Another complete click-through chart and photo gallery of the 18 Little Miss Flagler County 2012 Contestants, Ages 8-11.
Economy
Stepping Up Obama Snubs, Scott Says He Won’t Implement Health Care Law in Florida
As the Supreme Court prepares to hand down its decision on Obama’s health care reform law, Gov. Rick Scott said on a conference call hosted by right-wing think tanks that Florida wouldn’t rush to implement the law.
Neurologist David Karaffa Joins Florida Hospital Flagler as Staff Physician
Dr. David Karaffa can treat a variety of conditions including seizure disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, strokes, migraine, back pain, neuropathy and more.
Little Miss Flagler County 2012 Contestants, Ages 5-7
A complete, click-through chart and photo gallery of the 15 Little Miss Flagler County 2012 Contestants, Ages 5-7.
In a Brazen Reversal, Flagler Beach Commission Kills Beach-Bonfire Referendum
Just six weeks ago the Flagler Beach City Commission, fractured and indecisive on the matter, voted 4-1 to place a referendum question on beach bonfires on a coming ballot. But two weeks later, the commission voted to ban bonfires during turtle nesting season anyway.
Uninsured, Unaware of the Health Law Meant To Help Them, or the Court Case Against It
Despite spending tremendous political capital to pass the health law, Democrats are unlikely to win many votes from the law’s future beneficiaries, most of whom live in Republican-dominated states in the South and West.
Best of the Best Reclimbs a Year of Sightly Heights at the Flagler County Art League
Whatever is your definition of art, Best of the Best likely satisfies it, from the symbolic or abstract to the cathartic, the socially engaging, the decorative or aesthetically pleasing. The show runs through July 11.
Florida and Flagler Back to Anemic Job Growth as Unemployment Stalls, Reflecting U.S. Trend
Florida added just 5,300 jobs in April, and the state unemployment rate would have risen back sharply had the labor department not revised its April figures to show a much higher unemployment rate than it announced last month.
From Food Lion to Charter School: Deal Close To Convert Long-Vacant Flagler Beach Store
Jacksonville-based Florida International Language Academy has been on the hunt for a location in Flagler for its 364-student K-8, language-oriented school, opening in August. Talks in Bunnell and Palm Coast fell through, returning the company to the Food Lion location in Flagler Beach.
National Spending on Health Rising to One-Fifth of GDP
Actuaries estimate that health spending will account for 19.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, up from 17.9 percent in 2010. On average, 5.7 percent increases in spending are expected for each of the 10 years, although much of the increased spending will come in 2014 and after.
Facing $5.65 Million Deficit, Flagler County Wrestles With What to Cut and What to Tax
The deficit was reduced to $3.65 million once commissioners agreed to use reserves and include a $1 million cut in the sheriff’s budget, but their debates got more heated on what services to eliminate or reduce, and what taxes to raise–or what new taxes could be imposed.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Pyrrhic Victories of Union-Bashing
Inspired by Ronald Reagan’s union-busting, the latest round in the war on labor is a self-inflicted wound on the American economy, where workers-union and non-union alike–have been losing ground for 30 years.
Understated Slivers: The Unique Fragility and Vitality of Barrier Islands
Barrier islands such as the one that hosts Flagler Beach are fragile, diverse and play a vital, understated but often unappreciated role in coastal ecology and protection. Frank Gromling provides a tour.
County and School Boards Ridicule Emergency Meeting Forced by Elections Supervisor Weeks
County Commission Chairman Barbara Revels called the emergency meeting “ridiculous,” School Board member Colleen Conklin called it “nonsense,” but neither commission nor school board felt it had a choice but to comply with Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks’s demand that meeting be held.
Attorney General OK’s Flagler Beach’s Plan to Spend Sales Tax Money on Erosion Projects
In an Attorney General’s opinion, Pam Bondi wrote that Flagler Beach’s plan to spend sales tax revenue on beach erosion projects is authorized by law, but that the ballot language authorizing that sales tax may have to specify erosion projects, not just general infrastructure.
In a Stunning Reversal, Palm Coast Council Bows to Acid Opposition and Kills Utility Tax
The campaign to force the council to reverse course was brutally effective against a council that appeared willing to ignore its own history and a year and a half of its administration’s work on the matter.
County Budget, Upended By Deficit of $3 to $4 Million, Sets Off Crisis Mode–and Pitfalls
The much larger-than-expected deficit, which forced the abrupt cancellation of a budget workshop, raises questions of accountability just months before four of the county commissioners face elections either to hold on to their seats or seek a higher office.
