Tom Foster, who said he retired last week, had violated city policies and general orders, according a nine-page disciplinary document signed the same day he retired, including violations of rules of conduct, supervisory rules, disrespect, the spreading of false rumors and criticism of public officials, while the police department had become a fiefdom of fear under Foster and Sgt. Matt Mortimer.
Flagler County Sheriff
Flagler Sheriff’s Employees Donate Nearly $16,000 for Shop With a Cop Holiday Program
FCSO personnel have donated a total of $15,776.83 towards the Shop with a Cop program. Shop with a Cop is part of the mission of the Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities organization and is sponsored and supported by FCSO. The goal of Shop with a Cop is to help children and families that are in need due to economic circumstances, domestic violence, or children that have been placed in the care of guardians so they may have some holiday cheer.
Flagler School Libraries Face Chilling Dangers Beyond Book Bans
Book-banning doesn’t really exist: ban a book, and it gains more notoriety than ever. The danger ahead in Flagler schools is Board members Jill Woolbright’s and Janet McDonald’s attempt to keep certain books from even reaching library shelves before they’re bought, thus eliminating the glare of controversy. That kind of self-censorship is far more damaging to diversity on Flagler’s library shelves.
For Another $1.2 Million, County Will Build Planned Addition to Sheriff’s Operations Center Now
The $23-million, 51,000 square-foot Sheriff’s Operations Center about to rise within sight of the Government Services Building in Bunnell will grow by another 6,000 square feet with the addition of a warehouse.
“No Response From 5111”: End of Watch for Sgt. Dominic Guida as Family and Community Mourn Young Cop’s Loss
Viewing and services for Sgt. Dominic Guida of the Bunnell Police Department, who died on Nov. 9 in the line of duty, brought throngs of law enforcement officers and first responders to First Baptist Church in Bunnell at noon today as part of a two-hour service that ended with Guida’s End of Watch Call. He was 43.
Sheriff Presents 2021 Quarter 3 Awards
Sheriff Staly recognized exceptional service by Sheriff’s Office employees and members of the community, including honoring the team directly responsible for saving the life of a juvenile threatening to jump off the I-95 overpass.
Sheriff Staly Elected Chairman of State Board that Sets Policing Standards Across Florida
Law enforcement accreditation by the legislatively-created state organization is both a sign of distinction among law enforcement agencies and of reassurance to the public:, while Sheriff Rick Staly’s election as its chairman “speaks very clearly about how trusted and respected Sheriff Staly is here and across the State of Florida,” in a former agency director’s words.
County Approves $16 Million for Next Phase on Sheriff’s HQ Construction, and October 2022 Move-In
The project’s “substantial completion date” of the 51,615 square-foot, two-story, $23 million building is now slated for Oct. 10, 2022, almost a year later than projected last December. But there have been no further delays since June.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Thanks Community for Support for Fallen Hero Detention Deputy Paul Luciano’s Family
The Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Trust (F.S.E.A.T.) established a GoFundMe account to support DFC Luciano’s family in his line-of-duty death from complications of COVID-19 and the community graciously donated $7,655.
Palm Coast Policing Budget Will Jump 42% with 10 New Deputies, Tax Rate Will Dip a Smidge, but at Reserves’ Expense
The Palm Coast City Council Thursday evening ended weeks of wrangling over its budget and tax rate and voted 3-2 to approve awarding the sheriff all 10 requested additional deputies and reduce the tax rate enough to save the average homesteaded homeowner about $11, while using $530,000 from city reserves to make the numbers work.
‘Our Darkest Hour’: Flagler County Sheriff Eulogizes Deputy Paul ‘Looch’ Luciano, ‘Invisible Hero’ Felled by Pandemic
“This is a tough day for all of us. And, we begin this service doing the same thing we have been doing for the last 7 days, wondering why Paul lost his life serving and protecting our community. We may never know that answer,” Sheriff Rick Staly said today in his eulogy of Corrections Deputy Paul Luciano, the jail’s first line-of-duty death in the department’s history.
Flagler Sheriff’s Ex-Counsel Says She Was ‘Forced to Resign’ Over Tactless Opinions; Rick Staly Responds
On Aug. 25, the News-Journal’s Frank Fernandez reported on the resignation of Theresa Pontieri, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s recently hired general counsel, after the News-Journal had inquired about inflammatory videos she had posted on a conservative social media platform.
