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.
Leisure & Tourism
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.
Florida Announces Increases of State Park Reservation and Other Fees
While entry fees at Florida state parks remain unchanged, reservation, cancellation, transfer and utility fees will all increase.
McCarthyism In Our Time: City Rep Stages Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’
Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theater stages “The Crucible,” Arthur Miller’s play about witch-hunting in 17th-century Salem and –- allegorically — Joseph McCarthy’s Communist sniffing in mid-20th-century America, starting Friday at the Palm Coast Arts Foundation big tent in Town Center.
Queen of Jazz Linda Cole at Flagler Auditorium with FPC Alumni on April 23
Linda Cole, Flagler County’s resident Queen of Jazz, headlines a special performance celebrating the Flagler Auditorium’s unique mission of creating the ultimate classroom for the arts, along with the Abe Alam Trio, vocalist Jill Vanderoef and pianist Nicole Tilton Cross.
Florida House Backs Allowing Tourism Tax Money to be Spent on Flooding and Sea Rise Projects
The Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow counties to spend so-called “bed” tax money on efforts to combat flooding, despite concerns from the tourism industry that the change would reduce marketing dollars.
Flagler Beach’s Iconic A-Frame Is Getting a Make-Over for First Time in 24 Years
The Flagler Beach Pier’s A-frame is getting its first re-shingling in 24 years, a $9,360 job and the fourth in the last four years on different parts of the pier and its restaurant, ahead of the city’s upcoming centennial.
Flagler Beach Again Cancels July 4 Parade and Fireworks, Wrapping Hopes for a Big Event Around Christmas
For the second year in a row, Flagler Beach will not host its traditional July 4 parade and fireworks, the city commission decided tonight, nor will the event be postponed to Labor Day. Doing so would be too “risky,” the commission agreed with Flagler Health Department Chief Bob Snyder. Commissioners are placing their hopes on a big event and parade around Christmas, including fireworks.
In a Victory for Flagler Government, Key Local Vacation Rental Regulations May Survive Yet Again
A Florida Senate panel today in a surprise shift voted to preserve local regulatory authority of short-term vacation rentals. If that version of the bill survives and overrides a different House bill, as appears likely, then local regulations will remain in place unscathed, surviving attempts to scrap that local authority for the seventh straight year.
Latest Reinvention of Palm Coast Tennis Center Sees $5.7 Million Expansion and More Ahead, But Speculation Abounds
Palm Coast government is proposing an ambitious, multimillion transformation of the city’s tennis center off Belle Terre Parkway into a “Regional Racquet Center” featuring 42 tennis and pickleball courts, a clubhouse, space for events and other amenities. But the plan is based on largely speculative assertions of need even as tennis declines as a sport and the school board is rethinking its own racquet club’s future.
Now Florida’s Only 2nd All-American Road, Storied A1A Has Long Navigated Between Quaint and Crass
State Road A1A is now an All-American Road, adding to the road’s paradoxes of beauty and history on one side and and relentless commercialization and development on the other, though the same people who applaud its scenic designation are also those who endanger it most.
Outta’ Sight: Flagler Auditorium Celebrates Community with Covid-Conscious Concert Series
The Cherry Drops’s Feb. 27 show will be Flagler Auditorium’s second in its Community Celebration Series, a multi-artist, multi-media string of spring performances that lives up to its title. Along with concerts by mostly area music artists, each event will include presentations and activities by area civic and cultural groups such as the Flagler County Historical Society, and the Palm Coast Cruisers with their car show.
Controversial Vacation Rental Proposal All But Eliminating Local Regulation Advances in Senate
The ongoing battle over short-term rental regulation is of special interest to Flagler County and its local government, which last decade initiated the movement that led to the 2014 law granting local governments the power to regulate short-term rentals up to a point.
Once Again, Florida Lawmakers Move to Scrap Local Governments’ Vacation Rental Regulations
A years-long effort to block local governments from regulating vacation rentals is on the move again, as House and Senate leaders revive a proposal to prevent cities and counties from inspecting and licensing properties offered on platforms such as Airbnb.
All But 4 Easements Secured, Flagler Beach Dunes Project Will Go Forward as Will Court Action Against Holdouts
A year-long effort between Flagler County government and a grass-roots group and its Go Fund Me campaign to secure easements from 13 hold-outs so 2.6 miles of shore can be rebuilt with ample dunes in Flagler Beach has paid off. Only three owners and holding four parcels remain. All others have signed.
Flager Beach Rotary’s Race for the Runways 5K Is On at County Airport, With Strong Covid Safety Guidelines
The pandemic requires format changes and safety guidelines for everyone’s comfort and safety, participant and volunteer peace of mind and safety being paramount in this 10th Anniversary Race. Participants will also be required to sign a release.
Flagler Auditorium Announces Lineup of Live and Multimedia Shows Celebrating the Community
Flagler Auditorium pays tribute to the vibrant Flagler County community with a special line-up of programs celebrating its history, artists, service organizations, and heroes starting later this month.
Flagler Beach Commission Unanimously Clears a Step Toward Flagler Beach Hotel Construction in Center of Town
The vote was unanimous. The discussion–what there was of it–took all of eight minutes. There was no discussion among commissioners, no controversy, and aside from one public voice opposed, no dissent, clearing yet another hurdle for the planned hotel.
