Trump’s decision to allow states to test a work requirement for adult Medicaid enrollees sparked criticism from doctors, advocates for the poor, and minority and disability rights groups.
Economy
Flagler Beach Will End Its Lease With Ocean Palms Golf, Finding Settlement Inadmissible
Flagler Beach commissioners no longer want to work with Terry McManus, lease-holder of the city-owned golf course, and plan on either taking over the course or finding a new management firm.
Florida House Readies to Pass “Sanctuary City” Ban as Election Year Winds Up
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is mulling a run for governor, is pushing the sanctuary-city ban that would impose stiff penalties on local governments that don;t enforce immigration laws.
Flagler Film Festival’s 55 Movies Go From Gothic to Micro-Shorts to Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds appears in the romantic comedy “Miami Love Affair,” one of the many films screened at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn this weekend in the annual Flagler Film Festival.
Limiting Pain Pills Prescriptions To 7 Days? Florida Surgeons Say No.
Lawmakers’ proposal would have patients get additional prescriptions for pain medications from their doctors. Phoning-in refills would not work.
Flagler Beach Will Lift Parking Restrictions On Downtown Businesses in Short-Term Fix
Th Flagler Beach City Commission in an unusual show of liberality resolved to loosen strict restrictions on parking regulations to allow two businesses either to expand or to grow downtown.
From Opioids to Taxes to Vacation Rentals: 11 Issues To Watch In Legislative Session Starting Tuesday
The House and Senate will negotiate a state budget and consider hundreds of bills including on health care, taxes, the environment, short-term rentals and hurricanes, among others. Here’s a preview.
21 Years From Concept to Take-Off: Flagler Airport Opens $17 Million Runway
The new runway at the Flagler Airport will accommodate more fuel-heavy jets, thus adding to the airport’s fuel sales. Next up is the building of a new terminal.
Ban On: Overriding Commissioner’s Plea, Flagler Enacts Prohibition on Medical Pot Shops
It was the second and final reading of an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler, and it passed Monday morning, 3-2, ending a nearly year-long debate.
Trump Administration’s Shift on Marijuana Could Imperil Banking Arrangements
By rolling back an Obama-era arrangement that shielded legal marijuana users and businesses from prosecution, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions may compel many banks and credit unions to stop working with marijuana businesses.
Dozens of Dune Walkovers Closed Again as Flagler Beach Reels From Latest Storm Damage
After managing to repair most walk-overs after Irma, Flagler Beach was forced to again close all but 17 of the 54 walkovers after this week’s storm, though the pier remains open.
FPL Puts Plan To Bill Customers $1.3 Billion For Irma Repairs On Hold, Citing New Tax Law
The company has not moved forward with the plan, primarily because it is studying implications of a federal tax overhaul approved last month by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
Vacation Rentals Would Be Protected Class in Residential Neighborhoods In Bill Flagler Calls “Extreme”
One proposed bill would eliminate local regulation of vacation rentals and make it difficult for home-owner associations and towns like Flagler Beach to prevent short-term rentals anywhere.
Thank You for Record 7.6 Million Visits to FlaglerLive in 2017: A Review of a Disordered Year
FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam reviews a year of record murders, record fatalities, disappointments in Palm Coast, but a sheriff’s great year, and new readership records for the site.
Among Slew of Legislative Rules, A Proposal To Limit Local Authority on Environment
From fracking to tree-trimming to using close to $900 million from a voter-approved conservation fund, Florida lawmakers are lining up their wishes ahead of the 2018 session.
Not To Worry, Estate Planners: Help For Struggling Millionaires Is On The Way
The estate tax was just slashed to exempt millionaire families up to $22 million, a doubling of the previous exemption, which had covered 99.8 percent of taxpayers.
O Canada: Can a Single-Payer Health-Insurance System Work in the United States?
