Almost since it opened several years ago, Bronx House Pizza in the Hammock has been the victim of its success: its popularity has grown in proportion to neighborhood parking headaches as rights-of-way became de-facto parking zones. On Tuesday, Bronx House Pizza goes before Flagler County’s Planning Board, seeking approval of an overflow parking lot it would build south of the restaurant, but not contiguous to it, on four lots totaling 20,000 square feet south of 17th Road. It’s facing opposition.
Economy
Flagler School Board’s Lease of Old Courthouse Hides Sharply Higher Costs and Falling Enrollment
When the Flagler County school district administration first proposed last May to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell, it did so under the rosiest of assumptions: that the lease would allow the district to consolidate half a dozen programs under one roof, that it would create more classroom space at some of its elementary schools, and that it would save money. By the time the School Board approved the proposal last month, and the County Commission followed last week, only one of the three propositions was true.
Record Heat Is Forcing Some to Choose Between Food and Power Bills
A growing number of Americans struggle with what is known as energy poverty, including the inability to afford utilities to heat or cool a home. Households that spend more than 6% of their income on energy bills are energy-poor. Energy poverty can increase one’s exposure to extreme heat or cold, which raises the risk of developing numerous health conditions. The burden falls disproportionately on households in communities of color, which experience it at a rate 60% greater than those in white communities.
Low Wage Work Hurts Employees–And Customers
A business that’s focused on exploiting employees to make those at the top even richer isn’t just bad for workers, but for customers as well. And anyone who’s worked for one of these low-wage companies can tell you those businesses are hardly unique. If we want a strong economy, we need to do more to make sure all workers can make a decent living and feel safe and respected in their workplace.
How Illegal Short-Term Rentals Hide in Plain Sight on Booking Sites
In the midst of an ongoing housing emergency, the city of Los Angeles has struggled to keep rent-controlled housing, which includes some of the city’s most affordable dwelling units, from turning into short-term rentals. Even though a 2018 law prohibits such conversions, enforcement has been lax.
Legislative Analysts Warn Florida’s Surpluses Could Turn to Billion-Dollar Deficits as Federal Aid Dries Up
While there are numerous caveats, the picture could go from a $2.09 billion surplus during the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year to a potential deficit of $2.826 billion in the 2026-2027 fiscal year and a potential deficit of $6.941 billion in the 2027-2028 fiscal year.
Fringe in Check, Palm Coast Approves More Expansive Budget with Slightly Lower Tax Rate, No Rollback
Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston’s proposed budget and tax rate for the year starting Oct. 1 survived almost intact Thursday evening as the council, keeping its swaggering fringe in check, approved in a series of 3-1 votes a $61.2 million general fund budget with a $5.3 million increase and a slightly lower tax rate, but nowhere near the so-called rolled-back rate.
Fewer Problems at Bulow RV Park, But Evictions and Code Violations Loom as Deadline Approaches
The conflict between residents of the Bulow RV Park off Old Kings Road is not as intense as it was last year. Numerous issues have been resolved. But some problems persist, with more than a dozen residents still out of compliance with county and park rules, and with water pressure and water cleanliness issues now coming to the fore. The county continues to attempt to mediate a solution, with limited success. In the assistant county attorney’s characterization, the matter can be “intractable.”
Palm Coast Tries to Police Short-Term Rentals, Balancing Property Rights Against Residents’ Aggravations
Responding to a surge of vacation rentals in certain parts of the city, especially the C-Section, and complaints from permanent residents around the rentals, the Palm Coast City Council will soon adopt regulations limiting occupancy, setting registration fees and restricting the parking of recreational trailers or boats. But the city continues to face competing tensions from permanent residents aggravated by the disruptions of vacation rentals and operators of the same rentals, who say the city is jeopardizing their livelihood.
Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri’s ‘Warning Shot’: Why Are Taxpayers Paying for Infrastructure Benefiting Landowner?
Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri said the $105 million the city received in state appropriations for road construction west of U.S. 1 is money subsidizing “the current multi-billion dollar landowner,” a reference to Rayonier, the timber and land management company that owns most of the land in the expansion area. She cited development documents that require the developer to build a sports complex and road extensions that the city is currently scrambling to pay for.
