The Rev. Daisy Henry, a pastor, the former Bunnell City Commissioner and long-time advocate for South Bunnell and the Carver Center, died on Friday in Bunnell. Community members have been paying tribute to her tenacity and forthrightness through the years. She was 77.
Bunnell
Looking Past ‘Some Real Losers Over the Years,’ Bunnell Mayor Robinson Delivers a Buoyant State of a City
“I’ve been on this board a long time. And we’ve had some real losers on this board over the years,” Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson said with remarkable candor Monday evening, speaking from a dais at the Government Services Building that has known its share of losers, not just from Bunnell government: the County Commission and the School Board also hold their meetings there. She had just delivered a celebratory State of the City address.
Commerce Parkway Construction Images Show Leveling of Thick, Long-Undisturbed Forest
Bunnell government has released images showing the ongoing churning-like clearing through a thick forest of pines, brush and wetlands in the first stage of construction for Commerce Parkway, the two-lane road cutting a swath from State Road 100 to the north, to U.S. 1 to the south, east and south of the city.
Local Governments Ask Court to Dismiss Suit by ‘Disgruntled Citizen’ Challenging Carver Center Agreement
The three local governments and one agency that each have a role in funding or running the Carver Center in South Bunnell have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them filed by what they call a “disgruntled citizen” who doesn’t like the Flagler County Sheriff’s Police Athletic League’s involvement at the center, and who they say has no standing to sue.
Local Firebrand Sues Sheriff, County, Bunnell and School Board Over ‘Illicit’ Carver Center Agreement
Eric Josey, a retired New York cop with a brief, checkered history at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and an often controversial local firebrand in the name of African-American causes, is suing the Sheriff’s Office, the County Commission, the School Board and the city of Bunnell over the four agence’s recent joint agreement in running the Carver Center, also known as Carver Gym, in Bunnell.
19-Year-Old Bunnell Man Is Third Shooter in Bunnell Firefight That Left Victim in Critical Condition
The third and last individual wanted by Bunnell police in the March 16 shooting that left a bystander in critical condition was arrested today, closing the police department’s portion of the investigation as the matter moves to the State Attorney’s Office and Circuit Court.
The Day Bunnell Shook with Groundbreakings: New City Hall, New Road, New Urban Horizon
Bunnell and Flagler County government held a pair of groundbreakings today to mark the construction of a new Bunnell City Hall and the digging through of the future 1.7-mile Commerce Parkway from State Road 100 to U.S. 1. The opening of Commerce Parkway may re-balance the city geographically and economically, adding a commercial and industrial component to go with the heavy residential development of Grand Reserve to the north.
Bunnell’s Chicken Pantry Is No More After 68 Years of Joyfully Frying Everything That Moves
After 68 years in business under more than half a dozen owners and in two locations, Bunnell’s Chicken Pantry is no more. Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson, whose office is across the way, said he’d been hearing of the business having financial difficulties before he saw the iconic red chicken on State Road 100 had been removed.
Admitting to Role in Killing Him, Tyrese Patterson Called 16-Year-Old Noah Smith His ‘Dog’ and ‘Best Friend’
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins has denied a motion by 22-year-old Tyrese Patterson’s attorney to exclude a long confession from his upcoming trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in a crossfire in Bunnell two years ago. That confession includes details about what led up to the killing, and how Patterson described his relationship with Smith as “best friends” who hung out together frequently. Startlingly, he also said the killing had not changed him.
Shooting in Bunnell Leaves a 20-Year-Old Man in Critical Condition
A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after suffering gunshot wounds in Bunnell late Saturday night, according to Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon.
AdventHealth Foundation Leads Community Business Drive to Donate 4 Defibrillators to Bunnell Police
The AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation and seven local businesses split the cost of four defibrillators, totaling $8,000, to jump start Bunnell’s effort to have 16 Automatic External Defibrillators for its police department.
State Road 100 Repaving from Bunnell to Old Kings Road Begins April 1
Flagler County officials advise residents that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) road resurfacing project for State Road 100 – East Moody Boulevard – will begin April 1. The project area runs from North Palmetto Street in Bunnell to Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.
