Florida just rejected a federal grant that would have allowed elderly patients to get care at home instead of in nursing homes, where staffing levels may begin to drop this month, thanks to a new Florida law.
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Fireworks Blaze Over Flagler Beach In a Thundering Display of Color and Pomp
Anticipation gave way to an explosive display of colors and sounds as Flagler Beach’s July 4th celebration culminated with its traditional fireworks show.
Parades of Radiance From Heroes Park To Flagler Beach on America’s 235th
Solemnity and celebration at Heroes Park was followed by Flagler Beach’s July 4th parade at the start of a day and evening of revelry. A full image gallery of the celebrations.
When Casey Anthony Pre-Empts Wimbledon
Anthony’s isn’t murder-trial coverage. It’s voyeurism on a bimbo scale. If Anthony had been middle aged, crinkled, overweight, if she’d not been white, this level of media fixation would have been unthinkable.
Drawing Widespread Criticism, Rick Scott Discovers the Joys of SunRail, and CSX
Gov. Rick Scott’s approval of SunRail triggered criticism from Republicans and Scott’s tea party base while sharpening a contrast with his earlier rejection of a federally funded high-speed rail initiative.
They’re On: County Repeals Ban On Flagler Beach Fireworks in 4-1 Vote
Eleven days after cancelling the county’s Independence Day fireworks shows, the Flagler County Commission this afternoon voted to allow the Flagler Beach show to go on.
Unveiling “Flagler Beach First!”: A Common Market for an Uncommon Island City
The idea of Flagler Beach First!, its founders say, is to enable Flagler Beach businesses to promote each other and educate residents and visitors about the importance of buying products and services from Flagler Beach businesses.
3% Pension Contributions by Public Employees Begins as Judge Rejects an Injunction
The state’s teachers union is suing over the 3 percent requirement, and was hoping to delay its implementation until the case is settled. That case is still going forward, but 3 percent contributions begin today.
County Likely to Reverse Fireworks Ban in Flagler Beach In Special Meeting Friday
A majority of county commissioners are now in favor of overturning the ban on Flagler Beach’s Independence Day fireworks. They’ll decide at a special meeting 4 p.m. Friday.
With an Extra $15,000 Grant Secured, Carver Foundation Board Gets Down to Business
The governance board, joining key leaders from across the county, will set the direction and provide oversight of the revived Carver Community Center, opening as a full-fledged youth center for Bunnell by August.
Flagler School District Maintains A for 4th Year in a Row As Elementaries Shine
The A rating was powered by substantial improvements at Rymfire Elementary and other schools maintaining their high achievements. Charter schools didn’t do as well.
Executive Overreach? Supreme Court
Considers Rick Scott’s Rule-Making Powers
In oral arguments today, justices seemed unconvinced by the case of a blind woman on food stamps. The case speaks to Scott’s rule-making power–and where the Legislature’s power ends.
Shrinking Flagler Health Department Looks to Community Care As Neediest Alternative
The $700,000-a-year federal grant would open a community health center focused on the uninsured and providing the sort of care people seek out more expensively in emergency rooms.
$460,000 And Counting: With Federal Aid Unlikely, Flagler Will Bear Fires’ Entire Costs
The still-rising costs don’t help the county’s budget, which is acing a $5.5 million revenue loss from dropping property values. Gov. Scott could have minimized the impact, but he refused to ask for a federal emergency declaration, though previous, lesser fires had gotten such a declaration.
“You Smirked, Mr. Chairman”: Tea Party Puts County Commission On Notice
A tea party throng of close to 100 people jammed a county commission budget workshop Monday, cheering a promise that any tax increase would result in commissioners being voted out. The math on display was less reliable.
From Drought to Monsoon, But Fire Officials Warn Wildfires Aren’t Done Yet
Some 2.7 inches of rain fell in the Bunnell area, flooding streets and swales, but the Espanola fire got much less, if any, and fire officials are saying that the county is not out of the danger zone yet.
FlaglerLive Idle As We Switch To a More Powerful Server. Meanwhile, Please Help.
In a letter to readers, FlaglerLive.com Board Chairman Merrill Shapiro says the switch is compelled by growing volumes of readers. He asks you to pledge regular financial contributions to FlaglerLive to ensure the kind of reporting you’ve come to depend on.