Attempt to Delay Borrowing Referendum Fails in 2-2 Vote as Council Splinters and Public Rebels
The Palm Coast City Council is at war with itself over a proposed referendum that would remove borrowing limits the city has had to comply with for 25 years. If the city is hoping for a successful outcome in November, this is not the way to go about it, especially for a mostly lame-duck council, three of whose members were rejected by voters and a fourth who just resigned. For all the grim writing on the wall, an attempt to remove the proposed referendum from the Nov. 5 ballot and let the new council rewrite it more clearly and with additional guardrails failed in a 2-2 vote Tuesday evening.
County Bans Smoking, Vaping and Toking In Parks and Public Recreation Areas, With an Exception for Cigars
Mirroring Flagler Beach, which passed a similar ordinance two years ago, the Flagler County Commission today approved on first reading a prohibition on smoking or vaping in any public park or public recreation area, with a notable exception: unfiltered cigars. While the ban applies to county-owned portions of the beach, it does not apply in most portions.
You May No Longer Pay Bills at Palm Coast’s Utility Drive Lobby After Oct. 18
Palm Coast government’s Customer Service Utility lobby at 2 Utility Drive will be permanently closing on October 18. The move will help the city free up customer service representatives to serve people on the phones to cut down on hold times, which has significantly increased in recent years, a city spokesperson said.
Here’s How You Fix Your Florida Parks Problem, Gov. DeSantis
Gov. DeSantis’s super-sneaky plan to build a trio of golf courses, two 350-room hotels, and several sport facilities in nine state parks turned out about as well as his school board endorsements. Here’s a way to fix the mess.
Six Joe Mullins Properties Ordered Into Receivership in Georgia; 2 Local Properties’ Delinquent Taxes on Installment Plan
A court has ordered Joe Mullins, the former Flagler County commissioner and a delegate to the recent Republican National Convention, to surrender into receivership three apartment buildings and three residential buildings in Georgia owned by Mullins Properties after Mullins’s lender accused him of breach of contract. In Flagler County, 2023 taxes owed on two Mullins properties were delinquent until an installment plan began in June.
Reilly Opelka, Grateful To Be Playing Again, Recounts Odyssey of Harrowing, Nearly Career-Ending Injuries
Though Reilly Opelka, the former Indian Trails Middle student who trained at the Palm Coast Tennis Center, lost his opening match at the US Open this week, he described in an interview with FlaglerLive how close he came to the end of his tennis career as a string of harrowing injuries sidelined him before unique surgeries helped him make his way back to the tour. He continues to be involved in Palm Coast’s tennis endeavors.
Flagler Humane Society Critics Urged to ‘Stop Accusations’ as County and City Seek Oversight and Expansion Plans
Officials at a joint meeting of the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council on Wednesday agreed to place representation from either government on the board of the Flagler Humane Society, which has faced significant criticism from current and former volunteers. while the 20-year-old shelter on U.S. 1 is old, overcrowded and growing more so, and the society’s director says it’s been outgrown, the Humane Society has neither capital plan nor savings either to build larger shelter or move to one, though it would be prohibitively expensive to do so. Local officials want that plan.
Labor Day Weekend Gas Prices May Be At Lowest in 3 Years, But Drivers Beware: Sheriff’s Patrols Are in Full Force
Florida gas prices may be at their lowest in three years as Americans take to the roads this Labor Day weekend, with the statewide average at $3.29 per gallon last Sunday and prices about 10 cents higher in Palm Coast as the weekend approaches, with a few locations in the $3.20 range. Meanwhile the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is cautioning drivers that the agency’s patrols, its “DUI Taxi” and roadside message boards will be deployed across the county to remind residents to avoid driving drunk or stoned or recklessly.
BJ’s Wholesale Club and Traffic Nightmares on SR100: County Says Pain Will Ease With Coming Turn Lanes
With BJ’s Wholesale’s impending opening and traffic congestion already exacerbated by road construction, Flagler County and Palm Coast officials sought to allay public anxieties with assurances of a pair of turning lanes off of State Road 100, near BJ’s, that should relieve some of the bottlenecks. That construction is possibly slated for November. But larger concerns about traffic backups in the area are still looking for solutions, even as some transportation impact fee revenue is available to facilitate them.
