Gov. Scott didn’t define the meaning of “supermajority” but 15 states, liberal and conservative, already have the requirement of from 60 to 75 percent supermajorities when lawmakers raise taxes.
Elections 2024
Trump Will Win In 2020
There’s nothing original in Donald Trump’s presidency when seen through Nixon-colored glasses, considering the similarities–and the invaluable help both got from Democrats to get elected.
Democrat Nancy Soderberg, Ambassador From Departed Era, Wants to Represent Flagler In Congress
Nancy Soderberg, a foreign policy expert and top aide in Bill Clinton’s presidency, wants the seat held by Republican Ron DeSantis. She has a lot to learn.
A Mock Election Opens Flagler Supervisor’s Office to Public View, But Potato Vote a Shock
Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart held a mock election and open house, allowing voters to try new voting equipment and, for the first time, visit the elections office behind the scenes.
Hypocrites on Crack
Thursday evening, Flagler Beach Commissioners Jane Mealy, Marshall Shupe and Joy McGrew flipped off voters and voted for a prohibition on medical pot dispensaries.
Countering 70% of Its Own Voters, Flagler Beach Prepares to Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries Outright
The City Commission this evening takes up an ordinance that would ban medical marijuana dispensaries anywhere in the city. The city fears not doing so would turn it into a pot hub.
Elections Supervisor’s Plea to Flagler Voters: Stay Registered Despite Commission’s Data Grab
In an open letter to Flagler County’s registered voters, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart says the federal commission’s data grab through the state should not diminish their trust in the system.
Flagler Voters Opting to Cancel Registration in Response to Trump Commission’s Sweeping Records Request
Flagler County through the state will comply with Trump’s federal commission request for vast amounts of voter registration information, but the decision is causing a backlash.
Your Papers Please: Trump Commission Demands Massive Amounts of Voter Data
A Trump commission has asked all 50 states for copies of their voter records which often include names, addresses and ages. The commission has said it intends to make the information widely available.
In 1st Joint Forum of 2018 Race for Governor, Three Democrats Try To Lift Profile Above Trump Din
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former Congresswoman Gwen Graham and businessman Chris King did not clash much on the issues so much as present an opening salvo in the 2018 race for governor.
Elections Supervisor Proposes 2 New Voting Precincts, But GOP Concerns Prompt Delay
The Flagler County Commission was set to approve the $24,000 plan Monday evening but agreed, unusually, to a 30-day delay to accommodate Republican Party concerns about internal party elections and committee representation.
La Différence
France’s Answer To Trumpism: Non, Merci
Emmanuel Macron’s election as President of France Sunday repudiates angry, anti-democratic tribalism represented by Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump. But it’s only a qualified win.
City Elections: Flagler Beach Voters Stay With Shupe and Carney, Bunnell Elects John Sowell and Re-Elects Rogers
Flagler Beach voters gave Marshall Shupe and Kim Carney solid re-election numbers, while Bunnell voted out Bonita Robinson, replacing her with John Sowell, and re-electing John Rogers to three-year terms.
Felons Seeking to Regain Right To Vote Look to Constitutional Amendment
The constitutional change, if approved, could open up voting rights for more than 700,000 Floridians, although fewer than 300,000 could be expected to apply, at least initially.
Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell Officials May Face Stronger Financial Disclosure Requirements
Financial disclosure forms filed by elected city officials are cursory compared to the detailed forms filed by county and other officials. That may soon change as the Legislature considers extending the stricter requirements.
Against Counsel: House Panel Backs Term Limits for Supreme Court and Appeals Judges
The proposal would revamp a decades-old system in which Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges do not face term limits — though they are required to go before voters every six years for merit-retention.
Qualifying Over in Flagler Beach and Bunnell March 7 Elections, Still Time to Register to Vote
Both cities’ incumbents and one challenger in each have qualified–Marshall Shupe, Kim Carney and Paul Eik in Flagler Beach, Bonita Robinson, John Rogers and John Sowell in Bunnell, with two seats in play in each government.
President Fake
We’ve been worried about fake news from all the wrong places. The most promiscuous peddler of fake news is the president himself, Donald J. Trump. That’s dangerous for media, for America and for democracy.
