Flagler County Interim Administrator Jerry Cameron will end his tenure at the end of the month and be replaced by Interim Jorge Salinas, as the county commission is uninterested in a search for a new administrator, while new Fire Chief Mike Tucker will take over on July 7, but not before an interim fire chief–Palm Coast’s Bradd Clark–serves at the county until then.
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Florida Education Department Did Not Record Public Comments Criticizing Proposed Civics Standards
The first stop on the Florida Department of Education’s “listening tour” on civics education standards had no official audio or video, which means residents across the state couldn’t listen in to crucial discussions, comments and feedback unless they were there, in Miami.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 7, 2021
The qualification window for the July 27 Palm Coast Mayor special election closes at noon today. The County Commission is scheduled to discuss the fate of Whispering Meadows Ranch on John Anderson Highway, but the expectation is that the item will again be tabled to allow for a compromised solution.
From Drag Queens to Sister Bunny Juju, Throngs Exult in Pride, Joy and Freedom at Flagler’s 2nd Annual LGBTQ Festival
Saturday’s Flagler Pride Festival and its crowds, which by 9 p.m. had totaled between 600 and 800 people, put the lie to the county’s presumed homogeneity: Palm Coast, a city started in the late 1960s as an integrated, post-racial subdivision, is still more diverse than perhaps assumed, and if anything growing more so.
GOP and Democrats Agreed to $2 Million Increase in Poor’s Access to Contraception. DeSantis Vetoed It.
The Florida Catholic Conference–making false claims that have been repeatedly debunked, even by the National Catholic Reporter, about a particular contraceptive method– sent a letter May 12 to DeSantis requesting that he veto the funding.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 6, 2021
It’s D-Day plus 77 years. An excerpt from Ernie Pyle’s D-Day column. An otherwise relatively quiet day in the county.
Chief Justice Drops Mask and Social-Distancing Requirement in Court
Florida courts are set to resume some jury trials and drop mask and social-distancing requirements, while most court proceedings will continue to take place remotely, under an order issued Friday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady.
Between Protest and Riot
Riots are easily distinguishable from protests, and there is a clear, bright line we can follow. The Florida law draws it, and the protests from my youthful heroes at the ACLU ring hollow, argues Christine Flowers.
Volunteers: The Flagler Health Department’s Secret Weapon in an Epic Covid Fight
From the heady days of frantic covid testing to the headier days of vaccination drives at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, the county airport and elsewhere, a corps of over 100 volunteers have assisted the Flagler Health Department and county emergency services in pulling off an epic feat of safety and coordination. Here are the stories of three of them: Judy Mazzella, Moya Thompson, and Dr. Stephen Playe, as told by Gretchen Smith.
A Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Is Hospitalized After Two Inmates Violently Assault Him Over a Koran at the Jail
A Flagler County Sheriff’s corrections deputy was hospitalized Friday afternoon after being assaulted and beaten by two inmates at the Flagler County jail, after attempting to search the Koran one of the two inmates was carrying. The inmate wouldn’t let him search it.
Critics Push Back Against Unemployment Aid Narrative Accusing Workers of Staying Home
Floridians struggling since the start of the coronavirus pandemic are being forced to take jobs below their skill levels and at low wages as the state scales back unemployment assistance, opponents of reducing aid say.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 5, 2021
Beach clean-up in the morning, Garden Club Celebration at midday, and the Palm Coast Pride Festival starting at 5 p.m. in Town Central’s Central Park, with music, food and speakers.
Keith Johansen’s Defense Wants to Keep Out Evidence of His Racist and Sadistic Threats Before Shooting Death of Wife Brandi Celenza
The defense for Palm Coast’s Keith Johansen, 36, facing a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of his wife Brandi Celenza in 2018, wants to keep out of his trial surveillance video that shows him repeatedly threatening, insulting and demeaning Celenza, using racist, misogynistic and homophobic language. Today, the defense lost a bid to keep out hours of Johansen’s interviews with detectives.
Here’s Palm Coast’s Full ‘Difficult Citizens’ List, Its Origins, and the Kind of Offenses that Landed People On It
The full and controversial “Difficult Citizen List” Palm Coast government has kept since 2016 is revealed, along with its history: the city set up a task force on employee safety in 2015, resulting in guidelines for employees on how to deal with difficult customers. The list, kept largely secret, was one of the results. The city council is rethinking its approach.
Reilly Opelka Falls to No. 2 Medvedev in 3rd Round of French Open
Reilly Opelka is a huge server. But Friday he ran into one of the best serve returners on the planet in Daniil Medvedev, and the result was a straight-sets win for the Russian, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
Flagler Community Paramedic Caryn Prather Honored with Red Cross’ Heroes Among Us Award
Flagler County Community Paramedic Caryn Prather on Friday was bestowed with the honor “Heroes Among Us” as a frontline worker by the American Red Cross of Central Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The award was presented for her work during the 2020 calendar year to develop a plan for a mass Covid-19 testing site, and later by continuing to individually test residents.
