Anthony Fennick died of a stroke in February after being hospitalized from the Flagler jail, an autopsy report shows, with an allergic reaction to a medicine possibly playing a role his mother says points to neglect from the jail’s health providers.
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Complaints of Poor Cell Reception in Palm Coast Shift to Complaints About New Towers’ Health Risks, But on Slim Evidence
Palm Coast residents addressed the city council today regarding the new cell towers going up in the city, claiming they pose a cancer risk. But evidence that they do, while not zero, is scant.
Two Late Candidates Increase Pool to 24 for Flagler’s County Judge Seat as Speed-Dating Interviews Are Scheduled
Palm Coast’s Lynette Callender and Jacksonville’s Monique Hawkins are late entrants in what will be speed-dating-like interviews for Flagler County judge on Aug. 24 at the Flagler County courthouse.
Judge Rejects Teachers’ Claim That Education Law Violates Collective Bargaining Rights
Unions argued a 2018 requirement violated collective-bargaining rights and equal-protection rights as the requirements did not apply to other public-sector unions.
Sid Nowell, Pioneering Lawyer, Mediator and Past President of Flagler County Bar, Dies at 69
Sid Nowell (1950-2019) broke barriers for local black attorneys, served as a Bunnell city attorney for eight years, as the NAACP’s attorney and former Sheriff Manfre’s attorney, coaching, serving on boards and presiding over the Flagler County Bar Association along the way.
Of Course Guns Have Nothing To Do With It
Mountains of evidence link America’s mass killings to the massive amount of guns in circulation, but let’s go ahead and pretend that guns have nothing to do with it, nor the absence of sensible gun control.
Final Tally: Meet The 22 Lawyers Applying to Be Flagler’s Next Appointed County Judge
The 22 applicants are vying for the new Flagler County Court position just approved by the legislature. A commission will recommend a short list to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will make the appointment later this year.
State Rules May Ease Path to Mental Health Counselors’ Qualifications and Toughen Charter School Security
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, Florida officials are eyeing policy changes that would expand the number of mental health professionals in schools and ensure that charter schools are meeting safety requirements.
Signs of the Times: Flagler Sheriff’s New Recruits and School Deputies Train to Take Down Mass Shooter
Twenty-six Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, including all of its school resource deputies, trained through a mass-shooter scenario Thursday afternoon at a Korona church, part of what’s now standard training at the agency.
Flagler County and Bunnell Governments Lose Their Finance Directors in Middle Of Budget Season
Bunnell lost virtually the entirety of its finance department when four employees resigned and the new finance chief was forced to resign in an unexpected shake-up, with the county sending in help.
For Parents’ Peace of Mind, It’s Time for Video and Audio Monitoring of Flagler’s Special Education Classrooms
An incident at Belle Terre Elementary School last school-year illustrates the need for more objective, independent oversight of what goes on in special education classrooms, where students may not have a voice of their own.
Judge Jim Manfre? Former Sheriff Among Applicants for New Flagler County Judge Seat
With two days to go before the application window closes, eight candidates have applied to be appointed Flagler County judge, the second county judge seat the Legislature approved in its last session to share the docket of County Judge Melissa Distler.
Intoxicated Mother Faces Felony Charges After Her 3-Year-Old Child Wanders Parking Lot Naked and Alone
Amber L. Bruder, a 27-year-old resident of the Palm Pointe apartment complex in Bunnell, told hospital staff she was drunk when her 1-year-old boy was spotted wandering around the complex’s parking lot alone.
Texas Roadhouse Breaks Ground in Winn-Dixie Shopping Center off Palm Coast Parkway
Palm Coast’s Texas Roadhouse will be a dinner-only 369-seat restaurant in a 7,163 square foot building. The restaurants typically generate $5.2 million in annual sales, or $364,000 in state and local sales tax.
Deriding Focus on Trump Rhetoric, DeSantis Blames Mass Shootings on ‘Recesses of the Internet’
Trump is facing accusations that his immigration rhetoric inspired a man who posted warnings online of a “Hispanic invasion” before killing 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart on Saturday.
Florida Senate Will Study White Nationalism and Other Factors in Mass Violence
In the run-up to the 2020 legislative session, the Florida Senate will review acts of mass violence such as the deadly shootings this weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, along with factors such as white nationalism.
School Board’s Next Superintendent Hire Will Include Familiar Consultant and Community Panel
The Flagler County School Board took its first steps Tuesday in what will likely be an eight to nine-month process of replacing Superintendent Jim Tager–and the board’s third search in in five years.
