In what amounts to the largest health-related private endowment in Flagler County’s history, Dr. Stephen Bickel is pledging to award Flagler Cares, the Palm Coast-based non-profit focused on health and social services for the neediest, $1 million a year, every year, leading to a self-sustaining endowment worth $10 million. Flagler Cares today is launching mold-breaking innovative grants and local health initiatives with the money.
Economy
Palm Coast Plans to Trash Waste Pro for New Hauler, FCC Environmental, and Another Fee Increase
After 15 years with Waste Pro, Palm Coast government is proposing to drop the trash hauler and sign a seven-year, $32 million contract with Houston-based FCC Environmental, raising residential homes’ monthly trash fee to $32.32 a month, up 59 percent from last year, and 7.8 percent from the existing, temporary one-year extension contract with Waste Pro.
No Fireworks in Flagler Beach? No Problem: Palm Coast Hosts July 3 Fireworks Show at County Airport
Celebrate Independence Day with “Fireworks Over the Runways” on Sunday, July 3, with a 20-minute production by Fireworks by Santore at the Flagler Executive Airport, 201 Airport Road in Palm Coast. The show features more than 1,000 exploding shells and a jaw-dropping finale.
Flagler Beach Mayor Files Grant On Her Own, Underscoring Grievance With Manager Over Serial Fails
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston filed an application to the county’s Tourist Development Council for a $739,000 grant to rebuild the city’s boardwalk, without commission approval, but in reaction to what she sees as a series of failures on the city administration’s part to follow through on city initiatives.
You Cannot Be Serious: Brian McMillan Leaves The Observer
Palm Coast Observer Brian McMillan announced today in a column that he was leaving the paper after 12 years. Though he leaves the paper in the equally qualified hands of Jonathan Simmons, it is no less of a gut punch and a loss to the community. McMillan had kept the Observer centered.
As Clock Ticks to Friday Deadline, Green Lion Wraps Compromise Proposal in Threat to Sue Palm Coast
The Green Lion restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Course has until Friday to sign a new agreement with city government or face eviction in the next 180 days. The restaurant issued a counter-proposal to the city in a letter Tuesday, but to the city, the matter has been decided: it’s take it or leave it.
Gas Prices Drop Ahead of July 4, Continuing 2-Week Streak, But Don’t Whoop Yet
It’s painful, but not not as painful as two weeks ago: The price of a gallon of regular gas dropped below $4.70 at most gas stations along guzzlers’ alley on State Road 100 in Palm Coast early this week, continuing a two-week downward streak since prices came within 10 cents of the $5 mark in Flagler, and briefly crossed the mark in nearly half the states.
DeSantis Vetoes Travis Hutson Bill That Would Have Allowed Business to Sue Cities and Counties
While the veto of the business measure (SB 620) drew praise from local-government and environmental groups, DeSantis left open the door for lawmakers to consider similar, but more targeted, legislation in the future.
ELO Meets FYO as Band’s Strange Magic Electrifies Flagler Auditorium With Flagler Youth Orchestra Saturday
The tribute band Ticket to the Moon, which formed in 2019 and took its name from an ELO song title, performs in a Saturday concert at Flagler Auditorium, bringing the band’s music to life with the aid of four teens — a string quartet from the Flagler Youth Orchestra.
Flagler Beach Misses Deadline on $739,000 Tourism Grant. It had 18 Months to Apply. And an Extension.
The Flagler Beach City Commission learned Thursday evening that the city missed out on up to $739,000 in grant funds from the Flagler County Tourist Development Council–a grant that had been available since January 2021. The city was afforded an extension. It missed that deadline too.
On Palm Drive Near the Future Gardens Development, Flagler Beach Awakens to Stormwater Responsibility
Residents along Palm Drive in Flagler Beach have worried about flooding from the very large future development of The Gardens, now Veranda Bay, nearby, but a city commissioner found that the city has neglected to maintain the stormwater system, which itself would go a long way to mitigating waterflow issues in the future.
Florida Park Drive Will Be Closed to Thru Traffic for at Least 4 Months for Major Utility Work
Starting Monday, June 27, Florida Park Drive will be closed to thru traffic for at least four months to accommodate a major utility reconstruction project. Local access will still be possible. But accessing either Holland Park or most of the neighborhoods along Florida Park Drive from Palm Coast Parkway will not be possible without a wide detour.
