Gov. Rick Scott’s unexpected dinner drop-in at Flagler Beach’s Golden Lion this evening coincided with a wreck outside. He gave the tambourine and the Beatles a go before making out on the Flagler Beach pier.
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This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Scott at the Chamber, Early Voting and Pills Again
The Palm Coast City Council discusses next steps as its pill-mill moratorium approaches its end, early voting for the mayoral primary begins Monday, many agencies are in slow-motion mode ahead of Labor Day.
Rick Scott’s 2nd Trip to Flagler: More Generous With Chamber Than Firefighters
Gov. Rick Scott will be at the Flagler chamber of commerce for an 8 a.m. breakfast meeting Monday, part of the governor’s ongoing outreach tour to improve his image.
Brutal Weekend: Early Morning Wreck on SR 11 Leaves 19-Year-Old in Critical Condition
19-year-old Trevor White was traveling south in a Ford F150 when it veered off and smashed into a tree at 5:45 Sunday morning, Aug. 28. He was evacuated in critical condition.
Stetson Kennedy, Nemesis of KKK And Jim Crow, Is Dead at 94
Stetson Kennedy, the civil rights activist, journalist, folklorist, author and lecturer, died in St. Augustine Saturday, Aug. 27, with his wife Sandra Parks at his side. He was lucid to the end.
Man Drowns North of Flagler Beach, Near Condos Where Family Had Recently Moved In
James Palmer, 55, who was staying at the Oceanside condominiums in Beverly Beach with his family, drowned just before 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. A 55-year-old surfer also died in New Smyrna Beach three hours earlier.
Incumbents Jon Netts and Holsey Moorman Leading Money Race In Palm Coast Elections
Mayor Jon Netts is leading the money race with $8,600. Charlie Ericksen, his principal challenger, has raised $4,469 so far, with 18 days to go for the primary. Holsey Moorman, whose election isn’t until November, has raised $6,840 so far.
Borrowing From Rick Perry: Gov. Rick Scott Wants More Texas in Florida Universities
Gov. Rick Scott wants to treat universities and colleges more like private businesses, as Rick Perry is trying to do in Texas, with more scrutiny over professor and university performance.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter
A twice-attempted home invasion witnessed by a child, vandalism of Ralph Carter Park’s soccer fields, vacuuming quarters, a very long list of larcenies and burglaries, and more.
Rick Scott’s Sunshine Problem: Missing E-Mails and a Questionable FDLE Probe
From a supposedly accidental purge of entire Rick Scott administration email accounts to an FDLE probe that appears to be a conflict of interest, the governor’s problems with open records continue.
An Exploding Toilet Breaks the Monotony of a Point Pleasant Afternoon
A portable toilet leaning on the grass of a lot just cleared for construction exploded this afternoon, causing more noise than damage. It looked like the work of errant boys wasting a firecracker.
Campaign Notes: Defacing Moorman, Excluding Ericksen, Unseating Kim Weeks
Palm Coast City Councilman Holsey Moorman reacts to his vandalized sign, Democrats explain why they invited Jon Netts and not Charlie Ericksen, and the complete list of candidates thinking (or not) of challenging Kimberle Weeks, the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Hurricane Update: Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Coastal Waters Off Flagler
Hurricane Irene won’t slam Florida the way it will the Northeast, but high surf of 12 to 18 feet near shore means a tropical storm warning for coastal areas here and windy conditions overnight.
Lethal Edict: Florida Supremes Rule “Isolated Mishaps” Aren’t Enough to Stop Executions
Clearing the way for executions by lethal injection, a unanimous Florida Supreme Court ruled invalid death row inmate Manuel Valle’s objection to pentobarbital, one of the three drugs used to put inmates to sleep–and to euthanize animals.
Native Sons: Remembering Josh Crews One Young Writer at a Time, With a Ball
Josh Crews, the long-time manager at Woody’s and voracious reader, was killed last year in a car crash. The Josh Crews Fund is created in his memory to underwrite writing scholarships in Flagler schools. A fund-raising masquerade ball is scheduled for Oct. 28.
End of State-Funded Public Broadcasting In Florida: State Board Blanks PBS Dollars
Following on the heels of Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of PBS funding earlier this year, the State Board of Education, for the first time in 35 years, refused to include funding for Florida’s 26 public television and radio stations, putting many of those stations’ future in doubt.
Overflow Crowd at a Wonkish Forum for 7 Palm Coast City Council Candidates
Live, blow-by-blow coverage and analysis of tonight’s Palm Coast city elections’ candidates forum at the Hilton Garden Inn.
