Flagler’s customary-use ordinance forbids the walling off of private sections of beaches, though a new state law allows just such segregation from public use. Flagler expects its ordinance to be challenged.
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Caution About Possible Phone Scam Targeting Military Families in Tricare
Officials are cautioning about a possible phone scam involving Tricare, the military health care program for active and retired service members, but there are no reports of scamming in Flagler.
Critics Assail Scott Policy Shift That Would Reduce Eligibility Window For Medicaid
The majority of the 39,000 people impacted by the change would be seniors and people with disabilities. But Gov. Scott wants the shift to save nearly $100 million.
Thursday Briefing: Senior Self-Defense, World’s Largest Swim Lesson, Heat Index Up to 109, Dante Mobley
Beware, the heat index is set to rise to 109 in the afternoon in parts of Flagler, Lunch ‘N Learn is about senior self-defense, Dante Mobley is back in court on a probation violation.
Dennis McDonald Files to Run Against Greg Hansen as Sheriff’s Building Fuses Explosive Campaign Issue
Dennis McDonald will challenge County Commissioner Greg Hansen as an independent, with the mess surrounding the Sheriff’s Operations Center leading his decision to run.
Ambulance Fees Going Up 48% as Flagler Fire Rescue Makes Pitch For Big Budget Increase
Flagler County’s fire department is asking for a substantial budget increase to raise pay and buy $1.5 million worth of equipment, and the county approved huge increases in emergency transportation fees.
We Get It. Trump Is Awful. But Standard-Issue Democrats Are Not an Alternative.
The neoliberal establishment that runs the Democratic Party party holds fast to the very policies that are making it shrink into oblivion, argues John Atcheson.
Wednesday Briefing: Heat Index 100 to 104, Live Bombing, Portugal v. Morocco
Palm Coast’s Portuguese community mobilizes at 8 a.m. as Portugal faces Morocco at the World Cup, a day of extreme heat, Boris Berezovsky plays Chopin.
Palm Harbor Charter School Will Shut Down Oct. 31 From Chronically Poor Performance
The Palm Coast charter school becomes the third in six years to shut its doors. Irregularities and poor student performance led the district to pressure Palm Harbor to close.
Bunnell Manager Interviews: Some Drop Out, Some Stand Out Some Evoke Testy Memories
The Bunnell commission interviewed ex-Bunnell Manager Lyndon Bonner and Martin Murphy Monday, and began taking up positions on narrowing the list of four remaining candidates.
Rotary Club’s Fabulous Fourth Parade in Flagler Beach Calling For Floats
This year’s parade theme is “Freedom for All.” The application entry deadline is July 1. There is no cost to enter a float in the parade.
Floridian Wins 2nd Case at Supreme Court Over Arrest During Public Comment
Justices, in an 8-1 decision, sided with Fane Lozman, who filed a lawsuit against the city contending that the arrest involved retaliation for his outspoken criticism of officials in the Palm Beach County community.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Harbor Charter, School Vouchers, Food Truck Tuesday, Historic Flagler Tour, Stewart Goodyear
Flagler Woman’s Club scholarships, the school board takes another look at troubled Palm Harbor charter school and discusses private school vouchers.
Sheriff’s Potentially Sick Building Testing Done in 1 Day, Results Not Expected Until July
An environmental engineer Flagler County government hired to test the Sheriff’s Operations Center gathered some 30 air, soil and other samples in a one-day testing spree at the building.
Behind Campaign to ‘Save Cooper’ the Dangerous Dog, Broken Pledges on Both Sides and Palm Coast’s Arbitrary Calls
Cooper’s owner broke a pledge to kill the dog, and the victim broke a pledge not to sue, while Palm Coast pursued euthanizing the dog but not charges against the owner, even though the law says it should do both.
Flagler Beach Golf Course Struggles On, But City Declares Re-Evaluation Committee Premature
Flagler Beach commissioners rejected Kim Carney’s call for appointing a reevaluation committee for the nine-hole golf course at the south end of town.
