Florida’s drug database, even if caopable of fighting pill mills, is “Big Brother” to Rob Schenck, Republican House Health and Human Services Chairman. Others are joining him to do away with the drug database.
Economy
Lifeguard Tower Rises Again in Flagler Beach, Pier Restaurant Lease Falters
The commission reversed itself and voted to build the tower. The decision displeased the prospective owner of the Pier Restaurant. Several other deal-breakers hardened in those negotiations, leaving the restaurant deal in doubt.
Marineland’s Future: Dividends in Waiting After Acquisition by Georgia Aquarium
David Kimmel, President of the Georgia Aquarium, the new owner of Marineland’s dolphin attraction, and others assess the future of the marriage between town and attraction.
Impact Fee Challenges in Florida: Legislature Moving to Neutralize Local Governments
Local governments are challenging a 2009 law they consider an unfunded mandate that shifts the burden of proof from developers to governments in impact fee challenges. In a boon for developers, lawmakers are rewriting the law to make it challenge-proof.
Meeker on Economic Development: Mountains Of Questions Before the Next Summit
Frank Meeker, the Palm Coast city councilman, frames the next countywide economic development summit in a set of questions–and a few answers of his own.
Despite Successes, Flagler Auditorium Loses Out on at Least $15,000 in Tourism Funding
The first $10,000 were lost when the tourism council’s logo did not appear in a TV ad. Another $10,000 are in jeopardy because of a missed deadline, though the auditorium is having a successful year, with three sold-out shows so far.
Florida to Jobless: Tough Luck.
Benefits To be Cut. Businesses To Get a Bye.
Driven by Florida businesses, the Legislature is preparing to cut eligibility for the jobless and making it harder to claim benefits. Flagler’s unemployment rate is hovering around 16%, Florida’s around 12%.
Despite Potential for 14,000 Jobs, Scott Rejects $2.4 Billion in High-Speed Rail Money
SunRail in Volusia and the passenger rail line between Jacksonville and Miami are also in jeopardy as Gov. Rick Scott announces focus on roads and seaports.
$75-an-Hour Fee Wrecks on Council Shoals As Beach Clean-Up Plan Is Rejected Again
In a 4-3 vote, the Flagler County Tourist Development Council turned back a $15,000 request for beach clean-ups by the Friends of A1A Scenic and Historical Byway group. The group’s third try in four months is its last.
Medicaid Changes For 2.9 Million Floridians: Fewer Choices, More HMOs
A Florida Senate proposal would vastly increase the role of managed care in Florida’s $20 billion Medicaid program, and pull out of the federal system if the federal government doesn’t approve it.
Chamber Survey: 21% of Floridians Would Leave; Business, Government Equally Blamed
The annual Sunshine State Survey finds 65 percent of Floridians saying the state is worse or the same as five years ago, and 69 percent saying business leaders do the right thing only some of the time or never, about as much as government leaders. The full results.
Gumbo Humanitarian: Sauce Boss
Crusade for the Poor Blues Up Flagler
Sauce Boss Bill Wharton: a blues-singing, gumbo-cooking humanitarian for the needy feeds the homeless Friday and performs at the Florida Agricultural Museum Saturday in a fundraiser for the museum and the needy. A profile.
Fearful of Obstructing Pier Restaurant Deal, Flagler Beach Kills Lifeguard Tower
After eight years of trying, winning an $80,000 federal grant, and spending $51,600 on construction, commissioners reversed course on a lifeguard tower to satisfy the Pier Restaurant’s potential new owner, who worried about blocked view.
Facing $3.5 Million Deficit, Flagler Schools Eye Shorter Calendar, Bus Routes, Reserves
School Superintendent Janet Valentine says many options are on the table as Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget cuts force additional reductions on top of the $7.5 million the district has cut since 2007.
You Can’t Stop the Beat: Flagler Playhouse’s “Hairspray” Sells Out Extended Run
Director John Sbordone calls “Hairspray” the Flagler Playhouse’s most popular show in the theater’s history, but he won’t extend the run yet again: actors are preparing for the next show. Actors talk about their time on stage.
Unemployment Lines: Throngs Turn Up for 220 Jobs at Red Lobster and Olive Garden
More than 1,000 applicants–about a fifth of the county’s total unemployed–were expected on Wednesday alone, the first day of hiring at the two new restaurants, in an sign of enduring economic hardship.
