County Commissioner Joe Mullins in court pleadings and testimony claims he has a net worth of negative $675,000, that his companies are juggling debt, his Ferrari and Mercedes vehicles are under water, and that he may be bankrupt. The self-portrait of relative indigence contrasts with his claims as a successful businessman and steward of the county’s finances, and appear to differ from his financial disclosure form filed filed ahead of this year’s election.
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First Lady Announces launch of Resource Site to Navigate Dizzying Realities of Cancer Care
First Lady Casey DeSantis on Wednesday announced the launch of Florida Cancer Connect, an online resource site for cancer patients to hear from survivors and access information to help navigate the dizzying realities of battling cancer.
Greg Hansen, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Greg Hansen is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 2 primary on Aug. 23. He faces Janet McDonald and Denise Calderwood. All registered voters in the county, regardless of party affiliation, get to cast a vote in this race, which will decide the next commissioner.
Matanzas High School Addition Leads $165 Million in Planned School Construction Over Next 5 Years
The Flagler County school district is tentatively projecting to spend $18 million for an expansion of Matanzas High School, $70 million for a new middle school and $77 million for a new high school over the next five years, not including additional millions for ongoing maintenance.
We Need More Homes and Apartments in Palm Coast. A Lot More.
With the median price of a home at $400,000 and fewer than six weeks’ inventory, Palm Coast is in an affordable housing crisis. Existing residents are exacerbating the crisis by opposing developments, opposing smaller-lot homes and opposing apartment complexes. It’s hypocritical and untenable.
Janet McDonald, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Janet McDonald is one of three the Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 2, facing incumbent Greg Hansen and Denise Calderwood in the Aug. 23 primary.
In Hammock, $1.4 Million Paving of Dirt Roads in Rustic Neighborhood Draws Sharp Opposition
The Flagler County Commission in a 4-1 vote approved paving and building drainage improvements around some dirt roads branching from Apache Drive in the Hammock, a project several years in the making, even as hammock residents disputed the county’s claims of flooding issues and opposed paving.
Politically Appointed Florida Board of Medicine Will Weigh Blocking Transgender Treatment for Youths
The Florida Board of Medicine is slated Friday to consider a proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to bar physicians from providing treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty-blocking medication to transgender youths.
Sally Hunt, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Sally Hunt is challenging incumbent Jill Woolbright in the District 1 race for Flagler County School Board. They are among seven candidates running for three seats on the school board.
As Commissioner Andy Dance Again Cites ‘Lines of Decorum’ Getting Crossed, Don O’Brien Walks Off
Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance today pointed to yet another crossing of “the lines of decorum” by fellow-Commissioner Joe Mullins, and again called for a retreat so commissioners could get on the same page of decorum and procedures, only for Don O’Brien to walk off the dais and other commissioners to ignore him. It was the latest example of a commission chronically enabling conflict and corrosion over respect.
Gas Prices Below $4, Big Oil Profits Set Massive Records, Flagler Commissioners Gripe of Higher Local Costs
Gas prices in Palm Coast are a shade under $4 and not far from the Florida average of $3.93 a gallon, though Flagler County Commissioners want an explanation from the agriculture commissioner as to why higher prices continue in the county. Oil company profits, meanwhile, again shatter records.
Recovery of 90% of Human Skeleton Ends Toscana Subdivision Dig for Mystery Remains
Sheriff Rick Staly announced that the dig was declared over after the effort recovered 90 percent of a human skeleton. The investigation now enters a different stage, with efforts focused on identification through the use of DNA technology. Staly said that every missing-person file at the Sheriff’s Office includes DNA samples against which the find at Toscana will be tested.
Suddenly, Florida Is a Haven for Abortion-Seekers in the South. But For How Long?
As of this week, most abortions are banned in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. Other states in the South also have strict abortion bans that are in flux because of court appeals. But on the geographical edge of this block of Deep South states, abortion is expected to remain legal in Florida and North Carolina, at least until the November elections.
