Circuit Judge Chris France on Thursday signed the judgment against Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, who had filed suit to have the court remove fellow Council member Charles Gambaro and order a special election. France ruled on the matter at the end of a 50-minute hearing last July 3 with Norris in attendance. The written judgment spells out the ruling and closes the case, unless Norris appeals.
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Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
Following up on an announcement Wednesday by Google that it would be building a transatlantic cable and land it in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Flagler County for the first time this week disclosed what has been reported since last August–that a company would build a large data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But the two governments’ releases provided more boasts than information.
5 Felony Charges for Palm Coast IT Administrator Accused of Launching Cyber Attack on His Company After He’s Fired
Richard Clayton Wozniak, a 41-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P Section, was arrested Wednesday on five felony charges following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation that found him to have allegedly carried out a cyber attack on his company’s computer infrastructure in retaliation for the company firing him. The attack crippled some of the company’s functions.
At Flagler County Jail, Inmates in Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Now Foster Kittens as Part of Their Therapy
In collaboration with the Flagler Humane Society, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has launched a kitten-fostering program at its nationally recognized mental health and addiction recovery program at the county jail, enabling participating inmates to care for homeless kittens in need, providing a unique therapeutic experience aimed at long-term recovery for both the kitten and the inmates.
U.S. Supreme Court Deals Blow to Florida’s Enforcement of Anti-Immigration Law in Rebuff to Uthmeier
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier that would have at least temporarily allowed enforcement of a new state law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state. Uthmeier last month asked the Supreme Court for a stay of a temporary injunction that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued in April to block the law. Such a stay, if granted, would have allowed enforcement of the law while an underlying legal battle about the injunction played out. The Supreme Court denied the stay request.
Sean Moylan Withdraws from Contending for County Attorney, Citing Divided Commission; 2 Applicants Left
In a letter remarkable for its grace and sense of service, Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan on Monday night told Flagler County commissioners he was withdrawing from contention to replace Al Hadeed as the county attorney. He said he “did not did not want my candidacy or appointment to foster division on the commission.” That leaves just two candidates in the running: Marsha Segal-George and Michael Rodriguez. The County Commission interviews them July 15. Scott McHenry had also been short-listed. He withdrew.
Dodging and Defiant After Losing Lawsuit, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Says He Doesn’t Care If He ‘Cost the City $1 Million’
A defiant Mike Norris Tuesday evening said he didn’t care if he “cost the city a million dollars.” He was not repaying a dime of the $30,000 the lawsuit he just lost cost taxpayers. He gave no indication that he accepted the court’s ruling. He blamed his colleagues for not taking his advice in December to protect the city against the lawsuit he ended up filing. He warned his colleagues on the Palm Coast City Council that he would be seeking reimbursement of his legal fees over the pending ethics complaint they filed against him. And he renewed conspiratorial claims about city staff and “what’s going on in this city.”
District Skeptical of Adding “Floater” to School Deputies’ Ranks and Increasing Contract with Sheriff 20%
The Flagler County School Board has few quibbles with a proposed 10 percent increase in its contract with the Sheriff’s Office for the 12 School Resource Deputies it pays for. The coming year’s budget is $1.52 million, compared to $1.377 million. The figures don’t include overtime costs. The board is more skeptical about a proposed addition to the contract: a 13th “floater” deputy who would increase the cost of the contract 20 percent, to $1.65 million, in a year when the district is getting no additional “Safe Schools” dollars from the legislature and is facing its own budget challenges.
Flagler Students Taking Vouchers for Private Education Double to 1,606 in One Year, Accelerating Drain from Public Schools
The number of Flagler County students taking public money for private, parochial or homeschool education doubled from last year to this year, from 884 to 1,606, according to the district’s latest calculations, far more than initially estimated. In spring, the district, based on state-provided figures, estimated that 1,236 students would draw on vouchers. The 1,606 students are draining $14.2 million in public education dollars from the district had they been attending traditional public schools.
3 Years in Prison for Tesla-Driving Realtor Who Refused to Take the Court Seriously After Violating an Injunction
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols’s patience had been tested. Repeatedly. Today, she was out of it, and Zachary Tuohey, a 35-year-old father of three, a once well-off, Tesla-driving Realtor who until nine months ago had never had a run-in with the law, let alone seen the inside of a jail cell, was out of luck. Nichols sentenced him to three years in prison followed by 18 months on probation with severe conditions. It had all started with an injunction his ex-girlfriend had filed, and which he kept violating. Then he repeatedly violated his probation, questioning the court and law enforcement along the way.
