The trespassing of Peter Johnson, a former candidate for mayor, underscored what had become an uneasy and contentious relationship between the Palm Coast City Council and FC3, as the Flagler County Cultural Council likes to refer to itself. Palm Coast is requiring more accountability and openness. And it led to an opinion by the county attorney’s office that FC3 should henceforth operate under sunshine, meaning that its meetings must be advertised ahead of time and be open to the public, and that its members refrain from communicating with each other on FC3 business outside of those meetings.
Economy
Flagler Tiger Bay Re-Elects Jay Scherr, Marc Dwyer and Joe Saviak to Leadership
The Flagler Tiger Bay Club, the county’s non-partisan and unique forum for ideas and discussions, Friday announced the election and re-election of the following board officers to serve four-year terms, among them Jay Scherr, Marc Dwyer and Joe Saviak.
More Than Third of Flagler County’s Renters Are Under Water as Florida Rents Increased 39% in 4 Years
A University of Florida study found that rent for multifamily units in Florida rose by 39 percent between 2019 and 2023, as 1 million households entered the state. In Flagler County, 4,478 renting households out of 12,000 total renting households–or 37 percent–are in that category. Among the most low-income, cost-burdened renting households in the county, 72 percent are occupied by one or two people. The majority are younger than 54.
Armed Burglar Wrecks Sharps Liquors in Flagler Plaza After Being Denied Drinks, and Faces Life Felonies
A 38-year-old man whose recorded behavior at the time of his arrest suggests questionable mental competence is at the Flagler County jail on 12 felony charges, two of them punishable by life in prison, following an alleged armed burglary and a trashing rampage through Sharps Discount Liquors in Palm Coast. He is being held on $236,000 bond. The trashing left the area behind the counter entirely covered in broken bottles shoved off the shelves, along with a whole other segment of the store where the man had systematically upended, broken or wrecked everything in his way.
A Groveling Flagler County Amplifies FEMA Falsehoods as Feds Release $3.72 Million Owed Flagler Beach Pier
Setting aside what a federal judge called a “categorical freeze of appropriated and obligated funds,” the Federal Emergency Management Administration finally released a reimbursement of $3.72 million for the Flagler Beach pier’s $15 million demolition and reconstruction project, bringing FEMA’s share to $11.2 million. FEMA and Flagler County have issued news releases falsely crediting that and other releases of FEMA dollars to the rump administration, which had ordered the money frozen and been forced to release it by a judge’s injunction.
Guns and Ammo Will be Tax-Free in Florida Until the End of the Year
Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition. The tax holiday starting Monday also will allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on camping and fishing equipment through the end of the year. It was part of a broad tax package (HB 7031) that lawmakers passed in June.
Lease-Holder Offers Flagler Beach $801,000 to Buy Ocean Palm Golf Club as 2nd Company Shows Interest
The operators of the city-owned Ocean Palm Golf Club at the south end of Flagler Beach are offering the city $801,333 to buy the 37-acre, nine-hole course the city has owned since 2013. Meanwhile, John Patrick Capital, the investment firm, told the city last week that it was interested in making its own offer on the property, implying that it would do a better job running it than the current lease-holder.
Delayed a Month, Work on Flagler Beach Pier Demolition Resumes After Erin’s Waves Wash Out Turtle Nest
It took a bit of a cataclysmic tragedy for what may have been up to a hundred eggs, but demolition work on the Flagler Beach pier resumed today after a turtle nest that had stopped the work cold at the end of July washed out to sea as Hurricane Erin’s waves battered the shore. The storm never got close to the beach. But swells carved out a significant swath of sand, and with it the loggerhead nest.
Cindi Lane to Receive Great Communicator Award from Volusia/Flagler Chapter of Florida PR Association
Cindi Lane, Public Information Director for the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District Five, will be the 2025 Roger Pynn Great Communicator. This top honor by the Volusia/Flagler Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA-VF) is the only local award to recognize community service plus a lifetime of achievement for communicators or public relations practitioners.
Palm Coast’s Epic Theatres Marks Reopening After $1 Million Renovation as Industry Battles Slump
As movie theaters and the movie industry struggle to regain pre-pandemic audiences (and revenue), Palm Coast marked the grand reopening of Epic Theatres of Palm Coast Wednesday following a major renovation at the 15-year-old theater. The ribbon-cutting event was held on Wednesday evening. The more than $1 million renovation upgraded all 14 auditoriums with luxury electric recliners, enhanced lighting, new flooring, and advanced acoustical improvements. Movie theaters have been struggling to regain audiences lost during the Covid pandemic.
Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, whose district includes Flagler County, wants to federalize Pellicer Creek, Princess Place, Crescent Lake, Lake Disston and Haw Creek Preserve, all of which are in Flagler County in whole or in part. In all, he wants to federalize 1.8 million acres or 2,800 square miles of Florida land–4.2 percent of the state’s land mass–between Jacksonville, Gainesville Orlando and Daytona Beach into what he would call Florida Springs National Park.
Council Kills Talk of Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course But Sets Ultimatum to City Management If It Doesn’t Break Even
A decisive 4-1 majority of the Palm Coast City Council is opposed to selling the Palm Harbor Golf Club, but not to seeking to outsource its management next year if it doesn’t break even under city management. In essence, city staff at Palm Harbor faces an ultimatum. The council’s history was not as clear-eyed. The course was under the private management of Kemper Sports from its opening in 2009 until 2017. It was an unhappy history.
Teens-In-Flight President Ricky Carson ‘Ric’ Lehman Dies at 69
Teens-In-Flight, the Palm Coast non-profit, announced today the unexpected death of its president, Ricky Carson “Ric” Lehman, on Aug. 22 at his home in Palm Coast. He had been recovering from an appendectomy. He was 69.
Would You Favor a Half-Cent Sales Tax Referendum for Beach Protection? Local Governments Consider It.
Representatives of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and the county agreed at a joint meeting of local governments to consider the possibility of adding a referendum to the November 2026 ballot to raise the sales tax by half a cent and use some of the revenue to pay for beach protection.
Flagler Beach and County Hope to End Uncertainty Over Lifeguard Program Now that Tourism Tax Revenue Can Pay Salaries
State law changed in July to allow counties to use tourism sales surtax revenue to pay for lifeguards. That’s good news for Flagler Beach: last month Flagler County said it was ending the annual contribution that paid for half the city’s lifeguard personnel costs. The county backed down after an outcry from Flagler Beach and from some of its own county commissioners, but only to extend the payment–$106,000 this year–one more year. That left future funding in doubt. That doubt may be removed if tourism tax revenue is used.
FEMA Releases $8.8 Million Long Owed Flagler County’s Beaches After a Campaigning Congressman’s Nudge
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) released $8.8 million due Flagler County for the reconstruction of several miles of dunes from Mala Compra Road to Marineland, after additional pressure from U.S. Rep Randy Fine, who cast a campaign appearance in Flagler County Wednesday as a press conference to announce the delivery of the money.
Flagler Home Builders Association Will Sue Palm Coast Over Parks, Fire and Road Impact Fee Increases
The Flagler Home Builders Association is preparing to sue Palm Coast government over the City Council’s approval in June of sharply higher development impact fees for fire, parks and roads. The new fees don’t apply until Oct. 1. The suit would be filed on behalf of HBA, five construction companies and two private city residents. The pending action argues that the city’s new schedule violated the law by raising fees too sharply and too quickly, without a substantiated showing of “extraordinary circumstances” that would justify the sharper increase, among other alleged violations.
YMCA Proposed Managing Frieda Zamba Pool, But for $450,000 a Year on Top of $3 Million Ask. Palm Coast Declined.
As part of its plan to open a facility in Town Center, the Volusia-Flagler YMCA organization proposed to Palm Coast to take over the city’s aquatics center, formerly Frieda Zamba pool, on Oct. 1. The City Council today declined the offer, opting instead to partner with the YMCA to bring additional programs to the city’s pool and possibly split the revenue.
Bunnell Approves 6,100-Home Haw Creek Reserve Development 2 Months After Rejecting It as Young Switches Sides
The Bunnell City Commission on a 3-2 vote Monday cleared the way for the 6,100-home Haw Creek Reserve development west and south of the city. The largest single development in Flagler County since ITT platted Palm Coast in the 1960s will surge the Bunnell’s population sixfold by build-out in 20 years. It was a startling reversal from the commission’s 4-1 vote in June to kill the development. The reversal had taken on the shade of a done deal the moment Mayor Catherine Robinson revived the proposal two weeks later, after the developer lobbied commissioners and reduced build-out from 8,000 to 6,100 houses.
The Most Alarming Price Increase of All: Your Health Insurance Premiums
Since 1999, health insurance premiums for people with employer-provided coverage have more than quadrupled. According to Business Group on Health, a consortium of major employers, “actual health care costs have grown a cumulative 50% since 2017.” In a separate survey published in 2021, 87% of companies said that in the next five to 10 years, the cost of providing health insurance for their workers would become “unsustainable.”
