Michael Scott Wilson, 33, is accused of rigging up the entry door to his Palm Coast home in the W Section with electric current to shock his wife to death around Christmas 2017 as the couple was having serious marital difficulties.
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To Sue or Not to Sue: County Wrestles With Sheriff’s Space Needs at Courthouse
Despite a county commission vote ordering its administration to find more space for the sheriff at the county courthouse, the county administrator and the county attorney have demurred.
Roy Carlisi, Facing Domestic Violence Charges and No-Contact Order, Is Arrested for 3rd Time in 9 Days
Roy Carlisi was booked at the Flagler County jail for the third time in nine days after allegedly tampering and breaking his GPS angle monitor, claiming it had become too tight.
Combative Exchanges Punctuate Hearing on Broward Sheriff Scott Israel’s Fate
Israel and his lawyers maintain that the suspension, something DeSantis pledged to do while running for office last year, was a political ploy aimed at winning favor with voters in Democrat-rich Broward County and supporters of the National Rifle Association.
Stunning Her Colleagues, School Board’s Janet McDonald Says It’s Time to Look
For New Superintendent
Superintendent Jim Tager is at the end of the second year of a three-year contract, and is required to stop working in July 2020 for at least six months, being in the state’s drop program. One board member said he could sit out six months and return.
New Legislation Adds to Early-Voting
Fight on Florida’s College Campuses
A bill Gov. DeSantis is about to sign deals with a variety of elections issues, but a lawsuit is focused on a provision requiring early-voting sites to provide “nonpermitted parking,” which could exclude college campuses.
Palm Coast Woman On Probation Threatens Suicide-By-Cop, is Tased, Then Arrested
Melanie Botts, 36, of 20 Beth Lane in Palm Coast, had violated her probation and was allegedly holding a butcher knife to her neck, daring sheriff’s deputies to shoot her before one of them Tased her.
In Reversal, County Approves 50-Home Development That Will Change Complexion of Hammock’s Jungle Hut Road
The Flagler County Commission approved a zoning change that will enable a 50-home subdivision on a 12-acre parcel between Jungle Hut Road and Hammock Beach Parkway in the Hammock.
Denying Voting Rights to Felons Should Be Beneath Us
Who gets to vote should be driven by citizenship, the spirit of the United States Constitution and all America stands for, not by blowhardism and dirty tricks, argues Nancy Smith.
Ex-Councilman Jason DeLorenzo, a Voice for Homebuilders, Is Palm Coast’s New Development Chief
Jason DeLorenzo served as a Palm Coast City Council member for five years until the end of 2016 and was the government affairs director of the Flagler Homebuilders Association, two roles that will factor in his running of the city’s development department.
Palm Coast’s George J. Serafino, 76, Dies In SR100 Crash Triggered by Medical Issue
George J. Serafino, a 76-year-old resident of Lakewalk Drive in Palm Coast, died Saturday (June 15), following a crash on State Road 100. The Florida Highway Patrol determined that the crash was caused by a medical episode.
Flagler About To Sign 50-Year, $100 Million Deal to Rebuild 2.6 Miles of Dunes in Flagler Beach. It Has Only a Fraction of the Money.
Flagler County is teaming with the federal government to split the $100 million cost of dune renourishment in Flagler Beach, but the deal is fraught with uncertainties, and Flagler can only pay its first phase.
‘Are You Kidding?’ Deeper Inspection Finds Captain’s BBQ Building Sound and Repairable for $60,000
In a dramatic turnaround, an inspection concluded that the Captain’s BBQ building at Bing’s doesn’t have to be replaced or destroyed and can be repaired for a small sum of money, changing a year’s worth of assumptions.
County Calms Bunnell’s Anger Over Sheriff’s Move to Palm Coast, Disarming Threats of Lawsuit
Sheriff Rick Staly’s and County Manager Jerry Cameron’s joint appearance before the Bunnell City Commission on Monday went a significant distance to disarm the city’s threats of a lawsuit and calm its anger over the sheriff’s move to Palm Coast.
Does Flagler Beach Have a Panhandling Problem? Not Exactly, But City Will Consider New Rules.
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening will discuss adopting an ordinance against “aggressive” panhandling at the urging of City Commissioner Eric Cooley, a business owner in town.
Shake-Up at Palm Coast City Hall: 3 Directors and 2 Managers Resign, Yielding to New Manager Morton’s Headwind
Human Resources Director Wendy Cullen, Parks and Recreation Director Alex Boyer, IT Director Chuck Burkhart and managers Renee Shevlin and Cindi Lane all resigned between Thursday and today. Morton named new appointments, some interim, some permanent.
