Ostensibly proposing a discussion about sexual predators and domestic violence abusers, Joe Mullins in a Facebook posting about his radio infomercial features a screenshot of Bill Cosby over one article, and the image of Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley over another, implying an equivalence.
Economy
Palm Coast Splits 49-49 On Allowing Commercial Trucks in Driveways, But Survey’s Flaws Are Mosaic of Caveats
By one measure, 70 percent of respondents are opposed to relaxing the commercial-vehicle rule in Palm Coast, but that’s before accounting for massive manipulation of the survey. Once weighed for such manipulations, the split is nearly dead even. Either way, the administration has no plans to submit the numbers to the council.
More than 100 New Laws Take Effect in Florida, from School Vouchers to Trans Bans to Silence
More than 100 new laws passed during the 2021 legislative session will hit the books this week, ranging from a record $100 billion state budget to a ban on Covid-19 vaccine “passports” and an expansion of school vouchers.
Flagler Beach’s First Friday Returns in September, But Commissioners Want It Refocused on Local Businesses
First Friday will return at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach on Sept. 3, for the first time in a year and a half, but under the new sponsorship of Vern Shank, known as DJ Vern, and Surf Radio, a switch from Flagler Broadcasting’s Beach 92.7, which had sponsored the event for the past nine years.
Surfside Condo Deaths Rise to 9; Mexico and Israel Send Teams to Assist as DeSantis Sends Teams to Border
DeSantis denied that his deployment of 50 state police officers to the Texas-Mexico boarder has left the Surfside response weakened. The state is ready to deploy teams if needed, DeSantis said. However, Israel and Mexico has sent teams to assist, officials said.
How Flagler County’s Drunken-Sailor, All-Republican Commissioners Tried to Con You Into a Higher Tax
The Flagler County Commission’s attempt unilaterally to impose an increase in the sales tax is the latest example of a lazy, bumbling commission addicted to spending, deceptive in its methods and indifferent to the long-term public interest.
At Flagler Airport, Freedom Fest Soars Again on Wings of Pride and Memory
A variety of historic and modern aircraft, flying and static, is coming to the Flagler County airport as part of Freedom Fest on Independence Day weekend, with bands, vendors and free admission.
Search Continues Amid Elusive Answers to Building Collapse in Surfside
The building in Miami-Dade County is estimated to have been at least 80 percent occupied. One fatality had been reported by midday, and at least 35 people were reportedly pulled from the site Thursday morning.
Quietly, and Without Voter Say, Flagler County Readies to Raise Sales Tax on Everyone. Palm Coast Says No.
The Palm Coast City Council today rejected a request by county government to support raising the local sales tax from 7 to 7.5 percent. The rejection deals a blow to county government, which is looking to increase the tax to pay for law enforcement and fire operations, but it also replays tensions from 10 years ago when the county’s approach on the sales tax was equally clumsy and unilateral.
Terry McManus, Who Runs Flagler Beach’s City-Owned Golf Course, Is Guilty of Felony DUI and Faces Up to 5 Years
McManus, who was immediately taken into custody at the Flagler County jail, faces another trial on a felony insurance fraud charge later this year, and is battling a civil suit in a breach of contract case involving the golf club’s management company.
Flagler Mosquito Control Launches Plan that would Expand Spraying to Entirety of County By 2026
The plan would expand taxing for mosquito control of property owners countywide. Currently a property with a taxable value of $150,000 pays around $24 a year for mosquito control. Currently the district boundaries include Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach.
Woman Claiming She was Drugged and Raped Sues Palm Coast Doctor Gerard Abate; Criminal Investigation Open
A woman is suing Gerard Abate, a 67-year-old Palm Coast physician who runs his own medical consultancy, over claims he drugged, raped and exposed her to a sexually transmitted disease after meeting her on a dating site in 2017. A potential criminal case against Abate is pending, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Flagler County’s Labor Force Approaches Record Again as Workers Jump Back, or Move, In
Flagler County’s labor force is again approaching its record set in March 2020, an indication of economic and demographic dynamics. It reflects both the number of people willing or needing to rejoin the labor force as well as ne entrants to the labor force in the county, such as graduating students or people relocating to Flagler.
