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Featured

Florida Moving To Ban References to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

February 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

florida wind energy ban

Florida lawmakers are moving toward approving an overhaul of state energy laws, including eliminating references to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and imposing a ban on offshore wind-energy generation.

Sally Hunt Is Again a No Show, Raising Questions Among Her School Board Colleagues and Her Seat

February 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

sally hunt no show

School Board member Sally Hunt’s “chronic” absences drew criticism from fellow-Board member Cheryl Massaro at today’s meeting, concerns about the functioning of a board that, without a majority, could see many of its actions fail (a 2-2 vote is equivalent to the death of a motion) and questions about Hunt’s seat when she resign, as she said she will.

Palm Coast Council Postpones Water Rate Increase in Face of Opposition, But Raises Utility Impact Fees on Builders

February 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

A twisty way ahead for Palm Coast's utility infrastructure. Above: pipes at one of the city's water plants. (© FlaglerLive)

There will be no water and sewer rate increase in Palm Coast for now: the Palm Coast City Council today voted 4-1 to postpone a rate increase, while significantly raising “capacity,” or utility impact fees, the one-time levy on builders of new homes and businesses. That revenue is used to defray the cost of growth on the city’s utility infrastructure.

Feral Hogs Are Trampling Residents’ Properties, But County’s Containment Capabilities Are Limited

February 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

Hogs trapped in a net-based county trap, last July. (Flagler County)

As feral hogs continue to trample all over private property in what residents say are increasing numbers spurred by development and a diminishing habitat, the Flagler County Commission is proposing to increase traps, encourage more volunteer to join a corps of hog-hunters, repair fencing along county roads, and work with homeowner associations on their own hog-management plans. But a solution remains elusive.

Palm Coast P-Section’s Last 35 Acres of Trees Leveled to Make Room for 74-Home ‘Ponce Preserve’ Gated Community

February 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 43 Comments

ponce preserve development

The 74-home gated community of Ponce Preserve will be built by in a 35-acre expanse–the last undisturbed expanse in the P-Section–between Point Pleasant Drive, Ponce de Leon Drive, Pony Express Drive and Port Royal Drive. Because it’s under 100 homes, the development did not need to go before either the planning board or the City Council.

Flagler County Plans to End $1.4 Million Contribution for School Deputies, Administrator Tells Superintendent

February 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Since the Parkland massacre, Flagler County schools and county government have split the cost of ensuring that each of the district's schools has at least one full-time deputy on campus. The high schools have two. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito last week wrote Superintendent LaShakia Moore that county government will no longer pay the $1.4 million a year in subsidies for the school district’s School Resource Officer, ending a 50-50 cost-sharing agreement that’s been in place for a decade. The county is not required by law to share the district’s security costs.

Jimmy Carter in Hospice Is Still Better than Trump in White House

February 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 72 Comments

biden age trump senility

Biden is old. He’s slow. He’s forgetful. He trips all over the place, he’s in hiding, and the Democratic Party is a pitiful band of backbenchers who couldn’t give us a more convincing alternative. For all that, compared to Trump he’s still the only credible choice, if it’s a republic we still want. 

Moms for Liberty’s Book of Morons

February 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

The Empty Library book burning moms for liberty

The moms of Moms for “Liberty” are feeling a little touchy, put-upon, even diminished. Their do-boy DeSantis crashed out of the presidential race. They’re losing school board elections. They’re making idiots of themselves in the national media, as when Moms co-founder Tiffany Justice simultaneously defends taking books off school library shelves while denying that Moms want books taken off school library shelves, unless they’re by Black writers or gay writers, or ones dealing with the Holocaust, racism, or any sex.

Equal Justice Initiative Unveils Statue of Rosa Parks

February 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Equal Justice Initiative Executive Director Bryan Stevenson speaks to reporters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in front of the recently unveiled statute of Rosa Parks in Montgomery. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)

The Equal Justice Initiative has unveiled a statue of Rosa Parks at its Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday, part of a broader effort to memorialize civil rights icons.
In the coming months, statues for Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis will also be erected at the museum, connected with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also known as the lynching memorial.