54 Girls (and Women), 4 Trophies, One Miss Flagler County Title in Sunday’s Pageant
It must be summer: it’s time for the Flagler County Scholarship Pageants. Meet them all, the 54 contestants in each category, as they vie for the crowns in Sunday’s pageants at the Flagler Auditorium.
Four New Fires Saturday Afternoon, Totaling 16 New Ones Since Friday; More Likely
The four new lightning-triggered fires declared themselves between 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, including one in Favoretta and one across from Shell Bluff, on State Road 100, with more lightning and fires expected today.
When Florida, Like New York State, Joins the Ranks of the Civilized on Gay Marriage
New York State is celebrating the legalization of gay marriage. We should celebrate along. Where can such baseless assertions as marriage being the “legal union of only one man and one woman” have so much as a throb of credibility other than in the harebrained fictions of scriptures?
(Bottled) Water Everywhere: Firefighters Happily Drown In Community’s Generosity
Flagler County rallied with donations for its firefighters this month from individuals young and old, companies, churches, schools, political parties and others, whose generosity helped eased stresses of heat and overwork.
Best News in Weeks: Weather Service Issues Flood Advisory for Central Flagler
The National Weather Service was reporting the heaviest rains of the month–2 to 3 inches–smack in the heart of Flagler’s most severe fire zone, on the Espanola fire. That’s what the fire doctors had been ordering for weeks.
Florida’s Betrayal of College Students: Sticking It to the Young, Pandering to the Old
Between Florida public universities’ tuition increasing almost 140 percent in 10 years and Bright Futures scholarship losing half their value, the state is betraying its future while pandering to older, more selfish voters.
Lightning Triggers 12 New Fires, Most Closer to Palm Coast, More Expected Today
Two fires broke out off County Road 13, just west of U.S. 1, a small fire broke out on Colbert Lane, and another one off of Roberts Road.
A Dissent on Canceling July 4 Fireworks: When Palm Coast Dictates to Flagler Beach
Canceling the fireworks in Town Center was justified, canceling them in Flagler Beach was not, argues Jeremy Mahoney, who sees the decision as another way of making Flagler Beach subservient to Palm Coast.
Tuition Increases Another 15% at Florida Universities, Up 130% in 10 Years; Aid Drops
Tuition will approach $6,000 next year. For Flagler County’s 750-some students attending college on Bright Futures scholarships, that aid will cover barely half the bill, after covering it in full just a few years ago.
Uncertainty Over: Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts Makes His Re-Election Bid Official
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts has been on the council for 10 years, including Palm Coast’s most challenging years, and now faces what may be his most challenging election. “Of course I represent change,” he says. “The issue is, can you manage change?”
Fire Update: Lull Persists as
Fires Recede and Rain Approaches
Fire officials reported little but good news on Thursday as fire lines have been holding and chances of rain are increasing through the weekend. Audio of Thursday’s full news conference included.
Florida’s Death Penalty Ruled Unconstitutional
Judge Jose Martinez, a George W. Bush appointee, relied on a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision barring judges from interpreting “aggravating factors” independent of juries’ explicit findings.
Foregoing Raise to Top Staff, School Board Awards 2% to Most Others But Cuts Schedules
High and middle school students will lose 45 minutes a day in instructional time, the equivalent of 21 days, and the 2 percent raise won’t make up for salary losses from higher pension and insurance costs and a shorter work year.
Armed Robbers Strike Hancock Bank In Palm Harbor Shopping Center
At least two robbers were involved in the 2:57 p.m. heist at Hancock Bank near Publix. They got away with money, It’s not known how much. No one was hurt.
Minor Wildfire in Populated Area of Palm Coast’s R Section as Brittle Conditions Persist
The wildfire, the first in Palm Coast outside of the Seminole Woods area, broke out at 3:30 at the intersection of Red Barn and Red Mill Drive in the R Section, not far from Rymfire Elementary, and very near homes.
Optimism Replacing Anxiety Over Flagler’s Wildfires, But Local Costs Keep Climbing
There’s been three successive days of gains on the Espanola fire and elsewhere, with rain in the weekend forecast. The Division of Forestry is not letting up, however, as it plans to maintain a deployment of more than 200 firefighters in Flagler County.
Adding to Mounting Legal Challenges for Scott, Public Employees Sue Over 3% Pension Hit
The class-action lawsuit is filed on behalf of 556,296 public employees, including state workers, teachers and police officers. It echoes frustrations that led the Flagler County School Board to talk lawsuit last week.
