In a major election-law decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that although the Constitution gives state legislatures the power to regulate federal elections, state courts can supervise the legislature’s exercise of that power. By a vote of 6-3, the court rejected the so-called “independent state legislature theory” favored by a extreme Republicans.
Elections 2024
So You Want to Recall a Council Member or Write an Ordinance? Palm Coast Codifies Process After 24 Years.
The Palm Coast City Council in its 24th year is codifying its own referendum and recall process–the method by which residents may pitch or force the reconsideration of an ordinance, amend the city charter, or initiate a recall of a sitting council member.
Anti-Trans Politicians Take Pages from Nazi Playbook
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other GOP leaders are following the Nazi playbook, substituting transgender youth for the Jews. They industriously promote hatred, fear, and physical revulsion of this small group — also barely 1 percent of the population — and pretend it’s out of concern for children.
Ed Danko Announces Run for County Commission, Setting Up Primary Against George Hanns
His third year on the Palm Coast City Council not yet completed, the peripatetic and willfully controversial Ed Danko today announced a run for a County Commission seat in the 2024 election, setting up a primary contest against former Commissioner George Hanns.
Two Elections and ‘Record’ Flagler Voter Registrations Adds Costs to Elections Supervisor’s Budget
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart told the County Commission this morning that the presidential year’s two elections, a record rate of voter registration, inflation and a spate of new legal requirements are adding costs to her office’s budget, which she presented to the county at a workshop.
In Surprise Victory for Voting Rights, Supreme Court Rejects Redistricting Map Diluting Black Vote
By a vote of 5-4, the justices issued a major voting rights decision, ruling that Alabama’s new congressional map likely violates the Voting Rights Act. Even more significantly, the court declined an invitation to adopt an interpretation of the act that would have made it much more difficult to challenge redistricting plans.
Voters Approved an Amendment For Racial Equity in Districts. DeSantis Wants It Ignored.
A lawsuit filed by voting-rights groups focuses a Jacksonville-area district that helped elect Black Democrat Al Lawson until a DeSantis plan redrew it and installed two white Republicans instead. Now DeSantis is asking a court to ignore a 2010 constitutional amendment requiring “Fair Districts.”
A Memorial Month for Our Rights
Tuesday begins a month of memorial days as we watch our Supreme Court continue to roll back those very rights soldiers died for, trampling them more effectively than any enemy foreign or, for the most part, domestic, ever has.
Palm Coast’s Darryl Boyer, Running for Renner’s Seat, Appears on Fox & Friends to Talk Trump/DeSantis
Darryl Boyer, the youngest emerging face of Flagler County’s Republican Party and a candidate for the Florida House seat held by Paul Renner in the 2024 election, was a guest this morning on Fox & Friends Weekend, his second appearance in four weeks on the show.
Peggy Border, For 17 Years Flagler’s Exact and Far-Seeing Elections Supervisor, Dies at 78
Peggy Rae Border, who ran the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office for 17 years with foresight and meticulousness to great acclaim, died on Tuesday surrounded by family, following a long illness. She had been living locally at an assisted living facility for the last few months, and was 78.
DeSantis from Governor’s Mansion to Presidential Run
Now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has filled out the federal paperwork to officially become a 2024 candidate for president of the United States, here’s a chronicle of the trajectory of DeSantis’ tenure, from moving into the governor’s mansion on Jan. 8, 2019, to a presidential run, as compiled by the Florida Phoenix.
DeSantis Will Announce His Presidential Bid From Dunedin
Gov. Ron DeSantis expects to announce his candidacy for president after Memorial Day and from his hometown of Dunedin, the more conservative part of what has been considered a politically moderate county.
Trump Suckered CNN Into His Sewer
CNN, anxious to get maximum ratings mileage from its MAGA informercial, attached a sewer pipe to his mouth and pumped his demagogic diarrhea directly into our homes, argues Dick Polman.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Wants Supreme Court to Kill Recreational Pot Initiative
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has submitted ballot language to the Florida Supreme Court for a proposed 2024 constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida. She also informed the court that she opposes the measure.
Federal Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against Andrew Gillum Weeks After Mistrial
Less than two weeks after a mistrial, federal prosecutors on Monday filed a motion to dismiss conspiracy and fraud charges against former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum.
Imagining life in DeSantistan
In Caseytown, Desantistan, it’s Jan. 6, 2028, a year since Ron DeSantis declared himself President for Life, making this country the freest America in America, if not the world. Let’s recap.