Passports in Hand, Palm Coast Discovers Its Festive Internationalism
Palm Coast may well have discovered how to host a festival with down home charm even as it went global to do it: the International Food and Wine Festival taking place Saturday and again Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. mixes the intimate and the urbane for an affordable $3 admission.
Horseshoe Pitching at Flagler’s Old Dixie Park: An Out of the Way Sport Hooks In
The 18 Horseshoe-pitching courts at Flagler County’s Old Dixie Park are part of the Flagler Palm Coast Horseshoe Club’s hopes of drawing some of Florida’s 70 horseshoe tournaments and tourism dollars to the Flagler-Palm Coast area.
Lousy Numbers: Just 69,000 New Jobs in May; Unemployment Back Up to 8.2%
Bad unemployment numbers all around for the American economy in May, hinting at recession: the unemployment rate crept back up to 8.2 percent, from 8.1 percent in April. Just 69,000 jobs were created, the lowest number in a year.
Despite Warnings of Corruption, Palm Coast Council Approves Meeker’s Job “Posse” Scheme
In a victory for Frank Meeker, the city will pay job “recruiters” $1,000 for being instrumental in expanding or relocating out-of-county business to Palm Coast, but many of the defining criteria remain vague and fraught with what the city terms unintended consequences.
Julia Roberts, a Cancer Patient at Florida Hospital Flagler, Marries Sweetheart of 17 Years
Palm Coast resident Julia Roberts was admitted at Florida Hospital Flagler on May 4. On May 22, in her hospital room, she was married to Terry Adolph after hospital staff took care of vritually all the arrangements.
Cup Cakes Get Their Day in Court as Palm Coast Agrees to a Hearing on Home Bakeries
A split Palm Coast City Council has been wrestling with a proposal to allow small home-based commercial bakery operations, as long as the bakeries don’t sell products from the home. Food safety has been a hang-up.
Composer Don McCullough Is the New
Director of the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus
Donald McCullough is the celebrated choral director and composer of the Holocaust Cantata, and for over a decade the director of the the Master Chorale of Washington at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Florida Audubon Asks for Beachgoers’ Help This Memorial Day Weekend
This Memorial Day Weekend, Audubon is reminding Floridians to take care with Florida’s original “beach babies,” rare and declining species of waterbirds that nest on Florida’s beaches and mangrove islands.
Existing and New Home Sales Up Nationally; Florida Looks to Other Improving Indicators
Home sales have yet to kick up in Florida, where sales fell slightly in April, but Realtors are quick to say that median price and pending sales rose dramatically as the inventory of homes available for sale keeps shrinking.
Being Sick in America
The recently ill are more likely to say the cost and quality of care have worsened over the past five years, compared to people who weren’t sick. A significant proportions say their treatment was poorly managed.
As FPL’s Smart Meters Convert 50,000 Flagler Homes, County Takes Dim View of Opponents
Florida Power & Light will roll out 50,000 smart meters in Flagler homes and small businesses over six months beginning this summer. The Flagler County Commission supports an opt-out measure for customers, some of whom thing the smart meters are invasive and dangerous, but FPL already provides a temporary opt-out.
Warren Buffett Loves Newspaper Paywalls
Warren Buffett just bought 63 newspapers from Media General, but not the Tampa Tribune, which is in talks with Halifax Media, owner of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Gator Shame: Why I’m Relieved My Daughter Won’t Be Attending the University of Florida
Athletics aside, Florida doesn’t take its public universities and public schools seriously, making it difficult for top students to stay here–or for the state to depend on more than tourist ghettoes, sunbathing spreads and Medicare colonies.
An Odd, Alluring Coupling of Photography And Colored Pencil Gems at the Art League
The Flagler County Art League’s third annual photography show, through June 6, features 20 photographers and the first stand-alone exhibit by the local chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America.
Getting Hurricane Ready: Free Clinics at Home Depot Saturday, 10 to 2
The Home Depot of Palm Coast will host Hurricane Ready Day with fFree get-ready clinics and appearances by Flagler County Emergency Services, The Red Cross and the Flagler County Humane Society.
Florida’s Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%, Flagler’s at 11.6%, But Many Drop Out
Florida’s jobless rate in April fell to 8.7 percent as the state continued an employment rebound that began 11 months ago, with ripples down to Flagler County, where the unemployment rate was 11.6 percent. But it was still the state’s worst.
Largest Employer in Most Florida Counties, Flagler Included: Government
A government entity is the largest employer in 51 of the state’s 67 counties, including in Flagler, where the school board 1,700 employees, and in every county in Florida government at least one of the top five largest employers.
