There’s no contending with a president who speaks of his pride in this country in serial tweets even as his every other pronouncement is a cleave, a slur, a boast, a lie or a disgrace.
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Florida Opens Its Schools to Puerto Rican Students; Irma Death Toll in State at 69
Florida is waiving rules and regulations to let public schools and higher-education institutions admit students from Puerto Rico on an emergency basis.
What You Should Know About Trump’s Rollback Of Contraception Coverage
The rules will make sweeping changes to the law’s requirement that most employers provide coverage of birth control with no out-of-pocket costs to women.
Sewer Water Bubbling Out At Bus Stops Alarming Parents and School District
Palm Coast and school district officials are attempting to get a handle on street locations overcome with sewer water, to caution parents and children, as yet more rain may swell the system.
Stonework Company From Former Soviet Republic Opening 30-Job Distribution Hub in Palm Coast
Kamara Stone USA is based in Georgia, the nation in Southwest Asia, and plans to create 30 jobs over the next four years, distributing granite, marble and mosaics from its Hargrove Grade location.
White Supremacist Scheduled for UF Speech On Oct. 19, Costing University $500,000
University President Kent Fuchs initially balked at a proposal for Spencer, a lightning-rod figure, to speak on campus in September. The threat of a federal lawsuit forced him to reverse course.
After Fierce Backlash, Council Kills $200,000 “Palm Coast” Sign on I-95 Overpass Landon Planned
City Manager Jim Landon wanted to “brand” the Palm Coast Parkway overpass with the sign but he’d failed to fill in the council on the cost having doubled or quadrupled since he’d first proposed it in 2016.
Judge’s Order Calls For Kim Weeks and Others To Pay Flagler Officials $312,000 Over Frivolous, Malicious Complaints
The orders are a remarkable victory for county government and for County Attorney Al Hadeed, who led the charge to recoup fees from Weeks, Dennis McDonald and Mark Richter Jr.
Cattle, Citrus, Nurseries: Florida Agriculture Faces $2.5 Billion Hit From Hurricane Irma
Citrus growers, already struggling, see losses to crops and trees approaching $761 million, followed by the nursery industry at almost $624 million.
Yet Another Tropical Storm With Potential Florida Landfall Brews Up Concern
Eventual Tropical Storm Nate has the potential to become a hurricane and impact the Florida Panhandle this weekend, and families must be ready, the governor said.
Palm Coast Charturbation
Breaking its own charter, the Palm Coast council is pretending to be conducting a review of that charter, but the process is a farce and an insult to residents’ intelligence.
Flagler’s Emergency Manager Resigns as Allegations Fly In Latest Shake-Up At Troubled County Division
Steve Garten says he was pushed out after less than two years on the job, claiming micromanaging by County Administrator Craig Coffey, who defended his role in the shake-up.
Flagler Kills Pot Decriminalization Proposal, But Approves Medical Marijuana Zoning
The end of the de-criminalization proposal is a reflection of a much harsher approach by the county commission and a new sheriff on marijuana matters.
Doubling Down on Scott, GOP Senator
Asks for $100 Million For Florida Forever
Florida Forever in the past received as much as $300 million a year but for nearly a decade has fallen out of favor among lawmakers and been almost ignored by Gov. Scott.
Up to 14 Inches of Rain Fall on Already Drenched Flagler, But Damage Is Limited
Weekend rains dumped from 4 to 14 inches on already-saturated Flagler County, flooding streets, overcoming swales and ditches and soaking some areas more than others.
At Flagler’s Pink Army Flag-Raising, Eloquence of Grief and Hope No Matter the Gender
Florida Hospital Flagler’s Pink Army launch of Breast-Cancer Awareness Month with the County Commission was a mostly male production, but no less moving in message and aims.
`Where the Hell Is the Cavalry?’ As Puerto Rico Suffers, Florida Prepares for Influx
From schools to shelters, Florida is readying for an influx of people struggling for food, water and power in hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico.
