A Sept. 10 appeals court ruling that made it legal to openly carrying guns in Florida has created some confusion for Flagler County’s local government attorneys on the law’s applicability in certain public places such as government buildings and parks in light of a loophole in law that appears to leave long guns unregulated, and the permissibility of carrying guns in certain public spaces unclear.
Cops/Courts
FWC Employee Fired Over Charlie Kirk Instagram Post Sues Accuses Agency of 1st Amendment Violation in Lawsuit
A biologist has filed a federal lawsuit challenging her firing by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because of a post on a personal social-media account after the murder of Charlie Kirk. Brittney Brown, who worked for the commission studying shorebirds and seabirds in the area of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panhandle, alleges in the lawsuit that her firing on Sept. 15 — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights.
Battalion Chief in Lee County Faces 31 Charges, from Embezzlement to Voyeurism and Stalking
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Albert “Shane” Sibert, 54, of North Fort Myers, a Battalion Chief with the Estero Fire Rescue department in lee County, on one count, each, of a scheme to defraud, grand theft, official misconduct, digital voyeurism dissemination, unlawful use of a tracking device, aggravated stalking, violation of injunction for protection against stalking, battery and money laundering. Sibert is also charged with 16 counts of unlawful interception of wire or oral communications and six counts of video voyeurism.
12-Year-Old Indian Trails Middle School Boy Arrested on Felony Charge After Threatening to Stab a Student
On September 15, it was an 11-year-old boy at Rymfire Elementary. On Sept. 25, it was a 12-year-old at Indian Trails Middle School: same method–threats made in a group chat away from school, images of weaponry sent to make the point–same result: an arrest and a felony charge. The two boys had been arguing in the chat that afternoon. Then NG sent the picture of a box of 15 knives and a brass knuckle and made threatening statements
Teachers Must Now Self-Report When Arrested for Numerous Crimes
Florida law now requires educators to self-report to their employers within 48 hours an arrest for a felony or certain misdemeanors. The list of offenses ranges from sexual misconduct with mental health patients, felony fraud, murder, aggravated assault, human trafficking, weapons on school grounds, prostitution, felony voyeurism, threats to kill, and more.
Sheriff’s Office Gets $90,000 Grant for Motorcycle Safety Awareness
The grant will primarily be used to provide funding for overtime for the FCSO Traffic Enforcement Unit to conduct enforcement and driver education focusing on motorcycle safety. These measures aim to strategically target unsafe driving behaviors from both motorcyclists and vehicle drivers who show a lack of awareness to motorcycles.
Flagler County Government Prepares to Settle 4-Year-Old Lawsuit Over Sears Building, But Won’t Recover All Losses
Flagler County government is nearing a final settlement of a four-year-old lawsuit it filed against several parties after its ill-fated $1.125 million purchase of what was then known as the Sears building on Palm Coast Parkway. The county previously settled with two of the four parties, recouping $900,000 (or $843,000, depending on which document you consult). The pending settlement would recoup an additional $125,000, netting a loss of $100,000 (or $157,000).
Pinning Ceremony Marks Several Promotions and New Hires at Palm Coast Fire Department
Leading the list of promotions, Patrick Juliano has been elevated to the rank of Battalion Chief in recognition of his outstanding leadership and longstanding service to the community. Advancing to the rank of Lieutenant are Dylan Mulligan and Brandon Davis, while Caleb Dann and Gunner Pemberton have earned promotion to Driver Engineer.
Ex-Flagler County Paramedic Facing Rape Charge Claims Penetrating Patient Was ‘Medically Necessary’
James Melady, the former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic facing a rape charge involving an unconscious patient in his care during an ambulance ride, claimed today through his attorney that what he was doing to the patient was medically necessary, and therefore not actionable under Florida law. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols was skeptical, and pressed him to seek a plea or potentially face up to life in prison.
Man, 76, Killed in Head-On Crash Going Wrong Way on U.S. 1, 3rd Local Road Death in 4 Days
A 76-year-old man lost his life late Tuesday night (Sept. 23) in a head-on collision on U.S. 1 south of Seminole Woods in Palm Coast. He is the third person killed in a crash on Flagler County roads in the last four days.
