After agreeing to openly discuss an alleged “quid pro quo” a developer had offered him, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris said at last night’s meeting he wouldn’t talk about it after all, and take his case to law enforcement. Still, Norris’s conduct was one more example in an accumulating series of bizarre behavior, conspiratorial statements, accusations, deflections and flip-flops that continue to shift the sands under the council’s feet and project more images of distrust and dysfunction.
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Firing Recruiting Firm, Palm Coast Council Agrees to Re-Start City-Led Search for 90 Days as Mayor Attacks Administration
The Palm Coast City Council unanimously agreed to fire SGR, the recruiting firm that had led the search for a city manager since last April, and directed the city administration to post the position for 90 days. Mayor Mike Norris’s attempt to yet again attempt to hire Rich Hough, a candidate who withdrew Monday, failed. The council worked through that segment of the meeting through more antagonism between Mayor Norris and Council member Charles Gambaro, and from a raucous audience.
DeSantis Calls House’s Property Tax Cut Study as ‘Dog and Pony Show’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke out during a press availability in Miami on Tuesday to take more verbal shots at Florida House Republicans — this time regarding the select committee studying a potential cut in property taxes formed by House Speaker Daniel Perez, which convened for the first time on Friday.
3-Judge Panel of Fifth District Court of Appeal Hears Arguments at Flagler County Courthouse for 1st Time
For the first time in recent memory, and perhaps ever, a panel of the Fifth District Court of Appeal held oral arguments at the Flagler County courthouse this morning, hearing three cases, none local. One of the three cases centered on the meaning of theft, and whether a defendant had in fact committed a crime–grand theft–when she diverted business from her employer, even though she did not steal products.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Picks Ex-Palm Coast Councilman Ed Danko as District Director in Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, the unfiltered provocateur and former member of the Florida Senate who won a special election in April to claim the Flagler County-centered congressional seat vacated by Mike Waltz, has chosen the like-minded former member of the Palm Coast City Council to be his regional director in Flagler, Volusia and St Johns County: Ed Danko. Danko begins his job on the federal payroll Friday.
Sales Tax Proposal to Protect Flagler’s Beaches Takes Another Lashing as Commissioners Talk Referendum and Other Alternatives
Flagler County’s $114 million beach management plan is looking like a sand castle on the county’s critically eroded shore, and the water is rising. The Flagler County Commission today could not give its administration–or itself–anywhere near the clear direction needed to forge ahead with a plan every one of its five members agrees is critically needed. Three commissioners find the plan’s revenue formula problematic. The workshop ended with deeper uncertainty as commissioners gave their administration direction to produce yet more alternatives.
Palm Coast Mayor Norris Sues Palm Coast, Seeking Councilman Gambaro Booted and Special Election Held
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris today filed an emergency suit against Palm Coast government and Council member Charles Gambaro, charging that Gambaro’s appointment last fall violated the charter. The suit seeks to have Gambaro removed through “a judgment of ouster” and a special election declared for the District 4 seat. Norris has been claiming that Gambaro’s appointment was illegal since soon after he was sworn-in late last November. The lawsuit was filed days after Gambaro made an unsuccessful motion for the council to ask Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Norris from the council.
Last of Palm Coast’s City Manager Candidates Withdraws, Clearing the Way for Pause and Reset Months from Now
Richard Hough, the last remaining candidate for Palm Coast city manager, withdrew his name from consideration this morning, ending a year-long search that began on a previous council’s crutches and ended amid unprecedented turmoil for the council seated since November.
University of Michigan President Santa Ono Is the Sole Finalist to Become President of the University of Florida
Santa Ono, who has led the University of Michigan since 2022, is the sole finalist to become president of the University of Florida, UF announced Sunday. A presidential-search committee recommended that the UF Board of Trustees approve Ono after a search that began last year following the abrupt resignation of former President Ben Sasse. Kent Fuchs, a former UF president, has served as interim president.
Flagler Beach Reels at Death of SunBros Café Owner Travis Sundell, 49, ‘Passionate Part of What Makes This Town Special’
Travis Gene Sundell, the 49-year-old owner and operator, with his wife Leigh Ann, of SunBros Café in the heart of Flagler Beach since 2021, died Friday. Family, friends, neighbors and regular patrons of the restaurant and bar, which one regular compared to “Cheers” for its friendliness, were reeling at the unexpected announcement this weekend. Sundell died from from an aortic aneurysm.
Students Will Be Banned from Using Cell Phones in Florida Elementary and Middle Schools
Florida lawmakers late Friday approved barring students in elementary and middle schools from using cell phones during the school day — and testing the idea in high schools. Current law prevents students from using cell phones during instructional time, but the change would expand that prohibition to throughout the school day in elementary and middle schools. Rep. Demi Busatta, a Coral Gables Republican who spearheaded the proposal, described it as “bell to bell.”
A Gutted Education Department Is Rolling Back Civil Rights and Targeting Transgender Students
The Education Department is being radically reshaped away from education, fairness and equity toward a more prosecutorial arm of the federal government as it negates civil rights investigations and ramps up investigations targeting transgender students and schools that apply more event-handed treatment of students and athletes. Civil rights offices are closed. Workers are fired. Investigating discrimination in schools is practically “impossible.”
Palm Coast Has a City Manager. A Replacement Can Wait Until the Council Defuses Its IED.
