Last month the Flagler Beach City Commission approved a $420,500 bid to rebuild the garbage-dumpster pad adjacent to the Funky Pelican. Four of the five commissioners and the mayor did not know that the project was not merely to repair the pad, but to double the space, further blocking the public’s view of the ocean on the north side of the restaurant–and doubling what had originally been planned as a $200,000 job.
Leisure & Tourism
Flagler Beach Commission Clears Crafting Contract With Fledgling Fireworks Provider for July 4
In an attempt to bail itself out of a jam, the Flagler Beach City commission at a special meeting this afternoon directed its city manager to draft a contract with a new, young, largely untested company to provide a 20-minute fireworks show on July 4.
July 4 Fireworks in Flagler Beach Appear Back On as City Seeks to Lock In Producer, But Questions Persist
In a special meeting called for Monday, the Flagler beach City Commission will consider approving a $24,000 agreement with a Green Cove Springs company to produce the July 4 fireworks, resolving the risk of a dark July 4 created when the city failed to contact its previous fireworks producer in time.
Flagler Beach Could Have Had Its July 4 Fireworks Had It Not Waited Until April 24 to Book the Show
Several things were said by officials at the Flagler Beach City Commission meeting that were either inaccurate or incomplete, and a key point of information was left out: the commission was not aware that it was not until April 24 that the city contacted Santore to book the show, or that Santore was prepared to do the show had it been contacted earlier.
July 4 Fireworks in Flagler Beach May Not Happen as Long-Time Pyro Supplier Santore Is Booked Elsewhere
Fireworks by Santore, the fireworks manufacturer, cannot produce Flagler Beach’s Independence Day show on July 4 for only $25,000. The city may have another option with a much smaller provider, but that may not pan out, leaving the city without a fireworks show on that day.
GOLA in Flagler Beach Dons ‘The Face of Ukraine’ for Benefit Art Show
The Gallery of Local Arts’ “Face of Ukraine” show will benefit World Central Kitchen, an aid organization whose website, wck.org, says it is “first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises.” The show will be accepting monetary donations from patrons who do not wish to purchase art.
Flagler Youth Orchestra’s 17th-Year Roller Coaster Ride in Season-Ending Concert Monday, and Away from the Stage
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s 200 performers are on stage at the Flagler Auditorium Monday evening for the 47th all-ensembles concert in the organization’s 17-year history, with surprise solo performances in the season-ending event, and a wide range of musical offerings.
DeSantis Opens Special Session with Retaliatory Salvo Against Disney Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Stance
Ratcheting up a fight with Walt Disney Co., Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a special legislative session to consider eliminating a decades-old governing district set up for Disney World and nearby properties.
Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway Dedicate All-American Road
The Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, Inc. dedicated A1A as an All-American Road with a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 29, 2022 at the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, Florida.
At Belle Terre Swim Club, Hours Cut 28%, Rates Stay the Same, and Plans to Migrate Programs There Are Shelved
The Flagler County School district is planning to cut back hours at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club significantly, including ending Sunday hours, while shelving plans to consolidate several programs onto the grounds of the club, which still has an identity crisis.
Dog-Surfing Contest Comes to Flagler Beach as Mayor and Commissioner Hope to Ride the Next Viral Wave
The one-day Hang 8 Dog Surfing Contest comes to Flagler Beach on May 21 as City Commissioner Eric Cooley and Mayor Suzie Johnston hope the inaugural event goes viral and adds to the city’s character. The event’s proceeds will be directed to the Humane Society and dog-rescue organizations.
Plan for 100-Room Hotel in Flagler Beach Is Revealed, Drawing City’s Approval and Concerns Over Parking and Beach Use
The Flagler Beach City Commission unanimously approved construction plans for the Compass Hotel, as it will be called, downtown, in place of the farmer’s market, but commissioners raised concerns about the hotel’s use of its portion of the beach and about parking.
We Bought a Home in the Hammock. Vacation Rentals Are Turning Our Street Into a Commercial Strip.
Angela and David Bailus bought what they thought was their dream home on Hernandez Avenue in the Hammock. Now their short street is a cluster of vacation rentals that has changed the complexion of their residential serenity into a commercial zone.
Cost and Location Questions Arise Over County’s Push for Visitor Center on A1A and South 9th Street
The chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and the chairman of the county’s tourism council, who also sits on the County Commission, both have questions about the location and the cost of building a potential visitor center the county’s tourism division is eying for South 9th Street and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach.
