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.
Cops/Courts
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.
Trump’s Invasion of DC Costs Over $1 Million a Day. Here’s What That Could Pay for Instead.
Deploying the National Guard against D.C.’s unhoused population costs four times more than simply housing them. That’s true across the country.
3rd Lawsuit Challenges Florida’s Authority to Run ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Hold People Without Charges
Calling it “exactly the kind of disaster that Congress took pains to avoid,” attorneys for immigrants held at a detention center in the Everglades filed a lawsuit alleging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration lacks the authority to run the facility. The lawsuit, filed Friday in the federal Middle District of Florida, is the third major legal challenge to the detention center, erected by the DeSantis’ administration as part of the state’s support of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
The 7th Judicial Circuit, Which Includes Flagler County, Is Getting Two New Circuit Judges, Initially by Appointment
Following a determination by the Florida Supreme Court and ratification by the Legislature last June, the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties, is getting two additional circuit judgeships, in addition to the 27 existing ones. The nine-member Judicial Nominating Commission for the Seventh Circuit, which currently has no representation from Flagler or Putnam counties, is accepting applications for the two judgeships until 5 p.m. on Sept. 15.
23-Year-Old Man Facing 15 Charges, Including Carjacking, Following 140 MPH Chase and Crash at SR100
Malachi Rogers, 23, is at the Flagler County jail facing 15 criminal charges, six of them felonies, one of them a first-degree felony charge of carjacking, and another a second-degree felony charge of fleeing police with wanton disregard for others’ safety, stemming from an incident that unfolded Sunday morning on I-95 and at the intersection with State Road 100 in Palm Coast.
DeSantis Says He’s an Equal-Opportunity Executioner
Responding to an X follower’s highlighting of a quote from a former Democratic Governor of Alabama who “erroneously” claimed there was “racial bias” in DeSantis’ state execution decisions, he set the record straight and, true to form, blamed “leftists” for deliberate misinterpretation of the relevant facts.
Federal Court Orders Florida to Dismantle ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ DeSantis Is Not About to Do It.
Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t backing away from a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades after a federal judge ordered his administration to begin dismantling the facility, as environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe gear up for the next stage of the legal battle. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction preventing additional construction and bringing additional detainees to the complex, which the state has dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Williams also ordered the removal within 60 days of temporary fencing, detention-center lighting and such things as generators.
Fendrick Gabaud, 40, Would-Be Firefighter for Flagler County Fire Rescue Dies During Physical Test at Bunnell Training Tower
Fendrick Gabaud of Ormond Beach, 40, who was being assessed for recruitment as a Flagler County Fire Rescue firefighter, died this morning at the John R. Keppler Jr. Fire Training Center on Justice Lane in Bunnell. Gabaud was part of a group of seven recruits who were going through a standard physical agility test at 10 this morning. The Bunnell Police Department is investigating.
Palm Coast Man Involved in Fake Warrant Extortion Scheme Arrested
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man involved in an arrest warrant scam — a common scheme in which scammers pose as members of law enforcement agencies.
In a Plea, David Chenowith, 33, Is Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison, 20 on Probation for Sex Crimes Involving Minor
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols on Wednesday sentenced David Chenowith, a 33-year-old former resident of Langdon Drive in Palm Coast, to 14 years in prison followed by 20 years on sex-offender probation–an extremely restrictive sanction–following a guilty plea on eight charges related to the sexual abuse of children.
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally Leads ‘Know Your Rights’ Workshop for Local Renters on Aug. 26
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally, an inspirational speaker, author, preacher and lawyer with Community Legal Services, will lead a free “Know Your Rights” workshop for renters on Aug. 26 at Flagler Cares’ Flagler County Village at Palm Coast’s City Marketplace. The workshop will offer essential information for renters on their legal protections and responsibilities.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Lawsuit Over Migrants’ Legal Representation Moved to Orlando
Pointing to “prudence,” a federal judge late Monday ruled that a battle about legal representation for people at an immigrant-detention center in the Everglades should move to a different court. The judge declared moot the plaintiffs’ argument that the federal government had violated their rights by not identifying an immigration court that would handle their claims. That court has now been identified.
Bradley McVay is Florida’s New Statewide Prosecutor
Brad McVay was sworn in as statewide prosecutor Monday by Attorney General James Uthmeier. It is one of the top positions in the Florida Department of Legal Affairs and takes the lead in investigations that cross multiple county and judicial circuit lines.
Palm Coast’s Michael Brick, 35, Killed in Collision at Crash-Prone US1 and Whiteview Parkway Intersection
Michael Brick, a 35-year-old Palm Coast business owner, was killed Friday evening when a car crashed into his motorcycle at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Whiteview Parkway. He is the fourth motorcyclist to die on Flagler County roads so far this year.
