After her trouncing victories over ex-Commissioner Joe Mullins and Independent Jane Gentile-Youd, Leann Pennington today will become only the third woman ever to serve on the Flagler County Commission, and the first Republican woman to do so. Some of the commissioners gave Mullins a send-off more triumphal than the public’s.
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Mosquito-Spraying Boundaries Expand to West Palm Coast and Plantation Bay, Adding New Tax on Bills
Thousands of Flagler County residents and businesses will be paying a new tax to combat mosquitos starting next October. The Flagler County Commission Monday evening unanimously approved the expansion of the East Flagler Mosquito Control District to all of Plantation Bay at the south end of the county and to a 5,000-acre sliver running north-south, west of U.S. 1, mostly in Palm Coast, including the rapidly-growing Sawmill Creek subdivision.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Leann Pennington, who defeated Joe Mullins in the primary, is sworn-in as a Flagler County Commissioner, a little jazz ensemble, a lot of World Cup, Ron White, an ironic independence day and Bill Day’s reaction to the latest hate-inspired, assault-rifled massacre.
Why It’s Time to End Child Sponsorship
The narrative we are given is that sponsoring a child in the Global South is a way to make a positive difference in their lives. However, this narrative inaccurately frames children and their families as lacking, backward, inferior, and longing for the standards of the Global North.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Lt. Patrick Juliano Earns ‘Lest We Forget Award’
The Knights of Columbus Corpus Christi Assembly 2810 and Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church recognized Palm Coast Fire Lieutenant Patrick Juliano with the Tony Gasparino “Lest We Forget Award.”
Hidden Until Now, Audits Reveal Millions in Medicare Advantage Overcharges
Newly released federal audits reveal widespread overcharges and other errors in payments to Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors, with some plans overbilling the government more than $1,000 per patient a year on average. Medicare Advantage, a fast-growing alternative to original Medicare, is run primarily by major insurance companies.
Flagler Beach Raises Water, Sewer, Garbage and Stormwater Costs $12 a Month for Average Household
A divided Flagler Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to raise the cost of all city-provided utilities–water, sewer and garbage–by 8.5 percent, to match inflation, and the stormwater fee by 42 percent.
Connor Anderson, 30, Fires 6 Rounds at Patrons at Smiles Bar Before Running Out. No One Hurt.
Connor Patrick Anderson, 30, of Palm Coast, faces a dozen charges after allegedly firing off a dozen shots inside Smiles bar after an earlier fight at the bowling alley and getting angry with his girlfriend over not having his truck’s keys.
Jury Finds Randy Alexandre, 23, Guilty of Attempted Manslaughter, a Lesser Charge, in 2021 Shooting
A jury found Randy Alexandre, one of three men involved in a shooting into the house where a pregnant woman was living in January 2021, guilty of attempted manslaughter and shooting into a building. He faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 8.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 21, 2022
The Flagler County Commission sends off Joe Mullins ahead of his last meeting, Qatar’s human rights record, what Netflix software engineers do with your $9.99 a month.
How Same-Sex Marriage Gained Bipartisan Support
While public opinion and different state laws on abortion rights are sharply dividing the country, there’s growing indication that most people agree on another once-controversial topic – protecting same-sex marriage.
Flagler County Democrats’ Only Way Forward: Become Republican
Contrary to media interpretations, Democrats underperformed woefully nationally, and in Flagler County they were again all but wiped out. To survive locally they have two choices: either run their candidates as Republicans (and support other moderate Republicans), or keep dying at the polls.
Sea Turtles Hatching on Florida Beaches Are Feeling the Heat from Warming Climate
Florida plays an outsize role in the reproduction of loggerheads. Scientists estimate 90 percent of all the Atlantic Ocean’s loggerheads lay their eggs on Florida beaches. Then the ones that hatch here come back years later to lay their own eggs. But something funky is happening on those beaches: male turtles are disappearing.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 20, 2022
Pianist Michael Rickman plays Beethoven and Schumann in Ormond, the World Cup kicks off at 11 a.m., Qatar’s dismal human rights record, Abdullah Al-Arian’s case for Qatar.
The Good and Bad of the World Cup
Controversy has dogged the event ever since sport’s governing body, FIFA, handed Qatar hosting duties back in 2010. In spite of the controversy, the World Cup will be the most-watched sporting event of the year. Here are quick guide of the good and bad.
Citing Orwell, Federal Judge Calls DeSantis’s ‘Stop Woke Act’ Unconstitutional Muzzling of Academic Freedom
Calling the state’s approach “positively dystopian,” a federal judge on Thursday blocked a law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in universities. The law is “antithetical to academic freedom and has cast a leaden pall of orthodoxy over Florida’s state universities,” Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in the 139-page ruling.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 19, 2022
Celebrate America at the Ag Museum, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Barry White, the end of the world can’t come soon enough.