Vacation Rental Bills Would Eliminate Flagler’s Ability to Regulate Occupancy or Conduct Inspections
Nearly identical Florida House and Senate bills that would all but eliminate Flagler County government’s authority to regulate vacation rentals are making their way through committees. The Senate bill started as more friendly to local regulations, and one committee approved it unanimously. But amendments have since pared that local regulatory power.
Cost to Save Beaches and Properties in Flagler from Rising Seas: $6.3 Million a Year, Year After Year
Flagler County commissioners and other local officials heard the sobering conclusions of a seminal beach management study today, and the large costs ahead that will fall on all local governments and residents if the beaches are to be preserved. That money is nowhere in place for now, nor is a management plan.
Justice Blinded and a Heroin-Stuffed Doll Spark Thrills in City Repertory Theatre’s ‘Wait Until Dark’
True to part of its mission, City Repertory Theatre once again is offering a play that is typically off the radar of the local theater scene: a genuine, suspense-filled thriller. Susy has just been blinded in a car crash. While Susy’s husband Sam is away, three sadistic thugs track a heroin-stuffed doll they’re looking for to Susy’s apartment. A harrowing cat-and-mouse game ensues and soon involves Gloria, a young girl who lives in a nearby apartment.
‘You Had Me at 8-Inch Shells’: Palm Coast Would Shift Fireworks to Airport, But on July 4, Clashing With Flagler Beach
While the Palm Coast City Council is fine with moving Independence Day fireworks to the county airport, three council members want to see fireworks only on July 4, which would clash with Flagler Beach’s iconic show and create coordination problems that the city and the Sheriff’s Office may not have the resources to provide simultaneously.
In Ultimatum, US Army Corps Tells Flagler It May Lose $17 Million for Now If Dunes Impasse Isn’t Resolved
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told Flagler County that it is at risk of losing $17.5 million in federal funds earmarked for a 2.6-mile dunes restoration project in Flagler Beach if the county doesn’t show by early February that it has either acquired three remaining holdouts’ easements or that it will take the owners to court to acquire the easements.
Palm Coast Government Will Propose Shifting July 3 Fireworks Event to Flagler County Airport
Palm Coast is considering shifting its July 3 fireworks show away from Town Center’s Central Park and to the nearby Flagler County airport’s grounds–to accommodate more people, easier parking, smoother traffic, and bigger fireworks.
Flagler Beach Committee’s July 4 Report: Fireworks On, Scaled Back Parade, Stepped Up Policing
The committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed to study the future and feasibility of Independence Day activities on the increasingly crowded barrier-island city has dropped all controversial ideas from its final report, adopting instead a moderate, stay-the-course approach that will be recognizable by all, with a few notable improvements planned or proposed.
Risks of Development At Palm Harbor Golf Course Vanish for Good as Builder Jim Jacoby Donates Driving Range
Two years ago Palm Coast was in negotiations with Jim Jacoby to build 120 apartments on the Palm Harbor Golf Club property. Fierce resistance stopped the project, and now Jacoby is donating to Palm Coast the last remaining land of the golf course not yet in the city’s ownership.
City Repertory Theatre’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ to Honor the Late Anne Kraft, Veteran CRT Performer
When City Repertory Theatre presents a staged reading Dec. 2-5 of Sir Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” which the English playwright called “a light comedy about death,” the poignancy of the production will be plain to see: CRT is paying tribute to Anne Kraft, who’d performed with most of the company’s actors over the years.
If You’re a Sucky Employer, Don’t Be Surprised Your Workers Are Quitting
The U.S. labor market is expected to become far more diverse going forward in terms of gender, ethnicity and age. Thus, employers that cannot provide greater flexibility and variety in their working environment will struggle to attract and retain workers.
100-Room Hotel in Heart of Flagler Beach, ‘A Good Fit,’ Could Break Ground in 2nd or 3rd Quarter of 2022
After buying the 1.3 acres that used to be a farmer’s market in the heart of Flagler Beach for $3.8 million in July, the CEO of the Ormond Beach-based hotel development firm redeveloping the land promises a 100-room, 3-story hotel that will reflect the Flagler Beach lifestyle and will not be “a cookie cutter Hampton Inn.”
Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic Marks 20th Anniversary Nov. 12 and 13 in Flagler Beach
The 20th Annual Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic presented by The Surf Station will take place on November 13 and 14 in Flagler Beach. What began in memory of Tommy Tant—a local surfer who passed away tragically from an aortic aneurysm at 24 years old—has grown into a beloved event that celebrates the bond of family, friendship, and surf culture he loved.
