While the Mobile Benefits Program is well-meaning and necessary–a few million dollars in food assistance are going unclaimed in Flagler–the inaccurate numbers backing up the initiative undermine the program’s credibility.
Jobs & Unemployment
Palm Coast’s Secret Deal With Solar Company: Long Tax Holiday and Other Perks for 180 Jobs
Dubbed “Project Iceman,” the deal calls for at least a $49 million investment and average wages of $34,500, though the fine print reveals exclusive perks and secrecy provisions that prevent public scrutiny of the deal’s implementation.
2,000 Meals and More: Feed Flagler Feasts As County Breaks Thanksgiving Bread As One
Feed Flagler exceeded its goal of serving some 2,000 Thanksgiving meals as 10 locations around the county turned into community feasts Wednesday, hundreds of families went home with a week’s supply of food, and food pantries stocked up.
Feed Flagler Ingredients: 100 Turkeys, 450 lb. of Ham, 170 Pies, and 2,000 Guests Wednesday
The kitchen at Buddy Taylor Middle School was a feast’s brew as Hammock Dunes Club’s chef and other volunteers were wrist-deep in preparation for Wednesday’s feasts for 2,000 in 10 locations around Flagler County.
Flagler Unemployment Falls to 15.5%, But County Labor Force Shrinks By 1.5%
Flagler County’s unemployment fell only because the labor force is shrinking faster than jobs. But the county still lost jobs in September, and Palm Coast still tops the state’s metropolitan unemployment rates.
Private Sector Leads Surge as Economy Adds 151,000 Jobs; Unemployment Stuck at 9.6%
The unexpectedly large job increase was also accompanied by revised and much smaller job losses in August and September, suggesting a stronger turn-around for the economy as a whole.
Time to Get Involved: Feed Flagler Challenges County’s Thanksgiving Compassion and Beyond
Led by Commissioner Milissa Holland and the county administration, Feed Flagler aims to provide meals for 2,000 people at Thanksgiving, raise thousands of dollars and stock up food pantries and family pantries for many weeks’ worth.
Daviana’s Excellent Adventure: Halloween Bash Fills Carts and Kitty for the Hungry
Little Miss Flagler Daviana Campbell raised $900 and filled four shopping carts full of canned goods for a local food pantry through a Halloween dance that drew some 300 participants.
Leveraging Little Miss Flagler Into a Halloween Campaign to Feed the Hungry, and More
Daviana Campbell, the 11-year-old winner of Little Miss Flagler 2010, is throwing a 5th and 6th grade Halloween dance Oct. 29 to raise money and food for the hungry. That’s just for starters.
September Unemployment Almost Unchanged: 16.3% in Flagler, 11.9% in Florida
With 1.1 million people out of work, unemployment in Florida inched up by a decimal point, and down by a decimal point in Flagler. Some 11,100 jobs were lost in the state in September.
Bold and Bolder: County Commission Bashes Landon and Coffey Over Annexation Proposal
County administrator Craig Coffey and City Manager Jim Landon worked out an annexation deal for the 55 acres to be filled by a National Guard center near the airport. That was news to the county commission.
County Raises Bed Tax to 4%, a Victory for Milissa Holland’s Tourism Marketing Thrust
The higher tax, Milissa Holland argued, will broaden Flagler County’s marketing power, drawing more visitors and creating more jobs for local, small businesses.
Losses Accelerating As Economy Drops 95,000 Jobs Overall; Private Sector Adds 64,000
Economists had expected a loss of only a few thousand jobs. The September figures, led by government job declines, are in line with a continuing trend downward in Florida.
Flagler Harvests Poverty Warriors To Stalk Rising Hunger and Its Stigmas
Jacksonville’s Second Harvest and a local coalition of social and business agencies want to reach thousands of Flagler residents who need help but aren’t seeking it for various reasons.
Defeated Without a Vote, Economic Tax Talk Shifts Back Uncertainly to the County
A sales tax increase to fund economic development may still be discussed, but its chances of being enacted any time soon are slim to none. Governments want to talk.