Ethics Panel Ratifies $4,500 Fine Against Barbara Revels in Closing Blur on Distinguished Service
The fine and public censure bookend Barbara Revels’s eight years of public service as a member of the Flagler County Commission, where she had been its most effective member and most skillful parliamentarian.
Greg Hansen Sworn-In, Completing Historic Republican Sweep of County Commission
Greg Hansen will fill the 22 months remaining on the term of the late Frank Meeker, a Republican who was often at war with the brand of local Republicans Hansen sympathizes with.
You’ll Miss Him
At noon today the world ended as the sound of seven trumpets was replaced by the words “I, Donald John Trump…” Until then it was a fairly good run. An excellent run, in retrospect, considering what we’re losing.
Stringent Rules By Florida Health Department Would Circumvent Medical Pot Amendment
The proposed rules would maintain current vendors’ stranglehold on the medical marijuana industry and give authority to the Florida Board of Medicine, not individual doctors, to decide which patients qualify for marijuana treatment.
Gov. Scott Appoints Greg Hansen, Local GOP Activist, to Frank Meeker’s County Commission Seat
Greg Hansen, 70, will fill the remaining year and a half on the late Frank Meeker’s term. He outflanked other local favorites who had included Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and Larry Jones, an ally of County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Conservatives Plot Their Course on the Rising ‘Sea of Red’ in State Capitals
The American Legislative Exchange Council sees bright future for its agenda now that Republicans control 68 of the nation’s 99 state legislative bodies and 33 governor’s mansions.
Another Emblem of Disarray for Florida Democrats: 12 Counties Have No Organizational Structure
In a state where presidential votes have decided by 1 percent margins, Democrats’ absence even in small counties point to a fatal weakness for the party.
School Board’s Trevor Tucker Mulls Run for Tax Collector, Nate McLaughlin Eyes House Seat
School Board member Trevor Tucker confirmed he was considering a run for tax collector in four years, and if so would not run for school board again in 2018, while Commissioner Nate McLaughlin has his eyes on Paul Renner’s House seat in 2022.
The Other Swearings-In: Bexley and Lenhart Take the Oath, Johnston and Gardner Shrug
The sheriff’s big ceremony aside, Flagler County’s other constitutional officers had their own swearings-in, more or less, as new, relatively new and veteran officers took up or continued their duties.
Call Him Sheriff Staly: At Swearing-In, Veteran Cop Stresses Roots, Toughness and 2nd Chances
Sheriff Rick Staly was sworn-in this morning before a crowd of hundreds and makes pledges of toughness on “dirtbags” but also pledges of giving offenders better chances at self-improvement while focusing greater attention on juvenile-crime prevention.
In Reversal Over Accusations of Unethical Conduct, Flagler Judge Scott DuPont Now Says: “I Was Wrong”
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont, who sits in Flagler and Putnam County court, faces accusations that he spread scandalous, unsubstantiated claims about his opponent in the last election, and now reversed course in an apologetic response.
Rick Staly To Be Sworn-In as Flagler’s 18th Sheriff By Judge Emerson Thompson, Jr.
Senior Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., who made history as the first black judge in Orange County and the first black judge to be appointed to the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, will administer the oath of office at Rick Staly’s swearing-in on Jan. 3.
Where Flagler’s Democrats Go From Here: A Roadmap to Reclaiming Relevance
It’s time now to turn anger and disappointment into resolve, into commitment, into action, argues Mike Cocchiola, whose five-point plan proposes a way forward for Flagler County Democrats.
Effort to Get Electoral College Away From Trump Fizzles as Florida’s 29 Votes Go All In
In Florida, the votes for Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were never really in doubt. The slate of electors was made up of GOP stalwarts, from fundraisers to activists to elected officials.
The Unnecessary Controversy Over “Sanctuary Campuses”
Even if colleges were targeted by the Trump administration, numerous privacy and legal obstacles remain before administrators would be enlisted in identifying students for deportation.
Sheriff Manfre: Against Tribalism
In a call against the fracturing of society into self-interested groups, Sheriff Jim Manfre argues for the importance of resisting the worst of the tribal instincts roused by the last election.
