Three unrelated shootings, once of them authorities described as an attempted murder, left three people injured and involved three police agencies, including in one case the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, though no arrests have been made.
Bunnell
Rev. Beth Gardner, Leading Voice For Flagler’s Homeless, Is Leaving Bunnell’s Methodist Church After 15 Years
Rev. Gardner, who will lead a parish in Lakeland starting in July, transformed the church into the county’s most progressive advocate for the homeless, housing a cold-weather shelter and keeping awareness about homelessness on the forefront of county and city agendas.
Bunnell Joins County in Big-Debt Refinancing Trend, Saving Large Amounts
By cutting its financing costs by almost half, Bunnell will save $600,000 on two loans dating back to the 1990s. County government similarly saved millions by refinancing loans for the courthouse and the Government Services Building.
Police Badge More Than “Just a Trinket Or Souvenir”: Sheriff and Bunnell Deny Ex-Cop
When David Barbee, who’d worked with the Flagler sheriff’s office and the Bunnell Police Department for a badge and retirement ID–though he did not retire from either agency–he was denied from both agencies. He is protesting the decision to the Bunnell commission tonight.
Larrys’ Guns and Ammo in Heart Of Bunnell Is Target of a Night Burglary
Burglars got away with at least five shotguns, gaining access to the store by way of a ceiling vent and the attic before cops responded to a store alarm.
No Racism Here: EEOC Dismisses Ex-City Manager Martinez’s Complaint Against Bunnell
Armando Martinez alleged that Bunnell ended his contract in 2013 because it didn’t want a Hispanic individual in that position. He has until mid-June to file a lawsuit against the city.
Edmon Welch Sentenced to Life in Prison For Home Invasion and Battery on 88 Year Old
A jury had found Edmon N. Welch guilty of the home invasion and battery on Ray Mercer in August 2013. An accomplice Jody Medders, is already serving five years in prison.
Armed Car-Jacking in Bunnell Ends in Volusia With Arrest of Four Flagler Teens
All four suspects are from Palm Coast and Bunnell, the youngest being 15. They were arrested after a pursuit involving four police agencies and Volusia County’s Air One helicopter.
After Just One Arrest in 4 Years on Prostitution-Related Charges, Sheriff’s Detectives Arrest 4 in 48 Hours
Flagler sheriff’s detectives Wednesday and Thursday arrested two men for soliciting sex, a woman for prostituting herself, and a man for pimping another woman, to a group of men who turned out to be undercover detectives.
Resurrection: In 3-1 Vote, County Approves Lease of Old Courthouse to Baptist School
The vote also represents an unexpected, 11th-hour turn-around for a building most people, including some commissioners (and Bunnell’s city government, which briefly took possession of it before rejecting it), had written off as unusable.
With Generous County Subsidy, Christian School May Be Next Tenant of Old Courthouse
County government will vote Tuesday on a proposal by First Baptist Christian Academy of Palm Coast to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell for $5,700 a month, and with an interest-free, 30-year tax-funded loan of $360,000.
After Confrontation, Police Taser and Arrest Bunnell Man Seeking Suicide By Cop
Henry Brock, 25, was arrested in several counts of police assault after cops stopped a fight between Brock and another man, at which point Brock threatened the cops and himself until he was incapacitated by two Taser shots.
Woman’s Report of Armed Robbery Leads to SWAT’s Raid of 2 Homes Before Suspect Is Caught Elsewhere
The alleged armed robbery of 23-year-old Nicole Rizzo on Bunnell’s South Chapel Street in early evening Friday led to the arrest of Charles Lenard “CJ” Phillips.
Cash, Crack, Pot and Pills: Drug Sweep in Palm Coast and Bunnell Yields 16 Arrests
Most of the arrests were the result of under-cover drug buys conducted in November, leading to search and arrest warrants that SWAT teams and other cops served today. There were no arrests in Flagler Beach.
