Clerk of Court’s “final offer” consists of 1,000 additional square feet of space for use by sheriff’s personnel at the courthouse, enlarging and segregating the zone used by the agency’s detectives.
Cops/Courts
Roma Court Academy Teacher Faces Child Abuse Charge in One of 3 Investigations at Palm Coast Child Care Facility
Roma Court Academy in palm Coast was the subject of two DCF and Flagler Sheriff’s Office investigations in 48 hours, one of them leading to a felony child abuse charge filed against a 51-year-old teacher.
So You Want To Be a Flagler County Judge: Nominating Commission Is Fielding Applicants
The Judicial Nominating Commission for the Seventh Judicial Circuit is taking applications for the newly created Flagler County Judge seat, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis to make the appointment likely this fall.
Salvatore Randazzo, 59, in Apparent Suicide on Esperanto Drive, Prompted by Terminal Illness
Salvatore Randazzo, a 59-year-old resident of Esperanto Drive in Palm Coast, died in an apparent suicide on Friday (July 19) from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home. He had reportedly been battling cancer and given only a few months to live in spring, when he ceased treatment.
Ex-Bunnell Commissioner’s Son Edwin Henry, 56, Found Dead on Martin Luther King Blvd.
Edwin Devon Henry, the 56-year-old of former Bunnell City Commissioner Daisy Henry, is believed to have died of a medical condition he’d been battling.
Breakthrough In the Works as Court Clerk Bexley Proposes ‘Generous’ Plan for Sheriff’s Space at Courthouse
Clerk of Court Tom Bexley made a “Final offer” to the county, proposing new space at the courthouse for the sheriff’s office, potentially ending what had been heading for a legal confrontation between the clerk and the county, and resolving a serious space issue for the sheriff.
What Will Tom Bexley Do? Ultimatum Clock Stops as He Calls For Key Meeting on Courthouse Impasse Monday
In a sign of a possible breakthrough, Clerk of Court Tom Bexley called County Commission Chairman Donald O’Brien to set a Monday meeting and discuss the county’s ultimatum for a space study and more space for the sheriff at the courthouse.
Firefighters Rescue 2 Dogs in Blaze that Demolishes Half a Home in Beverly Beach Hours After 1-Acre Fire in Seminole Woods
A blaze demolished much of a mobile home in Beverly Beach hours after firefighters battled a one-acre brush-fire that erupted just after 1 p.m. and spread rapidly at Seminole Woods Boulevard and Citation Parkway.
Palm Coast Manager Challenges Sheriff’s ‘Nebulous’ Evidence In Request For More Cops
Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton is challenging Sheriff Rick Staly’s request for six more deputies in palm Coast–a 20 percent cost increase–questioning the methodology of the request as lacking a basis of evidence.
Bo Sirrine, 21-Year-Old Navy Crewman, Faces Rape Charge Involving Palm Coast Girl, 13
Bo Sirrine, a 21-year-old Navy crewman in Jacksonville, got to know the 13-year-old Palm Coast girl through the website “Plenty of Fish,” a dating website, then kept communicating with her on Snapchat and Google Hangout.
Sheriff’s Deputies Chase After 2 Men Who Bail From Stolen Car in Palm Coast’s R-Section
More than a dozen Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were searching for two men who bailed from a stolen car–a 2019 Honda–at Riviera Estates Drive a little after 8 this evening.
City Council Unconvinced as it Hears Pitch For 6 Additional Deputies in Palm Coast
The Palm Coast City Council in 2017 had approved the addition of five new deputies, but this time it’s been more skeptical that more are needed as the city focuses on other priorities.
As Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund Struggles, Reimbursements May Be Reduced Significantly
Certain crime victims who want financial aid for out-of-pocket expenses like medical bills, lost wages or mental health counseling, will hit a lower cap on reimbursements from the fund if a proposal by the attorney general is approved.
County Threatens to Sue Clerk of Court Bexley in 48 Hours Over Space Request for Sheriff at Courthouse
The county commission will sue Clerk of Court Tom Bexley in 48 hours of he does not agree to a space study at the courthouse, and to abide with the study’s results, in the commission’s latest effort to gain extra space for the sheriff.
Chief Judge Warns Against ‘Taking’ of Courthouse As Sheriff’s Picture in Murder Investigation Lobbies Commission on Space
Chief Judge Raul Zambrano issued a forcefully written, potentially game-changing letter on the sheriff occupying space at the Flagler courthouse even as the sheriff himself was lobbying the county commission with an illustration of constraints on his troops.
Benjamin Allen, 16, Arrested In Shooting of Elijah Rizvan Over a $125-Drug Deal
Benjamin Allen, 16, was arrested and charged in the murder of Elijah Rizvan, 17, Friday night on Palm Coast’s Westford Lane, the consequence of what had been planned as a deal for marijuana.
John M. Clark, 47, Found Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot on His Boat in Palm Coast’s C-Section
The afternoon of July 10, Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies found John Michael Clark, 47, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an apparent suicide carried out on his boat.