Senate Backs Paul Renner Initiative Banning Children Younger Than 16 From Social Media, With Caveats

February 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Paul Renner, the Palm Coast Republican and House Speaker, is enthusiastically leading a House that has lurched further to the right than under any administration since the Jim Crow era. (© FlaglerLive)

The House overwhelmingly passed the initial version last month, and the newly revised version does not change the basic components. It would prevent children under 16 from creating accounts on at least some social-media platforms; require platforms to terminate existing accounts that they know or have “reason to believe” are held by minors younger than 16; and allow parents to request that minors’ accounts be terminated.

Palm Coast Has No Money to Pave Your Neighborhood Streets. It’ll Apply a Cheap Sealant and Hope for the Best.

February 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 61 Comments

Facing a $10 million deficit in road repairs and no new revenue identified, the Palm Coast City Council approved a diminutive $1 million plan to “microsurface” 29 neighborhood roads and $2.7 million to resurface a few arterial roads. Microsrufacing is not traditional paving. It’s more like a tooth sealant, but for roads: cavities aren’t fixed. They’re covered up. The tentative approach points to the consequences of a council deferring infrastructure needs while rolling back the tax rate.

Flagler Beach Steps Back from Pushing Changes to Mayor’s Powers, Opting for Charter Review Instead

February 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Thursday's workshop was an occasion for a reunion of sorts, drawing in veterans of city government like Don Deal, right, a former chair of a Charter Review Commission and of the city's planning board, and John Fiend, a former city commissioner who served eight years (second from left). They spoke with Commissioners Jane Mealy and Eric Cooley after the meeting. Former Mayor Linda Provencher was also there. (© FlaglerLive)

With a majority of city commissioners and the public speaking their skepticism about changing the make-up of the Flagler Beach City Commission, giving the mayor more voting or veto power, or changing the lengths and limits of commissioners’ terms, a proposal to go down that road appears to be teetering on the edge of a failing vote, if it comes to that. But it won’t. 

Jury Finds Andrew Sharp, 22, Guilty of Raping His 9-Year-Old Cousin and Faces Life in Prison

February 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

A jury found Donald Andrew Sharp, 22, a former Palm Coast resident, guilty of raping his cousin when she was 8 and 9, and of directing her brother to molest her, in case Sharp needed a scapegoat if he were ever accused of improprieties. He will be sentenced to life in prison.

Before Ordering a Costly and Likely Unnecessary Forensic Audit, Palm Coast Will School Itself on Process

February 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

A few people continue to claim, without evidence, that Palm Coast government is corrupt, and to call for a "forensic audit." The City Council is willing to school itself, and others, on such an audit. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council is hesitant to give in to vague and unsubstantiated calls for a forensic audit without first knowing more clearly what such an audit entails, what it will cost the city, and whether it is even necessary in the absence of accounting red flags. The city is soliciting firms to provide that schooling.

GOP Proposal to Teach Tendentious ‘History of Communism’ in K-12 Draws Heated Debate

February 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

The Red Menace returns.

An at-times tense meeting of a House panel exposed a simmering debate about whether a proposal to teach about the history of communism in grades as low as kindergarten is a polarizing idea or, as a supporter said, “not divisive in any way.”

Babysitter Accused of Turning Predator Against Children in His Care Confronts His Most Damning Witness: Himself

February 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Donald Andrew Sharp took the stand in his own defense today. He was not effective. (© FlaglerLive)

Donald Andrew Sharp took the stand in his own defense today in his trial on numerous capital sex charges of raping a child. But he was ineffective in countering his own recorded confessions, in a conversation with the child’s father and with detectives, that he had committed the very acts he is accused of.

Flood-Causing Or Not, Homes Built at Higher Elevations Are Way of the Future, Jonathan Lord Tells Palm Coast

February 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 44 Comments

infill lots higher elevations

For months, residents of Palm Coast’s older sections have been complaining about new homes rising next to them at sharply higher elevations, and seemingly causing flooding on their own lots. Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord, however, told the city council that, in a time of climate change and more pronounced flooding risks, those higher elevations are the way of the future.

Palm Coast Council Still Not Thrilled by Proposed Utility Rate Increases Near 18 Percent Over 3 Years

February 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

palm coast water utilities

As in November, the city’s utility consultant was again tasked with drafting an amendment to a study recommending sharp water and sewer rate increases, on the heels of a 20 percent increase in the last four years. Council members want to know what the consequences would be if certain capital projects were delayed, since they drive a lot of the need for the rate increases through 2028.