Between Nature Scapes, Salvo Project and the Flagler Youth Orchestra, a Daylong Convergence of Art, Music and Green
Salvo Art gallery and Nature Scapes will be host to a day-and-evening-long celebration of art, music and trees all of Saturday, with performances by the Flagler Youth Orchestra to go along with an art opening of small works at the gallery.
Faith Coleman, Founder of Flagler County Free Clinic and Champion of Grit, Is Dead at 60
Even as she battled a cancer that kept recurring over the past 11 years, Faith Coleman created in the Flagler County Free Clinic one of the county’s most crucial and enduring institutions, which a board of directors now vows to preserve in her memory.
Feed Flagler’s 364-Day Blinders: Why Isn’t a Portion of Old Courthouse Considered as Homeless Shelter?
It must be Thanksgiving because as with the first Thanksgiving, the pilgrims seem more interested in clobbering the poor than feeding them.
Some Skepticism Aside, County Broadens Old Courthouse Panel’s Mission: Find Tenants
The county commission Monday evening voted 4-1 to give the courthouse committee until the end of March to find tenants who can pay their way and end the county’s $6,000-a-month subsidy of the building.
Renovate and Lease Old Courthouse But Don’t Sell or Demolish, Committee Recommends
An advisory committee’s much-awaited findings recommend that county government continue to carry the maintenance costs of the old courthouse until it is able to renovate and rent it to non-profits or office-type concerns.
Street Fight Escalates in South Bunnell, Drawing 15 Sheriff’s Units and City Police
A fight that began between students at a bus stop then drew in parents and escalated to include some 20 people and more than 100 “spectators” drew a large police response in South Bunnell late Tuesday afternoon into evening, and led to three injuries, though none were serious, police said.
Vaulting from Hollingsworth to Salvo Art: JJ Graham Opens Gallery of Revelations in Bunnell
With the opening of the Salvo Art Project gallery Saturday evening on the grounds of Nature Scapes in Bunnell–the reincarnation of Hollingsworth Gallery in Palm Coast–JJ Graham is creating an artists’ colony devoted to expressionist art in a space at once immense and intimate.
As Bunnell Cancels Christmas and Potato Festival, Private Group Aims to Save Both
Bunnell cancelled all special events to close a $1 million deficit, and the Flagler Chamber is unable to run the annual Potato Festival, but Mari Molina of Flagler Cats says she is organizing a group of private concerns and volunteers to take over the festival and re-name it the Bunnell Agricultural Festival.
Welcome Home, Bunnell: City Celebrates Its New Digs After Five Years’ Squatting
The four-building, $600,000 Bunnell City Hall complex has more space than the city knows what to do with, but acquired at a tenth the price it might have had to pay had it moved into the old county courthouse.
Citing Racism, Ex-Manager Armando Martinez Files Discrimination Charge Against Bunnell
Armando Martinez charges that when Bunnell Commissioner Elbert Tucker spoke of not wanting another manager from Miami, he was discriminating against Martinez’s Cuban heritage. Tucker says he was merely opposing hiring another big-city manager.
17-Year-Old Runaway Palm Coast Girl Found Unresponsive at Bunnell’s Budget Motel
A 17-year-old Palm Coast girl reported missing Saturday was found unconscious in a motel room Monday morning, where she’d checked in with a 27-year-old the night before, in a case Bunnell police terms “suspicious.” The girl was still in a coma Wednesday at a hospital in Jacksonville.
Weekend Violence: An Arrest Over Child Abuse, Another From a Baseball-Bat Assault
Jolynn Martin, 29, of Bunnell, was arrested following a violent argument with two adults, one of whom was holding a 2-year-old girl, who allegedly got punched. Martin Wright, 54, of Bunnell, was arrested for allegedly taking a baseball bat to another man’s head in an argument.
