The 100-acre campus along SR100 will eventually have a new hospital tower to accommodate an extra 100 beds, several additional buildings and, soon, a trail system.
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Palm Coast Liquors Up on Hypocrisy Ahead of ABC Store’s Opening (and 10 New Jobs)
The November opening of Flagler County’s first ABC liquor store, a 10,000-square-foot facility, is drawing flack for its location despite its promise of 10 new jobs, choice booze and discounts.
Experts: Argue All You Want, Mosque Project Is on Firm Legal Ground
Whatever its detractors say, the project to build a 15-story Islamic center, including a mosque, near Ground Zero has the law, including a particular GOP law, unquestionably on its side.
Florida’s High School Students Near Bottom in College Readiness; Flagler’s Do Worse
The college readiness scores, trending downward for the state and for Flagler, undermine the state’s contention that it is improving education on a nationally competitive level.
$15 Million Short, Federal Insurance Fund Takes Over News-Journal’s Pension Plan
A federal judge ruled against adequately funding News-Journal retirees’ pension plan, ordering instead that $40 million in cash and other values should go to Cox, the newspaper’s former minority owner.
McDermott Self-Evaluates After His First School Board Meeting
The Flagler County School Board’s newest student representative reflects on his first evening with the elected, and makes a pitch to fellow-students.
More Trouble for Flynt: Sheriff Ends Tow Ties Permanently; Bank Sues for $50,000
Legal troubles aside, the sheriff’s decision worsens the Bunnell city commissioner’s financial straits–as does a law suit over a $50,00 debt.
In Split Vote, Tourism Council Approves Raising Bed Tax to 4% For More Marketing
The additional 1 percent would raise an extra $275,000 to $300,000, which the council wants to spend on more advertising for Flagler. Several council members objected, setting up a possible battle at the County Commission.
Back from the Brink, Florida Hospital and United Healthcare Reassure Flagler Clients
For people who need to go to the hospital or its affiliates, nothing changes–until the fine print is made clearer: rates are almost certain to increase.
Veteran Problem Solver Ryan McDermott Joins School Board as Student Representative
Never shy, McDermott, a 17-year-old senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, will represent the district’s 13,000 students on the board.
Stetson University and Flagler College Rank Well, Florida Does Not in Higher Ed Survey
Regional successes aside, Florida’s flagship universities did poorly when ranked against other national public and private universities.
Palm Coast Firefighters Unionize, Citing Unbalanced Treatment of Employees
Some 75 percent of the Palm Coast Fire Department’s 60 rank-and-file employees voted to form a union. Higher pay or better benefits aren’t on the agenda. Job security is.
Outlining Achievements, Enterprise Flagler Tells Palm Coast City Council: We Matter
The economic development agency’s list included achievements that weren’t quite its own while Director Greg Rawls remained cagey regarding the new tax the agency is proposing.
Bach, Ballet and Cirque: Cultural Season Begins This Week in Orlando
Printmakers Nathaniel Currier and James Ives and harness racing, the Orlando Philharmonic’s Sounds of Summer, innumerable performers at Bob Carr, and more for your calendar.
Sheriff Knocks Commissioner Flynt’s Towing Company Out of Wrecking Rotation Indefinitely
Saxon’s Wrecker, owned by Bunnell City Commissioner Jimmy Flynt, is at the center of a withering investigative report showing Flynt benefited from chronic favoritism at other towers’ expense.
Innovative Garden Hose Start-Up Swells Flagler Hopes for Economic Revival at the Airport
MH Operations proposes to manufacture an expanding and retracting hose few will resist, and do so from a county airport, where it would create 125 jobs.
State Report Details Disturbing Patterns at Bunnell PD and Favors For Comm. Jimmy Flynt
A 35-page State Attorney’s report puts Bunnell City Commissioner Jimmy Flynt at the center of a pattern of favoritism involving the long-troubled Bunnell Police Department.
Cakes Across America Dumps Airport Building County Built For It; Taxpayer Bill: $300,000+
In another example of economic development subsidized at taxpayers’ expense, the cake company leaves taxpayers holding the bag for a promise of jobs never fulfilled.
Flagler Beach Developer John Boback Arrested on $410,000 Theft Charge
Boback took the money from a Marco Island investor to build what was going to be a professional complex on A1A. The complex never went up.
Krauthammer’s Sacrilege: When Reactionaries Fire Up their Sunday Missals–and Miss
A comparison of Ground Zero’s neighborhood to Auschwitz or Gettysburg is ridiculous, given the ritzy and lurid neighborhood of Ground Zero. Walk the walk.
Harmonic Shock Meets Art at Hollingsworth Gallery’s “Music Is the Muse”
The latest show at City Walk’s Hollingsworth Gallery features works by 18 artists inspired by particular songs or pieces of music, which will also be playing–through Sept. 28.
Breaking His Silence, Obama Defends Mosque Near Ground Zero
The president’s Ramadan speech at the White House was not as soaring as Mayor Bloomberg’s defense of the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan, but it was forceful and left no doubts about the president’s stance.
Water Wars Redux: Homeowners Sue
Palm Coast Over Annexation Bullying
Palm Coast is forcing Palm Coast Plantation property owners to sign annexation agreements in exchange for water and sewer services. The owners say Palm Coast is breaking the law.
A Suicide Attempt Near the 13th Hole at Cypress Knoll Golf Course
An 18-year-old man stabbed himself in his arms on a golf cart path along the golf course, in view of nearby neighbors, in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday.
