An appeals court Wednesday rejected a decision by the Baker County sheriff to release a man who had served only four days of a 60-day jail sentence. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that ordered Sheriff Scotty Rhoden to return Donald Shrowder to jail to serve the 60-day sentence.
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Lawsuit Cites DeSantis Trickery in Seeking to Block Further Migrant Flights
Lawyers representing asylum seekers who were allegedly “tricked” into going from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on flights funded by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Wednesday they are seeking a nationwide injunction to block the governor from luring immigrants to travel across state lines.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 22, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission takes on smoking on the beach, college admission interviews, Iraq, Iran and Ronald Reagan, and Henry James’s English Hours.
DeSantis’s Martha’s Vineyard Trafficking May Be Illegal
Transporting consenting migrants who have the paperwork to be in the U.S. is legal. But certain factors – like DeSantis’ intent and knowledge of the migrants’ immigration status – could create potential civil and criminal liability.
He Served 18 Months for a Sex Offense. He’s Re-Imprisoned Anyway, Possibly for Life.
William Walsh, a 57-year-old former homeless man and sex offender from Bunnell, was committed potentially for life to a prison-like state facility after a trial in Flagler Tuesday, even though he did not commit a new offense and none of his previous offenses ranked him as a predator.
Sondheim’s ‘Assassins’ Opens City Repertory Theatre’s New Season, and Dares Go From There
“Assassins,” the 1990 play with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, weaves the true-life histories of nine presidential assassins and would-be assassins into a bizarro musical fantasy. The characters include John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooters of Ronald Reagan and Ford, and other rogues.
Plan for a Massive Apartment Tower at Harborside Draws Opposition, Accusations and Delay
In a meeting that featured a developer’s representatives lashing into the city administration’s planning staff, the Palm Coast planning board late Tuesday night tabled to next month a controversial plan to rezone 18 acres at the Harborside marina. The proposal would make room for a massive 80-foot, U-shaped apartment tower, town houses, and maybe a hotel, that would add 432 apartments and housing units next to Palm Coast Resort’s existing, 72-apartment tower.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Palm Coast government’s final tax and budget hearing, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library, International Day of Peace, Bill McKibben’s “Small World,” mountaintop removal’s disasters.
DeSantis Pulls From Segregationists’ Playbook with Anti-Immigration Stunt
Governors Greg Abbott in Texas and Ron DeSantis in Florida are following the playbook of segregationists who provided one-way bus tickets to Northern cities for Black Southerners in the 1960s. At that time, the fight for racial equality was attracting national attention and support from many white Americans, inspiring some to join interracial Freedom Rides organized by civil rights groups.
Flagler District Pays $6 Million for 685 Students to Attend Private Schools, Many Out of County, or Homeschooled
A new state law requires the Flagler County school district this year to pay just over $6 million to underwrite the private-school education of 685 students, including at parochial and out-of-county schools. The money also goes to families home-schooling their children.
Palm Coast’s Garry Lubi Re-Appointed to Daytona State College Board of Trustees
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Kelly Kwiatek and the reappointment of Garry Lubi and Dr. Randall Howard to the Daytona State College District Board of Trustees. Two current members, Sarah Dougherty and Bob Davis, are departing the Board.
Judge Clears Way for Challenge to Law Allowing State to Override Local Police Budget Decisions
A Leon County Circuit judge on Tuesday cleared the way for a lawsuit challenging part of a controversial protest law that gives the governor and Cabinet the authority to override local governments’ decisions about police spending.
Flagler Library Director Holly Albanese Is 24-County Network’s Member of the Year
Flagler County Public Library Director Holly Albanese was named the 2022 Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) “Member of the Year” at its annual conference last week in recognition of her “significant positive impact” on the library and the community it serves.
416-Unit Apartment Complex on SR100 Near Colbert Ln. Adds to Growth Cluster Totaling 1,320 Units
The Ocean Village development is part of a new cluster of residential developments in the region, when paired with projects on nearby Roberts Road and John Anderson Highway that total 656 apartment units and 664 single family homes.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
A rare Jimmy Rice Act trial in Flagler court, The Palm Coast City Council makes planning board appointments, Freedom Readers Club at the Flagler County Public Library, Jelly Roll Morton.
Discovering the Billions of Bigger and Better Super-Earths Out There
There are tens of billions of super-Earths in habitable zones where liquid water can exist in the Milky Way alone. To date, astronomers have discovered two dozen super-Earth exoplanets that are, if not the best of all possible worlds, theoretically more habitable than Earth.