Palm Coast Will Spend $200,000 To Add “Palm Coast” Sign On I-95 Overpass, Double Original Estimate
The cost is two to four times more than a previous council was told in 2016, and the money comes out of a fund that pays for street improvements.
Sheriff and Bunnell Police Team Up With ATF In Illegal-Guns Sting: Half a Dozen Arrested
Drive-by shootings spurred the Flagler Sheriff’s Office to instigate a four-month federal-state-local operation connecting drugs to illegal guns.
State Agency Seeks $50 Million to Replenish Florida Forever, the Land-Preservation Fund
Florida Forever funding is expected to help the state “acquire rare and sensitive lands that will benefit our communities and environment.” But Florida Forever has been an afterthought in the Scott Administration.
How Palm Coast Manager Landon Used a Director’s Departure To Save His Own Job
When Jim Landon claimed to the city council that uncertainty about his future would cause directors to leave, he already knew that one of them was leaving–but for a $17,000 raise.
Unidos Por Puerto Rico:
Palm Coast’s Hispanic American Club Organizes 2-Day Drive For Devastated Island
The Hispanic American Club of Palm Coast is organizing the two-day drive to fill a container that would be shipped to Puerto Rico from Jacksonville for an increasingly desperate population on the American island.
Only a Handful Turn Up at Palm Coast’s 1st Charter-Review Workshop; Public Input Limited
Just 13 or 14 people turned up for the first of four city charter-review workshops, and that public’s chance to weigh in was severely constrained by rules that leave the process largely in the council’s control.
Palm Coast Will Buy Property From Troubled Mosquito Control; $317,000 Cost Rises By $24,000
Palm Coast government had sought to buy the old headquarters for the financially troubled Mosquito Control district for $293,000 just a few months ago, before the district sought a re-appraisal.
It Is Done: Sklar And Flagler Beach Sign Settlement Over Marina, Ending Decade Battle
A legal battle that immobilized the Flagler Beach marina since 2010 ended when owner Howard Sklar signed a settlement agreement Monday, and the mayor signed it today.
21-Year-Old Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison For Home-Invasion Killing In Palm Coast’s F-Section
Carl Devore was sentenced for the death of his accomplice, who was shot in self-defense by a resident at the house Devore and his accomplice were invading in July 2016.
Engineer Likens Flagler Beach Pier to “Congestive Heart Failure” As Reopening Is Again Uncertain
Though it looks structurally sound, the Flagler Beach pier suffered multiple forms of damages not visible to the naked during Hurricane Irma and must again undergo repairs before re-opening.
Historically Low School Tax Will Diminish Effects of Tax Increases in Palm Coast and County
Even though county government, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell are all increasing taxes, homeowners’ bills will not see a steep increase thanks to a lower school tax.
How Florida’s Failing Charter Schools Exploit Voucher Program To Stay Alive on Public Dime
Charter schools that fail two years in a row should close by law. Instead, they reopen as private schools and use publicly funded vouchers to keep operating, with the state’s blessing.
The Bombing Begins Friday: 2 Planes Will Spray Entirety of Flagler To Kill Billions Of Post-Irma Mosquitoes
A pair of King Air planes will be sweeping and spraying over the entire county over the next two nights to kill an already rising swarm of mosquitoes bred from standing water left by Hurricane Irma.
Students Can Rejoice: Only 1 Hurricane Make-Up Day, No Disruption of Thanksgiving Week Off
The district will make up one day on Oct. 16, with three days already accounted for in the existing schedule and two days waived by the state.
Trying To Make Up For Mistakes, Florida Health Officials Seek To Speed Up Medical Pot Licensing
The Florida Health Department had until Oct. 3 to issue 10 medical pot licenses to producers, a deadline it will almost certainly miss even as it scrambles to ease the application process.
Duel Over Sklar’s Marina Continues Even as Divided Flagler Beach Commission Approves Latest Agreement
The Flagler Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to approve a settlement in the nearly 8-year-old dispute, but not before making still more changes to an agreement that now Howard Sklar may either approve or reject.
