Siding with the Florida Retail Federation and upholding the constitutionality of state laws, an appeals court Wednesday rejected a 2016 move by the city of Coral Gables to ban the use of Styrofoam food containers.
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Heat Index of Up to 110 Prompts Advisories–and AC Policy Change on Flagler School Buses
With heat indexes routinely reaching past 100 and reaching 110 on occasion, emergency management is cautioning against heat exhaustion and the Flagler school district is relaxing AC and water rules on school buses.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index to 110, Safety Commission, “Public Feeding,” $16,263 to Youth Ranches
Flagler’s Public Safety Coordinating Council talks homelessness and suicide prevention, another dangerously hot day, the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas safety commission meets.
Mother of Inmate Who Died After Illness at Flagler Jail Says Autopsy Vindicates Her Claims He Was Neglected
Anthony Fennick died of a stroke in February after being hospitalized from the Flagler jail, an autopsy report shows, with an allergic reaction to a medicine possibly playing a role his mother says points to neglect from the jail’s health providers.
Complaints of Poor Cell Reception in Palm Coast Shift to Complaints About New Towers’ Health Risks, But on Slim Evidence
Palm Coast residents addressed the city council today regarding the new cell towers going up in the city, claiming they pose a cancer risk. But evidence that they do, while not zero, is scant.
Two Late Candidates Increase Pool to 24 for Flagler’s County Judge Seat as Speed-Dating Interviews Are Scheduled
Palm Coast’s Lynette Callender and Jacksonville’s Monique Hawkins are late entrants in what will be speed-dating-like interviews for Flagler County judge on Aug. 24 at the Flagler County courthouse.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Litter Gitter’s River Cleanup, Hammock Harbor, Flagler Beach Budget
Matanzas Riverkeeper’s Litter Gitter II cleans up around Bing’s, the Flagler Beach City Commission figures out next year’s budget, the Flagler Planning Board takes on another big Hammock development.
Judge Rejects Teachers’ Claim That Education Law Violates Collective Bargaining Rights
Unions argued a 2018 requirement violated collective-bargaining rights and equal-protection rights as the requirements did not apply to other public-sector unions.
Sid Nowell, Pioneering Lawyer, Mediator and Past President of Flagler County Bar, Dies at 69
Sid Nowell (1950-2019) broke barriers for local black attorneys, served as a Bunnell city attorney for eight years, as the NAACP’s attorney and former Sheriff Manfre’s attorney, coaching, serving on boards and presiding over the Flagler County Bar Association along the way.
Days After a 2-Dog Rescue from a Blaze, Flagler Beach Firefighters Get Certified for Pet CPR
The Flagler Beach Fire Department’s personnel and some of its volunteers gathered at Flagler Animal Hospital for a tutorial with Dr. David Rosiek, who trained the firefighters on pet-CPR techniques.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 108, First Day Back for Students, Flagler Cares Coalition, Charter Review
Another potentially dangerously hot day for a first-day back for students, the Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission meets, the Flagler Sportfishing Club’s generosity, and Bunnell talks finances–without a finance director.
Fire Breaks Out on One Boat Then Spreads To Another at Marineland Marina
A fire broke out on a boat docked at the Marineland Marina late this afternoon, and soon spread to a second boat docked nearby, with firefighters battling to contain the blazes.
End-Running Federal Lawsuit, Gov. DeSantis Petitions Florida Supreme Court on Felon Voting Rights
A week after asking a federal judge to toss out a lawsuit on the issue, Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking guidance from the Florida Supreme Court about a controversial state law requiring people convicted of felonies to repay financial obligations before they can regain the right to vote.
Of Course Guns Have Nothing To Do With It
Mountains of evidence link America’s mass killings to the massive amount of guns in circulation, but let’s go ahead and pretend that guns have nothing to do with it, nor the absence of sensible gun control.
Florida Film Academy’s International Student Film Festival in St. Augustine Sept. 14-15
Florida Film Academy is hosting its inaugural International Student Film Festival on Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 at Corazon Cinema and Café in downtown St. Augustine with showings from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Candlelight Vigil at Flagler Beach’s Veterans Park on Aug. 31 to Mark Overdose Awareness Day
Open Door Recovery and Re-entry Ministries hosts a candlelight vigil in memory of victims of the opioid crisis on August 31 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Flagler Beach, starting at 7 p.m.
Final Tally: Meet The 22 Lawyers Applying to Be Flagler’s Next Appointed County Judge
The 22 applicants are vying for the new Flagler County Court position just approved by the legislature. A commission will recommend a short list to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will make the appointment later this year.
