Building on the success of mRNA vaccines for covid, scientists hope to create mRNA-based vaccines against influenza, Zika, rabies, HIV, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which hospitalizes 3 million children under age 5 each year worldwide. Researchers see promise in mRNA to treat cancer, cystic fibrosis, and rare, inherited metabolic disorders, although potential therapies are still many years away.
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Sunshine Sunday: Keeping Open Government From Eclipse in Florida
Today, there are 1,138 exemptions to Florida’s open government laws, almost 200 more than 20 years ago, and growing. The public cannot simply rely on the good-natured commitment of those in government to safeguard transparency. Sunshine Week is the collective national effort to keep government doors to the public open, and its roots began in Florida.
A Fringe Legal Theory Could Reshape State Election Laws
The U.S. Supreme Court this month left open the possibility that it could endorse a fringe conservative legal theory–the “independent state legislature doctrine”–that would give state legislatures unchecked powers over election rules before the 2024 presidential election.
‘Is Our Democracy At Risk?’ Answer Question in Flagler/Volusia ACLU Essay Contest; $850 in Prize Money
If you’re a high school student in Flagler or Volusia counties, here’s your chance to answer the question in an original essay of up to 2,000 words and participate in the ACLU of Florida’s annual essay contest, with cash prizes sponsored by FlaglerLive. The deadline is April 4.
Man Accused of Terrorism Embroils Palm Coast Organization in Controversy Over Ukrainian Orphans
A Palm Coast non-profit called Loving Families and Homes for Orphans, caring for Ukrainian children, is being unfairly tarnished by the involvement with the non-profit of Matt Shea, a Spokane, Wash., man accused of domestic terrorism and tied to hate groups, the husband of the non-profit’s leader says.
Confirmed: BJ’s Wholesale Club Is Lined Up for Palm Coast on SR 100 Near County Airport
In a deal close to completion, BJ’s Wholesale Club will build a 103,000 square foot store on SR100, with two restaurants, a gas station, a tire store and a few other businesses. Jay Gardner, the Flagler County property appraiser, who owns the land, confirmed the development on Friday, as did regulatory documents before the county planning division.
Cornelius Baker’s Death Sentence Commuted to Life In Prison 15 Years After Murder of Elizabeth Uptagrafft in Bunnell Woods
It took Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano three minutes to put an end to the 15-year murder and death penalty case of Cornelius Baker, who, with Patricia Roosa, on Jan. 7, 2007, murdered Elizabeth Uptagrafft after beating her and her family and kidnapping her from her home in Daytona Beach.
Palm Coast Planning Board Unhappily Approves 418-Home Subdivision on U.S. 1 Despite Quality Concerns
Palm Coast Planning Board members were disappointed with both the presentation of the project and its proposed 40- and 50-foot lots, raising questions of quality. “At some point we’ve got to start looking at some better products,” a board member said. The board approved the subdivision in a 5-1 vote.
No Moratorium Here: Palm Coast Approves Another Dollar General, This One on US1 Near White View
The Palm Coast Planning Board approved the addition of a Dollar General–the seventh such discount box store in Palm Coast–on U.S. 1 just north of White View Parkway, currently considered a food desert. Discount stores have faced criticism for exploiting just such food deserts, but the developer pledges to have fresh produce on sale.
In Merciful Sentence, Judge and Prosecution Recognize Defendant’s ‘Huge Service’ in Securing Other Convictions
La Darrien McCaskill, 22, was one of six co-conspirator in one of two armed robberies in 2018 and 2019, which sent others to prison for three to 15 years. He cooperated, and got off with the most merciful sentence so far: no prison. Six months at the local county jail, two years of house arrest, three years on probation.
8 Candidates, Most With Strong Credentials, Apply to Fill Palm Coast Council Seat Vacated by Barbosa
The eight applicants for appointment to the District 2 seat of the Palm Coast City Council are Tony Amaral Jr., Bob Coffman, John Fanelli, Larry Gross, Hung Hilton, Carl Jones Sr., Perry Mitrano and William Schreiber. The council meets in special session on March 22 to consider making the appointment, which must be final by the end of the month.
Recognizing Limited Capabilities, Bunnell Outsources Violent Crimes Investigations to Sheriff for $120,000
The Bunnell City Commission on Monday approved a $120,000 contract with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to outsource investigations of its most violent crimes to the agency one of its commissioners calls “big brother.”