Scott Cutting $3 Billion Out of Education as Per-Pupil Spending Would Drop $300
Some 25,000 teachers’ jobs were saved by the federal stimulus in the past two years. Those jobs are now in jeopardy. Public colleges and universities are also hit hard.
From Flagler’s Washington Oaks, Fla. Audubon Launches Campaign to Save 53 State Parks
Some 65 people gathered at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park Monday to kick-off the campaign to save endangered parks, including two in Flagler County, as Gov. Rick Scott was pledging to cut $5 billion from the budget.
Skipping Specifics, Scott Calls for $5 billion in Spending Cuts, $4 Billion in Tax Cuts
Gov. Rick Scott today unveiled to a tea party crowd a budget that would cut an unprecedented $5 billion and provide for $4 billion in tax cuts, $1.4 billion of which in property taxes. Scott’s details are few.
Feed Flagler III: Sauce Boss, Linda Cole, Gumbo and Blues at Ag Museum Saturday
Sauce Boss Bill Wharton has been playing and cooking for fellowship and the poor since 1990. He’ll be playing and feeding masses for Feed Flagler Saturday Feb. 12 at the Florida Agriculture Museum’s Hot N’ Spicy Food and Music Festival.
Florida’s Broke, But It’s Refusing a $1 Million Health Insurance Oversight Grant Anyway
Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty forfeit a $1 million federal grant that was supposed to go toward beefing up oversight of health-insurance rates.
Unemployment Drops Again, to 9%, But Job Creation Far Short of Expectations
The U.S. economy added just 36,000 jobs in January as governments continued to shrink, though the 9% rate is the lowest since April 2009. Bad weather contributed to the poorer job creation.
Flagler Beach and Willing Investor Still Not Moored to New Pier Restaurant Lease
Raymond Barshay and Flagler Beach Commissioners are at odds over the fate of the bait and tackle shop, which has been attached to the Pier Restaurant. They’re at odds over several other issues. But they’re still talking.
Done Deal: City Picks Architecture Firm, Advertises Construction For New City Hall
City council members, including Mayor Netts, insist that until they have a signed contract, nothing is a go. Netts is still waiting for hard data from City Manager Jim Landon justifying the new building.
Flanked by Tea Party, Rick Scott Will Unveil State Budget in Central Florida Monday
As tea party activists gather from Central Florida to Eustis, Gov. Rick Scott’s budget unveiling Monday will have the feel of political rally as he attempts to close a nearly $4 billion hole while still proposing tax cuts.
Detox for Tax Fact Cheats
It’s a resilient urban legend: the top 5 percent of earners pay over 50 percent of taxes, and over half our citizens pay no taxes. It’s also false. Time to set the record straight.
Washington Oaks Gardens and Bulow Ruins Among 53 State Parks That Would Close
Similar proposals have been made before, but the state must close a $3.6 billion budget gap, and Gov. Rick Scott is not as friendly to the environment as Charlie Crist was.
Unconstitutional Mandate: Florida Judge Calls for Repeal of Entire Health Care Law
Though Florida Federal District Judge Roger Vinson termed his ruling “reluctant,” he also ruled that the private insurance mandate is so intricately tied to the the law that the entire law must be repealed.
Local Governments Agree To a Therapist To Cut Through Economic Dysfunction
After a meeting lasting two hours and 17 minutes Monday, local governments conceded they have no agreement on economic development, except to meet again and let a “facilitator” help them find some.
Live: Flagler County’s Economic Development Summit
The economic development summit at the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center began at 5:30 this evening. For background on the summit, go here. For a recap and analysis of the meeting, go here. Click below to follow the summit moment by moment. Flagler County Economic Development Summit
Challenging Jon Netts, Charlie Ericksen Runs for Palm Coast Mayor on a Pro-Business Agenda
Charlie Ericksen is critical of a city council that rubber-stamps too many decisions without debating or explaining them, and a city that he says hasn’t given local business a fair shake. Netts has been on the council since 2001.
Economic Development Summit: Can Flagler’s 33 Elected Get It Up?
Many plans, little agreement, no concerted action: Monday evening’s economic development summit between Flagler County’s seven local governments is unlikely to yield substantive results beyond a meet-and-greet of powerpoints.
Carla Traister: Myths and Realities of Bunnell’s Cold-Weather Shelter, and Flagler’s Homeless
Carla Traister, director of Flagler County’s cold-weather shelter in Bunnell, dispels misconceptions and stereotypes that have cropped up about the shelter, located in Bunnell behind the Bank of America.
