Despite Florida’s hiccup-free election, Republican legislative leaders maintain that changes to the state’s vote-by-mail processes are needed to combat fraud and ensure that mail-in ballots are secure, though there’s been no evidence of fraud or non-secure balloting.
Elections 2024
Paul Harrington, A Flagler Beach Commission Candidate in March, Dies at 66 After Weeks of Struggles
Paul Harrington, who died this morning at 66, had been in the thick of Flagler Beach City Commission issues going back five years. He attended almost every meeting and twice ran for a commission seat. He’d been hospitalized in late February for the removal of brain tumors just before the last election.
The Odious Victor Barbosa
An examination of Palm Coast Councilman Victor Barbosa’s accusation of “corruption” against Manager Matt Morton reveals it to be baseless and defamatory, while Barbosa’s own methods, from trying to get city employees fired, meddling in administrative business, blindsiding the council and shaming of residents in the city’s name, raise questions about his own understanding of, or fitness for, the job.
The Worst Attack on Voting Rights Since Jim Crow
Expanded voting by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, curbside voting, and early voting made the ballot box more accessible. But now, Republican lawmakers in 43 states are introducing hundreds of restrictive “voting rights” bills to roll back these measures.
Florida GOP Pushing Ahead With Sweeping Election Changes Restricting Mail Voting and Supervisors’ Role
In a party-line vote Monday, the House Public Integrity & Elections Committee signed off on a measure that would give supervisors of elections less leeway when comparing signatures on mail-in ballots, require voters to request mail-in ballots for each general election and make it harder to submit other people’s ballots at drop boxes.
Democrats Call for New Senate Vote in Place of Fraudulent Election of Garcia; GOP Says No.
Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Thursday filed felony charges against former Sen. Frank Artiles for allegedly recruiting and paying an old pal nearly $45,000 to disrupt the November election between former Democratic Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez and Republican challenger Ileana Garcia.
Ex-Sen. Frank Artiles Criminally Charged in Election Fraud Scheme to Prop Up Sham Candidate
The Miami-Dade County state attorney has charged former Florida Sen. Frank Artiles with election fraud for allegedly propping up a sham candidate in a razor-thin Senate contest in which an incumbent Democrat was ousted by a Republican challenger in November.
How Flagler Was Far More “Staly Country” than Trump’s in 2020, and How Grand Haven Saved Milissa Holland
An analysis of Flagler County’s precinct-by-precinct vote last November reveals a few surprises, among them how Grand Haven powered incumbent Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland to her win and how Flagler was not so much “Trump Country” as “Staly Country” as the incumbent sheriff won his second term with 70 percent of the vote, with no discernible weaknesses across precincts.
Florida GOP Rollback of Voting Rights Triggers Uproar Among County Election Supervisors
GOP legislative leaders are pushing changes to the state’s election process that Democrats are branding as “voter suppression,” county election officials “vehemently” oppose and experts say will “disproportionately” harm Black and Hispanic voters.
Anthony Sabatini, ‘Worst Person in the Florida Legislature,’ Launches Bid for Congress on a Lie
The man the Orlando Sentinel once called “the worst person in the Florida Legislature” (and remember, y’all, there’s hell of a lot of competition) kicked off his bid by lying, assuring incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster that he would not run against him, then filing the paperwork to run against him.
Should School Board Members Be Paid $35,000 a Year? Voters May Decide in 2022.
After debating whether county school board members should be paid, and if ending salaries would threaten diversity on the boards, a House panel took a first step toward letting voters decide the issue in 2022.
Now Ex-Mayor Provencher Finally Gets Her Taser as Johnston Is Sworn-In and Cooley Is Elected Chair
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening bid farewell to Linda Provencher, the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history, and welcomed Mayor Suzie Johnston, electing Eric Cooley chairman of the commission for the next year, and Rick Belhumeur vice-chairman.