With Just 28% of Students Vaccinated, Stetson Is Offering Chance at Free Tuition With Proof of Shots
Two full-tuition awards will be announced on July 30, but weekly drawings for $1,000 awards will run from June 11 through July 30. The winner’s money is applied to a student’s tuition bill, and free campus parking.
Interim Palm Coast Manager Denise Bevan Signs Contract as Morton, Tenure Over, Vows to Exit Government Sector
Bevan will be paid the equivalent of $161,400 a year, plus a $400 monthly car allowance, health and other benefits. Her starting day as interim was Wednesday, the day Matt Morton exited City Hall and, according to him, government service for good.
The Weekend Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 4, 2021
Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson on WNZF’s Free For All, Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka on Friday goes up against world #2 Daniil Medvedev, beach clean-up on Saturday, Pride Festival in Palm Coast’s Town center Friday evening.
State School Board Will Vote Next Week on New Rules Sanitizing History Teaching in Public Schools
The proposed rule would mandate that teachers “may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.”
14-Year-Old Girl Wounded in Firefight With Deputies in Volusia Was the Arsonist in Palm Coast’s B-Section in April
Nicole Jackson Maldonado, the 14-year-old girl charged in April for setting a half dozen brush fires in Palm Coast’s B Section, burglarized a home with another boy in Deltona, the two armed themselves with an AK-47, shotguns and pistols, and started firing at deputies until the girl was hit multiple times.
After Blaming Workers for Staying Home, Waste Pro Pledges to do Better, and Pay Better, in Palm Coast
Waste Pro issued its latest service-improvement plan to Palm Coast government after fines the city levies for poor service against the company increased for six successive months and the government threatened last week to end its $9 million contract with the waste hauler.
Overpopularity Is Nearly Destroying the National Park Experience
America’s national parks face a popularity crisis. From 2010 to 2019, the number of national park visitors spiked from 281 million to 327 million, largely driven by social media, advertising and increasing foreign tourism. This exponential growth is generating pollution and putting wildlife at risk to a degree that threatens the future of the park system.
‘We are it. We’re the Ones That Lived Through This’: Matanzas and FPC Graduates Triumph Again
It was back to graduating in person and tacking stock of a year of absences, losses and sorrows, but also of resilience and triumphs as 1,036 FPC and Matanzas High school students held their graduation ceremonies at the Ocean Center in Daytona Wednesday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 3, 2021
Flagler Technical College’s graduates walk the stage, at 7 p.m. at the Flagler Auditorium. Flagler County’s drought index is rising steadily, worrisomely. A video of Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson playing Taps.
Covid Almost Down, Hurricane Season Up: Flagler Emergency Chief Jonathan Lord Reassures: ‘We’re On the Ball’
In briefing previewing the hurricane season, Jonathan Lord detailed how Flagler County, fresh from winding down its covid emergency, is ramping up preparations for hurricane or tropical storm emergencies and urging against complacency–or too much attention to statistical probabilities, which mean nothing if that one storm hits.
Reilly Opelka, Seeded for 1st Time in Grand Slam, Reaches 3rd Round at French Open
Opelka powered his way into the third round Wednesday in Paris, overcoming a tough Jaume Munar in four sets. Until this year, the former Palm Coast resident had never won a match at Roland Garros.
Florida Faces Dire Shortages of Restaurant Workers: ‘They Don’t Think We Are Worth the Money’
A survey from the National Restaurant Association in mid-May found that staffing levels at restaurants are below the industry standard, “with 84% of operators saying their current staffing level is lower than it was in the absence of Covid-19.”
She Flees a Cop at a Traffic Stop, Crashes Into a Concrete FPL Pole, then Attempts Escape Through Hospital Ceiling
Tyler Anne Price, a 20-year-old resident of John Anderson Highway in Flagler Beach, faces eight charges, three of them felonies, including fleeing and eluding a cop, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted escape.
Palm Coast Fire Department Dedicates New Ladder Truck to FPC Graduate Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, Killed in 2010
Marine Sergeant Zachary J. Walters, killed on June 8, 2010 while on patrol in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. He was a graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School, Class of 2005. The idea for dedicating a fire truck to the memory of a Fallen Solider was proposed by Firefighter-Paramedic Christopher Strozier, who is a Navy Veteran.
Palm Coast’s First Hybrid Citizens Academy Graduates 15 Students in 49th Session
This session’s graduates were Terri Belletto, Vincent Ciolino, James La Pierre Cutts, Felita Guy, Kelly Knott, Greg Lovekamp, Barb Lovekamp, Michael Martin, Devrie Paradowski, Nichol Sparrow, Michael West, Geraldine Wright, Andre Wright, Jim Wulff and Jan Wulff.
The DeSantis Pandering Machine
DeSantis is the perfect public face of the GOP as it is now: Obsessed with hanging onto power, fact-averse, representing an ever-shrinking coalition, and loyal, not to the American public, but to the sad, strange old man who can’t accept that he lost.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Last year Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School graduated in their cars at the Daytona International Speedway. This afternoon and evening the two schools return to the Ocean Center for their ceremonies, as before the pandemic.
