The $4.1 million project at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway will bring the first roundabout to a major road in Flagler, re-engineering one of the most dangerous intersections in the county.
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Is Craig Coffey Getting Fired?
Word of His Demise May Be Premature.
Newly-elected Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins has pledged to fire Administrator Craig Coffey, and may try to do so at Monday’s meeting, but the outcome is anything but certain.
Shortlist of 11 Young Ultra-Conservatives Lined Up for 3 Florida Supreme Court Seats
Ron DeSantis will pick from the list to replace liberal justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who have reached retirement age. All nominees were GOP appointees.
Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Is Taking Requests: Hutson and Renner Hear Wish Lists Dec. 7
House Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson, who represent Flagler in Tallahassee, are holding their annual legislative meeting for Flagler governments and residents on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in Bunnell.
Mondex Man Accused of Raping an Unconscious 31-Year-Old Woman
Kenneth Steele, a 62-year-old resident of Daytona North, or the Mondex, is at the Flagler County jail following an arrest on a rape charge involving a 31-year-old woman, who was unconscious at the time of the alleged assault.
Court Sides With Two Central Florida Counties on Juvenile Justice Costs Owed By State
The case — and earlier litigation involving counties and the department — is rooted in a law that involves counties and the state sharing juvenile-detention costs.
In a Surprise, Bunnell Commissioner John Sowell Is Resigning, With Eye on County Seat
Bunnell City Commissioner John Sowell is resigning Friday and moving to a different part of the county, and is considering a run for the county commission seat held by Dave Sullivan.
Passing Over Nate McLaughlin, Bunnell Hires Ex-Manager Candidate Rodney Lucas as Development Director
Ex-County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin had applied for the $62,000-a-year community development director in Bunnell, but Manager Alvin Jackson picked Rodney Lucas, saying McLaughlin didn’t have the required experience.
Flagler Deputies Arrest Suspected Bank Robber and Fugitive Wanted in 3 Counties
Mark Wardell, 47, spent most of the past 25 years in state prison. He was released from a 12-year sentence just last May, and was wanted on four warrants.
Now That Voters Have Restored Felons’ Voting Rights, Is Case Against Florida Ban Moot?
A federal appeals court is questioning whether it needs to rule in a high-profile case about how Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet have handled requests to restore felons’ voting rights.
In Health Insurance Wastelands, Rosier Options Crop Up For 2019
Across all 50 states, premiums for the average “benchmark” silver plan, which the government uses to set subsidies, are dropping nearly 1 percent.
I’m Making It My Business To Stand Up For Immigrants
A new immigrant wealth test is a cruel maneuver to diminish instead of making the country stronger. We shouldn’t take food and health from people and denies them citizenship because they aren’t rich.
Undersheriff Jack Bisland Will Retire After 41 Years in Local, Regional and State Law Enforcement
Jack Bisland, the steady, no-drama second-in-command at the Flagler County Sheriff and a consummate cop’s cop will hang up his badge and retire as Sheriff Rick Staly’s undersheriff come February
Waste Pro Garbage Truck Overturns, Killing Demont’e Harris, 21, in Palm Coast’s Woodlands
Demont’e Harris, 21, was killed when his Waste Pro garbage truck on its run through the Woodlands this morning overturned flipped on its side in front of 1, Bay Spring Place, killing him.
Judge Rules Palm Coast Has No Choice But To Execute Dangerous Dog Cooper, Ending Notorious Case
A circuit judge ruled that Palm Coast animal control was right to condemn Cooper, a dangerous dog, to death, and the Palm Coast City Council was right to stay out of it. The dog will soon be killed.
Florida Hospital Flagler Will Open Stand-Alone ER Near Matanzas High School and I-95
The future AdventHealth’s 12-bed stand-alone ER represents a $25 million investment in north palm Coast and the addition of some 40 jobs near Matanzas High School as that part of town grows.
Ambition and Pledges of Openness Frame Swearings-In at County Commission and Palm Coast Council
Joe Mullins was sworn-in as a county commissioner and Donald O’Brien elected chairman while Jack Howell and Eddie Branquinho took their seats on the Palm Coast council today.