Possible In-Patient Facility for Addicts in Place of Former Sheriff’s ‘Mold-Ops’ Raises Some Eyebrows
An in-patient drug-treatment facility that closed in St. Augustine is planning to re-open at the former, once mold-plagued Sheriff’s operations center off State Road 100. The sheriff had to abandon the building in 2018. The for-profit facility would be run by Dr. Duke Vinson.
Paul Renner’s Stunning Attack on Green Energy Is Bad News for Florida’s Climate Change Challenges
Sea level rise is just the most obvious manifestation of our climate change peril. Yet Speaker-designate Renner has barely even mentioned that when talking about Florida’s future as he keeps raking in campaign cash from power and coal companies.
There Will Be No Inquisition of Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston
Three Flagler Beach city commissioners had called for a special workshop to discuss what they perceived as Mayor Suzie Johnston overstepping her role. After conversations with City Attorney Drew Smith, the commissioners pulled back on holding that workshop this evening.
DeSantis and the Mis-Education of Florida’s Schoolchildren. With Test for Extra Credit.
Ron DeSantis wants the young ’uns educated with no unfair criticism of the Greatest Country that Ever Was. To that end, he’s bringing in a curriculum from Hillsdale College, a righteous institution where they love the Lord, the flag, and capitalism — not necessarily in that order.
Over a Decade in the Making, Water Oak Road’s Paving in West Flagler Is Driving to Completion
Then-Flagler County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin had promised West Flagler residents that Water Oak Road would start getting paved in 2012. It did, but it’s only next month that the project he’d pushed for then will finally be completed with state and federal dollars.
City Repertory Theatre Hopscotches Through Love’s Multiverse with ‘Constellations’
The play, running Thursday through Sunday at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre, is a 2012 comedy-drama by British playwright Nick Payne about the romantic ups and downs of a beekeeper and a theoretical physicist. The couple in “Constellations” take a trip down the rabbit hole of the multiverse, that freaky theory that posits there are an infinite number of parallel universes which exist simultaneously, and may be quite similar to or radically different from the one you and I inhabit.
Four School Boards Sued Over Enforcing ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law, Charging Violation of 1st Amendment
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Orlando, seeks to block the school boards in Orange, Indian River, Duval and Palm Beach counties from carrying out the law (HB 1557), which restricts instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. The lawsuit charges the law is unconstitutional.
Man Faces Felony for Forcibly Removing from Home 11-Year-Old Trying to Protect His Mother
Charles Morgan Sanders, 42, faces a felony child abuse charge and a domestic battery charge after he forcibly removed an 11-year-old boy from a P-Section house. Sanders was in a confrontation with the boy’s mother when the boy tried to intervene, further angering Sanders.
Lance Alred, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Lance Alred is one of seven candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 23 primary election, one of three in the District 2 race. He faces Will Furry and Courtney VandeBunte. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Unexpected Death of Dr. Bulic, Medical Examiner for Flagler and 2 Other Counties, Triggers Key Process
Dr. Predrag Bulic, the chief medical examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties–a position as low profile as it is critical to the justice system and families in the determination of the cause of death of thousands of individuals each year–died unexpectedly over the weekend of a severe stroke. His replacement’s highly political appointment will involve some of the top elected law enforcement and judicial officials in Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties.
Flagler Judge Melissa Distler Named President-Elect of Florida Conference of County Court Judges
Flagler County Court Judge D. Melissa Distler, in her 10th year on the bench, was elected President-Elect of the Florida Conference of County Court Judges last week at the judges’ summer education conference in Bonita Springs. Distler will be sworn in in July 2024, presiding over the conferences 335 county judges from 67 counties.
Monkeypox Declared International Public Health Emergency; Florida’s 260 Cases Rank 3rd in U.S.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Saturday that the monkeypox outbreak that’s expanded globally is now a public health emergency of international concern. The Florida Department of Health shows monkeypox cases of 260 in 16 counties as of Saturday, none in Flagler.
