As coronavirus infections continue to surge, Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, Flagler Beach Commission Chair Jane Mealy and County Commission Chair Dave Sullivan will be asking their respective governments to approve a mandatory mask mandate in coming days.
Economy
Driver Strikes 4 Cars Then Dahlia Restaurant in Flagler Beach, But No Serious Injuries
A woman sustained minor injuries after striking four vehicles and crashing into the front of Dahlia Restaurant, the popular Mexican restaurant near Publix in Flagler Beach early this evening.
Flagler Beach Has No Plans to Close Beach Over July 4 Weekend, and Will Make Free Shuttle Buses Available
As several counties in South Florida close their beaches over Independence Day weekend, Flagler Beach will keep its beaches open and make free shuttle buses available for visitors, to alleviate traffic and parking on the island.
Princeton Village Resident Among 31 New Flagler Covid Cases in Last 3 Days; Florida Adds 6,000 Monday and 58 Deaths
Flagler County recorded 55 new cases last week and a total of 115 new cases since Phase 2 reopening began on June 5 as the surge of coronavirus cases across Florida reached Flagler.
DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Local Governments from Regulating Sunscreens, Cosmetics and Drugs
Opponents criticized the bill as an attack on local home-rule authority, while also raising concerns about coral reefs. It was one of 18 bills DeSantis signed in to law Monday.
In Major Coup for Palm Coast, UNF in Town Center Is a Go as MedNex Initiative Survives Veto
The University of North Florida’s plan to build a satellite presence in Palm Coast’s Town Center as a feeder of health care practitioners to regional hospitals and clinics is a go as the $24 million dollar MedNex initiative survived Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto pen today.
Blaming Covid Spike on Young People and Bars, DeSantis Sends Mixed Messages on ‘Way Forward’
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday the state is “trying to figure out a way forward” for bars, nightclubs and craft breweries that are essentially having to shut down again because of “widespread non-compliance” with coronavirus guidelines.
Covid-19 Total Nears 10,000 in Florida; Half Of State’s 132,500 Cases Reported in Last 17 Days
The Florida Department of Health today reported 9,636 new Covid-19 cases as of Friday, again shattering a record, the last set only the day before, when just under 8,900 cases were reported. Flagler recorded 60 new cases in seven days.
Consequences of Florida’s Careless Reopening: 8,933 Cases in 1 Day; Surge Reaches Flagler With 50 Cases in 6 Days
The numbers are a grim reflection of the consequences of Florida’s rapid and largely haphazard and careless reopening of society and the economy since the end of April, and of dangerous complacency among residents.
Swimmer Feared Drowned: “Oh My God, I Feel Terrible, I Think They’re Talking About Me.”
The swimmer who’s apparent disappearance triggered an 18-hour search Wednesday into this morning emerged today after reading accounts of the search and and explained how his disappearance may have been misconstrued.
Florida Again Shatters Record With 4,049 New Covid Cases in One Day as Alarming Spike Continues
Florida’s cumulative total is near 94,000. Flagler’s total is 224, a one-day jump eight cases–one of the largest one-day increases since the beginning of the pandemic, and a warning sign that the county’s relative success in containing the disease may be eroding.
Staffer at Grand Oaks and Resident at Tuscan Gardens Test Positive; Florida Cases Again Soar to New Record
The Covid cases at local long-term care facilities break a streak of negative testing as Flagler officials wearily eye surging numbers around the county and plan some strategies to keep Flagler’s low.
Flagler Unemployment at 14.8% in Slight Improvement from April, But Florida Rate Rises to 14.5%
Flagler County’s unemployment rate was at 14.8 percent, a slight decline from the 15.2 percent rate in April but a smaller decline than expected as the economy began swiftly reopening at the beginning of the month.
Ex-Employee at Palm Coast Medical Practice Accused of Fraudulently Ordering Prescriptions
Renee Caruso-Izarry, 37, a former employee at Coastal Health Care Partners, a chiropractic clinic in Palm Coast and Volusia County, faces seven felony charges stemming from allegedly ordering prescriptions and practicing medicine without a license.
Florida’s ‘Dreamers’ Hail Supreme Court Decision Barring Immediate Deportation
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 majority found that Trump failed to adequately justify the decision to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, but the door remains open for him to do so.
Long-Awaited, Weirdly Revered Wawa Finally Opens to Cheers in Palm Coast
At 8 this morning, Palm Coast’s Wawa, with its hoagies, its coffees, its interiors lit brighter than the set of a sitcom, and of course its plexiglass and social distancing markers, opened to the public after a four-year wait.