American support for government-run, single-payer health care, once a fringe opinion, is picking up momentum, with doctors and patients increasingly supportive,
Easy Going Portable Buildings, 125 N. Volusia Ave., Pierson FL (386) 316-0346
Buy or rent portable buildings through Easy Going Portable Buildings of Pierson Fla. Call (386)316-0346 or email Terry Leishman at [email protected]
Despite Compressed Sign-Up Period, ACA Enrollment Nearly Matches Last Year’s
A day after Trump said the Affordable Care Act “has been repealed,” 8.8 million Americans had signed up for coverage on the federal insurance exchange in 2018.
Flagler’s 4.2% Unemployment and Steady Housing Numbers Point to a Healthy Year
Flagler County and Florida are ending the year on an economic high note, with unemployment in the county at 4.2 percent, down from 5.6 percent a year ago.
With Project Share, Flagler Beach Rotary Brings Christmas to 1,300 of the Region’s Neediest Children
Project Share was born 18 years ago after Roseanne Stocker drove through rural areas of deep poverty and teamed up with her father to provide toys for 30 children. The project has grown every year since.
Jacksonville and Florida National Guard Lose Out On Basing of F-35 Fighter Jet
Air Force today announced it will not locate its F-35 Lightning II fighter jet in Jacksonville with the Florida National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing, opting for Alabama and Wisconsin.
Painters Hill and Hammock Dunes Property Owners Will Pay Extra Tax for Erosion Control
The four taxing districts, made necessary by hurricanes, will levy surtaxes on property owners only in those areas to defray the cost of protective sand berms and a sea wall the county will build.
Woody’s BBQ at Flagler Plaza Is Burglarized For First Time in 18 Years
Two windows were smashed in in an apparent attempt to steal from the cash register, which was empty. Damage from the burglary was valued at almost $5,000, according to a sheriff’s report.
Applicants Line Up Concert-Style For Florida’s Dozens of New Methadone-Treatment Licenses
Florida officials this summer decided to double the number of methadone clinics in the state as part of a $27 million federal grant aimed at curbing opioid addiction and overdoses.
Overriding Medical Marijuana Users’ Pleas, and Voters, Flagler Commissioners Pass Dispensary Ban
The 3-1 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries outright Monday evening ends a year-long process that saw commissioners zigzag between approval and prohibition.
Assisted Living Facilities Are Challenging Rule Requiring Generator Power in Emergencies
The Florida Senior Living Association representing 350 assisted living facilities argues the proposed rule creates requirements that are not authorized in state law.
3 Reasons The Trump Tax Plan Is a Disgrace
Robert Reich’s three-step guide on the rubbish of the Trump-Republican tax plan for when you confront your Republican Uncle Bob during the holidays.
All-Cash Business? Not So: Why It’s Getting Easier for Marijuana Shops to Open Bank Accounts
Almost 400 banks and credit unions now serve the medical marijuana industry, according to the U.S. Treasury — a number that has more than tripled since 2014.
Behind Pending Sale of Sea Ray, A Few Hints As to Why, None As To What Next
Brunswick Corp. had noted a little disappointment with storm-related slowdowns at Sea Ray but explains its sale as a more strategic decision to focus more on different parts of its business.
Masked Gunman Robs Shell Station at Club House Drive, Suspect Arrested Within Hours
Charles E. Rushing-Griffen, 27, was booked at the Flagler County jail at 5:23 this morning as the suspect in an armed robbery by a masked gunman at 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening.
County And Bunnell Score Big Grants For Plantation Bay and Stormwater, Flagler Beach and Palm Coast Do Not
Flagler County won a $500,000 grant for improvements to its Plantation Bay utility, Bunnell won $460,000 for stormwater and sewer improvements from the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Christmas With a Deputy Marks 10th Year By Increasing Shopping-Spree Sleighs to 125 Children
This Friday 125 children will get to go on a Christmas shopping spree with a cop and a gift card at Target, getting there in a long convoy of cop cars, lights and sirens blaring.
