The county wants to buy the old hospital in Bunnell for $1.23 million and use it as an HQ for the sheriff. Two independent appraisers have placed the market value of the old 81-bed hospital at $1.5 million, and an engineering firm that surveyed the hulking 60,000 square-foot property found no overt issues with the building aside from asbestos. A private consortium bought the building for $750,000 in 2003.
Local Business
Boycott Florida Movement Grows in Protest Of Stand Your Ground and Zimmerman Verdict
The boycott-Florida movement has quickly grown on social media and with such headliners as Stevie Wonder while Gov. Rick Scott and the state’s business groups downplay the effectiveness of the effort, which could nevertheless hurt the state’s tourism and convention business.
Traffic Disruptions at Florida Hospital Flagler as Parking Lot is Resurfaced
Florida Hospital Flagler is in the process of sealing and re-striping its parking lots and driveways over the next 30 days, covering the better part of July.
After Pledging to End $20,000 Request, Second Harvest Asks Flagler To Double It Instead
Two years ago Second Harvest pledged that the annual $20,000 it was receiving from Flagler County government to pay for a food stamps outreach program would end this year. Instead, the agency today asked the county commission for $40,000.
Palm Coast Sours on Traffic Cameras, Calling Fines “Outrageous,” “Overkill” and “Unfriendly”
In a surprising and radical shift, Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon used harsh words to describe the city’s red-light camera program, saying that while the system makes intersections safer, its harsh punishments are out of proportion with the crime, and Palm Coast’s drivers–and the city’s image–are suffering as a result. But he is less clear on how to improve the system, which he does not want dismantled.
Flagler Unemployment Ticks Up to 9.5% and Florida Sees Net Loss of 6,200 Jobs
Flagler County’s and Florida’s jobs picture in May reflected the nation’s as the economy appears to sputter more than to gain momentum, though longer-term trends remain encouraging, including a 2 percent jump in Flagler’s labor force over the month.
President’s Service Award Crowns Flagler County Rotarians for 2nd Time in 6 Months
The 15 recipients honored Tuesday evening at the Hilton Garden Inn double the Rotarians who have received the President’s Service Award during Rick Staly’s tenure at the head of the local club. Staly will be replaced by Bill Lyon on July 1.
Flagler Approves $150,000 in Incentives for LED Company That Would Bring 300 Jobs
The secret company to which Flagler County agreed to offer the $150,000 incentive for 300 jobs over three years appears to be Aveo Engineering, a registered business in Palm Coast under the ownership of Navy veteran Christian Nielsen.
How Bank of America Regularly Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures
Bank of America employees regularly lied to homeowners seeking loan modifications, denied their applications for made-up reasons, and were rewarded for sending homeowners to foreclosure, according to sworn statements by former bank employees.
“That’s Crap,” McGrew Tells Fuego Del Mar Owner After Accusation of Business Unfriendliness in Flagler Beach
When Fuego Del Mar Restaurant owner Nicolas Kimball accused the city of wanting businesses to be successful only up to a point, Flagler Beach Commissioner Joy McGrew shot back, sharply and unapologetically, setting down a marker against repeated accusations of business unfriendliness.
Pressure Building on Scott to Sign–Or Veto–Bill Forbidding Local Sick-Leave Standards
Florida’s business lobby supports a bill that would forbid local governments from letting voters decide whether to require more generous sick-leave policies from employers than state or federal law requires.
Flagler County Will Buy 11 Billboards on A1A and I-95 and Eliminate Most of Them By 2016
The Flagler County Commission agreed to buy 10 billboards on A1A and one on I-95 for $140,000, and eliminate all but three by 2016, retaining the one on I-95 and two on A1A to promote the county’s tourism and economic development efforts.
Radiology Associates’ Al Falco Is Named Fellow at National Conference
Al Falco, CEO of Daytona Beach-based Radiology Associates was awarded the highest honor in the field of Radiology business management – Fellow of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA), for his significant contributions to the RBMA and his profession.
