Each Other and State Snubs Them All
If the 50-some of supporters of Ragga Surf Café who turned out for a Marineland Town Commission meeting Thursday evening to hear some hope, any hope, that the café can stave off eviction from its temporary home at the River to Sea Preserve on Dec. 31, they were disappointed. The eviction stands. The earliest Ragga may have a chance to reclaim its spot, if at all, may be March, judging from what County Administrator Heidi Petito estimated, though it would likely be longer.
Putnam Jury Finds Eldridge Griner Guilty of Murder of Joseph Brinson in ‘Execution’ He’d Called ‘Righteous’
A Putnam County jury of seven women and five men today found 54-year-old Eldridge C. Griner, a former resident of Palatka, guilty in the premeditated murder of Joseph Brinson at an apartment on North 16th Street in Palatka the evening of May 25, 2021. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Judge Alicia Washington.
How Liberals Lost Comedy, and Helped Trump Win
Trump’s success with comedy is a result of the new relationship between digital media and the business of joking. For decades, liberals were thought to hold a monopoly on comedy. Moreover, there was little money to be made in comedy acts devoted to right-wing politics. Since 2016, however, a new crop of right-wing comedians has taken to digital platforms and algorithmically driven audience targeting in order to change this reality.
St. Johns Clerk Hosts National Adoption Day Celebration on Nov. 22
The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s office will host a special ceremony on Friday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. to celebrate National Adoption Day. The event will be held at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, marking the culmination of a long adoption process for six local children joining their forever families.
FPC Bulldogs Were Robbed of a Crucial Down in What Had Been a Winning Drive. Principal Reacts.
Last Friday the Flagler Palm Coast High School Bulldogs appear to have been robbed of a final down, ending what had been been a winning drive in a playoff football game against Spruce Creek High School. Instead, they lost. FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet reflects.
House Speaker Opposed to Releasing Matt Gaetz Ethics Report on Alleged Sexual Misconduct
The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is trying to put the brakes on a document that could harm Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General by preventing a report on Matt gaetz’s alleged sexual misconduct from being released to the Senate. before Gaetz’s confirmation hearing.
Senate Republicans Reject Rick Scott in Favor of John Thune of South Dakota as Majority Leader
U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as that chamber’s next majority leader during a closed-door, secret ballot election. When Thune takes over in January, it will mark the first time since 2007 that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell hasn’t held the top GOP slot after choosing to retire from leadership. Thune defeated Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott during the vote.
Flagler Auditorium’s New Season Launches with St. Augustine Orchestra, and a Special Violinist, Sunday
When the SAO, which lacks its own permanent performing space in St. Augustine and plays at high schools, churches and other venues across Northeast Florida, reached out to the Fitzgerald to rent its theater for a concert, Fulmer and the performing arts center governing board saw an opportunity they didn’t want to slip away: to bring back classical music performances to the local stage.
Storm Debris Collection Begins Today in St. Johns County
Beginning today–Oct. 18–emergency debris removal contractors, AshBritt and TetraTech, will join FCC Environmental in the ongoing efforts of collecting storm debris post Hurricane Milton. This is an additional service to support the recovery efforts in St. Johns County.
Florida Agriculture Took a $2 Billion Hit from Hurricane Milton
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said Thursday that the financial damage to the state’s agriculture industry from Hurricane Milton will likely exceed $2 billion. Those figures add to the more than $1.5 billion in damage already suffered from Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Debby, and Hurricane Idalia that hit the Big Bend area of North Florida over the past 13 months.
Aviation Company Aura Aero Selects Volusia Over Flagler County for for 500,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Plant and 1,000 Jobs
Aura Aero Inc., the French designer and manufacturer of next-generation aircraft, has announced its intent to build a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly plant in Volusia County at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The facility will create more than 1,000 high-paying jobs in the area. Flagler County had been in contention for the facility.
Florida Court Rules It’s OK to Shoot a Dog in Stand Your Ground Situation
In a case stemming from a man who killed a pit bull when he and his Chihuahua felt threatened, an appeals court ruled Wednesday that Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law can apply to cases involving animals. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal said a Palm Beach County circuit judge improperly denied a stand-your-ground immunity hearing for Cassanova Gabriel, who was charged with crimes including cruelty to animals.