Plagued With Problems, Flagler Beach Bar and Restaurant Formerly Known as Jimmy’s Hang Ten Closes Permanently
The restaurant and bar at 1112 South Oceanshore Boulevard, immediately north of the Topaz motel, dealt with the difficulties of the pandemic before James Harris, who had co-owned the bar with his wife, was arrested on July 3 on charges of molesting his stepdaughter. Then a different set of problems emerged: code enforcement issues with the city over noise, music permits and insufficient bathroom accommodations.
Flagler Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Employment Levels For 1st Time Since, Breaking Record of Job Holders
In February 2020, some 46,560 Flagler residents held jobs. In September, 46,653 did so, the highest-ever number of jobs recorded in the county’s history. The figure does not represent job creation in the county, but rather the number of residents holding jobs anywhere.
‘Urinetown,’ an Unserious Musical For Our Times, and For Our Town, at City Repertory Theatre
The satiric barbs of “Urinetown” come fast and furious, taking aim at fascism, capitalism, authoritarianism, corporate greed, police brutality, political corruption, abuse of the poor, and the tensions between personal freedoms versus societal good. “Everywhere you turn, it’s poking fun at something,” says Director John Sbordone.
With 99.05% of Dunes Project Shoreline Secured, Flagler Extends Hold Harmless Branch in Bid to Secure Last 3 Easements
With $25 million still sitting idle, awaiting a go-ahead to rebuild 2.6 miles of dunes in Flagler Beach, Flagler County government is down to securing signatures for easements from just two hold-outs after two years of efforts. The county is hoping it will keep its 104-year streak going of never having to invoke eminent domain proceedings against a county property owner.
Re-evaluating July 4 in Flagler Beach: Panel Will Focus on Parking and Surveying Residents’ Wishes
Has Flagler Beach’s July 4 celebration become too much–too big, too unpredictable–of a good thing for this sliver of a town? Could its interminable parade possibly be scaled back, its fireworks show shortened or ceded to Palm Coast, its Veterans Park activities refocused on families and the flow of booze in public places restricted on the beach, where it is now legal?
City Rep Theatre’s 11th Season of Leviathans: Martin Luther King, Billie Holiday, Godot and that Reign of Terror
Covid permitting, the 11th season of Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre proposes its most ambitious line-up yet, with Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Holiday, a vengeful dead wife, a blind woman battling murderous intruders in her home, and a rebel fighting the tyranny of pay toilets in a dystopian world all gracing City Rep’s stage.
Flagler Beach Appoints Committee to Rethink July 4 Fireworks While Aiming for a Show on New Year’s Eve Too
Five residents and the mayor make up the committee that will study the continued feasibility of July 4 fireworks, while the city will ask the county’s tourism bureau for twin allocations of $25,000 next year, to pay for both July 4 and New Year’s Eve fireworks.
In a Victory for Public Beach Access, Federal Court Rules in Favor of ‘Customary Use’ of Sands on Private Portions
Flagler County in 2018 passed an ordinance similar to the town ordinance the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld today. The court’s decision backed the county over property owners who argued a 2018 Florida law gave them the right to exclude beach-goers from the dry portions of privately owned beach.
Flagler Beach Again Delays First Friday Resumption, Possibly to December Unless Covid Pall Lifts Sooner
The Flagler Beach City Commission signed a new agreement with Laverne McNeil Shank, Jr. of Surf 97.3 FM to run First Friday events but a September re-start will be delayed, possibly to December, pending a better covid climate.
Palm Coast Increases Fees at Parks, Community Center, Pool, Palm Harbor Golf Course and Tennis Center
The City of Palm Coast is raising its fees for Parks and Recreation services and rentals across the city following City Council approval on Aug. 17, after the proposal was presented to the council at a workshop. The new fees are now in effect.
Opponents Call Approval of ‘Marinas’ Along Scenic A1A an Orwellian Ploy to Let Massive Boat-Storage Facility Rise
The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday determined that marinas are an allowable use in the Scenic A1A corridor. But Hammock residents say it’s an Orwellian word game intended to clear the way for a 240-dry-boat storage facility called Hammock Harbour, whose development was twice rebuffed by courts.
As Flagler Beach Grapples with Tawdry Pro-Trump Gatherings, City’s Wink to Surveillance Cameras Raises Questions
The weekly pro-Trump demonstrations featuring profane language in the heart of Flagler Beach has city commissioners concerned about the city’s image and the administration and police eying surveillance cameras they insist will not target the demonstrators, but be used as a tool in case of criminal activity. Others see a Pandora’s box.