Dismissing Affordable Housing Prejudices, Palm Coast Approves Brookhaven Apartments
The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday approved 4-1 the 45-acre, 117-unit Brookhaven apartments development in Town Center, which will provide housing to lower income residents and walkability to nearby areas.
Ken Mattison Named Florida Hospital Flagler CEO, Switching With Ottati in Swift Succession
Ken Mattison, for 16 years the CEO at Adventist Health’s Florida Hospital Waterman, has been named to take over for David Ottati at Florida Hospital Flagler, a $156 million business with 1,017 employees in 2011. Ottati will assume Mattison’s position at Waterman, a $205 million hospital with 1,879 employees.
Sheriff Opens Palm Coast Precinct at City Market Place, Halving Cost, Not Space Needs
On Friday, the Sherif’s Office office opened its newest Palm Coast precinct, at City Market Place, a two-storefront 2,600-square foot space at $2,.000 a month that’ll add new life to the struggling shopping center in the heart of town, and a few doors down from the Palm Coast city offices.
Florida Hospital CEO David Ottati, Major Force in Local Economy, Leaving for Tavares
David Ottati, the CEO at Florida Hospital Flagler for the past seven years, where he oversaw a vast expansion that increased hospital employment past 1,000 and helped cushion the local economy’s severe downturn of the past few years, will be leaving the hospital to take a new post as CEO of the 269-bed Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares, in Central Florida, in early June.
Flagler’s Tourism Industry Takes Its Pulse, Declares Itself Healthy, and Cheers Its “Heroes”
In Flagler County, 2,600 people work in tourist businesses, which have weathered the recession and are seeing strong, sustained activity. Flagler County’s annual Hospitality Employees Recognition of Excellent Service (or H.E.R.O.E.S.) awards lunch at the Hammock Beach Resort Thursday was an occasion for the county’s tourism industry to cheer its own.
Can’t Say It’s Not Producing: Flagler’s Economic Arm Lands 4th Firm in 11 Months
Gioia Sails South, a supplier of boat interiors for Sea Ray Boats, will move 30 jobs to Palm Coast and create 10 more in the coming year, the latest success for the county’s Economic Development Council.
Forget Rio: Palm Coast Lands Soccer Academy in Planned Expansion of Economic “Niche”
The New Jersey-based Player Development Academy will build up to six fields on 65 acres west of U.S. 1 that will link with the Indian Trail Sp[orts Complex–and with Palm Coast’s sports-niche market, which has turned into an engine of economic development.
County Is Negotiating Acquisition of Old Hospital in Bunnell for New Sheriff’s HQ
Memorial Hospital Flagler’s dead years may be over if its current owners, who are politically well connected locally, can agree on a sales deal to Flagler County. The property is listed for sale at $1.75 million. It was acquired in 2006 for $750,000.
Publix’s Profitable Accommodation With Poverty: Not a Penny More for Tomato Pickers
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been trying for years to get Publix to join the Fair Food Coalition, in which suppliers and purchasers agree to pay the workers a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked. Publix won’t even meet with the workers.
Milestone: Flagler’s Unemployment in Single-Digits, at 9.5%, for 1st Time in 5 Years
For the first time since June 2008–almost five years–Flagler County’s unemployment has fallen back to single digits, registering 9.5 percent in March as the local economy continued to mirror the state’s and the nation’s, improving slowly but steadily.
Flagler Spirits: Nothing Micro About This Palm Coast Distillery’s Whiskey Rebellion
Jimmy Day’s Flagler Spirits micro-distillery in Palm Coast is part of the nation’s boom in a niche industry that develops specialty regional products, like Day’s whiskeys, vodkas and rums. He’s producing and marketing 1,000 gallons a month from his Hargrove Grade plant.
Sports Welfare’s Engines: Lawmakers Prep $60-Million Tax Break to Daytona Speedway
A measure that could land more than $60 million in sales tax rebates for the Daytona International speedway was unanimously supported by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee on Monday, allegedly to keep the speedway “relevant.”
