The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility (SPHIDF) has been awarded the 2023 Innovation Award for medium-sized facilities by the American Jail Association.
Flagler County Sheriff
2023 Sheriff’s Gala Raises $130,000 for Employee Assistance as Attorney General Ashley Moody Headlines
More than 180 guests attended the 5th Annual Sheriff’s Gala to benefit the Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Trust at the Hammock Beach Resort including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, raising $130,000.
Sheriff’s SWAT Team Members Place in Top 10 at National Sniper Competition
This is the second year in a row FCSO’s SWAT Snipers have placed in the top 10 during the annual national sniper competition. This year’s competition and training was held in St. Petersburg/Clearwater
At Sheriff’s Ceremony: ‘Behind Every Fallen Officer, a Family Who Bears the Burden of Loss’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office held the annual Fallen Heroes Memorial Candlelight Vigil Thursday evening, the first time the ceremony was held at the new Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell.
Wadsworth Elementary’s Karter Consolazio’s Alertness Earns Him a Sheriff’s Scholarship
Sheriff Staly and Deputy Erlandson presented Karter Consolazio with a certificate for a scholarship to attend the FCSO Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Academy this summer.
Hammock Dunes Club Donates $100,000 to Sheriff’s Police Athletic League
The Hammock Dunes Club has donated $100,000 to the Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (FSPAL) following their signature fundraising event, The RALLY. The money will be used toward a new FSPAL facility.
Sheriff Launches Voluntary Surveillance Camera Registry Tapping Private Homes, Businesses and Agencies
The camera registry is an online portal for citizens to register their security cameras in order to help solve crimes in the community. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is hoping that citizens will register their cameras and help create a community-wide public safety ecosystem.
How Cupcake Café’s TikTok of Mr Keith’s Surgical Cake Order Went Viral in Whirls of Good Wishes
TikTok clips by Theresa Tazewell, owner of Cupcake Cafe in Palm Coast, went viral as she documented customer Keith’s wish to pay for his wife’s birthday cake in advance for fear that he might die during surgery. He survived, and was lavished with millions of good wishes from a round the globe through Tazewell’s TikToks.
‘Our Ambitious Agenda Is Well Underway,’ Renner tells Joint Legislative Session
House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, made remarks to the House on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session. Sheriff Rick Staly and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard were Renner’s guests.
Already Serving Life, Carlos DuPree Is Convicted on Charges of Assaulting Jail Deputy
A jury on Wednesday found Carlos DuPree, 37, guilty of assaulting Flagler jail corrections deputy deputy Edward Wallace over a search of DuPree’s Koran in 2021, resulting in a five-year prison sentence in addition to a life term for home invasion that DuPree is already serving.
School Board Chair Wants To Hear From Employees: Do You Want Armed Staffers on Campus?
As the Flagler County School Board nears a decision on arming some staffers on campus, School Board member Cheryl Massaro isn’t convinced that’s what employees want. She wants to hear from them before making a decision, and invited employees to use a district app or link to share their thoughts.
Commissioners Blame ‘Bad Planning’ as Cost to Replace Jail Security System Triples in Months
The Flagler County jail’s surveillance system, including 149 cameras, is not yet seven years old. It’s failing. The Flagler County Commission–the jail’s landlord–is having to replace it for $1.6 million, just months after the county administration told commissioners that it would cost only $500,000.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Announces Death of K-9 Keanu Just Shy of His 4th Birthday
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this morning announced the death of K-9 Keanu, a few weeks shy of his fourth birthday and a little over two years into his service with the Sheriff’s Office.
Flagler Sheriff Adds Live 911 Video Option for Callers to Show Their Emergency in Real Time
Flagler County Sheriff’s 911 dispatchers can now have a live video feed from any caller with a smartphone, with the caller’s permission, vastly improving 911 dispatchers’ awareness of an emergency scene and GPS location, so they can send the proper resources.
