A proposed law to end Florida’s 80-year-old prohibition on liquor in any but stand-alone stores cleared a House committee over the objections of Publix, some sheriffs and liquor store owners.
Economy
Flagler Does Its Growing Part as Florida Attracts Record 97 Million Visitors in 2014
Monthly tax collections from Flagler’s 4 percent surtax (or bed tax) on fees at hotels, motels and other short-term rentals were up 13 percent by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (it ended in September), after increasing 5 percent the previous year.
Radiology Associates Imaging
Palm Coast Imaging & Town Center Imaging
(386)446-5200
Radiology Associates Imaging’s two fully accredited centers in Flagler County (Palm Coast Imaging and Town Center Imaging) offer board-certified radiologists, the latest in state-of-the-art equipment, and skilled, caring staff to provide patients with the absolute best care in a relaxing, worry-free environment.
With “Venus in Fur,” Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre Goes Fifty Shades of Dare
John Sbordone’s latest envelope-pushing offering at City Rep Theatre is a play within a play that mixes kinkiness, subtlety, and–as the lead character puts it–a little S&M porn.
Buddy Holly Story at the Flagler Auditorium: The Boundless Influence Of a Rock Legend
“The Buddy Holly Story,” at the Flagler Auditorium Friday, reflects the enduring influence and popularity of a rock-and-roller whose career spanned just 18 months before he died in a plane crash.
Third General Manager in 5 Years Takes Over Palm Coast’s Troubled Golf and Tennis Clubs
Six-figure deficits that taxpayers have subsidized year after year have riddled the budgets of Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Club and its tennis center since they opened.
Despite Obamacare Rules, Some Contraceptives May Still Require Co-Pay
Even though an unplanned pregnancy would cost an insurer a lot more than the contraceptives to prevent it, some insurers still try to limit what they cover.
Palm Coast Begins Conversion to LED Street Lights In Latest Push For Conservation
Palm Coast won’t retrofit its 3,000 street lights to LED just yet, but all new installations will be LED, and in a year or 18 months may consider a broader retrofit program if the investment shows solid savings over time.
Palm Coast Close To Suspending Red-Light Camera Program as Legal Challenges Mount
By all appearances from the council’s discussion this morning, the council is ready to end its program as it is now configured, with a final decision to be taken on March 3.
Ending Political Endorsements, Tallahassee Democrat Surrenders to Focus Groups
Jac Wilder VerSteeg says he mourns the end of an era in which editors and publishers instinctively understood what readers wanted to read and ought to read, as opposed to what focus groups told them they should print.
With Generous County Subsidy, Christian School May Be Next Tenant of Old Courthouse
County government will vote Tuesday on a proposal by First Baptist Christian Academy of Palm Coast to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell for $5,700 a month, and with an interest-free, 30-year tax-funded loan of $360,000.
Last Tango For Nuclear:
Atomic Power’s Environmental Ringers
The nuclear power industry’s attempted revival is relying on a corps of environmental converts to the cause, including Obama climate czar Carol Browner and ex-EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman.
Gripes Aside, 6,000 Palm Coast and Flagler County Residents Enrolled in Obamacare as Deadline Approaches
Brisk enrollment in Flagler County and Palm Coast is nevertheless accompanied by individuals’ continued struggles, financial and ideological, over the Affordable Care Act even as Florida leads the nation in Obamacare enrollments, with 1.3 million people, and more expected ahead of the deadline.
Strong Job-Creation Pace Continues, Adding 1 Million in Last 3 Months
The U.S. economy added 257,000 jobs in January, continuing a job-creation pace not seen since 1999, when the economy added 3.18 million jobs overall. The unemployment rate ticked up to 5.7 percent.
A Strip-Club Sin Tax That Also Takes Names? This Conservative Says No And No.
Florida lawmakers are considering a measure that would charge a $10 surtax on sex-club patrons and require the business to keep a database of customers. Nancy Smith says no.
South and West Palm Coast Getting 2, Possibly 3 New Gas Stations, With First Opening in June
A gas station on Pine Lakes Parkway and Wynnfield Drive will open in June while Race Trac is securing permits to open a station on SR100 and Seminole Woods Boulevard.
DSC’s Kristy Presswood Is “Fearless and Focused” Series Speaker at Feb. 12 Lunch
For $15 a spot, “The Importance of Education in the New Economy” is the topic for the Palm Coast Business Assistance Center’s first “Fearless and Focused: Women in Business” Lunch n Learn for 2015.
