A combination of legal wrangles and financial difficulties led to Palm Coast Data’s eviction from its Commerce Boulevard location and layoffs of 40 percent of its workforce as it outsources core services. The company pledges to remain in Palm Coast.
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Alleged Arsonist Arrested for 2 Fires Near Publix and Citgo on Belle Terre Parkway
Daniel Da Costa, 26, of Palm Coast, faces two counts of arson and a count of manufacturing a fire bomb. He blamed an argument with his mother earlier that night as causing him to light the fires.
County Ready to Settle Lawsuit With Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing, With Concessions From Both Sides
The county would make numerous financial and building concessions to Captain’s. In exchange, Captain’s agrees to remain at the current location, end its litigation, and pay a somewhat higher rent over time.
Ex-Tourism Chief Matt Dunn Did Business With Friends, But No ‘Kick-Backs’: FDLE Drops Investigation
Flagler County’s ex-tourism director Matt Dunn was suspended 13 months ago and fired in October following allegations of embezzlement. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agency now says no evidence warrants a criminal investigation.
Flagler Beach Cancels July 4 Parade and Fireworks, Palm Coast Does Likewise in Latest Covid Casualties
For the first time in 22 years, Flagler Beach will not hold its traditional July 4 parade and fireworks, nor will Palm Coast hold its own Independence Day festivities, which would have normally taken place in Central Park on July 3.
14-Year-Old Girl Takes Deputies on High-Speed Chase Through Palm Coast’s P-Section
The 14-year-old girl was driving a Jeep Wrangler at high speed through the P Section, with a 15-year-old passenger, before stop sticks forced her to pull over. She was arrested.
Shuttered Almost Two Months, Vacation Rentals May Reopen, With County and State Approval
Counties can submit vacation-rental reopening plans to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which will have to sign off on the proposals.
Food Drops Are Not Enough. Expand Food Stamps Programs Now.
Big food drops like Palm Coast’s effort to feed 5,000 families are fine, but only an expanded SNAP (or food stamps) program can reach all families in need with an existing system that also acts as an economic stimulus for local business.
“Immune to Evidence”: How Dangerous Coronavirus Conspiracies Spread
Conspiratorial videos and websites about COVID-19 are going viral. Here’s how one of the authors of “The Conspiracy Theory Handbook” says you can fight back. One big takeaway: Focus your efforts on people who can hear evidence and think rationally.
AdventHealth Acknowledges 25,000 Covid-19 Tests Were Unreliable, Putting Recent Results In Doubt
AdventHealth blamed the unreliability of some 25,000 tests, including over 1,000 provided in Palm Coast, on Orlando-based MicroGenDX, a company that won emergency FDA approval to provide spit tests on the promise of accuracy and quick turn-arounds.
Gyms Reopen Monday at 50% Capacity, Restaurants and Shops Expand to 50%, Theaters Remain Dark
Gov. Ron DeSantis today announced what he described as a “full Phase 1” reopening of society and the economy even as the state recorded more than 40 deaths from Covid-19 for the fourth straight day, and an average of 600 daily infections in the past two weeks.
Why You’re Not Hearing Back on Your Covid-19 Test Results
Numerous residents in Palm Coast and Flagler County have been complaining of not getting back Covid-19 test results. The problem issued from a backlogged lab in Texas AdventHealth was using, but no longer is.
Flagler Beach’s $571,000 Fire Truck Buy Delayed Until Public Can Voice Concerns In Person
The decision to delay a decision followed a 40-minute discussion on the truck by the city commission, including a presentation by Fire Chief Bobby Pace, who defended the purchase.
DeSantis Signals Restaurant Seating Capacity Will Expand and Gyms Will Reopen
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will announce Friday additional “phase one” measures to reopen the state’s economy, with the moves expected to include allowing more people to be seated in restaurants and allowing gyms to operate.
Mask-Wearing Is Not About Personal Liberty but Communal Health, Palm Coast Town Hall Experts Say
Is wearing a mask in public too much to ask for as Palm Coast and Flagler reopen? Does it infringe on individuals’ liberties? Two physicians, the Flagler Health Department’s chief and Palm Coast’s fire chief give an unequivocal No.
“Idiots” Remark Comes Back to Haunt Jack Howell as Fellow-Councilman Branquinho Berates Him
Palm Coast City Council member Eddie Branquinho excoriated fellow-Council member Jack Howell for six minutes at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting, over an article Howell wrote, proposing financial measures in light of the Covid-19 emergency. Branquinho said the article was politically motivated.
Florida as Sports Hub: DeSantis Wants Professional and Youth Teams to Resume Playing in State
The Washington Post reported that Major League Soccer is looking to house players in large resorts near Disney World as a way for games to resume for all 26 teams in Orlando.
Caesar DePaço, Portugal’s Honorary Consul in Palm Coast Since 2014, Resigns Indignantly
Citing “unacceptable conduct” and “irreconcilable” differences with the Portuguese ambassador to the United States, Caesar DePaço resigned abruptly Tuesday evening, leaving the future of the honorary consulate in Palm Coast in doubt.