Housekeeper Arrested on Charge of Stealing Deceased Client’s $20,000 Ring
Ruth Ann Robertson, 57, of Bunnell, had cleaned the deceased client’s home a few days after the death, and pawned a ring later appraised at $20,000 for about $1,200. She faces a felony grand theft charge.
Bunnell Brawl Involving Up to 60 People Ends with 6 Arrests as Even Corrections Deputies Are Summoned to Help
A late-night brawl involving 40 to 50 people–and up to 60, according one sheriff’s report–on South Anderson Street in Bunnell Saturday ended with the arrest of four adults and two juveniles, including one, Andrea Armster, 41, on a felony charge of battering a law enforcement officer. The incident involved so many people, and so many law enforcement officers, that detention deputies from the jail had to assist.
St. Mary Catholic Church in Korona, a Legacy of Immigrants, Is Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The community of Korona’s St. Mary Catholic Church (also known as the St. Mary Mother Church) at 89 St. Mary’s Place in Bunnell was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on Jan. 25. The structure meets several NRHP requirements for historic significance including: architecture, ethnic heritage (European, Polish), and exploration/settlement. The very unique Shrine of Saint Christopher, a short distance north of the church, was also listed as a contributing resource.
20 Years Later, 1.7-Mile, $14.5 Million Commerce Parkway from SR100 Is a Go. Just Don’t Call It a ‘Bypass’ Anymore.
The concept of a new Bunnell road from State Road 100 to U.S. 1 has been talked about for 20 years. It’s been debated, opposed, embraced and finally funded. Monday, it’ll clear its last hurdle when the County Commission approves a $9.5 million contract to build the 1.7-mile, two-lane road going south from Commerce Parkway, past the Sheriff’s Operations Center and the future sites of the south branch of the Flagler County Public Library and Bunnell’s City Hall. The project will take between 18 months and two years.
Proposed Joint Agreement on Bunnell’s Carver Center Governance Gives Sheriff’s PAL New and Larger Role
A proposed joint agreement on governing the Carver Center in South Bunnell–the area’s only recreation and community center–gives the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Police Athletic League a broader presence and a much more prominent role in the management of the facility, especially in programming and running the gym.
Drone Footage Shows Extent of Flagler Playhouse Fire’s Irreparable Devastation; Likely an Electrical Cause
Drone footage of the aftermath of the Flagler Playhouse fire shows annihilating damage you cannot see from street level, with the entirety of the theater–the main building–as if systematically bombed through its nave. The multilayered roof of metal, asphalt shingles and wood has collapsed, melted from within. The iconic spire somehow kept standing at the front of the building, held up by metal trusses, though it’s a matter of time before it is removed.
Flagler Playhouse Burns, Demolishing Home of County’s Oldest Theater Troupe and a City Landmark
The Flagler Playhouse, for 46 years a mainstay of the performing arts in the county, lost the rustic theater it has occupied and packed with audiences since 2006 in Bunnell as a fire destroyed it Sunday night into early Monday. Flagler County Fire Chief Michael Tucker said the building was irreparable.
Harry Kuleski Jr. Garlanded in Awards, Including Lifetime Achievement and Bunnel Police’s Medal of Merit
Harry Kuleski, Jr. was finally recognized at the regular city commission meeting this past Monday for years of service in the military and law enforcement, and thousands of hours of volunteer service.
Bunnell Elementary Principal Evensen Resigns, Saying She ‘Certainly’ Does Not Deserve What’s Happening to Her
Donelle Evensen this morning announced her resignation as Bunnell Elementary principal five weeks after being named to the position, and not quite three weeks after being placed on leave following her approval of an assembly where faculty segregated Black students. At no point in either letters does Evensen take responsibility or offer any regret for the tenor of the assembly or the misjudgments that led to it.
Bunnell Principal Donelle Evensen on Administrative Leave as District Faces Fallout of Segregated Assembly
Donelle Evensen, the principal at Bunnell Elementary School for mere weeks, was placed on paid administrative leave today, and Superintendent LaShakia Moore asked that a three-hour board workshop scheduled for today, where she was to be interviewed for the permanent job, be postponed.
Sheriff’s PAL Is Not Taking Over Carver Center Or Changing Its Name, County and School District Assure Community
Contrary to rumors and fears, the Flagler Sheriff Police Athletic League is not taking over the Carver Center in South Bunnell, nor is the Carver Center losing its name, its governing structure its staffing by the school district, the chairman of the Flagler County School Board and the county administrator say. But PAL is seeking to have a significant presence there.
