The Flagler County Tea Party’s straw poll included 14 races on the Aug. 14 ballot, plus the school board’s half-penny sales tax referendum, which drew 67 percent against, a worrisome sign for the school board.
Cops/Courts
Second Grave Crash in 14 Hours, on A1A in Beverly Beach, Injures 2 Critically
A head-on wreck between two vehicles sent two people to Halifax hospital with critical, traumatic injuries and closed State Road A1A in Beverley Beach after 12:30 p.m.
Pedro Riera, 48, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck on White View Parkway in Palm Coast
Pedro Riera, 48, a resident of Wittlesey Lane in Palm Coast, was killed Wednesday night as he rode his Harley Davidson into a car crossing White View Parkway, at Rolling Sands Drive, driven by Shelby Cuccurullo.
Lane Burnsed Is Laid to Rest to the Words of Job and a Community’s Grief
Lane Burnsed, 19, was laid to rest Wednesday as hundreds of friends and family members paid their respects to his father, Capt. Jamey Burnsed, and his wife Iola, whose roots in the community run broad and deep.
Fearing Rejection at the Ballot Box, County Opts to Renew Sales Tax Unilaterally
The Flagler County Commission decided not to put out a half-cent sales tax renewal to voters this year, choosing instead to renew the tax by a vote of the commission by November. The decision ensures that the tax will stay on the books, generating $4 million for the county and the cities.
Flagler Sheriff Wants Your Gun in Exchange for a $50 Gift Card; Opponents Frown
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will hold the county’s first gun buy back on Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Town Center. Each firearm is worth a $50 gift card, up to a maximum of three. The buy-back is made possible through a county commission grant.
Josh Davis, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Josh Davis is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
A Vigil of 300 Flickers with Solidarity and Sorrow For Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed
Some 300 people turned out Sunday evening on the sands of Flagler Beach, including the parents of Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed, the teens killed in a wreck on I-95 Thursday. The crowd was mostly young, emotional and subdued.
Sharon Feliciano, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Sharon Feliciano is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
Don Appignani, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Don Appignani is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
Marc Dwyer, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Marc Dwyer is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
Craig Atack, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Craig Atack is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
Melissa Moore Stens, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Melissa Moore Stens is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
W. Scott Westbrook, Flagler County Judge Candidate: The Live Interview
Scott Westbrook is one of seven candidates for Flagler County Judge in the Aug. 14 primary election, vying to replace Sharon Atack. Here’s the Live Interview.
Families Mourning Loss of Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, Killed in Wreck
Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, killed on I-95 in a three-vehicle accident Thursday, had attended Flagler Palm Coast High School. Three other people were critically injured.
“All Done With Pure Heart”: A Defense of Flagler Beach Chief Martin Roberts
Patricia Sigman, a long-time, Orlando-based labor and employment attorney, ended Flagler Beach Fire Chief Martin Roberts’s three-hour disciplinary hearing with a searing indictment of the the city administration and an earnest defense of Martin, who nhad kept silent throughout the month-long controversy. Here’s Sigman’s complete closing.
Countering 2 Precedents, Florida Court Rules Pregnancy Discrimination Is Not Illegal
Appeals courts in 1991 and 2008 had clearly stated that either the state law’s intent forbids discrimination or federal law, which explicitly forbids it, preempts state law. Yet the appeals court in Miami ruled against a woman fired from her real estate job after she got pregnant.
Elian Gonzalez Affair Returns to Haunt Don Appignani, Flagler County Judge Candidate
The Florida Bar publicly reprimanded Don Appignani in 2002 over a conflict of interest charge when he was a labor attorney for INS employees, following his role representing INS employees involved in the Elian Gonzalez affair. Appignani disputes most of the findings to this day.
A Stabbing at European Village, a Spate of Domestic Violence and Arrests in Palm Coast
An unusually pronounced series of unrelated domestic and neighborhood issues, including a drug-related stabbing at European Village, resulted in the arrest of 5 people in Palm Coast between Friday and Tuesday.
Freddie Giddens, Ormond Beach Pharmacy Robber, Sentenced to a Minimum of 25 Years
Freddie Giddens, Kenneth Jenkins, and Thavelin Watson took part in a Sept. 6 armed robbery in Ormond Beach, and were caught after a police chase through Palm Coast that ended in the Z Section.
Prison Privatization Still Unconstitutional As Court Rejects Attorney General’s Appeal
In a victory for police unions, an appeals court ruled against Attorney General Pam Bondi in a long-running battle about the Legislature’s attempt last year to privatize prisons across southern Florida.