Badass “Revolutionists” Guillotine France’s Reign of Terror in City Repertory Theatre Comedy
“The Revolutionists” features four women of revolutionary France, three of them famous in their own right, all of them feminists before their time, as they navigate the chaos, intrigue, treachery and murderous violence of France’s Reign of Terror in 1793 Paris.
New Statewide Testing System for Schools Is Now Law, But Hurdles Are Ahead
From how much time students and teachers will spend on the new methods and exams to how the system will gel with federal testing requirements, Florida will have to navigate a new way to test kids.
Outrage Mixes With Confusion as Public Rips Into Mayor Alfin’s Proposal to Quadruple Palm Coast Council Salaries
The criticism of Mayor David Alfin’s proposal to raise salaries from just under $10,000 to $44,670 was called “exorbitant,” “excessive,” “offensive,” while the manner in which it was proposed drew sharp rebukes, but the public also mixed confusion with misrepresentations of numerous facts some of which the council attorney confused more than clarified.
Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte, Unequaled in Local Leadership and Admirers, Will Retire in October
Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte, a managerial guru to some, a mentor and father figure to many, and the self-effacing, sure-handed leader of the fire and other city departments over the past several years, announced today in an emotional address to the City Council that he would be retiring in October.
We Bought a Home in the Hammock. Vacation Rentals Are Turning Our Street Into a Commercial Strip.
Angela and David Bailus bought what they thought was their dream home on Hernandez Avenue in the Hammock. Now their short street is a cluster of vacation rentals that has changed the complexion of their residential serenity into a commercial zone.
Lawmakers Approve Record $112 Billion Budget as DeSantics Calls Session ‘Year of the Parent’
Lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis met in the afternoon at the 4th floor of the state Capitol building to close out the Legislature’s work, with the annual “sine die” tradition of the handkerchief drop to adjourn the two-month session.
He Beats His 7 Year Old Then Has Her Cover the Welts so She Doesn’t Get in Trouble at School
Joshua Rodriguez, 33, a resident of Palm Coast’s P Section, is accused of whipping his 7-year-old daughter with a belt because she was screaming. Authorities uncovered evidence of additional alleged abuse. He faces a felony charge.
Florida’s Employment Level Falls Back to Pre-Pandemic Level; Flagler’s Revised Unemployment Jumps to 3.9%
The number of Flagler County residents with jobs–46,902–is almost 1,000 greater than it was in January 2020, just before the pandemic caused widespread job losses. Flagler County’s labor force, at 48,779, is still shy of the record set in 2021, when it hit 49,000 in October.
Not Just in Elementary School: GOP Targets University Tenure to Mum Discussions of Race and Sex Orientation
Tenure is facing threats to its survival, at least in some parts of the country, as Republican politicians in Texas and other states push to restrict or eliminate it, with continuing efforts to restrict the teaching of race and sexual orientation in college and university classrooms.
DeSantis and Florida Republicans Discover Their Inner Soviet
It’s been a grim few weeks. Democracy, human rights and free speech are under assault as they’ve not been in generations. Misinformation and fabrications are carpet-bombing reality. Thought policing is muzzling expression and rewriting history as a worship-jerk. Individual freedom is in retreat. Authoritarianism–bullying, vengeful, exultant–is triumphant.
Racing Up U.S. 1, Palm Coast Man, 24, Crashes Into Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy’s Car and Faces Felony
Brandan Ingram, a 24-year-old resident of Rolling Sands Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested early this morning and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with an injury, a felony, after allegedly racing recklessly on U.S. 1 through Bunnell and crashing into a Flagler County Sheriff’s patrol car, slightly injuring a deputy.
For the Flagler Youth Orchestra, an Unsettling and Emotional Moving Day
After 13 years in one location, Friday was moving day for the Flagler Youth Orchestra, which has been providing string-music instruction to hundreds of students every year for 17 years. Its director reflects on a transformative day amid anxious and enduring uncertainties.
School Book Inquisitions and School Board Term Limits Head for Governor’s Signature
School board members soon could be limited to serving 12-year terms under a bill that is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis — but the measure also includes a controversial provision that would intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials.