Rookie Marineland Mayor Dew Tries Firing Veteran Town Manager and Town Attorney. His Own Appointee Stops Him.
In another gust of dysfunction underscoring Marineland’s increasingly nonsensical status as a town, rookie Mayor Douglas “Dewey” Dew on Wednesday and Thursday attempted but failed to fire Town Manager Suzanne Dixon and Town Attorney Dennis Bayer, starting with an Aug. 20 email “request” that they resign immediately. He sent the email unilaterally, without the authority of the commission and outside of a public meeting. Jessica Finch, whom Dew unilaterally appointed to the commission in May, refused to go along with the firing and was critical of Dew’s methods.
Flagler County Issues Statement Explaining Letter About New Tax to Be Levied on Barrier Island Property Owners
On Aug. 15, the Flagler County government administration issued a letter to property owners in the unincorporated portion of the barrier island alerting them to a possible special tax the county would be enacting in the future to raise money for beach protection. There would be no levy in 2025-26, but there will likely be one the following year, pending a study. The letter raised concerns among property owners. The county administration today issued a clarifying statement and Q & A.
Flagler County Eyes Land Buy As Jacoby’s JDI Seeks to Offload 35 Acres Previously Slated for Development in Marineland
With Atlanta-based developer Jim Jacoby of JDI Marineland looking to offload properties in Marineland, Flagler County government and three state agencies are working to acquire 35 acres of JDI land in a joint purchase coordinated by the North Florida Land Trust. Flagler County would partner with three state agencies to buy the land, which is zoned for mixed use–housing or commercial. There’s long been rumors and speculation that JDI would build up the place, transforming the character of Marineland.
FPL ‘Settlement’ With Opponents Reduces Proposed Rate Hike from $2.5 Billion to $1.71 Billion Over 2 Years
But other parties in the case have not agreed to the proposed settlement, including the state Office of Public Counsel, which is designated by law to represent utility customers. The Public Service Commission is expected to hold a hearing this fall to determine if the proposal should be approved.
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally Leads ‘Know Your Rights’ Workshop for Local Renters on Aug. 26
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally, an inspirational speaker, author, preacher and lawyer with Community Legal Services, will lead a free “Know Your Rights” workshop for renters on Aug. 26 at Flagler Cares’ Flagler County Village at Palm Coast’s City Marketplace. The workshop will offer essential information for renters on their legal protections and responsibilities.
Canadians Not as Interested in Florida as They Used To Be Even as Overall Tourism Numbers Rise
U.S. travelers continue to bolster Florida’s tourism industry, while the state hopes to make up for a decline in Canadian visitors by drawing people from other countries. Visit Florida on Tuesday estimated 34.435 million people traveled to Florida from April 1 through June 30, up from 34.279 million people during the same period last year. The estimate for this year would be a second-quarter record, according to the state tourism-marketing agency.
Feral Hogs, A Recurring Flagler Scourge, ‘Desecrate’ Cemetery
Feral hogs have been causing what one visitor called “desecration” of Craig-Flagler Palms’s cemetery grounds. It’s been a recurring problem in Palm Coast and Flagler County, and an increasing one, as development continues to diminish habitats. The cemetery has taken concerted action to bait the hogs off the grounds, but neither Palm Coast (the cemetery is outside the city’s jurisdiction) nor Flagler County will intervene.
House Rep. Sam Greco Sets Eyes on Palm Coast’s Needy Utility Infrastructure and Other Coming Asks
Florida House Rep. Sam Grego’s visit to Palm Coast’s Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 in the Woodlands this morning had two purposes. The junior House member who replaced Paul Renner got a chance to see where some of the $5 million appropriation he helped secure in the last session will go. And he was taken on a tour of other locations that are part of the city’s asks for the coming session, including the congestion-prone intersection of Town Center Boulevard and Old Kings Road, and drainage and capacity improvements for stormwater in the flood-prone Woodlands.
In a Reversal, Palm Coast Council Unanimously Rejects Hargrove Lane Rezoning That Would Have Allowed Concrete Plant
Reversing a vote two weeks ago, the Palm Coast City Council today unanimously rejected the rezoning of 37 acres on Hargrove Lane from light industrial to heavy industrial, requested by a concrete batch plant company. Council members did not want to set that precedent, or to jeopardize the thriving commercial businesses along Hargrove Grade and Hargrove Lane, which they said would far outnumber in jobs whatever jobs a concrete batch plant might bring.