Sheriff’s Community Engagement Unit Trains 3,000th Woman in Self-Defense
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Community Engagement Unit hosted its 203rd Women’s Self-Defense Course and trained its 3,000th female participant on Thursday, January 26th. The class was hosted at the Palm Coast Community Center for City of Palm Coast employees.
Flagler Jail Eliminates All Hard-Copy Mail to Inmates as Scanning and Tablets Replace Paper
All hard-copy mail delivery to the Flagler County jail’s 225-some inmates has been replaced by scans of mail. It is part of a sweeping change in the handling of inmate mail across the state at least 14 other states as prisons and jails cut down on incoming materials. The switch has drawn sharp criticism from prisoner advocates and strong support by those implementing it, as in Flagler.
Smiles Nite Club’s David Ghiloni Gets Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award for Jumping Gunman
David Ghiloni along with other bar patrons intervened when a gunman was holding a gun to a woman’s head at Smiles Nite Club in November.
Should There Be Armed Civilians in Schools? Flagler District Will Survey Employees and Residents
With numerous questions still unanswered–and some unanswerable questions–the Flagler County School Board is moving forward with gauging interest from school employees and residents in arming civilians in schools as a presumed addition to the security provided by the Sheriff’s Office’s school resource deputies.
Sheriff’s Office’s Ultra-Modern Operations Center Is Dedicated, Ending 4 1/2 Years of Nomadic Existence
Sheriff Rick Staly dedicated the $20 million, 51,600 square foot Sheriff’s Operations Center off Commerce Boulevard before hundreds today, ending four and a half years of borrowing space from the courthouse, among other locations, and closing an unhappy chapter in the county’s history.
Setting Off From New North Pole, Shop With a Cop Returns Tonight, Lights Ablaze and Sirens Blaring
Tonight’s the night when the Walmart parking lot will be ablaze with the emergency lights of dozens of cop cars as they converge on the store with 119 children aboard for the annual Shop With a Cop event.
Critical Medical Examiner Choice for Flagler’s District Down to Chief of Palm Beach Office and One of Her Assistants
Dr. Wendolyn Sneed is the Chief medical Examiner for District 15 in Florida, which covers all of Palm Beach County. She is also Dr. Catherine Miller’s boss. Miller is an associate medical examiner. On December 6, Sneed and Miller will be vying for the same job: Chief medical Examiner for District 23, which covers Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties, and is one of the least visible, most consequential jobs in the criminal justice system.
Culinary Course Offered To Inmates at Flagler County Jail Through FTC
The Homeward Bound Initiative (HBI) launched last year in partnership with Flagler Technical College (FTC) now offers a certificate in Culinary/Food Service Management to go along with its current certificate programs in Pre- HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) and Vinyl Graphics Applications.
Sheriff’s Office Lands $1.3 Million Grant to Expand Drug-Abuse Treatment at the County Jail
The Flagler County jail is the only residential treatment facility in Flagler County for drug-addicted men, and a rare location where they may get medically-assisted treatment. The Department of Justice is noticing, awarding the Flagler Sheriff’s Office a three-year, $1.3 million grant to expand the Successful Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Treatment, or “Smart” program at the jail.
Public’s Help Sought to Name Flagler Sheriff’s Explosives Detection K9
The Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for naming suggestions for the newest addition to the K9 Unit, a black Labrador Retriever who will be trained in explosives ordinance detection before going on duty next February.
Palm Coast Fire Department and Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Dispatched to Help Hurricane Victims
Members of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the Palm Coast Fire Department have been sent to assist recovery efforts in southwest Florida, in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian.
Video Shows Demoted Flagler Sheriff’s Cpl.’s Contempt for Colleague and Procedures at Traffic Stop
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Rob Myers was pulled over by deputy Seth Green after Myers’s pick-up brushed very close to Green at a traffic stop. Myers, who was demoted, repeatedly met Greene’s professionalism with defiance, flouting Green’s police procedures in a way no cop would tolerate long from civilians.
Creekside Festival and Chili Challenge Are On, With Venue Change to Agricultural Museum
Rather than cancel or postpone the annual Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve, which is waterlogged, it’s been moved to the Florida Agricultural Museum, where it is expected to generate thousands of dollars for charity over the weekend.