Suzie Johnston Is Flagler Beach’s New Mayor; Eric Cooley Is Re-Elected Commissioner
Suzie Johnston was elected mayor with over 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race and Eric Cooley won re-election with 54 percent of the vote, defeating Paul Harrington.
DeSantis Holds Up Rush Limbaugh as Example in Opening of Conservative Conference
During a stemwinder that drew vigorous applause, DeSantis never mentioned Donald Trump, his political mentor, who is scheduled to address the conference over the weekend. DeSantis has yet to acknowledge publicly that Trump lost the election.
Flagler Beach Commission Candidate Paul Harrington Hospitalized With Grave Illness, Upending Election
Paul Harrington, a candidate in next Tuesday’s election for the Flagler Beach City Commission, was hospitalized Sunday, has been largely incapacitated by a grave illness and was undergoing surgery for the removal of brain tumors today. Many questions remain unanswered if he were to win the election but be unable to serve.
3 Months After Boasting of ‘Smoothest’ Election in 50 States, DeSantis Wants New Electoral Restrictions
DeSantis’ proposal would address the use of drop boxes to collect vote-by-mail ballots, prohibit volunteers from collecting many vote-by-mail ballots, require new signature standards on ballots, and prohibit counties from receiving grants from private organizations for “get out the vote” initiatives.
In Flagler Beach, 4 of 5 Candidates for City Commission and Mayor Liven Only Forum Ahead of March 2 Election
The Flagler Woman’s Club hosted a forum featuring incumbent Commissioner Eric Cooley, whose opponent, Paul Harrington, was a no-show, and all three candidates vying to replace Linda Provencher as mayor: Kim Carney, Suzy Johnston and Pat Quinn. Here’s a full summary of the evening.
5 Contestants, 2 Seats: Flagler Beach Woman’s Club Hosting Candidates’ Night Ahead of City Election
Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach are holding the year’s first local elections on March 2. The Beverly Beach races are uncontested, though the city will have two new commissioners. The Flagler Beach races for mayor and one commission seat very much are contested.
Joe Biden’s Inauguration, and Amanda Gorman’s Beacon
President Joe Biden’s moving and restorative inauguration was upstaged by Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, whose words reflected the unvanquished voice of the American we idealize, the possible and the impossibly scaled in this country of the “battered and beautiful.”
FBI Arrests Army Veteran Allegedly Plotting Attack on Pro-Trump Demonstrators in Tallahassee
Federal authorities have arrested a self-described anarchist on charges related to his alleged attempt to recruit the “like-minded” to violently disrupt the expected gathering by supporters of President Trump at the Florida Capitol through Inauguration Day.
Law Enforcement on Alert in Tallahassee In Response to FBI Warning of “Armed Protests” Ahead of Biden Inaugural
State and local law enforcement agencies in Tallahassee are bracing for potential protests at the Florida Capitol this weekend and early next week, although officials say there are no specific threats right now.
Sedition Is Not a 1st Amendment Right, and There’s No Comparison With BLM Marches
Mob participants claim they were only exercising their First Amendment right to protest, and that Black Lives Matter protests and riots didn’t draw the same scrutiny. Both narratives are factual and moral frauds that hide behind liberal rationales to perpetrate reactionary lies and justify the unconscionable.
A Tale of Two Mobs
The second mob includes the eight Republican senators and 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s election, as well as the 17 Republican attorneys general who supported a bogus lawsuit to throw out the election.
10 Republicans Join Democratic Majority to Impeach Trump for 2nd Time Over Insurrection; Waltz Votes No
U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, the Republican representing Flagler County and surrounding areas, voted No. He had been among 125 Republican members of Congress and others beyond Congress baselessly calling the election of Joe Biden fraudulent.
