The national economy added 73,000 jobs in July and 106,000 in the last three months combined, the poorest quarter in job creation since the massive job losses of April 2020 as Covid shut down much of the economy. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2. It has hovered between 4 and 4.2 percent for the past 14 months. In a related trend, personal and business bankruptcy filings rose nationally 11.5 percent in the last 12 months, and 27 percent in the Middle District of Florida that includes Flagler County, from 18,471 last year to 23,442 in the last 12 months. A bankruptcy attorney says the trend is here to stay.
Local Business
Citing Costs, Flagler Beach Commissioners Reject Design of New ‘Beachwalk’ on and Around Pier for 2nd Time in 4 Weeks
The design of a new “Beachwalk” and “Promenade” beneath and around the Flagler Beach pier drew raves from city commissioners. But what started as a $1.5 million project has ballooned to at least $2.8 million, with several design elements that were not part of the original concept as commissioners understood it, including a covered portion of the 4,200-square-foot promenade. Commissioners have tabled the project and asked for a third redesign.
Flagler County’s Industrial Development Authority Holds Inaugural Meeting and Has Its 1st Interested Client
The Flagler County Industrial Development Authority Board met for the first time today to learn its purpose and limitations as an advisory board to the County Commission. The authority’s primary responsibility is to recommend the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to industry or developers as a spur to economic development. To the group’s happy surprise, its first interested parties were in the slim audience of three: RJ Santore and Rick Gil of Ralph Santore & Sons, the pyrotechnics manufacturer in West Flagler.
Flagler School Board Isn’t Dancing About YMCA’s Request for $3 Million for Palm Coast Y in Town Center
Volusia Flagler YMCA officials made their pitch to the Flagler County School Board for a $3 million contribution to help pay for the $16 million Y planned for Palm Coast’s Town Center. The same officials made the same request of Palm Coast government in April. Palm Coast is almost in. The School Board was much cooler. It shut down the possibility that any cash would be made available unless the district were to sell property–not just because the district’s reserves of around $6 million are limited, but because of restrictions on how the district may spend the money it has.
Any Hope of Stricter Development Regulations in Palm Coast, Bunnell or Flagler County ‘Dead in the Water’ Until 2027
Forget a building moratorium of any kind. A For the next three years, something closer to a moratorium on regulations is in effect in Flagler County, its cities and across Florida, thanks to a provision in a new state law–what emerged from the Legislature as Senate Bill 180–that local governments are only now beginning to understand. The law ties the hands of local land use regulators, prohibiting any “burdensome” restrictions on developers, while giving anyone the right to sue a local government that appears to violate the law.
Minimally Invasive TenJet Procedure Ends Woman’s Years of Chronic Hip Pain
For years, Laura O’Brien lived with persistent pain in her hip. It made daily tasks like walking, standing, and sleeping difficult. Relief finally came from an unexpected source: a handheld device the size of an electric toothbrush. Dr. Joseph Chen performed the outpatient procedure at AdventHealth Palm Coast – as the only sports medicine physician in Flagler, St. Johns, and Volusia counties offering TenJet for joint and limb treatments.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Rising Again 2 Years After Demolition as County Secures Leaseholder for New Restaurant
Two years after Flagler County’s Bull Creek Fish Camp was torn down following severe damage from Hurricane Nicole, a nearly 5,000-square-foot building is rising in its place and will be leased to a west Flagler family that will run a restaurant there again. The Flagler County Commission tentatively agreed to leasing the property–which has yet to be built up–to Jessica Norton-Henry and the mother-son team of Pamela White and Joshua White.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 4-1 to Start Negotiating Sale of Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Residents Skeptical
To more skepticism than support from residents, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to enter into negotiations to sell its chronically ramshackle 37-acre Ocean Palm Golf Club to Jeff Ryan, who has held the property’s lease for over a year and a half. If the course is sold, there’s no guarantee against a future commission approving the land for development. It would only take a unanimous vote of the commission to do so.
Child Care Is Increasingly Cost-Prohibitive for Florida Parents
There are about 1.28 million children under the age of 6 in Florida, and it’s getting costly for parents to get child care when needed, according to a new analysis from Florida TaxWatch. The watchdog group has published a new report, How Childcare Costs Impact Florida’s Economy. The analysis concludes that child care is taking its toll on the workforce. The report found that the Sunshine State economy loses about $1.5 billion per year due to absenteeism by employees who can’t work due to demands of caring for children.
Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
Following up on an announcement Wednesday by Google that it would be building a transatlantic cable and land it in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Flagler County for the first time this week disclosed what has been reported since last August–that a company would build a large data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But the two governments’ releases provided more boasts than information.
Flagler OARS Offers Free Narcan Distribution Kiosks for Local Businesses
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (Flagler OARS) is now offering free naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) distribution kiosks to local businesses as part of an initiative to make Flagler County a truly recovery-friendly community.
5 Felony Charges for Palm Coast IT Administrator Accused of Launching Cyber Attack on His Company After He’s Fired
Richard Clayton Wozniak, a 41-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P Section, was arrested Wednesday on five felony charges following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation that found him to have allegedly carried out a cyber attack on his company’s computer infrastructure in retaliation for the company firing him. The attack crippled some of the company’s functions.
Craig Flagler Palms Area Manager Sal Passalaqua Wins Leadership Excellence Award
Craig Flagler Palms announced that Area Manager Sal Passalaqua, Jr. was presented with the Service Corporation International (SCI) Operations Leadership Service Excellence Award on June 18 at Craig Flagler Palms. Passalaqua, who has dedicated over 20 years of service to the company since joining in 2004, was recognized for his exceptional commitment to serving families during their most difficult times.
Education Foundation’s Take Stock in Children Mentee Alaria Krivoshey Joins Chiumento Law as Summer Intern
Chiumento Law announced today that Alaria Krivoshey, a Take Stock in Children mentee, has joined the firm as a summer intern. Alaria is mentored by Diane Vidal, a partner at Chiumento Law and the head of our Probate and Estate Planning department.
Palm Coast Council Deadlocks Over Selling Palm Harbor Golf Club; It May Raise Rates Again and Beg Loopers for a Cut
The Palm Coast City Council deadlocked over the future of the Palm Harbor Golf Club today, split between council members who want to sell it and those who don’t. Other proposals include sharply raising rates, bringing in new management, reconfiguring overhead costs, and even asking Loopers, the successful restaurant at the golf club, to renegotiate its lease for a little profit sharing that would benefit the club’s bottom line. Previous councils have tried most of these tactics for years, almost going back to the city’s acquisition of the 141-acre property in 2008.
Leaseholder Issues Letter of Intent to Buy Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Without Accountable Milestones City Expected
The leaseholders of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club in Flagler Beach on Friday submitted a brief letter of intent to buy the 37-acre property on South Central Avenue that the city bought at auction for $490,000 12 years ago. The City Commission was expecting the letter. But it was also expecting the leaseholder to show how he would meet a set of milestones to prove that he’s capable of fulfilling his promises of turning the property into a functioning, attractive golf course. Those milestones were not in the letter.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Steady at 4.2%, Labor Force Is Flat, Florida Unemployment at 3.7%
Florida’s unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent in May, after inching up earlier in the year, while Flagler County’s unemployment remained at 4.2 percent, where it was last month. In Flagler, 2,339 residents are unemployed, almost exactly the same number as last month but about 300 more than at this time last year. The labor force was flat, adding barely two dozen people to a total of 55,625. The labor force is an indication of the number of working-age people and families moving to the county. It is almost unchanged from a year ago.
Palm Coast Planning Board Rejects Rezoning That Would Allow Concrete Mixing Plant on Hargrove Grade, Citing Pollution
The Palm Coast Planning Board rejected a request to rezone 37 acres on Hargrove Grade on the west side of U.S. 1 to heavy industrial so a national could build a concrete mixing plant there. The land includes 10 acres of wetlands, overlaps within the protection zone of two public well sites that furnish water to the city, and would not be far from acreage zoned for a hospital or a medical building. The batch plant would be the only one in Palm Coast. Those factors, along with traffic, noise and pollution, played into the reasoning of board members and members of the public who opposed the rezoning.
Historic Telesurgery Connects Central Florida and Angola in Medical Breakthrough
In a groundbreaking medical milestone, Dr. Vip Patel, founder and medical director of the Global Robotics Institute at AdventHealth Celebration, successfully performed a robotic prostatectomy on a patient located in Angola, Africa — while operating from the Nicholson Center in Celebration, Florida. The procedure spanned nearly 7,000 miles, making it the longest distance telesurgery ever completed and setting a new global benchmark in surgical innovation.
County Officials Say There Will be No Fuel Depot Or Landfill on 1,900 Acres Bunnell Seeks to Rezone Industrial
There will be no fuel depot or fuel farm, nor a landfill, at the nearly 1,900 acres Bunnell city government is speeding through a rezoning from an agricultural designation to industrial, Flagler County officials said this evening.