Photographs Show Recently Paved Over Areas at Everglades Lock-Up, Belying State’s Claims
DeSantis labeled environmental concerns as illegitimate, claiming that construction occurred over already developed facilities, like the tarmac and taxiway, of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, and that any waste would be removed. Aerial photographs from Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups suing federal and state officials, taken Saturday show land where grass has been removed and recently paved-over areas.
Flagler Schools Again Fall Short of an A as Poor Gains Among Lowest Performers and 2 Schools’ Retreats Result in B
For the fourth straight year and the 11th of the last 12 years that the state has issued school grades, the Flagler County School District was rated B, despite a year of gains in almost every one of the district’s nine traditional school and in many categories. It just wasn’t enough. The district fell just two percentage points short of the needed 64 to rank an A, as it did last year, even though the threshold for an A was significantly lower than two years ago.
Flagler District’s New Hire Will Reflect Dual Allegiance to School Choice–and to District as ‘the Best Choice’
As the Flagler County school district is forced by a new state law to advocate for school choice–including vouchers, homeschooling and virtual schooling–against its own interests, the district is also learning to make the salesmanship work for itself: if there is to be true choice, the district must be included in the mix, and the message the district is disseminating is that it is “the best choice.”
Flagler Beach Exploring Allowance for Backyard Chickens, With Caution Against Turning Island Into Kauai
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur is interested in allowing residents to raise chickens in their backyards, similarly to Palm Coast, where the city just adopted a pilot program to that effect. Flagler Beach Commission Chair James Sherman is “open to it.” The allowance would mirror regulations in other cities.
GOP Megabill’s Diagnosis: Higher Health Costs for All, 12 Million Will Lose Coverage
The tax and spending legislation the House voted to send to President Donald Trump’s desk on Thursday, enacting much of his domestic agenda, cuts federal health spending by about $1 trillion over a decade in ways that will jeopardize the physical and financial health of tens of millions of Americans. The bill, passed in both the House and the Senate without a single Democratic vote, is expected to reverse many of the health coverage gains of the Biden and Obama administrations.
The Manchurian Candidate Is Alive and Well and Living in the White House
Until last week I did not believe in the transmigration of souls from celluloid to reality. That changed when Congress passed the so-called “big beautiful bill.” Raymond Shaw, the brainwashed assassin of “The Manchurian Candidate,” is alive and well and living in the White House. There may be other explanations. But outside of the theater of the loony it’s difficult to understand why a president of the United States would gift China the greatest act of strategic self-destruction next to China’s own suicide in the 15th century.
As Texas Flood Death Toll Passes 50, Questions Arise Over Adequate Warnings and NWS Staffing
Catastrophic flooding that has claimed more than 50 lives in Texas came amid concerns about staffing levels at the NWS, after the Trump administration fired hundreds of meteorologists this year as part of Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts. The NWS Austin/San Antonio office’s warning coordination meteorologist announced in April that he was retiring early due to the funding cuts, leading to speculation that vacancies could have impacted forecasters’ response.
Trump Is Shutting Down 3 Key Weather Satellites Ahead of Peak Storm Season
On June 25, 2025, the Trump administration issued a service change notice announcing that the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, DMSP, and the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center would terminate data collection, processing and distribution of all DMSP data by July 31. The satellite data helps meteorologists create weather forecasts that keep planes and ships safe and prepare countries for a potential hurricane landfall.
Retirement for Reilly Opelka? Wimbledon Disappointment Brings Palm Coast’s Tennis Giant to a Crossroad
Michael Lewis, who’s covered Reilly Opelka for FlaglerLive since 2013, was reporting from Wimbledon this week, where Opelka fell in the second round, and where Lewis saw the Palm Coast tennis giant “depressed, frustrated and at a loss as to what’s going on with his career” as he interviewed him after the match.
Two Injured When Boat Crashes into a Dock on Intracoastal Near Beverly Beach
Two people were injured, one of them severely, when their pontoon boat crashed into and went under a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway near Beverly Beach late the afternoon of July 4.