County Approves Salamander’s Bid For 198-Room Hotel, With Conditions and Donations
The Flagler County Commission’s verdict, just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, includes some last-minute promises of land and dollars from Salamander, and a four-year deadline to build the $72 million project.
Nuclear Power’s Last Tango: Industry’s Promise Fails to Outrun Crippling Costs
If you like the U.S. nuclear power industry, it’s a Michael Jordan-type gallant return. If you don’t like nukes, it’s more of a Gloria Swanson gruesome comeback in Sunset Boulevard.
Salamander’s Hammock Beach Hotel: An Invitation to Future Prosperity in Flagler
Tim hale, a Palm Coast business owner and Hammock resident, argues that Flagler County’s economic future is intertwined with Salamander’s proposed 198-room hotel at Hammock Beach.
Experts Were Wrong on Oil Prices. They’re Just As Wrong to Deride Solar Energy’s Viability.
Researchers mistakenly said that solar and wind power wouldn’t be competitive with dirty-energy options by now, just as predictions of peak oil or high oil prices proved wrong, writes Emily Schwartz.
FPL Reports 2014 Profits of $1.52 Billion as It Announces Solar Power Expansion
FPL, which provides electricity to most residences and businesses in Palm Coast and Flagler County, reported net income, or profits, last year of $1.52 billion, or $3.45 a share, up from $1.35 billion, or $3.16 a share, in 2013.
Ray Peter Takes Over for Joe Roy at Palm Coast’s Business Assistance Center
Raymond Peter, 68, a consultant and certified business analyst at the Palm Coast office, takes over region’s management of the Florida Small Business Development Center at UCF. Roy remains in a diminished capacity.
For Palm Coast, Florida Park Drive’s Heavy Traffic Is an Old Bane Without Ready Solutions
Residents along Florida Park Drive have complained year after year about the heavy traffic, the noise and the pollution, but Palm Coast officials say there’s little they can do legally to alleviate an old ITT mistake.
No Surprise: Florida’s Economic Development Agency Wants Tax Subsidies for Daytona Speedway, Jaguars and 2 Other Sports Venues
Daytona International Speedway is seeking $3 million a year for 30 years to subsidize its operations, the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars have asked for $1 million a year for three decades.
Flagler Unemployment Falls to 7.6%, Lowest Since April 2008, as State and Nation Improve
Flagler County’s better numbers in December are clouded by the fact that they are not do to healthier job creation, but rather to a decreasing in the county’s labor force.
Last of Seven Bridges on County Road 305 Is Completed and Re-Opens to Traffic
Construction began on the bridge June 23, 2014. The total cost of construction is approximately $2.5 million paid for by a State Department of Transportation grant.
Supreme Court May Invalidate Fair Housing Provision Cities Use to Combat Segregation
The Supreme Court has been weakening many civil rights protections for decades. It appears on the verge of gutting the Fair Housing Act. It hears arguments in a case today that will be decided by the end of June.
Seeking $500 Million Cut, Scott Asks for Lower Taxes on Cell Phone, Satellite and Cable Bills
The governor’s office said it would save about $43 a year for a family that spends $100 a month on cell-phone and cable services, though spending on such services varies widely by household.
Flagler Schools’ Classroom to Careers Symposium Showcases Business’ Growing Presence on Campuses
The first Flagler County education symposium featured the spread of flagship programs that merge private or non-profit businesses with classroom projects, from banking to journalism to medicine.
Missing From Salamander Hotel Proposal: Community Consensus and Respect for Past Agreements
Chris Goodfellow, a resident of the Hammock, argues that Salamander Hotels’ proposed 198-room re-development requires a precedent-setting change the county commission should avoid absent clearer consensus from the Hammock community.
Coastal Ear, Nose and Throat
Palm Coast (386)597-5839
Ormond Beach (386) 677-8808
Port Orange (386) 760-6601
Coastal Ear Nose and Throat has three conveniently located offices to serve you in Palm Coast, Ormond Beach and Port Orange, FL.
Attention Florida Pot Growers: State Would Pick 5 Nurseries To Cultivate Marijuana Under New Rule
A panel comprised of the director of the state Office of Compassionate Use, an accountant and a member of the Drug Policy Advisory Council would pick five nurseries to grow, process and dispense medical marijuana under a revamped rule released Thursday by the Florida Department of Health. The selection committee would take the place of […]
Death Becomes Them: In CRT’s “Grace and Glorie,” An Odd Couple Does Hospice (and Velveeta)
In Tom Ziegler’s “Grace and Glorie,” opening at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Friday, two women are brought together in an unlikely friendship as one prepares the other for death.