County Awards $76,000 in Tourism Grants to 24 Organizations But Rejects 8, Raising Questions
The Flagler County Commission on Monday approved 24 grants totaling $76,000 for mostly local organizations’ cultural and sports events, festivals and professional meetings, money to be drawn from the county’s tourist tax revenue.
I’d Like to Stop Writing About Innocents Killed by Guns
So far, as hard as we try, every time it happens again we apparently have not stood up in sufficient numbers or shouted loud enough to make the massacres stop. What does it take? The story keeps repeating.
Between Mass Shootings and ‘Overkill,’ Flagler’s Elections Office Will Add New Security Barriers
Flagler Elections Supervisor asked for and received $15,300 from the county commission to build glass partitions separating her front-desk staff and another area in the office from the public.
Wall Collapse at Construction Site in Hammock Sends 3 to Hospitals, One With Severe Injuries
Three workers were injured, one of them severely, after a wall collapsed on the workers at the site of a house under construction at 51 Calle Del Sur in the Hammock Saturday afternoon.
Curtain Rises on Flagler Auditorium’s New Director and Renovations With Ribbon-Cutting Tonight
The public can meet new Auditorium Director Amy Fulmer and tour the venue on the FPC campus during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the renovations at 5:30 this evening. The event will feature live music and food for guests.
What “Abolish ICE” Really Means
All evidence suggests that immigrants are far from the national security threat the Trump administration claims they are. Regardless of status, they’re more law-abiding than native-born citizens.
Lethal Crisis: When Seniors Turn To Suicide
As suicide rates continue to climb, claiming more than 47,000 lives in 2017, a six-month investigation finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes.
In Culmination of the Bizarre, Man Who Faced Life in Prison For Attempting to Electrocute His Wife May Walk Out of Prison in 10 Months
Michael Scott Wilson, 32, was sentenced to 3 years in prison today but may walk out of prison in 10 months because of time served and early release. He was convicted on reduced charges after facing a first-degree attempted murder charge.
Benjamin Allen, 16, Is Charged as an Adult in 1st Degree Murder of 17-Year-Old Elijah Rizvan
State Attorney R.J. Larizza opted to try Benjamin Allen as an adult for the July 12 incident. If convicted, he may face life in prison, but he is not eligible for the death penalty.
Congressman Mike Waltz, Again in Flagler, Gets a Primer on Coastal Reconstruction and Talks Climate Change
U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz was in Flagler County for the second time this week, touring Flagler Beach’s road reconstruction and sea wall projects along A1A and speaking at length in an interview of his views on climate change.
Abortion Waiting Period Back in Play as Florida Appeal Court Overturns Lower-Court Decision
The 24-hour waiting period case could eventually become a key test for the Florida Supreme Court, which has historically backed abortion rights but is now dominated by conservative justices.
Sheriff’s Deputy Fired For Failing to Take Action With Wrong-Way Car That Ended in Fatal Crash, Is Ordered Reinstated
Robert Finn in his patrol car crossed paths with Wendell Parker going the wrong way on an I-95 exit ramp moments before Parker died in a head-on collision with another car. Finn was fired a year ago, but ordered reinstated this week.
Judge Denies James McDevitt Motion for Relief, Letting 40-Year Prison Sentence Stand for Rape in Flagler Beach
James McDevitt, now 27, argued he’d gotten poor counsel from two attorneys before his sentence on a 2013 rape of a 40-year-old woman in Flagler Beach. A circuit judge rejected his claims.
State Will Appeal Ruling That Struck Down Law Penalizing Local Officials For Regulating Guns
Florida will appeal a circuit judge’s ruling that struck down a state law threatening tough penalties for local officials and governments that approve gun regulations.
Kimberle Weeks Appeals 8 Felony Convictions, Alleging Court Errors Warrant a New Trial
Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor convicted on eight felony counts of illegally recording conversations, filed the initial brief to her appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal almost 14 months after her trial.
David Zlokas, 66, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in DUI Death of ‘Best Friend’ Gary St. Peter
David Zlokas, the 66-year-old former resident of Surf Side condominiums, drove home drunk in 2017 and smashed his Mustang against a tree. He survived. Gary St. Peter did not.
Soccer and Lacrosse Tournaments May Quit Indian Trails Complex as 2 Fields Are Converted for Palm Coast Little League’s Uses
The Indian Trails Sports Complex’s 10 multi-purpose fields, often used for soccer or lacrosse, would be reduced to eight, with two fields being converted to baseball and softball use to accommodate Palm Coast Little League.