Welcoming Immigrants, Detroit Ends Decades of Population Declines
Detroit’s population grew in 2024 for the second year in a row. This is a remarkable comeback after decades of population decline in the Motor City. What explains the turnaround? One factor may be Detroit’s efforts to attract and settle immigrants.
In Stinging Defeat for Mayor Norris, Judge Rules on All Counts in Favor of City’s Gambaro Appointment
Circuit Judge Chris France today handed Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris a stinging defeat in his lawsuit against his own city, challenging the legality of the council’s appointment of Charles Gambaro to a vacated seat last summer. In a hearing lasting less than an hour, and in a courtroom with more than two dozen Norris supporters filling the gallery, France ruled against Norris both on standing–he had none–and on the merits.
In Historic Shift, Palm Coast Council Votes Unanimously to End All Color Restrictions on Exterior House Paint
Palm Coast’s decades-old discrimination against colored houses may be over. In a remarkable vote on Tuesday, the Palm Coast City Council unanimously agreed to repeal almost all restrictions on exterior house colors in place since before Palm Coast was a city. The requirement of only two base colors and some accent-color allowances will remain. The repeal is nowhere near final. It requires a rewrite of the ordinance, a hearing before the planning board, and two more hearings before the council. The vote was a victory for Mayor Mike Norris, who pushed hardest for the repeal.
More Tension and Frustration Than Answers as County Seeks to Break Off Animal Control from Flagler Humane Society
Flagler County government is estimating that if it were to run its own animal control operation, separate from the Flagler Humane Society, it would cost taxpayers $420,000 in the first year and an average of $333,000 a year. County Commissioner Kim Carney says the numbers are not believable and are designed to set up the proposal for failure. Commissioner Leann Pennington, who is also interested in breaking away, is displeased with the slow pace of moving that way, despite the commission’s direction to its administration to have a plan fleshed out before the next one-year contract with the society runs out.
Stunning Flagler Beach, County Plans to End Paying Its Half of Lifeguard Costs, Endangering Program’s Future
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Peito wants to end the county’s annual grant to Flagler Beach that for years has paid for half the cost of the city’s lifeguard program. Without that money, the city may have to either shrink its 15-block zone of lifeguard-covered shoreline or space out its lifeguard towers further, increasing response times in drowning or distress incidents. At least one city commissioner is questioning whether the city could keep financing the program on its own.
Palm Coast Library Hours Will Be Cut 23% and Staff Reduced, Shifting Resources to New Nexus Center in Bunnell
The Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast will see a sharp, 23 percent reduction in hours of operation–from 52 to 40 hours a week–and a significant reduction in staffing as the new south side library, known as the Nexus Center, opens later this year, itself with slightly fewer staff than originally planned. Each library will be closed two days a week. For the Palm Coast branch, that means no more Monday hours. It’s been closed on Sunday.
Bill Moyers’ Brilliant, Humane Journalism Strengthened Democracy
Bill Moyers, who died at 91 on June 26, 2025, was among the most acclaimed broadcast journalists of the 20th century. He’s known for TV news shows that exposed the role of big money in politics and drew attention to unsung defenders of democracy, such as community organizer Ernesto Cortés Jr. Earlier in his life, Moyers served in significant roles in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, but his fame comes from his journalism.
County Administrator Asks Constitutionals to Cut Cost-of-Living Raises from 4% to 2% to Close $2.2 Million Gap
Facing a $2.2 million deficit in next year’s budget Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito is asking the county’s five constitutional officers to consider reducing what had been a proposed 4 percent cost-of-living pay increase to 2 percent, a reduction that would all but erase the gap. Most of the constitutional officers are willing to work with the county toward that end, with caveats. The constitutionals include Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Sheriff Rick Staly, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart, and Tax Collector Shelly Edmonson.
No More Undocumented Chickens: Palm Coast Launches Pilot Backyard Program for Up to 4 Hens Per Coop
The city today launched a pilot program that will permit 50 residents to have up to four chickens per backyard coop. The $100 permit, valid for two years (or $50 a year), will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is available to residents of homesteaded, single-family houses only. That means residents of areas controlled by homeowner associations are not eligible. Nor are residents in apartments or duplexes. Nor are renters. Nor are roosters.
One in 3 Florida 3rd Graders Have Untreated Cavities. Now a New Law Prohibits Fluoride in Water.