County’s Economic Board Would Exclude Cities and Bank on $400,000 a Year in Tax Dollars
The county commission’s latest direction was surprising and divided, as a 3-2 majority settled on an economic development board with just one government represented–the county–and eight seats filled by business representatives with economic development experience.
Florida GOP’s Vague Redistricting Schedule Playing Havoc With Election-Year Politics
Critics of the Legislature’s timeline say mass chaos could follow if lawmakers don’t approve maps soon enough to give the attorney general and the Supreme Court enough time to review the plans well in advance of the June 18 opening date for qualifying.
Bonuses or No Bonuses, Supervisor of Elections and Commissioners Brawl in Ugly, 70-Minute Spectacle
The Flagler Supervisor of Elections could not explain to commissioners’ satisfaction bonus checks cut at the end of 2010 or answer questions about her employees’ rates of pay and recent raises. Commissioners refused to grant her request for a 7 percent budget increase pending answers.
Flagler Schools’ Enrollment Is Flat Overall But Showing Strong Migration to Charters
On the first day of school in Flagler, every elementary school but one lost students, all three charter schools gained, and problems were limited to several overcrowded buses and enormous car lines at Imagine and Belle Terre.
Palm Coast Data Lays Off 18 More, This Time in Magazine Customer Service
The Palm Coast Data layoffs are the latest in a string of job losses that have struck the company’s warehouse, membership services, IT and management.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Budgeting Mysteries, Spy Cameras, Dogs in Restaurants
The Flagler County Commission tries again (and again, and again) to figure out what to do about economic development, the Palm Coast City Council awaits its manager’s latest budget presentation, Flagler Beach talks dogs in restaurants, Bunnell talks spy cameras.
Tourism Council Approves $800,000 Budget Over Objection to Exec’s 7.7% Raise
The publicly funded tourism council approved a 7.7 percent raise for the Flagler Chamber of Commerce’s VP for tourism and the council’s administrative head, and 6 percent raises for two staff members. The Flagler County Commission must give final approval.
Coalition of Cities Meets in Wake of One Agency’s Death and Its Own Uncertain Life
The Flagler County Coalition of Cities held its second meeting only for its Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach members to confirm what’s already known: that much remains unknown about the future of the county’s plan to fight unemployment.
Another Air Show, in Kansas City, Crash Claims the Life of a Ponte Vedra Veteran of Aerobatics
Bryan Jensen, a stunt pilot for 15 years and a captain who flew 747s for Delta Airlines, was killed Saturday when his red Horizon Hobbit biplane crashed at the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show in circumstances similar to the fatal crash at Wings Over Flagler in March.
Taxes, the Economy, the Stimulus: Separating Fiction from Fact
Answers to recurring questions of the day: what’s the state of the economy, are Americans really as overtaxed as they think they are, and what has the 2009 economic stimulus accomplished–or not?
Decision Fatigue, Why Music Matters, Immigrants Under Siege: The Live Wire
He decides to give up on Facebook and Twitter, the South discovers a new enemy in immigrants, the bad news of bad news, Irving Kristol on Neo-conservatism, Burger King fires the King, and more.
Sheriff Fleming on Palm Coast and Bunnell Gambling Halls: “I Have Bigger Fish To Fry”
Sheriff Don Fleming’s stance on internet cafes and other such gambling halls has wide implications for Palm Coast and Bunnell, both of which are wrestling with ordinances that would regulate the establishments.
Florida’s Next Testing Target: Pre-K Children
David Lawrence, a leading pre-K education advocate in Florida, is winning converts to his proposal that pre-K children be subjected to standardized testing to instill rigor and accountability similar to that of K-12 programs. He says it won’t be a “baby FCAT.”
Archie Edwards of Bunnell Killed in Late-Night Wreck on West SR100
Archie Edwards, 59, was driving west on State Road 100, at 80 mph in a 60, with his lights off in a pick-up truck when he lost control and crashed in the Bimini area.
Flagler Unemployment Flat at 14.7%, Florida’s Also Stalled at 10.7%
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July was unchanged from June’s revised 14.7 percent (last month’s original rate was 14.6 percent). Florida’s unemployment rate also stalled at 10.7 percent, with 987,000 Floridians out of work.
What Barack Obama Can Learn From Rick Scott
With Rick Scott’s poll numbers in the 20s, the governor went for a cosmetology make-over. Barack Obama could do the same, in reverse: he needs to be liked less and to govern more.