Palm Coast Council Has Votes to Increase Deputies By More than 6 and Lower Tax Rate Symbolically
The Palm Coast City Council is in a 3-2 split that would approve lowering the property tax rate symbolically and increase the number of deputies the sheriff is requesting to police the city by more than the six the administration had been prepared to award.
Fallen Deputy’s Daughter’s Anguish: ‘This Virus Has Come Home, It’s Everywhere and It’s Killing the People We Love’
Tina Luciano, the 30-year-old daughter of Paul Luciano, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Corrections Deputy who died on Thursday of covid complications, had written of witnessing her father’s struggle three weeks ago, and wrote again after losing him on Thursday, both times voicing her grief–and both times urging people to get vaccinated.
County’s Budget Agreement Nets Sheriff 10 of 15 Requested Deputies and $400,000 Mobile Command Vehicle
The Flagler County Commission this afternoon agreed to lower the county’s property tax by a symbolic decimal point next year, though county revenue will still grow by nearly $6 million and the sheriff will get an additional $2.2 million, ensuring the addition of 10 new deputies and a $400,000 mobile command center.
Palm Coast and Flagler at Risk of Overfunding Police
Policing in Flagler has never been at risk of “defunding,” nor have relations between police and the community lacked for cohesion and respect. But Sheriff Staly’s request for 25 additional deputies from Palm Coast and the county overplay a hand, while both governments are teetering on going along with what would be overfunding police, at the expense of other needs.
Man Who Killed Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Chuck Sease in 2003 Wants Clemency, Half-Way of 35-Year Prison Sentence
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and State Attorney R.J. Larizza have written the state clemency board stern letters opposing any commutation of sentence for Bruce Grove, the now-46-year-old former Palm Coast resident serving 35 years in prison for the killing of Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Charles “Chuck” Sease in 2003 as Grove was eluding other deputies in a chase.
Flagler Commissioners Want to Cut Tax Rate, Give Sheriff 15 Deputies And Force Staff to Cut $2 Million in County Services
A majority of Flagler county commissioners ignored their administrator’s and finance director’s numbers and proposals today and told their staff to find ways to cut $2 million from the county’s own budget while ensuring that the sheriff and other constitutional officers, such as the clerk of court and supervisor of elections, get all the budget increases they’re asking for.
Crisis at the Border: Sheriff Staly’s On-the-Ground Report on a ‘Failed Immigration Policy’ Affecting All Communities
Earlier this month Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly took part in a fact-finding trip along the Texas side of the border with Mexico with several other law enforcement officials and U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. “The border crisis,” he argues, “is coming to you whether you like it or not.”
Sheriff’s K-9 Unit Named Trailing Team of the Year For 2nd Year in a Row
K-9 Holmes joined the FCSO in April of 2018 and began working with Commander Gimbel. The K-9 Unit made national news after FCSO requested the help of the community in naming the first bloodhound the Agency has had in decades.
Sheriff Requests 10 Additional Deputies for Palm Coast, a 28% Policing Budget Increase Posing Dilemma for City
The Sheriff is asking for 10 deputies from Palm Coast and 15 from the county in line with a staffing analysis he commissioned last year. But Palm Coast’s budget for next year includes other costly priorities and assumes a slight tax increase as it is. The Sheriff’s request is complicating the city’s math and council members’ already strained dynamics.
County Administrator May Have to Pay Sheriff’s Lunch Back as Operations Center Is Again Delayed, Almost a Year
The opening of the 51,000-square-foot facility is now seen no earlier than the end of 2022, instead of next November. By then, the sheriff will have been exiled from the former Sheriff’s Operations Center on State Road 100 for almost four and a half years–longer than a full term in office.
Quietly, and Without Voter Say, Flagler County Readies to Raise Sales Tax on Everyone. Palm Coast Says No.
The Palm Coast City Council today rejected a request by county government to support raising the local sales tax from 7 to 7.5 percent. The rejection deals a blow to county government, which is looking to increase the tax to pay for law enforcement and fire operations, but it also replays tensions from 10 years ago when the county’s approach on the sales tax was equally clumsy and unilateral.
