Flagler County’s Emergency Management team made its mark last week at the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association’s (FEPA) Annual Meeting.
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Affordable Housing Proposal Bans Local Rent Control Measures
A $711 million affordable housing package designed to address Florida’s affordable housing crisis was met with disapproval and ire by housing activists on Wednesday — they said the measure’s provision to ban local governments from enacting rent controls won’t help alleviate the problem.
Palm Coast’s Frank Fiore, 53, Accused of Fleecing Elderly Woman Who Took Him In
Frank Fiore, 53, of Palm Coast, faces nine felony charges–a maximum of 125 years in prison–for stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry from the elderly women who took him in after he told her at church that he was down on his luck.
Future BJ’s Wholesale Club Raises Traffic Concerns as Palm Coast Mulls Annexation
As it considers annexing the land where a BJ’s Wholesale Club will rise on State Road 100, the Palm Coast City Council is concerned about the amount of additional cars thronging an already busy road, and may condition annexation on the a analysis.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Weekly Chess Club for teens at the Public Library, how Jules Verne saved a childhood, James Spader, Taiwan’s inevitable rendez-vous with China.
Republican Lawmakers Prepared to Spend $10 Million on Migrant Expulsions from Florida
The Florida Senate on Wednesday likely will take up a plan that would bolster Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to send migrants to “sanctuary” cities and states, as Republicans and Democrats battle over the issue.
W.E.B. Du Bois and the Importance of African American Studies
Du Bois’ words in a 1951 article are especially prescient today, offering a reminder about the importance of Black History Month and what is at stake in current conversations about African American studies.
Over 80% of Staffers Surveyed at 9 Flagler County Schools Don’t Want To Be Armed on Campus
The survey was conducted at the request of the Flagler County School Board as the board studies the feasibility of arming some staffers in addition to the sheriff’s school resource deputies. The survey did not ask employees whether they supported or opposed an armed-employee program in general, but only their willingness to participate.
This Time, the School Board’s ‘Retreat’ Is a Snooze Fest. Yay!
When the Flagler County School Board board last went into “retreat,” in 2021, it devolved into open warfare and fabrications. Today’s retreat, with three new board members, was comparatively straight-forward and drama-free.
70 People Turn Up, Hoping for Appointment to District’s Book-Banning Committees
Some 70 people turned up Monday evening for a session designed to train people interested in serving on the Flagler County school district’s nascent committees that will review attempts by residents to ban books from school library shelves.
Disney Would Lose Control of Tax District to Board Appointed by DeSantis
A legislative proposal introduced Monday in the Florida Legislature would rename the Reedy Creek Improvement District that has been controlled by Disney World in Central Florida for more than 55 years and replace it with a new board selected exclusively by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
The school board holds a “retreat” so its new and old members can get to know each other better, Palm Coast Council takes up Harborside again, Vermeer and Hopper, Bill Maher on cancel culture, Don DeLillo on Fox News before Fox News.
How Atmospheric Rivers Are Accelerating Polar Melt
Atmospheric rivers, those long, powerful streams of moisture in the sky, are becoming more frequent in the Arctic, and they’re helping to drive dramatic shrinking of the Arctic’s sea ice cover. Sea ice loss contributes to global warming and to extreme storms that cause economic damage well beyond the Arctic.
Palm Coast’s Water Treatment Plant #1 Will Be Down for a Week
The electrical upgrade will require the plant, one of the City’s three water treatment plants, to be shut down on February 7, 2023, to approximately February 14, 2023.
Judge Criticizes Low Bond and Denies Lowering it Further on 18-Year-Old in Flagler Beach Assaults
In a case that’s drawn outsized attention from the Flagler Beach community, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins denied lowering Gabriella Alo’s $18,500 bond on charges of running over a 29-year-old woman who’d come to the aid of a 15-year-old boy Alo and her brother are accused of beating up on jan. 11 at Wickline Park in Flagler Beach.
‘Absolutely No Excuse’: County Blasts Old Dixie Motel Owners and Will Again Seek Demolition
After trying for six years to have the derelict motel on Old Dixie Highway rehabilitated, Flagler County officials today again said they will seek to demolish the property as the latest owners have failed to live up to an agreement with the local government.
After Demise of Bull Creek Camp’s Restaurant, Commission’s Pennington Calls for Replacement Amenity
Saying Flagler County’s west side is losing its amenities, Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington implored her colleagues and the administration to focus on getting some form of replacement, even if not a restaurant, at Bull Creek Fishcamp, where the county will demolish the existing restaurant.