Israel’s Murderous Targeting of Journalists in Gaza
The Israeli government has denied international journalists access to Gaza. Its murders of Palestinian media workers fit a pattern of trying to eliminate witnesses to its heinous human rights violations. Nearly 270 journalists and media workers, the vast majority of them Palestinians, have been killed by Israel since October 7, 2023. They are not “collateral damage” — they’re being hunted.
Flagler Cares CEO Carrie Baird To Be Honored with News Service of Florida’s 2025 Above & Beyond Award
Carrie Baird, chief executive officer of Flagler Cares, is among this year’s honorees of the News Service of Florida Above & Beyond Award. The awards honor the “most influential and thought-provoking women in Florida who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their field, combined with having made significant contributions to society.” Flagler Cares, a Palm Coast-based non-profit that just marked its 10th anniversary, connects people to benefits, direct services or resources through a “no-wrong-door” approach.
Flagler County’s and Palm Coast’s Unemployment Rates Hit 4-Year Highs, Housing Inventory at 15-Year High
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July rose to 5 percent, from 4.8 percent the previous month, the highest jobless rate since July 2021, when it was still trending down from the Covid pandemic slowdown. Palm Coast’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent also matches a four-year high. The housing inventory in the county–the number of houses available for sale–hit a 15-year high, according to the latest available figures.
Florida Cities and Counties Line Up to Defy New Pro-Developer State Law Known as SB 180
All over the state, local governments are pushing ahead on common-sense changes to their growth plans, wetlands protection, and impact fees. They’re doing so despite warnings from big, bad opponents that what they have in mind will violate a new pro-developer state law that limits city and county governments’ authority on new land-use or development regulations. It’s bad news for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature.
State Leaders Claim Farmers Feeding Florida Program Will Stave Off Hunger
Farmers Feeding Florida expands Florida food bank infrastructure so that fresh produce, meat and other products from the Sunshine State can end up in food banks and help feed The state’s $38 million investment with the Farmers Feeding Florida initiative that began July 1 expands Florida food bank infrastructure so that fresh produce, meat and other products from the Sunshine State can end up in food banks and help feed hungry people, they said.
A Taylor Swift Tribute Upstages Debby Boone, Gary Puckett and Many Others at Fitz’s 2025-26 Season
For all the great acts and big names filling this season’s lineup at Palm Coast’s Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center (previously, Flagler Auditorium), it’s “Blank Space – The Taylor Swift Tribute” that gets star billing on the Fitzgerald’s home page as the organization seeks to attract a younger crowd. This season’s lineup includes tributes to a number of classic rock bands and music artists from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
Floridians May Hunt Bears Again for 1st Time in 10 Years
Bear hunts in Florida will resume following a unanimous vote Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The first hunt will be 23 days long during December, making it the first since 2015. The commission aims to “manage the bear population through a conservative, well-regulated bear hunt,” according to a summary on the day’s agenda.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Raises County’s Hope to Federalize More Beaches and Secure $10 Million for Dune-Rebuild
If U.S. Rep. Randy Fine kept at arm’s length Palm Coast officials’ hopes for federal financial help with the city’s utility infrastructure on Wednesday, he left county officials much more hopeful that he will help them with beach-management and beach-funding possibilities. The county had two major asks. Fine said he’d help with both: clearing $10 million in FEMA money due from Hurricane Milton, and moving forward on a $4 million study, the first step in federalizing the rest of the county’s beaches.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Tells Palm Coast During Sewer Plant Visit: Utility Infrastructure Is Primarily Your Responsibility
U.S. Rep Randy Fine, on a whirlwind tour of Flagler County that included an ATV trip along its battered beaches and an afternoon meet-and-greet at the Chamber of Commerce, this morning visited what has become a necessary stop in Palm Coast’s infrastructure calvary: the sloshing tanks and purifying basins of Waste Water Treatment 1. Costly as the expansion and modernization of the plant is to Palm Coast, he said utility infrastructure is primarily the city’s responsibility, not the federal government’s.
A Disaster Expo at the Palm Coast Community Center Highlights Community’s Prepared Resilience
Flagler Cares, the social services non-profit and coordinating agency, secured a $143,000 Long-Term Recovery Grant from the American Red Cross for Flagler Volunteer Services as part of the recovery efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, enabling a “disaster preparedness breakfast and expo” at the Palm Coast Community Center Tuesday that drew a full house.
The Eugenics of the Big Beautiful Bill
Withdrawing or making Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage more restrictive will cost 51,000 lives a year by 2034. It’s one way to reduce the government’s liability for lives on the dole. It is eugenics by other means.