Citing Police Role and Trust, South Miami Will Challenge New Law Banning Sanctuary Cities
“As soon as [police] are seen as somebody who might turn you in if you called for assistance, they’re no longer trusted and they can no longer do their primary job,” the South Miami mayor says.
Michael Kolendo, 74, Dies in Medically Related Crash Near His Home in Palm Coast’s F Section
Michael Kolendo, 74, was dead for possibly more than an hour Wednesday evening in Palm Coast’s F Section when someone on Farmsworth Drive noticed Kolendo’s white car as if parked in a swale, still running, with Kolendo at the wheel.
County Sends Ultimatum to Clerk of Court, Asking For Additional Space at Courthouse For Sheriff By July 31
The ultimatum was prompted by by County Commissioner Dave Sullivan, who pushed the administration to follow through on a county commission vote almost two months old to secure more space for the sheriff at the courthouse.
3 Crashes in Space of 33 Minutes on Flagler Roads: 4 Vehicles, 4 Injuries, All Minor
The crashes took place on Seminole Woods Boulevard, on I-95 near the State Road 100 intersection, and on State Road 100, near Blackpoint Road, all between 12:01 and 12:34 p.m. today.
Hammock Man Faces Kidnapping and Robbery Charges After Suspecting His Pot Was Stolen
Peter Palazzotto, 46, of 3 Hernandez Avenue in the Hammock, is charged with Kidnapping, Battery by Strangulation, Grand Theft, and Robbery, all felonies. The alleged incident took place early Wednesday.
A Shooting Injures a 21-Year-Old Palm Coast Marine, But Stories, Including His Own, Conflict
Late the night of July 5, 21-year-old Carter Reding Goodman, of Ocean Oaks Lane in Palm Coast, was shot, possibly in the Hammock. He and his friends gave different stories about where and how, and physical evidence told yet another story.
A Little Over a Dozen Arrests, One Notable Fight, 2 Brush Fires and 30,000 People: A Heat-Soaked July 4 in Flagler
Flagler Beach witnessed one serious fight that led to two arrests, and two brush fires, while Palm Coast had a minor party-related disturbance and Bunnell seemed to verge on the brink of a serious commotion until an arrest defused the situation.
Two Motorcyclists Killed in Head-On Collision on A1A South of Varn Park
Two motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision on State Road A1A in the Hammock this evening, just south of Varn Park.
Felon Several Times Over Accused of Brutalizing and Seizing Woman at Bunnell’s Country Store
Henry Brock, 29, of Bunnell, is seen in surveillance video brutalizing a woman in the parking lot of the Country Store in west Flagler, then placing her in the car. He was caught later by deputies and a civilian.
Group Files Federal Suit Challenging Florida Restrictions on Felons’ Voting Rights Moments After DeSantis Signs New Law
A partisan firestorm erupted in the waning days of this year’s legislative session after Republicans tacked onto the elections package provisions aimed at implementing the voter-approved constitutional amendment that restores the voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.
Seminole Woods Teen, 15, Arrested After Grandfather Finds Stash of Stolen Weapons and Ammo In His Room
A 15-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s Seminole Woods faces a half dozen charges, among them illegal possession of firearms by a delinquent and grand theft of a firearm, after his grandfather found what amounted to a small arsenal in the teen’s bedroom, ans deputies found more weaponry in the car he was driving around Palm Coast Wednesday.
Toddler in ICU For Overdose Just Months Ago Has Thumb Severed By Mother’s Anger Monday
Megan Nicole Moss, 27, of Palm Coast, in September had left her 18-month-old son unsupervised long enough that he reached for a narcotic and overdosed. On Monday, she slammed a sliding glass door on his thumb, severing its tip.
Out of Patience, Sheriff Demands County Action on Space Needs: ‘This Situation Cannot Continue’
The sheriff’s letter to the county commission chairman echoes the same urgency and call for action that the sheriff used just over a year ago to compel the county to provide a healthier space for employees than the troubled Operations Center.
5 Palm Coast Residents, 4 of them Felons, Arrested on Drug Charges in R-Section House
Friday morning, several Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives and deputies, including a SWAT Team detachment and members of the federal secret service, served a warrant at 11 Raemoor Drive. Five individuals were in the house and arrested.
Flagler County Crime Falls 20%, Steepest Drop in Decades and Almost 3 Times Larger Than Florida Average
Flagler County’s crime index in 2018 fell by 20.2 percent, by far the largest year-over-year drop in at least 18 years, and a decline almost three times the 7.4 percent drop in crime across Florida over the same period.
Michael Wilson Acquitted of Attempted Murder of His Pregnant Wife, Jury Convicts on Lesser Charges
Michael Wilson was acquitted of the most serious charge against him–attempting to electrocute his wife–but convicted on a grand theft charge and a battery charge, exposing him to up top five years in prison.
