The conviction for pot smoking of a Palm Coast resident who’d never had so much as a traffic ticket illustrates the sickness of a police and judicial system’s wrongheaded marijuana fixation.
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At Least Now They’re Talking: Florida House and Senate Reach Deal on Budget Outline
The agreement was the first tangible sign of progress on a budget during a special session that began Monday, but lawmakers still face days of detailed negotiations to hash out the finer points of a deal.
Palm Coast Resident Accused of Operating A Crack-and-Pot Operation in Bunnell
Tyrone Patterson, a 37-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R-section who was charged with child abuse in March, is being held on $720,000 bond for trafficking cocaine and growing pot near Carver Gym in Bunnell.
When LOL Means Loss of Life: Flagler Students Rap Texting-and-Driving In Video
A coalition of local agencies initiated by Chiumento Selis Dwyer led to a student video project at Matanzas High School and a 150-second public service announcement video warning of the dangers of texting and driving, which premiered Wednesday.
Economy Surges With 280,000 Jobs, But Unemployment Remains at 5.5%
The new jobs bring the total to 12.6 million private-sector jobs created over the last 63 months, one of the better performances of extended growth since World War II.
Opposing “Medicaid in Disguise,” Florida House Set to Kill Senate Health Plan Friday
For all of its new provisions, House Republicans said, the so-called Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX, remains Medicaid expansion in disguise.
Veteran Accused of Shooting His Wife Deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial, For Now
Jonathan Canales, 27, is accused of shooting his wife in their Mondex home in November as three young children slept. He denies shooting her, saying she shot herself.
Palm Coast Councilman Calls for Task Force to Address Public Abuse of Government Workers
At Council member Bill McGuire’s request, the city formed a task force to better protect government employees from what he says has become routine abuse in person, by phone, by email, and out on the streets where government workers often interact with residents.
Palm Coast Bragging Rights: City’s Fire Protection Rating Vaults to Near Highest
Palm Coast’s fire-protection ISO rating improves from 4 to 2, topping the county and yielding likely cheaper property insurance rates for commercial and residential property owners.
In a Reversal, Palm Coast Council Opts to Delay Old Kings Road Repaving Until Fall of 2016
The resurfacing of Old Kings Road will wait for the completion of a utility project along the road. Instead, three dozen city streets will be repaved in 2015-16.
Senate Approves Health Plan to Resolve Budget Impasse, But House Remains Unmoved
Gov. Rick Scott and House Republican leaders staunchly oppose the legislation, which helped grind budget negotiations to a halt earlier this year and spark a special session currently underway.
At Sea Ray Boats, a $10,000 Gift Marks Millions of Working Hours Without an Accident
Brunswick Corp. CEO Dustan McCoy marked Sea Ray’s safety record while tracing the Flagler Beach plant’s success through the Great Recession, and linking its safety record to its continuing operations.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Continues Stunning Run in Paris, Upsetting World’s No. 1 Junior For Quarterfinals Spot
The 17-year-old Opelka erased a 5-3 third-set deficit to win the final four games of the match Wednesday against No.1-ranked junior Orlando Luz of Brazil at the French Open Juniors tournament.
Flagler Schools Will Settle Civil Rights Lawsuit And Appoint Disciplinary Oversight Council
The lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center had targeted Flagler schools’ disproportionate punishment of black students. The disciplinary oversight coalition will meet quarterly and publicly, reviewing disciplinary data and making recommendations to the superintendent.
Federal Government Calls Gov. Scott’s Lawsuit Over Medicaid Expansion “Baseless”
Federal officials fired back in court against Gov. Rick Scott’s contention that the Obama administration has unconstitutionally tried to link expanding Medicaid with the continuation of a key health-care funding program.
Taxable Values Rise Again–6% in Palm Coast, 7% in Flagler–But So Do Demands on Budgets
With more value comes more revenue for local governments, and more expectations from various agencies and the public–including a $2.4 million budget increase request from the sheriff’s office alone.
Flagler Firefighters Have Current Contract For 1st Time in 4 Years, With Some Pay Hikes
The firefighters’ union’s first contract since 2011 gives firefighters with more experience more money. For nine years, firefighters were hired at the same rate of pay as existing firefighters with many more years of service.