Tampa Mayor Betty Castor: ‘We Are In For Over a Century’s Storm Here’
As Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm Monday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned: “It’s going to be a surge event. It’s going to be a rain event. It’s going to be a wind event, and, if it stays on the predicted trajectory, we are in for over a century’s storm here with Milton. This is the real deal here with Milton.”
Hurricane Helene Leaves 3.2 Million Without Power, Including Thousands in Flagler; Local Damage Minor
As dawn broke over Florida and the Southeast today, 3.2 million people were without power in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm at 11:10 p.m. in Florida’s Big Bend area–10 miles west of Perry, in Taylor County–and as one of the most destructive storms on record for the area, with winds of 140 miles per hour and a storm surge of 10 to 20 feet. In Flagler County, while power losses reached 10,000, only a few houses reported being struck by trees, with many more trees down on roads.
A Florida Editor Told Clay Jones His Political Cartoons Were Too Political. He Responds.
Celebrated and fearless cartoonist Clay Jones, whose work has been appearing at FlaglerLive for a year, received a complaint from a Florida editor (not us) that his political cartoons were too political. His response: I refuse to change how I cartoon to the point that my work is frivolous and meaningless. Other cartoonists are doing that. Let them have it.” Clay Jones will not play nice. For good reason.
A Shark-Injured Dead Dolphin Is Recovered from St. Augustine Beach
St. Johns County Beach Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worked together to remove a dead dolphin from St. Augustine Beach after a beachgoer reported it to a toll worker.
DeSantis Wants to Build Golf Courses and Hotels in Florida’s State Parks
The DeSantis administration has plans to transform Florida’s award winning state parks. One of the worst plans talks of building not one, not two, but three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. There are plans at the other parks for big motels and pickleball courts and disc golf courses, all of which run completely counter to what our state parks are all about.
Fake Endorsements Roil St. Johns County Republicans
St. Johns County Republican Party Chair Denver Cook says the party “learned that a fraudulent voter guide has been mailed to many Republican voters across the county.”
To Succeed Travis Hutson, Tom Leek’s Battle of the Fliers with David Shoar Is Among Key Florida Senate Races
The Republican primary for Senate District 7–made up of St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and part of Volusia counties–has drawn a flood of money and endorsements as House Appropriations Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and financial adviser Gerry James seek to represent the heavily Republican district. Term-limited Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, cannot seek re-election in the district.
Abortion Rights Bus Tours Florida Ahead of Convention
The national abortion rights advocacy group Free & Just brought its “Ride to Decide” bus tour to the Sunshine State this week, making appearances in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The bus tour kicked off in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention last month and is hitting states up and down the East Coast and South for the next few weeks before concluding at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later in August.
Flagler Cares and One Voice for Volusia Merge Safety Net and Substance Use Prevention Services
Flagler Cares and One Voice for Volusia announce that the two organizations have merged into one corporate structure under Flagler Cares. Flagler Cares will remain committed to providing social safety net, behavioral health and outpatient counseling, and prevention services for Flagler County. One Voice for Volusia is doing business as the Substance Use Prevention Coalition and neutral community facilitator in Volusia County, focusing on addressing risk factors and building protective factors to prevent initiation of youth substance use.
2 Parents Suing Over Book Bans in St. Johns Schools Tell Flagler Freedom to Read Activists: ‘Be Loud and Proud’
Nancy Tray and Anne Watts, parents suing in federal court over book bans in St. Johns County, were guests today of the weekly meeting in Palm Coast of the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a non-profit Chaired by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. The group took stock of the state of book bans in the two counties and the state, how to counter them, and what to expect next.
Appeals Court Denies Life Insurance Claim After Florida Climber Died on a Mountain in Pakistan
A federal appeals court Tuesday rejected a ruling in a South Florida case that would have led to sons of a man who died while mountain climbing in a remote area of Pakistan receiving a $500,000 life-insurance payment.
Law Still Blurry as Supreme Court Punts on Florida’s Social Media Law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated appeals court decisions involving Florida and Texas laws designed to restrict the power of social media companies to curb content that those platforms consider objectionable, sending Florida’s case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Texas case to the Fifth Circuit.