It Won’t Be Like Medical Pot: Senate President Pledges Not to ‘Slow-Walk’ Amendments
Galvano said of amendments from restoring felon rights to limiting gambling that the “people have spoken,” and “I want to make sure we are being true to the intent of the voters.”
Divided County Commission Approves Captain’s BBQ Lease That Will Reshape Bing’s Landing
The vote followed more than three hours from 41 people, almost split between supporters and opponents of a lease that would reshape Bing’s Landing.
Entering Hotel Business, Flagler Government Dedicates 3 ‘Cottages’ at Princess Place
For Tourism and Science
The three cottages will be rented out to tourists and to environmental researchers for $125 to $150 a night, with 10 more planned for the River-to-Sea Preserve next year.
Nelson Concedes as Scott Wins Senate-Seat Recount With 10,000-Vote Margin
Scott, a two-term Republican governor, held a 10,033-vote edge — or 0.12 percent — over Nelson, a Democrat who was seeking re-election to his fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate.
How Flagler County Is Readying to Upend Bing’s Landing Park to Benefit Private Restaurant–and Political Donors
Flagler County government will allow Captain’s BBQ to build a larger restaurant in the middle of Bing’s Landing, at its own expense but with large subsidies from the county.
ASPCA in Flagler Shows Lurid World of Animal Cruelty and Its Kin to Domestic Violence and Other Crimes
The ASPCA, the Flagler Humane Society and other local agencies hosted a two-day training conference in Bunnell for cops and animal control officers from around the state to improve animal-abuse prosecutions.
DeSantis Wins Governor’s Race (Again), Manual Recounts For 2 Other Statewide Races
Ron DeSantis maintained almost his exact lead over Andrew Gillum after a machine recount. Manual recounts are ordered for the Scott-Nelson and Fried-Caldwell races.
Palm Coast Streetlights: $860,000 Plan Would Light Up 23 Miles Of Roads Over Next 5 Years
Two-thirds of the cost would be one-time capital and one third would be recurring, and in addition to the $700,000 a year the city spends now on lighting the city.
Flagler Schools Will Reluctantly Adopt Religious Freedom Policy Imposed By State
The Flagler County school district is following state law in adopting a new but vague policy protecting religious expression, though some school board members say it’s an unnecessary imposition.
Nature Is Dying. Florida Is Sinking. Are Republicans Up to the Challenge?
A string of recent hurricanes reminded Floridians they don’t have to look across the country to see climate change in action. But the GOP continues to be in climate-change denial mode.
Palm Coast and County Resolve Sour Development Conflict, Signaling Falgout’s More Cooperative ‘Playbook’
The Airport Commons development opposite the future Wawa had led Palm Coast to threaten to sue the county, until the city’s Beau Falgout replaced Jim Landon. Then it became all about resolving issues.
As Nelson Charges Interference, Scott Will Step Down From Canvassing Board
Democrats have alleged that Scott has improperly tried to use his authority as governor to influence the recount, which could decide his political future.
Palm Coast Council Explores More Underground Power Lines, But FPL
Makes It Expensive
FPL is inviting Palm Coast government to “convert” more overhead power lines to underground lines, but the city would have to assume most of the cost. Council members are cool to the idea.
Recount Totals in Flagler Show Little Change, as in Other Small and Mid-Sized Counties
In Flagler County, each of the candidates in the recount gained a few dozen votes, but in proportions that did not change the winner’s margin or affected the state tally.
Bunnell Takes Page From St. Augustine to Adopt Harshest Anti-Panhandling Rules in Flagler
Bunnell’s new ordinance prohibits panhandling within 20 feet of any business or commercial property, alongside drivers or diners, but limits penalties to fines.
Voters in 3 Red States Approve Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion, Bringing Total to 36
Florida under Gov. Rick Scott repeatedly blocked Medicaid expansion, which provides benefits to all adults earning up to 38 percent above the federal poverty line, an annual income of $16,753 or less.