Austin Ross, 27-Year-Old Recruit Hopeful with Flagler Sheriff’s Office, Dies Following Physical Agilities Test

February 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 42 Comments

Austin Ross in a Facebook portrait.

Austin Ross, a 27-year-old Palm Coast resident hoping to become a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, fell to the ground during a physical agilities test Monday morning, the first step toward becoming a recruit, and later died of an apparently heart-related medical episode.

In Trial’s Opening, Prosecution Describes Andrew Sharp, 22, as Babysitter Turned Sexual Predator on His Own Young Cousins

February 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Donald Andrew Sharp during jury selection for his trial on numerous capital charges on Monday. He faces life in prison if convicted. (© FlaglerLive)

Donald Andrew Sharp was 20 and 21 when he lived with his cousins in Palm Coast, as their babysitter. He is on trial on charges of raping his cousin when she was 8 and 9, and of forcing her brother to molest her, allegedly as a scapegoat for Sharp: if he were to be blamed, he would turn the accusation toward his young cousin. The two children testified today, after opening arguments by the prosecution. The defense reserved its opening argument for later in the week.

Sally Hunt’s ‘Causes’ to Fire Attorney, Withheld Despite Numerous Requests, Repeat Fabrications and Unfounded Claims

February 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

The Flagler County School Board's Sally Hunt told a reporter she did not think her causes to fire ex-attorney Kristy Gavin were a public record. (© FlaglerLive)

Sally Hunt, who now openly says she will not complete her term on the board, claims she did not think her “notes” on firing former School Board Attorney Kristy Gavin qualified as public records. The list of 10 grievances echoes the six fellow-Board member Christy Chong filed, repeating some of the same inaccuracies or fabrications and making several unsupported statements.

High-Profile Attorney Jose Baez Takes Over Defense of Migrant Virgilio Mendez Accused in Death of Sheriff’s Deputy After Arrest

February 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez was standing near the sign of the Super 8 motel, where he was staying, when a sheriff's deputy found his presence there suspicious last May. (Still from body cam)

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, the 18-year-old migrant facing a manslaughter charge in the heart-attack death of a St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy following Mendez’s arrest on a minor charge, is now represented by Jose Baez, the Miami attorney and one of the most successful and high-profile trial lawyers in the country. Baez’s involvement and a petition that has gathered 600,000 signatures for Mendez’s release reflect the reach of the case far beyond St. Johns County, and shock over a charge that, according to the medical examiner’s conclusion, is disconnected from deputy Michael Kunovich’s heart attack.

MAGA Has Taylor Swift’s Number

February 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

Clearly, Taylor Swift hates America, practices mind control, is corrupting the NFL and is an emissary from the Deep State, but at least people like Stephen Miller, Matt Gaetz and Mike Crispi know the score, and are saving us from the cabal.

Do We Simply Not Care About Old People?

February 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 55 Comments

Rembrandt's self-portrait when he was 63, in 1660. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. But decisive actions that advocates had hoped for haven’t materialized. In the last week of 2023 and the first two weeks of 2024 alone, 4,810 people 65 and older lost their lives to covid — a group that would fill more than 10 large airliners — according to data provided by the CDC. But the alarm that would attend plane crashes is notably absent.

Florida House Approves Nearly Doubling Governor’s Salary

February 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

florida governor salary

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $141,400 annual salary doesn’t make it in the top ten highest paid governors in the country. That needs to be corrected, say state Republican lawmakers, which is why on Thursday they approved a proposal (HB 5007) that would raise the annual salary of the governor to “at least 100%” of what a member of the Florida Supreme Court makes, now $251,414.

Flagler Beach Is Fiercely Opposed to Consolidating Library With County, But Cooperative Intrigues Even Jane Mealy

February 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Flagler Beach's beloved library grew from a stack of books at the Flagler Woman's Club in the 1950s. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler Beach on Thursday formally rejected an inquiry by Flagler County government about the possibility of merging the Flagler Beach Public Library with the county’s system. But that does not necessarily close the book on a collaborative partnership. City Commissioner Jane Mealy, the fiercest defender of the Flagler Beach library’s independence, is intrigued by the possibility of a cooperative that would preserve that independence but expand Flagler Beach residents’ access to county library resources, likely at no additional cost.

