Robert Finn in his patrol car crossed paths with Wendell Parker going the wrong way on an I-95 exit ramp moments before Parker died in a head-on collision with another car. Finn was fired a year ago, but ordered reinstated this week.
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Flagler Felon Gary Rahme Arrested for Armed Bank Robbery on U.S. 1 in Joint Operation With St. Johns
Gary R. Rahme, a 59-year-old one-time felon and resident of Daytona North, was arrested on a charge of armed bank robbery at an Ameris Bank July 12 on U.S. 1, just south of St. Augustine, where he took $13,000.
Thursday Briefing: Grades 7 and 8 Schedule Pick-Ups at ITMS, Hurricane Prep with the Lord, Staly’s Lifetime Award
It’s those back-to-school routines again, with grade schedule pick-ups at Indian Trails Middle, a hurricane preparation presentation with Flagler County’s Jonathan Lord, a sheriff’s association award for Rick Staly.
Judge Denies James McDevitt Motion for Relief, Letting 40-Year Prison Sentence Stand for Rape in Flagler Beach
James McDevitt, now 27, argued he’d gotten poor counsel from two attorneys before his sentence on a 2013 rape of a 40-year-old woman in Flagler Beach. A circuit judge rejected his claims.
State Will Appeal Ruling That Struck Down Law Penalizing Local Officials For Regulating Guns
Florida will appeal a circuit judge’s ruling that struck down a state law threatening tough penalties for local officials and governments that approve gun regulations.
Kimberle Weeks Appeals 8 Felony Convictions, Alleging Court Errors Warrant a New Trial
Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor convicted on eight felony counts of illegally recording conversations, filed the initial brief to her appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal almost 14 months after her trial.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index to 104, McDevitt Back in Court, Glenn Davis, Bombing Runs, DSC Tours
James McDevitt is back in court to contest his 2013 conviction on rape charges, the Navy conducts live bombing runs in the Ocala forest, tours continue on the Daytona State College campus ahead of the fall term.
David Zlokas, 66, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in DUI Death of ‘Best Friend’ Gary St. Peter
David Zlokas, the 66-year-old former resident of Surf Side condominiums, drove home drunk in 2017 and smashed his Mustang against a tree. He survived. Gary St. Peter did not.
Soccer and Lacrosse Tournaments May Quit Indian Trails Complex as 2 Fields Are Converted for Palm Coast Little League’s Uses
The Indian Trails Sports Complex’s 10 multi-purpose fields, often used for soccer or lacrosse, would be reduced to eight, with two fields being converted to baseball and softball use to accommodate Palm Coast Little League.
In a Flagler First, U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz Holds Probing Round-Table With County Directors
First-year Congressman Mike Waltz did what none of his predecessors have ever done, sitting down with Flagler County government directors and hearing issues and concerns for an hour Monday.
Assault Weapons Definition Is Key as Proposed Ban Heads For Floridians’ 2020 Ballot
The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit “possession of assault weapons, defined as semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in fixed or detachable magazine…”
Tuesday Briefing: A1A Sea Wall Done, Palm Coast’s Sports Fields, End of Leisure Services Committee, Mike Waltz
Construction of the sea wall along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach is complete but for the dune cover, Palm Coast discusses its utilities and other budgets, Rep. Mike Waltz speaks with county staff.
No Medicare For All, But Biden’s ‘Incremental’ Health Plan Still Would Be A Heavy Lift
The former vice president has specifically repudiated many of his Democratic rivals’ calls for a “Medicare for All” system and instead sought to build his plan on the ACA’s framework.
Reprimands Follow District Investigation of Allegations of Inappropriate Treatment of Autistic Child at Belle Terre
The parent of a non-verbal autistic 4th grader at Belle Terre Elementary had recorded staffers over several hours without their knowledge, and filed a complaint that led to a local and state investigation.
L-Section Homeowner Sees Her Car Getting Burglarized Live on ‘Ring’ Doorbell System, Leading to Suspect’s Arrest
The Palm Coast homeowner was watching her property on her phone from Kissimmee when she saw the alleged burglar, alerted Flagler authorities, and helped lead to the arrest of a 19-year-old on felony probation for car breaks.
Wrestling With New Polling Rules, Flagler District May Close Schools on Both Primary and General Election Days
The Flagler school district may no longer ban campaign workers from soliciting voters on school-based polling places, as it did in the last election, prompting a safety-based consideration of closing all schools on all election days.
Three University Students Pose With Guns In Front of Shot-Up Emmett Till Memorial
Three students were suspended from their fraternity house, Kappa Alpha, after we shared an Instagram photo one of the men posted that was taken in front of a sign commemorating the murder of the 14-year-old black youth in 1955.