To Little Opposition, Palm Coast Approves New Levy for Stormwater Fixes, Delays Another
To little opposition, the council voted unanimously to add a 6 percent tax on electric utility bills, adding, on average, $6.27 a month to monthly residential utility bills. The council defeated a proposal to add a second tax that would have raised an equal amount.
Going Nose to Nose, Palm Coast and The County Remain Split on Half-Cent Sales Tax
Palm Coast wants to keep the split of the half-cent sales tax revenue what it is today. Flagler County wants to change the formula, which would decrease Palm Coast’s share by $500,000. The disagreement is jeopardizing a unified approach on a sales tax referendum both sides say is critical to their revenue needs.
Focused on Referendum, Flagler Beach Mayor Provencher Drops Veto Threat Over Bonfires
Linda Provencher, the Flagler Beach mayor, retreated from her threat of a veton on the bonfire ban because she wants the focus to be on a referendum, which she believes will show popular opposition to the ban.
Mayor Weighs Veto as Flagler Beach, on 3-2 Vote, Bans Night Bonfires During Turtle Season
The rare veto, which Flagler Beach Mayor Linda Provencher might exercise should the bonfire ban ordinance survive a second reading in two weeks, would nullify the ban, heightening the focus on a proposed popular referendum on the issue.
There’s Only So Much Palm Coast Government Can Do About Eyesores and Vacant Lands
From the Palm Coast Players Club to the Sheraton/Palm Coast Resort or Sesame Island, the city has very limited legal or financial means, absent much higher taxes, to take over such properties and convert them to something residents would prefer, argues city council member Frank Meeker.
Florida’s Metro Areas Still Lead the Nation in Foreclosures and Delinquencies
Prompted by tumbling property values and a large number of sub-prime loans, Florida has also been slow to get back on its feet because of a foreclosure process that on average takes more than two years to complete, according to report by a Washington -based coalition that is tracking the nation’s housing recovery.
Palm Coast Looking to Add a Pair of Taxes On Electric Bills to Replace Stormwater Fee
For residents, the so-called “utility franchise fee” and “public service tax” on electric bills would almost replace the $8-a-month stormwater fee that appears on water bills. The city would likely raise property taxes, too, to generate $7.5 million a year to repair its crumbling infrastructure.
“Non-Profit” Internet Cafe’s New Stand: Hands Off Our Financial Records
Affiliates of the non-profit Allied Veterans of the World contend in a lawsuit they are not covered by state charity laws that would require them to register with the department and provide financial information.
Fighting Obesity Like Cigarettes
America’s obesity epidemic has public health leaders looking at the war on tobacco for inspiration through more informative food labels, limits on marketing to children, and taxes on unhealthy products.
Bonfire Embers Still Crackling in Flagler Beach As 2 Commissioners Plan Clashing Initiatives
Saying she doesn’t want to abdicate her role, Commissioner Kim Carney wants to force an up-or-down vote on bonfires on the beach regardless of a proposed referendum, while Commission Chairman Jane Mealy seeks approval for a bonfire permitting structure that Carney strongly opposes.
Disappointing Numbers Again as U.S. Economy Adds Only 115,000 Jobs; Unemployment at 8.1%
The national economy added only 115,000 jobs in April, adding to March’s disappointing numbers and renewing fears that the economy may be stalling, as it did last spring. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, a slight improvement.
For Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre, A Nuclear Drama to End a Radiant First Season
“The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” is a terrible title but wonderful play, a wrenching, angry drama with comedic elements that caps the City Repertory Theatre’s first season at Hollingsworth Gallery, with six performances this weekend and the next.
Progress Energy’s Nukes Plant Costs and Delays Escalate, But Customers Must Still Pay Ahead
A controversial Progress Energy Florida project to build two nuclear reactors in Levy County will not start producing electricity until 2024 — and likely will cost between $19 billion and $24 billion, the company now says, but customers will still have to pay for them now.
News-Journal Slows Circulation Decline While Other Newspapers Tout Web Editions’ Growth
The decline, while slower than in previous years, continued at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, with average weekday circulation falling to 2.3 percent in the period ending March 31, and 1.5 percent on Sundays.
A Smoldering Flagler Beach Commission Punts To Voters on Bonfires After a Flagrant Debate
The Flagler Beach City Commission voted 4-1 to let voters decide whether bonfires should be allowed on the city’s beaches after a meeting that featured embarrassing attacks, declaration and fracture.
Gov. Scott Vetoes Bill Calling For Unlimited Tuition Increases at UF and Florida State
Gov. Rick Scott’s tuition bill veto rejects pleas of higher education and business officials who said steeper tuition would make the schools more competitive. The veto underscores Scott’s emphasis on holding down the cost of living in the state.