Supreme Court Declines to Overturn ACA — Again. Florida Was Among Losing Plaintiffs.
By a vote of 7-2, however, the justices did not even reach the merits of the case, ruling instead that the suing states and the individual plaintiffs, two self-employed Texans, lacked “standing” to bring the case to court.
Crews Will Work to Stabilize Rock Revetments in Flagler Beach Starting Monday, With Detours
The work between South 16th Street and South 12th Street in Flagler Beach will support dune maintenance previously done in this area and address the areas of revetment that are the least protected.
From ‘Hamlet’-Writing Chimps to Erotic Miniature Golf, It’s ‘All in the Timing’ for City Rep’s Latest Production
Whether it’s the three chimpanzees of “Words, Words, Words” discussing the crafting of high literature, the miniature-golf-as-metaphor-for-sex shenanigans of “Foreplay, or The Art of the Fugue,” or the multiple replays of murder in “Variations on the Death of Trotsky,” the “All in the Timing” one-acts are soaked in bizarro scenarios.
Patient Batters 3 People at AdventHealth’s ER Waiting Room Before One Victim, a Security Guard, Stops Him
Kory Prusaitis, a 25-year-old resident of Winterling Place in Palm Coast, was upset at hospital staff when told that that his mother couldn’t come into the waiting room with him, and went on a brief rampage against three people.
For Whispering Meadows Ranch, a Slow But Likely Trot Away from John Anderson, to New Site at County Fairgrounds
If negotiations between Whispering Meadows Ranch’s owners and county government officials continue on the constructive course they’ve followed for the last few weeks, the ranch appears headed out of its 13-year location at a residential property on John Anderson Highway and will be recreated on the grounds of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off of County Road 13.
Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.
New Law Bars Local Governments from Increasing Impact Fees More than Once Every Four Years
The law now in effect prevents local governments from increasing impact fees more than once every four years and limits the increases to 50 percent. Increases between 25 and 50 percent would have to be spread over four years. Smaller increases would be phased in over two years.
CareerSource Flagler Volusia Hosts Job Fairs on June 22 and 29
CareerSource Flagler Volusia will host two job fairs in the month of June: a Virtual Job Fair on Tuesday, June 22nd and an in-person Job Fair, in partnership with Derbyshire Place, on June 29th, 2021.
From Drag Queens to Sister Bunny Juju, Throngs Exult in Pride, Joy and Freedom at Flagler’s 2nd Annual LGBTQ Festival
Saturday’s Flagler Pride Festival and its crowds, which by 9 p.m. had totaled between 600 and 800 people, put the lie to the county’s presumed homogeneity: Palm Coast, a city started in the late 1960s as an integrated, post-racial subdivision, is still more diverse than perhaps assumed, and if anything growing more so.
Critics Push Back Against Unemployment Aid Narrative Accusing Workers of Staying Home
Floridians struggling since the start of the coronavirus pandemic are being forced to take jobs below their skill levels and at low wages as the state scales back unemployment assistance, opponents of reducing aid say.
After Blaming Workers for Staying Home, Waste Pro Pledges to do Better, and Pay Better, in Palm Coast
Waste Pro issued its latest service-improvement plan to Palm Coast government after fines the city levies for poor service against the company increased for six successive months and the government threatened last week to end its $9 million contract with the waste hauler.
Overpopularity Is Nearly Destroying the National Park Experience
America’s national parks face a popularity crisis. From 2010 to 2019, the number of national park visitors spiked from 281 million to 327 million, largely driven by social media, advertising and increasing foreign tourism. This exponential growth is generating pollution and putting wildlife at risk to a degree that threatens the future of the park system.