A Green Lion Deal Dims as Positions Harden in Acrimony, Accusations and a Deadline
Green Lion owner Tony Marlow called Palm Coast City officials “crooks” as a council segment on a proposed lease resulted in a take-it-or-leave it offer from the city, and a 10-day deadline, or else the city will terminate the lease and seek a new vendor for the space.
2 New Cell Towers, Including on Club House Drive, Clear Palm Coast Council Hurdle, But It’s Not Over
The Palm Coast City Council today in a pair of unanimous if somewhat guarded votes approved two lease agreements with Diamond Communications to build 150-foot cell towers at the eastern edge of Royal Palms Parkway and in the heart of Club House Drive in Palm Coast.
School District’s Half-Penny Sales Surtax Renewal, for Tech and Safety, Will Be on the November Ballot
The Flagler County Commission Monday evening approved on a 4-0 vote placing a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot to renew for the third time the school district’s half-penny sales surtax. The vote was not a surprise, though it reflects a shift from Commissioner Joe Mullins, who earlier this month was signaling opposition to the tax.
Lease Negotiations Between Green Lion Café and Palm Coast Crumble Again on Eve of Council Decision
A year into the negotiations, relations between the Palm Coast city administration and the Green Lion Cafe at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club have again broken down over several additional changes on the even of a scheduled City Council vote on a proposed five-year agreement with the popular restaurant.
Pay Attention, Class: CRT’s ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’ Is In Session at Flagler Auditorium
“Schoolhouse Rock Live!” will be presented by City Repertory Theatre at 7 p.m. Wednesday June 22 and Thursday June 23 at Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast. Proceeds will benefit both City Rep and the nonprofit auditorium. The play tells the story of the teacher Jan, who is nervous as her first day of school teaching is approaching. But her nerves are calmed when she turns on “Schoolhouse Rock!” and the characters come to life to help her prepare her lessons.
Gas Prices Fall Back Below $4.80 in Palm Coast as Oil Prices Continue to Drop
Prices remain high: $4.79 a gallon along guzzlers’ alley in Palm Coast–State Road 100’s Wawa, Shell, 7-11, Circle K and two RaceTracs, with Mobil the usual exception at 6 cents higher–and $4.85-a-gallon gas or higher at stations along Palm Coast Parkway. It still costs around $72 to $75 to fill up the average gas tank.
100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt
In the past five years, more than half of U.S. adults report they’ve gone into debt because of medical or dental bills. A quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000. And about 1 in 5 with any amount of debt said they don’t expect to ever pay it off.
Flagler Unemployment Remains Below 3% as 530 More Residents Find Jobs
Flagler County added more than 600 people to its labor force, yet again breaking a record and grazing the 50,000 mark, out of a population of more than 115,000. The figures don’t distinguish between full time and part-time work.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Student Michael Baskin’s Design Wins Scenic A1A Logo Contest
Flagler Palm Coast High School student Michael Baskin’s digital art design was selected from more than 20 submissions for the contest. The design will be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation for review and installation at strategic locations along the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway.
Another Cell Tower Plan Near Palm Harbor Golf Has Palm Coast Council Fearful of Public Reaction
The Palm Coast City Council is set to approve leases for two new cell towers–one off Royal Palms Parkway in Town center, one off Club House Drive, near the Palm Harbor Golf Course. But the Club House Drive tower is controversial, as was a similar proposal for a tower within the golf club in late 2020. Public opposition defeated that proposal. The council is worried about a replay.
Inflation Is Spiking. Can the Fed Raise Interest Rates Without Spiking Unemployment, Too?
Economists fear that raising rates too fast and too steeply would likely put the brakes on economic growth, resulting in an economic recession and soaring unemployment. An economist who studies inflation believes there are several reasons the Fed can more fiercely fight inflation without worrying so much about unemployment.
Still a Dime Short in Flagler and Florida, $5-a-Gallon Gas Swills Over 21 States
Share prices on Wall Street continued to tumble today, entering bear-market territory, meaning that share prices have lost 20 percent of their value since January, with one notable exception: Big Oil.
Flagler Beach Kills Fireworks on July 4 Over Dissatisfaction With Vendor and Contract Changes
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally and irrevocably killed this year’s July 4 fireworks after further dissatisfaction with both the fireworks vendor and the administration’s handling of the matter, which means it’ll be the third year in a row that the pier will be dark the night of Independence Day.