Ponce Preserve, 74-House Gated Development in Palm Coast’s P-Section, Gets Final Approval Amid Truck Traffic Strains
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the final plat for Ponce Preserve, a gated development of 74 single-family homes on 35 acres between Point Pleasant Drive and Ponde de Leon Drive, the last such contiguous expanse of open space in the P-Section. Truck traffic in and ou of the construction zone has drawn complaints.
As Advocates Protest at Anastasia State Park, DeSantis Calls Golf Courses and Hotel Plan ‘Half Baked’
Trying to quell a bipartisan uproar, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that “half-baked” plans to bring golf courses, resort-style lodges and pickleball courts to state parks will be revamped. DeSantis said the Department of Environmental Protection will gather more public input before it could move forward with what is dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
Flagler’s Officials Hope Congressman Mike Waltz Will Be Their Sandman as They Dredge for More Beach Dollars
Flagler County officials asked U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, the Republican whose six-county district includes all of Flagler County and who was visiting Flagler Beach today, to give them help in efforts to federalize larger portions of the 10 miles of shore that still need new beach sand. The county has no money to extend beach renourishment to that portion of the barrier island. But the congressman, who is not big on climate change measures, was reserved, making no promises.
Critics Want DeSantis Parks Plan Shredded For Good
Environmentalists are seeking assurances that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has scrapped plans for a series of golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park after a state spokeswoman said the proposal has been dropped. Audubon Florida, the Sierra Club and other groups also are rallying against additional changes floated by the state Department of Environmental Protection for eight other award-winning state parks. The plans, which include a pair of resort-sized lodges, pickleball courts and disc-golf courses, have drawn fierce opposition from Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
Controversial Solitude Development on A1A Moving Toward 14 Three-Story Condo Units Instead of 16 Houses
On the drawing board for almost 20 years, the controversial Solitude at Matanzas Shores development proposed for 3.9 acres of beachfront property on A1A just south of the Surf Club condominiums is now moving toward construction as 14 three-story condominium units in an L-shaped pair of buildings rising 35 and 36 feet. Each unit would have a pool deck.
Forbidding a Margaritaville Hotel Rooftop Spike Repeat, Flagler Beach Limits All Building Heights to 35 Feet
A rewritten ordinance will forbid rooftop bars, dance floors, lounges, or any other public uses on 35-foot-high buildings in Flagler Beach, with the notable exception of the Margaritaville Hotel’s rooftop lounge, whose height city officials permitted by mistake even though it exceeds limits set out in the city charter. The Flagler Beach City Commission last week sharply rejected a recommendation by its own Planning and Architectural Review Board to approve an ordinance that would have allowed some features on buildings to go as high as 49 feet.
‘Hell No!’ Response and Plan Sponsor’s Pull-Out Force DeSantis Administration to ‘Pause’ State Park Scheme
In a masterpiece of spin and understatement, the DeSantis administration credited “overwhelming interest” for temporarily pausing a scheme to put golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts on nine of Florida’s pristine state parks. “Overwhelming opposition” better describes the thunderous “Hell no!” Tallahassee was hearing from private citizens and public officials throughout the state. The secretive groups behind the plan heard the dissent loud and clear. The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation acknowledged it sponsored the plan to build on the park and has pulled out due to the public backlash.
DeSantis Wants to Build Golf Courses and Hotels in Florida’s State Parks
The DeSantis administration has plans to transform Florida’s award winning state parks. One of the worst plans talks of building not one, not two, but three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. There are plans at the other parks for big motels and pickleball courts and disc golf courses, all of which run completely counter to what our state parks are all about.
Flagler Beach Will Lower Speed Limit to 20 Across the City, Citing Safety and Streets Shared by Many Non-Motorists
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to drop the citywide speed limit to 20, from a variety of higher speeds–30 along some streets, 25 along others. Speeds along State Road A1A and State Road 100 will remain at 25. Whether, and to what extent, the Flagler Beach Police Department will be able to enforce what for many residents and visitors will be a significantly lower speed limit than they’re used to is an unanswered question.