Flagler Commissioner Revels Faces $2,500 Fine Over Ethics Violations as Investigation Points To Discrepancies
Though she was the swing vote, County Commissioner Barbara Revels now concedes that she should have abstained from voting to buy the old Memorial hospital in Bunnell in 2013, and that she should have filed a conflict-of-interest form.
In a Blow to Utilities, Alternative-Energy Coalition Proposes Solar Power Amendment For 2016 Ballot
Backers of the initiative said during a news conference in Tallahassee that they are using the constitutional amendment route because well-funded utilities have repeatedly lobbied the Legislature and the Florida Public Service Commission against expanding solar and other alternative-energy choices.
Palm Coast Staples Store’s General Manager Is Arrested Over Refund Fraud Scheme
Robert M. Harper, the general manager of the Staples store on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, was arrested Tuesday after confessing to defrauding the store of at least $3,000 by creating fake refunds to himself since last April. Customers were not involved.
Big Names, Big Numbers and Zombies Animate 2nd Flagler Film Festival at Hilton
Organizers of the three-day Flagler Film Festival, which concluded Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, say attendance was up about 25 percent despite inclement weather.
As Showdown Looms Over Salamander’s Hammock Beach Hotel, County Asks For Delay
A hearing before the Flagler County Commission Monday evening was to decide the fate of a proposed 198-room hotel at Hammock Beach Resort. The county administration is asking for a delay until February.
Men’s Futures Tennis Tourney Returns to Palm Coast For 6th Year, Jan. 23-Feb. 1
Up to 128 touring professionals will compete at Palm Coast’s clay court facility for a $10,000 purse and ATP ranking points. Most days’ events are free to the public.
6 Cars Broken Into or Tampered With at Outback and Nearby Lot Tuesday Evening
Four of the six cars had a window smashed out and items of varying value stolen in a crime spree that took place during dinner hours Tuesday evening.
Lower Fuel Costs Will Bring FPL Power Bills Down $2 a Month Starting in 2015
Like all utility companies, Florida Power & Light Company, which services almost all of Flagler County, is required by law to pass on fuel savings to customers.
Chiumento Law Firm’s Ron Hertel Is Named 2015 President of Flagler Bar Association
Ron Hertel of Palm Coast’s Chiumento Selis Dwyer replaces Doug Williams as president of the Flagler County Bar Association, with Vincent Lyon, an attorney at the same law firm, as president-elect.
Marco Rubio’s Cuban Embargo Delusion And a Half Century of Spectacular Insanity
What Rubio needs now to consider and accept is that Florida, situated where it is, has more to gain from trade with Cuba than any other state.
Flagler Film Festival, the Sequel: Zombies and Star Power Flick In Jan. 9-11
The second edition of the Flagler Film Festival, at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn Jan. 9-11, features Florida-themed and Palm Coast based productions among numerous entries from around the world.
Unemployment in Flagler Falls to 8.1%, But Labor Force and Employment Rolls Shrink
Flagler County’s unemployment rate continued to improve in November, falling to 8.2 percent, the fourth successive monthly improvement and the lowest rate since the Great Recession as Florida’s rate, too, fell in November, matching the national rate of 5.8 percent.
White Elephant No More: County Approves 5-Year Lease of Costly Ginn Hangar in Deal With New Company
Delta Engineering of New Catle, Del., expanding in Flagler with 10 to 30 high-paying jobs, will fill the old Ginn building that had left the county with a $2 million liability when Ginn went bankrupt.
In 4-1 Vote, County Seals Agreement to Build Tourist-Ready Cottages at Princess Preserve
An initial plan to build three cottages in partnership with a state conservation agency would expand to an additional 10 cottages at the River-to-Sea Preserve in the near future.
With 800,000 Floridians in Health Insurance Limbo, Hopes Return for Medicaid Expansion
A coalition of businesses groups, local officials and healthcare industry representatives has rolled out a plan to insure nearly one million low-income Floridians who fall in the so-called Medicaid coverage gap.
Craft Beer Growlers’ Day Finally Approaching in Florida, But Small Brewers Are Leery
Proposals to end the state’s prohibition on 64-ounce containers known as “growlers” have been blocked in recent years by large beer distributors claiming a need to protect the state’s Depression-era three-tier regulation system.