Lawyers to the Rescue: County Ratifies Agreement Clearing Historic Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
The Flagler County Commission this morning ratified the final agreement clearing the way for a historic dune-rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of shoreline in Flagler Beach, starting in April 2024–almost a quarter century after the federal government started considering the stretch for long-term safeguarding from erosion and rising seas.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 6, 2023
The county commission ratifies the agreement that opens the way to beach renourishment, a school district information session on book-banning committees, Philip Roth on Ronald Reagan’s senescence, George Carlin Reagan’s corruption.
Democrats’ South Carolina Primary Move: Diversity and Moderation Over Tradition
Biden said early nominating states should reflect the diversity of the party and nation and that time-consuming caucuses, like those held in Iowa, should no longer be a part of the process because they disadvantage hourly workers and others who can’t take the required time away from work.
Flagler County Maintains Favorable ISO, or Fire Protection, Rating
The rating takes into account the 9-1-1 emergency reporting system, local fire departments, water supply, and community risk reduction.
Dear Gov. DeSantis: Suppressing Black People Doesn’t Play Well Outside Fox Echo Box
Governor, we all know that you’ve stopped even pretending you’re not racist. But pitching hissy fits about gay people, drag queens, and black history ain’t a good look if you want to appeal to anyone outside the Fox swamp. RuPaul has one of the most popular shows in the nation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 5, 2023
The Flagler Home and Lifestyle Show’s final day, “Rent” at the Playhouse, a look at the United States’ dismal family leave, Don DeLillo on Athens, David Brooks on a more perfect union.
Critical Thinking Isn’t Enough. Time for Critical Ignoring.
A boundless wealth of high-quality information is available at our fingertips right next to a ceaseless torrent of low-quality, distracting, false and manipulative information. It’s necessary not only to distinguish between the two but to ignore much of the trashier information.
Volunteers Collect Half a Ton of Litter in Keep Palm Coast Clean Event
Volunteers collected over 85 bags of trash equivalent to more than 1000 pounds of debris. This does not include heavy miscellaneous items collected such as a discarded mattress, misc. automobile parts, construction materials, and tires.
County Commissioner Donald O’Brien Declares Run for Renner’s Seat, Tom Leek for Hutson’s
Flagler County Commissioner Donald O’Brien, who in the last four years became Joe Mullins’s staunchest ally, will run for Paul Renner’s House seat, and Tom Leek, the House member from Ormond Beach, will run for Travis Hutson’s.
Florida Supreme Court Strips ‘Fairness and Diversity’ from Judges’ Training Programs
Florida judges no longer will need to learn how to at least try to ensure “fairness and diversity” while applying the law under a rule change that the Florida Supreme Court has adopted by a nearly unanimous vote.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 4, 2023
Annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk in Town Center, the 2023 Flagler Home and Lifestyle Show at FPC, Love is Love Pridefest, when Bayard Rustin refused to give up his seat on the bus long before Rosa Parks.
The Wall Street Journal, Economist and Financial Times All Now Have Female Editors. What Does It mean for Business?
More women at the top increases the likelihood of women rising through the ranks. These media appointments may even be more important in one respect than the increased number of women on corporate boards.
Sheriff’s Community Engagement Unit Trains 3,000th Woman in Self-Defense
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Community Engagement Unit hosted its 203rd Women’s Self-Defense Course and trained its 3,000th female participant on Thursday, January 26th. The class was hosted at the Palm Coast Community Center for City of Palm Coast employees.
In Major Shift, Flagler Beach Residents Appear to Favor Sea Walls, But Misconceptions Abound
A majority of Flagler Beach residents now appear to favor so-called secant sea walls, according to 58 responses gathered by FDOT and obtained by FlaglerLive. But that support rests on a fundamental misconception–that sea walls would not only protect State Road A1A behind them, but the beaches in front of them as well.
Unemployment Falls to Lowest Level Since 1969 as Economy Adds Over Half a Million Jobs
If the economy is heading for recession, as many economists have been predicting and local governments have been fearing, the job market isn’t getting the memo.
Palm Coast Mayor Suggests Candidates Be Criminal-Background Checked. Council Isn’t Interested.
A proposal by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to criminally-background check all future candidates for council drew more cautions and concerns from other council members and zero support, prompting him to withdraw it “until or unless it’s discussed in the future,” he said.