Flagler Beach Agrees to $600,000 Deal with Data Company for Undersea Cable Landings, with Potential for $750,000 More
Ending a four-month tangle of negotiations, and to Palm Coast’s immense relief, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday approved a deal with an Atlanta-based DC Blox, a data-service company, that will allow it to use city rights-of-way to land undersea internet cables for $600,000, with a potential for up to an additional $750,000. There would be no subsequent payments. DC Blox is planning a data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But that plan, to be subsidized with tax incentives, was contingent on a successful deal in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Cares Adds Sunshine Psychiatric Care to Village
Flagler Cares, a one-stop health and social care organization, welcomed Sunshine Psychiatric Care to the Flagler County Village in Palm Coast, on August 1 as a community partner.
Beach Project Nears Conclusion as It Moves to Pier and Heart of Flagler Beach, With a Few Traffic Disruptions
The $27 million beach renourishment project in Flagler Beach is nearing conclusion in the next few weeks, well ahead of schedule, at least its latest schedule: the project overall had been delayed a few years. It entails a few traffic disruptions this morning.
Florida’s New Idea for Anastasia and Other State Parks: Pickle Ball, Golf, 350-Room Hotels
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection has a plan, not yet made public, of developing numerous state parks with golf courses, “lodges” with up to 350 rooms, and pickleball courts, including at St. Johns’s Anastatsia State Park. Doing so would be “travesties,” an Audubon official said.
Dance Wins Re-Election, Richardson and Carney Win Commission, Ramirez and Ruddy Win School Board, Norris and Manfre in Runoff
Andy Dance won his second term on the Flagler County Commission, trouncing Fernando Melendez in the only clear runaway victory of the evening as the Supervisor of Elections announced early results of the primary. Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy won school board seats, Pam Richardson beat Ed Danko for County Commission, while Mike Norris and Cornelia Manfre looked headed for a runoff, leaving David Alfin behind.
Big Shopping Mall Plans for Hunter’s Ridge Approved With Some Questions About Access and Landscaping
With pointed questions about the project’s sidewalks and green spaces, the Flagler County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a key step toward construction of the first large-scale shopping center in Hunter’s Ridge, the sprawling, so far largely residential development at the south end of the county and across the border into Ormond Beach. Primrose at Hunter’s Ridge is to be in the northwest corner of the intersection of Hunter’s Ridge and Airport Road.
Orlando’s A-1 Block Corporation Planning Concrete Block Manufacturing Plant Next to Flagler County Fairgrounds
A-1 Block Corporation of Orlando will build and open a 55,000-square-foot concrete-block manufacturing plant on 25 acres just north of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off Sawgrass Road. The Flagler County Planning Board approved the project’s site plan last week. The site was formerly residential and used to board horses. It is currently categorized as pastureland. It was rezoned. It is bordered by industrial land to the north. There are no residential parcels on Sawgrass anymore.
Embattled Old Dixie Motel Submits Makeover as ‘Hotel Henry,’ But a Suspicious Flagler Planning Board Balks
For three years, the cryptic owners of the decrepit Old Dixie motel have been promising county officials that they’re getting ready to submit renovation plans and end the building’s history as an eyesore to nearby residents and a legal ordeal for the county. On Tuesday, the county’s Planning Board finally got to review that plan. But it couldn’t bring itself to approve it as board members fear the motel owners are “trying to pull the wool over eyes,” while the owners had yet to secure key steps for development.
Flagler County’s 4.6% Unemployment Is Highest in Three Years; Florida’s Rate Stays at 3.3% for 4th Month
Flagler County’s unemployment rate of 46 percent in July was the highest since August 2021, when it was 4.9 percent and rapidly falling from its Covid-era high of 11.1 percent the year before. he labor force had also been gaining steadily until last August, when it peaked at 52,293, a record. It has fallen since. In July, it was 51,739, about where it stood in January. That suggests the county’s influx of new residents, especially working-age families, has slowed.
New Lines of Attack Form Against Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act is back under attack. Not as in the repeal-and-replace debates of yore, but in a fresher take from Republican lawmakers who say key parts of the ACA cost taxpayers too much and provide incentive for fraud. Several House Republican leaders have called on two watchdog agencies to investigate, while Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) fired off more than half a dozen questions in a recent letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Flagler County Readies to Adopt Tougher Rules to Protect Trees from Demolition on Development Sites
Flagler County government is belatedly moving toward adopting a tree ordinance that would significantly increase tree-protection measures, either by reducing the number of trees cut, by increasing replanting requirements, or by establishing a tree fund that will be a form of replacement bank developers may pay into, to compensate for the trees destroyed on a development site.
