Addressing Florida Park Drive problems as its predecessors have every few years, the Palm Coast City Council is opting for some additional studies and potentially adding traffic-calming devices to the road.
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Flagler Jail’s Private Provider Says Its Nurses Did Nothing Wrong in Fennick’s Death–and Asks for Reimbursements
Armor Correctional Health relieved two nurses of duty at the Flagler jail at the sheriff’s request, placing them on administrative leave and asking the sheriff to pay their salaries and their replacements’ salaries.
Senate Panel Weigh Watered Down ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Ban, Eliminating Sanctions on Local Governments
The anti-sanctuary cities bill may be now more appealing to the Florida Senate, which is viewed as the more moderate chamber and has blocked similar proposals in the past.
A Woman Is Seriously Hurt When Car Crashes Through Guardrail and Into West Flagler Canal
Jessica May, 34, was severely injured when she drove her car through a guardrail and went into a canal Sunday evening at State Road 100 and County Road 305.
State GOP Targets ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Even Though There Are None in Florida
Critics of the bill argue efforts to outlaw “sanctuary cities” have more to do with partisanship than with thwarting an existing problem as there are no counties or cities in Florida that act as “sanctuaries” for undocumented immigrants.
Anthony Fennick Will Die Saturday Morning, Days After Degrading at Flagler Jail. Family Awaits Answers.
The family of Anthony Fennick, 23, will gather around him Saturday morning, when his breathing machine will be disconnected. He was brain dead after suffering days of high fevers at the Flagler jail, where his care was neglected, his family says.
Jim Cigler Is an Unlicensed Contractor. Repeat Judgments Against Him Don’t Stop Him
From Working.
Flagler County just won a judgment against Jim Cigler, an unlicensed contractor known as “The Gutter Guy,” but Cigler faced several judgments before and kept on falsely advertising his services as licensed and insured.
Governor Seeks More Generous Teacher Bonus Program, But Is Silent on Higher Salaries
DeSantis said the new program could provide bonuses of more than $9,000 to nearly 45,000 “highly effective” teachers, whose unions say higher salaries would be the best approach.
Costs and Concerns Muck Up Plantation Bay Utility as County Begs for $10 Million
The Flagler County Commission is asking for a state appropriation of $10 million to fix the Plantation Bay sewer plant partly from fears that a sewer tank may burst, but the decision was hasty and lacked ready analysis.
Man Who Threatened to Blow Up Sheriff’s Office and Kill the Sheriff Gets 3 Years in Prison
The sentence against Raymond Crown of Palm Coast is a reflection of the vanished tolerance even in the judiciary for threats inspired by bombings or mass shootings.
Sweeping Bill Would Allow Private, Armed Guards on Florida’s School Campuses
A sweeping proposal would allow districts to arm teachers, look to train guardians outside the counties where they would serve and allow districts to contract with guards through private security firms.
Inmate At Flagler Jail Complains Of High Fevers For Days and Is Pacified. He’s Now Brain Dead.
Anthony Fennick, 23, was at the jail on a minor drug charge, developed severe fevers, saw nurses but was not allowed to see a doctor, and on Monday went into cardiac arrest and lost all brain activity.
GPS Ankle Monitors Give Local Cops Stronger Means of Enforcing No-Contact Orders
Alleged domestic violence and other offenders released from jail to await trial usually must stay away from their victims, but such no-contact orders were harder to enforce until GPS devices have been attached to the offenders.
Florida’s More Conservative Supreme Court Rejects Considering Minimum Wage Case
Tuesday’s actions could signal how the new majority will come down on future business-related disputes and could spark state lawmakers, whose annual session begins in March, to consider business-backed legislation to address issues that the old court had foiled.
Ollie North Patrols Flagler With Sheriff Staly, One of 5 Finalists for NRA’s Officer Of the Year
Oliver North, the ex-felon of Iran-Contra fame and current NRA president, was in town to film footage with Sheriff Rick Staly, one of five nominees for the NRA’s Officer of the Year Award.
After December Mistrial, Michael Bowling Will Be Tried Again on Molestation Charges Feb. 18
Michael Bowling is facing two counts of molesting a 15-year-old girl who’d been visiting his stepdaughter for a sleepover in Bunnell’s Mondex.