Judge Rules Mostly in Favor of Flagler County Authority to Regulate Vacation Rentals
Judge Orfinger denied an attempt by short-term vacation-rental owners and managers to stop county regulations from taking effect, though on one count he ruled that the ordinance may not apply to contracts signed before mid-February, when the ordinance was passed.
Administrator Patrick Johnson Calls It Quits as Flagler Health Department Endures Big Changes
Flagler County Health Department Administrator Patrick Johnson is resigning at the end of the month to take a public health post in North Carolina as county departments in Florida see their roles shift and diminish.
Elder Abuse: A Huge, Expensive and Lethal Problem
There is little doubt that elder abuse is growing, driven by growth in the elderly population. To address it, some governments are training police and social workers to investigate it.
Flagler Beach Doesn’t Have a Parking Problem. It Has a Big Government Problem.
If Flagler Beach adopts paid parking, it’ll invite a problem as onerous as Palm Coast’s red-light cameras, damaging its reputation, needlessly hurting its businesses and alienating its closest and most loyal visitors.
After Victim Testifies of Being Raped, James McDevitt Is Sentenced To 40 Years in Prison
James McDevitt, the 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to raping a woman in Flagler Beach in June 2013, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison Friday. He will be on probation for 20years, and will be branded a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
Sheriff’s Office Puts Up Reward in Search for George Contos, 58, Who Disappeared in Suspicious Circumstances May 9
George Contos, a 58-year-old Bunnell resident and a diabetic with a prosthetic leg, went missing on May 9. His car has been recovered. The disappearance is now considered suspicious, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
With Florida Overdue for a Hit, Hurricane Season Begins on a Tide of Pessimism
NOAA predicts a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with between six to 11 tropical storms, but Florida’s insurance officials say the state’s nine straight hurricane-free seasons can;t last much longer.
Behind Friday’s McDevitt Sentencing For Rape, the 911 Call That Told a Harrowing Story
Published here for the first time, the 9-minute 911 call from Rob Tier described what Tier, a Flagler Beach pastor, at one point termed a rape as the dispatcher repeatedly kept him from intervening. Tier’s house is across the street from the scene of the rape.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.
In Split Decision, Sheriff’s Sergeant Fired 2 Years Ago Ordered Reinstated, With 9 Months’ Back Pay
Sheriff Manfre fired Sgt. Chris Ragazzo 2 years ago for accessing police databases for personal business. An arbitrator today ruled the firing was disproportionate to the offense and did not follow due process.
Proposals: Scrap Hospital Regulatory Process, Give Some Nurses More Power to Prescribe Drugs
House Republicans filed six bills Wednesday that delve into hot-button issues such as getting rid of a regulatory process for new or expanded hospitals and allowing advanced-registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe controlled substances.
Island Grille Restaurant Opens in Flagler Beach, Resurrecting Blue in Silver Mist
The Island Grille opened May 27 where Blue Restaurant used to be, with chef Gary Maresca back in the kitchen and a team of four co-owners promising gastronomy and success.
Senate Leaders Propose Compromise in Budget Impasse, Gov. Scott and House Reject It
Scott and House Republicans have repeatedly said they have no interest in using Medicaid expansion funds from Obamacare to close a $2.2 billion budget gap and insure more Floridians.
Palm Coast Man Faces Charges of “Branding” 11-Year-Old Boy With Burning Metal Object
Charles Swindell, 45, who faces child abuse and assault charges, had been on probation for threatening to burn his mother’s house–and her. His father had previously perished in a house fire.
Palm Coast Council Members Cautiously Discuss Their Low Salaries, But No Raise Yet
Palm Coast council members earn the same as Bunnell commission members: $9,600 a year, even though Palm Coast has 30 times the population of Bunnell.
15 Years After Palm Coast Double Murder, David Snelgrove Is Back in Court, Contesting Death Sentence
Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, in their Bannbury Lane home in Palm Coast in June 2000. He’s arguing ineffective representation.
The Fundamentalists Next Door
It is up to the citizens of Flagler County–no matter your political persuasion or your party affiliation, your social views and religious beliefs–not to allow the voices of ignorance and intolerance decide what information you are permitted to consume.