Florida Court Rules Pregnant Woman’s Rights Override Presumptions for the Unborn
In a circuit court decisions with wide implications about the rights of a fetus, a judge ruled a woman had the right to decline hospitalization against doctors’ concerns over her pregnancy.
Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon’s Compensation Package: $218,296 a Year
Jim Landon’s base salary of $168,878 is higher than the total compensation package of the school superintendent, who manages five times as many employees and is responsible for 13,000 students.
“Burn the Koran Day” in Gainesville: When Crude Isn’t the Only Thing Mucking Up Florida
Terry Jones’ “Dove World Outreach Center” in Gainesville slimes Florida, but no more so than Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin are sliming American values in the name of the worst of Western civilization.
Flagler Beach Commissioners Pick 12 to Interview for Manager (Updated)
Two charts show how each commissioner and the mayor drew up a short list of candidates for Flagler Beach city manager.
Weekly Crime Reports: Aug. 2-8, 2010
A child burned by a grill, a larceny at a cyber cafe, cars broken into at Palm Harbor Parkway, and more.
Pierre on WNZF’s Open Lines with David Ayers This Morning
Chatting it up about local politics, local media, the primary election, the good referendum on the ballot and the very bad one, and more.
Six Things You Need to Know About Financial Regulation
No need to read 2,000-page bills. Here are less than 1,000 words to give you a quick primer on what’s happening now when your money becomes other people’s money.
450 Vehicles for 350 Palm Coast City Employees? Council Bridles at “Urban Legend”
Palm Coast’s city government owns a total of 285 vehicles, including dozens of off-road mowers, utility vehicles and firetrucks, though it also has a well-endowed vehicle fund.
Cool Project, Cooler Reception: Palm Coast’s Desalination Aims Leaves Others Unmoved
Slower than before, but still expensively, Palm Coast continues to push desalination as its only alternative water source in the future.
From 140, Flagler Beach Short-Lists 35 Applicants for Manager Ahead of Thursday Cut
Two local favorites appear at the top of the list, which Flagler Beach city commissioners on Aug. 10 will pare down to about 10 applicants who’ll be invited for interviews. See the chart.
Council Slams Enterprise Flagler’s Camouflage, Casting Doubt on “Development” Tax
The economic development agency that devours taxpayer dollars year after year hasn’t produced a report in years showing what it’s accomplished. Elected officials are tiring of the mystery.
This Week in Orlando: Dancing With Princess Leia and Fred Astaire
Edward Gorey, the artist behind “Dracula” and “The War of the Worlds,” at the Orlando Museum of Art; SunRail as art muse; Roy Alan as Fred Astaire, and more.
County Cuts Carver Gym Budget 25%, Eyeing Future Reductions–and More Talk
The 3-2 vote formalizes the county’s first significant move away from the gym, though at least three commissioners are leery of turning operations over to Bunnell.
Commission Increases County Employees’ Health Costs Against Steep Opposition
County employees’ health insurance premiums are rising steeply, but they remain less expensive than for employees in other government agencies in the area.
Crunch Time for Carver Gym: County Will Keep It Open, But Debates How
The County Commission has backed off a proposal to close the gym, but is still wrangling over how to keep it open, paid for, and properly run with children’s programming.
Justice for Sale: Half a Million Dollars
Slosh Races for 3 Local Circuit Court Seats
Eleven candidates in three races in the 7th Judicial Circuit have raised an average of $44,000 each, more than 60 percent of it their own money.
John Selden, Candidate for Circuit Court Judge, Group 5 (Flagler County)
Voters’ Guide for John Selden, Candidate for Florida 7th Circuit Court Judge, Group 5, Flagler County, vying to replace Judge Kim C. Hammond.
Sid Nowell, Candidate for Circuit Court Judge, Group 5 (Flagler County)
Voters’ Guide for Sid Nowell, Candidate for Florida 7th Circuit Court Judge, Group 5, Flagler County, vying to replace Judge Kim C. Hammond.
Marc Dwyer, Candidate for Circuit Court Judge, Group 5 (Flagler County)
Voters’ Guide for Marc Dwyer, Candidate for Florida 7th Circuit Court Judge, Group 5, Flagler County, vying to replace Judge Kim C. Hammond.
Judge Them Before One of Them Judges You: The Race For Kim C. Hammond’s Seat
Six lawyers, including Bunnell’s Marc Dwyer and Sid Nowell, are vying to replace Circuit Judge Judge Kim C. Hammond, who’s retiring after 32 years.
“Back 2 School Jam”‘s Free Backpacks, Supplies and Shots Draws Thousands at FPC
In addition to free school supplies, the annual jam provided free bike helmets to those hardy students willing to sit through immunization shots.
Flagler County Early Voting Locations and Times
Early voting in the Flagler primary election runs from August 9 through August 21, Monday – Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Here’s a list of locations.
Supervisor of Elections Scans Boards Through Emergency Meeting and 11th Hour Theatrics
An emergency meeting of the Flagler County Commission and some silly jockeying prefaced the certification of the county’s voting equipment.
Flagler District Scores an A for 3rd Year in a Row as 3 Schools Maintain A, 3 Drop Back
Belle Terre Elementary, Buddy Taylor and Indian Trails middle repeat their A rating. High School scores will be released in late fall.
Word on the Street: Palm Coast Data Adding 100+ Jobs
The Flagler Chamber of Commerce is hoping that the job announcement will buttress arguments for an “economic development” tax, though the connection is tenuous.
US Economy Loses 131,000 Jobs, Unemployment Rate Stalls at 9.5%
The economy is losing far more jobs than it is adding as more temporary census workers lose work.