Immigration, the Democrats’ 2020 Waterloo
In this Democratic Party, argues Nancy Smith, moderates have been purged, conservative Democrats are nonexistent, and the party’s leaders seem intent on turning it into a party of hard socialism as quickly as possible.
Monday Briefing: Sportsfishing Club’s Clinic, Bunnell Budget, Last Camp, DSC Tours, Hélène Grimaud’s Chaconne
The Bunnell City Commission studies its general fund budget, your chance to tour the Daytona State College campus in Daytona, the Sportsfishing Club’s successful kids clinic, the great Grimaud plays Bach.
Burglary in L Section Leads to Car and Copter Chase, then 2nd Arrest of Palm Coast Man in 5 Days
Palm Coast’s Justin Aldrich, 41, had just been released from jail in Volusia on a burglary charge only to be charged in Flagler with burglary and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, each a felony, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.
Siding With Local Governments, Judge Strikes Law Penalizing Officials Who Pass Gun Rules Stricter Than State’s
In 2011, Florida lawmakers approved a series of penalties that local governments and officials could face if they violated the prohibition on gun laws that are stricter than the state’s.
Florida’s Hemp Industry Is Born Again As Perception of CBD as Cure-All Turns Manic
The nationwide craze for products containing CBD is evident at supermarkets, gas stations and big-box stores, where lotions, tinctures and bath “bombs” are among the items flying off the shelves as consumers seek to quell anxiety, aches and pains and a host of other ailments.
Flagler Health Department Expands Hepatitis Clinic, Marking Hepatitis Day 2019
The Flagler Health Department in Bunnell has renewed its commitment to diagnosing and treating Hepatitis after receiving grant for Hepatitis C treatment and clinic expansion.
A Year After Incidents, Embry-Riddle Replacing Bulk of Training Fleet With 60 New Cessna Skyhawks
Last year the university’s planes experienced a string of incidents, one of them fatal to a student and an examiner. Embry-Riddle’s fleet in Daytona Beach and Arizona currently includes more than 100 aircraft,
Coming Out in Rural America
“I came out to my parents via email the same week I figured it out myself because it’s no big deal in our family. Others aren’t as lucky; some people’s families still disown them.”
A Clerk of Court Takes a Case to the Supreme Court (It’s Not Tom Bexley)
The Broward County clerk of court wants Florida Supreme Court justices to take up a dispute about whether the state has unconstitutionally underfunded the clerk’s office.
Flagler Beach Police Chief Doughney: “I Don’t See Panhandling as a Problem In the City”
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley pushed for an ordinance targeting “aggressive panhandling” in the city, but the Police Chief Matt Doughney rejected the premise that there was such an issue in Flagler Beach, and got the proposal tabled pending his revisions.
Richard L. Russell, With Long History of Firearm Crimes, Arrested For Throwing Rocks at Cars on A1A
Lenient judges have allowed Richard L. Russell of Palm Coast’s P Section again and again to avoid severe punishment despite seven charges, one of them a felony and four guilty convictions before his latest arrest this week.
Weekend Briefing: Tour de Palm Coast, A1A Vet Clinic, First Aid and CPR Class, Summer Sing
Ride along the scenic route of St. Joe Walkway on the annual Tour de Palm Coast, small business development workshop, The Bach Festival Society’s “Summer Sing,” Bexley and Staly.
On Notice at 11th Hour, Sheriff Staly and Clerk of Court Bexley Meet and Resolve Courthouse Space Impasse
After a wild day of hopeful negotiations, then a declared impasse, Sheriff Rick Staly and Clerk of Court Tom Bexley met and resolve the controversy over space for sheriff’s uses at the courthouse.
County Will Sue Clerk of Court Bexley as Courthouse Space Negotiations for Sheriff Fail ‘Over 200 Feet’
Flagler County government late Thursday started the process to sue Clerk of Court Tom Bexley as intense negotiations over space for the sheriff reached a final impasse over a mere 200 square feet of space in contention.
Critical Negotiations Over Courthouse Space for Sheriff Down to a Few Hundred Square Feet
Negotiations for a final settlement for the sheriff’s use of space at the county courthouse were down to a few hundred square feet Thursday, with a lot riding on a resolution.
Flagler’s 4 Mayors and a Commission Chairman Boast of Renewed Energy and Problem-Solving
Mayors and the county commission chairman speak as if clouds have lifted and new sources of energy are driving their organizations–resolving chronic controversies and problems, reinvigorating economic plans, even cleaning house, especially in Palm Coast’s administration.
