Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson got hit with yet another storm Thursday evening, this time from waves of witheringly critical residents, business owners and some members of his own commission who spoke of low morale, poor communications, lack of urgency on some projects, a “toxic work environment” and an instance of Whitson hanging up on a resident who was reporting a flooding issue. The criticism inevitably spread to commissioners by association.
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FPC’s Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint Win MedNexus Innovation Challenge With Sleep App
Emerging out of a field of 25 teams, Flagler Palm Coast High School seniors Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint won the second annual MedNexus Innovation Challenge Wednesday, and $1,000 each, by developing an experiment-based idea that uses technology against itself in an effort to reduce teens’ sleep deprivation.
What About Flagler Beach’s One Hold-Out Against Dune Fix? County Says December Deadline Will Be Met.
Almost three years after Flagler County sought property owners’ permission to start a dune rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of beach in Flagler Beach, and despite more recent ravages to the shore, one property owner is still holding out, but County Attorney Al Hadeed stresses that her permission will be secured by December 31 and the Corps project will be on by June.
Marco Rubio and Rick Scott Reject Protecting Gay Marriage as Key Step Clears Senate; Waltz Had Voted Yes
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 62 to 37 to move ahead with a historic bill that would give federal protection to same-sex mariage, with 12 Republican senators joining Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold for a filibuster. Both of Florida’s Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, voted against the measure.
State Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie Calls for ‘Holistic’ Re-Engineering of Florida Coast
Speaking at Flagler Tiger Bay Club, Kevin Guthrie, the state emergency management director, never used the words “climate change,” but nevertheless addressed needed changes in how Florida manages and re-engineers its coastline in words that would intrigue even Greenpeace activists.
Arrested Over School-Shooting Threats, ITMS 6th Grader Had Secured Gloves and Was Looking for a Gun
A 12-year-old student at Indian Trails Middle School was arrested over making threats to carry out a shooting at the school, after messages on Snapchat were detected. She had allegedly convinced her parents to get her a pair of gloves and was looking to obtain a firearm.
Patricidal Richard Dunn Is Allowed Out of Psychiatric Hospital and Back to Halfway House
Richard Dunn, the former Palm Coast resident found not guilty by reason of insanity in the gruesome killing of his elderly father in 2006, will be allowed out of a state psychiatric hospital and back to the Daytona Beach halfway house where he lived for several years before he started acting bizarrely again a year ago.
Palm Coast Sues Holland Park’s Splash Pad Contractors as Losses Reach $1.4 Million and Rising
The Palm Coast City Council today cleared the way for a civil lawsuit against several contractors involved in the construction of the splash pad at Holland Park that opened only for a few months before it shut down. The splash pad went from a $6.28 million crown jewel in the city’s park system to a an embarrassing and costly boondoggle, with estimated losses and repair costs so far of $1.4 million.
Harborside Tower Proposal Postponed as Developer Hints at More Compromise
The Palm Coast City Council this morning agreed to postpone consideration of a controversial rezoning application that would result in the addition of 483 apartments and housing units near Palm Coast Resort’s 72-unit apartment tower.
Sen. Travis Hutson Will Chair Fiscal Policy Committee in Senate President’s Leadership Team
Incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo rolled out her leadership team Monday, as the Senate prepares for an expanded Republican majority next week. In his new role, Hutson will run a committee that Passidomo described as a path for “legislation that may contain a fiscal impact.” Hutson had vied for Senate presidency against Passidomo but fell short.