Crime Dropped By Half in Staly’s 1st Term, Giving Flagler 4th-Lowest Rate Among Florida Counties of 100,000 or More
Flagler County’s crime rate in 2020 fell for the 11th straight year, though it’s never fallen as sharply as it has in the last three, when it fell by half since 2017. In 2020, Flagler had the fourth-lowest crime rate in the state for counties of 100,000 or more people, aided in part by the pandemic.
With a Nod to the Memory of a Special Agent, Sheriff Marks Fallen Officers Ceremony After a Year of Heavy Losses
Community members and law enforcement gathered to create a sea of blue-lit candles in memory of those lost in the line of duty at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s annual fallen officers memorial Thursday evening in front of the county courthouse.
Federal Judge Dismisses Suit by 5 Inmates Claiming Constant Bright Lights at Flagler Jail are ‘Human Torture’
Inmates filed suit over bright lights being on 24 hours a day at the Flagler County jail. A federal judge dismissed the suit on a technicality–the jail is not an entity that could be sued–but the jail administration had previously sought to address the issue with eye masks and is exploring other possibilities.
Almost 3 Years Late and $300,000 Over Budget, County Finally Opens Palm Coast Precinct for Sheriff
The Palm Coast Precinct at 14 Palm Harbor Village Way was originally supposed to open in 2018 but fell victims to delays and successive changes of plans before reverting back to its original intent.
Flagler Sheriff’s Daniel LaVerne Gets Distinguished Victim Services Award
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Deputy First Class (DFC) Daniel LaVerne was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Victim Services Award during a virtual version of the annual Victim’s Rights Week Ceremony hosted by Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Flagler Jail Deputy Disciplined Over Alleged Use of N-Word Against Inmate, Which He Denies
Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy Cpl. Peter Descartes served a one-day suspension without pay last month following an internal investigation over allegations that he referred to a Black inmate by a racist slur in November. Descartes is himself Black, and denied using the term saying he used a different word that sounds similar.
Sheriff’s Ex-Detective Mark Moy Demoted to Civilian Status, Criminal Charge of Domestic Violence Dropped
Mark A. Moy, the long-time veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested in mid-February on a domestic battery charge, was suspended without pay for two months, demoted to civilian status without any law enforcement authority, placed on disciplinary probation for a year, and will be required to re-apply for a sworn deputy’s position as if he were starting over, his corporal rank now lost.
Flagler Sheriff’s School Deputy Christopher Alecrim Is Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisor of the Year
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) is proud to announce that School Resource Deputy (SRD) Christopher Alecrim, was selected by the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) as Law Enforcement Explorer of the Year.
With Warning to the Gullible, a Bouncy Sheriff’s Office Launches Deputies on New Transportation Unit
On April 1, 2021, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) launched the newest Transportation Unit (T.U.), enabling officers to jump higher and help the community faster.
Sheriff Staly Honored as Golden Eagle by Boy Scouts of America on May 12
The Flagler County Golden Eagle Event, hosted by the Central Florida Council Boy Scouts of America. The Golden Eagle Dinner event brings together Flagler County’s top corporate and community leaders each year to honor an outstanding member of the community.
Sheriff’s Office Partners with City of Palm Coast for Florida Bicycle Month
Throughout the month of March, the FCSO and the City of Palm Coast will run a social media campaign featuring posts and videos related to bicycle safety, along with highlighting over 130 miles of bike trails available throughout Flagler County.
Sheriff Challenges Residents to ‘Dare to Care’ in Celebration of National Random Act of Kindness Day
Sheriff Rick Staly and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) invite Flagler County residents to participate in the first ever FCSO Dare to Care Challenge to celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness day on Wednesday, February 17.
Flagler Sheriff Severs All Ties With Popular Christmas With a Deputy, Pivoting to Its Own ‘Shop With a Cop’
Last week, the Sheriff’s Office’s relationship with Christmas With a Deputy abruptly and surprisingly ended. Part of the rationale is entirely logical and reasonable. Part of it appears less so.
Flagler Kiwanis Donate New Sleuth of Bears to Sheriff’s Deputies on Patrol
The Club’s signature project “Bears-on-Patrol” was initiated in October 2019 to equip every Flagler County Law Enforcement vehicle with a supply of stuffed bears for officers to use when responding to calls ranging from traffic accidents, fires, and crime scenes, to domestic issues where a child is in a distressful situation and needs comfort and security.