In Flagler Beach, A Lack of Consensus Even About the Discussion on Changing Mayor’s Role and Commission’s Make-Up

February 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

flagler beach city commission roles referendum mayor voting

The Flagler Beach City Commission is heading to a Feb. 15 workshop to discuss possibly placing on a referendum questions about changing the mayor’s role to a voting one, changing commissioners’ terms, and changing the role of the chair. But the commission is more divided than not both about the questions themselves and the purpose of the workshop. That does not bode well for its outcome–at least the outcome Commission Chair Eric Cooley wants, which is to put the questions to a referendum.

Lab-Grown Meat Companies Push Back Against Florida Lawmakers’ Attempt to Ban Their Product

February 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

lab made meat cultured

Two California companies can now offer lab-grown meat in restaurants and eventually supermarkets following approval of their products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last June. But those same products would be banned in Florida if lawmakers approve a proposal moving through the Legislature. The bill by Tampa Bay-area Republican Jay Collins (SB 1084) would make it unlawful for anyone to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute “cultivated” meat in Florida. A violator could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.

School Board’s Sally Hunt Is Getting Tired of All Those Celebratory Spotlights and Awareness Proclamations

February 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

School Board member Sally Hunt thinks proclamations and spotlights take too much of the board's time. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt does not seem to be enjoying her job. At least not the fun parts, the parts that give district teachers, employees and students a chance to showcase their accomplishments, the parts that give the community a voice through proclamations. They just drag on too long, and maybe they shouldn’t be part of the “business” portion of the meetings, Hunt told her colleagues at a workshop earlier this week, as she spoke from an undisclosed location, phoning it in.

Heidi Petito Gets a Combined C+ from Commissioners’ Evaluation of Her 2nd Full Year as County Administrator

February 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 20 Comments

It was not the strongest evaluation year for Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito, who scored a C-plus from the five combined reviews by her county commissioner bosses, despite perfect scores from two of the five. But the commissioners’ written comments to Petito generally painted a more complimentary picture than their numbers.

Some Florida Justices Skeptical About State’s Attempt to Keep Abortion Rights Amendment Off the Ballot

February 7, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

A Florida Supreme Court hearing Wednesday on a proposed constitutional amendment about abortion rights drew demonstrators on each side of the issue. (Tom Urban)

Some justices questioned how far the court can go to prevent initiatives from being placed on the ballot as they heard arguments about whether a proposal to ensure abortion rights in the state should be placed on th November ballot. “People in Florida aren’t stupid. I mean, they can figure this out,” Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said.

Palm Coast Clears Way for $31 Million Connector to Loop Road Through Vacant West of the City, With a Warning to FPL

February 7, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

FPL Palm Coast Council criticism

The Palm Coast City Council on approved four related measures that will advance the opening to development of 12,000 acres on the west side of U.S. 1, from the Matanzas Woods Parkway area, including a $25 million state grant contributing to the cost of a $31 million connector road, dubbed a “flyover,” that will cross above the Florida East Coast railroad corridor. But FPL drew withering criticism from council members over the manner in which the company is charging the city for an “estimate” about moving its infrastructure as part of the Matanzas Woods project.

Brenan Hill Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, as Her Cousin Tells Him: ‘I Loathe You’

February 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Brenan Hill took the stand during his sentencing hearing this afternoon. He did not help himself. (© FlaglerLive)

Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this afternoon sentenced Brenan Hill to life in prison for the murder of Savannah Gonzalez in the Publix parking lot off Belle Terre Parkway the morning of March 26, 2021. Gonzalez was 22 when Hill shot her that morning. She lived, incapacitated, hospitalized and unaware, until Nov. 9, 2022, when she died. Hill’s initial explanations for the shooting were a confederacy of lies.

County Gives Its Constitutional Officers Extra Month to Prepare Budget in a Year of ‘Uncertainties’

February 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

flagler county budget 2024-25

The Flagler County Commission on Monday voted to give its constitutional officers an extra month–until June 1–to turn in their proposed budgets for the fiscal year beginning Oct.1, ahead of what County Administrator Heidi Petito described as a year of “uncertainty.” The commission also appeared to agree, without a formal vote, to reduce the tax rate next year, though that may end up being more of a symbolic than an substantial reduction.