Scaffolding Record, DeSantis Signs 12th Death Warrant of Year: David Pittman, Polk Murderer of 3
In what could be the 12th execution this year in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of killing three members of his estranged wife’s family in 1990 in Polk County. David Pittman, 63, is scheduled to be executed Sept. 17 at Florida State Prison. Florida has already set a modern-era record this year with nine executions, and two more men are scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection this month.
Amid Legal Wrangles, DeSantis Is Reopening State Prison in Baker County as Second Lock-Up for Migrants
Amid legal wrangling over a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said the state plans to use a shuttered prison in North Florida to boost detention of people targeted for deportation. The conversion of Baker Correctional Institution, which state corrections officials mothballed four years ago because of staffing shortages, into a second detention center in Florida will scrap a plan to house immigrant detainees at Camp Blanding west of Jacksonville.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Eventful Patrick Juliano Is Promoted to Battalion Chief
Patrick Juliano is one of the more recognizable faces–and forces–of the Palm Coast Fire Department, often managing, aside from his regular duties, to be the department’s spokesperson, to coordinate some of the city’s most solemn events, contribute to their soundtrack with or without other musicians and percussionists, and to perform his bagpipes on innumerable occasions.
Judge Rules Illegal a Florida Law Banning Trans Teachers’ Choice of Pronouns
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker sided with Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood and a Lee County teacher, identified as Jane Doe, in finding that the state law discriminates in violation of what is known as Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That section bars employment discrimination because of a person’s “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” But the outcome of the issue might ultimately hinge on an appeals-court ruling in a Georgia case.
Palm Coast Mayor Norris Files Dismissal Notice of His Lawsuit Against the City, Scrapping Rehearing or Appeal
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris today filed notice in Circuit Court through his attorney that he was voluntarily dismissing his lawsuit against the city he represents and Council member Charles Gambaro, without prejudice–meaning that it cannot be refiled. Mt. Dora attorney Anthony Sabatini filed the notice early this afternoon, soon after being served a letter by the city’s attorney, warning that the city would pursue financial sanctions against Norris if the lawsuit remained active.
Ex-Gang Member Michael Gilbert Back in Prison for 5 Years, Risking Another 5 Rather Than Settle
Sometimes, defendants’ self-defeating math puzzles everyone in court, prosecutors and judges included. But the defendants’ misfortune is not entirely of their own doing, especially when they are on probation, a system as if cynically designed to make probationers fail. Michael D’Angelo Gilbert is one such defendant.
Federal Judge Rules Unconstitutional Part of Florida Law That Led to Book Purges from School Libraries
Siding with publishers and authors, a federal judge Wednesday ruled that a key part of a 2023 Florida law that has led to books being removed from school library shelves is “overbroad and unconstitutional.” U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza issued a 50-page decision in a First Amendment lawsuit filed last year against members of the State Board of Education and the school boards in Orange and Volusia counties.
A Disaster Expo at the Palm Coast Community Center Highlights Community’s Prepared Resilience
Flagler Cares, the social services non-profit and coordinating agency, secured a $143,000 Long-Term Recovery Grant from the American Red Cross for Flagler Volunteer Services as part of the recovery efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, enabling a “disaster preparedness breakfast and expo” at the Palm Coast Community Center Tuesday that drew a full house.
Flagler Beach City Attorney Recommends New Ordinance Limiting Trespassing Authority in Public Spaces
Flagler Beach’s city attorney is recommending that the city adopt an ordinance clarifying when, where and why police may trespass an individual from public property, on the very rare occasions when they may, how much restraint police must exercise when interfering with a person’s speech (a lot), and what due process must be afforded the individual targeted.
Trespassing Persons on Public Property and Best Practices Dealing with Protestors: Flagler Beach City Attorney’s Memo
The full text of the memo written by Flagler Beach City Attorney Drew Smith and attorney Abby Osborne-Liborioon on Aug.6, in response to Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney’s request for clarity on the city’s authority to trespass individuals from public spaces.
ICE-Bound Russian National Arrested for Credit Card Fraud in Palm Coast
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Friday arrested Mikhail Vasilev, 43, of Palm Coast, on two warrants for credit card fraud following two separate investigations conducted by FCSO detectives. Vasilev obtained customer credit cards to purchase construction material for residential home repairs and later used the cards for unauthorized, personal transactions.
Veteran Who Robbed and Killed a Man at Graham Swamp in 2006 Seeks Full Release from Supervision
Brian Wothers, the 43-year-old military veteran who robbed and killed 26-year-old Jeffrey David Maxwell at Graham Swamp after partying with him earlier that night in 2006, is seeking release from all state supervision 17 years after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and committed to a state hospital. A circuit judge is not ready to grant that step just yet.
St. Johns County Steps Up E-Bike Awareness Campaign
Bicycles have long been a entrenched mode of transportation in Florida but the latest iteration of the vehicles, electronic bicycles or e-bikes, have grown increasingly present on many of the state’s beaches, restaurant areas and tourist destinations. St. Johns County, home to tourist-rich locales St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, is now taking measures to increase safety awareness for e-bikes after two troubling accidents involving the two-wheeled vehicles this year.
