Kory Prusaitis, a 25-year-old resident of Winterling Place in Palm Coast, was upset at hospital staff when told that that his mother couldn’t come into the waiting room with him, and went on a brief rampage against three people.
Local Business
For Whispering Meadows Ranch, a Slow But Likely Trot Away from John Anderson, to New Site at County Fairgrounds
If negotiations between Whispering Meadows Ranch’s owners and county government officials continue on the constructive course they’ve followed for the last few weeks, the ranch appears headed out of its 13-year location at a residential property on John Anderson Highway and will be recreated on the grounds of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off of County Road 13.
Critics Push Back Against Unemployment Aid Narrative Accusing Workers of Staying Home
Floridians struggling since the start of the coronavirus pandemic are being forced to take jobs below their skill levels and at low wages as the state scales back unemployment assistance, opponents of reducing aid say.
After Blaming Workers for Staying Home, Waste Pro Pledges to do Better, and Pay Better, in Palm Coast
Waste Pro issued its latest service-improvement plan to Palm Coast government after fines the city levies for poor service against the company increased for six successive months and the government threatened last week to end its $9 million contract with the waste hauler.
Florida Faces Dire Shortages of Restaurant Workers: ‘They Don’t Think We Are Worth the Money’
A survey from the National Restaurant Association in mid-May found that staffing levels at restaurants are below the industry standard, “with 84% of operators saying their current staffing level is lower than it was in the absence of Covid-19.”
Treating Workers Like They’re Disposable Is Bad Business
The entire fast-food industry rests on a low-wage, high-turnover foundation. And at those rare moments — like this spring — when new workers seem harder to find, the industry starts expecting its politician pals to cut away at jobless benefits and force workers to take positions that don’t pay a living wage.
Palm Coast Warns Waste Pro It May End Its Contract in 7 Days Over ‘Severe’ and ‘Unacceptable’ Deficiencies
Losing patience after repeated service failures by Waste Pro, Palm Coast government today declared the garbage hauler in breach of contract and began looking for other haulers while giving Waste Pro seven days to fix current problems.
Palm Coast Man, 55, Accused of Propositioning a Woman then Stabbing her and Her Boyfriend When She Said No
Rene Laso, 55, of Palm Coast, faces two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly stabbing a woman and her boyfriend when she refused money and sexual advances.
Rays of Promise: Boston Whaler Marks Reopening of Boating Plant, Projecting 400 Jobs and Orders Into 2023
Brunswick Corp. and Boston Whaler executives today formally reopened the former Sea Ray plant that shut down three years ago, projecting to ramp up over the next 12 to 24 months back to 400 jobs, and likely more beyond that: boat-buying is brisk and demand for Boston Whaler is back-ordered well into 2023, the executives say, ensuring the stability of the plant for years to come.
Flagler Unemployment Flat at 5.3% But Floridians Become a Bit More Optimistic
Flatness was the order of the month in April in Flagler County: The unemployment rate didn’t budget from 5.3 percent-a zone where it’s hovered, with bare ticks up and down, for eight months. The number of people on the unemployment rolls barely changed (2,519), so did the number of people with jobs (45,194).
Tabling Tonight’s Hearing, Whispering Meadows Ranch and County ‘Very Close to an Agreement’ as Talks Continue
Prompted by an outpouring of support for Whispering Meadows Ranch and talks started this weekend, the county is delaying for at least a month the hearing that had been scheduled for this evening’s County Commission meeting, where the commission was to decide whether to grant the ranch a permit to keep its operation on John Anderson Highway or force it to end operations there.
Whispering Meadows Ranch’s Fate Hangs on a County Commission Vote Monday After 14 Years of Serene Service
On Monday, the Flagler County Commission will decide whether to allow Whispering Meadows Ranch to continue operating as it has for nearly 14 years, as an equine therapy retreat for disabled children and veterans, or whether it will be shut down. But none of the commissioners have visited the ranch. Here’s a profile of Whispering Meadows.
Flagler County Airport Will Restrict Operations in May and Close For a Few Days in June to Accommodate Runway Work
A full closure at the Flagler Executive Airport will be required from 7 a.m. Friday, June 4 to no later than 7 p.m. Monday, June 7. The scope of work for this phase includes milling, paving, and airfield electrical work within the intersection of Runway 11-29 and Runway 6-24.
Planning Board Refuses to Call 240-Boat Storage Facility in Hammock a “Marina” But Will Seek to Define the Word
The 240-boat storage facility proposed for a 4-acre parcel on the Intracoastal in the Hammock two years ago ran into its latest setback tonight as the county planning board refused to define the facility as a marina, as its developer wants to do–not yet, anyway. The board wants to craft an ordinance that would define the word “marina,” potentially reopening the door to the boat-storage facility.
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.
Flagler Playhouse Emerges Financially Solid from Covid Darkness with 2 Flagler Theatre Workshop Productions
With $243,000 in cash and savings and $1.4 million in assets, the Flagler Playhouse begins to light up its stage again in Bunnell with workshops and, come September, a new season starting with Neil Simon’s “Rumors.”
