The Flagler Beach Pier will reopen Saturday as emergency repairs end, to the joys of a city that’s lived without its iconic amenity since Hurricane Matthew sheared 163 feet from its end and made it unstable.
Leisure & Tourism
Flagler Beach Pier Cleared for July 4 Fireworks, Which Will Go Off Even If Burn Ban Persists
Flagler County Fire Chief has cleared the July 4 fireworks for takeoff while an engineering firm certified the Flagler Beach pier’s safety for the event.
In Big Victory For Flagler (and St. Johns), Rep. Renner Delivers $13.3 Million For Dunes Restoration
The $13.3 million has yet to be split between the two counties, but will go a long distance to alleviate Flagler’s $22 million dune restoration needs, with local sources kicking in several million dollars.
Vacation-Rental Bills Die Only to Return in 2018, Forcing Flagler to Defend Regulations Again
The Legislature’s attempt to roll back local governments’ regulatory authority of vacation rentals barely fell short, so the fight is not over for counties at the forefront of the issue like Flagler.
Flagler Beach, a.k.a. Ocean City, Gets 9 New Lifeguard Towers, All On Strength of Volunteers
The nine lifeguard towers, on a design from towers in Ocean City, Md., are expected to more than double the life of the structures. Commissioner Rick Belhumeur led the all-volunteer effort.
Holland Park Redemption: Palm Coast’s Storied Playground Readies to Re-Open
A year behind schedule, the reopening of Holland Park, now scheduled for June, will also mark the transformation of an eyesore into a crown jewel, as a visit to the park today suggests.
Flagler Beach Pier Repair to Last a Bit Longer and Cost More as Engineers Test Loads
The Flagler Beach Pier was set to fully open May 1, but the opening date has been pushed back to the end of May, and engineering work, which won;t affect the date, will add up to $45,000 in costs.
Not Dead Yet: Vacation-Rental Bill Flagler Opposes Clears Last House Committee , 17-11
A bill that would end Flagler County’s authority to regulate short-term rentals cleared its last House committee and appears headed for a clash with its Senate version, which is very different. If differences aren’t resolved, the bills die.
In Big Victory for Flagler Government, Feared Vacation-Rental Bill Suddenly in Retreat in Legislature
Flagler County’s vacation-rental regulations currently in place would be preserved according to a new version of a Senate bill the county had been fighting before. And a House bill may be dead.
State Transportation Department Asks Flagler Beach Police to Crack Down on A1A Rock Art
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom said police officers will not suddenly arrest people who build rock structures on A1A, but will use a more friendly, educational approach.
Vacation-Rental Bill Hearing Rescheduled Just as Key Senate Committee Begins Debate
Sen. Tom Lee, the seasoned chairman of the Community Affairs Committee, didn’t ant the bill rushed through debate, as had been the case on a previous occasion before Sen. Travis Hutson.
Retreading Losing Cause, City Will Take Over Running Palm Harbor Golf and Tennis Center
Palm Coast government will end its nearly-decade-long relationship with KemperSports at the money-losing golf and tennis clubs and manage the operations itself while still contracting out certain services.
House Panel Votes 9-6 to End Vacation Rental Regulations in 3rd Straight Defeat for Flagler
Flagler County government had staked its chances on killing the bill in this particular committee because Rep. Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, sits on the panel and had pledged to do what he could to halt the bill’s momentum.
At Vacation-Rental Town Hall, Renner Hears Unanimity Against Impairing Local Control
A standing-room-only crowd at Saturday’s Hammock Town Hall urged Rep. Paul Renner to battle a legislative attempt to scale back local regulatory control of vacation rentals won through a 2014 law.
Renner Seizes Reins for Flagler After Hutson’s Striking Disregard on Vacation Rentals
Rep. Paul Renner and County Commissioner Greg Hansen are organizing a town hall meeting in the Hammock Saturday, hoping to rally support against a proposed legislative retreat on vacation-rental regulations.
After 11 Years, Flagler Beach’s First Fridays Events Get Their First Written Policy
The proposed four-page policy formalizes what had been verbally agreed to, or assumed, over the years, but doesn’t change the focus on favoring local businesses while outlining documentation requirements.
7-3 Vote Loses Flagler Another Round on Vacation Rentals In Hurried Senate Hearing
Flagler County government’s attempt to protect its vacation-rental regulations took another turn for the worse as a Senate committee today voted to advance a bill that would wipe out those regulations.
