A day after announcing the opening of a 750,000 square-foot shipping center in Romeoville, Ill., Amazon today announced it would open a slightly larger fulfillment center in Jacksonville, employing some 1,500 people. It will be the third Amazon center in Florida. Centers in Lakeland and Ruskin employ a combined 3,000 people.
Economy
Forest Grove Drive Access to Old Kings Road North Closes Permanently
This permanent road closure is the final step in the recent construction of the Old Kings Road extension on the west side of Forest Grove and the Palm Harbor Parkway extension on its east side.
Goodbye News-Journal
Rick de Yampert, the former arts writer for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, explains why he cancelled his newspaper subscription for the first time in 43 years.
6 People Rescued From Tugboat on Fire in Ocean Off Marineland
It was not the first recent problem for the Thomas Dann tugboat. Two fireballs were seen from shore, indications of explosions. Its crew was picked up by a fishing vessel, though Flagler County Fire Rescue’s Marine Unit was set to carry out the rescue.
Pyrrhic Vanishing: Democrats Unite, But What Happened To Medicare For All?
Most health policy analysts — including those who are sympathetic to the idea — say moving from the current U.S. public-private hybrid health system to one fully funded by the government in one step is basically impossible. And that’s making a huge assumption that it could get through Congress.
In Debt, Flagler Chamber of Commerce Seeking to Sell Building But Stay Put as Tenant
As debts have caught up with the organization, members of the Flagler Chamber of Commerce and Affiliates this afternoon learned that the chamber is seeking to sell the 10,000 square foot building it has owned, occupied and leased to other tenants since 2006.
Obama Renews Call for Public Option in Health Law to Compete With Private Insurers
Before the public option was dropped in 2010 many liberals hoped — and conservatives feared — that having the government provide insurance alongside private companies would be a step toward a full government-run system.
Latest Florida Newspaper Layoffs Claim Lloyd Dunkelberger of Tallahassee and Recount Fame
Following the latest round of reporter layoffs, they will be replaced, if at all, by younger, cheaper bodies who have not necessarily been taught the difference between putting bylines on news releases and honest reporting, writes Florence Snyder.
Chris Sousa, 21, Matanzas Graduate and Driven Entrepreneur, Struck and Killed by Car in Ormond Beach
Chris Sousa, a Palm Coast resident of Island Estates and a 2013 graduate of Matanzas High School, was killed early this morning as he walked when a vehicle struck him in Ormond Beach.
Economy Returns to Form With 287,000 New Jobs in June, Erasing Previous Month’s Retreat
The national economy in June added 287,000 jobs, its best performance in eight months and a sharp reversal from May’s slumber, when just 11,000 jobs were created–the worst monthly performance since the end of the Great Recession seven years ago.
Don’t Be Fooled: FPL Knocks Off 34-Cent Nukes Charge Only to Prepare for 22.6% Base-Rate Increase
Typical customers will see a 34 cent a month decrease, but FPL is preparing to ask for a huge base-rate increase of 22.6 percent over three years, which will make the savings from the nuclear charge irrelevant.
52 Burglaries Strike Palm Coast’s Major Hotels Overnight, Including Hammock Beach Resort
Some 52 vehicles were targeted in burglaries at four Palm Coast hotels overnight, with smashed windows and stolen belongings in what appears to have been an organized spree.
Chain Restaurants Hurt the Economy, Pollute, And Pay Poverty Wages. Eat Local Instead.
It’s time for big chains to strengthen local economies by keeping food purchases local and ending worker exploitation. But they don’t. Meanwhile, writes Anna Meyer, look for locally owned restaurants that source local and support raising the minimum wage for all workers.
Data, Drones, Apps: Rush to Protect Privacy Raises Concerns Of Stifling Rights and Innovation
As technology redefines the limits of privacy, some of the restrictions, such as those on drones and body cameras may infringe on free speech protections, and some may be smothering innovation.
Teri Craddock As Intracoastal’s Business Relationship Manager, Grand Haven Adds Two Agents
Craddock will be responsible for developing and attending to business and personal banking relationships. Aloha Von Jasinski and Eddie Marcal are both long-time Flagler County real estate agents.
Trying to Stem Hemorrhage of Green, Palm Coast Studies Patchy Golf Club Take-Over
Losses at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club are getting worse. The city is considering a “hybrid” take-over of golf and tennis that would still contract put most services but give the city more control.
No More Hairpin Curve as Old Kings Road Extension Around Matanzas High Opens, Last of Big Projects
The extension’s opening marks the last of a series of major road projects intended to improve traffic flow around Palm Coast, and in this case in particular around Matanzas High School.
