Monday’s crash took place at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Grand Reserve, within the city limits of Bunnell, where a sheriff’s deputy rear-ended another motorist. The motorist was reportedly cited, and the sheriff’s office, not the Bunnell PD or FHP, investigated the crash.
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Palm Coast Cancels Special Meeting as Conflict With Elections Supervisor Again Flares
Tuesday’s special meeting between the Palm Coast City Council and Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks was to have ironed out a mutual agreement for Weeks’s office to run the city’s municipal elections this year. Weeks, however, is demanding that the city approve the agreement she drafted without such a meeting, and virtually without changes, something to which the city is not likely to agree before the April 2 deadline set by Weeks.
Brianna Bellon, 23, Is Killed in Late-Night Wreck South of Mondex as Car Rolls Into Canal
Brianna Bellon, 23, a resident of Beach Village Circle in Palm Coast, was killed late Sunday night as the car she was either driving or riding in with two men rolled into a canal in an isolated part of Flagler County, south of the Mondex. Zackariah Holden and Corey Doyle-Carlson, both 23 and both of Palm Coast, were not injured.
Bill Vastly Expanding School Vouchers Dies As Questions About Accountability Mounted
The decision represents a defeat for the GOP’s Will Weatherford, who was home schooled as a child and strongly pushed the expansion of the system, which gives companies tax credits for donating to scholarship funds that help children attend private schools. Under the bills, retailers would have been allowed to divert sales-tax payments to the system.
Malcolm P. Clevenstine, 71, a Palm Coast Industrialist, Is Dead From Injuries in Saturday’s Plane Crash in Palatka
Malcolm Clevenstine, 71, of Palm Coast, the owner of Warfab Corp., died late Saturday after a plane crash in Palatka. Richard Carrara, 73, of Old Oak Drive in Palm Coast, was piloting a 2008 Cessna 400, which he owns, and practicing touch-and-go maneuvers at Kay Larkin Airport.
Spurred By Judge Craig’s Drubbing of Palm Coast, Rep. Hutson Calls for Repeal of Red-Light Cameras
Calling himself “in complete opposition to the use of red light cameras in Florida,” Rep. Travis Hutson, whose district includes all of Flagler County, took the unusual stop of criticizing Palm Coast’s method of unduly punishing vehicle owners who are cited even though they may not be driving the cited vehicle. He called attention to two measures that would repeal ca,eras or change the rules in drivers’ favor.
Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Council More PR Than Input as Few Citizens and Board Members Show Up
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre created the Citizens Advisory Council to give residents’ complaints about the Sheriff’s Office a way to be heard directly and transparently. But two of the three council meetings were not advertised and none of the meetings has produced much more than PR for the sheriff.
Judge Craig Indicts Palm Coast’s “Bad Faith” Red-Light Cameras and Exposes City’s Legal Flaws as He Contests Violation
In a half-hour hearing before Palm Coast’s red-light violations officer, Flagler Circuit Judge Dennis Craig on Thursday ridiculed the city’s guilty-until-proven-innocent standard as well as the council’s claim that cameras are intended to improve safety. The city dismissed his citation not on the grounds he raised, but by inventing a case of “prudent” driving that the evidence did not show.
In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants Passes House, 81-33, as GOP Opposition Thins
The measure allows undocumented immigrants to pay cheaper, in-state tuition rates if they attend Florida middle and high schools for at least four straight years before going to college.
Chris Goodfellow, Author of Theory Gone Viral on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Is a Marineland Resident
When Chris Goodfellow, a retired pilot in Marineland, wrote a 1,000-word blog post debunking many foul-play theories on the fate of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, he did not expect the post to be picked up by media and bloggers around the world, though his theory has now influenced the debate on the missing Boeing.
Florida National Guard Stalls Proposal to Let Residents Carry Unlicensed Weapons During Emergencies
Concerns expressed by the Florida National Guard stalled an NRA-backed Senate proposal that would allow people without concealed-weapons licenses to carry concealed firearms when forced outside in times of emergency.
As Flagler District Prepare to Offer Voluntary Pre-K at all 5 Elementary Schools, Board Questions Raising $60 Fee
The half-day VPK programs are free, but many parents opt to leave their children for longer hours that coincide with extended-day care before and after school, at a cost of $60 a week. District administrators are looking to raise that fee to accommodate the expansion of VPK.
