Two years after former President Donald Trump called for a ban on TikTok, Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio this week introduced legislation that would impose a national ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform that has become immensely popular with young Americans.
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DeSantis Picks 4 Judges for Revamped 5th District Court of Appeal, Which Hears Flagler Cases
DeSantis named Florida Gaming Control Commission Chairman John MacIver, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Paige Kilbane, Duval County Circuit Judge Adrian Soud and Putnam County Judge Joseph Boatwright to serve on the appellate court, which will hear cases from a large swath of North Florida and Central Florida.
Flagler County Unemployment Rate of 3.2% Stays Where It’s Been Most of the Year
Flagler County’s labor force reached nearly 51,000 in August and October, falling back modestly to 50,676 in November, with an employed labor force of 49,000, out of a population of about 120,000, and 1,600 unemployed people.
Two Inmates at Flagler Jail Who Attempted Suicide Within 24 Hours Each Had a Disturbing Backstory
On Dec. 8 and 9, in the span of 24 hours, detention deputies–and an inmate in the first case–intervened and halted the attempted suicides of two inmates, a man and a woman, in unrelated incidents. Each had a harrowing back-story, suggesting that the individuals’ attempts may not be their last.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 16, 2022
The 2023 economic outlook, Florida-friendly landscaping, Honky Tonk Angel, at City Repertory Theatre, chess as a boxing match, put down that burger, or else watch your world disappear.
Ten Big Issues in Florida’s Just-Enacted Insurance Overhaul
Florida lawmakers this week held a special session and passed a 105-page bill aimed at stabilizing the state’s troubled property-insurance system. The bill (SB 2-A) deals with numerous issues, including lawsuits, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and critical reinsurance coverage. Here are 10 key issues that lawmakers addressed.
Getting Critical: Mississippi and Other Major Rivers Are At Record Lows
In 2022, water levels in some of the world’s largest rivers, including the Rhine in Europe and the Yangtze in China, fell to historically low levels. The Mississippi River fell so low in Memphis, Tennessee, in mid-October that barges were unable to float, requiring dredging and special water releases from upstream reservoirs to keep channels navigable. Earth scientists see this year’s dramatic plunge in water levels as a preview of a climate-altered future.
Perry Mitrano Elected Flagler’s REC Chair, Defeating Renner-Backed Jill Woolbright By Big Margin
Internal party elections are not ordinarily newsworthy. This one, however, reflects political dynamics that reverberate beyond the party and the county, especially as Republicans control all but a handful of Flagler’s elected seats, when Renner is House speaker, and in his last term, and when Republicans are cleaved by fierce divisions, in Flagler as elsewhere, over the direction of their party.
Lawsuit Cites Splash Pad Contractors’ ‘Collective Negligence’ and Bond Company’s Refusal to Pick Up Pieces
The lawsuit Palm Coast government filed to recover damages from the broken splash pad at Holland Park names three contractor, accusing them of negligence, breach of contract and warranties, and violations of Florida’s building code. The lawsuit also names the bonding company, revealing that the company has allegedly refused to comply by the bond’s terms.
MOCI Program Graduates First Cohort at Daytona State College
The first cohort of students participating in Daytona State College’s MOCI program were honored Wednesday at a Rite of Passage ceremony at the Mori Hosseini Center on the Daytona Beach Campus. The program has existed for several years, but this is the first time a cohort of students has worked together through the program.
Jury Convicts Rene Laso In Smiles Bar Stabbing After Propositioning Woman; He Faces Up to 30 Years
A jury on Wednesday convicted Rene Laso, a 56-year-old resident of Zachary Place in Palm Coast, on two counts of aggravated assault in the stabbing of a man and a woman at Smiles night club a year and a half ago. The incident was triggered after Laso propositioned the woman for sexual favors in exchange for $5,000.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 15, 2022
Press freedom and a dismal 2022, the ILA Working Group that handles the joint agreement between the school board, the county and Flagler’s municipalities regarding school concurrency, meets, storytime at the Flagler Beach Public Library.