For 2nd Time in 10 Months a Construction Worker Is Electrocuted By Concrete Boom in Palm Coast
Israel Hernandez, 40, was electrocuted by a “falling electrical wire” at a construction site at 31 Richmond Drive in circumstances almost identical to an incident that killed two workers on Sebastian Court last October.
Palm Coast Approves Grand Landings’ Growth to 890 Homes and Possible Future Apartments
The 774-acre subdivision off Seminole Woods Boulevard will grow to 890 homes and include 26 acres of commercial space, some of it possibly used for condos or apartments in the distant future.
State Rules May Ease Path to Mental Health Counselors’ Qualifications and Toughen Charter School Security
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, Florida officials are eyeing policy changes that would expand the number of mental health professionals in schools and ensure that charter schools are meeting safety requirements.
Weekend Briefing: 4 Artists Talk, School Open Houses, Enrollment Day at DSC, Teens-In-Flight Fund-Raiser AdventHealth’s Kids
Teens-In-Flight Inc. hosts its second annual Hangar Party, a free one-day youth football safety clinic, time for students to lock in their fall schedule at Daytona State College, artists Peter Cerreta, J. J. Graham, Harry Messersmith, and John Sbordone at FCAL,
Signs of the Times: Flagler Sheriff’s New Recruits and School Deputies Train to Take Down Mass Shooter
Twenty-six Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, including all of its school resource deputies, trained through a mass-shooter scenario Thursday afternoon at a Korona church, part of what’s now standard training at the agency.
Flagler County and Bunnell Governments Lose Their Finance Directors in Middle Of Budget Season
Bunnell lost virtually the entirety of its finance department when four employees resigned and the new finance chief was forced to resign in an unexpected shake-up, with the county sending in help.
For Parents’ Peace of Mind, It’s Time for Video and Audio Monitoring of Flagler’s Special Education Classrooms
An incident at Belle Terre Elementary School last school-year illustrates the need for more objective, independent oversight of what goes on in special education classrooms, where students may not have a voice of their own.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 109, Meet the Teachers, Gopher Tortoises in Flagler Beach
Dangerously high temperatures, meet the teachers and orientation at Old Kings, Rymfire, Buddy Taylor, Indian Trails and FPC, talk of gopher tortoise in Flagler Beach.
Judge Jim Manfre? Former Sheriff Among Applicants for New Flagler County Judge Seat
With two days to go before the application window closes, eight candidates have applied to be appointed Flagler County judge, the second county judge seat the Legislature approved in its last session to share the docket of County Judge Melissa Distler.
Intoxicated Mother Faces Felony Charges After Her 3-Year-Old Child Wanders Parking Lot Naked and Alone
Amber L. Bruder, a 27-year-old resident of the Palm Pointe apartment complex in Bunnell, told hospital staff she was drunk when her 1-year-old boy was spotted wandering around the complex’s parking lot alone.
Texas Roadhouse Breaks Ground in Winn-Dixie Shopping Center off Palm Coast Parkway
Palm Coast’s Texas Roadhouse will be a dinner-only 369-seat restaurant in a 7,163 square foot building. The restaurants typically generate $5.2 million in annual sales, or $364,000 in state and local sales tax.
Deriding Focus on Trump Rhetoric, DeSantis Blames Mass Shootings on ‘Recesses of the Internet’
Trump is facing accusations that his immigration rhetoric inspired a man who posted warnings online of a “Hispanic invasion” before killing 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart on Saturday.
Wednesday Briefing: Purple Heart Day, New Student Orientation at FPC, Meet the Teachers at Imagine
It’s pre-planning days in Flagler Schools and new student orientation at Flagler Palm Coast High School, Purple Heart Day, Henry James characters discuss being in love.
Florida Senate Will Study White Nationalism and Other Factors in Mass Violence
In the run-up to the 2020 legislative session, the Florida Senate will review acts of mass violence such as the deadly shootings this weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, along with factors such as white nationalism.
School Board’s Next Superintendent Hire Will Include Familiar Consultant and Community Panel
The Flagler County School Board took its first steps Tuesday in what will likely be an eight to nine-month process of replacing Superintendent Jim Tager–and the board’s third search in in five years.
County Awards $76,000 in Tourism Grants to 24 Organizations But Rejects 8, Raising Questions
The Flagler County Commission on Monday approved 24 grants totaling $76,000 for mostly local organizations’ cultural and sports events, festivals and professional meetings, money to be drawn from the county’s tourist tax revenue.
