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.
Elections 2024
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.
Trump Winning Florida With Three Times The 2016 Margin Explained in One Word: Hispanics
Trump defeated Biden in 55 of the state’s 67 counties, losing only one rural county — Gadsden, west of Tallahassee, unofficial results show. In all, he beat Biden by about 375,000 votes statewide, compared to a nearly 113,000-vote Florida margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Holland and Klufas Hold On, Staly Wins Re-Election, Don O’Brien and Andy Dance Win County Commission, Ed Danko, Victor Barbosa Win Council Seats
With all early voting results counted, Sheriff Rick Staly had an insurmountable lead to win re-election to his second term, as did County Commissioner Donald O’Brien. Andy Dance, the school board member, also had an insurmountable lead to win the County Commission seat Charlie Ericksen opted not to contest.
Electionland: The State of Election Day in Palm Coast and Flagler County
At the current rate, and with mail ballots still being dropped off, Flagler could end the day with 75,000 ballots cast out of 92,000 eligible voters, for a turnout of 81 percent–close to the records of the 2000 and 2004 elections.
Electionland: The State of Election Day Across the Country
In a historic election shaped by a pandemic, mail-in voting and misinformation, election officials are scrambling to adapt. Here’s what reporters are seeing across the country.
Celebrities Spent Millions So Florida Felons Could Vote. Will It Make a Difference?
Nearly 13,000 Florida felons could now be eligible to vote after a Michael Bloomberg-backed push to pay their court fines and fees. But many still don’t know they can legally cast a ballot.
To My Trump Neighbors
Can Biden and Trump neighbors drink with each other? Come Nov. 3, there’s room for a toast–not to either candidate necessarily, but to the election, to democracy, and to what endures. Presidents don’t. Neighbors do.
ACLU Condemns Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron Over ‘Disdain Toward Voters’
Cynthia Fisher, President of the Volusia/Flagler Chapter of the ACLU of Florida, called Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron’s refusal to suspend a construction project around the Government Services Building for the two weeks of early voting a voter-suppression tactic, and his attitude toward voters “condescending.”
The Polls Aren’t Wrong. But Trump Can Still Win More Easily Than in 2016.
Biden’s lead in none of the key battleground states is outside the margin of error and national polling is only reflecting the concentration of Biden votes in already-blue states, and the migration of some Trump votes in still-red states. The polls have it right, but Trump’s road to re-election is actually less daunting than presumed.
Election Supervisors Are Told Felons Must be Allowed to Cast Regular Ballots, Not Provisional
Attorney Ron Labasky sent an email to supervisors after lawyers for voting-rights advocates raised an alert about possible problems encountered by felons trying to cast ballots during the early voting period, which ends Sunday.
53,000 Flagler Voters Cast Ballots Without Incidents. A Handful of Local Republican Pols Have Behaved Less Well.
If voters have been model citizens so far, and they have, a very small handful of candidates or party operatives, particularly in the Republican Party, have been a little less so: their actions have required the interventions of poll deputies, of Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and of sheriff’s deputies.
Ballots Cast in Flagler Near 90% of 2016 Total, But Turnout Record Still Distant Absent Massive Election Day Surge
As in Florida and the rest of the nation, Flagler County is seeing a surge of early voting and voting by mail in one of the most unusual–and unpredictable–election in memory. But Flagler would have to experience an even more unusually heavy turnout in the remaining days of the election, especially on Election Day, if the turnout records of the 2000s are to be broken.
GOP Infighting and Ugly Turns in Palm Coast Mayoral Race Draw Sen. Hutson’s and Supervisor’s Interventions
The conflict reflects a deep split within Flagler County Republicans, some aligned with incumbent Mayor Milissa Holland, some with challenger Alan Lowe. Both are Republicans in a supposedly non-partisan race that has turned into the single-most partisan race in Flagler aside from the top of the ticket.
The Race Deadlocked in Florida, Democrats Focus on Turning Out Black Voters
The efforts to boost turnout among Black voters — especially young Black men — come as recent polls show Biden and Trump deadlocked in Florida, a state with 29 electoral votes considered critical for a White House victory.
Octogenarian Incumbents Fight for Survival on Flagler Mosquito Control Board Following Troubled Term
For the first time since 2008, all three seats on the mosquito control board, which controls a $2.2 million budget and levies taxes on Flagler homeowners, are being contested simultaneously, a direct reflection of the board’s troubled few years–a financial crisis, and the booting off of Robert Fruehan following his felony conviction. Two incumbents, Barbara Sgroi and Jules Kwiatkowski, are fighting for survival on the board.
