Florida Republicans are scared of higher education. Colleges. Universities. Known hotbeds of wokery, Marxism, and foreign languages, they should instead focus on the one thing that matters to real Americans: training future cogs in the uber-capitalist machine and sports.
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Teron, in 2nd Trial, Is Guilty on All Charges of Raping 7-Year-Old Niece; Will Be Sentenced to Life in Prison
In Monserrate Teron’s second trial in six weeks, a jury of four men and two women today found the former Army nurse guilty of raping and molesting his 7-year-old niece at his Palm Coast home in November 2019. The jury deliberated three hours, its decision finally, clearly clinched by the testimony of the child, now 11, whom Teron had victimized for years.
Facing Cash Crunch and Skirting Rules, DeSantis Appears as ‘Special Guest’ at His Own Campaign Events
As DeSantis deals with a cash crunch, firing staffers, a super PAC required by law to keep its distance from him is now being assigned more campaign tasks, enabling DeSantis to take advantage of a loophole allowing a candidate to appear as a special guest at a super PAC event.
Prosecution Lets Glaring Falsehood, Key to Defense’s Arguments, Go Unchallenged as Rape Trial Goes to Jury
The prosecution and defense delivered their closing arguments in Monserrate Teron’s second trial in six weeks on charges he raped his 7-year-old niece in Palm Coast in 2019. The prosecution never challenged a key but medically false claim at the center of Teron’s defense: that since he suffered from erectile dysfunction, he could not have orgasmed as he was abusing his niece.
At African American Society, ‘Summer of 1969’ Exhibit Kicks Off Festival of Cultural Events
The art exhibit at Palm Coast’s African American Cultural Society, opening Saturday, and its numerous related programs, centers on “Summer of Soul,” the 2021 documentary film about the nearly forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival colloquially known as the “Black Woodstock.”
Palm Coast Man, 43, Is Killed in Rear-End Crash with Stopped Semi on I-95
A 43-year-old Palm Coast man lost his life Wednesday night in a rear-end crash as traffic was stalled on I-95 near the Old Dixie Highway interchange.
Flagler County Uses False Information as It Asks Cities to Support Increase in Sales Tax
Flagler County government is disseminating false information about the proportion of the local sales tax paid by visitors as it seeks letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach to increase the county’s sales tax by half a percent.
AdventHealth Prepares to Open Palm Coast Parkway Hospital, Doubling ER and Patient Capacity
The 158,000-sqaure-foot facility, which cost $167 million, includes 100 inpatient beds, which will double the inpatient capacity for Flagler County when added to AdventHealth Palm Coast, the hospital that recently marked its 20th anniversary at its campus on S.R. 100 just west of I-95.
Palm Coast Franchise Fee Killed Again as FPL Balks at Referendum; City Must Cut Budget $2.8 Million
The Palm Coast City Council is set to abandon the unpopular franchise fee it proposed adding to electric bills only last week. City Council member Theresa Pontieri said today she will withdraw the motion that she’d made on July 18. The reason, according to the city manager: Florida Power and Light won’t accept the city’s terms.
Waste Pro and Palm Coast Drop All Claims Against Each Other in Bingate Settlement
Waste Pro and Palm Coast signed an agreement that will have Palm Coast release $153,150 owed Waste Pro. The city will also void the $66,350 fines the company had accrued. Neither side admits wrong-doing. Neither side will sue.
ACLU Accused Florida Supreme Court of Abusing Its Authority on Recreational Pot Initiative
In a brief supporting a citizens’ initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use, the ACLU accuses the Florida Supreme Court of abusing its authority to strike proposed state constitutional amendments from the ballot.
Jury Selection in Teron’s 2nd Trial Again Rattles Jurors
A jury of four men and four women, including two alternates, was seated late this afternoon in the trial of Monserrate Teron, his second in six weeks on charges that the 59-year-old Palm Coast resident and former Army nurse raped his 7-year-old niece at his home in 2019. The first trial ended with a deadlocked jury of 12.
District Breaks Ground on Two-Year, $22.6 Million Matanzas High School Expansion
The $22.6 million project is the largest on a Flagler school campus in a decade and a half, adding 20,000 square feet, including classrooms, and renovating 11,000 square feet over the next two years.
