Tax season is intensifying scams from fraudsters posing as the IRS, who have been targeting Palm Coast residents and threatening them with arrest if they don’t immediately pay bogus tax bills.
Economy
Florida Senators Reject Weakening State’s Regulatory Power in Health Care Expansions
The Senate on Wednesday listened to hospitals, nursing homes and hospice providers and killed a bill that would have weakened the “certificate of need” process that gives the state power to review and approval new health-care facilities.
At Florida Hospital Flagler, an Additional 32 Beds as Facility Grows Beyond Rural Stage
The $15-million, 32-bed addition tips Florida Hospital Flagler past the 99-bed threshold, reducing its Medicare dollars by up to $12 million, but hospital officials see the expansion as meeting local needs.
States Begin Increasingly to Let People Reject Smart Meters Amid Health and Privacy Fears
At least 15 states allow customers to opt out of smart meter installation, although many permit utility companies to impose a fee on customers who don’t want the meters. Florida is not among those states.
Thanks to Elderly, Florida Medical Marijuana Market Could Be a $1.5 Billion Industry By 2020
Florida is one of four states best positioned to legalize medical marijuana, with the state’s older population playing a large role in the industry’s viability.
“The Last Romance” Bids a Golden Valentine for Adult Sensibilities at City Rep Theatre
Joe DiPietro’s romantic comedy at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre stars real-life couple Sue and John Pope, who must act as if they don’t love each other.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation Breaks Ground at New Home With Poetry, Nietzsche and a Party
Some 250 people turned out for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s groundbreaking Thursday at its new home in Town Center, with poetry and a live performance by a Flagler Youth Orchestra ensemble.
Legislature Tells Florida’s Horse Farmers to Find a New Business
Florida horsemen are screwed, argues Nancy Smith: Only a miracle can save the $1.2 billion Florida horse racing industry they represent. Their bane: the Florida Legislature.
Family Livid After FDOT Uproots Roadside Memorial to Tyler Tracy 7 Months After Wreck
Tyler Tracy’s memorial was one of five an FDOT official decided had to be removed on US1, though others were left in place, angering Tracy’s widow and family and getting Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts involved in defense of the family.
Bathroom Use By Transgenders Scuttles Bill Designed to End LGBT Discrimination
The anti-discrimination bill is backed by big business such as Disnet and AT&T but opposed by social conservatives such as Florida Family Policy Council.
Health Insurers Moving to Undermine Obamacare By Limiting Enrollment
major insurers are seeking to sharply limit how policies are sold to individuals in ways that consumer advocates say seem to discriminate against the sickest and could hold down future enrollment.
Where’s Opelka? Injury and Ranking Climb Keep Star From Palm Coast’s Tennis Tourney
Palm Coast’s celebrated Reilly Opelka, the boys Wimbledon Champ, says he probably would not have competed in the ongoing Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament even if he did not have a stress fracture as he targets bigger tournaments to earn more ranking points.
Low Gas Prices Are Great For You and Me. For World Security? Not So Much.
Banditry, corruption and tyranny from Saudi Arabia to Iraq to Russia depends on high oil prices. As prices fall, the bandits in charge will quarrel more among themselves – and with their neighbors.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation Breaks Ground for Outdoors Venue in Town Center on Feb. 11
The initial project will consist of a 32,000 square-foot open-air arts and culture pavilion center and a small enclosed venue that’ll double up as an event center for meetings and small events.
FPL Reports Profits of $1.65 Billion for 2015 But Still Seeks 15% Rate Increase by 2019
Despite the good news to FPL shareholders, FPL has asked for an $8.50-a-month rate increase in 2017, rising to $14-a-month by 2019. The Florida Public Service Commission must approve the rate increases after public hearings.
Emerald Day Spa Opens in Palm Coast
Jenny Marafurova in December announced the opening of Emerald Day Spa, a high end spa and salon experience at 1490 Palm Coast Pkwy Suite #3 in Palm Coast, with a ribbon-cutting attended by Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and others.
A Pair of Big Checks Contribute to Pink Army and United Way
The Pink Army’s 5K run in Town Center last fall raised $12,585.35, and the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties donated $10,000 to the United Way.