A New Partnership Between AdventHealth and Disney World Focuses on Guests’ Wellness
Under a renewed alliance announced today, AdventHealth will become the Official Health Care Provider at Walt Disney World Resort, as well as the Official Virtual Health Care Provider at Walt Disney World Resort.
‘Warehouse’ or ‘Marina’? Battle Lines Are Drawn Again Over Dry Boat-Storage Facility Along Scenic A1A
A developer wants to turn an old boat-manufacturing facility into dry storage for 240 boats along with a restaurant on 4.3 acres next to Hammock Hardware. He calls it a “marina.” The Hammock Community Association calls it a warehouse and says it’s not allowed in the Scenic A1A overlay area.
Asked to Boost Jobless Benefits for Everyday Floridians, Lawmakers in the House and DeSantis Say No
Legislation that would have boosted the top unemployment benefits by $100 per week in Florida has died because the state House declined to take up a bipartisan Senate bill to that effect on the final day of the annual legislative session.
Palm Coast Asks Residents a Smidge Tendentiously: Is It Time to Relax Ban on Work Vehicles in Residential Driveways?
Palm Coast forbids commercial vehicles to park in residential driveways on anything but work calls, unless the commercial signs are covered. At least two council members want the rule relaxed. The council is issuing a public survey to gauge interest in that direction.
After Easing Pandemic Pains, Booze To Go Is Set to Become Permanent Allowance with Take-Out Food
Drinks would need to be placed in secured containers and placed in locked compartments, vehicle trunks or in areas behind the last upright seats in vehicles. Restaurants would be prohibited from including alcoholic drinks in orders being delivered by people under age 21.
In Flagler Beach, Bank of America’s Blockish Eyesore Will Be Replaced By Vacation Rentals and Shops
The blockish and unsightly Bank of America building that sat for decades at South 3rd and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach will be renovated into the unrecognizable Ocean Club, with seven short-term rentals upstairs and clothing and gift shops downstairs.
CareerSource Flagler Volusia Hosts Virtual Job Fair for Healthcare Careers on April 29
CareerSource Flagler Volusia will host the Virtual Job Fair for Healthcare Careers on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Veterans and their eligible spouses will receive priority of service and may join the event starting at 10:00 a.m. The event will be open to the general public from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Vaccines Now Exceeding Demand, Health Department’s ‘Ground Game’ Targets New Veins in Flagler Beach
As vaccine supply edges past demand and the rate of those getting vaccinated is slowing, the Flagler County Health Department is shifting strategies and making walk-in vaccines available at four Flagler Beach restaurants and later, on Sundays, at the Flagler Beach branch of the tax collector’s office.
Stop Trash-Talking the Unemployed
Misinformation and distortions by businesses and some politicians, echoed by media, are blaming the unemployed for staying home to live on government checks. The evidence says otherwise, though belittling workers and lampooning government is part of the continuing war against better wages and stronger worker-safety protections.
Palm Coast Council Approves 300-Unit Apartment Complex Off Pine Lakes Parkway, But Vote Is Divided
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the site plan for a nine-building, 300-unit apartment project to be built off the northwest side of Pine Lakes Parkway, on 35 acres just south of the Indian Trails Sports Complex.
Flagler Health Department and Grace Community Pharmacy Team Up in More Personal-Level Vaccine Push
In its push to personalize the vaccination experience and scale what reluctance there may be among residents to be inoculated, the Flagler Health Department in March launched a partnership with Grace Community Pharmacy (and has since added One Pharmacy), part of the department’s attempt to get Flagler ranked first in the rate of vaccinations.
Golden Magnolia Celebrates First Place Grand Award Win with Open House April 23rd
Golden Magnolia, recent winner of the first place Grand Award in their category for the company’s “Boliviana” home model, is excited to celebrate with an open house on Friday, April 23rd from 3:00PM until 6:00PM.
Flagler and Florida’s Unemployment Rates Flat As DeSantis Amplifies False Claims About Unemployment Benefits
Some local officials, members of the business community and, today, Gov. Ron DeSantis, are without evidence other than anecdotal, attributing a dearth of job-takers to the claim that workers are staying home to cash in on unemployment benefits. The claim is largely false.
Citing Aesthetics and Law, Palm Coast Will Not Loosen Signage Ban, Whether for Realtors or Anyone Else
A majority of the Palm Coast Council rebuffed an attempt by Councilman Ed Danko to loosen the ban on Realtors’ open house and other signs in rights of way, saying both the city’s focus on beauty and a Supreme Court ruling on such signs leave no room for a shift away from current rules.
Restaurant Owner Danny Catalan, Now a Felon, Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail and 4 Years’ Probation in 3 Cases
Arrested three times in six months, Daniel Catalan, 41, had threatened an employee he’d just fired, pointed a gun at a minor and battered a family member. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.
Key Victory for Venerated Whispering Meadows Ranch as County Board Recommends in Its Favor in Emotional Hearing
Whispering Meadows Ranch on John Anderson Highway survived a key vote this evening as the Flagler County Planning Board recommended approval of a special zoning use of the grounds, enabling the ranch to keep operating. That’s assuming the County Commission follows suit when it considers the matter in coming weeks. Absent the special exception, the ranch will face closure.