Flagler Commissioners Again Give Defiant Mullins a Pass as Dance’s Call to Talk of ‘Behavior’ Gets Tepid Reception
County commissioners–who three times last year refused to discipline or censure Mullins–again mostly declined to address his recent talk of beheading liberals or sponsoring a trip to Washington, with one exception: newly-seated Commissioner Andy Dance recommended a commission “retreat” to discuss “commission norms, expectations and behavior or procedures.”
Ken Bryan, the Flagler Beach City Commissioner, Says Joe Mullins Violated Oath By Sponsoring Trip Before Insurrection
Addressing the Flagler County Commission this morning, and with Joe Mullins on the dais, Bryan said Mullins should resign his commission seat after calling on fellow-citizens to be beheaded and sponsoring a group of dozens to Washington last week, where the Capitol was overrun by a mob in an insurrection that went from rhetorical to violent.
Trump’s Fascism and Republican Responsibility
By the time Trump was spitting sedition and inciting violence Wednesday he’d had five years of encouragement from the same Republican charlatans who would later stand on the floors of the Senate and the House to declare themselves shocked, shocked that the rioters they’d courted had desecrated and bloodied their little sanctum.
Flagler Commissioners Strongly Repudiate Mullins Letter On County Letterhead Disputing Biden Election
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins used commission letterhead, without other commissioners’ approval, to plagiarize a letter and send it to Florida’s congressional delegation, repeating baseless, false, misleading, conspiratorial and widely discredited claims that Biden’s election was fraudulent.
On WNZF, Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins Calls for Beheading Liberals
A few minutes into his latest weekly infomercial on WNZF radio Saturday morning, Joe Mullins, the Flagler County commissioner, called for the beheading of liberals while decrying responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Biden Gets Sworn In, White House Will Get Deepest Scrub-Down
The General Services Administration will oversee a thorough cleaning and disinfection of every doorknob, toilet handle, light switch, stair railing, telephone, elevator button, computer keyboard and other objects inside the 55,000-square-foot mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Flagler County Democratic Party Installs New Officers
Janet Sullivan has become the new Chair of the Flagler County Democratic Executive Committee following the election and installation of officers for the upcoming four years.
‘Not For Me To Do,’ DeSantis Says of Congratulating Joe Biden
With Trump continuing to contest the results of last month’s election, DeSantis was asked Tuesday whether he would congratulate Biden. “It’s not for me to do,” DeSantis said.
Florida Electors Back Trump And Hold Out Hope For Victory Despite Crushing Evidence
Biden was lined up to receive 306 votes to 232 for Trump, whose campaign has lost dozens of legal challenges to the voting process and election results. Trump won Florida’s 29 electoral votes by beating Biden by more than three percentage points in the state on Nov. 3.
Pistols, a Hearse and Trucks Playing Chicken: Why Some Voters Felt Harassed and Intimidated at the Polls
Across the country, people complained about threats, aggressive electioneering and racist language both at early voting locations and on Election Day. We’ve corroborated some of those accounts.
Enough with ‘Patently False and Fabricated Conspiracy Theories’ on 2020 Vote, a GOP Elections Supervisor Says
Pasco County Elections Supervisor Brian Corley, a Republican, condemns continuing attacks on the integrity of the presidential election– the most secure, transparent election in history, he says, now undermined by “destructive rhetoric” that is “prioritizing politics at the expense of our country’s founding principles.”
Palm Coast Councilmen Behave, But Public Segments Turn Twilight Zones of Conspiracies and Fabrications
Numerous members of the public’s chip-on-the-shoulder grievances against the Palm Coast City Council suggest that the noxious and often fallacy-filled and slanderous rhetoric may not have ended with the election, but merely morphed into a new form, using the council as platform, and council members as punching bags.
Trump’s Suicide Bomber Act
Liberals would be fools to think the election was a turning point. The next four years will be as much a trial of democracy as the last four, just more diffuse, the cancer cells of Trumpism poisoning states and localities, as we’ve already seen locally in the last couple of years. Not the America we know? If you’ve been paying attention since 1980, it’s exactly the America we know.
