The change, the first significant and visible policy change of Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre’s new administration, is a direct result of the hit-and-run death of Françoise Pécqueur in Palm Coast’s C-Section in November 2011, when medical and fire units were dispatched, but cops didn’t get to the scene until six hours after the incident.
Cops/Courts
With Stern Words on Process, Flagler School Board Ratifies Private Hire of Cop at Old Kings
Board members Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin raised issues with the preferential message the private-pay guard at Old Kings Elementary may send to other schools, and the way the decision was made without the board’s knowledge. Three board members had no issue with the process. All five welcomed the check.
Red-Light Cameras on Palm Coast Parkway Used to Arrest Hit-and-Run Suspect
The arrest is the latest indication of the sheriff’s office stepped-up use of Palm Coast’s traffic cameras, which are increasing from 10 to more than 50, and blanketing all the city’s major and medium intersections.
Parent at Old Kings Elementary Hires Full-Time Armed Guard at Her $12,000 Expense
Laura Lauria put up $12,000 just for the first two months’ cost of a full-time sheriff’s deputy at Old Kings, an arrangement carried out without the school board’s knowledge and outside normal policy and legal oversight, though school and sheriff’s officials welcome it–with caveats.
Car and Semi Tangle on I-95 and Dive Down 30-Foot Ravine in Sunday Morning Wreck
I-95 just north of the Old Dixie Highway exit was the scene of a spectacular crash at dawn Sunday, as a semi truck and a Lincoln Town Car collided, then jointly swerved off the highway and down a 30-foot ravine, into a retention pond, seriously injuring the truck driver.
After Abuse at Girls’ Lock-Up, Promises of More Oversight from Florida’s Juvenile Justice
In the wake of allegations of abuse by staffers at a girls’ lockup in Milton, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is tightening its oversight of private residential facilities – adding interviews with youths and a partnership with the non-profit Annie E. Casey Foundation to its monitoring procedures.
Preliminary Report on Plane Crash Adds Little New as Homeowner’s Trauma Endures
The federal investigation into the plane crash that killed 3 and demolished a house in Seminole Woods revealed that the plane’s oil pressure was zero just before the crash. Susan Crockett, the home owner, said Friday that she had no plans to return to that neighborhood, and described her traumas since the crash.
Public Employees Lose as Florida Supreme Court Upholds 3% Pension Dip
Last Updated: 12:55 p.m. The Florida Supreme Court, in a much-anticipated but very divided 4-3 ruling, today sided with the Legislature, and against public employees, by upholding a 2011 law that requires all public employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the Florida Retirement System, a pension fund. In a majority opinion by […]
Trouble on Matanzas and Rymfire School Buses, A Fight at Palm Coast’s Homeless Camp: Flagler 911
Allegations of a racist assault on a Matanzas school bus, a fight at the homeless camp along Palm Coast Parkway, a 3-year-old girl is attacked by a Humane Society pit bull mix at PetSmart, the Mondex is the scene of an angry, bloodied couple’s arrest, and more from the blotter since the new year.
Senate Committee Approves Drone Ban in Florida Skies, With Some Police Exceptions
The ban on unmanned drones used by police in Florida would include exceptions for use with a search warrant or in certain cases, as when a child in danger. The measure (SB 92) was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
