Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeals Wednesday ruled that tracking a drug dealer through his cell phone as he traveled across the state was legal as long as he did not go onto private property.
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Federal Suit Filed Against Florida Law Requiring Drug Tests of Welfare Recipients
The new law requires recipients of temporary cash assistance to pay $35 to $45 for a drug test first. The ACLU charges the law stigmatizes low-income people and amounts to a suspicionless search.
Flagler Beach Touts Taut Budget With 14.6% Tax Rate Increase and 3% Employee Raise
Though Flagler Beach’s tax rate is again increasing, most property owners will see their tax bills decrease. For Acting City Manager Bruce Campbell, budget season closes a crucial part of his on-going job interview.
County Approves Tourist Council’s $800,000 Marketing Budget, Minus Raises for Staff
A proposal to raise TDC executive Peggy Heiser’s salary by 7.7 percent was pulled from consideration shortly before the meeting, eliminating what would have been a contentious debate over the council’s budget.
Mandatory Virtual Classes for High School Students Bugging Cash-Strapped Districts
A new state law that requires Florida high school students to take a class online is causing cash-strapped school districts to spend millions on new computers and exacerbating the digital divide.
Palm Coast Mayor: Tea Party Straw Poll Has Ericksen Far Ahead of Netts, 59-36%
The results, based on an internet poll conducted by the tea party, has its limitations, but nevertheless points to unexpectedly lopsided–and surprising–numbers. Jon Netts and Charlie Ericksen may be in a closer race than either expected as early voting continues.
Armed Robbery, Then Car, Foot and K-9 Chase Ends With Arrest of 3 in Seminole Woods
Three suspects who allegedly robbed an Ormond Beach pharmacy at gunpoint were caught by Bunnell police and sheriff’s deputies around noon after a car and foot chase that ended in the woods near Belle Terre and Citation Blvd.
Flagler Youth Orchestra, County’s Largest Arts Program, Launches 7th Season Open House
Parents and students are invited to the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s open house Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria, at 5 p.m., to join the orchestra. All skill levels welcome, from 3rd grade and up.
Feared Dead, Man Overboard Washes Up Alive on Cinnamon Beach 9 Hours Later
He’s alive: Brian Oliver, the captain of a charter sailboat, fell in the water at 3 p.m. Sunday, held on to a cooler, and washed up on shore, in good health, at half past midnight Tuesday morning.
Light Up Palm Coast: Petitioning the City Council to Put Safety Before Beautification
In the wake of 15-year-old Kirt Smith’s death while biking on Seminole Woods, Dede Siebenaler argues that the Palm Coast City Council has focused too much on beautifying streets instead of lighting them up.
Federal COBRA Insurance Subsidies End, Aggravating Strains for the Unemployed
Federal COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers covered 65 percent of premium costs for 15 months, as part of the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus package. GOP lawmakers blocked an extension.
Palm Coast Fire Department Is Presented A Flag That Flew at 9/11’s Three Sacred Sites
John Pickard, a member of Palm Coast’s fire police and a member of the 911 Foundation riders flew the flag at the Pentagon, at the Shanksville, Pa., United Flight 93 crash site, and at Ground Zero in Manhattan.
Palm Coast Code Enforcement Declares War On Door-to-Door Salesmen. Arrests Follow.
Four door-to-door solicitors were arrested in August, two more, selling meat, were jailed on Thursday as the sheriff’s office has been following through on a complaint by Code Enforcement Board member Norman Mugford that the city’s ordinance was not being enforced.
Snooping Security: “If You See Something, Say Something” Campaign Comes to Florida
Gov. Rick Scott is welcoming the “If You See Something, Say Something Campaign,” which encourages callers to use a statewide toll-free telephone number to report suspicious activity. The program raises spying, profiling and other civil liberties concerns.
Zero Job Creation in August as Economy, Recession-Bound, Posts Year’s Worst Showing
Even as the unemployment rate remained at 9.1 percent, job creation stalled in August, and was revised downward in June and July, signaling a recession.
23-Year-old Woman Survives Fiery US1 Wreck That Shears Off Toyota’s Engine
Amanda Sieber, 23, was driving north on U.S.1 Thursday evening when, 1.6 miles south of the White Eagle, she lost control of her Toyota Scion, which rolled, on fire, into the wood-line, leaving its engine behind.
Moving to Palm Coast, a Parent Asks: What Schools and Sections Are Best for My Kids?
Kristen Jordan is moving from Gainesville to Palm Coast with her 5th grade daughter and 4th grade son, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. She asks readers to guide her in her next-most important decisions: what schools and neighborhoods to choose.
