The glass-crushing machine, nicknamed “Big Blue” by the city, will transform residents’ recycled glass into useable products, but it’s also the reason residents are paying an additional $2 recycling fee. The machine will help reduce the city’s glass-garbage volume and turn pulverized glass to numerous other uses.
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Sheriff’s Office Is Flush With New Deputies, a New Operations Center and a New Mobile Command Center Ahead
The sheriff’s annual address gave him a chance to boast of a crime index 53 percent lower than when he took office in 2017, to summarize the past year in policing, explain current initiatives and project some of what’s ahead, including the big-ticket items–a new mobile command center and the opening of the Sheriff’s Operations Center later this year–and another big ask from the County Commission.
DeSantis Signs 15-Week Abortion Ban Into Law During Quasi-Religious Ceremony
Gov. Ron DeSantis went to church Thursday to sign a 15-week abortion ban into law during a ceremony bearing many of the accoutrements of a worship service. The American Civil Liberties Union immediately promised to challenge the law in court.
Proposed Self-Storage Facility in Hunter’s Ridge Draws Sharp Opposition as It Heads to County Commission
The proposal for a 102,000 square foot facility, to which the planning board recommended approval on a 6-1 vote, drew the sort of public opposition that now routinely shadows new self-storage facilities in Flagler and Palm Coast. But the assistant county attorney cautioned residents that the project is vested, with little to no legal wiggle room for opposition.
Flagler Pines RV Storage Will Soon Be History to Make Way for BJ’s Wholesale Club Shopping Center
The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday approved the next step–the first with significant construction–in the development of the 31-acre site that will be home to BJ’s just west of the RaceTrac gas station along State Road 100 in Palm Coast. The shopping center is to be called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods.
Palm Coast’s Belle Terre Park and Frieda Zamba Pool Need ‘Total Rebuild,’ But Council Is Wary of Another Expansion
Palm Coast with Belle Terre Park and its Frieda Zamba Pool is in the same boat as the school district with its nearby Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club: both facilities are on their last legs and need millions in repairs or construction, but the two agencies have yet to discuss cooperation. On Tuesday, Palm Coast council members were taken aback by the extent of the needs at Belle Terre Park.
Palm Coast Mayor Is Willing to Scale Back Council Raises, But Latest Proposal Is Still a 275% Increase
While Mayor David Alfin said he was willing to lower the amount of the raise, he left it to his four colleagues to propose actual numbers. Council member Nick Klufas is proposing salaries in line with those of School Board members–$36,000, which would still result in a 275 percent increase. Alfin and Council member John Fanelli appeared closest to that number.
Seven Years On, a Judge Signs Off on Legality of Florida’s 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion
After nearly seven years of legal battling, Judge Angela Dempsey issued a ruling Friday that upheld the constitutionality of a 2015 law that called for women to wait 24 hours after initial visits with physicians before having abortions.
Damari Barnes, 15, Wants Out of $500,000 Bond in Man’s Killing But Lurid Detention Fight May Complicate Things
Damari Barnes, the 15-year-old Matanzas High School student accused of killing Jamey “JuJu” Bennett, 19, at a party in February, wants his $500,000 bond lowered so he can go home, but he and another inmate allegedly ganged up on a cell-mate on April 3, beat him and forced him to drink urine, making more difficult his attorney’s argument that he should be released to his mother on a lower bond.
Splash Pad Boondoggle at Holland Park: Council Considers Suing Builders and Scrapping $5.1 Million Amenity
Palm Coast’s much-vaunted $5.1 million splash pad at Holland Park It opened for barely a few weeks before failing twice, closing the second time in July and soon closing for good. The failure is causing the city to threaten a lawsuit against the contractor and designer of the splash pad and consider scraping off the whole thing and replacing it with more traditional, less breakdown-prone amenities.