Hauler Aside, Expect Few Changes in Palm Coast’s Next Trash Service Contract as Residents Signal Satisfaction
Palm Coast City Council members aren’t interested in changing twice-a-week trash pick-up frequency or scaling back curbside recycling, but nothing guarantees Waste Pro another contract extension as the city bids out the contract later this year.
Flagler Airport Will Delay Building Its New Terminal Another Year to Build More Money-Making Hangars
The Flagler County Commission agreed to delay building the long-awaited $6.5 million terminal at the county airport, agreeing instead to a $560,000 project to build 42 new hangars, which the airport director says will make the airport $212,000 a year.
Community Cats Opens Bigger Thrift Store in Bunnell to Pay for New Adoption Facility
Community Cats of Palm Coast, Flagler County’s largest cat-rescue organization, opened its new thrift store today in the Alamo Business Center at 4550 North US 1 in Bunnell to help fundraise and support a future adoption center in an adjoining location.
For Waste Pro in Palm Coast, Trashy Service Piles Up Complaints and Fines Again As City Nears New Bid
Waste Pro since March 2018 has accumulated $112,500 in fines over shoddy service. It had a good 2020, but the first three months of 2021 have been increasingly poor, and just as the city is preparing to bid out the contract, which expires in 2022. The company again blames a driver shortage. The city wants Waste Pro to live up to its contractual obligations.
Affordable Housing Under Attack: Flagler Realtors Join Opposition to Decimation of Housing Trust Fund
Flagler County Realtors are joining forces with state counterparts to oppose a proposal that would gut the amount of money the state will spend on affordable housing, by limiting Sadowski trust fund expenditures to that end to 33 percent of the fund’s total.
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.
In Florida, Companies Will Be Shielded from Covid Lawsuits, Leaving Frontline Workers to Fend for Themselves
Opponents of the bill heading for Gov. DeSantis’s signature warn it will protect corporations more than people and offers no protections for front-line workers who contracted the virus while on the job. Employees are required to use the workers’ compensation insurance system for on-the-job injuries, but claims often are getting denied.
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.
Hutson-Sponsored Bill to Regulate Vaping Clears House Panel, Without Ban on Flavored Products
More than two years after the U.S. surgeon general declared youth vaping an epidemic, Florida lawmakers again are working on an effort to regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes and raise the age to use tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
House Committee Postpones Debating Vacation Rental Bill That Would Have Stripped Local Authority
Flagler County has kept preservation of regulatory authority among its legislative priorities year after year, as the vacation rental industry has–year after year–attempted to scrap the 2014 law and “pre-empt” local control to the state.
Employee Ranks Double at Flagler’s Own Coastal Cloud as Company’s Vaccine and Testing Platforms Go Viral
Hammock-based Coastal Cloud’s testing and vaccine platforms, adopted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, placed the company at the center of the state’s battle against covid and resulted in a doubling of the company’s ranks to 280, despite the crisis.
‘Career Criminal’ Who Spent 17 Years in State Prison Is Arrested Over St. Mary’s Thrift Shop Burglaries
Michelle M. Wilburn, a 51-year-old resident of west Flagler, twice sentenced to state prison for burglary and violent crimes, is the second suspect arrested in a rash of burglaries at a Catholic Church’s thrift store used to raise money for the needy and for church functions.
‘Covid Passports’? Not in Florida, Governor Declares, Threatening Sanctions Against Companies That Try It
DeSantis this week suggested he may go after companies if they require customers to show proof that they are vaccinated, saying “it’s more than just a private decision.” The governor was referring to what have been called Covid-19 passports, a phenomenon gathering momentum abroad.
Flagler Sues Inspection Company in Hopes of Recovering Up to $400,000 Lost in Sears Building Fiasco
Flagler County government on Friday filed suit against Universal Engineering, the inspection company that the county claims misled it about the soundness of the former Sears building on Palm Coast Parkway that the county bought for $1.125 million and had to sell at a huge loss.
County Takes Extraordinary Legal Step to Demolish Derelict Motel on Old Dixie as Owners Stop Responding
Flagler County government has filed suit to condemn and demolish the long-derelict, yellowed Country Hearth Inn motel that’s vexed law enforcement, residents and county code enforcement officials for years near Dixie Commons along South Old Dixie Highway, not far from the interchange with I-95.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate Rises Back to 5.1%, Florida’s Falls to 4.8%
While 595 more Flagler residents qualified for unemployment in January, an unusually sharp one-month rise in part reflecting retail’s post-holiday layoffs, almost 200 more people were employed in January than in December, and the labor force grew by 788, a strong indication of confidence in the local economy.
FPL Files Proposal That Would Raise Base Power Rates 18% Over the Next 4 Years
Customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours a month would see their bills go from $99.05 in January 2021 to $109.58 in January 2022. The bills would then go to $113.49 in January 2023; $115.61 in January 2024; and $117.06 in January 2025.
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.