Flagler Beach’s Plan to Buy $571,000 Fire Truck Draws Opposition Over Timing and Recent History
The Flagler Beach Fire Department’s proposal to buy a $571,000 fire truck is triggering the sort of opposition mobilized against the 2015 purchase of a $600,000 “quint” fire truck, an odyssey that took 18 months. That truck was eventually delivered.
Manhunt in Palm Coast’s E-Section After Man Pulls Gun on Wife and Son Over a Dog
Larry Briggene Batson, a 41-year-old resident of 31 Ebb Tide Drive in Palm Coast, had allegedly pulled a gun on his wife because she would not turn the car around so he could go fetch his dog.
Flagler Beach and County Commissioners Call Out Joe Mullins Over a Baseless, Inflammatory Claim
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins over the weekend made unsubstantiated accusations that unnamed Flagler Beach officials are hurting business and tourism in the city with their “stay on your side of the bridge mentality.” City commissioners corrected him.
500 Images and Videos of Child Sexual Abuse Found in 46-Year-Old Palm Coast Man’s Tablet
The investigation reveals the extent to which law enforcement and at least some online platforms and internet service providers are cooperating with police to tip off, track down and facilitate investigations of individuals involved in child exploitation or abuse.
Florida Adds Covid-19 Into Its Hurricane Preparations
Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said last week his agency is redeveloping plans about evacuations and shelters, while also adding facemasks to the state’s stockpile of storm supplies.
The Bailout Is Working — For the Rich
The economy is in free fall but Wall Street is thriving, and stocks of big private equity firms are soaring dramatically higher. That tells you who investors think is the real beneficiary of the federal government’s massive rescue efforts.
Palm Coast’s Grand Oaks Rehab Rejects Health Department’s Testing of Patients and Staff, Then Relents
After its corporate office overrode local resistance, Grand Oaks Rehab in Palm Coast agreed to have its 100 patients and 100 staff members tested for Covid-19 next week. The Flagler Health Department’s strike teams conducted 200 tests today at two other large nursing home facilities.
Terry McManus, Who Runs Flagler Beach’s City Golf Course, Wanted on Felony Insurance Fraud Charge
Terry McManus, the 54-year-old operator of Ocean Palms Golf Course, the Flagler Beach-owned 9-hole course, is accused of making up a bogus insurance claim and lying about a Caterpillar Skid Steer allegedly stolen at the golf course.
2 Suspects Face Felony Charges in BB Gun ‘Shooting Spree’ On I-95 in Palm Coast, Volusia and Jacksonville
Deon Jones, 21, and his girlfriend Tiyana Anderson, 22, are accused of shooting BB’s that shattered drivers’ vehicle windows and frightened them as they drove along I-4 and I-95 in Flagler, Duval and Volusia counties.
Economy Loses 20.5 Million Jobs in April, Unemployment Rate at 14.7%, Worst Since 1939
The April figures are an undercount, as they represent only a partial survey of actual job losses in April. Those losses are closer to 30 million or more, according to the cumulative total of first-time unemployment claims filed over the past few weeks.
Flagler Health Officials Pledge to Keep Up Covid Testing as AdventHealth Phases Out Drive-Up Sites
There is some confusion about how much testing should take place–2 percent of the population per month or overall–and whether it will be available to the extent recommended as society reopens. The guideline from the federal government of testing 2 percent is a monthly goal, not an overall goal.
Florida’s Universities Weigh What May Be an Altered Reopening This Fall, With Emphasis on Remote Classes
FSU Provost Sally E. McRorie told faculty members in an email that it is likely the school will only offer in-person courses that cannot be done remotely. Many universities are considering keeping at least some instruction online.
Richard Adams, Who Carried Palm Coast’s Water for 43 Years, Retires as He Worked: Quietly
Richard Adams, Palm Coast’s towering but famously modest utility director since 2003 and a presence in the city’s water infrastructure for 43 years, retired at the end of last week to remote accolades and an honorary flush.
DeSantis Is Right on Cautious Reopening, Wrong on Models
Gov. Ron DeSantis took a wisely cautious approach on reopening, but his caution contrasted with his ridicule of models that predicted grim outcomes for Florida in March. His criticism reflects a simplistic misunderstanding of models’ purpose, especially when they have their intended effect: to minimize loss of life.
Flagler Health Department and Palm Coast Mayor Recognize Heroes of a Pandemic: Nurses
The Flagler Health Department is joining Palm Coast and thousands of organizations across the country in celebrating National Nurses Week starting today and through From May 6 through May 12.
A Woman Disputing Social Distancing Rules at Local Clinic Clashes With Cop and Faces Felony Charges
It was an incident out of Covid-19’s unwritten playbook, escalating from a simple social-distancing request at the Florida Health Care Plans office off Palm Coast Parkway to a scuffle, a woman’s arrest and felony charges and an injury to a Flagler County Sheriff’s sergeant.