Black Voters Saved Our Democracy
Joe Biden may have won the presidency. But so too did white supremacy, xenophobia, and corruption. And as the violent pro-Trump protests that broke out in the capital recently show, we are indeed a nation divided.
Calmer Swearings-In at County and School Board; Mullins Will Not Be Commission Chairman This Year
The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission held swearing-in ceremonies for a combined six new and re-elected members. Donald O’Brien was named chairman of the commission, Trevor Tucker chairman of the school board.
Flagler Commission Bids Charlie Ericksen Farewell After 8 Years as ‘Model for Comportment and Friendliness’
A pragmatist and a statesman-like county commissioner for eight years, Charlie Ericksen was a quiet, forceful contrast to some of the more boorish and crude elected officials who’ve managed to win seats in recent years.
‘Councilman Corrupt.’ ‘Councilman Full of Crap.’ It’s a Grim New Day on the Palm Coast City Council.
A confrontation between Palm Coast City Council members Eddie Branquinho and Ed Danko devolved into name-calling this morning soon after Danko was sworn in during an already tense meeting, signaling an unprecedented divide on the council.
The Trump Campaign Can’t Find a Judge Who Will Ignore Facts — but It’s Trying
The Trump campaign’s legal strategy has come down to this: Even as judges dismiss lawsuits as baseless, it files nearly identical ones in new courts, hoping for more favorable judges. Failure has not slowed it down.
It’s Not Trump’s Country — Even in ‘Trump Country’
Many of Trump’s rank-and-file voters aren’t such right-wingers at all: look at the multitude of overtly progressive ballot issues that won majority support on Election Day. Many were in blue states, but others came in purple states, and others deep in so-called “Trump Country.”
In Flagler Beach, Eric Cooley Will Run Again, Linda Provencher Will Not, and Suzie Johnston Announces for Mayor
A Flagler Beach City Commission seat and the mayor’s seat are up in the March 2 election, with first-term incumbent Eric Cooley vying to keep his seat and Suzy Johnston, heir of the Johnston political dynasty in Flagler–and Cooley’s partner–seeking to replace Linda Provencher after Provencher’s 15 years of service as an elected official.
Trump Won Florida After Running a False Ad Tying Biden to Venezuelan Socialists
The video was part of a broader Trump campaign strategy in heavily Latino South Florida that sought to tie Biden to Socialist leaders like Maduro and the late Cuban President Fidel Castro. Trump won Florida by about 375,000 votes, the largest margin in a presidential election there since 1988. He carried about 55% of the Cuban American vote.
How American Candidates and Presidents Concede: a Century of Decency and Continuity
From Herbert Hoover to Hillary Clinton, concessions by presidential candidates are among the high watermarks of American democratic discourse and reverence for institutional continuity. Candidates and incumbents have been delivering them without fail, their gestures a window into their character at their most vulnerable times.
Biden Wins
Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States, with Kamala Harris the first-ever woman–the first Black, the first Indian-American–vice-president.
Flagler and Florida Democrats Face a Reckoning After Dismal Showing at Every Level
Trump’s Florida victory aside, Republicans upset two incumbent South Florida congresswomen, flipped five state House seats and could pick up a seat in the state Senate, making a mockery of Democrats’ hopes to cut into the GOP’s legislative dominance.
If Trump Tries to Sue His Way to Election Victory, Here’s What Happens
It’s easy enough for the Trump campaign to file a lawsuit claiming improprieties, but a lot harder to provide evidence of wrongdoing or a convincing legal argument. Here’s what you need to know as the election lawsuits start to mount.
Flagler Falls 1% Short But Florida Voters Approve $15 Minimum Wage Phased in By End of 2026
The hike in the minimum wage will be phased in through Sept. 30, 2026, but it will represent a significant move in a state heavily dependent on tourism and the service industry for jobs. It was put on the ballot with the financial help of well-known Orando trial attorney John Morgan.