Monday Briefing: Election Qualifying Starts, Live Bombing, Dante Mobley, Bunnell Interviews Round 2
Qualifying for this year’s elections starts at noon, Bunnell holds the second round of its manager interviews, sex offender Dante Mobley is back in court, bombing in Ocala forest.
Cruel and Usual Trump
The Trump-Sessions zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their parents at the border has no precedent except in America’s slavery times.
Judge Says Legislature Illegally Spending Florida’s Land-Preservation Money on Operating Costs
Striking a blow to the Legislature, a judge ruled lawmakers failed to comply with a voter-approved constitutional amendment to buy and preserve environmentally sensitive lands.
Five First Responders to the Pulse Massacre. One Diagnosis: PTSD.
“My head’s still not right,” said one paramedic who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting two years ago. He and some other responders say their departments haven’t given them the help they need.
FDLE Adds Texts and Other Notification Systems for AMBER/Missing Child Alerts
Citizens can now receive AMBER and Missing Child Alerts through text messages as well as email. To use the new system, citizens must create an Everbridge account.
Court Orders Re-Hearing in Death Penalty
Case Over Juror Calling Gays ‘Depraved’
Justices ordered a new sentencing hearing for inmate Eric Kurt Patrick because the jury split 7-5 in recommending the death penalty to a judge, and because a juror was prejudiced against Patrick.
Sheriff’s Office Completes Evacuation as Length of Nomadic Exile Remains Uncertain
The Flagler Sheriff’s Office completed its relocation to the courthouse and its old administrative building pending analysis of the potentially sick operations center.
For Flagler Students, Slight Declines In English and Math Mask Stronger Gains in the Details
When broken out, the declines tend to be more isolated than systemic, and despite the declines, the district remains above the state average in both English and math.
Flagler Unemployment Settles Below 4% in Echo of Pre-Recession Vigor, Labor Force at New High
The Flagler labor force hit a new high of 47,204, up 600 compared to a year ago. Of those, 45,423 residents are holding jobs either in the county or out of the county.
Flagler Firefighters Pull Off Two Saves in 12 Hours–A $1.2 Million Home and Strip Mall Shop
This morning’s fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. at the Bikes ‘N Coffee shop at Flagler Plaza. Thursday evening a three-level house in the Hammock caught fire from a lightning strike.
Weekend Briefing: CPR Class, Get Out the Vote Class, “Benji,” Women’s Hall of Fame, Claude Bolling
Palm Coast Fire Station 25 hosts a CPR class, the Flagler NAACP hosts a Get Out the Vote class, Marineland shows “Benji” outdoors, 10 World Cup games over the weekend.
If Trump Is Giving Diplomacy a Chance in Korea, His Critics Should, Too
The North Korea negotiations are far from over, and could still tip from a fragile diplomacy back to middle-school insults, but diplomacy isn’t just the better way. It’s the only way.
Flagler Beach Restores Beach Management Panel In Hopes of Securing $500,000 A Year
The Flagler Beach City Commission restored the Beach Management Committee disbanded in 2014 in hopes of ensuring that a state agency sends $500,000 a year to the city for management of 6 miles of dunes.
Palm Coast Council Prepares Residents For Big Tax and Fee Changes Ahead
A combination of a potential huge revenue loss combined with rising infrastructure needs mean the current Palm Coast tax and fee structure is unsustainable.
Black Bear Roaming Around Seminole Woods Catches Attention of Residents and FWC
The bear has been linked to areas around Ulaturn Trail, Ullian Trail and Selma Trail. FWC is canvassing the neighborhood and urging residents to eliminate outdoor food sources.
291 Gun Permits Wrongly Issued, But Adam Putnam Says “Public Safety Was Not At Risk”
An employee stopped running background checks on hundreds of applicants. The problem led to heavy criticism of Putnam amid his campaign for governor.
Thursday Briefing: World Cup, Flagler Beach Golf Course, State of the Judiciary, Congressionals at Tiger Bay
The Flagler Beach Commission again talks about what to do with its troubled golf course, the World Cup begins its month-long fanaticism, GOP congressional candidates appear at Tiger Bay.