Flagler County Approves 1st Step to Doubling Levy in the Mondex, Angering Residents
The Flagler County Commission today voted 4-1 to potentially double the special assessment rate residents of Daytona North pay for some road maintenance and other infrastructure improvements. Residents attending the meeting were not happy. Nor was County Commissioner Leann Pennington.
Florida Cracker Ranch and Flagler Broadcasting Team Up for Red White and Boom Weekend
Flagler Broadcasting and Florida Cracker Ranch are collaborating in the production of Red White and Boom, a three-day weekend from June 30 to July 1 in the run-up to Independence Day, with camping, off-roading, entertainment and fireworks.
Flagler Beach Achieves One Goal in Meeting With Other Governments: Agreement that the City Needs Help
Flagler Beach convinced other cities and the county in a joint meeting this evening that it cannot contend with the ongoing onslaught of visitors alone, and only in Flagler Beach, when the county has plenty of unused beaches and cities can contribute other strategies.
$5 Million for Fire Station 22 Vetoed, But Palm Coast Still Nets Historic $55 Million Haul from Legislature
Palm Coast is focusing on the positive: scoring $54.6 million out of $59.6 million in legislative requests, not including more than $1 million to be earmarked for a new YMCA in the city.
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.
9 Arrested on Federal Indictments in Phoenix-to-Palm Coast Drug Pipeline
A more-than-yearlong federal and local investigation into a drug pipeline from Mexico, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Palm Coast led to the indictment on federal trafficking and conspiracy charges of nine individuals, including two from Palm Coast and three from Bunnell.
180 Palm Coast-Area Muslims and Mayor Alfin Celebrate End of Ramadan on 2nd Anniversary of Bunnell Islamic Center
Palm Coast and Flagler County’s fast-growing Muslim community marked Eid-el-Fitr, the celebratory end of Ramadan, with Mayor David Alfin today at the Palm Coast Community Center and the anniversary of the emergence of an Islamic Center from a founding meeting at Holland Park.
Boil-Water Advisory in Effect Citywide After Power Surge Briefly Knocks Out Bunnell Plant
A power surge this morning briefly knocked the Bunnell water plant off line, interrupting water service city-wide, Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson said. The interruption resulted in a cautionary boil-water advisory for residents and businesses across the city today.
Louis Gaskin Killed 33 Years After Double-Murder as Mark Carman, Who’d Arrested Him, Witnesses
Louis Gaskin, who murdered Robert and Georgette Sturmfels in Palm Coast’s R Section in 1989, was killed by lethal injection Wednesday evening. Mark Carman, who arrested Gaskin 33 years ago, was among the witnesses to the execution, and spoke of the experience, as did others who turned up in opposition to the death penalty.
Ex-Condo Association President Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Secretly Filming Women
Robert William Orr, the former president of the Las Brisas Condo Association arrested on numerous charges of secretly capturing video of residents and guests, was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison followed by three years on sex-offender probation.
Open Burning Regulations Adopted in Bunnell
This ordinance enabled regulations for open burning and requirements for open burning permits for properties within the City limits.
Bunnell Lands a Nearly-All Flagler Team to Build Its City Hall and Police Station
Bunnell will have a nearly all-Flagler County team designing and building its future city hall on Commerce Boulevard, what’s being referred to as an 18,000 square foot Administration/Police Department Complex. It is slated to open in early 2024.
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services Hosting Opioid Response Recognition Training Saturday
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services is hosting a free Opioid Response Recognition Training on Saturday, January 28, at 9:00 AM at St. James Baptist Church, 609 State St. in Bunnell. Pam Birtolo, Executive Director of Flagler OARS will facilitate the training.
Pete Young Is Appointed to Bunnell City Commission, 2 Months Ahead of Swearing-In
Former FHP Cpl. Pete Young, who served on the Bunnell City Commission almost 20 years ago, was appointed to the commission Monday evening two and a half months before he is sworn-in to the seat he won in an uncontested election. He will fill out the vacancy created by the resignation of Bob Barnes in the meantime.