The Live Wire, Oct. 4: Sink, Scott and Shuttle Layoffs, Plus the Long Liberal List
Enterprise Flagler begs off, the book on Sink and Scott, space shuttle layoffs begin, your elections for sale, the end of foreclosure (for now), media mistrust, famous liberals, and more.
Palm Coast Data’s Invitation-Only Picnic: Hot Dogs, Flattery and Suspended Disbelief
Half Palm Coast and the county’s elected officials and top administrators were invited to Palm Coast Data’s picnic. The public wasn’t. That’s not the main problem.
“Economic Development” Tax Dies: Enterprise Flagler Wants It Removed from the Ballot
Enterprise Flagler will ask the county commission to ensure that the voting on the troubled tax not be counted. Plan B: a sales tax proposal.
Census: Flagler’s Population Stalls at 91,600; 28% of Housing Units Vacant; Poverty Rising
The 2009 population figures mean that Flagler will almost certainly not cross into six-figure territory when decennial census figures are announced. Figures on housing, income, poverty and insurance were also released.
Income, Employment and Labor Data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 Census Bureau Community Survey
Detailed, charted table of the Census Bureau’s employment, income and labor data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 American Community Survey.
Daytona Postmark Vanishing, Postal Service Says Palm Coast Deliveries Won’t Slow
To save $5.7 million and cut 109 jobs, the USPS is planning to close the Daytona Beach mail processing facility, where most of Palm Coast and Flagler’s mail goes, and merge it with Lake Mary, doubling the distance the mail will travel.
Backgrounder: Why the U.S. Postal Service Is In Trouble
All the facts, figures and projections about the US Postal Services financial troubles and means of escaping them as the USPS prepares to consolidate its Daytona Beach processing facility with Lake Mary’s.
Pastor Jim Raley to Strip Club: Not In Our Midst
“Cheaters”‘ presence would be “a moral and ethical blow” to the region and should not be allowed to prosper locally, argues Jim Raley, senior pastor at Calvary Christian Center in Ormond Beach.
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax-and-Build Plan Bombs as Tea Party Wags a Big No
Not unexpectedly, a tea party crowd of about 250 clearly rejected the proposal, appearing on November’s ballot, to raise taxes to build industrial structures in hopes of getting new jobs.
City OKs Hospital Growth—and Exceptions to Height, Density But Not Sign Rules
In risky allowances by the Palm Coast City Council, Florida Hospital Flagler got almost everything it asked for, opening the way for other businesses to demand the same sort of land-use exceptions.
The Live Wire, September 21: You Call This a Recovery?
False economic recovery, changing the rules of comp plan amendments, dead voters still active in Florida, how Florida wasted taxdollars in the stock-market, and more.
Blaming Poor Sales, Sea Ray Lays Off 170 From Palm Coast Plant; Future Uncertain
The The Brunswick Corp.-owned boat manufacturer is one of the largest and best-paying private employer in Flagler County, and the beneficiary of generous local government subsidies and incentives.
Its Initiative in Flames, Enterprise Flagler Hands Tax-and-Build Plan’s Fate to Tea Party
The Flagler County Tea Party Group will hold a straw ballot on Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build “economic development” initiative on Sept. 21. Enterprise Flagler may then ask the county commission to pull the measure from the ballot.
Unemployment Spikes in Flagler Back to Near Record at 16.4%; Florida’s Back Up to 11.7%
Flagler County’s unemployment spike is one of the steepest month-over-month rises since the recession began in 2008. Florida may already be in a double-dip recession.
The Live Wire Weekend Edition: Chief Chitwood’s Moron Moment
The Daytona police chief calls the Volusia sheriff a “moron,” Ginn defaults on another property, John Tanner enters the Daytona State College board follies, FedEx lays off in Lakeland and elsewhere–and raises its earnings outlook, and more.
Record 43.6 Million in Poverty; Record 50.7 Million Uninsured; Only Elderly Thrive
The Census Bureau’s annual poverty, income and insurance report is the hardest data yet on the severity of the recession. The elderly are not only spared: they improve.