28-Unit Affordable Apartment Complex for Foster Youth and Poor Wins Swift Approval in Bunnell
Without discussion, the Bunnell City Commission on Monday evening unanimously approved the development agreement for Phoenix Crossings, the 28-apartment complex breaking ground this summer on 8 acres off North Bay Street, not far from the city’s sewer plant. The project overcame some strident but localized public opposition in recent months. In contrast, Monday’s hearing drew no public participation, and the commission approved the development order in barely a minute.
Energy Association Warns Florida Could Lose Up to 21,800 Solar Jobs If President’s Tax Bill Is Enacted
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) says Florida could lose potentially up to 21,800 solar and storage jobs if the current bill isn’t altered by the U.S. Senate before making its way to the president’s desk and signed into law.
New Cell Towers Planned for Palm Coast Parkway East of I-95 and in Seminole Woods, as Business and Safety ‘Necessity’
Two more cell towers will rise over Palm Coast to add to the seven existing ones as the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved leasing two city-owned land parcels. One is at the future Fire Station 22 on the north side of Palm Coast Parkway near Colbert Lane–the station is under construction–the other is at 50 Citation Boulevard, co-located with the city’s Water Treatment Plant #2. Palm Coast government will generate some revenue from each, which will be built by private companies at their own expense.
Judge Dresses Down Ex-Palm Coast Physician John Cascone Over Probation Violation
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols on Tuesday sharply rebuked John Cascone, the surgeon formerly of Palm Coast, after he pleaded to violating his probation less than a year after he was sentenced. The judge did not impose new penalties beyond reinstituting probation, which runs until June 2026.
Restaurants Will Be Required to Make Tipping and ‘Fees’ Clear Upfront
Restaurants will have to make clear to customers upfront when they will be hit with automatic tips or service fees, under a bill signed Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Flagler Beach’s Farmers Market Will Move to South 2nd Street by City Hall After Losing Wickline Park
The Flagler Beach farmers market that’s jazzed up the grounds of the Wickline Center off South Daytona Avenue since 2022 will have a new home after July 4: along South 2nd Street between State Road A1A and South Central Avenue, in front of City Hall. The city nudged the market out of Wickline Park where it had been operating since 2022, after complaints about the misuse of the park. The new location will significantly improve visibility for the market, which is run by Flagler Strong, a nonprofit.
Palm Coast’s Golden Chopsticks Buffet Open Again 2 Days After Sanitation Inspection Ordered It Closed
Two days after it was ordered closed due to several sanitation violations, Golden Chopsticks Buffet, the less-than-one-year-old Chinese restaurant on Palm Coast’s Cypress Edge Drive, was bustling with business again today at lunch, its neon “open” sign burning red.
Margaritaville’s Compass Hotel in Flagler Beach Opens in Buffett-Themed Celebration of a Downtown Remade
“Total excitement. Fantastic. Finally.” With those words, Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King summed up the response to today’s opening of the 100-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville in the heart of Flagler Beach, more than half a century after its three-story predecessor in the same spot closed its door on its last guest. The $27 million project includes a pair of bars and restaurants totaling 240 seats and employs some 80 people, most from Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.
Flagler Cares Recognized for 10 Years of Treating ‘Every Individual with Dignity and Compassion’
The Flagler County Commission on Monday recognized through a proclamation the 10th anniversary of Flagler Cares, the social service non-profit that provides its own services, coordinates many others and houses independent organizations at its Flagler County Village at City Marketplace in Palm Coast. The proclamation is making the rounds of local governments.
Reversing Planning Board’s Decision, Palm Coast Council Approves 100,000-Sq.-Ft. Storage Facility on Pine Lakes Pkwy
Overriding a decision by its Planning Board, the Palm Coast City Council today granted a special zoning exception to allow construction of a 100,000-square-foot storage facility on 6.8 acres off Pine Lakes Parkway, halfway between Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway. The Planning board, in an unusual decision, voted 4-2 to deny the special exception, saying there were enough self-storage facilities as it is: social media pages are rife with screeds about a surfeit of storage facilities.