In Bunnell, Rogers and Gordon and, Finally, Pete Young All Elected Without Opposition
Commissioner John Rogers was re-elected for his fifth term, uncontested for the first time. Incumbent Commissioner Tonya Gordon ran in the special election to fill the seat Bob Barnes vacated last year, what will be a two-year term.
Smiles Nite Club’s David Ghiloni Gets Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award for Jumping Gunman
David Ghiloni along with other bar patrons intervened when a gunman was holding a gun to a woman’s head at Smiles Nite Club in November.
Bunnell’s Sizemore Welding Will Buy Former Sheriff’s Operations Building Ahead of Expansion
Duane Sizemore of Sizemore Welding–Bunnell’s largest manufacturer–confirmed that his company will be buying the former Sheriff’s Operation Center off State Road 100, for just over $3 million. The 36,000 square foot facility will be expanded by 15,000 square feet, and will receive a $96,000 incentive from the city.
Flagler’s Cold-Weather Homeless Shelter Facing Staffing Challenge as 4-Night Freeze Coincides With Christmas
Flagler County’s all-volunteer organization that runs the county’s only cold-weather shelter is facing a steep staffing challenge this week as the National Weather Service is warning of an unusually long, bitter cold spell starting Friday night and coinciding with the Christmas weekend, when many shelter volunteers are away, visiting family. The shelter is planning to open four nights in a row.
Bunnell Elementary’s Robin Jaques Lands $10,000 Golden Grant for Literacy Initiative
Bunnell Elementary and teacher Robin Jaques are one of 11 Central Florida schools in Florida to be awarded a Golden Grant from J-Quint LLC, a franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants. Jaques’s award is for $10,000.
18 Years in the Works, Commerce Parkway Connection from SR100 to US1 Is Finally a Go
The $15 million two-lane road (utilities included) will connect State Road 100 to U.S. 1 around Bunnell’s east side, with construction expected to start next summer. The County Commission cleared the project on Monday.
West Flagler Waters Receding, Easing Fears
Residents in western Flagler County should see flood waters recede in earnest within the next 24 hours as Haw Creek near Russell Landing appears to have crested, however the high tide measures at Dunns Creek will measure slightly higher over the next week.
Rymfire Elementary Will Open as Special-Needs Shelter, Bunnell Elementary as General Population and Pets Shelter
The special-needs shelter at Rymfire Elementary will open at 1 p.m. Wednesday in anticipation of deteriorating weather from Hurricane Ian. The timing of the first shelter for general population and pets, to open at Bunnell Elementary, has not yet been determined. That time will be announced Wednesday morning.
Westward Ho, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Tells Realtors, with View to Double City’s Footprint
Palm Coast Mayor offered a bullish vision of Palm Coast’s westward expansion past U.S. 1 while speaking to fellow-Realtors at the annual Meet the Mayors event Wednesday, along side County Commissioner Greg Hansen, Bunnell mayor Catherine Robinson, Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston and Beverly beach Mayor Steve Emmett.
Bunnell Commission Votes 3-1 to Leave Seat Vacant Despite Charter’s Command to Fill It
The Bunnell City Commission voted 3-1 to leave vacant a seat on its panel for what will amount to eight months by the time a special election to fill it is held on March 7, even though the city charter explicitly requires that the seat be filled. Bunnell voters will be electing three candidates in March instead of two.
New Traffic Pattern Enforced Around Bunnell Elementary Starting Sept. 6 to Cut Down on Complaints
The new pattern was developed by Bunnell Elementary school and the Bunnell Police Department to alleviate issues that arose after the resumption of school in August, when the Police Department received complaints related to traffic safety during drop-off in the morning.
Pete Young Resigns the Bunnell Commission Seat to Which He Was Appointed 2 Weeks Ago
Two weeks after the Bunnell City Commission appointed Pete Young, a former FHP investigator, to serve until next March in the seat vacated by Bob Barnes, Young resigned without serving a day. He’d discovered that his retirement rules kept him from serving.
Woman Who Started Small Fire Outside Larry’s Guns Was Seeking Police Attention
Bunnell police is investigating an incident that took place early Tuesday morning in front of Larry’s Guns, the store near the corner of State Road 100 and U.S. 1, as a woman was burning belongings in a small fire she had started. She told police she wanted to catch their attention because her car had broken down.