Incentive This: Corporate Tax-Breaking Our Way to Job Creation
Barack Obama’s second State of the Union Address fell flat, argues St. Augustine novelist Jack Cowardin, who makes an original proposal for job creation and a break in the corporate tax rate.
Flagler Beach Commission vs. Hurricane Patty’s: A Lot of Noise Over a Few Complaints
Hurricane Patty’s opened as a popular restaurant and bar on Flagler Beach’s side of the Intracoastal in December. A few noise complaints are causing the city to rethink its noise ordinance. Patrons are unhappy.
Video: Ghost Opposition to Cold-Weather Shelter Draws Out Advocates in Bunnell
Unseen and unheard opponents of the cold-weather shelter in Bunnell have complained to that city’s mayor. Shelter advocates made their case at a city commission meeting this week.
Pill Mill Regulation Price Tag in Florida: $65 Million; Medicine Board Approves New Rules
The $65 million cost of the proposed pill mill rules would be due to urine test requirements on patients and other minor costs that would be spread out among 1,300 pain management clinics and tens of thousands of patients.
Spotted Seatrout Fishing Prohibited in February North of Flagler-Volusia Line
The harvest and possession of spotted seatrout is prohibited from Feb. 1 to March 1, 2011 in all waters north of the Flagler/Volusia counties line to the Florida-Georgia border.
Palm Coast Largely Rejects County’s Economic Development Track, Including New Tax
Ahead of Jan. 31’s countywide summit on economic development, Palm Coast is saying no to a new sales tax, no to a common pot that limits Palm Coast’s influence, and no to a new economic development council.
Blank Check: City and County Bankrolling Enterprise Flagler Without a Contract
Since 2006, Enterprise Flagler, the public-private economic development partnership, has received more than $1 million in taxpayer dollars from Palm Coast and Flagler County. Elected officials are just discovering there was no contract.
Seeking “One Voice” At Countywide Economic Summit, Commissioners Can’t Agree On Theirs
County commissioners can’t agree on what the county’s economic development plan should be, or what should come first–a strategy, a funding mechanism or a structure to manage the whole thing. They’ll try again Tuesday.
Ten Tenors, Two Nights, One Flagler Auditorium
The Ten Tenors made the Flagler Auditorium part of their inaugural US itinerary in 2002. They’ve performed here every year since, and will be there Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 25-26.
Reality Check: The GOP’s Straw-Stuffing Health Care Repeal
If repealing health care without presenting an alternative is the best thing the new GOP majority can do in an economic crisis, pack up your worries about 2012 right now and congratulate Obama for his second term.
Flagler Unemployment Seesaws to 15.7%, Florida’s Rate Unchanged at 12%
Both Flagler’s and Florida’s unemployment rates have been stuck within the same range for more than a year, with no signs of breaking the trend. Flagler’s numbers again show a decline in the labor force.
Bunnell’s Central Commerce Park Finally Breaks Ground, With an Order of Wendy’s
A new Wendy’s restaurant in April will be the first business at Flagler Central Commerce Park in Bunnell, a 1 million square foot commercial development seven years in the works. So far, no other business has signed up.
Doctors Are Coming, Loads of Them, But Should Public Dollars Defray Conference Costs?
The 5th Annual Primary Care Spring Conference will bring some 300 physicians to Hammock Beach Resort in April. Flagler County’s Tourist Development Council is ready to approve a $10,000 public-dollar subsidy.
A Night at the Homeless Shelter: From the Eyes of a Volunteer
Charlie Ericksen Jr., a volunteer at Flagler County’s homeless shelter–The Sheltering Tree–describes the refuge on a recent cold night.
WNZF’s David Ayres Hanging Up on “Open Lines” to Make Room for Rush and Beck Live
After hosting “Open Lines” for two years, and with Rush Limbaugh coming on, WNZF General manager David Ayres is shuffling the station’s lineup. He’ll host a weekly Saturday show.
Palm Coast Data Lays Off 31 More As Another Major Customer Plans to End Its Contract
A principal shareholder of Palm Coast Data parent Amrep Corp. and customer of Palm Coast Data is ending its association with both. The company is nowhere near its 2008 pledge to hire 700 more employees locally.
Legislators Bash Pill Mill Crackdown Delays They — and Gov. Rick Scott — Provoked
Florida senators are complaining about the state department of health’s slow implementation of pill mill crackdowns. But the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott are to blame for the delays.