After the Attack: A Pit Bull Owner Speaks In Defense of Second Chance Rescue
In the wake of a pit bull’s–or a pit bull mix’s–attack on two young children at Second Hand Rescue last week, a dog owner who took possession of a pit bull that had been rescued and rehabilitated by Second Hand Rescue writes in defense of the Bunnell animal shelter.
Flagler Favors Getting Into Cottage Business in County Parks, Starting at Princess Place
The twin proposals would result in three cottages at the Princess Place Preserve costing $390,000. and 10 cottages at River to Sea costing close to $1 million. Profits would be modest, but the county’s aim is to broaden the availability of nature tourism in Flagler.
Senate Panel Unanimously Approves Minor Changes to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
The bill would clarify that a law enforcement agency must fully investigate whether a person claiming self-defense has lawfully used force. It also would no longer preclude lawsuits from third parties who are injured by negligent conduct used in self-defense.
Common Core and FCAT Replacement Test Leads “Florida Standards” To $220-Million Contract With AIR
The $220 million contract with American Institutes for Research, which has been providing tests for just seven years, will be cheaper than it would have been to go forward with a test developed by a multi-state consortium that Gov. Rick Scott ordered Stewart to back away from last year, according to the Department of Education.
Attempt to Bribe Flagler Deputy Leads to Arrest; DUI Chase Up Old Kings; Knife-Wielding Over Facebook Punishment
Flagler Beach resident Brandon Michael Smith allegedly tried to bribe a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in which Smith was not implicated. A car chase and an arrest over a Facbook argument round out the weekend’s principal arrests, other than the European Village incident.
Unemployment Spike to 9.3% in Flagler Masks Larger Labor Force, More Job Creation and Flurry of Development Ahead
Flagler County’s January unemployment is up sharply from from 8.8 percent in December. but in a brighter sign, the county’s labor force also added some 400 people, there was a net gain of some 200 jobs, and numerous commercial, residential and government construction projects suggest that the county’s economy is brightening.
Saviors of European Village: How Vassili Mironov and Friends Prevented a Bloodbath
In their first interview just back from the hospital, Vassili Mironov and two friends describe how they neutralized the assault-rifle-carrying Daniel Noble Saturday night at European Village, as Nolan was threatening to shoot into the crowd.
Shots Fired and 2 European Village Patrons Stabbed after Uzi-Wielding Man Enters Europa Lounge Restaurant
Daniel Noble, a 37-year-old Palm Coast resident, is at the Flagler County jail on an attempted first-degree charge and three aggravated battery charges after he walked into a restaurant at European Village with a rifle late Saturday night (March 15), where two patrons jumped on him, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
If It’s Economic Growth You Want, Raising the Minimum Wage Crushes Wall Street Bonuses Every Time
If the $26.7 billion Wall Streeters pulled in on their bonuses last year had instead gone to minimum wage workers, our economy would be expected to grow by about $32.3 billion — more than triple the $10.4 billion boost expected from the Wall Street bonuses.
Flagler Kills Together:
Bill O’Reilly’s Re-Assassination of JFK
Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Kennedy,” this year’s choice for the annual Flagler Reads Together event, is not the usual O’Reilly polemic and provides in parts a fair summary of Kennedy’s presidency and the assassination, but it also has many flaws, writes Pierre Tristam.
Pit Bull Mix Bloodies 3- and 5-Year-Old Children and Their Mother In Two Vicious Attacks at Second Chance Rescue
The 5-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother were in a van at Second Chance Rescue, waiting for their mother, when the pit bull jumped through a window and attacked the children, and did it again after the children’s mother had dragged it away, jumping in through an open door. All three were severely injured.
Sheriff Jim Manfre: How To Restore Common Sense to Stand Your Ground
The public’s valid concern over the vigilante-style actions of certain people who have watched too many Western movies should be dealt with through legislative action, argues Sheriff Jim Manfre, starting with a definition of self-defense that doesn;t leave its determination in the perpetrator’s hands.