Expect Lane Closures on SR100 as Work Crews Install Beams on Future Pedestrian Bridge
A new phase of construction for the soon-to-be pedestrian bridge that will cross over State Road 100 began today (June 9) as crews, using a crane, installed the first of several colossal, concrete beams across the roadway. The beams are being trucked in on oversize trucks.
Flagler Beach Mayor Declines to Sign Fireworks Contract, Citing Unapproved Cost and Shorter Show
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston said she is not signing the city’s fireworks contract with a pyrotechnics producer, at least not until the city commission reviews them, because the commission had not approved the extra $1,000 cost and a diminution of the show’s length to 17 minutes, from 20. it is is yet another delay from yet another unexpected twist in what has been a drudging effort to secure a July 4 fireworks for the city.
State Road 100 Will Be Repaved, Have New Sidewalks and Additional Crossing Points
The Florida Department of Transportation plan s a $11.6 million upgrade of State Road 100–or East Moody Boulevard–from just east of Old Kings Road and I-95 in Palm Coast to the edge of central Bunnell to the west, a 4.55-mile project starting in the fall of 2023.
Anti-Alabama Slurs Aside, Palm Coast Council Clears 251-Apartment Complex in Town Center
The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote approved the 251-unit Wilton apartment complex off Brookhaven Drive, but not before Council member Eddie Branquinho repeatedly took on the project’s Alabama-based investors, asking openly whether the council was “on the side of Alabama” or on that of Palm Coast residents.
How Mud Muckers in West Flagler Bogged Down in Its Own Lawsuit and Wetlands Violations, and Lost
Mud Muckers for many years operated as a huge ATV park southwest of Bunnell, until it was found to be violating wetlands rules and required to move. Mud Muckers sued its landlord, and today lost its final appeal, four years after it said–inaccurately–that it had been unceremoniously shut down.
The Gardens, Now Veranda Bay, Clears Last Hurdle Before Construction of First 56 of 334 Homes
After innumerable public, regulatory and legal hurdles, including a lawsuit, Veranda Bay today won with another key vote from the Flagler County Commission–an almost-routine 5-0 vote this time approving the final plat for the first 56 lots of a development that’ll eventually number 334 homes.
Flagler and Florida Gas Prices Hit New High, Relief Not Yet in Sight
In Palm Coast on Monday, regular gas was selling for $4.72 to $4.76 at gas stations on State Road 100 and Palm Coast Parkway, with the lowest reported price in the region at the Hess station on U.S. 1 south of Korona, where it was selling for $4.65.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Welcomes Florida Internet and Television CEO Brad Swanson
Florida Internet & Television represents providers across Florida, such as Atlantic Broadband, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Comcast and Mediacom.
Bunnell’s Long-Awaited Commerce Parkway Survives Veto, as Does Barrier Island Sewer Project, But Not Ag Museum
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued $3.13 billion in vetoes Thursday as he signed a record $109.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1. For Bunnell, the $6.8 million allocated for long-awaited Commerce Parkway survived, as did an $8 million allocation for the barrier island’s septic-to-sewer project.
“Be Prepared to Be Off the Grid”: Flagler Emergency Management Chief Decodes Hurricane Season
Flagler County Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord today prefaced the 2022 hurricane season, with 14 to 21 storms predicted, six to 10 of them expected to become hurricanes. There are some worrisome weather factors in play, but also improvements in preparation and infrastructure.
U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Florida-Like Texas Law Limiting Content Moderation by Social Media
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law similar to one in Florida that prohibits large social media companies, such as Facebook or Twitter, from banning or removing users’ posts based on political viewpoints. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week ruled that Florida’s law unconstitutionally restricts free speech.
Gas Prices Ease Off By a Few Pennies in Palm Coast But Oil Prices Again Rise Sharply on Embargo News
Prices had eased off somewhat in Palm Coast and Flagler County on Tuesday, but announced new sanctions on Russian oil sent oil prices sharply higher, matching the year’s record and portending further higher prices for gas ahead.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Has ‘Zero Confidence’ July 4 Will Be Pulled Off as Planning Drags
As the Flagler Beach city manager is giving a fireworks producer until just 24 days before July 4 fireworks to sign a contract, City Commissioner Eric Cooley said he had no confidence that the fireworks or other preparatory plans for Independence Day could be pulled off safely, absent more detailed information.