An Inside Look at the Army Corps’ Beach Renourishment Along Flagler County’s Shore as It Nears Completion
The beach renourishment project that started in Flagler Beach last month after almost 20 years of planning and waiting is nearing completion at remarkable speed, with operations moving to the area of the Flagler Beach pier and north of it starting in the middle of next week and windup expected this month. The project is little short of the recreation of earth. Here’s a detailed tour for those unable to make it to the project site.
Producer of Lab-Grown Poultry Sues Florida Over ‘Cultivated Meat’ Ban
A California-based producer of lab-grown poultry filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new Florida ban on selling or manufacturing “cultivated” meat. UPSIDE Foods, Inc., contends, in part, that the law violates a constitutional prohibition on favoring in-state businesses over out-of-state competitors.
With Some Reservations and $635,000 in Renovations, School District Prepares to Rent Old Courthouse
The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission are preparing to sign a joint agreement that will lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to the district for just two years, with two options to renew for five years each, and an option to buy. Some school board members have reservations about the building’s quality, but will not stand in the way of approving the lease.
In Major Leap for Public Art, Palm Coast Will Require Developers to Devote Portion of Project Costs to Art Fund
It’s taken 25 years, but Palm Coast appears ready to take the arts seriously. The City Council today agreed to a plan that will require developers to pay a small portion of their development costs into an arts fund that would be used to pay for public art installations. If such a fund was in place last year, it would have generated close to $1 million, city officials said.
Flagler Humane Society Director Defends Shelter’s Euthanasia Record and Rejects Criticism as Inaccurate
Amy Carotenuto, director of Flagler Humane Society, describes the society’s procedures, including euthanasia when necessary, and defends the society’s record in the face of recent criticism by current and former volunteers who spoke to the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council.
Flagler Library’s ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground with a Shovelful of History and Images of a Future Page-Turner
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell officials along with advocates and friends of the library gathered at the 7-acre site of the future “Nexus Center” south branch library for a groundbreaking today, which was as much of a celebration of the future building as it was a recognition of Library Director Holly Albanese’s perseverance to finally get to this point, after nine or 19 years, depending on hos you calculate it.
Behind Flagler Tax Services Owner Newsholme’s $300,000 in Fraud: Mounting Debts and Ponzi-Like Scheme
Robert Newsholme, the former owner of Flagler Tax Services, a three-year Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation found, had essentially been running what amounted to his own Ponzi scheme, taking money from clients who thought they were paying their IRS taxes, using that money to pay debts from lending companies, then borrowing more money from different lending companies to pay previous lending companies while putting off his clients who wanted their money back, plying them with promises and bad checks.
After Flagler Beach’s Margaritaville Hotel Rose Higher Than It Should Have, the City Rewrites Height Ordinance
Flagler Beach government is re-writing its height ordinance as it applies to commercial buildings after an administrative misstep allowed the Margaritaville Hotel to rise higher than it was supposed to. The city’s planning board reviewed and recommended the new ordinance, which sets out exceptions and conditions for heights exceeding 35 feet. The ordinance now goes to the City Commission for a pair of readings.
Palm Coast Council Clears Final Plats for 119 Housing Units in Town Center and Seminole Woods
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of final plats clearing the way for construction of 61 single family homes and 58 town homes, one in Town Center, one in Seminole Woods.
Is Ethereum A Smart Investment Following The Bitcoin Halving?
Bitcoin’s most recent halving took place in April 2024, and previous halving events have seen Bitcoin’s price rise dramatically in the following year. BTC prices have risen during the second quarter, although this has likely been fuelled by the introduction of spot BTC ETFs.
Hurricane Debby Follows Idalia’s Path, But with More Limited Impacts
Debby made landfall Monday morning near Steinhatchee as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. It came after rural Taylor County last August also took the brunt of Idalia, which made landfall in Keaton Beach. Debby’s damage was far less severe.