2 Days from Drop-Dead Date, Flagler Beach’s Pier Restaurant Lease Is Signed By New Owner
Raymond Barshay, owner of Ormond Beacjh’s River Grille and South Daytona’s Sloppy Joe’s, signed a 10-year lease on Tuesday with Flagler Beach, his landlord, to remake and run the Pier Restaurant, ending a succession saga stretching almost two years.
Texas-Size Holes in Gov. Rick Scott’s Boast Of Florida Job Creation as 2nd to Texas
Rick Scott called the rest of the nation’s job numbers “pathetic” compared to Florida’s, yet Florida ranks near the bottom in the nation on Gallup’s index of job creation, while its 70,000 new jobs in the past year proportionally rank the state below the national average.
As Voting for Palm Coast Mayor Begins, Netts and Ericksen Duel More Sharply
Mayoral candidate and challenger Charlie Ericksen and incumbent Jon Netts accentuated their differences in the Palm Coast Civic Association forum: Ericksen for change, Netts for staying the course.
Despite Raises, Average Teacher Pay Is Eroding Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Average teacher pay at the end of last year in Flagler was $48,067. Adjusted for inflation, it represents an 8.5 percent decline compared with pay in 2006. Take-home pay declined further this fall.
Pointing to Recession, Floridians’ Consumer Confidence Crashes Again to Near-Record Low
The dramatic decline in consumer confidence is just three points shy of 59, the mark set in June 2008, when the nation was in the midst of the Great Recession. Figures released by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
With Pill Mills and “Internet Cafes” in Sight, Palm Coast Prepares Stricter Regulations
The Palm Coast City Council holds little hope for state law to crack down on gambling posing as Internet cafes, which are proliferating in the city, so it’ll regulate them through zoning laws. It’s doing the same for pain clinics, once moratoriums on both types of businesses expire.
Small Government’s Price: No Sidewalk Money, City Says in Wake of Boy’s Death on Seminole
Just as the county cut out a helicopter pilot to save money, Palm Coast has been delaying planned sidewalk projects, including sidewalks along Seminole Woods Boulevard, for lack of money.
A 6% Tax on Bottled Water in Florida: Ormond Beach’s Sen. Lynn Revives Proposal
The bottled-water tax in Florida would pay for repairing environmental damage from trashed plastic. The water industry is opposing Ormond Beach Sen. Evelyn Lynn’s proposal.
15-Year-Old Kirt Smith Dies as a Result of Injuries from Seminole Woods Blvd. Collision
Kirt Smith, 15, was riding south with a friend on Seminole Woods Blvd. at 9 p.m. Friday when he was struck by a pick-up truck driven by Gary White Jr. Smith died at 5:37 p.m. Aug. 29.
Child and Animal Abuse Charges Land a 35-Year-Old Woman in Jail
Three children–ages 5, 8 and 14– more than two dozen animals were living in the Reid Place house in Palm Coast. The house was overrun with garbage, animal food and feces.
Flagler Beach Restaurant Owners Vow To Fight City’s Ban on Dog-Friendly Dining
For years, and with more frequency recently, several Flagler Beach restaurants allowed patrons to bring their dog as long as they sat in outside-dining areas. Commissioners never heard of a problem–until they heard of the state requirement that the city formalize the practice by ordinance, which they killed, 3-2.
Taking Note of Flagler, Gov. Rick Scott Speaks Economics and Listens to Local Leaders
Gov. Rick Scott arrived early at a breakfast meeting with government and business leaders this morning, briefing the group on his business-centered agenda while holding an informal Q&A with the assembly.
Rick Scott, Pointer Sister: He Sings “Fire” at The Golden Lion, Does the Pier, Then Turns In
Gov. Rick Scott’s unexpected dinner drop-in at Flagler Beach’s Golden Lion this evening coincided with a wreck outside. He gave the tambourine and the Beatles a go before making out on the Flagler Beach pier.
Stetson Kennedy, Nemesis of KKK And Jim Crow, Is Dead at 94
Stetson Kennedy, the civil rights activist, journalist, folklorist, author and lecturer, died in St. Augustine Saturday, Aug. 27, with his wife Sandra Parks at his side. He was lucid to the end.
Man Drowns North of Flagler Beach, Near Condos Where Family Had Recently Moved In
James Palmer, 55, who was staying at the Oceanside condominiums in Beverly Beach with his family, drowned just before 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. A 55-year-old surfer also died in New Smyrna Beach three hours earlier.
Incumbents Jon Netts and Holsey Moorman Leading Money Race In Palm Coast Elections
Mayor Jon Netts is leading the money race with $8,600. Charlie Ericksen, his principal challenger, has raised $4,469 so far, with 18 days to go for the primary. Holsey Moorman, whose election isn’t until November, has raised $6,840 so far.