Flagler Commissioners Strongly Repudiate Mullins Letter On County Letterhead Disputing Biden Election
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins used commission letterhead, without other commissioners’ approval, to plagiarize a letter and send it to Florida’s congressional delegation, repeating baseless, false, misleading, conspiratorial and widely discredited claims that Biden’s election was fraudulent.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Partners With Local Group to Repair Bicycles for Local Youth
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) donated 13 bicycles on Thursday from the abandoned property section of the FCSO Evidence Unit. These bicycles are in need of repair but have the potential to become a beloved form of recreation for a child.
At Groundbreaking on $23 Million Sheriff’s Operations Center, County Hopes ‘Difficult’ Years of Errors Are Over
Sheriff’s, county, Bunnell and Flagler Beach officials broke ground today on a 51,000-square foot, $23 million Sheriff’s Operations Center on the future Commerce Parkway in Bunnell, possibly ending eight years of costly errors and misjudgments and what will be a four-year exile for the sheriff’s agency from a place of its own.
County Approves $20 Million Loan to Build Sheriff’s Operations Center, With Groundbreaking Wednesday
The Flagler County Commission voted 5-0 this evening to approve a $20 million commercial loan with CenterState Bank to finance a 51,000-square-foot Sheriff’s Operations Center south of the Government Services Center in Bunnell.
$21 Million Sheriff’s Building Would Be Financed With 15-Year CenterState Bank Loan at 1.83% Interest
Flagler County commissioners on Monday will consider approving a $20 million loan from a commercial bank to finance the proposed Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell, significantly adding to the county’s current debt load of $142 million and annual debt servicing of more than $11 million.
$21 Million Flagler Sheriff’s Operations Center Unveiled, But Questions About Financing Remain Unanswered
The Flagler County Commission approved a $21 million, 51,000 square-foot Sheriff’s Operations Center. But questions remain unanswered about the project’s financing, which was not presented to the commission today, and its ultimate cost, which would reach nearly $23 million when financing it over 15 years is included.
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Agustin Rodriguez, New Face of Progressive Policing, is 2020 Officer of the Year
Flagler County Sheriff’s Detective Agustin Rodriguez, Crime Stoppers’ 2020 Officer of the Year, was a Bunnell Police Officer for two years before joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2012, and joining the Major Cases Unit in 2019. This year he was responsible for closing three violent-crime cases with six arrests.
Sheriff Presents 2020 Quarter 1 and 2 Awards
Typically FCSO holds quarterly awards ceremonies where recipients can invite their families and friends to congratulate them, however, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, the regular awards ceremony was postponed. During the week of November 9th, FCSO held several small ceremonies in order to recognize the award recipients.
Flagler Jail’s ‘Homeward Bound’ Program Will Help Inmates Learn Skills for Employment
The first course offering will train inmates to design, develop and apply custom designed vinyl graphics onto vehicles. The course will focus first on applying the vinyl graphics to officially mark all FCSO patrol fleet vehicles.
Flagler’s 13 School Deputies Get Tactical Medical Training
Flagler Schools students had a day off but on Tuesday for Election Day, but the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Deputy Unit used the vacant rooms at Buddy Taylor Middle School to conduct tactical medical training for first responders.
Holland and Klufas Hold On, Staly Wins Re-Election, Don O’Brien and Andy Dance Win County Commission, Ed Danko, Victor Barbosa Win Council Seats
With all early voting results counted, Sheriff Rick Staly had an insurmountable lead to win re-election to his second term, as did County Commissioner Donald O’Brien. Andy Dance, the school board member, also had an insurmountable lead to win the County Commission seat Charlie Ericksen opted not to contest.
Flagler Sheriff Lands $530,000 Federal Grant to Improve Mental Health Among Jail Inmates
The grant will allow effective training, timely screening for mental illness and substance abuse, evidence-based treatment and case management for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
From Unpredictable Encounters to Shots Fired, Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Test Their Split-Second Judgments
A three-week training block is putting every one of the Flagler County Sheriff’s 235 road and corrections deputies through simulated, unpredictable and at times violent situations to test their judgments and evaluate their skills either at de-escalating tense situations or using the proper level of force when necessary.