In Flagler Commemoration of Veterans Day, Memories of Armistice Day and Vietnam
Hal Kushner, a physician who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and Joe Kowalsky, who won this year’s Veteran of the Year Award, highlighted Flagler’s Veterans Day ceremony.
Historic Recount of 3 Races Begins in Flagler Amid Relaxed, Tranquil Atmosphere
No surprises and even less controversy is expected in Flagler County’s portion of a statewide recount, which will take much of Sunday and possibly spill over into Monday.
Rhetoric Continues to Heat Up As Recount Is Ordered For Three Races
In Flagler, the recount in Flagler begins at 9 a.m. Sunday in the presence of the three-member canvassing board. The process is open to the public. It is expected to take all day.
As Scott-Nelson Margin Shrinks and Fury Surges, Experts Say Process Is Working
Watching his lead shrink, Scott accused elections supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach counties of “incompetence” and fraud though the process is following state law and timelines.
In Last-Minute Plea Before Trial, Phillip Haire Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison For
Shooting at His Father and a Cop
Phillip Haire, 21, was facing three life-in-prison terms on 10 violent charges in the drive-by shooting targeting a sheriff’s sergeant and Haire’s father on London Drive in Palm Coast in May 2017.
In Flagler Beach, Leery Opposition to St. Johns District’s Wetlands Restoration Is Unabated
Public opposition remains strong to a planned wetlands “restoration” project along the Intracoastal in south Flagler Beach, forcing the St. Johns Water Management District to decide whether to forego it or plow through.
Flagler Canvassing Board Prepares for Recount Sunday in Senate, Agriculture and Governor’s Race
The Flagler County Canvassing Board is preparing to count more than 54,000 ballots in three statewide races in the first such statewide recount since 2000, when a recount was aborted.
From Surreal to Celebratory, Sheriff and Ricky Wheeler’s Mother Thank a Community For Finding Him
Sheriff Rick Staly presented commendations and certificates of appreciation to those who took part in the search that found Ricky Wheeler after he went missing five days in September.
DeSantis Win Paves Way for Most Conservative Supreme Court in Generations
Ron DeSantis’ narrow win in Tuesday’s election for governor will bring an unprecedented expansion of conservative Republican power in Tallahassee.
The Death of WNZF’s Ron Charles, Friend and Colleague, at 56
Ron ‘Charles’ Gitschier, 56, built Flagler County’s first radio station WNZF as its chief engineer for the past 10 years, was its news director and a man of rare integrity and humility.
Hansen, Mullins Win County Commission, Howell and Branquinho Win Palm Coast, McDonald Re-Elected to School Board
The races for Flagler County Commission and Palm Coast council were not close in a mid-term election that saw turnout rise to an astounding 64 percent.
Fire Flight Lands on Belle Terre Near Publix To Pick Up Man Injured in Motorcycle Crash
The man was traveling north on Belle Terre Parkway at 2:32 p.m. when, just south of Eastwood Drive, he lost control, his bike flipped and went airborne, sending him crashing.
A Few Big Legislative Races, Scattered Through Florida
Donors, party leaders and political operatives don’t like to toss away money on lost causes. With that in mind, here are some of the races to watch Tuesday in various regions of the state.
Pit Bull Mauls 9-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl In Incident Similar to Attack on Pizza Man
For the second time in two weeks a pit bull slipped through the front door and attacked the person there, in this case a 9-year-old girl who was severely injured.
Palm Coast Woman, 35, Stabs Boyfriend In Latest Bout of Violence Involving Both
Monique Garcia, who pleaded guilty in a domestic-violence attack on Justin Campbell two years ago, is charged with stabbing him twice in a W-Section incident Monday.
Flurry of Polls Show Gillum and Nelson Decisively Edging Past DeSantis and Scott
Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson have built solid leads among independents, women and minorities, with Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott leading only among white men.
Buying Their Election: Mullins and Hansen Shatter Spending Records for Flagler County Commission Seats
The nearly $200,000 Joe Mullins and Greg Hansen have spent so far puts them on pace to match or outspend all 26 other county commission candidates in the past three years combined.