18-Year-Old Motorcyclist Dies on SR100 After Deer Strike Throws Him Off the Bike, and a Car Hits Him
An 18-year-old Palm Coast motorcyclist was killed Monday night after he was thrown from his Motorcycle in a collision with a deer, then was run over by a car on State Road 100 just west of Belle Terre Parkway.
30 New Laws Go In Effect Next Week, Including Steeper Penalties for Several Crimes and End of Business Rent Tax
The elimination of the business rent tax is projected to collectively save businesses–and cost the state–nearly $1.15 billion during the current fiscal year, which will run through June 30. That amount is projected to increase to $1.53 billion next fiscal year. Other laws include harsher penalties for people who flee police, harass utility workers and kill someone while driving drunk.
71-Year-Old Woman Dies, 61-Year-Old Man Injured in Head-On Collision on SR11 South of Cody’s Corner
A 71-year-old South Daytona woman lost her life in a head-on collision Saturday morning on State Road 11, south of County Road 304–also known as Cody’s Corner–in Flagler County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol and Flagler County 911’s dispatch notes, the woman was driving an SUV north on 11 when she “failed to maintain her lane” and swerved into the oncoming lane.
At Charlie Kirk Vigil on Courthouse Steps, Calls for Unity and Healing ‘Deep Divide in Our Country’
Well over a thousand people gathered in Bunnell on Wednesday to attend a candlelight vigil for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The event was held outside the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center, with attendance high enough that sheriff’s deputies had to direct traffic in and out. Sheriff Rick Staly called for healing wounds, grief and “the deep divide in our country.”
It’s a World of Fraud and You’d Better Be Vigilant, Ex-US Prosecutor Roger Handberg Tells Flagler Tiger Bay
When Roger Handberg asked the capacity crowd at Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s season-opening lunch Wednesday for a show of hands from those who’ve been victims of a fraud or who knew someone who had, almost every hand went up. That was his point. “These schemes are all over the place,” he said. They indiscriminately target the vulnerable and those who think they’re untouchable. Handberg, until recently the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, gave the audience a tutorial on the psychology and variety of fraudsters, and on how to try to stay a step ahead of them.
Man Fleeing Deputies Charged with Murder for Death of Woman in Collision; Sheriff Staly Vows Full Review of Chase
Stevens Brian Charles, 40, faces a second-degree murder charge, among at least 10 felony charges, in the death of a 71-year-old Ormond Beach woman Tuesday in a head-on crash on an I-95 exit on which Charles was intentionally driving the wrong way, fleeing from Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff Rick Staly has ordered a top-to-bottom review of the entire incident, the agency’s chase policy, and whether all procedures were followed.
Tech Industry Groups Want Appeals Court to Uphold Ruling that Blocked Florida’s Restrictive Social Media Law
Pointing to what they called “draconian restrictions,” tech industry groups are urging a federal appeals court to uphold a decision that blocked a Florida law aimed at preventing children from having access to certain social-media platforms. Attorneys for the groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed a 78-page brief Friday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, contending the 2024 law violates First Amendment rights.
Palm Coast Scraps Ebike Speed Limit and Lowers Age Allowance to 11 as Council Refines Rules and Seeks More Input
Palm Coast will eliminate what had been a proposed speed limit for ebikes, the allowable age limit for riders was further reduced to 11 (it had started at 15 two weeks ago), and student IDs would be a permissible form of identification for riders, as opposed to government-issued IDs, according to the latest version of an ordinance the Palm Coast City Council is crafting.
Palm Coast Attorney Marc Dwyer on the End of Open Carry Ban: Correct Decision, Not Without Street Consequences
Palm Coast attorney Marc Dwyer is of two minds about last week’s decision by a Florida appeals court invalidating the ban on openly carrying firearms. On one hand, he found the ruling legally right and in line with history and current law since 2008. On the other hand, he says there’s “going to be an uptick in crime” as a result. Sheriff Rick Staly disagrees, seeing not much change ahead as a consequence of the decision.