Charter, Voucher Advocate Gerard Robinson Is Florida’s New Education Commissioner
Robinson, a Jeb Bush protege, was Virginia’s secretary of education and president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, a pro-school choice group ideologically aligned with Republican reforms.
2 Firefighters Killed in N. Florida, Underscoring Dangers of Violent Flares on Contained Fires
The Blue Ribbon fire near Jasper was not large and had been declared contained, but the firefighters were reportedly overrun by a sudden flare-up as they were extending fire-lines–as DOF firefighters are doing every day on the Espanola fire in Flagler County.
As Mayor Netts Gives Up On New City Hall in Near Future, Tea Party Wants a Referendum
Palm Coast’s proposed $10 million city hall appears dead for now. Should it rise again, it would be financed by bonds, not cash, and would have to be approved in a referendum, Mayor Jon Netts says in a significant shift, disarming opponents.
Risk-Avoidance: July 4 Fireworks Canceled in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s Town Center
The Flagler County Commission canceled both fireworks shows, saying it would be too risky in fire-prone, drought conditions despite projected rains. The $30,000 worth of fireworks may be staged around Labor Day.
20% Down Mortgage Requirement Would End Middle Class Home-Ownership As We Know It
If a proposed Qualified Residential Mortgage Rule (QRM) of 20% down and spending less than 28% of monthly gross income on the mortgage takes effect, Marc Morial of the National Urban League argues, middle class home ownership will be a thing of the past.
4 New Fires Saturday as Division of Forestry Escalates Battle and Tactics Against Espanola
The Division of Forestry now has more firefighting personnel in Flagler County than all the county’s and cities’ squads combined as DOF fights a make-or-break tactical battle against the Espanola fire.
Strong Thunderstorms and Excessive Lightning for Eastern Flagler–And Needed Rain
The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather advisory–involving excessive lightning and wind–for eastern Flagler County, including Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, in effect until 5 p.m. For the fires, it’s a double-edged sword.
Double Chest CT Scans: More Radiation and Costs; FHF’s 8% Rate Higher Than Average
Nationwide, hospitals performed double scans on 5.4 percent of Medicare patients who received chest CTs, but 618 hospitals performed the tests on at least 10 percent of Medicare patients, though experts say the double scans are unnecessary.
Big Stand Against Espanola Fire at Threatened FPL Powerlines In Hopes of Halting Blaze
Damage to the 500Kv FPL lines would affect local electricity customers. Beyond the powerlines lay pine-tree farms doused in herbicide, which has dried out underbrush, making it easier to burn. And beyond that: U.S. 1.
Flagler Unemployment at 13.8%,
Florida’s Down to 10.6%
Flagler County’s April unemployment was revised upward to 14 percent, so May’s figure is, officially, another decline. The county’s labor force grew by 64 over the month, but declined by more than 1,000 over the year.
Espanola Fire, Now Over 5,000 Acres, Breaks Out Again On Three Sides; Calm Elsewhere
The calm on Flagler’s smaller fires was deceptive as Espanola broke out on three sides, and fires by the dozens are breaking out across the state, further thinning resources. Drought conditions are worsening.
Finally, Flagler Beach Agrees to Long-Term Pier Restaurant Deal With River Grille Owner
Paying the city $3,000 a month in base rent, Ray Barshay, owner of River Grille in Ormond and Crabby Joe’s in Daytona, plans to revamp the Pier Restaurant into an American, Southern, New Orleans cuisine destination.
Black Hawks Up: Army National Guard Sends 3 Copters to Aid Flagler Firefighting Crews
The three crews logged eight hours on their first afternoon on the job Wednesday, putting their 780-gallon water buckets to work against the Espanola fire. They’re here on an open-ended mission.
Exceeding Goal, Carver Gym Auction Raises $5,370, With More On the Way
Total fund-raising is approaching $7,000 as the gym’s viability, as a community and youth center for South Bunnell, is ensured for at least several years.
Miracle on Sligo Mill Court: Homes Saved From Another Seminole Woods Eruption
The fire in Seminole Woods burst and ran after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, coming within two feet of back porches and forcing evacuations of several homes. Firefighters managed to save every single one.
Rapid Response Beats Back Threat to Seminole Woods Homes; Espanola In New Breakout
Firefighters from every available agency, including the National Guard’s Black Hawk helicopters, were being summoned to battle the latest break-out at the White Eagle fire Wednesday afternoon.