Why You Shouldn’t Be So Quick to Cheer the Demise of Twitter
Twitter’s dual role in fostering real-time communication and acting as an arbitrator of authoritative information is of crucial interest to academics, journalists and government agencies. If Twitter were to collapse, there’s no clear replacement in sight.
Willie Gardner, 28, Faces 4 Counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty in Case of Wounded, Neglected Pit Bulls
Willie Gardner, of Palm Coast, faces four felony charges of animal abuse. The six dogs, all pitbulls, all showed signs of abuse and neglect when authorities surveyed the scene at 508 South Railroad Street in Bunnell. They’d been left all chained in the backyard of the abandoned property.
Former Flagler Tax Collector Suzette K. Pellicer Dies at 75
Former Flagler County Tax Collector Dale Brown hired Pellicer in November 1965. She was elected to the position herself in 1980 and took office in 1981. She held the position through 2004 when she decided against running for reelection.
Withering Criticism of Flagler Beach City Manager Divides City Commission Over Claims of Toxicity
Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson got hit with yet another storm Thursday evening, this time from waves of witheringly critical residents, business owners and some members of his own commission who spoke of low morale, poor communications, lack of urgency on some projects, a “toxic work environment” and an instance of Whitson hanging up on a resident who was reporting a flooding issue. The criticism inevitably spread to commissioners by association.
No, There Is No Security Issue at Indian Trails Middle School
Flagler County school officials and the Sheriff’s Office this morning have been scrambling to dispel false alarms of an impending shooting that started within Indian Trails Middle School and quickly spread among parents on social media.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 18, 2022
Flagler Beach hosts its rescheduled Veterans Day ceremony, the Jersey Tenors at Flagler Auditorium, Mickey Mouse’s birthday, Barbara Ehrenreich on gyms and fitness.
Note to Québec’s Premier: French is the Language of Voltaire, Hugo and Human Rights, Not Xenophobia
To return the French language to its rightful place as the voice of human rights, the Québec government must promote it as a tool of a human rights-based civic education, not a mandatory language. Welcoming immigrants would subsequently not be an obstacle to the French language or francophone culture — it would be a benefit.
FPC’s Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint Win MedNexus Innovation Challenge With Sleep App
Emerging out of a field of 25 teams, Flagler Palm Coast High School seniors Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint won the second annual MedNexus Innovation Challenge Wednesday, and $1,000 each, by developing an experiment-based idea that uses technology against itself in an effort to reduce teens’ sleep deprivation.
World-Renowned Pianist Michael Rickman Performs Bach, Beethoven and Schumann Nov. 20 in Ormond Beach
Michael Rickman, who has performed in London, Paris and Carnegie Hall in New York City, will be in concert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of Lighthouse Christ Presbyterian Church, 1035 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach, performing Beethoven’s “Appassionata” and Schumann’s Carnaval.
What About Flagler Beach’s One Hold-Out Against Dune Fix? County Says December Deadline Will Be Met.
Almost three years after Flagler County sought property owners’ permission to start a dune rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of beach in Flagler Beach, and despite more recent ravages to the shore, one property owner is still holding out, but County Attorney Al Hadeed stresses that her permission will be secured by December 31 and the Corps project will be on by June.
Marco Rubio and Rick Scott Reject Protecting Gay Marriage as Key Step Clears Senate; Waltz Had Voted Yes
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 62 to 37 to move ahead with a historic bill that would give federal protection to same-sex mariage, with 12 Republican senators joining Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold for a filibuster. Both of Florida’s Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, voted against the measure.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, November 17, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Medicare basics at the public library, Pegine Echevarria at Daytona State, DeSantis catching up to Trump, James Joyce on Ulysses.
Despite Growing Legalization, 317,793 People Were Arrested for Pot Possession in 2020
Arrests have actually been going down each year since 2010 as more states legalize medical or recreational use of the drug. In 2019, for example, more than 500,000 marijuana possession arrests were reported, so the 2020 arrest numbers represent a single-year decline of 36%.
$1.8 Million Waterfront Park Construction Begins, Closing Some Access Points
Detours go in effect at Palm Coast’s popular Waterfront park on Thursday (Nov. 17), closing some access points, as a two-phase, $1.8 million construction project to enhance various parts of the park begins.
DeSantis Deflects But Doesn’t Silence Speculation on 2024 Presidential Bid
Following former President Donald Trump officially launching his 2024 presidential campaign, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday didn’t acknowledge Trump’s big announcement last night. And former President Trump didn’t mention DeSantis’ name during his speech at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday evening.
State Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie Calls for ‘Holistic’ Re-Engineering of Florida Coast
Speaking at Flagler Tiger Bay Club, Kevin Guthrie, the state emergency management director, never used the words “climate change,” but nevertheless addressed needed changes in how Florida manages and re-engineers its coastline in words that would intrigue even Greenpeace activists.