Recreational Pot Proposal Has the Signatures to Get on 2024 Ballot, But for Supreme Court Review
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have passed a preliminary hurdle to get on the 2024 ballot, submitting more than enough petition signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review of the measure.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 3, 2023
Berdella ‘Birdie’ Gibbs’s Photography Show, First Friday in Flagler Beach, Rumors: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute at the Auditorium, a lost Canadian passport is found, Billy Currington.
How the New African American Studies Course Was Purged
After it was rejected by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the College Board on the first day of Black History Month released the framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course. Here’s where the course hits the mark and where it comes up short.
Flagler Woman’s Club Hosts Casino Night Fund-Raiser Feb. 25
Flagler Woman’s Club invites you to the organization’s biggest fundraiser ever on Saturday, February 25 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Casino Night event will be held at the Italian American Social Club, 45 N. Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.
12,325 Tons of New Sand Rebuilds Dunes from Malacompra Road North
In the first week of the $3.67 million Hurricane Dorian dunes restoration project from south MalaCompra Park to south Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Flagler County’s contractor has added 12,325 tons of sand to 1,500 linear feet at the south end of the project.
‘The Truth About Alice’ Survives Book-Banning Attempt in 12-0 Vote by FPC and Matanzas Committees
A book review committee jointly made up of Flagler Palm Coast High and Matanzas High School representatives on Tuesday voted unanimously to keep “The Truth About Alice” in circulation at both schools’ libraries. The book was challenged on claims that it contained “pornography.” It is the fourth book to survive a challenge, out of 22 challenges, with 10 already removed and others awaiting review.
For 3rd Time in 2 Months, Matanzas High School and Deputies Confront Bogus Threat
Matanzas High School was the target of a third false threat in two months. Classes were not interrupted nor were evacuations called for as the sheriff’s office swept the school and found nothing.
Ending Speculation, Flagler Health+ and UF Health Announce Plans to Merge
Ending months of speculation, Flagler Health+ and UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center, announced plans to merge, potentially changing the health care landscape in Flagler and surrounding counties.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 2, 2023
A probation termination hearing, oil companies’ profits and inflation, Abraham Lincoln on capitalism, looking ahead to Love is Love Pridefest.
DeSantis Aims to Scrap Higher Ed Diversity Programs and End Tenure as We Know It
DeSantis seeks to remove ‘ideology’ from college campuses, prohibit state funds from going towards critical race theory programs and diversity initiatives, have university presidents be more involved in faculty hiring, and end professors’ tenure was we know it.
Parking Garages Are Hurting Our Cities
Parking garages and parking lots end up using precious land to house cars instead of people at a time when cities are confronted with a severe housing shortage and skyrocketing housing costs.
Board Surrenders to DeSantis Pressure Against Black Studies High School Course
After state education officials rejected an Advanced Placement African-American studies course, The College Board on Wednesday released a new framework that appears to have dropped content that drew objections from the state.
Adopting ‘Moment of Silence,’ Palm Coast Considering Opening Meetings With Religious Prayer
The Palm Coast City Council, last hold-out among local governments in the slouch back to devotional rites at the beginning of public meetings, on Tuesday agreed to begin meetings with a “moment of silence,” and to consider adding a non-denominational prayer as well.
AdventHealth Daytona Beach Breaks Ground on Medical Office Building and Surgery Center
The 3-floor, 60,000-square-foot AdventHealth medical building will contain four operating rooms and two catheterization labs, and will be the medical office home to the Cardiology Physicians Group and North Florida Surgeons specialty group. It is slated to open in January 2024.
Man and Woman Spray-Painting Stolen Truck Scarlet Red Draw Attention, and Arrest
The couple had themselves tipped off a witness to their theft when the witness saw them spray-painting a truck with bright, scarlet-red paint–the kind of color associated with vainglorious attention-seekers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, February 1, 2023
The Flagler Schools Citizens’ Advisory Group meets, Theresa Carli Pontieri at the Republican Club, Massaro and Chong on vouchers, the DeSantis assault on Black and minority history.
‘We Have a Deal’: Dune Hold-Out in Flagler Beach Concedes, Clearing Path to Renourishment
A property owner’s three-year stand-off with Flagler County that has delayed a long-promised beach renourishment in Flagler Beach is over. Cynthia d’Angiolini through her lawyer today agreed to sign a pair of easements, clearing the way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dune-rebuilding project–and ensuring that the south side of the city will finally get a major new protective buffer against rising seas.