Palm Coast Appoints Denise Bevan Interim City Manager, Ending Matt Morton’s Tenure
The Palm Coast City Council this evening ended City Manager Matt Morton’s tenure, waiving his 30-day notice, and appointed Denise Bevan, a chief of staff, to the interim position.
Palm Coast Council Abolishes Secret and One-Sided ‘Difficult Citizens List’ Kept Since 2016
The list cited allegedly “difficult” residents by name, usually listed their addresses, and at times included their pictures. The list included four entries this year and 33 entries going back to the first in March 2016.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried Enters Race for Governor, Citing Tallahassee’s ‘Rigged System’
Fried, an attorney and former medical-marijuana lobbyist who scored a narrow victory in 2018 to become the only statewide-elected Democrat, criticized Republicans’ two-decade hold on Florida government in a video announcing her gubernatorial campaign.
Candidates from the Obscure to the Expected Piling Up to Run for Palm Coast Mayor in Winner-Takes-All Election
The qualifying window for the special election for Palm Coast mayor doesn’t close until next Monday. But eight candidates have already filed to run. Six candidates are Republicans, two are Democrats. It’s a non-partisan election, but only ostensibly so. Three of the candidates are Realtors.
Little-Known Illnesses Turning Up in Covid Long-Haulers
“Waves and waves” of “long-haul” covid patients are remaining sick long after retesting negative for the virus. A significant percentage are suffering from syndromes that few doctors understand or treat. For some, the consequences are life altering.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Eyes will be on the Palm Coast City Council’s 6 p.m. meeting, expected to draw its share of blazin’ crazies as City Manager Matt Morton may (or may not) explain why he resigned and what council members are present try to maneuver their way through the resignation’s implications.
Days After Betraying His Country, Rep. Waltz Dares Address Gold Star Families at Palm Coast’s Memorial Ceremony
If Rep. Mike Waltz wanted to thank the Gold Star families, what about the families of Officer Brian Sicknick and all of the other officers harmed the day of the Jan. 6 insurrection? To Waltz and every other Republican out there who voted against a commission to examine the insurrection, your actions clearly state that their lives do not matter, writes Kathleen Brady.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 31, 2021
Bedraggled and jittery though it is, Palm Coast government–what’s left of it–this morning at 8 hosts its traditional Memorial Day ceremony at Heroes Park. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, fresh from voting against establishing a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Council member Nick Klufas, will speak.
County Administrator Jerry Cameron as Palm Coast Interim Manager? City Enfevered With Contingency Scenarios.
The speculation about Cameron is fueling the feverish politicized atmosphere in Palm Coast, an unbridgeable rift on the council, rampant apprehension within city staff ranks, and the manipulative hands of elected officials on and off the council, all in the context of a special election for mayor in less than two months and the government’s budget season starting even sooner.
Flagler County Considering Michael Tucker, a Former Florida and Southeast Fire Chief of the Year, as Fire Chief
Michael Tucker, 53, has principally been superintendent at Florida State Fire College for the past five years. He’d maintained roles as a consultant for the Oregon-based International Association of Fire Chiefs and as an adjunct instructor at Lake Sumpter State College over several years.
Treating Workers Like They’re Disposable Is Bad Business
The entire fast-food industry rests on a low-wage, high-turnover foundation. And at those rare moments — like this spring — when new workers seem harder to find, the industry starts expecting its politician pals to cut away at jobless benefits and force workers to take positions that don’t pay a living wage.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 30, 2021
Flagler Beach marks Memorial Day in a ceremony at Veterans Park, so as not to conflict with Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s commemorations on Monday. The sales tax “holiday” for hurricane supplies is ongoing through June 6.
Proposed Civics Standards for Florida Schools Don’t Mention the Word Slavery
Following the George Floyd murder and the national discussion over “critical race theory” — which encompasses slavery, segregation and institutionalized racism — Florida’s proposed civics standards for school don’t mention the word slavery.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 29, 2021
The Daily calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. It was suspended in March 2020 as was the Daily Briefing, as the Covid pandemic upended everyone’s schedules. We’re happy to be bringing both back, in altered forms. The Daily Calendar had a serious case of covid: it’s much […]
Waking Up to the Truth About the Wuhan Biolab
Faster than you can say “dishonest mainstream media,” the idea that a deadly manmade virus came from a biolab in Communist China flipped from being a racist Trump conspiracy theory to a credible and probable possibility, argues Michael Reagan.
Rejecting Challenge to Marijuana Law, Florida Supreme Court Says Operators Must Handle Every Aspect of Pot Business
The 2017 law’s requirement that marijuana operators handle all aspects of the cannabis business involves what is known as “vertical integration.” In arguing that the requirement is unconstitutional, Florigrown contended that it limits the number of companies that can participate in the industry.
Florida Department of Education Goes on ‘Listening Tour’ on Proposed Controversial Civics Education Rule and Other Matters
The proposed standards that are the focus of the upcoming meetings are separate from another proposal that would impose strict guidelines on the way U.S. history is taught in public schools.