DeSantis Sued for 2nd Time in 5 Weeks Over Laziness in Judicial Appointments
For the second time in little more than a month, Gov. Ron DeSantis faces a lawsuit alleging he violated the Florida Constitution by not filling a judicial seat. Gainesville attorney Gary Edinger on Friday filed a petition at the state Supreme Court seeking to force DeSantis to appoint a judge in North Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit.
Flagler Beach Officer Who Wrongfully Arrested Man Outside Funky Pelican Will Serve 3 Days’ Suspension
An independent investigation of Flagler Beach Police Sgt. Austin Yelvington found him to have violated the city’s arrest procedures last March when he arrested a man who stood outside the Funky Pelican restaurant at the pier, holding a sign supporting homeless veterans. Yelvington is to serve a three-day suspension without pay. The other Flagler Beach police officer involved in the arrest, Emmett Luttrell, was found to have followed procedures and was not penalized.
20-Year-Old Man Is Killed After Stepping Into Traffic on I-95 South of Palm Coast Parkway
A 20-year-old man on foot who may have had a medical episode was struck and killed by two cars as he stepped into northbound traffic on I-95 in Palm Coast early this morning, just south of the intersection with Palm Coast Parkway.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Caleb Dann, Brandon Davis and Gunner Pemberton Are Promoted
The Palm Coast Fire Department today announced the promotion of Driver Engineer Brandon Davis to the rank of Lieutenant, and Firefighters Gunner Pemberton and Caleb Dann to the rank of Driver Engineer. Additionally, Pemberton and Dann have both successfully completed the Paramedic program at Daytona State College and are now State Certified Paramedics.
Palm Coast Man and Ex-Volusia County Schools Employee Charged With Raping Neighbors’ Child in Z Section
Kermit Carl Booth, 72, a former resident of Palm Coast and a former employee of the Volusia County school district, faces two capital felony charges of raping a girl when she was between 6 and 9, in a case dating back to 2006 to 2009 in Palm Coast’s Z Section. Booth was arrested in North Carolina last Friday and released on a startlingly low bond, prompting outrage from Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. A Flagler County judge had set bond at $500,000 when signing the arrest warrant.
Trump’s Defamation Suit Against Pulitzer Board Lands in Florida Supreme Court
Attorneys for the Pulitzer Prize Board are before the Florida Supreme Court trying for a delay of a defamation lawsuit Donald Trump filed after it recognized reporting about alleged collusion between his 2026 campaign and Russia. They want to shelve the dispute at least until Trump leaves office, pointing to a potential conflict should a state court seek to exercise authority over the nation’s top executive. The case is in Florida because Trump and one of the board members live here.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s David Faust Appointed Battalion Chief of Training
The Palm Coast Fire Department today announced the appointment of David Faust as Battalion Chief of Training. In his new role, Faust will lead the department’s efforts to recruit, train, and develop both current and future members of the organization.
Two Defendants in Disturbing Cases Get a Taste of Terence Perkins as Senior Judge: No Bond for You
Retirement isn’t dulling the admonitory edge of Circuit Judge Terence Perkins in his role as senior judge. In a pair of rulings today, Perkins denied bond to two men, one accused of brutalizing his wife after she denied him sex, the other awaiting sentencing on a jury conviction for a hit-and-run crash that left the victim mangled and unable to work for months.
Sheriff Recognizes 911 Dispatcher Megan Flores and Deputies Manka and Held Who Saved 9-Year-Old Boy
On May 8 Flagler County 911 dispatcher Megan Flores got a call about a 9-year-old boy who wasn’t breathing. She dispatched deputies and paramedics while continuing to issue instructions to family members by phone. When Sheriff’s deputy Christopher Nguyen arrived, he immediately used his automated external defibrillator (AED) as deputies Kyle Manka and Sierra Held assisted and cared for two other children at the scene. By the time the boy was on his way to the hospital, he was conscious and breathing.
New York Latest State to Offer Free Phone Calls from Prison
New York will offer free phone calls to people incarcerated in its state prisons starting Aug. 1, becoming the sixth state to do so. The change is projected to save roughly 30,000 families across the state an estimated $13.3 million per year in phone call fees, according to Worth Rises, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry. New York joins California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota in offering free phone calls in state prisons.
Keep Your ICE Raids Out of Our Schools
Immigration raids have escalated — often under questionable pretenses. This spring, immigration agents tried to enter two elementary schools in Los Angeles. At the door, agents said they wanted to determine students’ well-being and claimed to have authorization from the children’s caretakers. Administrators denied them entry — and when they spoke with caretakers later, they learned that agents had lied about receiving permission.
‘Yes, We Signed the Damn Thing Because We Really Had To,’ Orlando Mayor Says of Forced Transports for ICE
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings signed an updated agreement with U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, although he later said he did so under “protest and extreme duress.” It came days after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened the mayor and all six county commissioners that their failure to do so would result in their removal from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis.