The $2.6 million contract for 38 deputies leaves costs virtually unchanged over the past five years. The contract builds in special protections for Mark Carman, the Palm Coast Precinct commander, as a buffer against Sheriff Manfre’s mercurial ways with staffing and reorganizations.
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In Bunnell, Crain-Brady’s Election Fiasco Becomes Fodder For Criticism of City Manager’s Leadership
Bunnell City Commissioner Jenny Crain-Brady Monday evening took responsibility for failing to qualify for the March election but was then joined by Mayor Catherine Robinson in an explicit and often unfair or unsupported attack on City Manager Larry Williams’ leadership and accountability.
Supreme Court Clears Medical Marijuana Pot Proposal; Floridians Vote On It November 4
In a significant victory for advocates of the initiative, a divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled 4-3 that the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana passes legal muster and can now appear on the November election ballot, giving Floridians a direct say. Polls have shown a 3-to-1 majority of Floridians favoring legalization.
Scott Proposes Increasing Education Funding By $542 Million, Mostly For Public Schools
The bulk of the new spending — $542 million — would go to public schools. While that is far lower than the approximately $1 billion increases Scott sought in each of the last two years, his office touted the fact that it would bring spending on education to the highest level in state history in terms of raw dollars, though unadjusted for inflation.
Yet Another Candidate For Superintendent Withdraws, Reducing Interviews to Two
Kevin Perry, an assistant superintendent in St. Lucie County schools, is the latest candidate to withdraw from contention, which means only acting superintendent Jacob Oliva and Osceola Assistant Superintendent Pamela Tapley will be interviewed on Thursday.
3 Men and 16 Year Old Of “Grove Street Gang” Charged in P-Section Armed Burglary
Three men, none older than 20, and a 16 year old were arrested Sunday and charged in the armed burglary of a house at 24 Pine Brook Lane just 800 feet from one of the suspect’s home. The site of the burglary is in the heart of Palm Coast’s P-Section.
Hendry County, With Highest Uninsured Rate in Florida, Sees Little Impact From Obamacare
Thirty-five percent of Hendry County’s 33,000 residents under 65 lack health insurance, but nearly a month after the health law’s expansion of coverage began, local health officials say little has changed for most uninsured residents.
Tea Party’s Allure Dims. Its Zealots Shout On.
Just 64 diehard Republicans opposed the recent budget bill, among them, sadly but unsurprisingly, our own Ron DeSantis, who thinks being a Congressman is a game of grandstanding and TV time rather than dealing with the more prosaic business of compromising in Washington and constituent services in his own district.
Virulent Flu Season Aside, Potent RSV Bug Is Taking a Toll on Florida Children
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is serious and highly contagious. There’s no vaccination around to keep your little one from catching it. And its seasonal duration is longer in Florida than in any other state, stretching from mid-August to March.
Rarely Punished, Guards May Be Responsible for Half of Sexual Assaults in Prisons and Jails
The federal report is based on data from all of the nation’s federal and state prisons as well as many county jails. It shows more than 8,000 reports of abuse each year between 2009 and 2011, up 11 percent from the previous report, and extremely rare prosecutions.