Will Furry’s Rate Plan for Belle Terre Swim Club Is ‘Ludicrous’ and Disconnected from Reality
School Board member Will Furry is demanding a new rate structure for Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club that is based on “personal belief unmoored to any study or research,” Doug Courtney, who leads the club’s advisory board, argues. The rates would increase sharply, and be split into tiers. The board is voting on the new rates Tuesday evening.
The Republican Brand Returns to White Supremacy
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is another example of how the Republican brand is no longer bigger business and smaller government. It’s white supremacy. Their platform? White supremacy. Their political and social goals? White supremacy.
Barack Obama’s Defense of Librarians Amid ‘Profoundly Misguided’ Book Bans and Attacks
“You’re on the front lines – fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas available to everyone,” Obama tells librarians in a letter. “Your dedication and professional expertise allow us to freely read and consider information and ideas, and decide for ourselves which ones we agree with.”
Florida’s Magical Negro History Standards
We now have the Magical Negro elevated to an entire curriculum. It’s Florida’s African American History standards. The standards are an excellent illustration of what American history looks like through white eyes, and how whites are the best thing that ever happened to Black people, who apparently should worship the Middle Passage down the chains of their ancestry.
Confrontation and Felony Charge Over a Private Walkway and a Seawall Point to Erosion of Different Kind
Jason Wiles, a beachside resident north of Flagler Beach–and the husband of an assistant county attorney–faces a felony battery charge after a confrontation with a neighbor over a private walkway. The incident is illustrative of new kinds of tensions becoming part of beachside norms as recurring consequences of rising seas erode more than just shorelines: the fabric of beachside culture is also fraying.
Excessive Heat Warning for Flagler and Palm Coast Today as Heat Index Will Reach 113
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has issued a rare excessive heat warning for Flagler County and Northeast Florida. Near record heat will combine with summertime humidity today to produce dangerous heat index values. The heat index is expected to reach 113 in the Palm Coast-Flagler area today, and 112 Saturday, before falling to 106 on Sunday and 100 on Monday.
Jury Finds Nysean Giddens Not Guilty in Overdose Drug Death of Shaun Callahan, 1st Such Acquittal in Flagler
After deliberating nearly four hours, a 12-member jury this afternoon acquitted Nysean Giddens, 25, of first degree murder in the overdose drug death of Shaun James Callahan, 37, at his Palm Coast home in September 2020. It is the first time a person charged with murder or manslaughter in an overdose death in Flagler County was found not guilty at trial.
Palm Coast Planning Board Approves 275 Town Homes Off Citation Boulevard Near Belle Terre Blvd.
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening recommended approval of the development of 275 upscale town-home apartments in a gated community on 40 acres at the southeast corner of Citation Boulevard and Belle Terre Boulevard. One of the developer’s representatives described the project as “an upscale community without being unaffordable,” which may have broken new ground in real estate doublespeak.
State Approves Florida’s New Version of Black History Standards as Teachers Blister Half-Truths and Errors
Students at Florida public schools will now learn that Black people benefitted from slavery because it taught them skills. This change is part of the African American history standards the State Board of Education approved at a Wednesday meeting.
Arrested in Drunk-Driving Killing of Lee-Ann Daley, Joseph Siano Is Denied Bond Until Trial in Rare Ruling
Joseph Siano, 64, was denied bond in a rare ruling following his arrest on a drunk driving manslaughter charge in the death of 46-year-old Lee-Ann Daley as he drove the wrong way on U.S. 1 in Palm Coast last December, after he was cut off from drinking at Pine Lakes Golf Club.
Palm Coast Rezones Coquina Shores for 750 Homes as Details of Development North of SR100 Emerge
Coquina Shores, the 750-home development planned as a 505-acre gated community in a north-south rectangle north of State road 100 and east of Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, will be built with $65 million in infrastructure and run as its own community development district, or CDD, like Grand Haven and Hammock Dunes.