Florida Faces Dire Shortages of Restaurant Workers: ‘They Don’t Think We Are Worth the Money’
A survey from the National Restaurant Association in mid-May found that staffing levels at restaurants are below the industry standard, “with 84% of operators saying their current staffing level is lower than it was in the absence of Covid-19.”
Treating Workers Like They’re Disposable Is Bad Business
The entire fast-food industry rests on a low-wage, high-turnover foundation. And at those rare moments — like this spring — when new workers seem harder to find, the industry starts expecting its politician pals to cut away at jobless benefits and force workers to take positions that don’t pay a living wage.
Rejecting Challenge to Marijuana Law, Florida Supreme Court Says Operators Must Handle Every Aspect of Pot Business
The 2017 law’s requirement that marijuana operators handle all aspects of the cannabis business involves what is known as “vertical integration.” In arguing that the requirement is unconstitutional, Florigrown contended that it limits the number of companies that can participate in the industry.
A Petition Sparks Flagler Beach Consideration of Better Beach Access for the Disabled
Responding to a social media petition organized by a disabled resident, the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday said it was interested in exploring easier and clearer disabled access to the beach.
Palm Coast Warns Waste Pro It May End Its Contract in 7 Days Over ‘Severe’ and ‘Unacceptable’ Deficiencies
Losing patience after repeated service failures by Waste Pro, Palm Coast government today declared the garbage hauler in breach of contract and began looking for other haulers while giving Waste Pro seven days to fix current problems.
Gambling Deal With Seminole Tribe Could Open the Way for More Gambling Behemoths in Florida
The proposed compact with the Seminole Tribe — now awaiting DeSantis’ signature — could set the stage to allow casinos in other regions of the state, not just in South Florida.
Florida Is Shutting Off Federal Aid to Jobless, Returning Unemployed to Maximum of $275 a Week
Florida will cease distributing $300 per week in supplementary federal unemployment assistance next month, the official who supervises the state unemployment system announced on Monday, leaving jobless workers to scrape by on $275 per week.
Fox News is Must-Watch for White Evangelicals, a Turnoff for Atheists; Hindus and Muslims Really Like CNN
Given the vast number of news options that people of faith have and the increase in political polarization in the United States, the pressure for networks to deliver the news that people want to hear will only increase as time passes.
Palm Coast Man, 55, Accused of Propositioning a Woman then Stabbing her and Her Boyfriend When She Said No
Rene Laso, 55, of Palm Coast, faces two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly stabbing a woman and her boyfriend when she refused money and sexual advances.
Rays of Promise: Boston Whaler Marks Reopening of Boating Plant, Projecting 400 Jobs and Orders Into 2023
Brunswick Corp. and Boston Whaler executives today formally reopened the former Sea Ray plant that shut down three years ago, projecting to ramp up over the next 12 to 24 months back to 400 jobs, and likely more beyond that: boat-buying is brisk and demand for Boston Whaler is back-ordered well into 2023, the executives say, ensuring the stability of the plant for years to come.
Flagler Unemployment Flat at 5.3% But Floridians Become a Bit More Optimistic
Flatness was the order of the month in April in Flagler County: The unemployment rate didn’t budget from 5.3 percent-a zone where it’s hovered, with bare ticks up and down, for eight months. The number of people on the unemployment rolls barely changed (2,519), so did the number of people with jobs (45,194).
This Year Floridians Get 3 Tax ‘Holidays’–for Hurricane Preparedness, Culture and Recreation, and School
The disaster-preparedness tax holiday will run from May 28 through June 6, the recreation-tax holiday runs for a week starting July 1, and the back-to-school holiday runs for 10 days in August.
Projecting 750 High-Wage Jobs, Council Approves 4-Story Hospital and Medical Building on Palm Coast Parkway
Wally de Aquino, the hospital’s chief operating officer, said he’s projecting an initial 400 to 450 jobs at the hospital initially, and up to 700 to 750 jobs when the medical office building is completed. The 100-bed, 155,000-square-foot, four-story AdventHealth hospital will go up on 11 acres along Palm Coast Parkway.
