Right-wingers’ elation at the Romney endorsement aside, to call the Orlando Sentinel liberal of course is to seriously misread the house organ of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, central Florida edition.
Economy
Another Major Blow to Palm Coast Data as Newsweek, a Major Account, Ends Print
Newsweek, with 1.5 million subscribers, is one of Palm Coast Data’s largest accounts. The company landed it less than two years ago, helping it stanch the loss of other titles. Newsweek will end its print publication in December, a move that will again hurt Palm Coast Data’s bottom line.
After Ridiculing County’s Sales Tax Revenue Compromise, Palm Coast Now Wants to Deal
In a turn-around stunning for its audacity, the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday agreed to ask the county commission to revive a compromise the commission had proposed on sharing sales tax revenue–a proposal Palm Coast rejected derisively over the summer.
Save Your Teeth: Flagler Dentists Drill Halloween With $1-a-Pound Candy Buy-Back
Like the sheriff’s office’s gun buy-back and the DEA’s drug give-back, Flagler Dental, a group of dentists, is offering a $1-a-pound candy buy-back from Nov. 1 to Nov. 10 at its two locations, with the candy–or sugary drugs, if you prefer–being shipped off to troops overseas.
Flagler Beach Kills Discussion on Amendment 4 as Property Tax Measure Divides Politicians
The quick death of the discussion item is a reflection of the polarizing effects of Amendment 4, which has ardent anti-tax advocates–including politicians elected on limited government platforms–rallying around it while some local government representatives strain to explain how it would short-change revenue.
Live, “Loud” Music Again Riles Flagler Beach Residents, Who Demand a Rule Rewrite
Two years ago it was Hurricane Patty’s. This time it’s Johnny D’s whose live music is that’s drawing the ire of residents. One Johnny D’s neighbor is asking the Flagler Beach City Commission to more strictly rewrite its noise ordinance. A workshop is scheduled for November to consider the request.
In Palm Coast, the End of a 90% Building Permit Discount Will Affect Thousands
The 90 percent discount on all permits–from replacing AC units to replacing roofs or water heaters to installing pools and fences–began in 2009, because the city was collecting too much money. The discount ends Oct. 31, resulting in much steeper fees for more than 5,000 such permits a year.
The Russians Are Coming to Hollingsworth Gallery as Animals Stomp Over the Art League
The Flagler County Art League’s popular annual Animal Kingdowm show opens Saturday, while Hollingsworth Gallery takes a turn for the east, with works by Russian artists. Both galleries at City Market Place host free opening receptions Saturday at 6 p.m.
Should You Keep Paying FPL and PEF For Nukes Plants that May Never Be Built?
The up-front nuclear costs for plant construction have become highly controversial, at least in part because there is no guarantee that FPL and Progress will build the planned reactors and because projected costs have risen to over $40 billion for four reactors. The Supreme Court will decide the matter.
Crucial Jobs Report Gives Obama a Boost as Unemployment Falls to 7.8%, Lowest in 4 Years
The national unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September, its lowest level since President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, as the economy added 114,000 jobs in September, and revised figures for the previous two months boosted those totals by 86,000 jobs. In the last three months, the economy has added 434,000 jobs.
Flagler Dental Expands South From North as 45-Year-Old Practice Taps Growth
Flagler Dental’s North and South locations–at Flagler Plaza and Office Park Drive–take a page out of Florida Hospital Flagler’s strategy of tracking demographic growth in the city. The South location just opened.
In Recession’s Depth, 2,362 Millionaires Got Unemployment Benefits
Brace yourselves: in 2009, no fewer than 2,362 millionaires got unemployment benefits. The year before, 2,840 did, raising questions about whether unemployment insurance should be means-tested. Five such proposals are pending in Congress.
News-Journal Puts Up $120 Barrier to Online Access in Hopes of Improving Bottom Line
The News-Journal’s $120-a-year paywall for online readers follows the lead of more than 160 newspapers that have ended unlimited free access to websites to stop hemorrhaging print readers, where, most of the advertising revenue remains.
