Palm Coast City Council member Robert Cuff, a Palm Coast founder in the ITT days before the city incorporated, sees deliberate but recognizable change in the four years ahead for the city.
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Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Lawmakers File Bill to Ban AR-15-Like
Weapon Used in Orlando Massacre
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, and Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, announced they are sponsoring a proposal (SB 254) that would ban so-called assault rifles and “large capacity” ammunition magazines.
Palm Coast Community Center’s $7.8 Million Renovation, After Postponement, Will Cost Double Initial Estimate
City Manager Jim Landon had first estimated a “$3 to $4 million” renovation cost, but then delayed it to build an addition to City Hall, ostensibly to save money. Community Center costs have now more than erased those savings, Council member Steven Nobile says.
Teacher May Be Disciplined But Not Fired Over Disparaging Transgender Student
An administrative law judge reversed the decision of the Lee County School Board, which had moved to terminate Angel Villanueva, a Junior ROTC instructor at East Lee County High School.
Palm Coast’s New Founders:
Milissa Holland On the Continuity of Change
In the first of five articles by each member of the Palm Coast City Council, Mayor Milissa Holland imagines the city four years from now, seeing a more developed and vibrant but equally serene city to live in.
Alleged Chicago Assault Reignites
Issue of Hate Crimes Against Whites
As Chicago authorities waited before filing hate-crime charges against four young adult blacks for an alleged attack on a white disabled man, the Internet raged.
Palm Coast Woman, 19, Arrested on Molestation Charges In 3rd Incident Involving Runaway Girls
Maria Rose Howell, a 19-year-old resident of Biddle Place in Palm Coast who’d attended Matanzas High School, was booked at the Flagler County jail over the weekend on charges of molesting a 14-year-old girl she’d taken to Epic Theater for a date.
Crashes at Red-Light Camera Intersections Up 10%, Incapacitating Injuries Up 27%
A new report by the Florida highway safety department shows crash increases that belie claims that red-light cameras have made intersections safer. Palm Coast’s cameras are set to come down this year.
Conservatives Plot Their Course on the Rising ‘Sea of Red’ in State Capitals
The American Legislative Exchange Council sees bright future for its agenda now that Republicans control 68 of the nation’s 99 state legislative bodies and 33 governor’s mansions.
Israel’s Suicide Mission
Israel’s right-wing government never seriously considered the two-state solution, which it has now abandoned as it imposes a de-facto annexation of the Palestinian West Bank, enshrining apartheid.
Pier Repairs, 52 Dune Walkovers, A1A: Flagler Beach Manager Newsom’s Post-Hurricane Status Report
Among other plans, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom wants the city to have the longest pier in Florida, but getting there will take a while yet as he updates all repair plans.
72 Hours Into the Job, Sheriff Staly Calls His 1st News Conference to Highlight Burglary Busts
Sheriff Rick Staly said he took the first burglary on his watch “personally” as he described how deputies and detectives recovered and seized items from recent thefts.
Another Emblem of Disarray for Florida Democrats: 12 Counties Have No Organizational Structure
In a state where presidential votes have decided by 1 percent margins, Democrats’ absence even in small counties point to a fatal weakness for the party.
16-Year-Old Kelvin Smith Had Been Pulled Over By Deputy 10 Minutes Before He Was Killed
Kelvin Smith Jr., 16, of Palm Coast, killed by a hit-and-run driver as he rode his bike on Old Kings Road on New Year’s Eve with a friend, had been pulled over with his friend by a deputy moments before the crash. The driver is still being sought.
Bunnell Manager Dan Davis Gets Mixed Reviews on 1st Evaluation, With Concerns About Communication
Depending on which of the Bunnell City Commission’s members you ask, City Manager Dan Davis is doing either an outstanding job, a satisfactory job, or a job that needs improvement.
Why a Seawall in Flagler Beach Could Harm Sea Turtles and Violate the Law
Flagler Beach’s situation on the ground has changed enough between Hurricane Matthew and recent findings about sea turtles that state transportation department construction plans should be rethought in light of those developments, argues Chad Boda.
Last Days of Salvo, But Not For Long as Phoenix-Like Gallery Has New Home In Sight
The art and music show at Salvo Art Project is the last at its current location after the business was evicted, but Salvo’s founders have already located a new location not far off. Its owners reflect on what got them here, and there.