Flagler Pays $16,000 to Settle Website Access Suit, and Much More to Become ADA Compliant
As one commissioner calls it “a scam,” county government will settle a lawsuit and prepare to hire more staff to address Americans With Disability compliance with county websites.
A Quarter of Florida’s Physicians Skip Required Opioid-Prescription Training
The Florida Department of Health now is preparing to send non-compliance letters advising the providers that they have 15 days to take the mandated course or face disciplinary action.
Billye Boyd Jones, 75, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot in Palm Coast’s C-Section
Billye Boyd Jones, 75, of Coral Reef Court in Palm Coast, shot herself the evening of Feb. 4, greatly despondent over having recently retired from the company she built, according to her daughter.
Flagler Commission Narrows Interim Choices to 4, But Questions Remain About Interviews
Three of the four candidates are former city or county administrators. The exception is one internal county candidate. They’ll be interviewed Feb. 18, when the commission may choose among them.
Lisa McDevitt, Flagler Auditorium’s Vigor and Champion, Remembered as ‘Mama Lisa’ Of the Performing Arts
Paying tribute to Lisa McDevitt, the Flagler Auditorium’s long-time executive director, were some 300 people Saturday, including family, friends, and performers she’d shepherded through the stage over the years.
Lawsuit Allegations Detail How The Sackler Family Built An OxyContin Fortune
This is the first lawsuit among hundreds of others that were previously filed across the country to charge the Sacklers with personally profiting from the harm and death of people taking the company’s opioids.
DeSantis Backs More Money for Armed Staffers in Schools, But Also More Flexibility in District Spending
DeSantis is proposing renewing nearly $100 million in school security funds but wants school districts to have more choice in how they spend the money.
At GOLA and the Flagler County Art League:
Trish Vevera, Flagler Artist of the Year
Trish Vevera’s journey from Grinnell College to the Art Institute of Chicago’s galleries to Flagler County’s open-air inspirations lands her as the Gargiulo Art Foundation’s Artist of the Year, with upcoming shows at Flagler Beach’s GOLA and the Flagler County Art League.
DeSantis Pitches $91.3 Billion Budget, Including Education Increase of $224 Per Student
In what would be the largest budget in state history, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday released a proposed $91.3 billion spending plan that would increase school funding, pump money into water-quality projects and trim taxes.
Grade Average for IB Class of 2018 at FPC Exceeds World’s By a Shade as 40 Students Claim Diplomas
The FPC 40 students who earned an IB diploma or certificate dispersed to 14 colleges in Florida, two other states and the Philippines before returning to claim their diplomas at a recent ceremony at the school.
DeSantis Calls for New Education Standards That Would Scrap Remains of Common Core
DeSantis’ announcement came five years after then-Gov. Rick Scott took aim at the Common Core standards, which were developed by officials in 48 states and have particularly drawn criticism from Republican voters.
Responding to Complaints, Waste Pro Adding 2 Trucks and Shortening Palm Coast Routes To Improve Service
Complaints about Waste Pro in Palm Coast were especially severe around the holidays with missed pick-ups for days at a time, but the company is shortening routes and adding staff to improve service.
Gargantuan Egos Gone, 3 Cities’ Managers And County Get Down to Unusual Business
Flagler County’s three city managers and its commission chairman led a Common Ground panel presentation reflecting the vast change-overs at the top of local government and anticipating a new way of doing business ahead.
As Rap Video Productions Take to South Bunnell, City Enacts Strict Regulations
Recent rap video productions in South Bunnell led the city to draft new permitting regulations that would require producers to have insurance, workers’ comp coverage and explain the scope of their project, among other requirements.
Report Details Ethics Allegations Against Gillum; His Attorney Calls It ‘Trivial Stuff’
The ethics commission also found probable cause to believe the former mayor “misused his position to accept things of value for himself and others in return for access and influence.”
Ramping Up Surveillance, Sheriff Will Have Access to Live Video and Data From 44 Palm Coast Traffic Intersections
Palm Coast government and the Flagler Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to use a “traffic-optimization” camera network at intersection as a surveillance mechanism as well.