School Board Wades Into Selling Belle Terre Swim Club, Or Closing It to All But District Students
The Flagler County School Board is considering selling the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club it’s owned since 1997, or closing its membership-driven club functions and restricting its use to students, whose high school teams depend on its 25-yard pool.
County Authorizes Eminent Domain Action Against Second Property Owner in Quest for Dune Easements
Flagler County authorized its attorney to begin eminent domain proceedings against Leonard Surles, the homeowner at 2732 South Ocean Shore Boulevard in Flagler Breach, to secure an easement that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with a long-awaited dunes-rebuilding project.
Online Betting Is Out as Special Session Redefines $2.5 Billion Gambling Deal With Seminole Tribe
To ensure swift passage of the new compact, legislative leaders on Monday announced that DeSantis and the tribe had agreed to remove the provision requiring the state to negotiate with the tribe about online gambling.
Tabling Tonight’s Hearing, Whispering Meadows Ranch and County ‘Very Close to an Agreement’ as Talks Continue
Prompted by an outpouring of support for Whispering Meadows Ranch and talks started this weekend, the county is delaying for at least a month the hearing that had been scheduled for this evening’s County Commission meeting, where the commission was to decide whether to grant the ranch a permit to keep its operation on John Anderson Highway or force it to end operations there.
Employers: If You Want Workers, Pay a Living Wage
Across the country, local media coverage has been filled with stories of business owners lamenting that they are unable to fill positions as economies reopen. But it’s not that people don’t want to work — it’s that they don’t want to work for so little.
Whispering Meadows Ranch’s Fate Hangs on a County Commission Vote Monday After 14 Years of Serene Service
On Monday, the Flagler County Commission will decide whether to allow Whispering Meadows Ranch to continue operating as it has for nearly 14 years, as an equine therapy retreat for disabled children and veterans, or whether it will be shut down. But none of the commissioners have visited the ranch. Here’s a profile of Whispering Meadows.
Stop With the Panic Buying, Motorists Are Told: There Are No Gas Shortages
Ninety percent of Florida’s gasoline comes in through the state’s ports on cargo ships and is driven to retail pumps in tanker trucks, and is unaffected by pipeline issues that have caused delays in some deliveries elsewhere.
Flagler County Airport Will Restrict Operations in May and Close For a Few Days in June to Accommodate Runway Work
A full closure at the Flagler Executive Airport will be required from 7 a.m. Friday, June 4 to no later than 7 p.m. Monday, June 7. The scope of work for this phase includes milling, paving, and airfield electrical work within the intersection of Runway 11-29 and Runway 6-24.
‘No One Is Alone’: FPC’s Thespians Return to Stage With Upended Fairy Tale World of ‘Into the Woods’
Flagler Palm Coast’s Thespians return to the stage with exuberant defiance this week, with Stephen Sondheim’s musical, “Into the Woods.” The production in many ways parallels the challenges and sorrows the students have endured in the year of covid.
Planning Board Refuses to Call 240-Boat Storage Facility in Hammock a “Marina” But Will Seek to Define the Word
The 240-boat storage facility proposed for a 4-acre parcel on the Intracoastal in the Hammock two years ago ran into its latest setback tonight as the county planning board refused to define the facility as a marina, as its developer wants to do–not yet, anyway. The board wants to craft an ordinance that would define the word “marina,” potentially reopening the door to the boat-storage facility.
DeSantis Touts ‘Rights and Liberties’ in Ditching Covid Restrictions; Health Experts Say That’s Dangerous
For doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and many Florida residents at large, DeSantis’s elimination of covid restrictions across the state as of July 1 is scary or reckless. The pandemic is not over, and health experts continue to advocate for maintaining safety measures to prevent further outbreaks.
You May Qualify for a Monthly $50 Broadband Discount Through New Program Launching Wednesday
Temporary help of up to $50 a month is available to cover some of the costs of broadband for qualifying low-income households through the Federal Communications Commission Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.