Florida GOP and Insurance Companies Won Big ‘Bailout’ in This Week’s Special Session
The Florida Legislature’s special session on insurance reform ended Thursday with final passage to a bill extending a $1 billion subsidy to insurance companies but doing little to decrease premiums any time soon or provide relief for ordinary homeowners.
Fusion Ignition Explained and Why Benefits Are a Long Way Off
The cost of a fusion power plant needs to go well below the US$3.5 billion of the National Ignition Facility. These steps will require significant investment from both the federal government and private industry.
My Massive Heart Attack, and a Bit of Advice from a Departed Medical Examiner
Former Assistant Public Defender Raymond Warren describes for the first time his 2016 experience of a heart attack and offers advice derived from what he learned deposing the late Predrag Bulic, the circuit’s medical examiner who died earlier this year of a stroke.
Flagler Public Health Officials Reassert Efficacy of Covid Vaccines as DeSantis Intensifies Denialism
In a sharp escalation of Covid vaccine denialism by a sitting governor, Ron DeSantis on Tuesday called on the state Supreme Court to empanel a grand jury to investigate alleged “wrongdoing” related to the vaccine, as Flagler County’s architects of the response to the pandemic reasserted the efficacy of the vaccine and relied on the latest science.
Flagler County Sues Cynthia d’Angiolini, Lone Dunes Hold-Out, And Her Attorney Wants Off Bankruptcy Case
Flagler County government today filed a federal suit against Cynthia d’Angiolini, the lone remaining obstacle to a dune-rebuilding project intended to protest 2.6 miles of shore and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach, asking the court to revoke the discharge from bankruptcy d’Angiolini secured only a few weeks ago. The move occurs as other steps are severely complicating–and darkening–d’Angiolini’s posture against the county, including a motion today by her bankruptcy attorney to stop representing her.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Hurricane Nicole Information Forum in Flagler Beach, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the Flagler County Public Library, Jimmy Kimmel’s answer to Elon Musk.
Florida Senate Approves $100 Million in Beach Erosion Aid, Part of $750 Million Disaster Relief Bill
The bill includes $100 million for beach-erosion recovery, an amount certain to help boost Flagler County’s prospects for tapping many of those millions as it faces vast challenges on 18 miles of its eroded coast.
County Commissioner Dave Sullivan Is Recovering from a Stroke, Hoping to Be Home By Christmas
Days after suffering a smaller episode, Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan on Dec. 7 suffered a stroke that numbed his left side and required his hospitalization since, first in Palm Coast, now in AdventHealth’s rehab facility in Ormond Beach.
Community Center Employee’s Alertness Leads to Arrest of Echo Caretaker Accused of Abusing Disabled Man
Chelsey Payne, a 30-year-old employee with Palm Coast-based East Coast Habilitation Options, known as Echo, was fired and arrested on a felony charge over the violent way she handled a client during a trip to the Palm Coast Community Center.
Palm Coast and County Launch Joint $200,000 Plan to Map Out Parks and Rec Blueprint for Future
Palm Coast government and the county are starting a nearly $200,000, eight-month process to determine how the city’s parks should grow, what they should offer and how they should be marketed to users, including city and county residents and beyond. The city is looking to add to the broader regional appeal of park facilities like the Indian Trails Sports Complex and–assuming it can recover some of its broken amenities–Holland Park.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 13, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council votes on a new restaurant tenant at Palm Harbor Golf Club, Planation bay rezoning, Clair Metz at Tiger Bay, a day for fusion, Scott McClanahan’s Crapalachia.
One Third of the Food We Buy Is Wasted, Hurting Climate and Wallets
U.S. consumers waste a lot of food year-round – about one-third of all purchased food. That’s equivalent to 1,250 calories per person per day, or US$1,500 worth of groceries for a four-person household each year, an estimate that doesn’t include recent food price inflation.