Entrepreneur Night and Salvo Gallery Exhibit the Art of Start-Up Resilience
Office Divvy Co-Founder Ky Ekinci speaks of his affinities for and philosophical similarities with Salvo Art Project Co-Founder JJ Graham, where the next Entrepreneur Night will take place Tuesday evening.
Cindy Dalecki is Flagler Beach Rotary’s New President, Tim O’Donnell Gets Year’s Top Honor
Dalecki owns Marketing 2 Go, the new-media company she started six years ago on her own and has since turned into an operation employing half a dozen. The club held its annual Cycle Flagler event in May, raising over $15,000.
A Homestead Exemption in Two States? Supreme Court Asked To Rule on Legality
Pointing to a “far-reaching impact” of the case, attorneys for a Broward County woman are asking the Florida Supreme Court to take up a case that involves a married couple having homestead tax exemptions in two states.
Proposed Bear Hunt This Fall Would Unfold In Three Separate Four-Day Periods
The recommendation to hold the state’s second bear hunt in the past 20 years expands on a proposal from state biologists without offering hard numbers of bears that could be killed or suggesting a number of permits that could be made available or the costs of permits.
At Salvo Gallery, JJ Graham’s Burst of 50 “Builder Paintings” Brush Art For Growth’s Sake
Salvo Gallery’s indefatigable JJ Graham painted 50 works for Saturday’s now show opening as a way to fund the next stage of growth at the gallery and artist community he co-owns with Petra Iston in Bunnell.
Palm Coast’s Cypress Knoll Golf Course Closing Saturday, Employees Are Told
Golf Group of Palm Coast purchased the Cypress Course, Pines Course and the closed Matanzas Course from bankrupt Crescent Resources for $2 million. Crescent operated locally as Landmar Group. The three courses were collectively know as the Grand Club.
Palm Coast’s Coastal Cloud Gets Quarterly JaxUSA Leadership Award
Coastal Cloud, a Flagler County-based technology company, was awarded the second quarter JAXUSA Industry Leader Award on June 6, the company announced today. The award was presented to Coastal Cloud co-founders Tim and Sara Hale during a lunch at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.
European Village Reborn: Palm Coast’s Poster-Child of Housing Bust Thrives Again
The Palm Coast City Council approved a rezoning that enables European Village to be more autonomous and more clearly advertise itself as the 14-year-old development seeks to solidify its new hold on business and residential activity.
Taxable Values Improve Less Than in 2015, But Still More Strongly Than in Pre-Recession Years
Palm Coast’s and Bunnell’s values improved least among local governments, at 3.9 and 2.2 percent, while county, school and Flagler Beach values all exceeded 5 percent.
72-Year-Old Man Exposes Himself to Two Teen Girls at Pier’s A-Frame in Flagler Beach
James Tussing, who has no prior arrest record, exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl and her friend and blamed them for wearing bikinis late into the night.
Florida Hospital Flagler’s Medical Staff Awards $3,000 in Scholarships to 4 Students
Meredith Wills, Amanda Hok, Summer Wilcox and Vincent Launh each got $750. The John M. Canakaris, MD award, which honors a high school student that has volunteered within the community to help the underprivileged and less fortunate, was awarded to Matanzas’s Launh.
Scaling Some Opposition, Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Will Expand Seating Areas, But Not Capacity
Captain’s Bait, Tackle and BBQ at Bing’s Landing, the county park, scaled some opposition by Hammock residents to win county approval for an 800 square foot expansion that will not, however, add to the restaurant’s 200-seat capacity.
Lawsuit Against Palm Coast’s Golden Corral Alleges Sexual Harassment of 17-Year-Old Girl
The lawsuit and the company’s response raise questions about the extent of a company’s responsibility in protecting its employees from undue hostility and differentiates, in the company’s view, between issues involving peer-employees as opposed to employees and their supervisors or superiors.
Florida Hospital Flagler Donates $5,000 to School District’s Flagship Programs
The $5,000 donation went to the Flagler County Education Foundation to support a variety of Flagship programs in the district, especially Rymfire Elementary’s health sciences program.
In Feud’s Latest Distortion, Palm Coast Blames County for “Killing” $600,000 City Road Grant
Palm Coast and the county are at it again, but in this case the city appears to have misrepresented the county’s intention not to violate the law in the latest flare-up of an ongoing feud between City Manager Jim Landon and County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Intersection at Old Kings Road and Town Center Blvd. Will Finally Get a Traffic Light
The $154,000 project will include some new landscaping and will also result in the closure of the makeshift parking area for people who use the Lehigh Trail. The zone must be closed to make the new arrangement safer.