As Florida Bans Internet Cafés, Palm Coast’s Lingering Joints Place Last Bets on Eulogies
A FlaglerLive reporter, $50 in hand, made a tour of Palm Coast’s Internet cafes, only to find most of them closed already, and a mournful atmosphere at two that were open, not long before a bill banning the small gambling halls was sent to Gov. Rick Scott Thursday.
Les Jeux Sont Faits: Gov. Scott Will Sign Internet Cafe Ban
Gov. Rick Scott will sign legislation prohibiting the gaming at Internet cafés, his office said Thursday, following the Senate’s Senate’s 36-4 passage of a bill that flew through the Legislature spurred by an on-going racketeering investigation, and pushed by Sen. John Thrasher, who represents Flagler County.
Florida’s Beer and Wine Regulations’ Outdated Boon to Booze Industry
Florida’s booze industry protects its territory with seemingly sensible-sounding arguments about keeping the flow regulated, taxed and as orderly as possible. In reality, they want laws to make that flow financially safe for themselves, not for the public at large.
As Local Governments Tackle Candy-Flavored Tobacco, Teen Trends Contradict Alarm
Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach have each passed a resolution asking merchants not to sell flavored tobacco products, which are especially appealing to youths, but teen use of tobacco products (including smokeless tobacco) has been on the decline since the mid-1990s.
House Votes 108-7 to Ban Internet Cafes; Impact in Palm Coast Will be Limited
Palm Coast at one point had nearly a dozen such businesses. Last week it had seven. This week, according to Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, the number was down to three, as several of them closed pre-emptively.
Tightening Vise on Internet Cafes, Senate Panel Follows House to Ban Them in Florida
The vote moves the Senate closer to outlawing the cafes and arcades, a proposal that was approved by the House last year but never reached the Senate floor. The proposal drew concerns about the potential impact on other amusement games used by charities and amusement arcades.
Internet Cafe Ban Picks Up Steam as House Committee Closes In on “Skills” Loophole
The new law would end a gray area in state statutes used by operators of Internet cafes that the games are contests of skill and that the contests are similar to regulated sweepstakes offerings by places like McDonalds, Coca Cola, Chucky Cheese and churches.
Sen. Thrasher Calls for Outright Shut-Down Of Internet Cafes in Wake of Scandal
Sen. John Thrasher, an influential senator who represents Flagler County, and who has sought to place a moratorium on new Internet cafes, said Wednesday that criminal allegations of racketeering and other wrongdoing in the industry should spur lawmakers to close the storefront businesses.
Lt. Gov. Carroll Resigns as Internet Cafe Scandal Sweeps Florida–and Palm Coast
As Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were serving a search warrant on the Internet Cafe in the Home Depot shopping center, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was resigning in connection with the scandal, which has led to Allied officials’ arrests.
Fuego del Mar Restaurant in Flagler Beach Spices Up Town’s Gastronomic Renaissance
Nicholas Kimball’s Fuego del Mar restaurant on A1A’s Oceanshore Boulevard in Flagler Beach is expected to employ 100 people and provide high wages to full-timers while burnishing the city’s growing reputation as the county’s destination for authentic, original, non-chain restaurants.
Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell Rides Harleys Back to Law Firm’s Roots
The Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell name, beside its saturation of Central Florida media markets and word of mouth, is synonymous with motorcycles, especially around Bike Week. But there’s a history and purpose behind the association.
Sea Ray Boats in Palm Coast Benefits from Plant Closures Elsewhere, With Cautions
Consolidation will likely add to the payroll in Flagler County, and do so with well-paying manufacturing jobs. It also puts to rest, at least for now, worries that Sea Ray’s local plant would either close. But the company is facing tough economic headwinds even as it stock soars to seven-year highs.