Jacob Oliva Warns Districts That Their LGBTQ Support Policies Don’t Align With Parental ‘Rights’
Jacob Oliva, senior chancellor for the education department–and a former superintendent in Flagler schools–wrote letters to school superintendents in 10 districts, warning them that LGBTQ support policies may run afoul of current law and state board rules. The state board will discuss the policies during a meeting Wednesday.
‘There Is going To be a Homicide Tonight,’ Woman Threatens Girlfriend Before Stabbing Her
Sheila Marie Orozco, 34, who had been staying at her girlfriend’s home, is at the Flagler County jail following her arrest on accusations that she stabbed her girlfriend, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, on Sherwood Street in the Mondex (Daytona North) late the night of Dec. 9.
April Groundbreaking for 100-Room Margaritaville Hotel in Flagler Beach, With Opening in Fall of 2024
Large-scale construction for Flagler Beach’s 100-room Margaritaville Hotel in place of the former grounds of the farmer’s market will take place at the same time as the construction of a new pier and the dune-rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of beach.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 12, 2022
The Bunnell City Commission meets, the World Cup is off, the Library of America’s W.E.B. DuBois volume, its editors, and Reconstruction: Voices from America’s First Great Struggle for Equality.
Could Video Streaming be As Bad for the Environment as Driving a Car?
We are used to thinking that going digital means going green. But driving a small car to the movie theatre with a friend may have lower carbon emissions than streaming the same movie alone at home.
2,000 Articles, 2 Million Words, Countless Revelations in ’22: Help FlaglerLive Keep You Richly Informed in ’23
If you are reading these words right now, consider yourself very fortunate: You are NOT a resident of one of the hundreds of U.S. cities, towns and counties that have no local, reliable print or online source of news. But it takes your help to keep your community from becoming a news desert.
Water Management District Now Accepting Cost-Share Project Grant Applications
Through its cost-share programs, the District partners with communities on projects that stretch local dollars to support water resource protection. The application window is open through January 31, 2023.
An Invitation From Sisco Deen to the Navy Band Southeast Concert at Flagler Auditorium
Plan to join members of the Booe/Deen family and other music lovers at the Flagler Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Sunday, December 18, 2022 for the Navy Band Southeast concert. The band will honor my great uncle James Brazier “Jim” Booe for his military service as a military band director in World War II.
Drag Shows Are Now A Right-Wing Target Amid Rising Extremism
Propagating hate and violence against queer people, lawmakers and right-wing figures are misrepresenting what happens at all-ages drag performances, including literacy events. This is occurring in the wake of a spate of legislative bills targeting LGBTQ people.
Major DeSantis Donor and Board of Governors Member Kent Stermon, Under Investigation, Takes His Own Life
Kent Stermon, a Jacksonville-area businessman and member of the state university system’s Board of Governors, was found dead in an apparent suicide. Stermon was president and chief operating officer of Total Military Management.
Woman Is Tased in Courtroom After Struggling With Bailiffs and Refusing to be Handcuffed
Evone Diane Clifton, a 39-year-old resident of Hastings, was tased in County Judge Melissa Moore Stens’s courtroom at the Flagler County courthouse on Thursday (Dec. 8) after allegedly fighting and striking bailiffs and refusing to be handcuffed, moments after the judge ordered her re-arrest for failing a urinalysis test. She was supposed to enter a plea on two previous misdemeanor counts that day.
Belle Terre Parkway Road Work Near Indian Trails Middle School Will Cause Headaches Through March
Belle Terre Parkway construction near Indian Trails Middle and Belle Terre Elementary will run from Dec. 12 to March 30. The stormwater culvert pipes that run parallel to and under the southbound lane of Belle Terre Parkway must be repaired to stabilize the road and prevent more dips from forming.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 11, 2022
Tree of Lights at the Flagler Playhouse, Fantasy of Lights continues, the Kyoto Protocols and other climate change failures, the possibilities of overcoming racism through soccer.
Young People’s Turneout Was Near Record in Mid-Terms. Trend or Exception?