Andrew Gillum Acquitted on Lying Charge, Mistrial Declared on Conspiracy and Fraud Charges
After five days of rocky deliberations, jurors on Thursday acquitted former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum on charges of lying to federal investigators but were unable to reach a verdict on conspiracy and fraud charges.
Trump, Time to Step Aside
Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump but not any of the GOP’s many powerful governors, should they run. The only hope Republicans have to regain the White House comes down to Trump having the decency to step aside and get enthusiastically behind the Republican 2024 nominee.
DeSantis Decrees that Legislature Will Void Disney’s Autonomy on Development Rights
The feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Co. escalated Monday after the governor said that the state Legislature intends to void an agreement on Disney development rights for years to come.
Republicans Lost GenZ with Expulsion of Two Black Lawmakers
As have many shameful lawmakers before them, Tennessee Republicans weaponized the rules of conduct to punish state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. But respectability politics mean nothing to GenZ. If such glaring issues as gun violence, healthcare, and climate change were not enough to engage the youth, watching racism and inequality so blatantly on display certainly did the job.
The Closing of the Floridian Mind
Ron DeSantis’ crackdown on thinking has got teachers so spooked, and so emboldened censorious Christian nationalists, that knowledge is being ripped out of public education in this state, even before his ridiculous laws are officially in place.
Trump Is Indicted
A New York criminal grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump. A former president has never been indicted before. Members of Congress quickly began to react, along partisan lines.
George Hanns, Defeated in 2016 After 24 Years, Plans Another Run for County Commission
George Hanns had served 24 years as a Flagler County Commissioner when he lost in 2016. He wants another run at it, this time as a Republican vying for the seat Donald O’Brien is vacating, and that Palm Coast Council member Ed Danko plans a run for.
Campaigning in Iowa, DeSantis Says Culture War Offensive Will Help GOP Elections
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Iowa Republicans Friday that standing strong in the culture wars around issues like education, criminal justice and health care in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic will help their party win elections.
The Winner of a Historic Landslide and Prodigal Everyman Get Busy on Diverse Flagler Beach Commission
The Flagler Beach City Commission reconstituted with Scott Spradley and Rick Belhumeur Thursday. As a group, and with Jane Mealy still its reigning dean, the commission combines experience and youth, business, law, academia, real estate, labor and Belhumeur’s Everyman.
Future Ballot Measure May Ask Voters Whether School Board Races Should Be Partisan
Some Florida GOP lawmakers want to see if voters think local school boards should be partisan — meaning school board members could be Democrats, Republicans, or another signifier of political alignments.
His Sights Well Past Tallahassee, DeSantis Vows to ‘Swing for the Fences’
While the State of the State address is always a high-profile event in Tallahassee, DeSantis’ speech Tuesday drew national attention as he is widely expected to run for president in 2024.
Scott Spradley Wins Big in Flagler Beach, Belhumeur Is ‘Re-Commissioned,’ Defeating Incumbent Phillips
Attorney Scott Spradley won election to the Flagler Beach City Commission by a large margin Tuesday, an unsurprising result from an electorate looking for the analytical cool-headed approach Spradley represents, after a turbulent year in the city and the recent firing of a city manager.
Backers of Recreational Pot Initiative Reach Halfway Point in Signatures for Ballot
The Florida Division of Elections had received 420,072 valid signatures from the political committee Smart & Safe Florida as of Wednesday, according to the division’s website. The committee would need to submit at least 891,589 signatures to get on the ballot.
In Flagler Beach, 5 Commission Candidates Play Forum Softball Ahead of March 7 Election
There were no surprises at the only forum for Flagler Beach City Commission Candidates. The questions–at least the nine that were asked–were generally un-challenging, unspecific and at times corny. The candidates are Rick Belhumeur, Bob Cunningham, Doug Bruno O’Connor, Deborah Phillips and Scott Spradley.
Nikki Fried Will Lead Florida Democrats in Hopes of Stanching State’s Bleed to Red
Fried will face a momentous task: To bring more Democrats into the fold, increase the number of Democratic candidates who can win races, and bring back a Florida that is at least purple, not red in the political scene. And keep in mind that DeSantis is considering a presidential bid for 2024.
In Mayor’s Absence, Ed Danko Chairs Palm Coast Council Meeting, and the World Doesn’t End
With Palm Coast Mayor out for surgery, Vice Mayor Ed Danko chaired a City Council meeting for the first time on Tuesday. A former lightning rod of controversy, Danko’s handling of the brief meeting was entirely civil but for one interruption.