Flagler Beach Hotel Replacing Farmers’ Market Gets Key Board’s Approval, With No Public Opposition
The Flagler Beach Planning Board Tuesday evening voted 7-0 to recommend the plan for a 97-room hotel and town houses adjacent to Veterans Park on land used for a farmers’ market for 30 years. There was. surprisingly, no public opposition. The proposal moves on to the City Commission on Dec. 10.
12-Room Motel and 3-Unit Development, Including 2 Vacation Rentals, Advance in Flagler Beach
While three tourism-focused proposed developments in Flagler Beach point to a bullish economic future that would help balance the city’s tax base, the spate of high-visibility proposals may also be contributing to a mixture of public unease and antagonism to so much palpable change, much of it in iconic areas.
97-Room Hotel and 10 Town Homes Would Replace Flagler Beach Farmer’s Market Parcel in Heart of the City
A South Florida architect and resort developer is proposing to build a 97-room resort and 10 walk-up town houses for short-term renters in Flagler Beach on the rectangular vacant acreage in the heart of city best known for its weekend farmers’ market, which has not been active in the past year. The resort, 35 feet tall at its height, would vastly change the complexion and skyline of downtown, though it would also be a return to form of sorts.
Florida (and Flagler) Can Thank ‘Luck’ as Most Active Hurricane Season on Record Ends Monday
In a season that overlapped the coronavirus pandemic, most storms spun away from Florida, sparing communities double-barreled crises of responding to a major storm while contending with restrictions and safety concerns imposed by the coronavirus.
Audrey II Puts Bite in City Rep’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” Opening Outdoors on Thanksgiving Weekend
“Little Shop of Horrors” is City Repertory Theatre’s most expensive production in 10 years, and is intended in part to give theater-goers a break from pandemic fatigue even as the show easily invites allegorical leaps to the present-day.
Powered by Vacation Rentals, Flagler’s Tourism Revenue Is Up Significantly as State’s Drops 30%
Flagler County’s tourism-tax revenue has gone up three successive months between July and September, substantially so in August and September, in contrast with statewide tourism revenue, which plummeted 30 percent in the third quarter. Vacation rentals, the beach, and vacationers traveling shorter distances account for the county’s success.
Disney Springs May Be Accessible By Train by 2022
The private passenger-rail service Brightline announced an agreement Monday with Walt Disney World to build a station at Disney Springs as part of expansion plans from South Florida to Central Florida.
Disinformation and Allegations of Government “Threats” Are Delaying Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
False claims, disinformation, made up fears, “fairy tales” and allegations of government threats are hampering the county’s efforts to secure the necessary easements from a small group of hold-out property owners. Without the easements, the U.S. Army Corps will not proceed on its $25 million portion of the fully-funded project to protect 2.6 miles of beach.
Palm Coast Will Establish an Arts District in Town Center as New Spur for Commerce of Culture
The Palm Coast City Council is moving toward establishing an arts district in Town Center, bringing together key arts and culture organizations through an arts council and dedicating revenue from the Town Center redevelopment zone to match private grants, spur artistic and cultural activity in the district and further encourage economic development.
‘Salvation Is In Sight’: Army Corps Extends Deadline as Dunes Hold-Outs Take Money and Sign
Impressed by a local, massive fund-raising effort intended to buy off 11 hold-outs, the US Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to extend the deadline in the long-sought, $25 million dune rebuilding project along 2.6 miles of shore in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Auditorium Hopes to Re-Ignite Arts Support, and Concert-Going, with Outdoors Hayfire Concert
All proceeds from the Sept. 13 benefit concert by Hayfire, the first at the Auditorium since the pandemic, will go to the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, Flagler Playhouse and City Repertory Theatre.
Tourism Visits to Florida Drop 60% as State’s Poor Handling of Pandemic May Take Heavier Toll
The tourism industry must combat ongoing negative perceptions of Florida’s handling of covid-19, international travel bans, people slow to return to entertainment venues and double-digit unemployment.
Down to 11 Owners Holding Out, Army Corps May Decide on Aug. 19 Whether To Kill Dunes Project
County government is dueling with 11 property owners in Flagler Beach who are refusing to sign easements that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild dunes along 2.6 miles of beach. Without the easements, a $25 million projects 15 years in the works could be cancelled.
Despite Building Fiascos, County Now Wants ‘Due Diligence’ On Buying Old $1 Million Bank of America in Flagler Beach
Despite a nightmarish history of buying old buildings and having to unload them at a loss, the Flagler County Commission Monday will hear a proposal from its tourism department to gather information on buying the 40-year-old $1.1 million former Bank of America building on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach, opposite the pier.
15 Years On, $25 Million In, Flagler Beach Dunes Project Near ‘Dead In the Water’ as 13 Property Owners Hold Out
Just 13 property owners are essentially holding hostage a fully funded beach and dune-rebuilding plan Flagler Beach and the county have worked toward for 15 years, a resistance based on what the county considers extortionist motives for money that doesn’t exist.
Short-Term Vacation Rental Regulations Vary Unpredictably From County to County
Some counties are mandating a 24-hour wait between bookings, while others are requiring “sufficient” or “adequate” time for cleaning and disinfecting.
Florida’s Government Revenue Takes a Nearly $1 Billion Hit in April
State revenue was off $878.1 million in April from an earlier estimate as tourism and hospitality-related industries, along with car sales, were grounded by the coronavirus, according to economists.