Florida ranks among the worst states in the U.S. for dental care access, with over 5.9 million residents living in dental care health professional shortage areas. a new Florida law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2025 and going into effect on Tuesday (July 1), now prohibits local governments from adding fluoride to public drinking water. This makes other preventive treatments even more essential. Fluoride varnish, recommended by pediatric and dental associations, is a topical treatment that should be applied every 3-6 months to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
DeSantis Signs $115 billion Budget, Vetoes $567 million; Palm Coast’s Modest Appropriations Survive
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a long-awaited state budget Monday just hours before it would take effect, vetoing $567 million. Palm Coast’s pair of appropriations, $2.5 million for an “equalization tank” and $2.5 million to help modernize Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 in the Woodlands, the city’s biggest and oldest, survived vetoes.
Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan’s Lock on Job to Succeed Hadeed Looks Anything But Certain
A divide over the hiring of the next county attorney is becoming clearer between Flagler County commissioners, making Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan’s prospects to get the job, so bright a few months ago, somewhat less than a lock as two commissioners didn’t shortlist him for public interviews on July 15, though they did not foreclose on his chances, either.
Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
Gregory Allen Smith, a 45-year-old resident of 6 Plateau Place in Palm Coast, is being held without bond at the Flagler County jail on five first-degree felony rape charges and two molestation charges involving the adolescent daughter of his wife before they separated in 2019.
Sarasota County Officials Downplayed Flood Risk. Tropical Storm Debby Exposed their Failures.
Sarasota County’s stormwater system is designed to steer floodwaters away from homes and businesses and safely to the coast. When Tropical Storm Debby hit in August 2024, the system proved dangerously unprepared when it mattered most — not because the system was overwhelmed, but because those in charge neglected to protect it, an investigation found.,
As Gun Homicides Continue to Decline, Gun Suicides Reached Record High in 2023
More people in the United States died by gun suicide in 2023 than any year on record — more than by gun homicide, accidental shootings and police shootings combined. A new report analyzing federal mortality data found that suicides involving firearms made up 58% of all gun deaths in 2023 — the latest year with available data. In total, 27,300 people died by gun suicide in 2023, according to the report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention.
States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up: ‘Locals Won’t Step Up Unless They’re Dealing with a Catastrophe’
Many states rely on the federal government for the vast majority of their emergency management funding. Now, local leaders are looking for clues about the money — and the future of FEMA itself. W. Craig Fugate served as FEMA administrator under Obama and, before that, as head of Florida’s emergency management division under then-Govs. Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist. “My experience tells me locals will not step up unless they are dealing with a catastrophe,” Fugate said.
Understanding the Supreme Court Ruling Against Universal Injunctions
When presidents have tried to make big changes through executive orders, they have often hit a roadblock: A single federal judge, whether located in Seattle or Miami or anywhere in between, could stop these policies across the entire country. But the Supreme Court has just significantly limited this judicial power.
Flagler Beach Commissioners Blister Design for New A-Frame and Boardwalk as ‘Expensive Gingerbread’
Flagler Beach’s planned reconstruction of the A-Frame and boardwalk at the pier is now estimated to cost $3 million, up $300,000 from last year. And city commissioners are not too thrilled about the too-fancy architectural design. Not at all–especially proposed changes to the A-frame and shell-like exteriors to a new building’s facade. They killed both proposals, among others they panned, opting for simpler looks that preserve what they see as old charms. They directed their designer to return later this summer with a significantly revised plan.
Environmental Groups Sue in Federal Court to Stop Everglades Stockade for Migrants
Environmental groups Friday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction and operation of a detention center for undocumented immigrants that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying it threatens ecologically sensitive areas and species in the surrounding Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit, filed by the group Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleges that federal and state agencies have violated laws that, in part, require evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Awarded State Association Honor for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Local Government Law’
A month from retirement after a career spanning four decades as county attorney for Flagler County government, Al Hadeed on Thursday received the Gordon Johnson Award “for his distinguished service to Flagler County and outstanding contributions to local government law in the State of Florida.” Hadeed received the award during the Florida Association of County Attorneys’ annual two-day continuing legal education seminar in Orlando. The association president prized Hadeed’s institutional memory and his mentorship of younger attorneys.