DeSantis Lends Support to Proposal Banning Local Governments from Giving Refuge to Homeless on Public Property

February 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

homeless desantis

Saying that while no city in Florida is contending with the issues of homelessness that are prevalent in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday came out in support of a proposal moving through the Florida Legislature that would ban local governments from allowing people to sleep on public property without a permit.

Roundabout Will Be Built on Old Kings Road by Bulow Plantation, at Entrance to Radiance Development

February 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

A roundabout will be built at the intersection of Old Kings Road and the entrance to Bulow Plantation, to the right, and Radiance, whose white-dirt driveway is visible to the left. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission approved spending roughly $2.5 million to build a roundabout on Old Kings Road, at the intersection with the entrance to Bulow Plantation and what will be the entrance to the Radiance development–what used to be known as Eagle Lakes.

Florida’s Open Season on Civil Liberties

February 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 20 Comments

A bear at rest. (FWC)

Florida lawmakers don’t care about the insurance crisis; they don’t care about runaway rents; they don’t care about hungry children or sick women or the climate crisis or pollution or the teacher shortage or anything that you and I and anyone else with two brain cells to rub together would identify as pressing problems here in the increasingly dysfunctional State of Florida. What they care about is ending your liberties. Here’s a list.

Florida’s Sunshine Law Is Dying

February 3, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

Democratic Sen. J. Emory “Red” Cross of Gainesville pioneered Florida's modern Sunshine Law. He would not recognize it today. (Florida Memory)

The battle, mostly lost, is not those individual exemptions to the Sunshine Law. It’s the totality of what’s been lost over the years: a presumption of openness has been replaced by the reverse, thanks to an unspoken but very effective bureaucracy of secrecy by process. The secrecy isn’t explicit. Most of your average government gatekeepers would never think of themselves as suppressing information. But the rules they have in place, allowing them to delay, obfuscate, censor and charge a ton of money before they comply, amount to the same thing: secrecy as standard operating procedure. 

Law Restricting Chinese People From Owning Property in Florida Doesn’t Pass Smell Test, Court Rules

February 3, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Comparison of European immigrants, represented in the left panel as virtues, while Chinese immigrants are represented by a serpent representing maladies, The Wasp (San Francisco), Vol. 7, 1881

A federal appeals court said a Florida law restricting people from China from owning property in the state likely is trumped by federal law and blocked its enforcement against two plaintiffs who have been in the midst of real-estate transactions.

Flagler County Lands $4 Million Grant for South Branch Library, Nearing $16 Million Needed for Construction

February 2, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Drawing on federal funds channeled through Florida–and the strength of a grant application by Holly Albanese, the county’s library director and chief of special projects–Flagler County today was awarded a $4 million grant for its planned $16 million south-branch library in Bunnell, known as the “Nexus Center.” It is a major win for the county, all but securing the necessary funding for the library, which has been a dream of the library Board of Trustees for a decade.

Federal Judge Rules Against Palestinian Students on Florida Campuses, Saying They’ve Not Been Silenced

February 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

A demonstration organized by Students for Justice in Palestine. (Facebook)

Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida and Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of South Florida filed lawsuits in November alleging that efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state university leaders to disband the groups violated their First Amendment rights.

Palm Coast Mayor Spotlights State of City’s Heroes and Names Flagler Cares’ Carrie Baird Citizen of the Year

February 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Palm Coast Mayor Daviod Alfin went into the crowd of more than 200 at this evening's State of the State address for a little preamble. (© FlaglerLive)

At Palm Coast’s State of the City Thursday evening, Mayor David Alfin awarded David Lydon the Public Service Award for his work with veterans. Erik Libby and The To-Do-Dudes got the Next Generation Award, and Flagler Care’s Carrie Baird received the Citizen of the Year Award for her dedication to “building a robust social safety net for our community.”

Flagler Beach Breathes Sigh of Relief as Beach Front Grille Announces It’s Here to Stay

February 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Beach Front Grille near the south end of Flagler Beach is staying put. (© FlaglerLive)

After days of uncertainty when Beach Front Grille owner Jamie Bourdeau had publicly announced that the business was over half a million dollars short of the money needed to buy out the location, Bourdeau today announced that the deal had worked out, and that the restaurant, which opened in 2014, would remain at its A1A location.