Palm Coast Takes a Deeper Drag
At Synthetic Marijuana Regulation
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and council member Frank Meeker want Palm Coast and other local governments to jointly tackle the legality of synthetic marijuana even as states are gradually adopting bans on fake-pot sales across the country.
Synthetic Marijuana, or Fake Pot: What Is It, How Dangerous and Prevalent Is It?
Synthetic marijuana, or fake pot, is sold as a legal spice or incense herb such as K2, but is a little-understood chemical compound with potentially more severe side-effects. A briefing on the origin and meaning of synthetic marijuana.
When Even Sheriff Fleming Is a Bystander to Rumors’ Wreckage
A verbal altercation involving Sheriff Don Fleming’s step-daughter and another woman at European Village began a series of events that caused the firing of the woman and her boyfriend, both waiters at Mazzaluna. Charges that Fleming had retaliated are unsubstantiated.
Aaron Kinney, Accused as Gas Station Robber, Had Reported Woodlands Attack in October
Aaron Kinney, 33, is considered a person of interest in the two other gas station robberies in the county. Sheriff Don Fleming had confirmed his arrest Sunday evening. He’d struck the BP station on Old Dixie Highway and at a Mobile station on State Road 100.
Wife of Long-Time Flagler Beach Cop Bobby MacDonald in Coma After Gunshot to the Head
Kathy MacDonald married Robert “Bobby” MacDonald less than a year ago. Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming said an investigation is continuing into the suspicious shooting, with no conclusive evidence yet on whether she shot herself, or whether her husband is involved.
Flagler 911: A Chase Ends at the Flagler Beach Pier, A Fight Carries Into the Hospital
A homeless man is Tased but runs off into the ocean by the pier before being arrested, a family battle carries over to Florida Hospital Flagler, a man is charged for assaulting a police dog that was subduing him, another arrested for hosting an under-age drinking party.
As Florida and Other States Privatize Prison Health Services, Care Standards Suffer
Florida and other states, in an attempt to cut costs, are increasingly outsourcing health care for inmates to for-profit companies, but the trend is raising concerns among unions and prisoners’ rights groups.
3 Liberal Florida Justices Battle Conservative Foundation’s Plan to Depose Them
Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince filed a court motion to block the conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation from moving forward with 22 depositions in a merit-retention case. The foundation is targeting the justices for their liberalism.
Storm Burst: Two Wrecks, 10 Victims, Most Children or Teens, Few Injuries
Five teen-agers were in a truck that overturned after hitting an electric pole (which burst into periodic flames) at Old Kings Road and Frontier Drive in Palm Coast; an older woman was at the wheel of an SUV, with four young children, that ended up upright against the trees on I-95 within an hour of the other wreck.
County Concedes What Palm Coast Has Been Saying for Months: Sales Tax Plan a No-Go
The Flagler County Commission agreed to drop its current plan for a half-cent sales tax renewal and again seek out a compromise with the cities that may win their backing should the measure appear before voters on the November ballot.
Ray Stevens Assault on John Pollinger Mutates, This Time Invoking 9/11 Decisions
Fresh from losing a suit attempting to boot John Pollinger from the Republican ballot for sheriff on Aug. 14 (the decision is on appeal), the Ray Stevens camp is criticizing a Pollinger decision to keep officers from going to Ground Zero after 9/11, though the record overwhelmingly supports Pollinger’s decision.
Flagler Beach Fire Chief Martin Roberts Faces Firing on Insubordination Charge
Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell told Martin Roberts he’d be fired pending a pre-disciplinary hearing on July 17. Roberts had served as chief since November 2005. He was at the center of a controversy over unauthorized trips.
John Pollinger Responds to His Critics
John Pollinger, a candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, has been criticized over his last months as Middletown, N.J., police chief and his tenure as post commander of the American Legion in Palm Coast. He tells his side.
Drug War Collusion: Top Cops, Lapdog Press, And the Art of Tax-Funded Campaigning
With State Attorney R.J. Larizza, Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming and Putnam Sheriff Jeff Hardy in starring roles (all three are running for re-election next month), Wednesday was the latest shameless example of local and state police using a minor drug sweep for maximum political effect, at taxpayers’ expense.
Cops Spying on Your Cell Phone: Warrantless, Routine, and With Providers’ Complicity
Privacy activists hold that cops’ tracking of cell phones require a search warrant to be constitutional. But the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on the issue, and Congress has yet to pass a law addressing it.