Wawa: Behind the Name, a Rich Etymology from Around the World
The Wawa name has come to be almost synonymous with the company, as if it were its origin. In fact, the word–the sound, the name–has innumerably rich applications around the world.
DeSantis Promises Big Cuts from $93.2 Billion Budget to Account for Revenue Shortfall
A late May report from the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research said revenue collections in April were more than $878 million below estimates, with a large chunk of the drop due to the decline in tourism.
18% of Florida’s Total Covid Cases Have Been Recorded Just in Last 7 Days in ‘Astronomical’ Spike
Flagler County public health, emergency and government officials are concerned about sharply rising Covid-19 numbers across the state, even though locally numbers have been kept in check for now. But Gov. Ron DeSantis says there is no rolling-back on reopenings.
Scaled Back Gardens Development, at 453 Homes, Expected to Clear Regulatory Hurdle
The Gardens, at one point a 3,966-home and apartment development planned for the two sides of John Anderson Highway in Flagler County, is now almost a tenth the original proposal.
Palm Coast Council Raises Parks and Fire Fees on Builders, Largely Returning to Pre-2012 Levels
The Palm Coast City Council voted to raise fire and park impact fees, the one-time levies builders pay on residential and commercial construction. The fees will defray the cost of a new fire station in Seminole Woods and a new community center, among other plans.
Stunning Victory for Transgender and Gay Rights as Supreme Court Makes Protections Explicit
The decision will have far-reaching consequences regarding LGBTQ rights beyond employment, as it now explicitly lays out a prohibition against discrimination that cannot apply in employment situations without also applying in housing, education, the military and elsewhere.
Public Health Officials Are Facing a Wave Of Threats and Firings Amid Coronavirus Response
Rebekah Jones, a top Florida Department of Health data manager Gov. Ron DeSantis fired last month, is just one of many officials in 27 states who have been fired or been forced to resign over Covid-related matters.
$6.6 Million Headed to Flagler County and Cities as DeSantis Releases Covid Aid After Withholding It 2 Months
More than two months after Florida received the money, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that the state will start to release nearly $1.3 billion in federal funds to cash-strapped counties struggling amid a recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palm Coast Considers Sharply Raising One-Time Fire Levies on Future Homes and Businesses
Homeowners would see a negligible impact on fees despite a proposed 65 percent increase in the one-time levy assessed on a new home, a cost generally folded into the price of that new home. The impact fee is not levied on existing homes.
165 Teachers and Other Staffers Qualify for School District’s Offer of Voluntary Early Retirement
Nearly 10 percent of the Flagler County school district’s workforce qualify for an early-retirement offer, the first in a decade as employees contend with Covid-19 anxieties and the district weighs difficult budget years ahead.
Flagler Keeping New Covid-19 Cases In Check Better Than Florida, Where Cases Are Rising
Flagler County has tested 3,000 people in the last three weeks, more than the total for the previous eight weeks, with just 1.3 percent of those testing positive for Covid-19, and not a single person testing positive in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Flagler County Courthouse and Proceedings Reopen to the Public, With Limits
Starting at 8 Monday morning, most courthouse and court facilities in Flagler, Volusia, St., Johns and Putnam counties reopened to the public, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “Phase 2” reopening, but with several restrictions still in place.
Short-Term Vacation Rental Regulations Vary Unpredictably From County to County
Some counties are mandating a 24-hour wait between bookings, while others are requiring “sufficient” or “adequate” time for cleaning and disinfecting.
Expect Gas Prices Again to Top $2 A Gallon as Tanks Fill and Tankers Cruise
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida is $1.90, up 2 cents from last week and 14 cents from a month ago, and at the highest level in nine weeks.
Flagler’s Taxable Values Rise at Slowest Pace in 4 Years, But Still Enough to Help Budgets
Local governments are looking to keep tax rates flat. Flagler Beach’s valuations increased 5.3 percent, Palm Coast’s by 5.8 percent, Bunnell’s by nearly 10 percent and the school board’s by 4.7 percent.
Economy Rebounds, Adding 2.5 Million Jobs as Reopenings Bring Unemployment Down to 13.3%
Some 2.5 million people returned to work in May, lowering the unemployment rate to 13.3 percent, from 14.7 percent, and allaying fears of a depression-like contraction ahead.
Flagler Beach Pier Reopens Friday, and a New, 1,000-Ft Concrete Pier Is In the Works
The Flagler Beach pier, symbol of the city’s breezy resilience, will reopen to the public Friday morning at 9 a.m. after a 73-day hiatus imposed by the coronavirus emergency.