Borrowing From Rick Perry: Gov. Rick Scott Wants More Texas in Florida Universities
Gov. Rick Scott wants to treat universities and colleges more like private businesses, as Rick Perry is trying to do in Texas, with more scrutiny over professor and university performance.
Rick Scott’s Sunshine Problem: Missing E-Mails and a Questionable FDLE Probe
From a supposedly accidental purge of entire Rick Scott administration email accounts to an FDLE probe that appears to be a conflict of interest, the governor’s problems with open records continue.
Campaign Notes: Defacing Moorman, Excluding Ericksen, Unseating Kim Weeks
Palm Coast City Councilman Holsey Moorman reacts to his vandalized sign, Democrats explain why they invited Jon Netts and not Charlie Ericksen, and the complete list of candidates thinking (or not) of challenging Kimberle Weeks, the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Lethal Edict: Florida Supremes Rule “Isolated Mishaps” Aren’t Enough to Stop Executions
Clearing the way for executions by lethal injection, a unanimous Florida Supreme Court ruled invalid death row inmate Manuel Valle’s objection to pentobarbital, one of the three drugs used to put inmates to sleep–and to euthanize animals.
Native Sons: Remembering Josh Crews One Young Writer at a Time, With a Ball
Josh Crews, the long-time manager at Woody’s and voracious reader, was killed last year in a car crash. The Josh Crews Fund is created in his memory to underwrite writing scholarships in Flagler schools. A fund-raising masquerade ball is scheduled for Oct. 28.
End of State-Funded Public Broadcasting In Florida: State Board Blanks PBS Dollars
Following on the heels of Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of PBS funding earlier this year, the State Board of Education, for the first time in 35 years, refused to include funding for Florida’s 26 public television and radio stations, putting many of those stations’ future in doubt.
Overflow Crowd at a Wonkish Forum for 7 Palm Coast City Council Candidates
Live, blow-by-blow coverage and analysis of tonight’s Palm Coast city elections’ candidates forum at the Hilton Garden Inn.
County’s Economic Board Would Exclude Cities and Bank on $400,000 a Year in Tax Dollars
The county commission’s latest direction was surprising and divided, as a 3-2 majority settled on an economic development board with just one government represented–the county–and eight seats filled by business representatives with economic development experience.
Florida GOP’s Vague Redistricting Schedule Playing Havoc With Election-Year Politics
Critics of the Legislature’s timeline say mass chaos could follow if lawmakers don’t approve maps soon enough to give the attorney general and the Supreme Court enough time to review the plans well in advance of the June 18 opening date for qualifying.
Bonuses or No Bonuses, Supervisor of Elections and Commissioners Brawl in Ugly, 70-Minute Spectacle
The Flagler Supervisor of Elections could not explain to commissioners’ satisfaction bonus checks cut at the end of 2010 or answer questions about her employees’ rates of pay and recent raises. Commissioners refused to grant her request for a 7 percent budget increase pending answers.
Flagler Schools’ Enrollment Is Flat Overall But Showing Strong Migration to Charters
On the first day of school in Flagler, every elementary school but one lost students, all three charter schools gained, and problems were limited to several overcrowded buses and enormous car lines at Imagine and Belle Terre.
Palm Coast Data Lays Off 18 More, This Time in Magazine Customer Service
The Palm Coast Data layoffs are the latest in a string of job losses that have struck the company’s warehouse, membership services, IT and management.
Tourism Council Approves $800,000 Budget Over Objection to Exec’s 7.7% Raise
The publicly funded tourism council approved a 7.7 percent raise for the Flagler Chamber of Commerce’s VP for tourism and the council’s administrative head, and 6 percent raises for two staff members. The Flagler County Commission must give final approval.
Coalition of Cities Meets in Wake of One Agency’s Death and Its Own Uncertain Life
The Flagler County Coalition of Cities held its second meeting only for its Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach members to confirm what’s already known: that much remains unknown about the future of the county’s plan to fight unemployment.
Another Air Show, in Kansas City, Crash Claims the Life of a Ponte Vedra Veteran of Aerobatics
Bryan Jensen, a stunt pilot for 15 years and a captain who flew 747s for Delta Airlines, was killed Saturday when his red Horizon Hobbit biplane crashed at the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show in circumstances similar to the fatal crash at Wings Over Flagler in March.
Taxes, the Economy, the Stimulus: Separating Fiction from Fact
Answers to recurring questions of the day: what’s the state of the economy, are Americans really as overtaxed as they think they are, and what has the 2009 economic stimulus accomplished–or not?
Sheriff Fleming on Palm Coast and Bunnell Gambling Halls: “I Have Bigger Fish To Fry”
Sheriff Don Fleming’s stance on internet cafes and other such gambling halls has wide implications for Palm Coast and Bunnell, both of which are wrestling with ordinances that would regulate the establishments.