Renner Embraces Anti-‘Woke’ Rhetoric and DeSantis Sees Red at GOP’s Sunshine Summit
Renner, who highlighted continued work to expand school choice, also said more attention is needed to address corporate pushes toward what are known as environmental, social and governance principles, which often include favoring investment in green energy over fossil fuels.
Two Boys, 15 at Time of Brutal Armed Home Invasion in Palm Coast, Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
They were 15 years old–15, when Korie Jones and Darius Watts left their separate homes to join Carlos Dupree and a fourth man on a criminal scheme: to terrorize, brutalize and rob a Palm Coast family at gunpoint. They looked and acted every bit their age if not younger as they sat for their sentencing in court this afternoon at the Flagler County courthouse.
Palm Coast Pitches Breakthrough That Could End County Clash with District Over School Construction
The working group of local government staffers struggling to craft a formula requiring developers and builders to pay their fair share had a breakthrough at its last meeting, devising a new formula that could resolve a conflict and prevent the county from reaching the point where a lot of further development could be stopped, because of the absence of a formal agreement.
Christy Chong, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Christy Chong is one of seven candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 23 primary election, opposing incumbent Trevor Tucker. all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Trevor Tucker, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Trevor Tucker is one of seven candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 23 primary election. He is opposed by Christy Chong. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Florida’s 15-Week Abortion Ban Remains in Place as Appellate Court Signals It Will Uphold It
A split state appeals court has refused to reinstate a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban, meaning Florida’s 15-week abortion ban remains in effect.
Fresh From Hung Jury, Kwentel Moultrie Turns Down Another Deal on Rape Charge and Heads for Re-Trial
Kwentel Moultrie, who faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, and a lifetime designation as a predator, spoke as if he had no reason to deal, and opted this morning for trial in a month after declining the prosecution’s latest offer to plead out his rape charge–and going against his own motion for a speedy trial.
Palm Coast United Methodist Church Takes Another Step Toward New Matanzas Woods Campus
Some 50 congregants of Palm Coast United Methodist Church gathered Wednesday for the groundbreaking of their new 25,500 square foot, $7.1 million campus at the southeast corner of Matanzas Woods Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway.
Joe Mullins Falsely Claims 2 Associations of Retired Cops Support Him, Drawing Sharp Disavowals
Reeling from publicity about his disrespect of Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Joe Mullins falsely claimed on Facebook this week that he had the “support” of local organizations of retired police officers, drawing disavowals from the presidents of both organizations and being forced to reword the post, which he still got wrong.
Palm Coast Lands $739,000 Grant for Regional Recreation Center Through Tourism Council
Flagler County’s Tourist Development council this morning approved a $739,000 grant for Palm Coast government’s ongoing expansion of the city’s tennis center off Belle Terre Parkway into a Southern Regional Recreation Center, with a new and park-like trailhead, a community center, and a dozen pickleball courts. The grant will defray the cost of the pickleball courts.
The Music Plays On: School Board Renews Flagler Youth Orchestra, with Call for Indefinite Support
The Flagler County School Board Tuesday evening voted 5-0 to renew funding for the Flagler Youth Orchestra for an 18th year after hearing pleas and plaudits from some 20 community members, former and current participants and parents.
Human Remains Found at Toscana Development Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives and partner agencies are investigating the discovery of human remains at a construction site expanding the Toscana subdivision off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, Sheriff Rick Staly said this afternoon.
Palm Coast’s Chelsea Hawk, 39, Dies of Crash Injuries, as Does 12-Year-Old Son
Chelsea Hawk, a 39-year-old mother of three young children and one grown son and a fierce political activist, died late Monday night at Halifax hospital from injuries sustained in a car crash off I-95 Sunday. He 12-year-old son Died Tuesday.
Curtain Calls for Flagler Youth Orchestra as School Board Frets Either Encores or Coda
The Flagler County School Board this evening votes on whether to renew the Flagler Youth Orchestra for its 18th year. Renewal was not in question in previous years, as it has been this year. A former superintendent, parents, community members at large, current and former FYO student participants sent numerous letters and emails to school board members.