Fast times at Flagler Beach for DJ Vern’s Cherry Drops as Hall of Fame Inductees Take Over Pier for Music Video
Flagler Beach’s Vern Shank, also known as DJ Vern, whose band The Cherry Drops was inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame last year, is bringing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Robert Romanus to shoot a new music video on the Flagler Beach Pier this weekend, “I Dedicate This Song to You.” The new video is just part of what are heady times for Shank and the Cherry Drops, keeping Flagler Beach in the limelight.
DeSantis Joins Other Southern States to Develop Anti-‘Woke’ University Accreditation System
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced, alongside State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues and university leaders from Texas and South Carolina, that the states are developing a Commission for Public Higher Education that will combat “woke” ideologies such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and remake state higher education institutions to be more conservative.
Answering Appeal, Attorney General Says Brendan Depa’s Adult Sentence for Beating Teacher’s Aide Was Deserved
Answering the appeal of Brendant Depa’s conviction to five years in prison and 15 years on probation for assaulting his teacher’s aide at Matanzas High School in February 2023, the Attorney General’s Office in a 25-page brief argued that Circuit Judge Terence Perkins did not abuse his discretion when he imposed an adult sentence in Augsut 2024, as the defense argued in its appeal.
Flagler County Students Post Strong, Across-the-Board Improvements in All Grades and Disciplines, Boosting Superintendent
Flagler County students in all grades improved their scores year over year in English and math, in some cases markedly so, as well as in all other disciplines subject to standardized tests, according to figures released by the state Department of Education Wednesday. The results are a boon to Superintendent LaShakia Moore and her administration, reflecting the first testing cycle entirely on her watch since her appointment in September 2023.
Palm Coast Council Will Seek At Least a Small Reduction in Property Tax Rate, Leaving Open Possibility of More
The Palm Coast City Council will seek at least a modest decrease in next year’s property tax rate when it adopts its budget in September, continuing a trend begun in 2021. It is not ruling out a full rollback in the tax rate, something the council has done only once in the city’s history, in 2023, at heavy cost to the city’s operations. The council resisted rolback last year.
‘We’re Not in a Great Shape,’ School Board’s Derek Barrs Warns as Vouchers Fuel Financial Crunch and Enrollment Drop
The Flagler County school district is caught in a feedback loop draining its budget as enrollment drops: more students are abandoning the district for private or homeschool education paid for with public money. That reduces the amount of state money the district can count on. More limited resources may encourage more students to leave, further reducing state dollars going to the district.
DeSantis Seizes Land in Everglades to Open ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Mass Migrant Detention Center
Florida started this week to build a temporary detention center in the Florida Everglades for undocumented immigrants arrested by state police and federal immigration authorities. Gov. Ron DeSantis is using emergency powers to take control of the facility after his administration offered to buy the land from the county. According to the governor’s office, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava offered what DeSantis’ office called an “unreasonable” price tag for the state to buy the county land, $190 million.
Palm Coast Council Deadlocks Over Selling Palm Harbor Golf Club; It May Raise Rates Again and Beg Loopers for a Cut
The Palm Coast City Council deadlocked over the future of the Palm Harbor Golf Club today, split between council members who want to sell it and those who don’t. Other proposals include sharply raising rates, bringing in new management, reconfiguring overhead costs, and even asking Loopers, the successful restaurant at the golf club, to renegotiate its lease for a little profit sharing that would benefit the club’s bottom line. Previous councils have tried most of these tactics for years, almost going back to the city’s acquisition of the 141-acre property in 2008.
Bunnell Mayor in Stunning Maneuver Revives 8,000-Home Development Commission Killed 2 Weeks Ago
The Bunnell City Commission in a stunning move at the very end of its meeting Monday night, before a nearly empty chamber, voted 3-2 to revive the 8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek development the commission rejected just two weeks ago. The item was not on the agenda. Mayor Catherine Robinson, who asked for the motion, had met with the city manager and the developer for three hours Monday morning. She said the developer was prepared to submit a revised plan that takes public concerns into account.
Still on Warpath, Palm Coast Mayor Files Records Requests Targeting City Manager’s Communications
In an unprecedented inquisition into the city’s top staff by its own mayor, Norris filed a public record request, seeking to know every communication Acting Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston has had with Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, local developers, county and sheriff’s officials, local media and others, from the day of his election–Nov. 6–to the present. It is unusual that an elected official would seek with such sweep what amounts to an interrogative of his own city manager’s administrative paper trail, especially in light of his recent censure.