Big Sweep of Small-Time Pill Pushers Nets 78 Arrests in Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was ground zero for a three-county sweep today–and for a choreographed media event to maximize publicity for the sweep, and three top cops running for re-election–State Attorney R.J. Lariza, Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming and Putnam Sheriff Jeff Hardy.
Ex-School Board Member Richard Marier Accused of Stabbing Pit Bull to Death
Richard Marier, who served on the Flagler County School Board from 1994 to 1998, was charged with cruelty to animals, a felony, and with using a weapon in the commission of a felony.
With Fire Chief’s Job Teetering, Flagler Beach Commission Splits Over Ethics and Dysfunction
In a special meeting prompted by a controversy over unauthorized fire department trips to fire truck manufacturers, the city commission Tuesday agreed to rewrite some of its ethics guidelines, but a proposal to turn commissioners into whistle-blowers is facing resistance.
Pollinger Will Remain on Aug. 14 Ballot as a Republican as Judge Craig Denies Challenge
John Pollinger will remain on the Aug. 14 ballot as a Republican candidate for Flager County Sheriff, Circuit Court Judge Dennis Craig ruled Tuesday afternoon, denying a challenge by Anne-Marie Shaffer, a supporter of candidate Ray Stevens, to bar him from the Republican ballot.
Palm Coast’s Pre-2010 Red-Light Camera Fines in Question Following Latest Court Decision
The 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach on Friday found Orlando’s red-light traffic cameras illegal before they were standardized by a state law in 2010. Palm Coast’s set up was similar to Orlando’s. But the decision does not affect the current camera set up or the fine structure.
Waste Pro Garbage Truck’s Hydraulic Leak Closes Palm Coast Parkway Tuesday Morning
A Waste Pro garbage truck’s hydraulic line broke as it was driving east on Palm Coast Parkway early this morning, forcing a shut-down of the road for two and a half hours just as rush hour was beginning.
Charging “Political Assassination,” Pollinger Seeks Court to Reveal Shaffer’s Backers
John Pollinger, a Republican candidate for sheriff, is asking Judge Dennis Craig to compel Anne-Marie Shaffer to answer whether the Republican Club of Flagler County or the Ronald Reagan Republican Assembly of Flagler County–in which Shaffer is an officer–are helping to fund the lawsuit she filed against Pollinger to boot him from the Republican ballot.
Flagler 911: Girlfriend Wields a Baseball Bat, Widow Is Bilked of $300,000, Horses Are Neglected
A Flagler Beach woman is jailed after being accused of trying to run over her boyfriend and assaulting him with a baseball bat, a widow is scammed out of $300,000 by people in the Philippines, an angry landlord lands in jail, so does a hit-and-run driver, and more.
Car Strikes 4-Year-Old on Florida Park Drive; “Thankfully We Don’t Have to Deal With a Tragedy”
The 4-year-old boy was darting across Florida Park Drive from one house to another, in front of Francis Collins, a 69-year-old resident of Frederick Lane, who was going slower than the speed limit. Collins’s Honda struck the boy, but resulting in no life-threatening injuries.
Carson Merrill and Paul Miller, Flagler’s Two Shootists, Heading to Court Wednesday
William Carson Merrill shot his wife Stefanie with an AK-47 at their Covington Lane home on Feb. 21. Paul Miller shot his neighbor Dana Mulhall as the pair argued about Miller’s barking dogs on South Flagler Avenue on March 14.
Cyclist Michael The Nguyen in Critical Condition After A1A Crash in Ponte Verda Beach
Michael The Nguyen, 56, was on a bicycle, riding south on State Road A1A in Ponte Verda Beach, when Mark E. Bailey struck him with his Ford F-150 at Dolphin Boulevard. Nguyen was airlifted to Shands Jacksonvile in critical condition.
Conservatives Press Attack as Florida’s Liberal Justices Are Cleared of Campaign Wrongdoing
An investigation into the filing of qualifying papers for Florida Supreme Court Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince has been closed, but the controversy about the trio’s place on this fall’s ballot is likely to continue.
FHP’s Crackdown and the Prohibitionist Politics of Drunk Driving: A Dissent
Taking aim at today’s deployment of 40 FHP troopers on I-95, Darrell Smith calls the targeting of people who drink–as opposed to drunk drivers–a brown-shirted example of a police state mentality too readily embraced by the public.
Palm Coast Woman Hospitalized Following 2-SUV Wreck on US1, By Hess Station
Mary Rosalind Barber, a 52-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was driving north on U.S. 1 near the Hess station Thursday afternoon when a Georgia driver with four passengers cut into her right of way, slamming Barber’s SUV to its side.