Rymfire Elementary Student, 11, Arrested After Threatening to Bring “Guns” to School in Response to Bullying
GN, an 11-year-old Rymfire Elementary student who was apparently being bullied in chats, faces a second-degree felony charge of sending written threats of a shooting after sending the “picture of a gun to a group chat with other students” and the message, “See you at school tomorrow bye,” according to his arrest report.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Solves West-Side Burglary Spree, Arresting 3 Teens from Suwanee County
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon announced the arrest of three Live Oak teens on armed burglary charges stemming from a series of car break-ins and burglaries on Flagler County’s west side in late August, when the men got away with several firearms, some cash and a few credit cards. Two of the three men are in Georgia, the third in Suwanee County. All three were served Flagler County arrest warrants.
Man, 68, Accused of Wielding Knife and Chasing 2 Juveniles and 18-Year-Old at Palm Coast Walmart
Thomas Edward Ohl, a 68-year-old resident of Wellington Drive in Palm Coast, faces four felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse following an incident Saturday night at Walmart, where he allegedly chased two juveniles and an 18-year-old with a knife picked out of a shelf, after he said they’d made fun of his disability.
In Florida, We Want Guns in Our Streets, Not Rainbows
No doubt Gov. Ron DeSantis expects Floridians to be grateful for saving us from yet another woke attack on decency, probity, and speeding motorists. Meaning colorful crosswalks. Just as he has fought to expel books by Black and gay authors from our schools, the governor has ordered FDOT to paint over the flowers, the sunbursts, the fish, the musical notes, and the rainbows — especially the rainbows. At least a dozen schools in Tampa will see their “Crosswalks to Classrooms” school crossings destroyed, including one painted to look like a shelf of books. Florida’s government is particularly scared of books.
14th of the Year: DeSantis Signs Death Warrant for Samuel Smithers, 72, Who Murdered 2 Women in 1996
In what could be Florida’s 14th execution this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of murdering two women in 1996 in Hillsborough County and dumping them in a pond. Samuel Smithers, 72, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection Oct. 14 at Florida State Prison for the murders of Denise Roach and Christy Cowan at a secluded property where he worked as a caretaker.
Spree of Break-Ins Target Vehicles at Multiple Properties on Flagler County’s West Side
The Flagler County Sheriff is investigating a series of burglaries and break-ins that took place the night of Aug. 28 to 29 on the west side of Flagler County, targeting vehicles at multiple properties in an area of the county rarely associated with such crime sprees. Two firearms and wallets were among the items reported stolen. The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the addresses. The thefts took place in the area of County Road 305, County Road 302, County Road 15, and State Road 100, targeting properties on those roads and smaller roads in between.
Shock, Sadness, Anxiety: Flagler County Leaders Grapple with Charlie Kirk Assassination, and Worry About What’s Next
Flagler County leaders from across a broad spectrum were reacting with shock, sadness, anxiety and concern to the assassination Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist, charismatic speaker and incendiary provocateur, who was shot while doing what he did best: engage with university students while manifesting the nation’s oldest tradition of free expression.
Palm Coast Would Limit Ebike Speeds to 10 MPH on Sidewalks, Ban Riders Younger Than 13 and AirPods While Riding
Palm Coast is about to have strict new ebike regulations. Based on a proposal the city attorney presented to the City Council Tuesday, and the feedback he received from council members, ebike speeds will be limited to 10 miles per hour on all sidewalks, ebike riders must be 13 or older, ebike riders younger than 16 will be required to wear a helmet, ebike riders of any age may not wear AirPods or headphones while riding, and must–also at any age–carry a sate-issued, photo identification card.
Woman Described in Court Last Week as ‘a Really Bad Influence’ Is Arrested on 5 Felonies, Including Child Abuse
Cherie Ford, 44, was re-arrested months after being sentenced to probation on a charge of battering a cop, this time on five felony charges, including a second-degree felony charge of child neglect causing great harm and a third-degree felony charge of child abuse. The arrest was a probation violation, so she faces a felony count for that as well, and two felony battery counts–felonies, because they are her third cuch charge following convictions on similar charges.