Tone-Deaf Flagler County Wants Palm Coast and Other Cities to Support Sales Tax Increase
The Flagler County Commission will seek letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to raise the county’s sales surtax to 7.5 percent and generate an additional $10 million that would be shared between the four governments and used at their discretion. Palm Coast’s answer may well be: Read the room.
Flagler County Faces a $5.6 Million Deficit in Road Costs Over Next 5 Years; Gas Tax Is Tapped Out
Flagler County government is facing an estimated $5.6 million deficit in the next five years in the required local match for nearly a dozen road projects the state Department of Transportation is financing. That’s in addition to a need for $2.6 million in annual dollars for maintenance of the county’s roads. The County Commission is planning to approve only $2 million next year.
Palm Coast in Ugly Meeting Votes to Lower Tax Rate Substantially and Add New, Modest Fee for Now
In another unseemly, disconcerting meeting that included coarse language and flaring tempers from the dais and rowdy and name-calling behavior from a floor thronged with residents, the Palm Coast City Council today substantially lowered the property tax rate in one vote and with another approved new fee or tax–a very modest one for now–on power bills.
Lawsuit Calls Florida’s New Immigration Law Unconstitutional and ‘Xenophobic’
A coalition of groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court over Florida’s recently enacted immigration law, specifically challenging the section of the law that makes it a felony for individuals to transport an undocumented immigrant across state lines as being unconstitutional.
Ed Danko Makes Inaccurate Claims in Campaign Ad Ahead of Council Vote on New Electric Fee (or Tax)
On Tuesday morning, the Palm Coast City Council will consider adopting a utility franchise fee that could add up to 6 percent to the cost of residents’ electric utility bills and significantly add to the city’s tax-revenue structure. In his opposition to the proposal, Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko circulated a campaign email that made inaccurate and misleading statements.
As Fleet Ages, Flagler Schools Looks to Finance Purchase of 16 New Buses, With Interest
The district has cleared the way for its financial adviser to prepare a request for proposal that would seek bankers’ offers to finance what would amount to a $2.6 or $2.8 million purchase of 16 buses that would be delivered during the 2024-25 school year. That would replace 16 buses that are today 15 years old.
End Legacy Admissions
Who will benefit from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down race as a factor in college admissions? Mostly, just wealthy white people. That’s because the ruling refused to touch so-called “legacy admissions.” Colleges are free to continue giving preferential treatment to the children of alumni, donors, and other well-connected, privileged people.
Pandemic Wanes, But Attacks on Public Health and Misinformation About Vaccines Don’t
Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask and vaccine use, and they attacked restrictions on gatherings. That’s not over.
Ron DeSantis’ Very Gay Ad
Ron DeSantis wants you to know he’s a manly man, a manlier man than any manly man ever born, with mighty currents of 100-proof androgen surging through his sinews. He made a video about it. Diane Roberts asks: how could this steaming pile of bovine excrement (and lightning bolts shooting out of the governor’s eyes) get released by his campaign?
Flagler Beach Offers City Manager’s Job, By Acclamation, to Dale Martin of Fernandina Beach
The Flagler Beach City Commission today voted to hire Dale Martin, the city manager in Fernandina Beach for seven years until last March, as its next city manager. If each commissioner could vote twice for him, that’s what would have happened: he was that acclaimed.
Verdict in Teron’s 2nd Trial Means Life in Prison or Acquittal as Judge Prods Lawyers Toward Last Plea Attempt
Weeks after a hung jury and days from Monserrate Teron’s second trial on capital charges of raping his 7-year-old granddaughter, a judge today spurred lawyers on both sides to give a plea deal one more go, but chances of such a deal are slim. The trial begins July 24.
Yes, There Is a Free Lunch
Step back a moment and take stock of the paradox. On one hand a community can and should take pride in its willingness to rally for those in need. On the other hand, there should not be such things as food drives–not in a country that presumes itself wealthy and civilized. There should not be food insecurity, period. Basic nutrition is a human right, as ought to be universal food assistance where necessary and free school meals whether necessary or not.
Disney’s Bob Iger Calls ‘Preposterous and Inaccurate’ DeSantis Claims of ‘Sexualizing’ Children
Disney CEO Bob Iger dismissed as “preposterous” arguments by Gov. Ron DeSantis that the company is “sexualizing children” or experiencing a drop in attendance at its Florida resorts because of a long-running fight with the governor.