Bunnell Fire Chief Derek Fraser Will Resign, Reviving Talk of Department’s Future
Derek Fraser worked for Bunnell for 25 years, nine of them as fire chief. In August he was put out for having to defend his job and his department before the city commission. A commissioner’s proposal to abolish the fire department is still on the table.
In Bizarre Move, Court Stops Prosecutors From Seeking Death Penalty, Then Rescinds Order
The release of the Florida Supreme Court order, a mistake, according to a court spokesman, further muddled Florida’s embattled death penalty, on hold for nearly a year following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last January.
School Board’s Trevor Tucker Mulls Run for Tax Collector, Nate McLaughlin Eyes House Seat
School Board member Trevor Tucker confirmed he was considering a run for tax collector in four years, and if so would not run for school board again in 2018, while Commissioner Nate McLaughlin has his eyes on Paul Renner’s House seat in 2022.
Roma Court Academy Burglar Uses Classroom to Shack Up for a Night
A burglar at Roma Court Academy off Palm Coast Parkway stole money intended as Christmas presents and a computer tablet and used a classroom to sleep or take a nap sometime around Christmas.
Pot Amendment Goes Into Effect Amid Mass Confusion and “Dangerous Legal Area”
Proponents of Amendment 2 as well as some marijuana operators are demanding that the state health department provide adequate guidance to the industry about the proposal approved by more than 70 percent of Floridians in November.
The Other Swearings-In: Bexley and Lenhart Take the Oath, Johnston and Gardner Shrug
The sheriff’s big ceremony aside, Flagler County’s other constitutional officers had their own swearings-in, more or less, as new, relatively new and veteran officers took up or continued their duties.
Numerous Concerns, Elusive Certainties as Flagler Beach and County Governments Talk Beach Renovation
Assurances Flagler Beach was looking for–that there would be no sea walls anywhere, that the city’s beaches would have priority–proved elusive in a joint meeting with county government.
Call Him Sheriff Staly: At Swearing-In, Veteran Cop Stresses Roots, Toughness and 2nd Chances
Sheriff Rick Staly was sworn-in this morning before a crowd of hundreds and makes pledges of toughness on “dirtbags” but also pledges of giving offenders better chances at self-improvement while focusing greater attention on juvenile-crime prevention.
Florida Ethics Commission Chairman Decries Vote to Eliminate Office of Congressional Ethics
If the Florida Commission on Ethics did not exist, its chairman argues, thousands of ethical violations and trespasses of good government would occur, continuing to diminish what little trust the people have left in government.
In Reversal Over Accusations of Unethical Conduct, Flagler Judge Scott DuPont Now Says: “I Was Wrong”
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont, who sits in Flagler and Putnam County court, faces accusations that he spread scandalous, unsubstantiated claims about his opponent in the last election, and now reversed course in an apologetic response.
Should Older Drivers Face Special Restrictions?
Legislatures have become increasingly reluctant to restrict driver’s licenses for seniors or impose extra requirements — such as vision or road tests — for getting them renewed based solely on their advancing age.
Kelvin Smith, 16, Killed in Hit-and-Run As He Was Cycling on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast’s F-Section
Kelvin Smith, 16, was killed this evening, New Year’s Eve, in an apparent hit-and-run as the boy was cycling on Old Kings Road near Palm Coast’s F-Section.
Eroding Florida’s Checks and Balances, One Bill at a Time
A Florida Republican lawmaker’s proposal to give the Legislature the power to invalidate any court’s decision would upend centuries of precedent and make a mockery of a balance of powers, argues Ben Hogarth.
Alyce Whitman, 63, Is Killed in Two-Car Collision at County Roads 304 and 305
Alyce Whitman, a 63-year-old resident of Crescent City, was killed Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of County Road 304 and County Road 305 at the southwest end of Flagler County.
Trump and the Climate: His Hot Air on Warming Is Far From the Greatest Threat
Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, has frightened many with his embrace of fossil fuels. What’s truly scary, scientists and others say, is how much larger the problem is than one American president.
Controversial “Best and Brightest” Teacher Bonus Pay Program Heading for Revisions
Under Best and Brightest, first approved by lawmakers in 2015, teachers who are highly rated and scored in the top fifth of the test results on the SAT or ACT, are eligible for bonuses of up to $10,000.
Some Demotions and New Faces as Sheriff-Elect Rick Staly Outlines Agency Changes, But Greater Focus on Policing
Incoming Sheriff Rick Staly announced an agency-wide reorganization this morning, with some demotions but no firings, and an attempt to adapt an existing organization to his vision rather than to reinvent the law enforcement wheel.