Snubbing Voters, Lame-Duck County Enacts 20-Year Sales Tax While Slashing Cities’ Shares
Many questions remained unanswered about the use of the money and the size of the proposed jail it’s supposed to pay for as the Flagler County Commission voted 4-1 to enact a sales tax it feared the public would not have approved at the ballot box this November.
As Expected, Flagler County Suspends $1,707-a-Home Building Tax for 2 Years
The county’s moratorium is relatively small, but Flagler’s chamber of commerce and its home builders association hope to get the school board to approve a moratorium next, then move to Palm Coast, where impact fees add up to $15,270.
How Two Council Members, Out of View, Got WNZF to Back-Pedal on Synthetic Marijuana
What was behind what sounded like a retraction on synthetic marijuana by WNZF’s David Ayres on his Free For All Friday show last week? Private discussions between Palm Coast Council member Bill McGuire with Mayor Jon Netts, and a letter Netts wrote Ayres, that the council never discussed openly–even as the council has yet to vote finally on the matter.
Using Straw Man, Palm Coast Ridicules County’s Opposition to Red-Light Cameras
Rather than address questions raised by County Commission Chairman Barbara Revels, the Palm Coast Council invented a claim that the county wanted to enable law-breaking, unsafe drivers, and dismissed Revels’s request to reconsider installing spy cameras on State Road 100.
Floridians’ Consumer Confidence at Highest Level Since 2007
All five of the five components that make up consumer confidence increased, including expectations about personal finance, national economic conditions, and buying confidence, according to the latest analysis by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Palm Coast Mayor Netts Says Amendment 4 Takes Taxes From “Screwy” to “Screwier”
Other Flagler government leaders joined Jon Netts in criticism of of proposed Constitutional Amendment 4, which would limit the tax liability of commercial, rental and vacant properties while lowering the tax liability of first-time home-buyers, but at the expense of local government revenue, which has been battered since 2007.
Flagler’s SAT Scores Tumble to Lowest Level in at Least 8 Years as Florida’s Improve
The declines some of them steep, took place in all categories–reading, math, writing–at both Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School, with one exception in reading at Matanzas.
Capsized Speedboat, High on Marijuana Bricks, Washes up on Flagler Shore
The 25-foot speedboat bearing a stash of marijuana, which washed up on shore Sunday and Monday, was beached near the Flagler By the Sea campsite in Beverly Beach. Such speedboats have become a means of choice for smugglers of drugs or human traffickers in recent years.
Florida Unemployment Unchanged at 8.8%, Flagler’s Dips Slightly, to 12.4% in August
Florida’s unemployment rate was unchanged in August, at 8.8 percent, as the state added just 23,200 jobs–for a total of just 77,800 in the past 12 months–while Flagler County’s rate dipped to 12.4 percent. Flagler’s rate has been in the 12 percent range since February.
How Nursing Homes Get You: Signing Away Your Right to Sue
Signing arbitration agreements at nursing homes prevent families from suing the home should something go wrong. Agreeing to arbitrate is generally not in families’ best interests. It’s expensive, proceedings are secret, and nursing homes have the advantage.
FPL Begins Installing Smart Meters in Flagler as PSC Takes on Devices’ Emitted Controversies
FPL will begin installing 50,000 smart meters in Flagler County this month and continue installing them through the fall, while the Florida Public Service Commission on Thursday devotes a daylong workshop to questions about smart meters and health effects, privacy, data security and alternatives.
In Flagler and Across Florida, More Perky Housing Sales Point to Encouraging Trends
Sales of single family homes in Flagler were up 9.5 percent in August over a year ago, 10.8 percent across Florida, while pending sales have skyrocketed in further signs of health for the battered housing sector, even as prices still stagnate.