Backers and Foes of Bunnell’s Condemned Homeless Shelter Duel Ahead of Appeal
The Bunnell City Commission got a preview of the two sharply divided sides that will appear before it again soon in defense of and in opposition to the preservation of the cold-weather shelter for the homeless at First United Methodist Church on Pine Street.
Pete Buttigieg, Ahead of Miami Debate, Says No to Heavy-Handed Immigration Enforcement
Pete Buttigieg says he would set aside politics and work with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to fund “good” environmental projects, while expressing his opposition to Florida’s “heavy-handed” approach to federal immigration enforcement and expansion of school voucher-type programs.
Captain’s BBQ Sues Flagler County, Alleging ‘Politically Motivated’ Breach of Contract
The owners of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing filed a four-count lawsuit against Flagler County government, alleging breach of contract and seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
Plotting to Win Biggest Battleground State in 2020, Florida Democrats Can’t Get Around GOP-Controlled Legislature
The Florida Democratic Party’s biggest event of the year wrapped up this weekend with a debate over Election Day voter registration, but any such changes would require GOP approval. That’s unlikely.
City Launches Civic Engagement Platform Called ‘Palm Coast Connect’ to Better Serve and Track Residents’ Issues
Palm Coast’s new citizen-engagement platform is hoping to better understand what’s driving the 10,400 calls a month to the city’s customer service lines, and to more efficiently remedy the complaints.
Coming Off Daring Banner Year, Flagler Playhouse Readies for a 41st Season of ‘Arsenic,’ Abba, Guys and Dolls
Founded in 1978, the Flagler Playhouse had one of its best ever seasons artistically and financially, and is preparing to stage five plays and musicals in the season opening in September with “Mama Mia!”
Why Some CEOs Are Figuring Out That ‘Medicare For All’ Is Good For Business
As health costs continue to grow, straining employer budgets and slowing wage growth, CEOs and others in the business community are beginning to take the Medicare for All option more seriously.
Attorney General Moody To Supreme Court on Death Row Inmates: Let ‘Em Die
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is urging the Florida Supreme Court to reverse course on decisions that allowed dozens of convicted murderers to have their death sentences reconsidered.
Carjacking Suspect Attempts to Mow Down 2 Flagler Deputies on I-95 in Eerie Near-Replay of 2003 Cop Fatality
Jesse Estep, 29, of Bunnell, is accused of attempting to strike two deputies with a stolen truck as they deployed stop sticks in the same area of I-95 where a Flagler deputy was killed doing the same thing against a car thief in 2003.
Green New Deal Me In
The Green New Deal may have a hoaky name but at least it’s a beginning, an attempt to push back against a republic of insects and grass, inviting debate in the face of indefensible Republican inaction.
FPC’s IB Class of 2019 Soars as 45 Students Collect 176 Acceptances from 60 Colleges and Universities
Stanford, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, and of course UF and Florida State were among the 60 schools that accepted some of FPC’s IB students in one of the program’s most successful years.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Bob Wallace Resigns After Just 10 Months
For FPC, Wallace’s departure means the school will have its sixth principal in 14 years by the time school resumes in August. The former Volusia County administrator had never quite fit in in Flagler.
Is State Law Restricting Local Governments’ Gun-Safety Ordinances Constitutional? Judge Hears Arguments.
Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. But in 2011, lawmakers went further by approving a series of penalties that local governments and officials can face if they violate the prohibition.
Allegations of Falsified Records and Bogus Inspections Lead to Resignation of Palm Coast’s Chief Building Inspector
Charlie Mini, Palm Coast’s Chief Building Inspector, resigned after an investigation concluded that he was falsifying records about inspections he did not perform and favored one pool contractor in particular.
Florida TaxWatch Calls For Eliminating $133 million in Budget ‘Turkeys’; Flagler Is Spared
As of Wednesday afternoon, DeSantis had received 123 of the 174 bills approved by the Legislature during this year’s session. He’d signed 80 and vetoed two.
Lawmakers Promise Flagler Schools a $242 Per-Student Increase. That’s a Lie. District Faces a $1.5 Million Deficit.
A look behind the state’s allegation of a per-student funding increase for Flagler reveals the line-item fine print of deceptions, slippery definitions and unfunded mandates, resulting in a deficit, not an increase.