Arrested Over School-Shooting Threats, ITMS 6th Grader Had Secured Gloves and Was Looking for a Gun
A 12-year-old student at Indian Trails Middle School was arrested over making threats to carry out a shooting at the school, after messages on Snapchat were detected. She had allegedly convinced her parents to get her a pair of gloves and was looking to obtain a firearm.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The Flagler Youth Orchestra in a sold-out concert at the Auditorium, Kevin Guthrie, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, at Tiger Bay, Letterman to Donald Trump, in 1987: “You act like you’re running for something.”
Twitter’s Mocking of Musk
Playful impersonations of companies on Twitter aren’t coincidental: they are a dissent against Musk’s leadership. In response to Musk becoming CEO, users used the platform to challenge dominant ideas about capitalism and power.
Patricidal Richard Dunn Is Allowed Out of Psychiatric Hospital and Back to Halfway House
Richard Dunn, the former Palm Coast resident found not guilty by reason of insanity in the gruesome killing of his elderly father in 2006, will be allowed out of a state psychiatric hospital and back to the Daytona Beach halfway house where he lived for several years before he started acting bizarrely again a year ago.
FireFlight’s Chief Dana Morris, Flagler County’s Legend of the Air, Is Retiring After 12,500 Flight Hours
After 20 years flying Flagler County FireFlight, the emergency helicopter, and more than 12,500 flight hours later, Dana Morris will power down the rotorcraft one last time as its pilot on November 13, five days before his official retirement after 43 years of flying.
Celebrate America at Agricultural Museum Saturday with Music and Handshakes
Freedom Fest, the fly-in at Flagler County airport, is being postponed to March 23, but a replacement event for Nov. 19, called Celebrate America, will be held that day with all the same vendors, bands and ceremonies as a salute to Veterans, at the Florida Agricultural Museum on Old Kings Road.
Palm Coast Sues Holland Park’s Splash Pad Contractors as Losses Reach $1.4 Million and Rising
The Palm Coast City Council today cleared the way for a civil lawsuit against several contractors involved in the construction of the splash pad at Holland Park that opened only for a few months before it shut down. The splash pad went from a $6.28 million crown jewel in the city’s park system to a an embarrassing and costly boondoggle, with estimated losses and repair costs so far of $1.4 million.
Harborside Tower Proposal Postponed as Developer Hints at More Compromise
The Palm Coast City Council this morning agreed to postpone consideration of a controversial rezoning application that would result in the addition of 483 apartments and housing units near Palm Coast Resort’s 72-unit apartment tower.
Flagler Public Library Launches Festival of Trees
This year’s “Holly” Day Festival of Trees at the Flagler County Public Library Palm Coast Main Branch is early, because Thanksgiving falls on the last Thursday of the month. The festival begins at 6 p.m. Friday, November 18.
Sen. Travis Hutson Will Chair Fiscal Policy Committee in Senate President’s Leadership Team
Incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo rolled out her leadership team Monday, as the Senate prepares for an expanded Republican majority next week. In his new role, Hutson will run a committee that Passidomo described as a path for “legislation that may contain a fiscal impact.” Hutson had vied for Senate presidency against Passidomo but fell short.
Ladapo Will Continue as DeSantis’s Controversial Surgeon General
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that controversial state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo will remain in the post as DeSantis enters his second term.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council takes on the controversial Harborside development proposal, why Curtis LeMay lived a few decades too long, Lydia Polgreen on why Twitter deserves to survive.
Artemis Launch: From One Delay to Another
Of NASA’s 135 Space Shuttle missions, only about 40% launched on time. While Artemis 1 is continuing the long tradition of delayed NASA launches, there are good reasons for the high level of caution that underlies these delays.
State Transportation Department to Flagler Beach: Simply Rebuilding A1A Again Won’t Do
John Tyler, the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 5 secretary, told a special meeting of the Flagler Beach City Commission this evening that simply rebuilding A1A until the next storm won’t achieve a different result: it’ll be demolished again. DOT is creating a task force to devise a more durable solution, with all options on the table, including sea walls and moving A1A.
Flagler Beach City Election Already Shaping Into Most Contested In 19 Years, Signaling Disquiet
At least five, possibly six, candidates are running for the March 7 Flagler Beach City Commission election, including two incumbents. The number of candidates may be a reflection of unsettled times in Flagler Beach, with recent embarrassments still fresh and mounting challenges ahead.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 14, 2022
Flagler Cares Coalition meets, the Bunnell and Flagler Beach city commissions meet, Rediscovering pianist and composer Moritz Moszkowski, William least-Heat Moon in a Nevada house of pleasure.
America Appears to Have Passed ‘Peak Trump’
The failure of the expected GOP “red wave” might mark a passing of the high watermark for the political fortunes of Donald Trump. Or, to put it another way, America may have passed peak Trump after he took a big share of the blame for the failure of the Republican Party to capitalise on the highest inflation figures in 40 years, America’s rising murder rate, and what Republicans’ perceive as Joe Biden’s underperformance as president.