Flagler Beach in 4-1 Vote Approves a 39-Unit Apartment Complex Off Leslie Street, Near SR100
The Flagler Beach City Commission Wednesday evening cleared the way for a 39-unit, two-building apartment complex on 3.2 acres between Leslie and Joyce streets, off of John Anderson Highway and just south of State Road 100. The 4-1 vote followed insistance from commissioners that the development’s recreational amenities be more enhanced as such.
Semi Crash on I-95 Spills Chemicals and Shuts Down All Northbound Lanes Near Matanzas Woods
A tandem tractor trailer that crashed into a disabled car on I-95 early this morning spilled hazardous chemicals and caused the closure of the highway’s northbound lanes and two of its southbound lanes. No one was injured, and the chemical spill was deemed of no danger to the public, according to the Palm Coast Fire Department.
Ugly as Tin, the Glaring, $12 Million Bridge Over SR100 Is Radiating Concerns–and Publicity
The just-completed A-frame pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 has turned into a recurring joke and a legitimate traffic concern that the county is addressing. But some officials see an opportunity in the bad publicity the bridge is attracting, because with it comes tourist interest and a potential marketing coup.
District ‘Playing Games’ With Belle Terre Swim Club Books, Hurting Revenue Picture
Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin is objecting to the way the district is accounting for the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s revenue numbers and pointing to a shell game that has made the club’s balance sheet look much worse than it is.
Palm Coast Explores 6% Tax on All Electric Bills Through ‘Franchise Fee’ Repeatedly Opposed in Past
For the third time in 11 years, the Palm Coast City Council is exploring the imposition of a new, 6 percent tax on all electricity bills by way of a so-called “franchise fee” that would be levied on Florida Power and Light and passed down to customers.
Cancer Will Have New Foe in Town as AdventHealth Palm Coast Announces $30 Million Center on SR 100
AdventHealth Palm Coast officials and benefactors unveiled the latest expansion of the State Road 100 campus: the Freytag Health Plaza, a $30 million, 30,000 square foot, two-level cancer and rehab center that will open with the newest technology at the beginning of 2025.
Flagler County Whirs Closer to Buying $5.4 Million Replacement for FireFlight Helicopter
In a busy pair of meetings today, the Flagler County Commission got closer to buying a new emergency helicopter, set the maximum tax rate for next year, and set proposed rates that would increase garbage pick-up costs by 45 percent.
Flagler County Library’s Budget, Hours and Staffing Shrunk as Population Increased 25%
Flagler County’s population has increased 25 percent since 2010, but the budget of the county library has shrunk 3 percent when adjusted for inflation, the library’s hours have been cut, it’s lost staffing and its materials budget has declined.
Harsher Drug Penalties Aren’t Helping Addicts Recover
A former drug addict who now helps others overcome their addiction describes his experience: Compassionate treatment and care make it possible to recover. Putting punishment before healing does not. But state laws are getting harsher, at addicts’ expense.
In Flagler Beach, Warning Tickets Can Be Commuted Into Christmas Toys for Needy
The Flagler Beach Police Department is proud to announce that the summer version of our “Toys for Tickets”, titled “Christmas in July,” has returned.
Privacy Right v. Abortion Ban at Heart of Florida Supreme Court Case Set for September
The court issued an order scheduling a hearing in a challenge to a 2022 law that prevented abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The outcome of the case also will affect a law passed this year that would bar abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — and could determine whether a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution will protect abortion rights.
Families Flee Florida and Other States Thwarting Transgender Care
Missouri, Florida, and Texas are among at least 20 states that have limited components of gender-affirming health care for trans youth. Those three states are also among the states that prevent Medicaid — the public health insurance for people with low incomes — from paying for key aspects of such care for patients of all ages.
Biden’s Immoral, Indefensible Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The Biden administration’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine is a deeply controversial move given the munition is prohibited by more than 120 countries because of immense risks to civilian populations. The U.S. is still inexplicably holding out from joining an international ban on cluster bombs.