2.2 Million Floridians Expected on the Roads This Weekend Despite Record High Gas Prices
More than 39 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more across the country this Memorial Day weekend, including 2.2 million Floridians–10 percent of the state’s population–even as gas prices hit a new record of $4.58 a gallon in the state on Thursday.
Provider Still Hasn’t Signed Flagler Beach Fireworks Contract or Shown Insurance. City Chief ‘Not Yet’ Worried.
Less than six weeks from July 4, and two weeks after the Flagler Beach City Commission voted to approve a $24,000 contract with Ryan Allen to set off Independence Day fireworks, the contract is still not signed, Allen has still not provided proof of insurance, and the city has therefore not issued a deposit check.
DeSantis Veto of Modest Bankruptcy Relief Will Hurt Stressed Floridian Families That Need It Most
The bill would have afforded a measure of relief for Floridians already beset by bankruptcy, by giving them a little credit for equity in their primary vehicle. DeSantis voted no, claiming, ridiculously, that it would “incentivize” people to file for bankruptcy. But no one wants to file personal bankruptcy.
Hundreds Turn Up For Flagler Beach’s 1st ‘Hang 8’ Dog-Surfing Contest, Putting Event on Map
Flagler Beach’s inaugural Hang 8 dog-surfing competition drew close to 1,000 people over the five-hour event, giving the city what its organizers say will be an established annual draw.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate Falls to Record Low of 2.6%, Beating Housing and Pre-Pandemic Booms
In the two previous booms on record, Flagler’s unemployment rate had fallen to a low of 3.6 percent in December 2005, at the crest of the housing boom, before starting to rise the following year. In the late 1990s boom, the county’s unemployment hit 2.7 percent in September 1999 (when 486 people were unemployed), until now the lowest rate recorded.
Costco Opening Wholesale Club on International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach in 2024
Costco Wholesale is opening a 150,000-square-foot store in Daytona Beach in 2024, bringing the members-only wholesale club retailer within 30 miles or less of most Palm Coast and Flagler County residents–just as a BJ’s wholesaler is planning a store on State Road 100 in Palm Coast.
Rezoning Would Clear the Way for 243 Apartments on Old Kings Road, Against Public Opposition
The Palm Coast Planning Board recommended approval to rezone acreage off Old Kings Road north of Town Center Boulevard for a 243-unit apartment complex. The proposal drew mis-statements by opponents of the project. A cover letter with a 100-name petition opposing falsely claims apartment dwellers do not “contribute anything to a community.”
Several Road Projects and Lane Closures planned Along Sesame Boulevard in Coming Days and Weeks
There will be periodic lane closures at the intersection of Sesame Boulevard at the eastern Smith Trail starting today (May 18), and on May 31 a portion of Sesame Boulevard near Sedgwick Trail will be closed as Stormwater Crews replace a pipe that has become faulty.
95-Home Subdivision in R-Section Draws Concerns Over Smaller Lot Sizes, But Council Approves
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday voted 4-0 to approve a gated subdivision of 95 homes, most on 6,000-square foot lots, on Ryan Drive in Palm Coast’s R-Section, against objections by residents that the development is built of smaller lots, would generate more traffic and could impact children’s safety at a bus stop.
Damaging Trust with Unions, Flagler School Board Rejects a Rebate to Employees that Its Own Teams Had Agreed To
The Flagler County school district’s teacher and service employee unions have suspended collective bargaining negotiations with the district following what both unions say is a breaking of a pledge by the district to award one-time health insurance premium rebates to employees. The unions consider that “bad faith,” breaking trust in the district, damaging what for many years had been cordial relations between the two sides, and raising the possibility of more formal measures.
Gas Prices Set a New Record in Palm Coast, Reaching $4.49 After 30-Cent Rise Over the Week
In Palm Coast, gas today was selling at $4.49 a gallon at Wawa and both RaceTrac stations on State Road 100. It was selling at $4.51 at the Shell closer to Flagler Beach, and $4.49 almost everywhere else in the city as $5-a-gallon gas is now a possibility.
Setting Aside Transparency Concerns, Flagler Beach Commission Reaffirms Support for $420,000 Dumpster Project
The $420,000 reconstruction and expansion of the dumpster pad outside the Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach–$450,000, including architectural drawings–will go forward, the Flagler Beach City Commission decided last week, despite questions by two commissioners and the mayor.