Flagler Beach’s Haley Watson and Eric Worley Win 2012 Easterns Surfing Championships
Flagler Beach’s Haley Watson and Eric Worley took first place in both their divisions at the 2012 Easterns Surfing Championships in Nags Head, on North carolina’s Outer Banks, on Tuesday.
Palm Coast Toughs: Fake Pot Banned, Garage Sales Watched, Woodlands Development a Go
In a series of decisions Tuesday, two of them defying strong public sentiment, the Palm Coast City Council voted to prohibit the sale of legal products known as synthetic marijuana, require permits for garage sales, and open the way for a vast assisted-living development at the edge of the Woodlands.
Mitt Romney’s 47 Percent Problem
In 2008 John McCain’s big challenge was to control Sarah Palin’s mouth. In 2012, Mitt Romney’s biggest challenge is to control Mitt Romney’s mouth. His characterization of 47 percent of Americans as victims and dependents, besides being demonstrably false, unravels the cynicism at the core of Romney’s campaign.
County Sends Protest Letter to Palm Coast Over Red-Light Spy Cameras on SR100
The Flagler County Commission is asking the Palm Coast City Council to reconsider installing some of its 52 spy-and-snap traffic cameras on SR100 because the county claims it will inhibit shopping and tourism, and leave a bad taste in visitors’ mouths just as the county is advertising itself as a welcoming beachside destination.
Palm Coast Data’s Latest Revenue Down 18.6% Over the Year But Ticks Up in 2012
Palm Coast Data revenue fell to $13.6 million in the quarter ending July 31, compared to $16.5 million a year ago, and $32 million in 2008. Parent-company Amrep Corp. posted its 12th loss of the last 16 quarters.
Russian Roulette With MSG
In today’s American restaurants, MSG has become so prevalent that it is in practically every kind of food. It’s no longer isolated to Chinese cuisine. And it can be very dangerous to eat, making eating out a gamble.
J&J Auto Body Inc.
410 North Railroad St., Bunnell
(386) 437-0041
J&J Auto Body Shop in Palm Coast/Bunnell provides collision repair, auto body paint, free estimates, 24-hour towing service, lifetime warranty on all collision repairs, all insurance plans accepted.
Feed Flagler Launches 4th Year as Big Cuts in Food Stamps Loom and Pantries Empty Out
Again led by County Commissioner Milissa Holland, Feed Flagler aims to exceed last year’s fund-raising of $28,000 and 60,000-pound food-drive by Thanksgiving, but federal legislation cutting food stamp benefits would prove a setback for Flagler’s efforts against hunger.
Property Tax Amendments on November 6 Ballot Would Cut Local Revenue Further
Florida voters in November will face a flurry of proposed amendments to reduce property tax levies for groups ranging from first-time homebuyers to disabled veterans, while preventing increases on those whose homes lose value.
The Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Homeless Shelter, Holds Fundraiser for Center Sunday
Flagler County’s Sheltering Tree, the county’s only homeless shelter, holds its “Steps to Success” Fundraiser at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Hammock Community Center, 79 Malacompra Road, off State Road A1A in Palm Coast. Tickets are $25.
Mulligan: County Re-Enacts Beach Dredging Meeting It Had Closed to the Public in July
A citizen had complained in July to the Flagler County Commission about a closed-door meeting on beach dredging proposals between the county administration and the U.S. Corps of Engineers that had nevertheless included three elected members of the Flagler Beach City Commission. Monday’s meeting was a redo for the public’s benefit.
Follow the Lead of Flagler Beach’s Restaurants: Trash the Styrofoam
Restaurants in Flagler Beach, among them the Turtle Shack and the Flagler Fish Company, decided to drop the use of Styrofoam and adopt all-recyclable containers, taking a lead other local businesses should follow, Frank Gromling writes, given Styrofoam’s polluting and carcinogenic properties.
Despite County’s Spike, Most Flagler and City Homeowners’ Tax Bills Will Fall in 2013
It’s been a familiar and recurring complaint, but also an inaccurate one: that property taxes keep going up. They don’t. For most people, property taxes fell this year. And for most people, property taxes will either stay flat or fall again in 2013. Here are the city-by-city details.