FPL Customers Will be Billed $176 Million For Pollution Cleanup Following Leak at Utility
All electricity customers in Flagler County are serviced by FPL and will see the cost, albeit modest, reflected in their bills even though the leak took place in South Florida.
Senate Leader Eyes Constitutional Amendment Requiring Two-Thirds Majority For Any Tax Increase
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years, has the power to place constitutional amendments on the November 2018 ballot.
Why Palm Coast Will Soon See Nearly 100-Foot Condo Towers Rise Off Colbert Lane
The development was once called Harbor View Marina. It will now be called Marina Del Palma and will add up to 615 residential units, 461 of them in condo towers of eight stories.
Lighting and Sign Improvements Coming to 3 Flagler Interchanges on I-95
Interchanges at Palm Coast Parkway, State Road 100 and Old Dixie Highway will see improvements between 2018 and 2019 in a $5.6 million project.
County Calls Waste Pro On the Carpet, Only to Lavish Praise, Flattery and Excuses
The county administration’s account of Waste Pro trash-hauling service contrasted sharply with commissioners’ stories of complaints, or documented complaints in Palm Coast.
FPC’s Dancers, Singers and Artists Bring Talents and Christmas Cheer to Assisted Living Residents
The residents of Brookdale, an assisted living community in Palm Coast, were treated to a spectacular holiday show on November 29 by students from Flagler Palm Coast High School.
At Flagler Playhouse, An Urbane Expansion for a Community Theater Celebrating 4th Decade
The Flagler Playhouse, now in its fourth decade, marked the opening of a new, 2000 square-foot wing that’ll give theater-goers a place to chill, drink and snack before shows and at intermissions.
The Trump Tax Scam
The deeper costs of the $1.5 trillion tax plan are so large and so obvious that the failure of Republican leaders to disclose them is, for all practical purposes, a lie.
Getting Over Resistance Against Apartments in Palm Coast: Less Prejudice, A Bit More Height
Housing, real estate and local government officials this morning diagnosed the sources of Flagler-Palm Coast’s affordable housing crisis and proposed a few solutions in a unique discussion at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Flagler Education Foundation’s Connect Bus Showcases School District’s Tech Evolution
The Connect Bus, which just scored a $15,000 donation from Ameris Bank, is appearing more and more around town, a school district showcase of evolving classroom technology.
Not Dead Yet: County Must Formalize Medical Pot Ban By Ordinance, Giving Advocates Another Go
The Flagler County Commission’s Nov. 20 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries was only one step: commissioners must still pass an ordinance formalizing the ban, twice, giving proponents of dispensaries another chance to make their case.
New Regulations Give Flagler Government Policing Powers Over Towing Companies
A new Flagler County ordinance sets out requirements, fees and penalties for the county’s three towing companies, reining in what the county administration said had been some abuses in the industry.
How Residents of One Street, Citing False Information, Got 3 Flagler Commissioners To Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries
Residents of Treetop Circle in Plantation Bay made false but popular claims about medical pot dispensaries to convince Commissioners Greg Hansen, Charlie Ericksen and Dave Sullivan to ban dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler.
Sheriff Again Urges Transportation Secretary to Improve Safety at “Deadly” White Eagle Intersection
The transportation department last February largely ignored recommendations by Sheriff Rick Staly for more safety measures at the crash-prone intersection on U.S. 1. Staly again wrote the transportation department on Tuesday.
Grower Sues, Charging Florida Illegally Delays Granting Medical Pot Growing Licenses
Michael Bowen, an epilepsy patient who had a seizure during a Senate committee meeting this year and who uses marijuana to treat his illness, is also a party to the lawsuit.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Florida Adds 125,000 Jobs, Dropping Unemployment to 3.6%, Flagler’s at 3.8%
In essence, the state saw little negative effect from Hurricane Irma despite its severity and the disruptions it spread over Florida.