In a Flagler First, U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz Holds Probing Round-Table With County Directors
First-year Congressman Mike Waltz did what none of his predecessors have ever done, sitting down with Flagler County government directors and hearing issues and concerns for an hour Monday.
Assault Weapons Definition Is Key as Proposed Ban Heads For Floridians’ 2020 Ballot
The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit “possession of assault weapons, defined as semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in fixed or detachable magazine…”
No Medicare For All, But Biden’s ‘Incremental’ Health Plan Still Would Be A Heavy Lift
The former vice president has specifically repudiated many of his Democratic rivals’ calls for a “Medicare for All” system and instead sought to build his plan on the ACA’s framework.
Reprimands Follow District Investigation of Allegations of Inappropriate Treatment of Autistic Child at Belle Terre
The parent of a non-verbal autistic 4th grader at Belle Terre Elementary had recorded staffers over several hours without their knowledge, and filed a complaint that led to a local and state investigation.
Wrestling With New Polling Rules, Flagler District May Close Schools on Both Primary and General Election Days
The Flagler school district may no longer ban campaign workers from soliciting voters on school-based polling places, as it did in the last election, prompting a safety-based consideration of closing all schools on all election days.
Burglary in L Section Leads to Car and Copter Chase, then 2nd Arrest of Palm Coast Man in 5 Days
Palm Coast’s Justin Aldrich, 41, had just been released from jail in Volusia on a burglary charge only to be charged in Flagler with burglary and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, each a felony, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.
Siding With Local Governments, Judge Strikes Law Penalizing Officials Who Pass Gun Rules Stricter Than State’s
In 2011, Florida lawmakers approved a series of penalties that local governments and officials could face if they violated the prohibition on gun laws that are stricter than the state’s.
Florida’s Hemp Industry Is Born Again As Perception of CBD as Cure-All Turns Manic
The nationwide craze for products containing CBD is evident at supermarkets, gas stations and big-box stores, where lotions, tinctures and bath “bombs” are among the items flying off the shelves as consumers seek to quell anxiety, aches and pains and a host of other ailments.
Flagler Beach Police Chief Doughney: “I Don’t See Panhandling as a Problem In the City”
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley pushed for an ordinance targeting “aggressive panhandling” in the city, but the Police Chief Matt Doughney rejected the premise that there was such an issue in Flagler Beach, and got the proposal tabled pending his revisions.
Richard L. Russell, With Long History of Firearm Crimes, Arrested For Throwing Rocks at Cars on A1A
Lenient judges have allowed Richard L. Russell of Palm Coast’s P Section again and again to avoid severe punishment despite seven charges, one of them a felony and four guilty convictions before his latest arrest this week.
On Notice at 11th Hour, Sheriff Staly and Clerk of Court Bexley Meet and Resolve Courthouse Space Impasse
After a wild day of hopeful negotiations, then a declared impasse, Sheriff Rick Staly and Clerk of Court Tom Bexley met and resolve the controversy over space for sheriff’s uses at the courthouse.
County Will Sue Clerk of Court Bexley as Courthouse Space Negotiations for Sheriff Fail ‘Over 200 Feet’
Flagler County government late Thursday started the process to sue Clerk of Court Tom Bexley as intense negotiations over space for the sheriff reached a final impasse over a mere 200 square feet of space in contention.
Critical Negotiations Over Courthouse Space for Sheriff Down to a Few Hundred Square Feet
Negotiations for a final settlement for the sheriff’s use of space at the county courthouse were down to a few hundred square feet Thursday, with a lot riding on a resolution.
Flagler’s 4 Mayors and a Commission Chairman Boast of Renewed Energy and Problem-Solving
Mayors and the county commission chairman speak as if clouds have lifted and new sources of energy are driving their organizations–resolving chronic controversies and problems, reinvigorating economic plans, even cleaning house, especially in Palm Coast’s administration.
Bi-Lingual Elections A Go: Florida Preparing Spanish-Language Ballots Statewide for 2020
The issue has been the subject of a federal lawsuit filed last August, three months before the 2018 general election, by groups representing Spanish-speaking Floridians.
Clerk of Court Bexley Offers 1,000 Extra Square Feet for Sheriff’s Uses, 4,000 Short of County’s Request
Clerk of Court’s “final offer” consists of 1,000 additional square feet of space for use by sheriff’s personnel at the courthouse, enlarging and segregating the zone used by the agency’s detectives.