Enterprise Flagler Is No More
After 11 years, Enterprise Flagler voted unanimously on Thursday to disband, a vote reflecting resignation to financial realities (Palm Coast and Flagler County are no longer funding the agency) rather than enthusiasm from Enterprise Flagler members. There is no clear plan in place to replace the agency’s work.
Profits of Buying Florida’s Government: Lobbyists Earn $52 Million in 2nd Quarter
Florida is hurting. Lobbyists aren’t: they increased their take from April to June to $52 million, up from $49.3 million in the same period last year.
50-Year-Old Woman Hospitalized After Van Rear-Slams Her Car In Front of Town Center
The woman was at the light at Landing Blvd., in front of Dunkin Donuts, when, according to a witness, a van came “barreling” from behind, never applying the brakes.
Maybe They Should Bid Out the Contract
Palm Coast alone didn’t have a tough week with sanitation matters: A sanitation truck went through the wall of a third-floor depot in New York Wednesday in an involuntary homage to Magritte.
A Wake for Palm Coast Desalination: Consultants Talk “Hiatus” Rather Than Demise
The seawater desalination initiative Palm Coast led for the last three years held what amounted to an exit interview with the public as the project shuts down for lack of money, participants and, for now and several years to come, need.
From Bad to Worse: Flagler and Florida Students Near Bottom in National ACT Scores
There’s plenty of back-patting when Flagler students are compared to their Florida peers. When Flagler and Florida students are compared to students across the nation, the story is much bleaker.
The Down Side of Fuel Efficiency: Florida Governments Will Take a $5 Billion Hit
As the Obama administration seeks to double average fuel efficiency by 2025, State and local government revenue dependent on gas taxes will see big declines in revenue that pays for roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Flagler School Board and County Commission Narrow Redistricting Options to Three
The Flagler School Board and the Flagler County Commission took less than an hour in a joint meeting Tuesday to eliminate three of six redistricting options. The public weighs in next, at two hearings in September. See all plans.
As 16 Fires Old and New Burn in Flagler, More Heat But Also More Storms Predicted
Most new fires in Flagler County have been small, but lightning keeps triggering them, and near-record heat combined with lower-than-expected rains are keeping conditions brittle even as more named storms are predicted for the remainder of the hurricane season.
Supreme Court Says Rick Scott Overstepped His Authority By Usurping Rule-Making Powers
In a stinging rebuke of Gov. Rick Scott’s interpretation of his powers, the Florida Supreme Court, in a 5-2 ruling, declared the governor’s attempt to blunt and circumvent state agency rule-making invalid.
Whiley v. Scott: Full Text of Florida Supreme Court Decision Invalidating Gov. Scott’s Rulemaking Edict
Full text of the Florida Supreme Court’s 5-2 decision in Whiley v. Scott. The opinion was unsigned.
Bowing to Public Pressure, Palm Coast Opts for Bidding Out Trash Hauling Contract
Citing an epiphany in the shower, Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon reversed his recommendation to negotiate an garbage-contract extension with Waste Pro. The city will open up the process through a broader request for proposals.
In a Case With Implications for Palm Coast and Bunnell, Polk Sheriff Shuts Down Internet Cafe
The Internet cafe–or gambling parlor–shut down in Davenport Monday is similar to those in Palm Coast and Bunnell, where local officials and residents are debating whether and how to regulate (or ban) the businesses.
Trash Flips: Waste Pro Lobbies Another County To Go to Bids While Urging Palm Coast Not To
Waste Pro wants to keep the $7-million-a-year garbage hauling in contract in Palm Coast, so it’s opposing a bidding process, but it’s arguing the exact opposite in Hillsborough County, where it’s hoping to win the contract.
Publix and Winn-Dixie Recall Ground Beef Sold in Flagler and St. Johns Over E. Coli Alert
The E. coli-contaminated ground chuck was produced by a Dodge City, Kansas-based meat packer and distributed to Publix and Winn-Dixie. Publix stores in four states and 17 Florida counties are affected.
Blaming County, Elections Supervisor Closes 3 Outlying Precincts for Special Election
Some Flagler County voters will have to travel 21 miles to cast a ballot in the special election for State Senate, District 1, others will have to travel 7 miles because of precinct closures.
Manic Mondex: Love Triangle and Drive-By Shooting Land a Woman in Jail
Kara Buckner is accused of firing a .22-caliber rifle at two people smoking on a porch Saturday night, while a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl were inside. No one was hurt.