If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan
Trump needs a contingency plan if the Supreme Court accepts his argument that the ACA should be overturned. The justices are scheduled to hear the case the week after Election Day. Administration health officials have pledged to have an alternative if the high court does as they ask. But they have refused to publicly share any details.
Biden Hopes Puerto Rican Support Along I-4 Corridor Outplays Trump’s Backing Among South Florida Hispanics
Democrat Joe Biden and his supporters are targeting Puerto Ricans along the Interstate 4 corridor in the effort to flip the state blue. Trump has solid backing from Cuban-American voters, especially in Miami-Dade County, who for decades have been a reliable source of support for Republican candidates running statewide.
A Nonprofit With Ties to Democrats Is Sending Out Millions of Ballot Applications. Election Officials Wish It Would Stop.
In April, election officials from a little over half of Florida’s counties signed a letter asking their secretary of state and attorney general to either take legal action against the Center for Voter Information or speak out publicly against its mailers, which the letter referred to as “a deceptive enterprise” that will “carpet bomb Floridians with more voter registration deception this month.”
AG Moves To Declare Dennis McDonald in Contempt Over Unpaid $80,000 Fine As He Runs for Council to ‘Sweep City Hall Clean’
Dennis McDonald, the candidate running for a Palm Coast City Council seat in a fifth attempt at elected office, may be declared in contempt of court over $80,000 he owes Flagler County government as reimbursement for legal fees and interest after he filed an ethics complaint against a former county commissioner that was judged frivolous and false.
Emails Threatening Democrats to Vote Trump in Flagler County and Elsewhere Originated With Iran
The emails that several Flagler County Democrats, hundreds of Floridians and others across the country received today, threatening recipients to vote for Donald Trump or else, were the work of Iran, according to a federal investigation.
Coronavirus Displaces Obamacare as a Driving Issue For Florida Voters
Republican and Democratic strategists say the election in Florida isn’t about broad policy issues like health care, the environment, gun control or immigration. Instead it’s about fighting the coronavirus, which means different things for different Florida voters based on their political affiliations, ages and livelihoods.
Trump To Seniors: Drop Dead
“As President Trump’s bungled response to the pandemic has become more evident, our cohort, even including the conservatives among us, has seen that the price of Trump’s failure of leadership is death,” writes the World War II-generation author.
Alan Lowe Ad Repeats Incendiary Claims About Milissa Holland Proven False Months Ago, Drawing Cease and Desist Letter
Palm Coast mayoral candidate Alan Lowe on Friday twice aired a 100-second campaign commercial attacking incumbent Mayor Milissa Holland for lying, only to himself repeat a set of lies about her that were proven false months ago, which may amount to lying with reckless disregard for the truth–a legally actionable offense even when attacking a public figure.
GOP Voter Registrations Cutting Into Democrats’ Statewide Lead, and Reach Historic Lead in Flagler
Republicans’ proportion of registered voters in Flagler County has grown to 45.7 percent this year, compared to 39.8 percent in 2016, while Democrats’ proportion has shrunk to 30.5 percent, from 31.8 percent four years ago.
Early Voting Draws Out Voters in Throngs at 2 Palm Coast Locations and GSB, But Nowhere Near Record
Voters began lining up to vote more than three hours before early voting began today at the public library site, with lines growing to include hundreds of voters at each of the three sites in Palm Coast and Bunnell.
DeSantis Wants Ballot Drop Boxes Staffed. Elections Supervisors’ Attorney Says That’s Not the Law.
With supervisors encouraging Floridians to vote by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of mail-in ballots has exploded. Due to uncertainty about the U.S. postal system, many voters are choosing to drop off their ballots rather than risk having them delivered too late to count. Florida mail-in ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Election Day to be counted.
‘Outraged’ Elections Supervisor Rips County Administrator Jerry Cameron Over ‘Contempt’ for Voters and Bad Planning
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart on Saturday wrote county commissioners to ask for help in suspending construction at the GSB during election weeks after County Administrator Jerry Cameron responded to her personal pleas with contempt.
‘If They Can’t Understand the Detour They Shouldn’t Be Voting,’ County Administrator Says, Reversing Pledge to Suspend Construction at GSB
County Administrator Jerry Cameron is refusing to suspend construction for the two weeks of early voting, even though voters must detour through a confusing maze to get to the county elections office in back of the Government Services Building.