Flagler’s Constitutional Officers, With Combined Salaries of $1 Million, Get 0.4% Bump
When the $140,406 in salaries to city elected officials is added to the figure, the combined total, for elected officials in Flagler County, stands at $1.13 million for the coming year, not including benefits.
Fearing Ambush, Cops and Medics “Stage” Before Responding to Reported Shooting in Bunnell
The incident took place just after midnight Thursday in South Bunnell: 911 got several calls about an alleged shooting and a victim who’d been injured, but threats against police on social media led to precautions against an ambush.
Who Wants an Old Courthouse? County Opens Doors, and A Few Eyes
A county-hosted open house at the old Flagler County Courthouse drew dozens of people Friday, mostly local residents and perhaps three or four prospective businesses, as the county continues to study what to do with the old, 50,000-square-foot structure.
Bunnell Eliminates 40% Of Police Department as Part of Wider Cost-Cuts and Lay-Offs
Seeking to cut an $800,000 deficit that represents a fifth of the city’s budget, the Bunnell City Commission Monday cut its commission salaries by 10 percent, eliminated its grants department and laid off staff that have been mainstays of the Bunnell administration and police department over the years.
For 2nd Time in 5 Days, South Bunnell Is Scene of Violent Attack, This Time a Stabbing
Edward Godwin, a 68-year-old felon on probation and with a long arrest record, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing a woman who interceded between Godwin and his wife as the couple were arguing in front of her house, and Godwin’s wife was calling out for help.
Man Is Shot and Wounded Near MLK Blvd. And S. Cherry in Bunnell, Suspect Still at Large
A man was shot just after 8 p.m. tonight (July 23) in the area of Martin Luther King Blvd. and South Cherry Street in South Bunnell, the city’s police chief, Tom Foster, said this evening. Authorities are investigating.
Find a Lawyer: Flagler Duo Launches Unique Web Venture Rating Attorneys’ Success Rate
CourtCaseResults.com, the brainchild of Trevor Tucker and Darren McGuire, is a freely accessible website that gives consumers full histories of lawyers’ success and failure rates in Flagler cases. Launched Monday, the site is gradually moving to include cases statewide.
Divided and in Crisis, Bunnell Begins Deep Cuts to Close $844,000 Gap But Police Department Survives, For Now
The Bunnell City Commission in a tension-filled, four=-hour meeting Monday voted 3-2 to eliminate code enforcement and the humane society, among a list of cuts, but delay eliminating the police and grants department for two weeks, giving department heads time to make their case for survival.
Citing Growing Deficits, Auditor Warns Bunnell Is On an Unsustainable Course
With recurring deficits of close to $1 million in the general fund, the Bunnell City Commission heard the bleakest audit report it’s heard in recent years, with no new revenue expected to brighten the picture.
As Committee Tours Old Courthouse, Size and Financial Viability Loom Larger Than Repairs
Wednesday’s tour was the first time most committee members had a chance to see the building from within. The Flagler County Commission earlier this month appointed the seven-member committee to recommend what to do with the 50,000-square-foot courthouse, as the county is no longer willing to be its caretaker.
Bunnell Planning Board Approves Ordinance Targeting Bible Half-Way House For Addicts
The Bunnell board’s unanimous decision, if ratified by the Bunnell City Commission, would likely prevent the half-way house from opening its doors, but the city and the targeted ministry are locked in a federal legal battle which the proposed ordinance could exacerbate.
Another Pit Bull Blamed in Mondex Attack, This Time on a 1-Year-Old Girl
A pit bull mix is blamed in an attack on a 1-year-old Bunnell girl who ended up with deep bite punctures and gashes on her face Thursday as she played in her front yard Thursday.
Bunnell and Christian Ministry Locked in Federal Battle Over a Recovery Home for Addicts
Bunnell city government passed an ordinance to prevent Open Door Ministry from opening an addicts-recovery center at the south end of town. The ministry sued in federal court, citing discrimination.