Flagler Beach and Bunnell Will Have Contested City Elections in March as 2 Challengers Qualify
Flagler Beach incumbents Marshal Shupe and Kim Carney have drawn Paul Eik as an opponent. In Bunnell, John Sowell, a former pilot for Flagler County Fire Flight, will challenge incumbents Bonita Robinson and John Rogers.
How Journalists Should Go Beyond Fact-Checking Trump’s Routine Lies and Conspiracy Theories
The story is that the president-elect is more factually irresponsible than any political leader in the United States in memory. Chasing it will be just one challenge of the next four years.
Why Trump Would Almost Certainly Be Violating the Constitution If He Continues to Own His Businesses
Even if he does sell his business, any retained residual interest, or any sale payout based on the company’s results, would still give him a stake in its fortunes, again fairly clearly violating the Constitution.
Flagler Circuit Judge Scott DuPont Faces Charges of “Recklessly” Spreading Baseless Claims About Opponent
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont may face serious disciplinary action from the Florida Supreme Court if the Judicial Qualifications Commission recommends it after finding probable cause that he violated ethical rules in his latest election campaign.
Sorry, I Can’t Give Trump a Chance
Our democracy is too important to play nice with a man who campaigned on undermining it, argues Jill Richardson: “We already have evidence that Trump does absolutely everything he can get away with.”
Staly Names Bisland Undersheriff as Transition Team, Including Big Donors, Gets to Work
Jack Bisland, an investigator at the State Attorney’s office, had been Jim Manfre’s chief of investigations briefly in 2013, but the two men quickly parted ways.
In An Ugly Election Result, Hate Surges Online as Trump Emboldens Extremists
Throughout Donald J. Trump’s ultimately successful run for the presidency, many worried that he had, willfully or recklessly, emboldened racists across the country. Evidence suggests Trump’s effect on rising extremism has been unmistakable.
Flagler’s Humiliated Democrats Try To Regroup, Only to Expose the Dysfunctions At Their Core
Some 60 people had turned up at the All Flagler Democratic Club eager for guidance and strategy only to hear vague and at times bewildering proposals that have little to do with finding local Democrats to run, or get them elected.
Surprised? Trump’s Advisor on Wall Street Regulations is a Longtime Swamp-Dweller
Donald Trump’s transition advisor for financial regulations works for a firm that is emblematic of the Washington revolving door: deregulation could serve Paul Atkins’ wallet as well as his political agenda.
How The Electoral College Mistrusts Voters
That flaw is the Electoral College. For the fourth time in our history, and the second in 16 years, it has given the presidency to the candidate who polled fewer votes — 2 million fewer in this case — than his principal rival.
Democrats Try to Stay Relevant After Barely Adding to Their Diminished Numbers in Florida Legislature
Democrats’ 41-member caucus faces a 79-member Republican majority in the Florida House, with 15 Democrats facing 25 Republicans in the Senate.
Investiture Day: School Board and County Commission Members Old and New Sworn In
Charlie Ericksen, Donald O’Brien and Dave Sullivan were sworn-in at the county commission, Colleen Conklin and Maria Barbosa at the school board in a pair of ceremonies that marked the more pronounced changes in local government resulting from the November election.
School Board Chairman Colleen Conklin On the Trump Election: “Words Matter”
In light of the swastika incident at Palm Coast’s Imagine School and many other hurtful or vile statements during the election campaign, the school board chairman calls on local leaders to denounce messages that erode trust and respect.
For George Hanns, 24 Years As Commissioner End With a Long Goodbye and a Biting Roast
The county administration gave George Hanns a farewell reception Monday afternoon, with some 100 people in attendance and touching moments mixing with humor and a colleague’s roast.
It’ll Be Alt-Right
Donald Trump’s appointments and short-lists are pointing the way to an administration not much different than his campaign, suggesting there’s more wishful thinking than reality behind the hope that he’d surround himself with people saner than he is.
Two Kindergarten Students of Mixed Races Come Home From Imagine School With Swastikas on Their Skin
School officials say clear video from the school bus captured the incident, in which a middle school student is said to have drawn swastikas on at least two kindergarteners’ skin. A motive has not been disclosed.