O’Brien Beach-Funding Proposal Prevails, And Flagler Beach Gets $2 Million Pledge
County Commissioner Donald O’Brien’s proposal to shift more money toward beach restoration prevailed today in a joint meeting of the County Commission and the county’s tourism board, and the county administrator pledged to allocate $2 million to Flagler Beach’s needs.
Flagler Tourism “Promotions” Slush Fund Jumps 76% in 3 Years, And We’re Counting Pennies For Beach Repairs?
Paying for critical repairs to Flagler County’s beaches is hostages to a tourism budget’s scandalous and unaccountable promotions spending, which the county administration wants to increase despite the emergency.
Flagler’s Hutson Files Amendment to Vacation-Rental Bill That Would “Eviscerate” Regulations
Sen. Travis Hutson had supported the 2014 law enabling Flagler County to regulate vacation rentals. His amendment, which he calls a “compromise,” would scale that back even though he sees no problems with local regulations or short-term rentals.
At Ocean Art Gallery:
Judi Wormeck, Artist of the Year
Judi Wormeck, a retired art teacher and member of the Flagler County Art League, is the Gargiulo Art Foundation’s 2016 Flagler County Artist of the Year, with her first Florida exhibit opening Friday at Ocean Art Gallery in Flagler Beach.
Setback For Flagler as Bill Scrapping Vacation-Rental Regulations Advances on 9-6 Vote
A divided House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee was not swayed by a presentation from Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed as it voted to scrap county authority to regulate short-term, vacation rentals. The bill has several additional hurdles to clear.
Flagler May Lose Vacation Rental Regulations Just 2 Years After Regaining Authority
After a three-year battle, Flagler County government regained the right to regulate short-term rentals in the Hammock, which had become disruptive to local residents. Now the state is poised to take that authority away–again.
Lopsided House Votes To Abolish Enterprise Florida and Economic Development Limbs
The House also voted 80-35 to approve a separate measure (HB 9) that would overhaul the structure and contract-reporting requirements of Visit Florida.
Flagler Beach Could Have an 1,100-Foot Pier, But On Concrete, and Not Before 2021
Concepts of a future Flagler Beach pier were unveiled, projecting greater length but less wooden rusticity, and still a lot of uncertainty regarding cost. The earliest date for a new pier would be 2021.
Proposal to Kill Economic Agency and Trim Visit Florida Budget Clears House Committees
Palm Coast’s Rep. Paul Renner continued to defend the proposals, which would cut Visit Florida’s budget to $25 million, as the House bill heads for a floor vote in march, but still without viable Senate support.
Council Endorses Raising Flagler’s Tourism Tax to 5% to Pay For Beach Repairs
The tourist sales surtax tax is applied to hotels, motels and short-term rentals, and would increase beach-restoration revenue to $2.25 million over the next three years.
Flagler Beach Pier To Be Repaired and Opened By May 1, But More Concrete Plans in Its Future
The $918,000 contract will stabilize the Flagler Beach pier but will not restore the 160 feet it lost during Hurricane Matthew. That’ll be the long-term fix, which may entail pouring concrete.
In Flagler Beach, Scott Attacks Renner Over Tourism and Economic Development Programs
Gov. Rick Scott was in campaign mode in a visit to Flagler Beach Monday as he criticized Flagler’s Rep. Paul Renner, a fellow-Republican, for introducing a bill that would eliminate Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida.
Renner Is Right: Kill Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, Twin Kleptos of Public Troth
Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida are two tax-supported state agencies that act more like slush funds, wasting money behind secretive veils and returns on investment that have never lived up to the promise.
Kayaking Trips Planned For Flagler’s Centennial Celebration, on Haw Creek and Longs Landing
Registrations, for $15, are needed in advance. Each person registering will get a competition style tee shirt commemorating the County’s Centennial.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Performs History of Music in 16 Chapters Saturday in Palm Coast
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s most advanced ensemble will perform the tour de force at Palm Coast United Methodist Church’s Concert Series at 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s free.
Feelin’ Alright: Rock Hall of Fame Member Dave Mason Traffics at Flagler Auditorium
Dave Mason was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 as a founding member of Traffic and has played with the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac.
4th Flagler Film Festival Strings Variety of Themes, With Benefit to Tommy Tant Classic
The Flagler Film Festival at Palm Coast’s Hilton garden Inn starting Friday accepted 60 of 150 submissions from around the world, with question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers concluding most blocks of screenings.