Proposed Coral Farm at Matanzas High School Raises Tentacles of Possibilities–and Questions
In an untested, risky arrangement, the proposal would have the school district lease land to a private company that would, in exchange, share some of its profits with the district.
Revving Up Speed Zones, State Tells Flagler: Manatees More Endangered Than Boaters
A local committee had recommended mostly hand-off, unregulated speeds on the Intracoastal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission staff rejected the approach.
Bunnell Commissioners Are Excoriated for Doubling Their Salaries While Others Suffer
By doubling their salaries to $9,600 a year, Bunnell commissioners matched the salaries of council members in Palm Coast, a city with 30 times the population of Bunnell.
Hometown Democracy and Class-Size Amendments Spark Up Civic Association Forum
The Flagler Palm Coast Civic Association’s forum featured contrasting views on ballot proposals that would affect class sizes, development laws, and two local taxes.
Memo To Enterprise Flagler: Why Your Tax Plan Is Fumbling (and What To Do About It)
From its message to its messenger, Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build plan is facing obstacles and unanswered questions of its own making. It may be too late to reverse opposition, but not too late to do the right thing.
August Unemployment Up to 9.6% as 54,000 More Jobs Are Lost; 15 Million Unemployed
Private sector job growth of 67,000 was not enough to overcome a loss of 114,000 in the government sector as more Census workers lost work.
Ox-Bow Development: Councilman Meeker Sees Palm Coasters as Business-Hunting Posse
Frank Meeker would award $1,000 per job over three years for local residents who convince businesses elsewhere to “uproot” themselves and move to Palm Coast. City staff is studying the idea.
For First Time in Memory, Flagler School Enrollment Stalls; No Budget Cuts Foreseen Yet
The 240 additional students the Flagler school district expected this fall haven’t materialized, resulting in a projected loss of $1.62 million in state funding.
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 4: Wins and Losses
Part 4 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word.
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 3: Details and Talking Points
Part 3 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word: Details and Talking Points of the what and where. (Flagler’s New Game Plan)
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan, Part 2: The FAQ
Part 2 of Enterprise Flagler’s “economic development” tax plan, word for word: FAQ (Flagler’s New Game Plan)
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax and Build Plan Revealed: How They’ll Seek Your Vote
The 4,200-word plan is presented here uncut, providing readers with a first, comprehensive look at how Enterprise Flagler will sell its tax plan to subsidize private industrial incentives at public expense.
Tanking GDP: When No One Wants to
Admit to Double-Dipping
The latest figures darken a picture already gloomy with collapsing home sales and persistently high unemployment. Deflation may be next.
Sneak Preview of Enterprise Flagler’s Economic Tax “Game Plan”: More Details, More Questions
Enterprise Flagler’s “new game plan” seeks to win over voters for a new property tax in exchange for the promise of new industry and more jobs. The plan is more projections than details.
County Caves to Court Clerk Gail Wadsworth’s Demand for Bigger Staff and Budget
The $120,000 increase, which the county will have to draw from reserves or from budget cuts, is identical to the amount it would take to keep Carver Gym funded at the current level.
Unemployment Resumes Climb in Flagler and Florida as Economy Fails to Strengthen
Flagler County’s unemployment rate went up to 15.6 percent (from 15.4 percent), and Florida’s went up to 11.5 percent, raising fears of a double-dip recession.
Palm Coast Liquors Up on Hypocrisy Ahead of ABC Store’s Opening (and 10 New Jobs)
The November opening of Flagler County’s first ABC liquor store, a 10,000-square-foot facility, is drawing flack for its location despite its promise of 10 new jobs, choice booze and discounts.
$15 Million Short, Federal Insurance Fund Takes Over News-Journal’s Pension Plan
A federal judge ruled against adequately funding News-Journal retirees’ pension plan, ordering instead that $40 million in cash and other values should go to Cox, the newspaper’s former minority owner.
Outlining Achievements, Enterprise Flagler Tells Palm Coast City Council: We Matter
The economic development agency’s list included achievements that weren’t quite its own while Director Greg Rawls remained cagey regarding the new tax the agency is proposing.