Sheriff Preparing to Mobilize Over 200 Deputies and Air Boat, Courts Ramping Down Ahead of Ian
Courts are ramping down, law enforcement is ramping up in Flagler County in preparation for Hurricane Ian’s impact, now projected to be more serious than projected even as late as Monday evening. Curfews could become a possibility in the days ahead.
Armed Employees or Guards in Flagler Schools Would Cost $150,000 to $600,000 in 1st Year
The Flagler County School board would have to pay initial annual costs of over $150,000 to nearly $600,000 for any of three options to have armed staffers or guards on its nine campuses, in addition to the $1 million it is paying annually to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Commemorating Memory’s Resilience and a Fire Chief’s Honor at Palm Coast’s 9/11 Ceremony
As an entire generation has now been born since the 9/11 attacks, the Palm Coast Fire Department’s commemoration of 9/11 on its 21st anniversary focused on a callery tree’s rebirth and the 2022 Tunnel to Towers Follow the Footsteps Award to Chief Jerry Forte.
County Scrambles to Make Budget Cuts of $1.9 to $2.4 Million, and Gets Unexpected $600,000 Revenue
County government’s top staff burned the midnight oil since Thursday and through this weekend after the County Commission last Wednesday forced its own administration to cut between $1.9 to $2.4 million from the budget by Monday. A silver lining: the county is getting an unexpected infusion of $600,000 in new revenue because of a glitch in property appraiser calculations.
Flagler School Board Won’t Arm Civilians or Staffers This Year as Questions and Divisions Persist
The state gave the Sheriff’s Office only seven days to complete an application required to tap into training grants for arming civilians on campuses, and the Flagler County School Board still has a series of unanswered questions. Election re-alignments also add another level of uncertainty about whether there’s a real desire to go the route of armed civilians in schools.
In Latest Switch, County Will Cut Tax Rate, Fund Sheriff’s Full Request, and Take a $1.9 Million Hit on Budget
The Flagler County Commission this evening voted 3-2 to cut the tax rate by a tenth of a point and fully fund the sheriff’s budget request, closing what had been a $700,000 difference between the county’s proposal and the sheriff’s request. The result will be a $1.9 million hit on the budget the administration had submitted to the commission ahead of today’s public hearing, the first of two to adopt next year’s budget and tax rate.
700 Flagler County Residents, Mostly Kids, Participating in PAL This Summer
As part of its mission to serve the youth of Flagler County, the Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (PAL) welcomed over 700 people – mostly kids – to its various events during the summer of 2022.
Flagler Sheriff’s Cpl. Rob Myers, Who’d Been Drinking and Driving, Demoted Following Heated Stop
Flagler County Sheriff’s Cpl. Rob Myers, a nine-year veteran of the agency, was demoted to deputy and placed on 18 months’ internal probation following an internal investigation that found he had been drinking and driving and drove alarmingly close to a deputy who was conducting an unrelated traffic stop. He was only given a warning at the traffic stop, and had a ride arranged for him to get him home.
Fundraiser Gets Handyman and Everywhere Cyclist Frank Diaz, 79, New Bike 2 Weeks After Crash
Two weeks ago Francisco “Frank” Diaz was thrown off his bike, injured and hospitalized after an SR100 crash with a car that totaled the bike. Sheriff Rick Staly had responded to the call at the time, and was instrumental in a fundraiser by The Bike Man non-profit that raised $2,300, paid for a brand new bike and left some money over for Diaz to pay his medical bills and a $166 traffic ticket.
County Resists Sheriff’s Request for Additional $700,000 in Surprise 3-2 Vote, Heralding Shift
With Joe Mullins’s surprise vote providing the majority, the Flagler County Commission this afternoon resisted Sheriff Rick Staly’s request for an additional $700,000, opting instead to hope for “savings” during the coming year, either on the sheriff’s side or on the county’s side of the ledger, that could fill that gap.