Striking at Balance of Powers, Florida Lawmaker Files Measures to Nullify Court Decisions
Gonzalez’s bills are a reflection of the Legislature’s latest assault on judicial power. But taking aim at separation of powers considered fundamental, if not sacred, to American government may be more of a partisan than a realistic exercise.
Knowing When To Shut Up: What Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins Could Teach Politicians
Had LeRoy Collins spoken of some things in public as he did privately, he’d be remembered not as Florida’s greatest governor but as a failure who was voted out after serving only the last two years of a deceased predecessor’s term.
Rick Staly To Be Sworn-In as Flagler’s 18th Sheriff By Judge Emerson Thompson, Jr.
Senior Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., who made history as the first black judge in Orange County and the first black judge to be appointed to the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, will administer the oath of office at Rick Staly’s swearing-in on Jan. 3.
Assume Obamacare Is Repealed. What Then?
Republicans have also pledged to repeal the taxes that Democrats used to pay for their health law. Without that funding, Republicans will have far less money to spend on whatever they opt for as a replacement.
Trump Effect: A Reporter on the Hate Beat Finds Stories Too Close to Home
Something profound appears to be changing in American life as a wave of ugly incidents has washed over the country in the weeks since Donald J. Trump was elected–agains minorities, but also at times against Trump supporters.
Where Flagler’s Democrats Go From Here: A Roadmap to Reclaiming Relevance
It’s time now to turn anger and disappointment into resolve, into commitment, into action, argues Mike Cocchiola, whose five-point plan proposes a way forward for Flagler County Democrats.
Justice James E.C. Perry’s Last Dissent Denounces Florida’s Death Penalty
Justice Justice James E.C. Perry in a blistering condemnation of the death penalty in general rendered a blistering analysis of the manner in which capital punishment is carried out in Florida.
3 Flagler Death Sentences Among More Than 200 Invalidated By Florida Supreme Court
The invalidation of 55% of death sentences affect those of two Flagler double-murderers–William Gregory, of Flagler Beach, David Snelgrove of Palm Coast–and Cornelius Baker, who killed a woman in Flagler.
With Florida leading the Way, Obamacare Enrollment Jumps Despite Trump Threats
Despite the Affordable Care Act’s rising prices, decreased insurer participation and a vigorous political threat to its survival, consumer enrollment for 2017 is outpacing last year’s.
Help With Beach Recovery and an Additional County Judge Dominate Requests to Flagler’s Lawmakers
Post-Hurricane Matthew recovery occupied almost half the requests at the annual legislative delegation meeting Wednesday, when Flagler’s governments, non-profits, private associations and citizens submit wish lists to state lawmakers.
European Village Attacker Daniel Noble Pleads Guilty on 3 Charges, Faces 8 to 35 Years
Daniel Noble, the Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, had fired two shots with an assault weapon before being wrestled to the ground in a 2014 incident. He’d originally faced attempted murder charges.
Flagler Seeks to Raise County’s Tourism Sales Surtax to 5% to Help Pay for Beach Restoration
The 4 percent surtax currently generates $2 million a year. An extra penny would add $500,000, but there are differences over whether all the added revenue should go to beach restoration or whether some should go to marketing the county.
Flagler School Board Finds New Way to Recite The Pledge: With Pixels and iPhone For All
In a retreat at Cattlemen’s Hall on the county fairgrounds today, the Flagler School Board faced a dilemma: there was no flag to which to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. A minor debate ensued, then Superintendent Jacob Oliva found a solution.
In “Retreat,” Flagler School Board Meets to Revamp Its Rules as Tucker Seeks Streamlining
The public is not likely to detect too many changes, other than the obvious reduction in actual meetings, which will be cut in half. But more subtle changes will be apparent.
Sheriff Manfre Talks Up Good of Body Cameras and Bad of Emergency Communications in Adieus
Sheriff Manfre described Flagler’s emergency communications system in dismal terms but spoke highly of other achievements in appearances before local governments.
Palm Coast Man Falsely Arrested Sues Sheriff, Saying Deputies “Did Not Act Reasonably”
Dakota Ward, 19, was arrested in March when he was mistaken for a man called De’Coda Ward, and was booked at the jail. A Sheriff’s internali investigation faulted a deputy’s carelessness for enabling the error.