Ex-School Deputy Scot Peterson Arrested On Child Neglect Charge in School Shooting
Peterson, the longtime resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, refused to investigate when he heard gunshots on campus and retreated while students and faculty members were shot and killed.
Bunnell Rudely Tells Church’s Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless to Get Out Of Town
Bunnell’s zoning board voted to disallow the Sheltering Tree, the county’s only cold-weather shelter, from operating out of the United Methodist Church, potentially ending 11 years of service by the non-profit. The Sheltering Tree intends to appeal to the city commission.
$100 Million Will Raise 91-Year-Old Tamiami Trail, Easing Everglades Flow
Environmentalists say the Tamiami Trail, or U.S. 41, has dammed the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay.
County Will take Back Control of All Plans and Construction for Captain’s at Bing’s in Major Concession to Hammock Group
Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s will not get to build its own, larger building as the County Commission today voted to take over all future plans, whether to repair the existing structure or build a new, smaller one.
Flagler Braces for Hurricane Season as Florida Reels From 3-Year Streak of Landfalls
Flagler County is still paying the millions in bills from Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, and the state is recovering from a direct hit from a Cat 5 last year, costing $26 billion, as the 2019 hurricane season begins.
2 Shots, 2 Victims, 1 Dead in Palm Coast’s B Section in Feared Attempted Murder Suicide
A man and a woman, both shot in the head, were flown out of Palm Coast’s B Section this morning after a double-shooting on Beechwood Lane. The shooting is feared to be an attempted murder-suicide.
Police Train to Be ‘Social Workers of Last Resort’ as Mental Health Calls Multiply
Lacking proper mental health resources, families and community members across the country all too often call police to respond to someone having a mental health crisis.
Inmate at Flagler Jail Manages to Facebook Live, Breaching Security and Angering Sheriff Over County’s IT Protocols
A inmate Facebooked live during a GED class at the jail, the second such breach in two months after sheriff’s officials warned the county, which handles the sheriff’s IT, to address the issue. A county employee has been suspended.
A Trust-Worthy Inspection of Captain’s Building at Bing’s Is Essential Before Any Decision
The Hammock Community Association is urging the County Commission to delay any decision on Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s pending a reliable inspection of the restaurant building. The association is willing to pay up to $4,000 for the inspection.
At FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Curtis Gray’s Memory Echoes in Honors and Emotions
Curtis Gray, the 18-year-old FPC senior gunned down on April 13, was awarded a posthumous honorary degree at what would have been his graduation Thursday evening, accepted by his mother, Carmen.
Floridians Have a Right To Access Medical Malpractice Records. Shands Sues to Prevent That.
Under Florida law, patients have the right to access adverse medical incident reports, which can play an important role in malpractice cases. UF Health Jacksonville says federal privacy law trumps Florida’s constitutional amendment.
To Spur Town Center’s ‘Innovation District,’ Palm Coast Eagerly Gives Developers
What They Want
Palm Coast’s Town Center is finally stirring with sustained development after a decade and a half’s slumber, with generous financial breaks and changes in regulations attracting developers.
Judge Perkins on Flagler County’s Drug Court: Celebrating Lives Reclaimed and Empowered
More than 88 percent of Flagler County Drug Court graduates do not reoffend. Since drug court began locally, 175 participants have made it through its rigorous demands, writes Judge Perkins.
Tax Holiday Begins Friday on Hurricane-Prep Supplies Ahead of Storm Season
Floridians will have seven days to build a hurricane-season stockpile — including batteries, flashlights and radios — free of sales taxes, beginning Friday.
In Bing’s Twist, County and Captain’s BBQ Are Co-Defendants in Negligence Lawsuit
Notable elements in the case are its concurrence with Captain’s other challenges, its alignment of two antagonists on the same side, and the way the case illustrates the county’s responsibilities for the building.
26 Year Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Illegal Sex and Battery of a Pregnant 16 Year Old Girl
The 16 year old told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy she was seven months pregnant and had recently broken up with Jazzpen Leonard because of the “mental and physical abuse from him,” according to the sheriff’s report.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking To Block Florida Cabinet From Meeting in Israel, Out of Sunshine
The lawsuit, filed by the First Amendment Foundation and four major news organizations, accused the governor and Cabinet members of “willfully violating the law.”
Aaron London, Long-Time Voice of Flagler News-Tribune, Among Latest News-Journal Cuts
Aaron London’s by-line appeared 6,000 times since 2001 before he became one of six journalists laid off, leaving just 34 in the News-Journal’s newsroom, and just two reporters covering Flagler County.