Arming School Staffers on Flagler’s Campuses Raises Questions of Cost, Training and Numbers
The Flagler County School Board is considering whether to add armed civilians, possibly school staffers, on school campuses, but a workshop on the issue raised almost as many questions as it answered, with numerous issues still undecided–if the board were to go that way. That, too, is uncertain for now.
Sheriff and County Administrator Duel Over Policing Budget Before Commissioners Nod Staly’s Way
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and County Administrator Heidi Petito dueled in front of a standing-room-only meeting room Monday night over the sheriff’s claim that the county was underfunding him, and the county’s counter that it has increased the sheriff’s budget by 48 percent since 2018, not including spending on facilities like the new Sheriff’s Operations center. But in the end, Petito’s bosses showed readiness to go Staly’s way.
Sheriff Plans Show of Force, and Threatens Appeal to Governor, Over Budget Stalemate With County
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and the Police Benevolent Association, the union representing deputies, are organizing a show of force that would pack the county commission’s chambers this evening in hopes of swaying commissioners to give the sheriff more than the additional $4.45 million they are so far providing for next year’s budget.
Sheriff Staly Is American Legion Post 115’s Law Officer of the Year
Sheriff Rick Staly, along with other First Responders who have exceeded the duty requirements expected of their position and demonstrated a distinct pattern of community service coupled with professional achievement, received awards.
Sheriff Staly Issues Statement Rejecting Any Suggestion of Endorsement of Palm Coast Candidates
Sheriff Rick Staly said today he has “not endorsed and will not endorse any candidate for Palm Coast City Coast City Council,” a statement prompted by Palm Coast Council candidate Alan Lowe featuring Staly in an ad by ex-felon Oliver North endorsing Lowe.
Sheriff Staly Elected Vice-Chair of the Florida Sheriff’s Association Board of Directors
During the Florida Sheriff’s Association (FSA) semi-annual meeting of Florida’s Sheriff’s held in Orlando on July 26, 2022, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly was elected by his fellow Sheriff’s to Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.
Crista Rainey Is State Association’s Officer of the Year, Capping Near-Sweep for Flagler Sheriff
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Crista Rainey, a seven-year veteran, combined bravery, life-saving and compassion on duty as she was named the Florida Sheriff’s Association’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
Possible In-Patient Facility for Addicts in Place of Former Sheriff’s ‘Mold-Ops’ Raises Some Eyebrows
An in-patient drug-treatment facility that closed in St. Augustine is planning to re-open at the former, once mold-plagued Sheriff’s operations center off State Road 100. The sheriff had to abandon the building in 2018. The for-profit facility would be run by Dr. Duke Vinson.
Sheriff’s 911 Center Director Christina Mortimer Awarded Public Safety Executive Designation
Communications Director Christina Mortimer graduated from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials Institute (APCO), Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE) program. The graduation ceremony was held at the Shores Resort in Daytona Beach Shores.
Sheriff’s Employees Donate $20,670 to Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office employees donated $20,670 to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches (FSYR) making FCSO employee’s total donations to the FSYR over $133,000 since 2017.
Sheriff Staly to Undergo Out-Patient Surgery on July 1
Sheriff Staly is scheduled for out- patient surgery on July 1, 2022, to repair a knee injury. Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge will be the Acting Sheriff while Staly is under anesthesia.
Fentanyl Seizures Up 275 Percent, with 12 Overdose Deaths in Flagler, Sheriff Tells Fox Audience
Sheriff Rick Staly told a pre-dawn national television audience early Wednesday morning that Flagler County has had 12 deaths from drug overdoses so far this year, and that seizures of fentanyl, by volume, are up 275 percent so far this year.
Flagler School Board Will Consider Arming Teachers and Staffers in Addition to Sheriff’s Deputies
After declining to arm teachers in the wake of the Parkland massacre in 2018, the Flagler school district’s position may be shifting. The School Board last week agreed to hold a workshop to discuss whether the district should join the “guardian” program–not as a replacement of the sheriff’s deputies, but in addition to it.