Gas Prices in Palm Coast Lower than $3.40 a Gallon, Continuing 30% Drop Since Mid-June
Palm Coast gas prices dropped below $3.40 a gallon on Monday, Florida gas prices declined 3 cents per gallon last week, for a more than 30 percent price decline since the mid-June peak.
Federal Judge Skeptical of DeSantis Suspension of Elected Prosecutor, But No Reinstatement for Now
A federal judge refused on Monday to reinstate Andrew Warren as state’s attorney for Hillsborough County, saying he first wants to fast-track a trial to better establish the motivation behind Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of the elected prosecutor.
Head of Local Chamber of Commerce Among 7 Applicants for Palm Coast Planning Board
The Palm Coast City Councill will make three appointments to its seven-member planning board–the city’s most powerful, non-elected advisory board. Seven candidates have applied, including two incumbents, two existing alternate members of the board, and a member of the county planning board, along with the head of the local chamber of commerce.
Flagler Schools Just Barely Set New Enrollment Record, Matanzas High Exceeds 2,000 Students
While the Flagler County school district set an enrollment record for the first time in 13 years, it is still not the substantial growth that the district has been speaking of for the past year and a half, or the sort of growth that might have been expected to parallel the ongoing building boom in Palm Coast and the rest of the county.
Huey Magoo’s Opens on Nova Road in Ormond Beach
Huey Magoo’s celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant in Ormond Beach today. This is the second Huey Magoo’s in the area for owner Buck Harris.
Argument Over Chess Leads to Knife Attack and Felony Assault Charge
Kenneth Stephens, 54, of Sloganeer Trail in Palm Coast, was playing chess with his 41-year-old neighbor at his neighbor’s house Friday evening when the two started arguing. Before it was over, Stephens was captured in surveillance video footage pulling a knife and lunging at his neighbor before retreating to his house.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 19, 2022
The Flagler County Commission meets for a very busy, multi-layered meeting this evening, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the public library, French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s complete Haydn sonatas, Ian Frazier on the destruction of Baghdad.
‘Not My King’: Protesting a Monarchy in Mourning
A professor from the United States who tweeted a critical comment of the queen has been subject to significant public backlash. Police in Britain have questioned protestors expressing anti-monarchy sentiments, and in some cases, arrested them.
Sen. Rick Scott’s Epic Fail: Squandered Millions and Crap Candidates
Republicans often have unsavory friends, people like Hungarian despot Viktor Orbán, white nationalist Tucker Carlson, and that petulant Oompa Loompa who kept top secret nuclear documents stuffed in a box at his beach house. So why is Rick Scott getting hated on?
Republicans Complain About WESH-2’s Requirement That Debate Candidates Be Vaccinated
Scotty Moore, Republican nominee challenging incumbent Democrat Darren Soto in Congressional District 9 in Central Florida, declined an offer by WESH-2 in Orlando to participate in a virtual debate after he refused to adhere to the news outlet’s vaccine requirement.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Live Like Cameron’s 5th Annual Flagler Warrior Fun Run/Walk in Town Center, the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam and the 50th anniversary of the premier of M*A*S*H.
The Broadband Deception: Accurate Speed Data
Unlike other advertisements for goods and services – for example, what a car manufacturer tells a customer about expected fuel efficiency – there are no federally set standards for measuring broadband service speeds. This means there is no clear way to tell whether customers are getting what they pay for.
Castillo de San Marcos Marks 350th Anniversary
Sunday, October 2, 2022, marks the 350th anniversary of the 1672 ground-breaking ceremonies for Castillo de San Marcos. Join us at the fort throughout the day to explore the 350 years of Castillo history and its impacts on St. Augustine.
DeSantis Pledges More Migrant Flights Out of Florida at State’s Expense
The flights Wednesday mostly involved Venezuelan migrants and included about 10 children. Two planes went from San Antonio, Texas, to the Florida Panhandle community of Crestview before going north.
20-Year-Old Ormond Beach Motorcyclist Killed Rear-Ending SUV on I-95
A 20-year-old Ormond Beach man was killed in a rear-end collision as he traveled north on I-95 late Friday night, two miles north of the Old Dixie Highway interchange in Flagler County.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Safety Expo at European Village, Judge Andrea K. Totten on the 10th Amendment, Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services’s 2nd Annual Music Festival, the prosecutorial spirit against blue collar workers.