I’m a Christian Mom. I Love My Trans Daughter. The State Sees Me as an Abuser.
Texas Governor Abbott recently issued horrifying, unconstitutional orders directing our state’s office of Child Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse. The only one engaging in child abuse here is Abbott — and his equally cruel attorney general, Ken Paxton.
Bova Again Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Mother of Six, Ending 9 Years of Trauma for Family
More than nine years after he murdered Zuheili Roman Rosado, the mother of six, at a Palm Coast convenience store, Joseph Bova II this afternoon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Again. Bova is 34.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 5-0 to Break Ocean Palms Golf Lease and Seek New Management Company
Seven years into a rocky marriage that never lived up to its promise and twice before verged on dissolution, the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally ended its relationship with Flagler Golf Management, the company that since 2015 had managed Ocean Palms Golf Club, the city-owned, nine-hole golf course framed by scores of homes at the south end of town.
Severe Weather Tonight Into Saturday with Potential for Isolated Tornadoes, Followed By Freeze
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville is cautioning residents of northeast Florida, including all of Flagler County and northern Volusia, to be prepared for severe and potentially dangerous weather today, tonight and through late in the day Saturday, with the slight possibility of isolated nighttime tornadoes. The unsettled weather will be followed by a freeze in much of the area.
Dedorius Varnes, Ex-Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy, Gets 19 Months in Prison for ‘Disgusting’ Stalking
Dedorius Varnes, 30, a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy for almost three years, was arrested (and fired) and charged in two aggravated stalking cases as he abused his authority and threatened residents with harm.
Flagler Beach Government’s Audit Eviscerates Golf Course Company’s Books, Leaving Its Fate in Doubt
A long-awaited audit of Flagler Golf Management, the company that runs Flagler Beach’s city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Club, found serous irregularities, unaccounted dollars and unexplained expenses as the city commission and the management company’s officials prepare to meet face to face for the first time since 2017 this evening.
Bill Creating Elections Policing Squad, 1st of Its Kind in the U.S., Heads for Governor’s Signature
In part, the bill would create an Office of Election Crimes and Security in the Department of State. Also, it would require the governor, working with the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to appoint special FDLE officers to investigate allegations of election violations, with at least one officer in each region of the state.
Flagler Planning Board Rejects 1,200-Home Eagle Lakes Development Over Unresolved Differences
The county and the developer have a 126-home difference on how many homes may be built, traffic questions affecting Old Kings Road remain, and several planning board members felt the Eagle Lakes application was not ready. But the matter now goes before the County Commission, which may vote on the development on April 4.
Cell Equipment Worker Atop Hammock Water Tower Falls Inside Cylinder, Triggering High-Wire Rescue
A 26-year-old employee of a communications company working on maintenance of cell tower equipment on the Hammock water tower Tuesday evening fell inside the tower an unknown distance and was rescued through a technical rescue team operation before a trauma evacuation to Halifax hospital.
‘Trust Me, I’m a Politician’: Dr. Ladapo’s Irresponsible Recommendation Against Vaccinating Young Floridians
Dr. Stephen Playe, a retired ER physician living in the Hammock, questions the motives behind Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s announcement that he would recommend against administering the Covid vaccine to young, healthy children .
Mealy and Newcomer Sherman Win in Flagler Beach, Incumbents Barnes and Schultz Win in Bunnell
Long-time Commissioner Jane Mealy, one of the city’s more popular elected officials for over a decade and a half, again won handily, with James Sherman second, while in Bunnell incumbents Bob Barnes and Tina-Marie Schultz won, surprising recently retired FHP Cpl. Pete Young, a distant third.
Mother Faces Felony Charge for Allegedly Whipping Child Who Had Peed Himself
P.H., a 45-year-old Palm Coast resident of Whirlway Drive, a teacher at a Middle School in St. Augustine, and the mother of an elementary-age son, was arrested on a felony charge of child abuse Monday following a Department of Children and Families investigation that found P.H. allegedly whipped the boy eight or 10 times with a belt for peeing himself.
A Storied Gay-Pride Flag Doubles Down Outside FPC as Veterans Lead Protest of Student Leader’s Suspension
Military veterans from Key West and Washington, D.C., led a protest that drew 30 people outside Flagler Palm Coast High School at dawn today in protest of the school suspending student-leader Jack Petocz last Thursday after he led an anti-“Don’t Say Gay” walkout and distributed gay-pride flags. Petocz’s suspension ended today.
