After 13 years in one location, Friday was moving day for the Flagler Youth Orchestra, which has been providing string-music instruction to hundreds of students every year for 17 years. Its director reflects on a transformative day amid anxious and enduring uncertainties.
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School Book Inquisitions and School Board Term Limits Head for Governor’s Signature
School board members soon could be limited to serving 12-year terms under a bill that is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis — but the measure also includes a controversial provision that would intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials.
I’m a Christian Mom. I Love My Trans Daughter. The State Sees Me as an Abuser.
Texas Governor Abbott recently issued horrifying, unconstitutional orders directing our state’s office of Child Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse. The only one engaging in child abuse here is Abbott — and his equally cruel attorney general, Ken Paxton.
Bova Again Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Mother of Six, Ending 9 Years of Trauma for Family
More than nine years after he murdered Zuheili Roman Rosado, the mother of six, at a Palm Coast convenience store, Joseph Bova II this afternoon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Again. Bova is 34.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 5-0 to Break Ocean Palms Golf Lease and Seek New Management Company
Seven years into a rocky marriage that never lived up to its promise and twice before verged on dissolution, the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally ended its relationship with Flagler Golf Management, the company that since 2015 had managed Ocean Palms Golf Club, the city-owned, nine-hole golf course framed by scores of homes at the south end of town.
Severe Weather Tonight Into Saturday with Potential for Isolated Tornadoes, Followed By Freeze
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville is cautioning residents of northeast Florida, including all of Flagler County and northern Volusia, to be prepared for severe and potentially dangerous weather today, tonight and through late in the day Saturday, with the slight possibility of isolated nighttime tornadoes. The unsettled weather will be followed by a freeze in much of the area.
Dedorius Varnes, Ex-Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy, Gets 19 Months in Prison for ‘Disgusting’ Stalking
Dedorius Varnes, 30, a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy for almost three years, was arrested (and fired) and charged in two aggravated stalking cases as he abused his authority and threatened residents with harm.
Flagler Beach Government’s Audit Eviscerates Golf Course Company’s Books, Leaving Its Fate in Doubt
A long-awaited audit of Flagler Golf Management, the company that runs Flagler Beach’s city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Club, found serous irregularities, unaccounted dollars and unexplained expenses as the city commission and the management company’s officials prepare to meet face to face for the first time since 2017 this evening.
Bill Creating Elections Policing Squad, 1st of Its Kind in the U.S., Heads for Governor’s Signature
In part, the bill would create an Office of Election Crimes and Security in the Department of State. Also, it would require the governor, working with the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to appoint special FDLE officers to investigate allegations of election violations, with at least one officer in each region of the state.
Flagler Planning Board Rejects 1,200-Home Eagle Lakes Development Over Unresolved Differences
The county and the developer have a 126-home difference on how many homes may be built, traffic questions affecting Old Kings Road remain, and several planning board members felt the Eagle Lakes application was not ready. But the matter now goes before the County Commission, which may vote on the development on April 4.