State Regulators Put On Hold Case Over FPL’s $2.5 Billion Rate Increase in Light of ‘Settlement’
State regulators Monday paused a closely watched case about increasing Florida Power & Light’s base electric rates after the utility and numerous parties announced Friday they had reached a “settlement in principle.” Details of the potential settlement have not been released, and some parties in the case — including the state Office of Public Counsel, which is designated by law to represent consumers — have not signed on.
With Cuts at Palm Coast Branch, County Pledges to Revisit Library Budget 3 Months After Bunnell Branch Opens
With Palm Coast officials worried that a planned 23 percent cut in library hours and a significant cut in staffing at the Palm Coast branch will hurt patrons and programming once the Bunnell branch opens in December, Flagler County officials are pledging that staffing will be adjusted next spring should usage figures show a need.
At Flagler Cares, A Play Therapy Room That Allows Children to Express the Unspeakable
Imagine a 5 or 6-year-old child, maybe an abused child or one who’s just endured unspeakable trauma. The child has been incapable of expressing feelings as other children might. The child’s parents have been unable to connect. Play therapy enables the child to express those feelings as nothing else might. That’s the purpose of the play therapy room at Flagler Cares, “a place to play, a place to heal,” as the plaque outside the room put it.
Opposition Grows to Florida’s SB 180, a Gift to Developers Posing as a Storm-Recovery Law
A nonprofit smart growth advocacy organization, 1000 Friends of Florida, is the latest entity calling for the Florida Legislature to repeal portions of a new law designed to expedite post-disaster rebuilding. The measure has become the most controversial new measure signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis this year. The problem? Language barring new local land-use or development regulations considered “restrictive or burdensome,” even if they are completely unrelated to storm recovery.
FPL Has Delayed Core Enclosure Tests at Nuclear Plant for Nearly 20 Years
As nuclear reactors’ lifespans are extended, the industry is increasingly flying blind regarding the structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) that enclose their cores. The loosening of routine RPV testing is just one example of how large firms like FPL have secured concessions to ensure they can keep aging nuclear plants churning for twice as long as their original license terms – in spite of safety concerns. In effect, watchdog groups claim, nuclear regulations are being improvised to accommodate power companies, compromising RPV safety and risking nuclear disaster.
County and Palm Coast ‘Task Force’ Will Explore Cost of Animal Shelter Separate from Flagler Humane Society
Even as they compulsively speak of “DOGE”-dictated government efficiency and stress over limited budgets, Flagler County and Palm Coast’s governments are setting up a joint task force to study the possibility of building or operating a multi-million animal shelter separate from the Flagler Humane Society, which since 1982 been the only full-service animal shelter in the county.
Flagler County Government Favors Merging Animal Control with Palm Coast, Ending Humane Society Contract
Flagler County government is working toward consolidating animal control services with those of Palm Coast. That would sever the county’s $300,000 contract with the Flagler Humane Society, which currently provides those services to the county. The Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council in a joint meeting on Wednesday did not make a decision to that end, but agreed by consensus to draft a joint agreement (or ILA, an interlocal agreement) that would define the scope and cost of the services Palm Coast would provide.
Pink Army 5K Early Bird Registration is Open
The City of Palm Coast in partnership with AdventHealth Palm Coast is happy to present the Pink Army 5K on October 5, 2025. This special event raises money for breast cancer awareness, education, and screening, which is used locally in our community.
Trump’s Defamation Suit Against Pulitzer Board Lands in Florida Supreme Court
Attorneys for the Pulitzer Prize Board are before the Florida Supreme Court trying for a delay of a defamation lawsuit Donald Trump filed after it recognized reporting about alleged collusion between his 2026 campaign and Russia. They want to shelve the dispute at least until Trump leaves office, pointing to a potential conflict should a state court seek to exercise authority over the nation’s top executive. The case is in Florida because Trump and one of the board members live here.
Against Sharp Opposition from Hargrove Grade Businesses, Council Approves Heavy Industry Rezoning for Concrete Plant in 3-2 Vote
Facing down sharp opposition, especially from business owners on Hargrove Grade, the Palm Coast City Council in a 3-2 vote Tuesday approved on first reading the rezoning of 37 acres at the western edge of Hargrove from light industrial to heavy industrial ahead of the construction of a concrete mixing plant there. The city’s planning board rejected the rezoning in June, citing pollution that could affect businesses on Hargrove, and the negative effects the plant could have on acreage along Hargrove owned by AdventHealth: the board did not want to discourage the hospital company from building a medical park there.