206,000 Unemployment Claims Filed in Florida Last Week, On Eve of Phase 2 Reopening
Phase 2 reopening includes allowing bars, movie theaters and other entertainment venues to partially operate in all but three South Florida counties.
Wearing a Mask Is “BS” Says Flagler Commissioner Hansen in Latest Reflection of Mixed Signals and Division
A discussion about mask-wearing between Flagler County commissioners exposed continuing but fundamental misunderstandings about the purpose of masks and why they are intended to protect.
Yes, the Looting Must Stop
Looting is the word of the day, on the lips of every newscaster, the president, and elected officials across the country. And, indeed, looting is a major problem in America. But how.
Florida’s Government Revenue Takes a Nearly $1 Billion Hit in April
State revenue was off $878.1 million in April from an earlier estimate as tourism and hospitality-related industries, along with car sales, were grounded by the coronavirus, according to economists.
80-Year-Old Palm Coast Resident Feared Dead from Drowning in Flagler Beach
An 80-year-old Palm Coast resident was pulled from the water in Flagler Beach this morning, not breathing and without a pulse, authorities say.
Countywide Burn Ban Lifts Saturday, and Parking Restrictions End Along Flagler Beach’s Boardwalk
More normalcy returns starting this weekend as Flagler Beach will end its parking restrictions along the boardwalk, while the county will lift the burn ban that’s been in effect just one week. But the pier and Wadsworth park remain closed.
Commissioner Nikki Fried Says DeSantis Is Leaving Cabinet ‘In the Dark’ During Pandemic
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried asserted Thursday the governor and state Cabinet members should have been jointly coordinating the response to the coronavirus pandemic, as a new report showed another 173,731 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida.
Palm Coast’s Crystal Clear Pool Owners Carlos and Romina Longo Arrested on 12 Counts of Fraud
Carlos Hernan Longo and his wife Romina Campanella De Longo, who together have owned Crystal Clear Pool of Central Florida since 2010, were arrested today and each charged on 11 counts of fraud and a count of organized scheme to defraud, a first-degree felony.
In Daytona North, $1.9 Million Repaving of 3 Miles of Mahogany Boulevard Set for June
Crews will finally begin repaving the 3.2-mile stretch of Mahogany Boulevard from County Road 305 to Water Oak Road in Daytona North starting next month, county government announced this week.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Vaults to 15.4%, 6th Worst in Florida, With Record 7,000 Jobless
In April, the number of jobless Flagler County residents was at 6,795, a number never seen in Flagler’s or Palm Coast’s history. The figure is an undercount: many more have filed for unemployment since, according to weekly initial claims.
L&M Farms in Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam Gets $1.9 Million to Provide 200 Tons of Produce a Week to Food Banks
The program will help alleviate the pressure food banks have experienced from the crush of people whose breadwinners have lost jobs since the beginning of the coronavirus emergency.
Flagler County Reopens Vacation Rentals as State Approves Safety Plan, With Restrictions
Flagler County’s vacation rentals may operate again after a two-month hiatus forced by a governor’s order in response to the coronavirus emergency. Rentals may resume immediately.
Problems Persist for Florida’s Unemployed, Who Are Told to Expect Long Waits on Claims
Florida has scrambled to bring on more computer servers, set up a backup system for people to apply and allowed people to submit claims on paper applications.
Palm Coast Data Laying Off 150, Closing Shop on Commerce Blvd. and Looking For New Home in the City
A combination of legal wrangles and financial difficulties led to Palm Coast Data’s eviction from its Commerce Boulevard location and layoffs of 40 percent of its workforce as it outsources core services. The company pledges to remain in Palm Coast.
County Ready to Settle Lawsuit With Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing, With Concessions From Both Sides
The county would make numerous financial and building concessions to Captain’s. In exchange, Captain’s agrees to remain at the current location, end its litigation, and pay a somewhat higher rent over time.
Flagler Beach Cancels July 4 Parade and Fireworks, Palm Coast Does Likewise in Latest Covid Casualties
For the first time in 22 years, Flagler Beach will not hold its traditional July 4 parade and fireworks, nor will Palm Coast hold its own Independence Day festivities, which would have normally taken place in Central Park on July 3.
Shuttered Almost Two Months, Vacation Rentals May Reopen, With County and State Approval
Counties can submit vacation-rental reopening plans to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which will have to sign off on the proposals.