Flagler’s FireFlight Helicopter, On Reconnaissance, Prevents Potentially Devastating Wildfire
FireFlight crews used the helicopter’s ability to travel anywhere within the county in 15 minutes with its 210-gallon water bucket to prevent a wildfire from getting out of control on July 16.
Florida Population Growing by 900 a Day, Equivalent to a City the Size of Orlando Every Year
In Flagler, the population is projected at 112,000 in 2020, rising to 124,000 in 2025, then 134,000 in 2030, and 152,000 by 2040. The figures are significantly lower than those the bureau projected right after the Great Recession.
Thursday Briefing: Meet the Mayors, Sheriff’s Building Bid Opening, Panhandling
The county’s mayors speak at a public event hosted by the Realtors’ association, the Flagler Beach Commission discusses a panhandling ordinance, the county opens architecture bids for the new sheriff’s operations center.
When They Go Low, the Squad Goes Bold
Despite the frenzy, Omar and Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley — popularly referred to as “the squad” — are keeping the focus on policies to bring justice to their constituents.
Bi-Lingual Elections A Go: Florida Preparing Spanish-Language Ballots Statewide for 2020
The issue has been the subject of a federal lawsuit filed last August, three months before the 2018 general election, by groups representing Spanish-speaking Floridians.
Clerk of Court Bexley Offers 1,000 Extra Square Feet for Sheriff’s Uses, 4,000 Short of County’s Request
Clerk of Court’s “final offer” consists of 1,000 additional square feet of space for use by sheriff’s personnel at the courthouse, enlarging and segregating the zone used by the agency’s detectives.
Roma Court Academy Teacher Faces Child Abuse Charge in One of 3 Investigations at Palm Coast Child Care Facility
Roma Court Academy in palm Coast was the subject of two DCF and Flagler Sheriff’s Office investigations in 48 hours, one of them leading to a felony child abuse charge filed against a 51-year-old teacher.
Wednesday Briefing: Dangerous Dog Appeal, Facing Grief Together, a $100 Million Signature, Capitalism
Lots of rain, a family’s appeal of a dangerous-dog designation in Palm Coast, a meeting of Facing Grief Together, the county looks for yet another tourism and marketing research firm.
Go Back Where You Came From
No American can tell another to go back where he or she came from, at least not with a straight face: We’re all carpetbaggers in America going back to the original ones who crossed over the Bering Strait.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Now Under Fire as State Senator Seeks Probe in Epstein Case
State Sen. Lauren Book, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, wants the state to investigate how the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office handled sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while he was in its custody more than a decade ago.
So You Want To Be a Flagler County Judge: Nominating Commission Is Fielding Applicants
The Judicial Nominating Commission for the Seventh Judicial Circuit is taking applications for the newly created Flagler County Judge seat, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis to make the appointment likely this fall.
Salvatore Randazzo, 59, in Apparent Suicide on Esperanto Drive, Prompted by Terminal Illness
Salvatore Randazzo, a 59-year-old resident of Esperanto Drive in Palm Coast, died in an apparent suicide on Friday (July 19) from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home. He had reportedly been battling cancer and given only a few months to live in spring, when he ceased treatment.
Palm Coast Wawa Re-Files Permit Application to Build at State Road 100 Site, Resuming Process
Weeks after cancelling its permit applications, Wawa, the much-anticipated convenience store planning at site at Bulldog Drive and State Road 100, on Monday re-filed a permit application with Palm Coast government.
Tuesday Briefing: Signing On To a $100 Million Beach Deal, Opioid Task Force, Flagler Beach Land Development
Flagler County holds a ceremonial signing of an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers, locking it into the first phase of a $100 million beach renourishment project, the county’s opioid task force meets.
Both Republicans, One Florida Senator Wants to Protect Undocumented Migrants, Another Wants to Punish Them
Senate Judiciary Chairman David Simmons would give undocumented immigrants legal permits to work and drive in Florida while Sen. Joe Gruters would harshen up penalties for the undocumented.
Ex-Bunnell Commissioner’s Son Edwin Henry, 56, Found Dead on Martin Luther King Blvd.
Edwin Devon Henry, the 56-year-old of former Bunnell City Commissioner Daisy Henry, is believed to have died of a medical condition he’d been battling.
Flagler’s Suicide Rate Falls to Still-Grim 9th-Highest in State But Sets Record Gun Deaths; Florida’s Matches 43-Year High
Twenty-nine people killed themselves in 2018 in Flagler County, two fewer than in 2017, but still by far the second-highest total in Flagler history. More people died by firearm in Flagler in 2018 than ever before.