Florida Insurers Requesting an Average 17.7% Rate Increase in Obamacare Plans for 2017
While the requested increases for Florida vary from zero to 40 percent, all requested increases for silver plans are under 14 percent, and half are under 3 percent.
Art Walk Renaissance as Calypso and ZinkZank Galleries Open Within Brush Stroke of Salvo
Weldon and Richlin Ryan’s new Calypso Fine Art Gallery at Marvin garden, along with Sheila Skipp Zinkerman’s ZinkZank gallery and Salvo Art Project, are burgeoning an art walk similar to what existed at City Marketplace before an exodus two years ago.
Golden Lion’s Key Lime Tartar Sauce Yields $2,800 in Latest Donations to Needy
The Bunnell Food Pantry, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Halifax Urban Ministries of Daytona Beach were the beneficiaries of the third distribution of proceeds from Golden Lion’s sauce.
Palm Coast City Employees Get Free Screenings From Florida Hospital Flagler
Florida Hospital Flagler provided free health screenings to 80 City of Palm Coast employees. The screenings included blood pressure, pulse oxygen, carbon monoxide, body mass index (BMI), diabetes testing and musculoskeletal assessment.
Florida Supreme Court Rules That City Utility’s Service Area Trumps Some County Authority
While the case involved a local dispute on the Treasure Coast, it drew attention from counties and utilities across the state, which is carved into territories and includes myriad local franchise agreements.
Are We Finally Ready For Smart Guns? Daytona’s iGuns Technologies Aims For Yes
The iGun’s chip technology only works within centimeters and makes it impossible for anyone other than the person wearing the ring to fire it. Some gun advocates are resistant for various reasons.
Flagler’s 5.1% Unemployment Nearly Matches U.S. Rate Even as Jobs and Labor Force Dip
Flagler’s unemployment rate has fallen a full percentage point in a year, and is down from 8.3 percent two years ago. The rate went down even though 179 fewer people held jobs in April, because the labor force shrank by a larger number.
At Salvo Art Saturday, “Transparency” as an Artist’s Conceptual Journey Beyond the Visible
Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk, the featured artists at Salvo Art’s new show, is highly acclaimed in her native Poland as a sculptor and multimedia conceptual artist. She’s become well known in Flagler County’s expanding artistic circles since taking up residency in one of Salvo’s studios.
Carmen Bourdeau Is Florida Hospital Flagler’s New ICU Nurse Manager
Bourdeau has been a nurse for nearly 25 years and began her career at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey, as a nurse in the ICU.
In Victory for Flagler Beach, Dreaded and Un-Scenic A1A Signs Will Not Spear the City
The state transportation department finally barred the signs from Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach after an intense campaign by city officials that reflected almost unanimous public outrage against the signs.
TDC Favors Beverly Beach’s $32,000 Walkover Renovations, But Not Before Unusual Grilling
The questioning was another example of of the TDC’s more inquisitorial attitude toward local projects as opposed to a less rigorous or accountable approach when the applicant is an out-of-town organization, including for-profits.
FPL Bills Customers for Unbuilt Nuclear Plants But Wants Out of Justifying Need
Attorneys for consumers and business and environmental groups are fighting FPL’s request for a waiver from filing an annual analysis about the feasibility of adding two nuclear reactors in South Florida.
Hundreds Of Thousands Lose Food Stamps In Florida as Work Requirements Kick In
In Florida if you can’t show that you’re working or meet the work requirements some other way, you get penalized and lose your food stamps for the following month. If you fail to meet the requirements again, it’s a three-month sanction and then six months.
Critical Care Physician Muneeruddin Q. Mohammed Joins Florida Hospital Flagler
As an intensivist, Mohammed will work with the hospital’s critical care team in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Construction on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 Million Expansion Advances
Construction continues to progress on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 million expansion project to add 32 new beds on the second and third floors over the hospital’s emergency department.
For Flagler’s Gun Shops, New Residents Spur Brisk Business But Laws Conceal Debate
Flagler County’s gun shop owners say fear and a need for protection rather than hunting still drives much of their business, but they have differing views on gun regulations and the need for additional laws.
Behind Palm Coast’s Inspired Mic, A King With Nine Lives Defies Dreads, Death and Taboos
After a hiatus The Inspired Mic, Palm Coast’s most daring and unpredictable open mic event, returned to the New Europa under the direction of Michael Ray King, who organizes the monthly event with a light touch, himself inspired by a personal history of harrowing survival.