In Bunnell Manager Interviews, a Commissioner Makes His Choice With 3 Candidates Yet To Go
Commissioner John Rogers declared himself for a candidate before the candidate’s interview was over, and before the commission is to interview three more next week.
Accused of Threatening His Mother, Palm Coast Man Is Tased in His Bedroom, and Arrested
Richard Flefil, 31, of Palm Coast’s P Section, threatened to finish the job his father had started, he told his mother, who told deputies his father had once tried to kill her.
In Wake of Hurricane Irma’s Messy Evacuation and Fuel Shortages, Study Will Seek Improvements
An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University team is studying Hurricane Irma’s mass evacuation to provide recommendations for a smoother exodus in the future.
Beyond Donation of 25 FHP Used Cars to Puerto Rico, an Island’s Policing in Crisis
Puerto Rico right now is all about a cattle pen of system failures — but one of the most important is its broken and bleeding law enforcement structure.
Campaign Cash Fuels TV Ads for Adam Putnam and Philip Levine in Governor’s Race
As the leading fundraisers in their party primaries for governor, Adam Putnam and Philip Levine have an advantage over their rivals when it comes to reaching voters.
Wednesday Briefing: Citizenship Academy Graduates, Live Bombing, Managing Cholesterol, Workforce Summit
Palm Coast graduates 18 from its 43rd Citizenship Academy, learn about managing cholesterol, live bombing in the Ocala forest, Schumann virtuosity.
Rae Cabot, 99, Is Killed, 2 Others Injured Crash on Belle Terre and Pine Grove
The crash that killed Palm Coast’s Rae Cabot, 99, had similarities to the last crash that killed a woman at the same intersection four years ago.
Palm Coast Council Claims It Cannot Exile Rather Than Kill Dangerous Dog Cooper. Many Others Disagree.
The dog Cooper has twice been declared dangerous and is set to be killed, but its owner and advocates say Palm Coast is refusing to settle for exiling the dog to a rescue ranch instead.
Palm Coast’s Tyrone Hartley, 53, Found Dead of Gunshot in Apparent Suicide
Tyrone Hartley, of Bunker Knolls Lane in Palm Coast, had sent a letter to a friend in Michigan on June 7 giving “five reasons why I’m done.”
Trouble For 9 Ballot Proposals, But Homestead Expansion and School Board Term Limits Would Pass
Bans on offshore oil drilling and vaping in workplaces and restaurants, new ethics standard for public officials and voting rights to ex-felons would all fail.
Tuesday Briefing: Old Kings Road Widening, Santore Fireworks Expansion, Bunnell Manager Interviews
The Palm Coast Council discusses buying land for Old Kings Road’s expansion, the Bunnell City Commission interviews three candidates for city manager, Santore and Sons, the fireworks company, seeks a zoning change.
Flagler Schools’ Problem Solvers Claim Two 1st Places Among 6 Trophies at International Competition
Katia Martynuk of FPC and Michael Mwaura of Indian Trails took first place as Flagler’s students from the two schools also claimed one second-place and three third-place finishes.
Facing Life in Prison, George Wood Is Found Incompetent to Stand Trial; 2 Previous Guilty Verdicts In Question
Palm Coast’s George Wood, 32, was headed for trial on an armed burglary charge that could lock him up for life, and was sentenced to 10 years in February in separate trials.
Examining Budget, Commissioners May Increase Free Clinic and Family Life Center Funding
Commissioners Monday discussed county contributions to such organizations as the Flagler Free Clinic and the Family Life Center, level for years.
The Truth About ‘Sanctuary Cities’
The term “sanctuary city” typically refers to a jurisdiction that wants to limit the use of local law enforcement resources to carry out federal law enforcement work, in violation of constitutional protections.
School Massacre Commission Hears Troubling Account Of Ineffective Database and Information-Sharing
Panelists on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission discussed shortcomings in a database designed to capture information about troubled students.
Monday Briefing: Congressional Forum, Sheriff’s Moves, Poor People’s Campaign, Library Policies
The district’s congressional candidates speak in St. Augustine, Sheriff’s employees begin moving out of Operations Center, the library debates policy reviews.