Group Seeks to Legalize Homegrown Medical Pot with 2024 Ballot Proposal
A political committee has started moving forward with a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow medical-marijuana patients and patients’ caregivers to grow cannabis at home.
The DeSantis GOP Plan: Replace Public Education With Ahistorical Propaganda
By unleashing an avalanche of fear and legal absurdity into a struggling, underfunded system of public education, these far-right ideologues are in the process of crippling the learning process for tens of millions of the nation’s children.
Deborah Phillips, Flagler Beach City Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Deborah Phillips is one of five candidates for two seats on the Flagler Beach City Commission in the non-partisan municipal election that will be decided on March 7.
Scott Spradley, Flagler Beach City Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Scott Spradley is one of five candidates for two seats on the Flagler Beach City Commission in the non-partisan municipal election that will be decided on March 7.
Bob Cunningham, Flagler Beach City Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Bob Cunningham is one of five candidates for two seats on the Flagler Beach City Commission in the non-partisan municipal election that will be decided on March 7.
Doug Bruno O’Connor, Flagler Beach City Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Doug Bruno O’Connor is one of five candidates for two seats on the Flagler Beach City Commission in the non-partisan municipal election that will be decided on March 7.
Rick Belhumeur, Flagler Beach City Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Rick Belhumeur is one of five candidates for two seats on the Flagler Beach City Commission in the non-partisan municipal election will be decided on March 7.
Democrats’ South Carolina Primary Move: Diversity and Moderation Over Tradition
Biden said early nominating states should reflect the diversity of the party and nation and that time-consuming caucuses, like those held in Iowa, should no longer be a part of the process because they disadvantage hourly workers and others who can’t take the required time away from work.
County Commissioner Donald O’Brien Declares Run for Renner’s Seat, Tom Leek for Hutson’s
Flagler County Commissioner Donald O’Brien, who in the last four years became Joe Mullins’s staunchest ally, will run for Paul Renner’s House seat, and Tom Leek, the House member from Ormond Beach, will run for Travis Hutson’s.
Palm Coast Mayor Suggests Candidates Be Criminal-Background Checked. Council Isn’t Interested.
A proposal by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin to criminally-background check all future candidates for council drew more cautions and concerns from other council members and zero support, prompting him to withdraw it “until or unless it’s discussed in the future,” he said.
Recreational Pot Proposal Has the Signatures to Get on 2024 Ballot, But for Supreme Court Review
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have passed a preliminary hurdle to get on the 2024 ballot, submitting more than enough petition signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review of the measure.
Beverly Beach Holds a Mail-Only Election to Decide 5 Charter Amendments
The Town of Beverly Beach starting this week is holding an unusual mail-only election to decide five charter amendments. The results will be announced on March 7.
David Alfin ‘Staying Put’ As Palm Coast Mayor Rather than Run for Renner’s House Seat
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said today he is “staying put.” After over a month’s thought, he has decided to forego a run for Rep. Paul Renner’s House seat.
Pete Young Is Appointed to Bunnell City Commission, 2 Months Ahead of Swearing-In
Former FHP Cpl. Pete Young, who served on the Bunnell City Commission almost 20 years ago, was appointed to the commission Monday evening two and a half months before he is sworn-in to the seat he won in an uncontested election. He will fill out the vacancy created by the resignation of Bob Barnes in the meantime.
DeSantis Wants Partisan School Board Races and 8-Year Term Limits, Not 12
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed to further politicize local school board elections — a way to get more conservatives on those boards that oversee Florida’s massive public education system.
Ron DeSantis, ‘Injustice Denier’
DeSantis has explicitly denied that systemic racism exists – characterizing the notion as “a bunch of horse manure.” That makes him an “injustice denier.” Akin to climate change, there is no legitimate academic debate about the reality of systemic racism.
In Bunnell, Rogers and Gordon and, Finally, Pete Young All Elected Without Opposition
Commissioner John Rogers was re-elected for his fifth term, uncontested for the first time. Incumbent Commissioner Tonya Gordon ran in the special election to fill the seat Bob Barnes vacated last year, what will be a two-year term.
One Term In, Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan Decides to Pull Out of Re-Election Run After All
Ken Bryan, a one term Flagler Beach city commissioner and currently the chairman of the panel, has decided not to seek re-election after all. His decision still leaves five candidates, including incumbent Deborah Phillips, running for the two seats in the March 7 election.