Reversing Planning Board’s Decision, Bunnell Commission Clears the Way for ‘Historic’ 28-Unit Affordable Housing Project
Reversing a recommendation by its planning board and significant public opposition neighboring the proposed development, the Bunnell City Commission unanimously approved the final site plan for Phoenix Crossings, a planned 28-unit affordable-housing apartment complex for people with disabilities and other difficulties, and for the elderly. None like it exists in Palm Coast or Flagler County. The 5-year-old proposal is the work of Sandra Shank and her Abundant Life Ministries, a non-profit. The Bunnell Planning Board on April 1 recommended denial of the site plan on a 3-2 vote.
Flagler Free Clinic Earns National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Award
The Flagler Free Clinic earned a 2025 Gold Rating from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) Quality Standards Program. This achievement reflects the clinic’s ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible healthcare to uninsured individuals in Flagler and Volusia counties.
Majority of Palm Coast Council Willing To Scrap Certain Restrictions on Commercial Vehicles in Residential Driveways
Palm Coast may finally revise its commercial-vehicle ordinance, removing a ban on the parking of commercial vehicles in residential driveways. The proposed allowance would apply to commercial pick-up trucks, work vans and similar work trucks, including trucks with ladders and racks and a few other allowances. Commercial messaging–or any messaging, including political, poetic or polemical messaging–willl no longer have to be covered up if it exceeds 3 square feet on each side.
AdventHealth Palm Coast Named one of Top 100 Community Hospitals in the Country
AdventHealth Palm Coast has been named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the U.S. by Premier, a national health care improvement organization. This recognition highlights hospitals that deliver standout care, earn high marks from patients, and operate efficiently, all without sacrificing quality. AdventHealth Palm Coast was recognized in the Small Community Hospital category, which includes facilities that serve smaller populations but still make a big impact.
AdventHealth Palm Coast’s 3rd Robotic Surgical System Vastly Expands ‘Equity of Care’ While Improving Outcomes
AdventHealth Palm Coast’s two hospitals now have three robotic systems and four surgeons trained on them, enabling the machines’ tiny incisions and great precision to reduce recovery time and pain for patients while improving outcomes. The $2.6 million da Vinci 5, just unveiled locally, was funded through the AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation, the non-profit arm of the hospital.
Flagler Beach Will Crack Down on Contractors Trashing the City and Flouting Rules at Residents’ Expense
Flagler Beach commissioners want to crack down on contractors who are trashing the city, not respecting its rules or its residents, and leaving behind messes without being accountable. Commissioners are asking for stepped-up enforcement–either through a new ordinance or through the building official, who can issue stop-work orders if contractors continue to break rules.
Connecting to Palm Coast Expo Orients New Residents With Score of Organizations
The Palm Coast Community Center was full of energy and excitement on the evening of May 7, as vendors and residents gathered for the spring edition of the Connecting to Palm Coast Expo. Organized by the Palm Coast Citizens Academy Alumni Ambassadors, the event brought together a vibrant mix of city departments, non-profits, civic groups, and local partners—all eager to welcome new residents and strengthen community ties.
Flagler Beach Will Consider Selling Ocean Palm Golf Club to Leaseholder, With Conditional Milestones
The Flagler Beach City Commission gave the leaseholder of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club a month to submit a proposal to buy the 37-acre property, paired with a capital improvement plan. If there is to be a sale, it would be conditional on Jeff Ryan, the leaseholder, meeting a series of milestones to prove that he is capable of securing the money necessary to do the work, and to do the work to the high standard he is promising. Those milestones will have to be negotiated.
Without a Single Question, Bunnell Board Approves Rezoning of Nearly 1,900 Acres to Industrial, Outraging Residents
The Bunnell planning board on Tuesday approved the comprehensive plan change and rezoning of nearly 1,900 acres from agriculture to industrial, on land stretching from U.S. 1 to County Road 304. It is the single-largest rezoning of the kind in the city’s or county’s history and would reshape the character of both as surely as would the massive 8,000-home residential development proposed for west of the city. Yet the planning board recommended approval on a pair of 3-1 votes without a single question, inquiry or comment.
AdventHealth Hospitals Hire More than 800 Nurses in Flagler, Volusia and Lake Counties in Past Year
Amid a national nursing shortage, the AdventHealth East Florida Division is taking action by expanding its nursing workforce, enhancing hands-on training programs, and reinforcing its commitment to exceptional patient care across its seven hospitals in Flagler, Lake, and Volusia counties. In the past year, the division hired more than 800 new nurses and opened a second center for education and simulation to help nurses gain hands-on experience before they step into a hospital room.