Florida Supreme Court Weighs Wording of Recreational Marijuana Ballot Proposal
An attorney for Make It Legal Florida, said the proposal “piggybacks” on a system resulting from a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in the state. Lawmakers and groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce trying to block the measure.
Lumber Truck Driver Killed, Woman Seriously Injured in I-95 Crash North of Matanzas Interchange
A lumber truck driver was killed and a woman was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes of I-95 early this morning (May 6), just north of the Matanzas Woods Parkway intersection.
Flagler’s Covid-19 Deaths Rise to 4 But New Positive Cases Slow as Broader-Criteria Testing Increases
Flagler’s deaths add to a statewide tally approaching 1,500 as one of the models most closely watched by state and federal officials revised significantly upward its estimate of deaths for Florida now that the state has begun reopening.
‘Like Someone Went to Class and Didn’t Come Back’: Florida Universities Contend With Students’ Belongings
Universities across the state will allow students to have items delivered to them or return to campus at a safe time to pick up belongings. Some universities are even preparing to dispose of unwanted items at the students’ request.
The Joe Mullins Smear
Joe Mullins is a distasteful man whose behavior as an elected official is dangerous and should be held to account. But not by reporting as unsubstantiated as the allegations it’s based on. To play into them without strict and uncompromising authentication legitimizes them and gives journalism a bad name.
Eligible for Re-Trial, Dorothy Singer Pleads in 2017 Murder of Her Husband and Is Sentenced to 32.5 Years
She was eligible for a new trial. But facing daunting evidence against her, Dorothy Singer, formerly of west Flagler, pleaded to second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband Charles in 2017.
Surprise Proposal to Raze Moldy Sheriff’s Ops and Build There Anew Introduces New Uncertainties in Projects
The Flagler County Commission chairman on Monday discussed the possibility of razing the building and constructing anew there–either a sheriff’s operations center or a south branch public library. That approach would nullify a recent agreement to locate both the operations center and a south branch library off Commerce Parkway in Bunnell.
At Gargantuan Feed Palm Coast Food Drop, Tears, Solidarity, and the Reality About Those ‘Late-Model Cars’
No government, no military contingent, no church or any other private organization had ever attempted what Palm Coast government and Parkview Church did Saturday: the distribution of 5,000 boxes packed with a week’s worth of groceries, and thousands of additional boxes of snacks and Easter candy, for families that streamed through the two drop locations.
Palm Coast Reopens a Few Passive Parks and Trails Monday as Flagler Beach Weighs Limited Pier Access
Palm Coast and Flagler Beach governments are reopening a few of their more passive parks, trails and other outdoor amenities Monday while keeping major parks closed and maintaining a strict focus on safety and social distancing.
Hair Salons, Barber Shops, Bars, Gyms and Theaters Will Remain Closed for Now
The governor said more consideration of employee and customer safety is needed before he can give the go-ahead for salons and barber shops to turn on the lights again.
Why You Can’t Always Trust Your Coronavirus Antibody Test Results
There are questions about how accurate antibody tests are. And even with a very good test, it’s possible to test positive for antibodies even when you don’t actually have them. Watch this video to learn why.
Palm Coast Plan Will Allow Restaurant Use of Sidewalks and Parking Lots For Less Restricted Outdoor Seating
Palm Coast government is devising a plan that, in its broad outlines issued late this afternoon, would significantly relax rules on restaurant use of sidewalks and even parking lots, enabling restaurants to place tables there and compensate for the loss of business they would otherwise continue to suffer if they were limited to the 25 percent rule.
Saturday in Flagler: 3 Massive Food Drops at 4 Locations In Unprecedented Reflection of Aid and Hardship
Thousands of families will line up in cars for food distributions at Palm Coast City Hall, Parkview Church, on Education Way off U.S. 1 and at Wickline Center in Flagler Beach in a day of aid reflecting the crushing needs provoked by the coronavirus emergency.
Graduates, Start Your Engines: FPC and Matanzas Will Have In-Person Graduation at the Speedway on May 31
Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School will hold their graduation ceremonies on May 31 at the International Speedway in Daytona Beach following a committee’s work on devising an original plan to ensure a safe, in-person event despite the coronavirus emergency.
Brave New Covid World at AdventHealth: Your Car as Waiting Room, Phone Check-Ins, Mandatory Tests and Masks
AdventHealth physicians outlined how the system’s hospitals, including AdventHealth Palm Coast, will operate from here on, with significantly new procedures for patients, visitors, staff and physicians and a heavy emphasis on technology, social distancing and the isolation of anything Covid-19, including air.
More than a Fifth of Americans Unemployed as 1st Time Claims Keep Surging and Checks Keep Lagging
The total number of first-time claims filed in Florida since the start of the coronavirus emergency totals 1.6 million in a civilian labor force of 10.5 million, placing the state’s unemployment rate at over 15 percent.