For $600,000, Bunnell Buys Former Heritage Charter School Campus For Its New City Hall
The decision was the result of ma 3-1 vote at a special meeting. Bunnell projects spending an additional $300,000 to prepare the three-building campus for its permanent offices, including the police department, all of which have been spread through three locations around Bunnell for the past five years.
With Revels Chairing, County Puts Its Imprint on Committee to Study Fate of Old Courthouse
The seven-member committee will to the commission recommend whether to sell, demolish or redevelop for local businesses the old county courthouse again saddling county taxpayers, after Bunnell rejected its ownership in April and the county angrily took it back in May.
Ordered to Unseal Secret Redistricting Papers, GOP Operative Seeks High Court Intervention
Pat Bainter on Wednesday asked U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to issue an emergency stay blocking an order by the Florida Supreme Court less than 24 hours earlier that granted permission for the documents to be used in an ongoing trial challenging the constitutionality of the congressional map approved by the Florida Legislature in 2012.
Tri-County Drug Sweep Nets 57 Arrests, 20 in Flagler, But Many Back On the Streets Swiftly
Dubbed “Operation Safe Summer,” the three-county drug sweep was conducted to reduce the amount of drugs available as summer break approaches, officials said, but by late afternoon several of those arrested were already back on the streets, and many more would likely follow.
Bunnell Cop Arrested Over Computer Porn Conducted Unauthorized Background Searches on City Commissioners
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is still investigating the case, uncovered evidence that Michael Stavris conducted unauthorized background checks on three sitting city commissioners: Bill Baxley, John Rogers and Elbert Tucker. Stavris may face no penalty for doing so, for lack of a policy in Bunnell.
Angry But Cornered, County Takes Old Courthouse Back from Bunnell, Handing Its Fate to a Committee
Commissioners Barbara Revels and George Hanns bitterly criticized Bunnell’s decision to reverse course and reject the old courthouse, blaming the city for accelerating the building’s deterioration and leaving the county little choice. In the meantime, the county will again pick up the $60,000 to $80,000-a-year tab of maintaining the building to keep it from deteriorating more than it already has.
County’s Generosity To Bunnell Runs Out as Commission Imposes Rent and Exit Deadline
Bunnell city government has been occupying county office spaces for almost five years. On Monday. the county agreed to slap on $2,400-a-month rent and $100-per-meeting fees on the city, starting Aug. 1, and it will expect Bunnell to vacate the GSB by Dec. 1 regardless.
Charles Cowart Jr., Just Released From Jail on Dropped Charges, Is Arrested For Burglary
Charles Cowart Jr. was accused of breaking into a Cowart family-owned house in Flagler Beach Monday evening–the same house where part of the incidents that led police to investigate Cowart and three other men on rape and kidnapping charges had unfolded in March 2013. Those charges were dropped last week.
Supreme Court’s Decision Allowing Prayers at Government Meetings Reverberates Locally
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision today allowing explicitly religious prayers at local government meetings had two direct connections to Palm Coast and Bunnell. So the ruling had particular resonance locally—happily for some, not so happily for others.
Patron, Angered By Food, Arrested For Punching Chicken Pantry Owner; Woman Arrested Over Rogue Gunshot
Spencer Veney, 52, of Palm Coast, was arrested after getting upset over the food at the Chicken Pantry and allegedly punching out the owner. Ashley Ross, 27, of Bunnell, was arrested for firing a .22-caliber gun in public the following evening. Both incidents drew large crowds.
Wings Over Flagler Leader and Bunnell Director Arrested on Drunk Driving Charges Over the Weekend
Bill Mills, a lead organizer, with WNZF, of Wings Over Flagler since the event’s inception four years ago and its rejuvenation this past weekend, was arrested just before midnight on Friday night on the Flagler Beach Bridge. Mick Cuthbertson, Bunnell’s community development director, was arrested early Sunday morning after going against traffic on U.S. 1 and crashing into a car.