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.
Economy
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.
AdventHealth Acknowledges 25,000 Covid-19 Tests Were Unreliable, Putting Recent Results In Doubt
AdventHealth blamed the unreliability of some 25,000 tests, including over 1,000 provided in Palm Coast, on Orlando-based MicroGenDX, a company that won emergency FDA approval to provide spit tests on the promise of accuracy and quick turn-arounds.
Gyms Reopen Monday at 50% Capacity, Restaurants and Shops Expand to 50%, Theaters Remain Dark
Gov. Ron DeSantis today announced what he described as a “full Phase 1” reopening of society and the economy even as the state recorded more than 40 deaths from Covid-19 for the fourth straight day, and an average of 600 daily infections in the past two weeks.
Why You’re Not Hearing Back on Your Covid-19 Test Results
Numerous residents in Palm Coast and Flagler County have been complaining of not getting back Covid-19 test results. The problem issued from a backlogged lab in Texas AdventHealth was using, but no longer is.
Superwash Express Now Offering Interior Fogging Sanitizer
The fogging technique kills germs and disinfects the air in your car, as well as sanitizes the door panels, the dashboard and the seats. The service team then sanitizes all the touch points in the automobile – steering wheel, door handle, gear shifter, and the key fob.
The Real Reason Trump Wants to Reopen the Economy
Donald Trump is trying to force the economy to reopen to boost his electoral chances, and he’s selling out Americans’ health to seal the deal, argues Robert Reich.
DeSantis Signals Restaurant Seating Capacity Will Expand and Gyms Will Reopen
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will announce Friday additional “phase one” measures to reopen the state’s economy, with the moves expected to include allowing more people to be seated in restaurants and allowing gyms to operate.
Flagler Beach Faces Decision Over Golf Course as Terry McManus Turns Himself In Over Fraud Charge
The felony charge against Terry McManus raises questions for Flagler Beach government, which owns the golf course he manages, regarding the future of that relationship. The relationship has been rocky from the start.
Mask-Wearing Is Not About Personal Liberty but Communal Health, Palm Coast Town Hall Experts Say
Is wearing a mask in public too much to ask for as Palm Coast and Flagler reopen? Does it infringe on individuals’ liberties? Two physicians, the Flagler Health Department’s chief and Palm Coast’s fire chief give an unequivocal No.
Florida as Sports Hub: DeSantis Wants Professional and Youth Teams to Resume Playing in State
The Washington Post reported that Major League Soccer is looking to house players in large resorts near Disney World as a way for games to resume for all 26 teams in Orlando.
Caesar DePaço, Portugal’s Honorary Consul in Palm Coast Since 2014, Resigns Indignantly
Citing “unacceptable conduct” and “irreconcilable” differences with the Portuguese ambassador to the United States, Caesar DePaço resigned abruptly Tuesday evening, leaving the future of the honorary consulate in Palm Coast in doubt.
Flagler Beach and County Commissioners Call Out Joe Mullins Over a Baseless, Inflammatory Claim
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins over the weekend made unsubstantiated accusations that unnamed Flagler Beach officials are hurting business and tourism in the city with their “stay on your side of the bridge mentality.” City commissioners corrected him.
Verdego Donates $32,000 to Grace Community Pantry after Diverting 5 Days’ Revenue
Verdego’s donation, more money than any amount Grace Community Food Pantry receives in a year, will translate into more than 236,000 pounds of food.
The Bailout Is Working — For the Rich
The economy is in free fall but Wall Street is thriving, and stocks of big private equity firms are soaring dramatically higher. That tells you who investors think is the real beneficiary of the federal government’s massive rescue efforts.
Palm Coast’s Grand Oaks Rehab Rejects Health Department’s Testing of Patients and Staff, Then Relents
After its corporate office overrode local resistance, Grand Oaks Rehab in Palm Coast agreed to have its 100 patients and 100 staff members tested for Covid-19 next week. The Flagler Health Department’s strike teams conducted 200 tests today at two other large nursing home facilities.
Florida’s Hair and Nail Salons and Barber Shops Reopen Monday, But Guidelines Are Scant
The reopening will follow what the governor called “enhanced safety protocols,” but the governor and state agencies had not issued guidelines for hair salons and barber shops as of Friday.
Terry McManus, Who Runs Flagler Beach’s City Golf Course, Wanted on Felony Insurance Fraud Charge
Terry McManus, the 54-year-old operator of Ocean Palms Golf Course, the Flagler Beach-owned 9-hole course, is accused of making up a bogus insurance claim and lying about a Caterpillar Skid Steer allegedly stolen at the golf course.
Economy Loses 20.5 Million Jobs in April, Unemployment Rate at 14.7%, Worst Since 1939
The April figures are an undercount, as they represent only a partial survey of actual job losses in April. Those losses are closer to 30 million or more, according to the cumulative total of first-time unemployment claims filed over the past few weeks.
Richard Adams, Who Carried Palm Coast’s Water for 43 Years, Retires as He Worked: Quietly
Richard Adams, Palm Coast’s towering but famously modest utility director since 2003 and a presence in the city’s water infrastructure for 43 years, retired at the end of last week to remote accolades and an honorary flush.