Canada’s Less Restrictive Border Rules Could be a Boon to Florida Tourism
While decisions remain from the White House about Canadian travelers entering the United States, members of Florida’s Economic Estimating Conference said Tuesday they anticipate changes will be made to make it more convenient for people traveling south of the U.S.-Canada border.
At Flagler Airport, Freedom Fest Soars Again on Wings of Pride and Memory
A variety of historic and modern aircraft, flying and static, is coming to the Flagler County airport as part of Freedom Fest on Independence Day weekend, with bands, vendors and free admission.
From ‘Hamlet’-Writing Chimps to Erotic Miniature Golf, It’s ‘All in the Timing’ for City Rep’s Latest Production
Whether it’s the three chimpanzees of “Words, Words, Words” discussing the crafting of high literature, the miniature-golf-as-metaphor-for-sex shenanigans of “Foreplay, or The Art of the Fugue,” or the multiple replays of murder in “Variations on the Death of Trotsky,” the “All in the Timing” one-acts are soaked in bizarro scenarios.
From Drag Queens to Sister Bunny Juju, Throngs Exult in Pride, Joy and Freedom at Flagler’s 2nd Annual LGBTQ Festival
Saturday’s Flagler Pride Festival and its crowds, which by 9 p.m. had totaled between 600 and 800 people, put the lie to the county’s presumed homogeneity: Palm Coast, a city started in the late 1960s as an integrated, post-racial subdivision, is still more diverse than perhaps assumed, and if anything growing more so.
Overpopularity Is Nearly Destroying the National Park Experience
America’s national parks face a popularity crisis. From 2010 to 2019, the number of national park visitors spiked from 281 million to 327 million, largely driven by social media, advertising and increasing foreign tourism. This exponential growth is generating pollution and putting wildlife at risk to a degree that threatens the future of the park system.
Projecting 750 High-Wage Jobs, Council Approves 4-Story Hospital and Medical Building on Palm Coast Parkway
Wally de Aquino, the hospital’s chief operating officer, said he’s projecting an initial 400 to 450 jobs at the hospital initially, and up to 700 to 750 jobs when the medical office building is completed. The 100-bed, 155,000-square-foot, four-story AdventHealth hospital will go up on 11 acres along Palm Coast Parkway.
‘No One Is Alone’: FPC’s Thespians Return to Stage With Upended Fairy Tale World of ‘Into the Woods’
Flagler Palm Coast’s Thespians return to the stage with exuberant defiance this week, with Stephen Sondheim’s musical, “Into the Woods.” The production in many ways parallels the challenges and sorrows the students have endured in the year of covid.
For Operator of Flagler Beach’s City-Owned Golf Club, Criminal Trials He Faces Next Week Are Barely Half the Story
Terry McManus, who’s run Flagler Beach’s Ocean Palm Golf Club since 2016, faces felony fraud and DUI trials and a civil breach of contract suit, and is once again facing questions about the club’s financial state from the Flagler Beach City Commission.
In Contrast With Flagler Beach, Palm Coast Will Go Ahead With Independence Day Fireworks in Town Center
The annual Palm Coast fireworks celebration of Independence Day will return this year on July 3 along with the traditional Central Park picnic, with no restrictions on attendance except for a recommendation of physical distancing.
Behind Palm Coast’s $5.7 million Push for a Regional Racket Center, a Big Bet on Players and Partnerships
Palm Coast’s bet on a vast expansion of the Tennis Center into the Reilly Opelka Racquet Center rests on hopes for a much larger population ahead that would be keyed into tennis and pickleball, but optimistic–speculative–figures don’t match up with current trends despite a surge in 2020 in racket-sport participation.
Palm Coast Songwriters Festival Returns, Starring “Same Ole” Paul Overstreet and 30 Top Songsmiths
The Palm Coast Song Festival runs April 29-May 2 at various area venues, featuring 30 songwriters who have penned hits, including more than 125 No. 1s, for such country stars as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and many others – including George Jones and Randy Travis.
Prospects Dim, Higher Fees Loom for Belle Terre Swim Club as Long-Shot Investor’s Demand May Be a Road Too Far
An investor is interested in taking over the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club but only if he can cut a new road through the P-Section, a very unlikely possibility, leaving the club facing mounting deficits and no interests from other governments to help.