Twelve Counties Get Money to Reduce Conflicts With Bears, But Flagler Is Not On the List
Volusia and Putnam counties will receive a combined $98,000. Flagler County will receive no grant. The announcement came six months after the Fish and Wildlife commission voted against holding a bear hunt this year.
At Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Trump Era
The Jane Wagner play made famous by Lily Tomlin comes to Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre with a gaggle of prophetic wit and satire about the dawning Donald Trump era.
County’s Tourism Office Seeks a Blank Check Of $150,000, and No-Bid Award of $130,000
The spending authorizations depart in one way or another from county or tourism council policy and underscore to what extent the paper trail behind tourism office spending has been thinning out over the past two years.
Despite Orlando Massacre and Zika Virus, Florida Tourism Draws Record 27 Million Visitors in 3 Summer Months
The 5.1 percent increase from the same time last year came as Canadians, Florida’s top source of foreign tourism, have cut back on travel due to their nation’s weakened dollar.
With “The Rainmaker,” Palm Coast’s City Rep Theater Reads Into America’s Most Reassuring Mythologies
“The Rainmaker” is at heart a sentimental comedy that reprises some of the oldest mythologies of America’s Great Plains optimism: the faker and the husband-hunting rube whose mutual combustion unravels their greater selves.
Bringer of Joy: Flagler Youth Orchestra In Concert at Auditorium Wednesday With Holst, Handel and Synergy
This is the Youth Orchestra’s 12th season and the first of of its full-orchestra performances this year, with 275 students in five ensembles and the faculty quartet performing some 14 works.
At Flagler Airport, Veterans Day Framed by Traveling Vietnam Memorial and Freedom Fest
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, a 3/5-scale replica of Maya Lin’s original Vietnam Memorial in Washington, stretched almost 300 feet along the tarmac at the airport as Veterans Day ceremonies kicked off Freedom Fest, a weekend-long event.
Flagler County Agrees to Bail Out Ag Museum Despite $150,000 Deficit and Barnful of Unanswered Questions
After a vote failed to take-over the failing museum entirely, Flagler County commissioners agreed to a generous 90-day bailout, pending a more detailed agreement that would enable the county to absorb the 460-acre property yet leave the museum board at least nominally in place.
Damaged State Road A1A in Flagler Beach Will Re-Open as 2-Lane Road in 3 to 4 Months
The two-lane road will be an emergency fix, with narrower lanes, a barrier wall on the ocean side, and a speed limit lowered to 25 mph, but it will be a boon to businesses that continue to be ravaged by its current closure.
FEMA Finally Broadens Emergency Declaration to Include Homeowners; Flagler Beach Re-Opens Beaches Wednesday
FEMA’s declaration will let homeowners claim up to $33,000 in repair or recovery expenses attributed to Hurricane Matthew. The beaches in Flagler Beach will reopen from North 4th Street to South 8th Street on Wednesday, and go further after the weekend.
150 Volunteers Swarm to Clean Up Flagler’s Beaches, Some to Reopen by Mid-Week; FPC Students Clear Graham Swamp Trail
In Flagler Beach Mayor Linda Provencher drew a mass of volunteers in less than 24 hours for the Sunday clean-up, and in Palm Coast, FPC track Coach David Halliday led his team along Graham Swamp’s trails, cleaning them up around the same time.
Flagler Pleads With FEMA For Emergency Declaration to Help Homeowners; Politics and Data Help
Flagler’s FEMA declaration applied to government, not to homeowners’ losses. That second declaration is still pending, and it’s not a given as FEMA evaluators continue to scour the county to assess damages.
Hurricane Matthew: The Stories Until Storm Day
Hurricane Matthew from the time it began threatening the Caribbean to its churn toward Florida and the coast of Flagler.
Tourism Industry Puts On Happy Face Despite Massacre, Algae, Zika and Alligator Kill
In the past three months, there has been a mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub, a 2-year-old child killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World, toxic algae blooms choking East and West Coast waterways, and the continued spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Cypress Knoll Golf and Country Club, Under New Ownership, Re-Opens Sept. 10
New owners Doug Brown and Janice Reid re-open Palm Coast’s Cypress Knoll Golf and Country Club on Sept. in in the E Section, with a concert the following day, just two months after the course closed.
Hikers, Campers, and the Limits of Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace seems to extend only to the easily visible: trash, toilet paper, bodily functions, and so forth. Anything you can’t see with the naked eye — like sweat, detergent, sunblock, mosquito repellent, pesticides, and other chemicals — seems to get a pass.