From “I Am A Camera” To Macbeth, City Repertory Launches Seventh Season Of Razor-Edged Theater
City Repertory Theatre continues to go where no other Palm Coast or Flagler theater dares to go, opening tonight its seventh season with “I Am Camera,” a work set in Weimar Berlin, and at the origin of “Cabaret.”
That Last-Ditch Effort By Republicans To Replace ACA: What You Need To Know
While the chances for this last-ditch measure appear iffy, many GOP senators are rallying around a proposal that would repeal most of the ACA.
Erin Vickers, 23, Found Guilty of Raping Her 1-Year-Old Daughter; She Faces Life In Prison
Erin Vickers was found guilty on two of 49 charges she faces in connection with rapes and the production of movies and pictures involving her daughter in sexual acts perpetrated by her mother. The case is not over.
2nd Attempt To Fire Landon Fails as Palm Coast Council Submits to Manager’s Retirement Timeline
The second attempt in two weeks to fire Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon in 60 days failed today, with the council rebuffing Steven Nobile’s push to replace the manager in six months rather than two years.
Irma’s Death Toll in Florida at 34 and Rising
Irma is credited with five deaths by drowning and four deaths involving carbon monoxide, including the carbon-monoxide deaths of a mother and two teenage children in Orange County.
Jury Selected With Unusual Swiftness In Trial of Erin Vickers on Charge of Raping Her Own Child
Erin Vickers, 23, of Palm Coast, is on trial on the first of 49 counts involving accusations of rape, videotaping and transmitting sexual acts involving children.
How Health Insurers Fuel Opioid Crisis By Denying Claims For Less Addictive But More Expensive Drugs
Insurers limiting access to drugs with a lower risk of addiction or dependence. Why? Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.
You Cannot Be Serious: Hurricane Maria Sniffs Around Irma’s Wake
Hurricane Maria is expected to become a major hurricane, with a global forecast seeing it veer away from Florida, but the more accurate European forecast seeing it come closer to the coast.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%, But Florida’s Rate Still 5th Highest in U.S.
Florida’s rate of uninsured would have been lower had Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature not prevented the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid.
FPL Lies
FPL’s response to Hurricane Irma in Flagler has been disgraceful and secretive, both at the expense of local emergency responses and at the expense of residents.
Humanitarian Needs Overtake Emergency Response in Flagler as Power Issues Compound Pain
Continued power outages affecting a quarter of Flagler County’s population are shifting needs to food and other basic necessities as county and other governments assess damages.
At Surfside Estates and Marineland Acres, Two Flagler Communities Feel Singled Out For Storms’ Wrath
Surfside Estates, the mobile home community in beverly Beach, and Marineland Acres north of the Hammock were both whacked by Hurricane Matthew and again by Hurricane Irma.
With a Third of Flagler Still Without Power, FPL Offers Little More Than Scripted Answers
Florida Power and Light is not telling customers when their power will be reconnected nor giving an idea of where the work is taking place next.
In Flood-Pummeled Flagler Beach, Mountains of Heartbreak, But Surges of Grit And Samaritans
No place was hardest-hit by floods than Flagler Beach, yet no place seems as vibrant with community support as neighbors have mobilized to help neighbors cope.
Flagler Schools Closed Through Monday; Flooding Complicating Homecoming Across Florida
As evacuees continued to struggle either to make it home or to contend with power cuts, Flagler Schools decided to remain closed until Monday for more clean-up.
As Emergency Yields to Recovery in Flagler, More Inconveniences Than Damages Or Troubles
More than 60 percent of Flagler residents were still without power Tuesday evening but recovery efforts were powering up and destruction from the storm was limited.
Spotty Cell and Internet Service in Flagler: “How Many Bars Do You Have?” Is A Post-Irma Refrain
The infuriating cell and internet signal failures residents in the Flagler-Palm Coast region are experiencing will parallel power failures and restoration.