The Florida Retirement System pension plan gained $19 billion in the fiscal year that ended on June 30. The 22 percent gain is the biggest in 25 years. The total value of the pension plan has soared to $128.4 billion, among the best in the nation.
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Palm Coast’s Rabbi Shapiro and Education Trio Sue Over “Religious Freedom” Amendment
Florida’s so-called “Religious Freedom” amendment is misleading, the lawsuit argues, as it would reopen the way for religious, private school vouchers at public expense and turn the state into an arbiter of public dollars for religious organizations.
Citing Deception, Council Rejects Reinke’s $10,000 Request for Palm Coast Half-Marathon
Adding to the Reinke Sports Group’s troubled history, it is the third time in two years that the Flagler Tourist Development Council rejects a request for subsidies for the Palm half-marathon. The Flagler Auditorium had an easier time with its $10,000 request.
Do Flagler School Administrators Making $97,000 a Year Need A Raise? They Say Yes.
Some 25 Flagler school administrators make between $80,000 and $105,000 a year. They’re saying they were disrespected when denied a 2 percent raise. The school board is reconsidering.
Flagler Property Tax Bills Set to Drop Markedly As School Board Keeps 2012 Levy Flat
Contrasting with public perceptions that taxes are going up, a typical house may see a $150 drop from school taxes alone next year, giving Palm Coast and the county more room to maneuver for higher tax rates.
Is Flagler County’s Real Estate Industry Finally Brightening? Depends Whom You Ask.
Sales are increasing somewhat by volume but more than half the transactions are for cash, prices keep falling, foreclosures are increasing, and the overall economy shows little sign of improvement.
Bryan Watts, a Postal Inspector, Charged With False Imprisonment–Of His Brother
Bryan Watts, 39, had traveled to Palm Coast to help his brother settle the estate of the two men’s late father, who lived on Village Circle. The pair ended up arguing, with Watts arming himself with a semi-automatic handgun.
Dixie Check: Judge Orders Commandments Removed from County Courthouse Steps
A businessman had paid for the 6-ton monument, but a judge said its message was a clear government endorsement of religion, violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter
A pit bull bites a 74-year-old woman and her dog, a son is charged with burglarizing his parents’ home, a Habitat for Humanity property is burglarized, vandals damage a foreclosed homes, and too many burglaries and larcenies to count.
In Flagler Beach, Anger and Hyperbole Over an Acting Manager’s Half-Year Limbo
Bruce Campbell has been in the job as acting manager since Jan. 2, a seven-month job interview unlikely to end until September, if then, as a deadlocked city commission battles messy politics and personalities.