Don’t Talk to an Empty Chair: Flagler Beach Museum Goes Boots and Bling for Bunnell
The Flagler Beach Historical Museum’s annual costume gala fund-raiser Saturday at the Black Cloud Saloon in Bunnell will be paired up with a 99th birthday bash for Bunnell, in preparation for that city’s centennial.
No Bounce: Economy Adds Only 96,000 Jobs in August as Unemployment Drops to 8.1%
The national economy added a meager 96,000 jobs in August, and the previous two months’ total was revised downward by 41,000 jobs. Nevertheless the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, from 8.3 percent, as the employment picture continues to zigzag between hope and anemia.
Should FPL and Progress Energy Charge You $300 Million for Distant-Future Nukes Plants?
The state’s largest electric utilities are seeking approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to collect money that goes toward upgrading already-existing nuclear plants and helps pay for early work on new reactors that may or may not be built years from now.
The Downside of Tourism Jobs, and What North Carolina Can Teach Florida
Florida is adding jobs, but mostly in tourism and service industry, low-skilled work that has involuntarily forced people into part-time employment. North Carolina has seen more employment grow in the information technology and research sectors. These jobs tend to offer higher pay and more stability.
Split Flagler Commission Approves $900,000 Tourism Budget With Glaring Increases
The $100,000 budget increase over the current year led one commissioner to raise objections over a doubling in rent costs and a tripling in furniture costs, while another commissioner objected to the rebranding of tourism efforts to include Palm Coast on par with Flagler’s beaches.
On Garage Sales, Palm Coast Rejects $5 Fee But Preserves Registration Requirement
Facing almost unanimous public opposition, the Palm Coast City Council reversed plans to impose a $5 fee for garage sales but will still require a computerized permit and registration system to enforce a 2-sale limit per year.
Greg Rawls, Long-Time Face of Economic Development in Flagler, Opts For a New Tribe
Greg Rawls had been Enterprise Flagler’s executive director since 2007 before Palm Coast and Flagler County killed that economic development partnership, and Flagler formed its own, where Rawls worked as a manager. He’ll be working for Creek Indian Enterprises in Alabama.
Women of the Year: Cindy Dalecki And Rebecca DeLorenzo Take Flagler
Marketing 2 Go’s Cindy Dalecki got the United Way’s Women’s Initiative of Flagler County’s Outstanding Woman of the Year Award and the president’s Volunteer Service Award, while the Flagler Business Women named Flagler Chamber VP Rebecca DeLorenzo its 2012 Woman of the Year.
After Two Incidents, Secret Service Warns Of Counterfeit Money Circulating in Flagler
At least two incidents involving large cash withdrawals from Bank of America and Prosperity Bank in the past two weeks, each including some fake $100 bills, led the Secret Service to issue the warning for Flagler County.
Almost 27% of Flagler Residents Under 65 Are Without Health Insurance; Reform Would Help
Obama’s health care reform would almost eliminate the proportion of uninsured, but Gov. Rick Scott’s refusal to join reform’s expanded Medicaid eligibility means that many of Flagler’s 16,774 eligible residents will be shut out of the benefit.
Palm Coast Stormwater Fees Going Up 46%, Taxes Stay Level, Most Infrastructure Neglected
With the Palm Coast City Council’s refusal to raise property taxes , the city’s infrastructure will continue to deteriorate, Mayor Jon Netts and the city administration warned. But a majority of council members, led by Frank Meeker–who’s running for a county commission seat–refused to budge.
A Few Florida Facts for Republican National Convention Delegates
Florida under the leadership of Republican icons like Bush, Scott and Rubio, and supported by proud and unthinking GOP legislatures for the last 15 years, has happily served as the grow house for Republican policies. The results are stunning, writes former lawmaker Dan Gelber.