Florida’s DOGE Should Investigate the Money Wasted on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to blow millions in taxpayer money on a tent-and-fence camp in the middle of a major nature preserve. Believe it or not, he did it without doing one single thing to check its impact on our endangered panthers, our clean water, or our recovering Everglades. Instead, he just rushed to build it as fast as possible, spending $218 million. He had to truck in everything the staff and inmates needed, from portable toilets that repeatedly overflowed to blinding lights that ruined one of the few dark-sky places left in our state.
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Kathryn Gordon and Flagler Beach Officer Michael Snyder Are Crime Stoppers’ Officers of the Year
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Master Detective Kathryn Gordon was named Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida’s 2025 Officer of the Year in the large agency category. Gordon was selected as Officer of the Year among law enforcement agencies with over 125 sworn members, among nominees from four other agencies across Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties.
Ex-School Employee Kermit Booth Extradited to Flagler to Face Charges of of Sexually Assaulting Neighbor Until She Was 9
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly on Friday flew to North Carolina to personally bring back Kermit Booth–the former Palm Coast resident facing two capital felony charges for the sexual assault of a child–extradited from North Carolina, where he’d been held after his second arrest on the same charges.
He Faced a Minimum of 4.2 Years in Prison for Hit and Run. He Got Less Than 1 Year in Jail After Paying Victim $150,000.
A $150,000 settlement paired with a $100,000 insurance settlement can go a long way to convince the victim of a hit and run to turn advocate for his assailant and ask the court not to send him to prison. The prosecutor put it more bluntly: “It creates the perception that justice can be bought.” That’s what appears to have happened between Joao Fernandes and Tristen Thompson, who until last month had spent the previous year as adversaries, with Fernandes facing several years in prison on top of a civil suit from Thompson over a 2024 hit and run on Belle Terre Parkway that left Thompson in a heap of injuries.
Shuttered Baker County Prison Reopened as Migrant Lockup
Florida this week began accepting immigrant detainees at a repurposed prison in Baker County as part of the state’s support of President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation efforts, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office.
Armed Burglar Wrecks Sharps Liquors in Flagler Plaza After Being Denied Drinks, and Faces Life Felonies
A 38-year-old man whose recorded behavior at the time of his arrest suggests questionable mental competence is at the Flagler County jail on 12 felony charges, two of them punishable by life in prison, following an alleged armed burglary and a trashing rampage through Sharps Discount Liquors in Palm Coast. He is being held on $236,000 bond. The trashing left the area behind the counter entirely covered in broken bottles shoved off the shelves, along with a whole other segment of the store where the man had systematically upended, broken or wrecked everything in his way.
Guns and Ammo Will be Tax-Free in Florida Until the End of the Year
Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition. The tax holiday starting Monday also will allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on camping and fishing equipment through the end of the year. It was part of a broad tax package (HB 7031) that lawmakers passed in June.
Palm Coast Man Arrested Under New “Super Speeder Law” for Going 90 in a 35 Near Varn Park
A 50-year-old Palm Coast resident was arrested and booked at the Flagler County jail on a speeding charge–going over 50 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. The driver was going 90 in a 35 near Varn Park on State Road A1A, north of Beverly Beach. He faces up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine or both if convicted on the second-degree misdemeanor. He is also required to appear at a hearing under the state’s new “Super Speeder Law,” which went into effect on July 1.
Noah Urban, 20, Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison Over Defrauding at Least 59 Victims of $13 Million in Crypto Scam
Noah Michael Urban, the 20-year-old Palm Coast resident charged last year with 14 federal counts of cryptocurrency, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years on probation. He had faced up to 22 years in prison. In the cases covered by the investigation, Urban had used the name, credentials, and email accounts of at least 59 victims to take money from their cryptocurrency accounts and transfer it to his account. The victims lost at least $13 million between August 2022 and March 2023. All the crimes were committed while he lived in Palm Coast.
Bail Grift: Instead of Returning Bond Money, Florida Seizes It to Pay Off Fines and Fees
Is Florida running a bail grift? That’s how one Judge described the state’s decades-old policy of keeping bail money from third parties and using it to pay off defendants’ outstanding fines and fees. At least one member of an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel that considered the issue this month appears to agree with that assessment. So do several current and former lawmakers who have tried to end the practice.