Herculean Effort More Than Doubles Memberships at Belle Terre Swim Club, Dimming Talk of Closure
The Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s supporters have managed to increase memberships to more than 300 and close an $80,000 budget gap ahead of a Feb. 2 deadline when the school board will decide the club’s fate.
Failed Condo Project in Ft. Lauderdale Lands Donald Trump in Florida Appeals Court
Investors have battled in court for years to get back hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits from Donald Trump and associates. The 4th District Court of Appeal will hear arguments Tuesday in two lawsuits related to what was pitched as a swanky, Trump-branded hotel/condominium.
Doug Williams, Immigration and Criminal Law Attorney, Joins Chiumento Selis Dwyer as Partner
Chiumento Selis Dwyer, the Palm Coast law firm, announced that attorney Douglas Scott Williams, better known as Doug, has joined the firm as a partner.
Sanders Revives Talk of Single-Payer System, Contrasting Differences With Clinton
Sanders’ main rival for the nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has criticized the plan for raising taxes on the middle class and said it is politically unattainable.
Flagler’s Unemployment Rate Falls to New Post-Recession Low of 5.5%, Florida at 5%
Flagler County’s rate is vastly improved since even a year ago, when it stood at 6.9 percent. There were 487,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 9.7 million.
Marketing 2 Go Hires Community Manager Dana Nobile
Marketing 2 Go last week announced the hiring of Flagler County native Dana Nobile as a new Community Manager for the 6-year-old company, which helps firms develop and manage their media presence, public relations and marketing.
Gail Downs, 2015 Realtor of the Year, Joins Parkside Realty Group
Parkside Realty Group Broker and Owner Sam Perkovich announced last week that Gail Downs, the 2015 Flagler County Realtor of the Year, has joined Parkside Realty.
Starting With $8.50 Increase Next Year, FPL Seeks Monthly Rate Increase of $14 By 2020
The proposal would help cover the nearly $16 billion that the power company has been investing since 2014 to improve its electricity service.
Palm Coast’s $9 Million Scam at Taxpayers’ Expense
Since 2008, Palm Coast government has wasted over $9 million in taxpayer money to subsidize its privately run, money-losing golf and tennis operations, which serve a small group of people. It’s been a colossal scam perpetrated on taxpayers.
In City Rep’s “Working,” A Job Becomes a Musical
“Working,” the musical based on Studs Terkel’s 1974 best-selling book on the American workplace, takes the stage at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Jan. 15 through 24.
Florida House May Back Scott’s $1 Billion Tax Cut, With Minor Differences
The House intends to offer a $1 billion tax-cut package that includes Gov. Rick Scott’s call to reduce a tax on commercial leases and holding a back-to-school sales tax “holiday.”
Florida House Wants to Prohibit Immigrants’ “Sanctuary” Communities
Despite emotional pleas from immigrant advocates, state House members Wednesday moved forward with measures aimed at cracking down on cities and counties that provide “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and increasing penalties for people who defy deportation orders.
Flagler Film Festival, Drawing on Works Near and Far, Flicks On For 3rd Year Friday
The Flagler Film Festival’s third edition features 47 films from 150 submissions this year, and starts Friday at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn, running through Sunday.
Flagler County Revises Vacation-Rental Rules as Lawmakers Propose Yet More Changes
The county commission’s authority is limited but it plans to stiffen fines against vacation-rental rule violators. Lawmakers meanwhile, catching on to the controversy, may revert more regulatory authority to local governments.
Losses at Palm Coast’s Golf and Tennis Clubs Mount to Record $431,000; City Council Shrugs
Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Club and its Tennis center have together lost more money in 2014 than in any year since 2009 under contractor KemperSports’ management, yet council members raised few questions about the operations during a presentation Tuesday.
In Setback, Sun Sets on Solar Initiative for 2016 Ballot; Organizers Will Look to 2018
“Floridians for Solar Choice,” which wants to expand who can provide solar energy, fell behind in qualifying for the November 2016 ballot and remains in the midst of a contract dispute with a petition-gathering firm.
Mokonzy Computer Club Hosts Facebook Training Workshop With Cindi Dalecki Jan. 15th
Cindy Dalecki, owner of Marketing 2 Go, a five-year-old social media and marketing company headquartered in Flagler County, will lead a workshop on how to best use Facebook for business.