Between Too-Early School Start Times and Too Much Screen Time, Teens Are Zonked Out
Less than 30% of high school students sleep the recommended amount. Among middle schoolers, nearly 60% do not get enough sleep at night. The causes: too- early school start times, lack of morning exposure to daylight and excessive exposure to bright electric light and screens late in the evening.
21 Months in Prison for Woman Who ‘Did Nothing’ as Infant Was Repeatedly Tortured by Boyfriend
Luciana Celestin, 29, was present as her boyfriend, Deviaun Toler, repeatedly whipped, beat and once burned his infant son, but she did not intervene to end the abuse, report it, or seek medical attention for the boy, who nearly died as the abuse continued in Palm Coast in early 2018.
Building Plans for BJ’s Wholesale Club, Gas Station and Several Stores on SR100 Clear County Board
It’s almost all over but the permitting before Palm Coast’s BJ’s Wholesale Club, a big gas station and a half dozen satellite stores begin going up on a 31.5-acre site of State Road 100, just west of Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Distant Recession Signs Flash Even as Flagler Unemployment Remains at 3.2% and Labor Force Grows
If a national recession is looming–by one traditional measure, it is already happening–the signs are mostly not apparent in Flagler County and in Florida. But there are glimmers of warnings.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 16, 2022
Luciana Celestin is sentenced on a second degree felony charge of neglect of a child, unemployment numbers, “Pippin,” at the Daytona Playhouse, “After the Massacre,” Bertrand Russell on happiness.
Developed Nation No More: How the U.S. Is Falling
The United States may regard itself as a “leader of the free world,” but an index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down the list, ranking between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries..
DeSantis Defends Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flight But Details of ‘Repulsive’ and ‘Cruel Ruse’ Scant
Saying undocumented immigrants were sent to “greener pastures,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday defended Florida’s participation in a pair of flights carrying about 50 migrants, including children, that landed Wednesday at Martha’s Vineyard Airport.
A1A International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday
International Coastal Clean-Up Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 17, from 8 to 11 a.m. up and down the Flagler coast along State Road A1A. The event is organized and sponsored locally by Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway.
Only One Bid Filed Near Deadline for Green Lion Restaurant Replacement, so City Extends Window
Palm Coast government issued a request for proposals on Aug. 24 to replace the Green Lion Cafe at Palm Harbor Golf Club. It did not receive a single bid. So it is extending the bidding window to September 29, based at least on some interest shown by two parties.
Man, 40, Killed at Old Dixie Roundabout in First Fatal Crash There Since Structure’s Completion
A 40-year-old Ormond Beach man lost his life in a single-vehicle car crash at the roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway in the early hours of Wednesday (Sept. 14), the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 15, 2022
Drug court, “Pippin,” at the Daytona Playhouse, a tropical depression nearing the Leeward Islands is far from a tropical storm, William Howard Taft, John Hinkley and “Ideology Masquerading as Medicine.”
Child Poverty Falls to Record Low Thanks to Government Help
The U.S. government’s most accurate measure of child poverty fell to 5.2% in 2021, the lowest level on record and a decline of 4.5 percentage points from a year earlier. This sharp reduction was due, in large part, to generous government benefits. The decline would have been even larger had the government made it easier for families to receive those benefits.
Another DeSantis ‘Press’ Conference Basks in Applause and Takes No Questions
Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the floor for questions at the end of a Jacksonville news conference Monday and left after allowing a single person in the crowd to shout what sounded like, “We love you.”
A Non-Existent Eagle’s Nest in Palm Coast Plantation Leads County to Improvise Risky Rule-Making
A couple wants to build a home in Palm Coast Plantation that would partly violate an existing eagle-protection zone. The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday gave it the go-ahead, reasoning that the eagles haven’t been seen in the area for years, and that the protection zone should be scrapped anyway. But that’s not the planning board’s call.
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.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
The Flagler County Association of Realtors hosts its 14th annual Meet the Mayors, Devandre Williams is in pre-trial, Dante in search of his own circle of hell, Adam Begley on Ian McEwan.
The Catholic Church Is Diversifying Down to Its Controversies
Tribalism, debates over LGBTQ rights, polygamy, the ordaining of women, along with poverty, adapting to local culture, sexuality and gender, church governance and the continuing sexual abuse crisis are all part of a changing Catholic Church.
Flagler County Takes Three National Awards from Two Associations
Flagler County was honored with National Association of Counties (NACo) 2022 Achievement Awards in two categories, Health and Libraries in July, and in August it received a 2022 Award of Excellence by the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) in the category Internal Publications.