Tuesday Briefing: National Night Out at FPC, Superintendent Search, Sportsfishing Club, Sales Tax Holiday Ends
The sheriff’s annual National Night Out this evening at FPC, the school board discusses a timeline for its next superintendent hire, the back-to-school sales tax holiday ends at midnight tonight.
I’d Like to Stop Writing About Innocents Killed by Guns
So far, as hard as we try, every time it happens again we apparently have not stood up in sufficient numbers or shouted loud enough to make the massacres stop. What does it take? The story keeps repeating.
Between Mass Shootings and ‘Overkill,’ Flagler’s Elections Office Will Add New Security Barriers
Flagler Elections Supervisor asked for and received $15,300 from the county commission to build glass partitions separating her front-desk staff and another area in the office from the public.
AdventHealth Surgeon John J. Cascone Faces Felonies in Domestic Violence Incident
John J. Cascone, 54, a well-known surgeon at AdventHealth Palm Coast, was jailed on charges of aggravated battery, a second degree felony, and battery by strangulation, a third degree felony, following an alleged incident with his wife.
DeSantis Wants Felon Voting Rights Case Tossed, Saying It belongs in State, Not Federal, Court
The interpretation of “all terms of their sentence” became a flashpoint during this spring’s legislative session as lawmakers struggled to reach consensus on a measure to carry out the amendment.
Wall Collapse at Construction Site in Hammock Sends 3 to Hospitals, One With Severe Injuries
Three workers were injured, one of them severely, after a wall collapsed on the workers at the site of a house under construction at 51 Calle Del Sur in the Hammock Saturday afternoon.
Fund-Raiser for Teens-in-Flight, the Flagler Non-Profit That Keeps Churning Out Young Pilots
Teens-In-Flight, the flight school created by Col. Jack Howell, holds its second annual “Hangar Party” fund-raiser Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Palm Coast Elks Lodge, hoping to draw 165 people and raise $35,000.
Curtain Rises on Flagler Auditorium’s New Director and Renovations With Ribbon-Cutting Tonight
The public can meet new Auditorium Director Amy Fulmer and tour the venue on the FPC campus during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the renovations at 5:30 this evening. The event will feature live music and food for guests.
Monday Briefing: Mark Weinberg’s National Honor, Welcome Back, School Staff, Tourism Grants, Stormwater
Court services’ Mark Weinberg wins a national award, school staff return with a welcome back breakfast, a ribbon-cutting at the new Flagler Auditorium, Palm Coast and Bunnell each have their stormwater discussions.
What “Abolish ICE” Really Means
All evidence suggests that immigrants are far from the national security threat the Trump administration claims they are. Regardless of status, they’re more law-abiding than native-born citizens.
That “Natural” Dr. Seltzer Pill for Erectile Dysfunction? FDLE Warns It’s Illegal and Dangerous
The pills are believed to have been sold on eBay and in retail stores in St. John’s County. The pills sell for $10.99 each, and agents seized more than $800,000 worth of the pills.
Sheriff’s National Night Out for Crime Prevention Tuesday Evening at FPC
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting National Night Out at Flagler Palm Coast High School Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., in conjunction with school resuming six days later.
Lethal Crisis: When Seniors Turn To Suicide
As suicide rates continue to climb, claiming more than 47,000 lives in 2017, a six-month investigation finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes.
In Culmination of the Bizarre, Man Who Faced Life in Prison For Attempting to Electrocute His Wife May Walk Out of Prison in 10 Months
Michael Scott Wilson, 32, was sentenced to 3 years in prison today but may walk out of prison in 10 months because of time served and early release. He was convicted on reduced charges after facing a first-degree attempted murder charge.
The Lose-Lose of Trump’s Proposal to Cut 3 Million People Off Food Stamps
The Trump administration’s move to cut low-income people who are eligible for food stamps and school lunch off of those programs isn’t just immoral, it’s short-sighted, argues Jill Richardson.
After 43 Years of Peace, a Joint Agreement Between FPL and AT&T On Utility Pole Uses Breaks Down
FPL alleged that the telecommunications company did not pay about $20 million owed for 2017 and 2018. The companies have had what is known as a joint-use agreement since 1975 that has allowed them to share poles.
School Supplies Sales Tax Holiday Through Tuesday, Back To School Jam Saturday at FPC
The 2019 back-to-school sales tax suspension, or holiday, began at a minute after midnight today (Aug. 2) and runs through Tuesday, Aug. 6. The Flagler County district’s annual Back to School Jam is on Saturday at Flagler Palm Coast High School, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.