Council Members’ Boorishness Appears to Take a Toll on Residents’ Confidence in Palm Coast Government
Only 41 percent of respondents see the city’s overall direction in positive terms, the lowest proportion in 20 years, and an 11-point decline from 2019, when the survey was last conducted. Only 37 percent of respondents have confidence in Palm Coast government, down nine points from two years ago. It is the lowest confidence level since the survey started including that category in 2013.
‘Handful’ of Students Suspended Up to 3 Days Following Thursday ‘Say Gay’ Walkouts and Fight Over Trump Flag
At least one student involved in a fight over a Trump flag that was deployed during the FPC suspension is among those who were suspended. The flag appears to have been deployed as a provocation of the students demonstrating, and was accompanied by taunts against the students, who were repeatedly called “faggots.”
Joe Rizzo, Dynamism Behind Education Foundation and Buoyant Booster of All Things Flagler, Is Dead at 47
Joe Rizzo, executive director of the Flagler Education Foundation, former co-owner of Woody’s BBQ and other restaurants, and an unflagging cheerleader of all things Flagler, died overnight or early this morning. He was 47.
Ukraine and the Fallacy of ‘All Lives Matter’
Every war brings out the best and the worst in human beings. Ukrainian resistance has been heroic and inspiring as Russia carries out its war crimes. But there’s also a strong element of bias at work in the public reaction. You know, the way a blue-eyed blond child gone missing will get page one sympathy while a missing Black child will be ignored.
‘We the People’ Are In Dangerous Territory
The state of the union is precarious because some of us have lost faith in democracy and have begun to flirt with other means to achieve political goals, other means to obtain and keep power, means based more on brute force and intimidation than on persuasion and compromise.
15 Year Old Charged With Hate Crime for Brutalizing Palm Coast Boy for Being Gay, at a Shelter
A 15-year-old Orange City boy was charged with a felony battery count after allegedly assaulting and brutalizing a 16-year-old Palm Coast boy while calling him a “faggot.” The incident, captured by surveillance cameras, took place at a secure SMA Healthcare facility in Daytona Beach. The victim was so severely beaten that his right eye was partially shut and he may have suffered a broken wrist.
Flagler Beach City Commission Election Profile: 2 Incumbents Speak Experience as a Newcomer Promises
The Flagler Woman’s Club on Tuesday hosted a forum for the three candidates running for Flagler Beach City Commission–incumbents Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur, and newcomer James Sherman. Here’s a complete report and analysis of the evening.
Beyond Ballot Suppression, Florida Lawmakers Are Shackling Voters’ Rights to Change Constitution
Floridians have relied on the ballot-initiative process in recent years to legalize medical marijuana, increase the minimum wage and limit the expansion of gambling in the state. Efforts like that may soon become much harder to pull off as Republican lawmakers aim to restrict the process.
Court Says City-Owned Golf Course Managed By a Private Company Can Be Required to Pay Property Taxes
The court decision could potentially have ramifications in Flagler Beach, where the city owns Ocean Palms Golf Club, a nine-hole golf course, but has been leasing it to a private company since 2015, tax-free. The decision this week suggests local property appraisers may legally deny a local government’s exemption for such privately run amenities.
Florida Senate Approves 15-Week Ban on Abortion, No Exceptions for Rape, Incest, or Human Trafficking
Late in the evening Thursday, amid tears, personal stories, and fears about women’s freedom, the Florida Senate approved a 15-week abortion ban for Florida, allowing the legislation to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for his consideration.
‘Say Gay! Say Gay! Say Gay!’ FPC Students Chant in Walkout Protesting Bills; Organizer Jack Petocz Is Suspended
Hundreds of students at Flagler Palm Coast High School staged a 12-minute walkout this morning to protest bills nearing passage in the Legislature that would silence educators’ freedom to discuss certain topics, including gender identity, sexual orientation and certain anti-racism themes. Jack Petocz, the organizer of the protest, was suspended after the event.
Walmart Voids Trespass Warning Against Ex-Councilman Victor Barbosa
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has voided the Feb. 27 trespass warning against ex-Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa after receiving a request to do so from a Walmart employee.