‘I Do Hear Voices,’ Man Accused of Plotting Wife’s Electrocution Says, But He’s Not Allowed to Tell the Jury
Wilson faces an attempted first-degree murder charge, for rigging his own home’s entry door in Palm Coast with a contraption intended to electrocute his wife around Christmas 2017. But he’s barred from speaking of his mental health or issues in front of the jury.
40-ft. Trawler Is Gutted in 2-Hour Fire By Moody Ramp Under Flagler Beach Bridge
A 40-ft. trawler that had begun its journey on the St. Johns River and was making its way south was gutted by fire this afternoon, burning for some two hours as firefighters fought the blaze under the Flagler Beach bridge at Moody Boat Launch. No one was injured.
Man Accused of Attempting to Kill His Wife By Electrocution Says Using a Gun Would’ve Been Easier, If That’s What He Intended
Michael Scott Wilson, 33, is accused of rigging up the entry door to his Palm Coast home in the W Section with electric current to shock his wife to death around Christmas 2017 as the couple was having serious marital difficulties.
To Sue or Not to Sue: County Wrestles With Sheriff’s Space Needs at Courthouse
Despite a county commission vote ordering its administration to find more space for the sheriff at the county courthouse, the county administrator and the county attorney have demurred.
Roy Carlisi, Facing Domestic Violence Charges and No-Contact Order, Is Arrested for 3rd Time in 9 Days
Roy Carlisi was booked at the Flagler County jail for the third time in nine days after allegedly tampering and breaking his GPS angle monitor, claiming it had become too tight.
Combative Exchanges Punctuate Hearing on Broward Sheriff Scott Israel’s Fate
Israel and his lawyers maintain that the suspension, something DeSantis pledged to do while running for office last year, was a political ploy aimed at winning favor with voters in Democrat-rich Broward County and supporters of the National Rifle Association.
Palm Coast Woman On Probation Threatens Suicide-By-Cop, is Tased, Then Arrested
Melanie Botts, 36, of 20 Beth Lane in Palm Coast, had violated her probation and was allegedly holding a butcher knife to her neck, daring sheriff’s deputies to shoot her before one of them Tased her.
Palm Coast’s George J. Serafino, 76, Dies In SR100 Crash Triggered by Medical Issue
George J. Serafino, a 76-year-old resident of Lakewalk Drive in Palm Coast, died Saturday (June 15), following a crash on State Road 100. The Florida Highway Patrol determined that the crash was caused by a medical episode.
County Calms Bunnell’s Anger Over Sheriff’s Move to Palm Coast, Disarming Threats of Lawsuit
Sheriff Rick Staly’s and County Manager Jerry Cameron’s joint appearance before the Bunnell City Commission on Monday went a significant distance to disarm the city’s threats of a lawsuit and calm its anger over the sheriff’s move to Palm Coast.
Facing Rape Charge, Larry Cavallaro Is Briefly Booked at Flagler Jail and Released on $100,000 Bond
Larry A. Cavallaro, the 72-year-old man facing a charge of drugging and raping a woman in Flagler Beach, was briefly extradited to Flagler before posting bail, on $100,000 bond end being released today.
Does Flagler Beach Have a Panhandling Problem? Not Exactly, But City Will Consider New Rules.
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening will discuss adopting an ordinance against “aggressive” panhandling at the urging of City Commissioner Eric Cooley, a business owner in town.
DeSantis Signs Death Warrant of Homophobic Serial Killer Gary Bowles
Gary Bowles murdered six people in 1994. He is serving life sentences in the murders of John Roberts in Daytona Beach and Albert Morris in Nassau County, and is being killed for the murder of Walter Hinton in Jacksonville.
Marion Gavins Jr. Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of Curtis Gray, Raising Prospect of Stand Your Ground
Marion Gavins Jr. has not denied shooting Curtis Gray in front of several witnesses the night of April 13, but has intimated it was self-defense as he feared Gray was reaching for a gun. Gray was unarmed.
Captain’s BBQ Sues Flagler County, Alleging ‘Politically Motivated’ Breach of Contract
The owners of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing filed a four-count lawsuit against Flagler County government, alleging breach of contract and seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
Carjacking Suspect Attempts to Mow Down 2 Flagler Deputies on I-95 in Eerie Near-Replay of 2003 Cop Fatality
Jesse Estep, 29, of Bunnell, is accused of attempting to strike two deputies with a stolen truck as they deployed stop sticks in the same area of I-95 where a Flagler deputy was killed doing the same thing against a car thief in 2003.
Four Arrested After Fleeing in Stolen Vehicle and Hiding in B-Section Woods
Three young men were arrested and sent to the Flagler County jail Friday, and a juvenile was also arrested, after the quartet allegedly fled in a stolen vehicle and hid in the woods before being caught.
Former Flagler Beach Gallery Owner Arrested on Charge of Drugging and Raping a Woman
Larry Cavallaro, 72, a Beverly Beach property owner and former owner of Castle Designs Gallery in Flagler Beach, was arrested on a charge of raping an incapacitated woman he is alleged to have drugged at his home.