The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this morning that debris from a fishing boat that disappeared on Oct. 14 with three men aboard was found washed up on the beach at Jungle Hut Road, mirroring similar recent finds in St. Johns and Volusia counties and adding to the near-certainty that the men have perished. The Coast Guard suspended its search on Oct. 26.
Cops/Courts
Ban on Felons Owning Guns Survives as Florida Supreme Court Rejects Challenge
Florida Supreme Court Justices on Monday issued an order rejecting an appeal by William Edenfield, who was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a 2020 shooting incident in Leon County. Edenfield went to the Supreme Court in August after the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected his Second Amendment arguments.
Sheriff’s Citizen Observer Patrol (COP) Unit Hosts Annual Awards Banquet
The banquet was led by volunteer Chief Roberson Brown, who leads the dedicated COP Unit volunteers in handling various tasks that allow sworn deputies to handle and investigate more serious crimes. The banquet was also attended by Sheriff Rick Staly and his wife Debbie, Chief Jon Welker, Chief David Williams, Commander Scott Vedder, and Commander Kenny Goncalves.
Approval of Carver Center’s Joint Agreement Is Upended as School Board Has Late-Breaking Changes
In the works since June, a new, joint agreement on management and oversight of the Carver Center in Bunnell will have to wait until at least January before it is enacted, because a misstep at the school district delayed a legal review of the agreement. That kept the School Board from seeing the revised proposal for the first time until the County Commission had already approved the original version.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Battalion Chief Dave Faust earns Executive Fire Officer Designation
The Palm Coast Fire Department celebrates Battalion Chief Dave Faust on his professional achievement of successfully completing the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Palm Coast’s Tyler Perkins, 27, Dies in Single-Vehicle Crash on Old Kings Road
Tyler Perkins, a 27-year-old resident of Palm Coast, died in a single vehicle crash on Old Kings Road when his pick-up truck went off the road and struck a tree Sunday afternoon.
Florida Highway Patrol Graduates 21 Troopers From Its 152nd Basic Recruiting Class
Graduates completed 29 weeks of training, equivalent to 770 hours, beginning on June 5, 2023. Training included high liability classes, defensive tactics, firearms, vehicle operations, and first aid. The 152nd class included five military veterans representing the Army, Air Force, and the United States Marine Corps. Five graduates came from law enforcement families.
The Affidavit Behind Rape Allegation Against Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler
The release of Sarasota police’s sworn affidavit provides facts about the rape investigation of Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler, writes investigative reporter Bob Norman. The facts are damning primarily to Ziegler, but also to his wife Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota School Board member and cofounder of the right-wing, book-banning group Moms for Liberty.
Florida Court Rules Child Is Mature Enough to Be a Mother, But Not to Have an Abortion
A state appeals court Friday upheld a Calhoun County circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a minor from having an abortion without notification and consent of a parent or guardian. The decision’s implicit reasoning is that the child is nevertheless mature enough to carry the baby to term.
Grinchy Storm Raises Flooding Concerns and Cancels Palm Coast Starlight Parade, With No Make-Up Date
A low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico that will whirl across Florida over the weekend, from the Big Bend area to Jacksonville, is expected to churn up the Atlantic with up to 10-foot waves and significantly higher tides that may cause flooding, it is already kicking up wind gusts of up to 40 mph in places, and it is cancelling weekend plans such as the much-anticipated Palm Coast Starlight Parade.