Federal Lawsuit Against Palm Coast Code Enforcement Charges Search and Due Process Violations
Linda Thomas, a retired attorney in Palm Coast, filed the lawsuit in federal district court, charging the city’s code enforcement division with violations of the 4th and 14th amendments. Flagler County circuit court in two rulings already found the code enforcement division had improperly and arbitrarily cited Thomas, but the court did not address constitutional issues.
Former Gov. Reubin Askew, Towering Force Behind Modern Florida, Is Dead at 85
Reubin Askew, who died on March 13, led efforts to institute a corporate income tax, while reducing consumer taxes. He also spearheaded approval of what became known as the “Sunshine Amendment,” which opened government records and required public officials to disclose information about their financial affairs.
First Look at Palm Coast’s New City Hall Revives Old Questions About Cost and Taxes
The Palm Coast City Hall plan drew pointed questions about security measures and cost controls as the city administration continued to pledge through accounting sophistry that taxes will not be raised or that property tax dollars will not be used for the project.
GOP’s Jolly Beats Sink in Congressional Election That Augurs Trouble for Democrats’ Midterms
Both parties viewed the special election to replace Rep Bill Young as a critical test of their chances for success in the mid-term elections in November. The result spells trouble for Democrats, who are expected to lose seats in the House–amplifying the Republican majority–and possibly lose the Senate, which they’ve held since 2006.
6-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted From Old Kings Elementary; Palm Coast Man Accused of Rape
The 6 year old’s Baker Act is the second time in two weeks that a young child was Baker Acted from an elementary school in Flagler. Separately, Andrew J. Vasquez, a 23-year-old resident of 56 Filbert Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on March 9 and charged with rape.
Sheriff Defends Weekend Use of Code Red Alert For Missing Boy But Initiates Review
Future Code Red alerts will have to be approved by the sheriff himself, though the two Code Red calls that went out Saturday night, including the one that told residents that the Palm Coast boy was found, were both matters of public safety, emergency officials said. Some 30 people asked to be dropped out of 150 people who called emergency services to complain.
NRA-Backed Measure to Let Armed Vets and Ex-Cops In Schools Triggers Controversy
Under the bill, opposed by the state School Board Association, principals and school superintendents could appoint staff members or volunteers who are military veterans with honorable discharges, active military or retired law enforcement officials as gun-toting “designees.”
Palm Coast Dedicates Third Bike Maintenance Station, This Time in Frank Celico’s Memory
It is Palm Coast’s third maintenance station. The Celico Foundation also donated one at the Lehigh Trail on Belle Terre Parkway and Royal Palms Parkway, near the fire station. The Palm Coast Observer and PC Bike donated the first one, located at Waterfront Park. The stations are part of Palm Coast’s emphasis on its trails.
Al Sharpton Leads Call For Repeal of Stand Your Ground in Florida Capitol March
Sharpton marched alongside the parents of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, two teens the marchers said were wrongly killed under Florida’s first-in-the-nation law, which allows people to use deadly force when they feel their lives are in danger and provides immunity from prosecution.
Les 400 Coups: Missing for 11 Hours on Saturday, 14-Year-Old Boy Was Picking Up a Seashell For His Mom
Alex Michael Cargo walked 20 miles after leaving home in Palm Coast’s B-Section following an argument with his mother Saturday, triggering a search involving several K-9 units, police agencies and Flagler County’s emergency helicopter. Alex was unaware, and made it as far as the ocean, where he picked up a seashell for his mother before beginning the trek home.
Girl, 15, Uses School-Issued Macbook to Record Alleged Sex Assault by 22-Year-Old Man
Keith Foreman III, an R-Section resident, is in jail this morning on $11,000 bond, on charges of lewd and lascivious battery and marijuana possession following an incident his alleged 15-year-old victim video-recorded on the Macbook Air issued by the Flagler County School District.
The Dangers of Problematic Prescribing: A Double Dose of Warnings
Two new reports from the CDC show the dangers of overprescribing narcotics and antibiotics. Is there a way for doctors and consumers to make better decisions? An instructive set of answers.
Going Coastal, Going Local: Palm Coast’s Workhorse Galleries Celebrate Their Own
Hollingsworth Gallery opens its 6th annual show featuring its membership’s works while the Flagler County Art League opens its first ever “Going Coastal” show as part of Second Saturday’s Art Walk at City Market Place in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast’s Red-Light Cameras: How the City Council Locked In a Fraud on Taxpayers Through 2019
Palm Coast’s red-light cameras siphon off more than $2.5 million out of the local economy every year, in the share that goes to the state and to ATS, the company that runs the scheme, yet the city council quietly approved the deal through 2019, long past the terms of every one of the council members and some of their successors.