Florida Supreme Court Weighs Wording of Recreational Marijuana Ballot Proposal
An attorney for Make It Legal Florida, said the proposal “piggybacks” on a system resulting from a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in the state. Lawmakers and groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce trying to block the measure.
At Gargantuan Feed Palm Coast Food Drop, Tears, Solidarity, and the Reality About Those ‘Late-Model Cars’
No government, no military contingent, no church or any other private organization had ever attempted what Palm Coast government and Parkview Church did Saturday: the distribution of 5,000 boxes packed with a week’s worth of groceries, and thousands of additional boxes of snacks and Easter candy, for families that streamed through the two drop locations.
Palm Coast Reopens a Few Passive Parks and Trails Monday as Flagler Beach Weighs Limited Pier Access
Palm Coast and Flagler Beach governments are reopening a few of their more passive parks, trails and other outdoor amenities Monday while keeping major parks closed and maintaining a strict focus on safety and social distancing.
Hair Salons, Barber Shops, Bars, Gyms and Theaters Will Remain Closed for Now
The governor said more consideration of employee and customer safety is needed before he can give the go-ahead for salons and barber shops to turn on the lights again.
Florida Regulators Issue Permissive Rules for Restaurants In Reopening Steps
Servers and other employees won’t be counted toward limits on occupancy when restaurants reopen Monday under coronavirus guidelines, the state’s top business regulator said.
Palm Coast Plan Will Allow Restaurant Use of Sidewalks and Parking Lots For Less Restricted Outdoor Seating
Palm Coast government is devising a plan that, in its broad outlines issued late this afternoon, would significantly relax rules on restaurant use of sidewalks and even parking lots, enabling restaurants to place tables there and compensate for the loss of business they would otherwise continue to suffer if they were limited to the 25 percent rule.
Saturday in Flagler: 3 Massive Food Drops at 4 Locations In Unprecedented Reflection of Aid and Hardship
Thousands of families will line up in cars for food distributions at Palm Coast City Hall, Parkview Church, on Education Way off U.S. 1 and at Wickline Center in Flagler Beach in a day of aid reflecting the crushing needs provoked by the coronavirus emergency.
Brave New Covid World at AdventHealth: Your Car as Waiting Room, Phone Check-Ins, Mandatory Tests and Masks
AdventHealth physicians outlined how the system’s hospitals, including AdventHealth Palm Coast, will operate from here on, with significantly new procedures for patients, visitors, staff and physicians and a heavy emphasis on technology, social distancing and the isolation of anything Covid-19, including air.
More than a Fifth of Americans Unemployed as 1st Time Claims Keep Surging and Checks Keep Lagging
The total number of first-time claims filed in Florida since the start of the coronavirus emergency totals 1.6 million in a civilian labor force of 10.5 million, placing the state’s unemployment rate at over 15 percent.
Facing Bankruptcy, Flagler County Chamber of Commerce Prepares to Dissolve, Ending 60-Year Run
The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce board is meeting this afternoon to dissolve the 60-year-old organization as the coronavirus crisis tipped it into bankruptcy. The move follows several years of struggles, downsizing, and layoffs as recent as early February, before the crisis struck.
Restaurants Can Reopen at 25% Capacity, Many Restrictions Will Remain as Florida Moves to Reopening on Monday
Citing Florida as weathering the coronavirus crisis much better than many other states, especially those hardest hit, Gov. Ron DeSantis today said the state will begin reopening starting on May 4, except for three South Florida counties. But many existing restrictions will remain in effect.
Business Group Report Estimates $859 Million Hit to Florida’s Economy From School Closures
Florida’s economy could take an estimated $859 million hit as a result of school campuses being closed for six weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the Florida Council of 100 business group.
FPL Customers’ Bills Will Drop 24% in May, Resulting from Lower Fuel Costs
The savings stem from lower-than-expected costs for natural gas to fuel power plants. Utilities are required to pass along savings to customers when fuel costs drop, but the money typically goes to customers gradually.
With $57,000 Raised and Tons of Food Boxed, Plan to Feed 5,000 Families Turns Palm Coast City Hall Into Relief Central
Feed Palm Coast has turned City Hall into a warehouse for a massive food aid operation relying on city staffers, volunteers and the donations of residents to feed 5,000 families with a week’s worth of groceries come May 2.
How Many Deaths Can We Live With?
The coronavirus emergency is raising ethical questions as communities reopen: how many deaths are we willing to live with, and whose deaths? The questions are at the heart of the debate on reopening, but are not being confronted honestly.
Flagler Beach and County Reopen Beaches 24 Hours Sunday Morning, Maintaining Limits on Activities
Flagler County and Flagler Beach have agreed to reopen all 18 miles of beach in the county 24 hours starting Sunday at 7 a.m., while maintaining restrictions only on certain activities on the beach: “for leisure, no, for exercise, yes,” as Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney put it this afternoon.
In Flagler Beach, a Few Dozen Demonstrators Rally for Trump, Leaving Reopening ‘Amerika’ To an Afterthought
Some 35 to 40 people stretched along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach this morning in what had been dubbed as a reopen-the-economy rally, but proved to be mostly a campaign rally for President Trump.