Flagler Pride Installs Its New Board as It Looks To Be a ‘Beacon of Support and Empowerment’

January 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Flagler Pride, Flagler County's LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, installed its new board on Jan. 12. From left, Quinn "Azaria Vickers," Margaret "Maggie" Potter, Skyler Loder and Tyler Matthew Jones. (Chris Gollon)

Flagler Pride, the non-profit Eryn Harris established four years ago as the county’s first LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, and the organizational muscle behind the annual Pride Fest, installed its new, four-member board at Coquina Coast Brewing on Jan. 12. It’s led by President Tyler Jones, with Skyler Loder as vice president, Margaret “Maggie” Potter as secretary and Calvin Vincent Neugent as treasurer. The organization’s founding board members–Harris, Erica Rivera and Garrett Marinconz–have taken on advisory roles.

Ending Speculation, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Announces Re-Election Run and Joins Crowded Field

January 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 36 Comments

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is running again, and will announce his reelection campaign on Thursday. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, first elected in July 2021 to complete the term of Melissa Holland, will run for a full four-year term in an Aug. 20 primary that has drawn four other candidates so far. In 2021, Alfin won in a six-way race, taking 36 percent of the vote. His absence from the list of declared candidates had begun to draw speculations about his intentions, though he left no doubt about those in an interview on Tuesday.

Mother of 6-Week-Old Boy at Project Warm Is Charged with Aggravated Child Abuse After Discovery of Burns

January 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Project Warm on Justice Lane in Bunnell is a behavioral health program that supports pregnant women or young mothers rehabilitating from substance disorders. (© FlaglerLive)

Jessica Marie Jordan, a 35-year-old resident of Project Warm, the behavioral health program in Bunnell for pregnant women and young mothers who have battled addiction, is at the Flagler County jail, facing two grave child abuse charges after her 6-week-old child was found to have burn marks that were several days old. Jordan has been a client, or resident, at Project Warm since May 2.

Bill Would Impose $100 Fee on Non-Parents Who Want Books Banned, But Only If They Lose the Challenge

January 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

As in the rest of the country, the books targeted for bans by Flagler County School Board member Jill Woolbright are by or about marginalized people. (© FlaglerLive)

An earlier version of the bill (HB 7025) proposed a $100 “processing” fee for people who file more than five book objections in a calendar year if the people do not have students enrolled in the schools where the books are challenged. But under the change approved Tuesday by the House Education & Employment Committee, the fees would only be assessed if book challenges are unsuccessful. The House panel unanimously approved the revised bill.

Defense Files Motion to Dismiss Manslaughter Charge Against Migrant in Arrest Followed by Deputy’s Heart Attack

January 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez at a hearing before Circuit Judge R. Lee Smith in St. Augustine on DEc. 22. Smith determined Mendez was not competent to stand trial. (Pool)

Two weeks after all but accusing the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office of fabricating parts of the account surrounding the arrest of 18-year-old Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, the migrant’s defense attorney has filed a motion to dismiss the manslaughter count against him, calling it “legally insufficient” and arguing that there’s no connection between Mendez and what led to the death of Sheriff’s deputy Michael Kunovich of a heart attack after the arrest.

Contrary to Flagler Beach’s Impressions, Palm Coast Is Not Pursuing Veranda Bay for Annexation

January 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

New construction at Veranda Bay. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast is not pursuing the annexation of Veranda Bay, the 335-home development formerly known as The Gardens on John Anderson Highway, nor would it pursue an annexation: that would be the land owner’s prerogative. And in veranda Bay’s case, the developer has not filed any kind of formal document suggesting he’d want to annex into Palm Coast.

Circle K Murder Trial of Marcus Chamblin Is Set for April 8, With Co-Conspirator’s Trial Soon to Follow

January 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Marcus Chamblin, in the orange and white jail garb, at docket sounding this morning in court. (© FlaglerLive)

Circuit Judge Terence Perkins today set April 8 as the trial date for Marcus Chamblin, one of two defendants facing a first-degree murder charge in the October 12, 2019 murder of Deon O’Neal Jenkins and an attempted murder charge in the shooting of a second victim, whose name authorities have not released. The shooting took place in the parking lot of the Circle K gas station and convenience store on Palm Coast Parkway, off of Belle Terre Parkway.

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