DeSantis Would Eliminate Ban on Smoking Medical Pot, Supporting Senate Bill
But legislative leaders may not be keen on completely doing away with vertical integration, a move that could destabilize a growing and lucrative market in which one marijuana license recently sold for $63 million in cash.
Palm Coast Zaps Electric Tax in Favor of Existing and ‘Creative’ Revenue to Rebuild Public Works
Palm Coast put to rest further talk of an electric service tax but is still hunting for $21 million to rebuild its decrepit public works facility, and will look for existing and creative sources.
9 Years in Prison For Tyler W. Dutton in DUI Manslaughter Death of Jordan Marie Rineer, 25
Tyler Wayne Dutton was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years’ probation in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer on U.S. 1 in October 2015.
Electric Service Tax Is Back As Part of Proposed Options to Rebuild Palm Coast’s Public Works
The Palm Coast City Council backed down from instituting electric taxes last fall in the face of staunch public opposition, but those options are back as part of a new round of discussions on rebuilding the public works facility and improving roads.
Florida Ethics Commission Finds Probable Cause Gillum Violated Law in Accepting Gifts
The ethics complaint added to questions that dogged Gillum throughout his gubernatorial campaign about possible ties to an FBI investigation of Tallahassee City Hall.
“Spiraling Down For a While”: The Violent Story Before the Stand-Off With Fugitive Michael E. Moore
Michael Eugene Moore’s wife describes in an interview the history of a man spiraling down since his release from prison, leading up to Saturday’s 3-hour standoff in Palm Coast.
3-Hour Standoff Ends Peacefully With Arrest of Man Previously on America’s Most Wanted
The standoff on Beaverdam Road in Palm Coast involves a suspect believed to have carried out an armed robbery in Virginia. He refuses to leave his car.
Trump’s Fabulous Wall Fables
We’re in a post-factual presidency where alternative facts are the equivalent of papal bulls. It’s about belief, not reality. For the sake of appearances though, let’s argue the facts about the wall for a moment.
It’s On Again: Get Married on the Flagler County Courthouse Steps on Valentine’s Day
The mass wedding ceremony, a new tradition, drew 21 couples last year, five of them renewing their vows, with live music, cheer and Clerk of Court Tom Bexley presiding.
Secretary of State Ertel Resigns on Revelation of Picture in Blackface Mocking Victim of Hurricane Katrina
Mike Ertel was the elections supervisor in Seminole County for eight months when he wore the bigoted Halloween costume to a party in 2005.
Transgender Ban in Military Is About Bigotry and Distraction, Not Readiness or Cost
Trump is using the ban purely to provoke the left, throw red meat to his base, and distract us all from the real issues in our nation, like the government shutdown.
Lawmakers Again Trying to Ban
Red-Light Cameras Across Florida
As of December, 49 local governments in Florida had red-light cameras in operation, according to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Thomas Binkley, 62, Found Guilty of Molesting 2 Girls, 6 and 8, and Faces Life in Prison
Thomas Binkley of Bunnell was living with the girls at the time of the incidents. Their parents had taken him in because he’d fallen on hard times and was in poor health.
16 Apply for Flagler Interim Administrator As County Hurriedly Hires HR Director
With a few days to go for applicants, the interim Flagler County administrator opening drew two county government applicants and three more from Palm Coast.
In Restoration of Felons’ Voting Rights, Meaning of ‘Murder’ Becomes Stumbling Block
A new constitutional amendment grants “automatic” restoration of voting rights to felons who’ve completed their sentence, but it excludes people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
First of 3 New Cell Towers in 9 Years Going up off Palm Coast Parkway, With AT&T On Board
A new 150-foot cell tower is going up behind Heroes Park on Palm Coast Parkway, with AT&T leasing space, and will be followed by two more on Palm Harbor Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway.
Interim Beau Falgout Clear Favorite as Palm Coast Council Draws Up Manager Shortlist
Palm Coast Interim Manager Beau Falgout garnered the most support from council members shortlisting 16 candidates out of more than 50, as their search for a manager continues.
With Carlos Muniz as 3rd Pick, DeSantis Touts ‘Newly Constituted’ Supreme Court
The appointment of Muniz, 49, solidifies a conservative majority on the court after years of justices regularly thwarting the Republican-led Legislature and the GOP governor.