How County Engineer Faith Alkhatib Saved Taxpayers $600,000 and Returned 12 Acres to Palm Coast and Flagler
County Engineer Faith Alkhatib detected a recent state rule change that enabled a redesign of the coming Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange with I-95, netting a $600,000 saving and the return of 6 acres to Palm Coast and 6 acres to the county.
Supreme Court Calls on Florida Legislature to Legalize Right of Undocumented Immigrant “Dreamers” To Practice Law
The Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that undocumented immigrants cannot be admitted to The Florida Bar, calling on the Legislature to change state law to allow so-called “Dreamers” to become attorneys.
Economy Adds 175,000, Reversing
Early Winter Plunge; Unemployment at 6.7%
Despite successive cold spells and snow storms in the east, the national economy added 175,000 jobs in February, reversing a two-month trend that saw job creation fall. The unemployment rate, however, ticked up a decimal point, to 6.7 percent.
Four Palm Coast Baker Acts in 24 Hours: A Day in the Life of Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies
In barely a 24-hour period between late Monday afternoon and the early evening of Tuesday (March 3 and 4), deputies were involved in four commitments under the Baker Act, each one is illustrative of the variety of mental health situations deputies are confronting, compelling them to make the determination between simply diffusing a situation, making an arrest or carrying out a Baker Act.
Life Without Parole for Juveniles: Florida Struggles to Comply With Supreme Court Ruling
Florida sentences more juveniles to life in prison without parole than any other state, but the pressure is on the Legislature this year to comply with restrictive U.S. Supreme Court rulings because without sentencing guidelines, the Florida judiciary is filling the gap one case at a time.
Palm Coast Scrambles To Right Its Way After Discovery That Bulldog Drive Is a County Road
Palm Coast has never owned Bulldog Drive, a county road since 1956, though the city is widening the street, has acquired land alongside it and has engaged in an epic battle with business owner Gus Ajram as if the right of way were Palm Coast’s. City and county are speeding toward formalizing the city’s ownership.
Seeking Cool Whip High at Publix, A Couple Is Charged With Inhaling
Gretchen Wentworth, 35, and David Collins, 34, residents of 609 North Ocean Shore Boulevard in Flagler Beach, were arrested for inhaling cool whip. That is, the nitrous oxide that powers the cream out of its canister. They were arrested for allegedly doing so at the Flagler Beach Publix, after they’d aggravated other customers.
The Thaw Cometh: Kimberle Weeks Pledges To Oversee Palm Coast Elections After All
Weeks did not tell the city that she would work with Palm Coast, but rather took to the pages of the Palm Coast Observer to pen a caustic OpEd, essentially coloring her concession by painting herself as the election’s white knight. The city welcomed the breakthrough anyway.
Speed Limit of 75 Advances Against AAA Opposition as House Panel Endorses Measure
The House Transportation & Highway Safety Subcommittee voted 13-1 to support the measure (HB 761), which would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe minimum and maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have least four lanes.
Bunnell City Election: John Rogers and Bonita Robinson Win, As Does Status Quo
John Rogers won re-election to the Bunnell City Commission Tuesday, taking the most votes in a four-way race, and Bonita Robinson won the seat formerly held by Jenny Crain-Brady. Rogers and Robinson defeated Daisy Henry, the former commissioner trying to make a come-back, and Randall Morris, who had been a no-show in most ways through the election period.
A 7-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted at Belle Terre Elementary; It’s Not Punishment, District Says
The Baker Acting of a 7-year-old girl at Belle Terre Elementary last week, following a report of her allegedly lacerating the dean of students with thumb tacks, is one of three or four Baker Acts of students in the district every month, though they’re usually older. The district defends the Baker Acts as a necessary last resort that addresses underlying issues, and that must not be seen as retribution or punishment.
On World Tennis Day, Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka, 16, Plays Madison Square Garden
Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka, a top American junior tennis player, made it to one of the world’s premier sports arenas as he opened for Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden Monday evening.