Evocations of Dali, Darkness and the Familiar in Art League’s Juried Photography Show
Of the exhibit’s 85 pieces, only 16 include people, and only five comprise the portrait category in the Flagler County Art League’s annual juried photography show, which opens Saturday evening.
Economy Adds 292,000 Jobs in December for a 1990s-Like Total of 2.65 Million Over the Year
The seven years of Obama’s presidency have netted 8.3 million jobs, after accounting for the millions of jobs lost in the housing crash, but warning signs abound.
Forbes Magazine Lands Alec Manfre, a 2007 Graduate of FPC, on Its 30 Under 30 List of Energy Trailblazers
Forbes chose Alec Manfre, CEO of Bractlet, for his company’s innovative ability to yield huge energy savings to massive buildings. Manfre, 26, credits his teachers at FPC for his start.
Flagler School Enrollment Flat For 8th Straight Year Even as Population Continues to Grow
Most of those moving into Flagler and Palm Coast are retired or non-working, while not enough working-age families with children are moving in to replace those moving out.
At Five Star Pizza, A Confrontation With A Dissatisfied Customer Ends With a Gun
When Palm Coast resident Tammie Bouie wouldn’t leave Five Star Pizza, owner-manager Denis Gotlib pulled out a Glock, telling deputies he had a right to stand his ground.
Florida Population, Growing Faster Than California, Tops 20 Million
The Sunshine State, adding more than 1,000 people a day, is nearly up a half-million people on New York, which it surpassed a year ago to become the third most-populous state.
Floridians for Solar Choice Ballot Initiative Unlikely to Meet Deadline to Qualify
The proposal, favored by liberals but opposed by the utility industry, would allow businesses to generate up to two megawatts of electricity and sell it to neighboring properties.
Denied Belle Terre Swim Club, Innovative Soccer Academy Turns to Permanent Palm Coast Roots
The 57 students enrolled at Palm Coast’s Professional Sports Pathways are part of a growing trend of hybrid specialty school-skill training programs that also serve as magnets for families looking for specific educational opportunities.
Unemployment Stays Flat in Flagler, at 5.9%, and in Florida, at 5.1%, as Workforce Stalls
All numbers dipped a little in Flagler County’s economic graphs in November in what amounts to a tepid unemployment report locally and in Florida. But most numbers are still heading in the right direction.
County Tourism Board Approves Speculative $40,000 Public Subsidy for Private Conference
The $40,000 in county tax dollars will help pay for rooms and food at a writers’ conference at Hammock Beach Resort, in hopes for good press in return. There is little evidence of such returns.
A Problem for Enterprise Florida and Gov. Rick Scott: Bill Johnson
Just what the governor doesn’t need: a reason for lawmakers to blow raspberries at his budget request for Enterprise Florida Inc. (EFI). As it happens, they might have their reason. His name is Bill Johnson.
Little League Discovers Palm Coast Rules: Money-Making Tournaments Come First
Palm Coast Little League organizers say the way the city is booting them off Indian Trails Sports Complex fields for a for-profit tournament is a violation of a contractual agreement that defines how the city may go about doing so. City Manager Jim Landon disagrees.
Flagler’s Sensitive Land Acquisition Panel Cool to 116-Acre Pitch Along Lake Disston
John A. Kern is proposing to sell the 116 acres along Lake Disston for $2.8 million (14 times the assessed value), but without an additional 20 acres the the Flagler county committee wants in the deal if it’s to keep pursuing the proposal.
Look Closer: Student Art Upstages Grown-Ups in Pair of Flagler County Art League Shows
Startling juxtapositions abound in “Look Close” and the “High School Student Art Exhibit,” two shows that open Saturday December 12 at the Flagler County Art League in Palm Coast.
Santa Claus Meets His Match: “A Mark Twain Christmas” at City Repertory Theatre
Like the other one-man Twain shows Robert Gill has created, “A Mark Twain Christmas” is composed of about 75 percent of the author’s monologues and writings recited verbatim, and about 25 percent is Gill‘s creation.
Take-Out, Groceries, Pills, Booze? Palm Coast Delivery Factory Will Get It To You
Palm Coast Delivery Factory, the new service that just launched in town, will deliver just about anything to customers by way of a phone call or–as its young owner-entrepreneurs prefer, by text.