Flagler Beach Reels at Death of SunBros Café Owner Travis Sundell, 49, ‘Passionate Part of What Makes This Town Special’
Travis Gene Sundell, the 49-year-old owner and operator, with his wife Leigh Ann, of SunBros Café in the heart of Flagler Beach since 2021, died Friday. Family, friends, neighbors and regular patrons of the restaurant and bar, which one regular compared to “Cheers” for its friendliness, were reeling at the unexpected announcement this weekend. Sundell died from from an aortic aneurysm.
Flagler Humane Society Board Members Brazenly Reproach City and County Officials’ Push for Accountability
Palm Coast council members and county commissioners, meeting jointly earlier this week to discuss their long-frayed relationship with the society, have been dissatisfied with what they see as poor accountability and transparency at the non-profit, and not enough oversight by the governments. A pair of Humane Society board members’ language and lecturing did not help.
Hammock Dunes Charity Donates $100,000 to Flagler Free Clinic
The Flagler Free Clinic received a $100,000 donation from Hammock Dunes Cares, matching last year’s contribution. (The charity is not connected to Flagler Cares, the countywide social service agency and nonprofit.) The funds were raised during Hammock Dunes Cares’ Rally Auction, a two-week event in late February featuring activities such as tennis, croquet, bocce, a creek porch party, live music, and pickleball. The check presentation occurred on Tuesday, March 18, at Hammock Dunes.
Palm Coast Absent as Ground Breaks on $11.2 Million General Aviation Building at Flagler County Airport
Eight years after it was conceived–and at almost three times its original cost–the future 15,000 square foot general aviations building at Flagler County Executive Airport finally got its ground ceremonially broken this morning before dozens of local officials and spectators. The $11.2 million building is financed by a $5.6 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, a $5 million appropriation from the legislature, and $620,000 in local airport funds.
Possible Sale of Flagler Beach’s Golf Course Again Raises Public Concerns, as Does ‘Horrendous’ State of Greens
Even as it has received appraisals for the property, the Flagler Beach City Commission again said last Thursday that whatever may or may not happen with Ocean Palm Golf Club, the nine-hole course at the south end of town, is in the earliest stages. Talk of its sale and a conceptual site plan for a 30,000 square-foot building there are all preliminary. Residents who neighbor the course raised doubts again at the meeting, suggesting that the plan is further along than the city claims, and that a workshop is in order. They also complained about the course’s current condition.
Florida House Votes to Scrap Work Limits for Older Teens But Ban STI Treatment Without Parental Consent
Although older teens could work unlimited hours, they wouldn’t be able to get treatment for sexually transmitted infections on their own under two bills the Florida House approved Friday. House lawmakers voted on party lines both to require parental consent for health care providers to treat minors with STIs and to let 16- and 17-year-olds work full-time hours during the school year without their parents’ permission.
Timing of YMCA’s $16 Million Facility in Palm Coast May Hinge on City and School Board Cash Contributions
The Volusia Flagler YMCA is prepared to build a $16 million, 44,000-square-foot YMCA in Palm Coast’s Town Center with a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool. But the organization is asking Palm Coast government for $3 million, and to take over management of the city’s Aquatic Center, known as Freida Zamba pool. The Y is also asking the Flagler County School Board for $3 million, which the board will see as a very heavy lift, and will be approaching the county with a similar request. The Y’s Palm Coast project does not appear to be contingent on the government’s cash contributions, but its immediacy will be.
Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course: Palm Coast Will Seek Buyer for City’s Deficit-Prone ‘Gem’
Possibly ending the city’s 17-year ownership of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the Palm Coast City Council will look for a buyer for the 137-acre course and backyard to hundreds of properties in the C-Section. The request for proposal will include the condition that the land remain a golf course in perpetuity. The council is framing the initiative as an “option” and as information-gathering rather than an absolute commitment to sell. But it would also be the first time in the course’s history that the city has taken this step.
Landing Strip Restaurant (Former Hijackers) Prepares to Re-Open May 1
After nearly 300 days of being grounded, The Landing Strip Tavern is officially ready for takeoff. The restaurant is inviting the public and local media for the grand re-opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.. Doors open for business at 11:00 a.m.
Flagler County Unemployment Dips Back to 4.1%, But Inventory of Single-Family Houses Rises to 13-Year High
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell back to 4.1 percent, from 6.6 percent the previous month, according to figures released by the state Department of Commerce this morning. The rates are not seasonally adjusted. But the county’s housing inventory continues to rise, and is now at its highest level in 13 years, and rising.