Meeting in Tallahassee on June 4th in closed session, the Florida Commission on Ethics took action on 17 matters, Chair JoAnne Leznoff announced today.
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Candidate Drops Out of Mayoral Race, Creates a Ballot Problem and ‘Endorses’ Lowe: ‘He’s Sorry for Hating America’
Kevin Cichowski’s brief candidacy for the special July 27 election for Palm Coast mayor ended today as oddly as it began a week or so ago–with cryptic statements, a back-handed endorsement of candidate Alan Lowe, and the proposal for an “active shooter system” in the schools.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 9, 2021
The reconvened and renamed Blue 22 Forum meets at the African American Cultural Society on U.S. 1 for its weekly discussions, and the drought index keeps climbing up in Flagler. After-hour vaccinations at the Department of Health in Bunnell this evening.
The Beginning of the End of Democracy as We Know It?
The end of the For the People Act opens the way for Republican states to continue their shameless campaign of voter suppression – very possibly giving Republicans a victory in the 2022 midterm elections and entrenching Republican rule for a generation.
Voting Rights Advocates Seek to Block New Law’s Requirement that Limits Ballot-Initiative Contributions to $3,000
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and other supporters of three proposed constitutional amendments designed to expand voting want a federal judge to block a new state law that places a $3,000 limit on contributions to ballot-initiative drives.
As Reorganization Takes Shape, Indian Trails’ Peacock and Rymfire’s Moore Shift to School District Office
Rymfire’s LaShakia Moore and Indian Trails’ Paul Peacock are taking executive roles at the district office. Their replacements have not been named. That search has just begun and will include input from teachers, staff, and parents.
Testily, Palm Coast Council Appears to Favor Doing Its Own Search for New Manager, Foregoing Consultants
The Palm Coast City Council appears uninterested in hiring a search firm to conduct its impending search for a new city manager, its second in three years, opting for some form of process conducted by the administration and the council, and possibly including council members fronting their own choices.
Man Due for Sentencing on Child Porn Charges Shoots and Kills Himself in the Parking Lot at the Flagler County Courthouse
A man shot and killed himself in the parking lot of the Flagler County courthouse this morning around 10 a.m. Little else is known of the incident for the moment, other than that the man had contacted authorities a few minutes earlier and apparently warned of his imminent action.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 8, 2021
The Palm Coast City Council has a pair of meetings, one to vote on sending its deputy chief to head the county’s fire department for a few weeks, the other to workshop several key items, among them hiring the next manager. Plus Rushdie on which books you truly love and what they say about you.
‘Lady of Guadalupe’ Avoids Tough Truths About the Catholic Church and Indigenous Genocide
Ultimately “Lady of Guadeloupe” sanitizes the real-life brutality of the Church toward Indigenous peoples in the 16th century. This absence of critical engagement with the account of the Virgin’s appearance does not do justice to religious devotion, argues Rebecca Janzen.
New Law Bars Local Governments from Increasing Impact Fees More than Once Every Four Years
The law now in effect prevents local governments from increasing impact fees more than once every four years and limits the increases to 50 percent. Increases between 25 and 50 percent would have to be spread over four years. Smaller increases would be phased in over two years.
Palm Coast Man, 53, Faces Felony Charge for Threatening to Kill Ex-Restaurant Boss’ Son
Moretto, 53, was arrested on a second-degree felony charge of written threats to “conduct an act of terrorism” after allegedly threatening his former employer that he would kill the employer’s son.
Flagler Sheriff’s Steve Williams Elected as President of Florida’s Agricultural Crimes Intelligence Unit
On Thursday, May 20, 2021, Deputy First Class (DFC) Steve Williams of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Agricultural Unit was elected as the President of the Florida Agricultural Crimes Intelligence Unit (FACIU) for the 2021-2022 year.
CareerSource Flagler Volusia Hosts Job Fairs on June 22 and 29
CareerSource Flagler Volusia will host two job fairs in the month of June: a Virtual Job Fair on Tuesday, June 22nd and an in-person Job Fair, in partnership with Derbyshire Place, on June 29th, 2021.
7 Qualify for Palm Coast Mayor Race as Commissioner Criticizes $188,000 Election Cost to Taxpayers
The special election for mayor to replace Milissa Holland will cost $188,000, according to an itemized bill from the Supervisor of Elections. Five Republicans and two Democrats qualified to run in the July 27 election. The qualifying window closed Monday at noon.
Flagler Administrator Jerry Cameron Ends Tenure, Interim Salinas and New Fire Chief Mike Tucker Start July 7
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.
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.