Young people’s estimated 27% turnout rate in 2022 marks a near-record for an age group that has historically participated at lower rates in midterm elections. Whether this is a long-term trend or not will depend on whether communities and political groups implement the changes that research suggests can lead to sustained increases in youth voter turnout.
Don’t Vote for Just One: Ranked Choice Voting Is Gaining Ground
Ranked choice voting has seen steady success in recent years. Proponents of the voting method argue it leads to better representation of voters’ viewpoints and more collegial campaigning while eliminating the need for costly runoff elections. Opponents say it’s too complicated for the average voter to understand.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 10, 2022
France and England and Portugal and Morocco go at it, Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area, The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Nell Scovell, James Reston on a new dawn, but that was in 1960.
Don’t Say Fraud? Joe Harding Has Resigned, But Effects of His ‘Parental Rights’ Law Live On
The Florida House of Representatives is down a member following the resignation of former Rep. Joe Harding following his federal indictment on fraud charges. Harding sponsored the “Parental Rights in Education” or “Don’t Say Gay” bill from the 2022 session that became law in July.
Sinema out, Warnock in, GOP House. Now What? Gridlock Won’t Be the Biggest Problem.
Divided government – including during the upcoming legislative session – will not produce greatly different legislative results than unified government, because unified government isn’t very productive in the first place: It’s really hard to get things done even when the same party controls both chambers and the presidency.
Couple Face 30 Years in Prison for Orchestrating a ‘Hit’ on an Inmate at Flagler County Jail
Margaret Octavia Watkins, 37, and her boyfriend Raymond Wesley Dukes, 52, both of Bunnell, face first-degree felony charges and up to 30 years in prison each for allegedly orchestrating the brutal beating of an inmate at the Flagler County jail in June.
Ending Green Lion Era, Palm Coast Readies to Sign 5-Year Lease With Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Course
The Palm Coast City Council at a meeting Tuesday is set to approve a five-year lease with Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Club, replacing the Green Lion after five years. Loopers is owned by Jamie Bourdeau, who has owned Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach since 2014.
Bunnell Elementary’s Robin Jaques Lands $10,000 Golden Grant for Literacy Initiative
Bunnell Elementary and teacher Robin Jaques are one of 11 Central Florida schools in Florida to be awarded a Golden Grant from J-Quint LLC, a franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants. Jaques’s award is for $10,000.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 9, 2022
The Sound of Christmas, a free concert at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Brittney Griner, Oliver North’s arms-dealing with Iranian terrorists, Tree of Lights at the Playhouse.
If You Read This, You May Never Want to Be Near a Flushing Toilet Again
Every time you flush a toilet, it releases plumes of tiny water droplets into the air around you. These droplets, called aerosol plumes, can spread pathogens from human waste and expose people in public restrooms to contagious diseases. Here’s the visual proof.
State Panel Developing Guidelines on Book Bans for School Librarians May Be at an Impasse
A new law that intensifies scrutiny of school library books requires school boards to adopt procedures that provide for the “regular removal or discontinuance” of books from media centers based on factors such as alignment with state academic standards. The panel designated to develop the training playbook for librarians is mired in disagreement, with a Jan. 1 deadline looming.
Flagler County Accuses Dune Hold-Out of ‘Bad Faith’ and ‘Abomination,’ and Wants Property Seized
Flagler County government is accusing the lone hold-out in a planned dune-rebuilding project along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach of “bad faith,” “fraud” and deception, and is asking a federal court to revoke her discharge from bankruptcy and enable the government to seize all but her homesteaded assets. Cynthia d’Angiolini, the 71-year-old property owner, today countered that “Flagler County is not a creditor in this case and has no standing.”
Flagler County’s Julie Murphy Earns Distinctive PR Designation
Julie Murphy has successfully completed the process that awards the professional designation of “Public Information Officer” (PIO). The Commission on Professional Credentialing met on December 5, 2022, to confer the designation. Julie Murphy becomes one of only 17 PIOs worldwide.