60 Days in Jail and 2 Years on probation for Man Who Battered 3 Sheriff’s Deputies
Adam Ford, a 48-year-old former resident of Beacon Mill Lane in Palm Coast, was sentenced to 60 days in jail followed by two years on probation from an incident last year when, drunk, belligerent and resistant, Ford battered three Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies after his then-wife had told 911 she was hiding in a closet, then hung up.
5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb at Hammock Beach
The community and media are invited to the 5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb on Thursday, September 11, at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa. This year’s event is a two-part tribute—a ceremony at 8:15 a.m., followed by the climb at 8:46 a.m.—ensuring everyone can participate in remembrance, whether or not they choose to climb.
Judge Woody Clermont Faces Reprimand for Helping Friend During Proceedings
Documents filed Friday at the Supreme Court by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission said Judge Woody Clermont on April 11 went to a Broward County courtroom where the friend was making a first appearance on the charge. Clermont provided what was described as “mitigating information” about the friend to a prosecutor and the judge handling the proceeding, according to the documents.
Rifle Bullet From Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputies’ Target-Shooting in Mondex Strikes 11-Year-Old Boy
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what appears to be the accidental shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Daytona North by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Bryan Jackson or another deputy–his daughter–both of whom had been target-shooting on Jackson’s property nearby. The boy suffered a burn, but was not seriously hurt.
Complying with Judge’s Order to Dismantle It, ICE Stops Sending Human Beings to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Federal officials are complying with a judge’s order and have stopped sending immigrants to a detention center in the Everglades, less than two months after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration launched the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” in support of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
DeSantis Signs 13th Death Warrant of the Year, for Victor Jones, Murderer of 2 in 1990
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted in the 1990 murders of a couple in Miami-Dade County, as the state continues a record-setting year for executions. Victor Tony Jones, 64, is scheduled to be executed Sept. 30 and could become the 13th inmate put to death by lethal injection this year in Florida. The Jones death warrant came after Curtis Windom was executed Thursday evening at Florida State Prison in the 1992 murders of three people in Orange County.
Federal Judge Refuses to Pause Order to Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has refused to pause her order requiring state and federal officials to wind down operations at an immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Trump Didn’t Like a Federal Order. So He Sued Entire Court. Judge Schooled Him.
A federal judge Tuesday threw out what he called a “novel and potentially calamitous” attempt by the Trump administration to sue the entire federal court in Maryland over an order that put a two-day pause on deportations. When a party disagrees with a court action, there is “a tried-and-true recourse,” wrote Judge Thomas Cullen of the Western District of Virginia — file an appeal. But the Trump administration, when faced with a standing immigration order it didn’t like, instead sued all 15 federal district court judges in Maryland, the court clerk, and the court itself.
Prideful Bunnell Moves Into Its New City Hall and Police HQ On Ever-Busier Commerce Parkway
Four years almost to the day when mold exiled it from its last and rickety home in what had been a school and the mayor’s mother’s appliance store before that, Bunnell government today dedicated its new, and this time presumably permanent, City Hall and police station on Commerce Parkway amid cheers of pride and even a few commemorative gunshots as the national flag rose over the nearly 3-acre property.
Flagler Home Builders Association Will Sue Palm Coast Over Parks, Fire and Road Impact Fee Increases
The Flagler Home Builders Association is preparing to sue Palm Coast government over the City Council’s approval in June of sharply higher development impact fees for fire, parks and roads. The new fees don’t apply until Oct. 1. The suit would be filed on behalf of HBA, five construction companies and two private city residents. The pending action argues that the city’s new schedule violated the law by raising fees too sharply and too quickly, without a substantiated showing of “extraordinary circumstances” that would justify the sharper increase, among other alleged violations.
Kevin Gurthrie Says ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Will Likely Be Empty Within Days
The Associated Press is reporting that Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s director of emergency management, says that the controversial Everglades facility used to detain migrants may be empty within days.
Florida Supreme Court Won’t Halt Pulitzer-Trump Case
The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up an attempt by Pulitzer Prize board members to halt a defamation lawsuit that President Donald Trump filed after the board refused to rescind a 2018 award to The New York Times and The Washington Post.