Assisted Suicide In Your Back Yard: More Prevalent Than You Think
People don’t talk about it, but assisted suicide happens in states where it’s not legal. Just over 3 percent of U.S. doctors said they have written a prescription for life-ending medication, and almost 5 percent reported giving a patient a lethal injection.
Kimberle Weeks Secret Recordings Tapped Into Her Personal Life, Including a Funeral Director
FDLE investigation details revealed today show Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor, obsessively recording officials, at least one reporter, and others in her personal life, and editing the results.
R.J. Larizza Says No Charges Against Sheriff’s Deputy in Second Fatal Shooting in 2 Years
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said today no charges will be filed against Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy Joel Hernandez, who shot and killed a man who was allegedly reaching for a gun while sitting in his car at a towing yard in Daytona Beach in September 2014.
Flagler Unemployment, Down to 6.1%, Continues Sharp Recovery Over Last 12 Months
There were in fact 87 fewer Flagler residents with jobs in April than in March, though the number of Flagler residents on the unemployment rolls also declined, by 219, to 2,616.
Milissa Holland, Now a Republican, Files to Run for Palm Coast Mayor to Succeed Netts
Milissa Holland, the two-time Flagler County Commissioner who narrowly lost a bid for the state House in 2012, filed today to run for Palm Coast mayor in 2016.
Reagan Republican Richter Sends Sexually Offensive Email to Local Media, and Warning to FlaglerLive
Mark Richter, a member of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies of Flagler County, narrowly lost in the Republican primary for Flagler County Commission in 2014.
Crime Rate Falls to Historic Low in Flagler, Mirroring State and National Trend
Flagler’s crime rate is 40 percent lower than Florida’s, and in 2014 it was 29 percent lower than its peak in 2007. Bunnell continues to account for a disproportionate number of arrests.
Meeting in Bunnell, State Board of Education Urges Lawmakers to Preserve Historic Increase in Per-Student Funding
Gov. Rick Scott warned last week that a planned $261 per student funding increase from the current year was in jeopardy if the Legislature does not resolve an impasse over health care funding.
In a Victory for Students, Divided School Board Relaxes High School Dress Code Substantially
Starting in fall, students in high school can wear school t-shirts, club shirts or team jerseys, as well as plaid and striped collared shirts. The policy does not change existing rules for middle and elementary school students. The board voted 3-2 to adopt the new policy.
Flagler Beach Confrontation Sends Man to Hospital and Splash Car Wash Owner to Jail
The fight at the he Shell gas station on State Road 100 in Flagler Beach sent Ricardo Mercado of Palm Coast to jail on an aggravated assault charge, and Roman Miroshnik to the hospital.
Missing Key Ingredient—“People”—Charter Review Storm Evaporates as Quickly as It Came
Few people showed up at today’s Palm Coast council meeting and fewer still spoke on the charter-review proposal by Council member Steven Nobile, appearing to end the matter.
2 Hospitalized, 6 Dogs Rescued From House Fire in Palm Coast’s LL Section
A father and his young daughter, about 5 years old, were hospitalized for smoke inhalation this morning after a fire in the garage at 6 Llach Court in Palm Coast inundated the house with smoke, but was contained before spreading further.
Lawmakers Preparing A Disastrous Overhaul of Florida High School Athletics Ahead
Not a high school in the state of Florida sees anything but disaster in proposed legislation that would overhaul the Florida High School Athletic Association, for good reason, argues Nancy Smith.
On Parking Mire, Flagler Beach Commission Piles Confusion On Top of Indecision
After a proposal to put the question of paid parking to a referendum failed, the Flagler Beach City Commission had trouble giving its administration direction on what to do next.
At Matanzas Woods Parkway Interchange Groundbreaking, Praise For the Overdue
Most groundbreakings aren’t worth the PR, because that’s all they are: a chance for the shovel hogs to get their picture in the news, let their flesh be pressed and their egos stroked. But Flagler County and Palm Coast have earned this one. And when Flagler County Chairman Frank Meeker said of the Matanzas Woods […]
Flagler Commissioners Formalize Opposition to Fracking and Seismic Testing for Oil and Gas
A pair of resolutions put Flagler government on record opposing the Obama administration’s allowance for seismic testing for oil and gas offshore, and opposing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Florida.