Appeal Court Rejects Taxing Online Travel Bookings, a Blow to Flagler and Other Counties
The 1st District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 ruling, said companies such as Expedia and Orbitz cannot be forced to pay local tourist-development taxes on part of the money they collect from customers. The majority found that the disputed amounts relate to reservation charges — not to the actual amounts paid to rent hotel rooms — and described the companies as “conduits.”
From Bankruptcy to Granny Nannies: Navigating the Shoals of Long-Term Care
Long-term care insurance is expensive, but the costs of long-term care are far more so. The experiences of local residents and businesses contending ding with reality almost everyone will eventually face illustrate the dilemmas of aging in a society with a meager safety net. A special report.
Youth Leadership Flagler Application Deadline Is March 15 for High School Sophomores
Modeled after Leadership Flagler, a program that develops aspiring leaders of Flagler County, the youth program will provide participating students with a better understanding of Flagler County for community-improvement purposes.
In a Blow to Workers and Home Rule, Florida Moves to Forbid Living-Wage Ordinances
The proposal would expand on legislation passed a decade ago to prevent cities from enacting their own minimum wage levels for private employers doing business within their jurisdictions. The proposal would also extend the ban to other employee benefits such as paid sick leave.
Answering Palm Coast, Thrasher Will Pitch Internet Cafe Bill, But Reach May Be Limited
Palm Coast officials want state lawmakers to either ban or more strictly regulate and possibly tax gambling parlor-like internet cafes. Sen. John Thrasher is proposing a moratorium on the parlors, which may not match local demands, as a moratorium was already executed in Palm Coast.
Named Chamber President, DeLorenzo Vows Openness and Redirected Focus on Businesses
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce and Affiliates appointed Rebecca DeLorenzo its permanent president on Thursday, ending a three-month interim since Doug baxter’s abrupt departure in November.
Coastal Cloud, a Next-Generation Computing Management Firm, Unveils Plan for 100 Jobs
Coastal Cloud is a newly-formed subsidiary of Graphene LLC, a computing consultancy, that will provide cloud-based data management services while hiring locally some 100 jobs over three years, at an average wage of $46,500, the company announced to the county’s economic development council today.
Lea Stokes, Former Flagler Chamber Chairman, Arrested on 2nd Drunk Driving Charge
Lea Ann Stokes, who heads Flagler Beach’s Preferred Management Services, was on the way to a Super Bowl party Sunday evening when she was arrested in Flagler Beach, and tried unsuccessfully to use her connections to get out of the arrest.
As Flagler Beach Sees a Fortune From Parking Fees, Locals See Only Alienated Tourists
Flagler Beach government could make up to $3 million over 5 years by turning its streets into revenue-generating parking slots, but the city manager’s proposal faces stiff-but not unanimous–opposition from local residents and businesses, who fear jeopardizing the city’s charms and its appeal to tourists.
M. Louis, Palm Coast’s Oldest Salon, Defies Economy With a Spa Expansion
M. Louis’s Beauty Factor Spa, holding an open house Sunday (Feb. 3) at the salon’s new location, is an indication that small businesses in Palm Coast can still find ways to expand and broaden their reach despite the slow economy.
Rebecca DeLorenzo Strengthens Chamber President Candidacy With New Designation
Rebecca DeLorenzo, the interim president at the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce and Affiliates, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Association leadership, the highest professional credential in the association industry. The designation burnishes her already substantial credentials as she aims for the permanent presidency of the chamber.
Flagler Beach City Government Wants to Take Over July 4 Events, But Unsure How
Flagler Beach government, eager to replicate Palm Coast’s method of making money from special events, would take over July 4 festivities run until now by the chamber of commerce, but city commissioners are uncomfortable with a complete take-over.
The Funky Pelican Finally, Quietly Opens In Place of the Pier Restaurant in Flagler Beach
The Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach, a sister-restaurant of the River Grille in Ormond Beach, replaced–after protracted negotiations with the Flagler Beach City Commission–what had for years been the Pier Restaurant, which had long been in decline.