15 Years in Prison for Ian Davis as Child Victim of His Abuse Indicts Those Who Disbelieved or Blamed Her
Just before Ian Davis of Palm Coast was sentenced to 15 years in prison for molesting his 14-year-old niece, she described, in a remarkable impact statement, how her own grandmother disbelieved her and her own pastor turned the blame on her.
Alphonso Joseph, 48, Pastor at Bunnell Church, Charged With Molesting Teen on Golf Course
Alphonso Joseph, a 48-year-old Palm Coast resident and pastor associated with several Bunnell churches and spiritual organizations, was arrested Friday and charged with molesting a 15-year-old boy in a vehicle on the Matanzas Woods Golf Course.
Eddie Branquinho Walked Out of Palm Coast Council for Attention, and May Run for Mayor in 2 Years
Calling his move a pre-meditated ploy for attention, Palm Coast City council member Eddie Branquinho says he will be returning to council meetings after storming out at the beginning of last week’s workshop, and may run for mayor, challenging David Alfin, in two years.
As Joe Mullins Draws National Embarrassment Over Troopergate, Pennington Trounces Him in Straw Poll
It’s been the worst week of Joe Mullins’s nearly-four year tenure on the Flagler County Commission, less than six weeks from the Aug. 23 primary, with a Republican Party straw poll showing him far behind challenger Leann Pennington and major national media reporting on his abuse of authority with Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
DeSantis Calls on ‘Moms for Liberty’ at National Summit to Fight ‘Leftist’ Agenda
Claiming that Florida schools are undergoing “leftist indoctrination,” a “leftist agenda,” and “sexualization of children,” Gov. Ron DeSantis called on hundreds of members of “Moms For Liberty,” gathered in Tampa Friday, to fight.
Flagler Beach Commission Again Clashes, Reducing Mayor to Tears and Lawyering Up Over Roles
Flagler Beach commissioners today in a budget workshop again clashed sharply over Mayor Suzie Johnston’s, and commissioners’, respective roles, several of them charging that Johnston is overstepping her authority. The clash ended what only the night before had been a pledge on the panel to “reset” and seek a more collegial approach.
Pool Contractor Dan Priotti Sentenced to 5 Years’ Probation for 3rd DUI, and Gives Up Right of Appeal
Dan Priotti, the temperamental owner of Agua Construction Co., was found guilty of his third drunk driving charge in 10 years after a one-day trial last March. But the trial was flawed and ripe for appeal. The prosecution and the defense agreed to a deal that, in exchange for no prison time, Priotti would give up all rights of appeal.
On the Brink of War, Flagler Beach City Commission Agrees to ‘Reset,’ with Rescue from Ex-Mayor
The Flagler Beach City Commission, faced with a two-front war–with conflict over City Manager William Whitson’s future and growing conflict between the commission itself–pledged Thursday to “reset” after getting a peace-keeping assist from former Mayor Linda Provencher. It had been at the edge of a cliff.
Experts Say Florida’s Medicaid Ban for Transgender Health Lacks ‘Scientific or Medical Justification’
National medical and legal researchers have issued a report condemning Florida health officials’ plan to block Medicaid coverage for gender-dysphoria treatments. The critical report was released by Yale School of Medicine researchers and professors.
No ‘Lynching’ for Embattled Flagler Beach Manager Whitson, But a 90-Day Probation Period
Just 14 months into his tenure as Flagler Beach City Manager, William Whitson is on a 90-day probation period that could result in his firing if he doesn’t show the sort of reset in communications and management style a majority of commissioners want to see.
Drug Sweep on Flagler’s West Side Nets 13 Arrests as Sheriff Underscores Fentanyl’s Toll
The youngest offender was 18, the oldest 66, and most had trails of arrests behind them already–64 felony and 95 misdemeanor convictions between them, Sheriff Rick Staly said, including one, Twain Slater, who’s been arrested more than a dozen times since becoming an adult (he’s 31), for a combined 23 felony and misdemeanor convictions.