The Palm Coast City Council did the right (and impressive) thing when it voted down both of the last two remaining candidates for city manager on Tuesday. It’s now time to shelve that search, stick with Lauren Johnston as city manager, and work on restoring the City Council’s reputation before launching a new search. The city is not in crisis. The same recycled gadfly demagogues addressing the council at every meeting should not create the false impression that it is.
Flagler Humane Society Board Members Brazenly Reproach City and County Officials’ Push for Accountability
Palm Coast council members and county commissioners, meeting jointly earlier this week to discuss their long-frayed relationship with the society, have been dissatisfied with what they see as poor accountability and transparency at the non-profit, and not enough oversight by the governments. A pair of Humane Society board members’ language and lecturing did not help.
Mayor Norris and Partisans Turn Council Meeting on His Charter Violations and Improprieties Into One More Sideshow
The Palm Coast City Council’s special meeting today heard and discussed an attorney’s independent investigation sustaining allegations that Mayor Mike Norris violated the charter by unilaterally seeking the ouster of top staffers, behaving unprofessionally at City Hall and repeatedly demeaning staff. But the report was almost a sideshow as the meeting devolved into often baseless screeds from the floor and self-pity from Norris.
Recruiter’s Advice to Palm Coast Council in City Manager Hire: Pause, ‘Settle Down’ and Gel Before Restarting Search
The consultant who coordinated Palm Coast’s search for a new city manager is recommending that the council pause its search for now, that it regroup, go through a facilitated process for its members to better understand each other and “gel” before moving on to another search. Only one candidate remains, Rich Hough. The council had asked for a white paper on budgeting from him earlier this week. That will not happen, for now.
Attorney General Flouts Federal Judge’s Order Suspending Florida Immigration Law, and May Face Sanctions
Attorney General James Uthmeier could face contempt sanctions over a letter he sent to Florida law enforcement agencies labeling as illegitimate a court order suspending a state immigration law that led to the arrest of a U.S. citizen. In an order issued late Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote that Uthmeier will have to prove that he shouldn’t face legal consequences over his greenlighting of arrests under the law, which she had temporarily blocked as likely unconstitutional.
Stephen Cox, 15-Year Veteran of Flagler Beach Fire Department and Leader Before His Time, Is Named City’s Fire Chief
Stephen Cox, a nearly 15-year veteran of the Flagler Beach Fire Department who’s long represented its new generation, was appointed its fire chief earlier this month, from a pool of 15 candidates. He replaces Bobby Pace, who’d retired in February from the post he’d held for 12 years.
Yet Another City Manager Candidate Drops Out After Palm Coast Council’s Disfavor, Leaving Last One Standing in Uncertainty
Paul Trombino, one of the last two finalists for the Palm Coast city manager job, withdrew his candidacy this morning, less than 24 hours after the Palm Coast City Council made clear in a series of split votes that he doesn’t have the council’s full confidence or enthusiasm. That leaves one man standing: Richard Hough. The council did not feel any differently about him. Three other finalists had dropped out before they were interviewed.
City Repertory Theatre Untames Shakespeare, Doo-Wop and R&B with “RockabillieWillie”
City Repertory Theatre’s production of “RockabillieWillie,” which opens Friday at CRT’s black box theater in Palm Coast’s City Marketplace, is a mash-up of scenes from Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Henry V,” plus juxtaposed quotes and quips from 22 more of the Bard’s plays and a few of his sonnets. RockabillieWillie” also includes live performances of old-school rockabilly, R&B, doo-wop and rock ’n’ roll hits such as Johnny Otis’s “Willie and the Hand Jive,” Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy,” the Monotones’s “Book of Love” and more.
A Sharply Divided Palm Coast City Council Fails to Appoint a New City Manager In Series of Messy Votes
As with so much in the recent history of the council, tonight’s attempt to appoint a permanent city manager was messy, it lacked unity, and it ended in deadlock as the council voted in zigzags against both Paul Trombino and Richard Hough in a half dozen 3-2 votes. The council opted to ask both candidates to write white papers on budgeting by next week to allow for yet another vote. Whether either candidate will agree is unclear, especially after this evening’s deliberations.
Florida Will Use Tax Dollars to Sue Its Own Public Schools on Behalf of Parents
Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office is “putting our money where our mouth is” in announcing a state-funded legal team dedicated to enforcing parents-rights laws. Addressing a crowd of fourth graders at Jacksonville Classical Academy Tuesday, Uthmeier said his office is “making sure that we’re walking the walk and setting examples” in enforcing laws related to gender transition, library materials, school surveys, and other topics that have dominated legislative, judicial, and executive conversations in recent years.
Florida House Sets Up Panel to Weigh Cuts or Elimination of Most Property Taxes
A special House committee will begin hearings this week to consider possible alternatives for asking Florida voters to cut property taxes. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Tuesday announced the creation of a select committee to look at potential property-tax changes that could go before voters in November 2026. The full House would take up the issue at the start of the 2026 legislative session in January.
32-Year-Old Maine Resident Accused of Using Xbox to Threaten Palm Coast Boy’s Life and Family
James M. Maynard, a 32-year-old resident of a Bunnell-size town in inland Maine that gave birth to two of that state’s governors, was arrested and jailed there on a Flagler County warrant after a local investigation determined he was the alleged source of continuous death threats against a Palm Coast boy and his family through Xbox, the networked video game console.
Palm Coast Absent as Ground Breaks on $11.2 Million General Aviation Building at Flagler County Airport
Eight years after it was conceived–and at almost three times its original cost–the future 15,000 square foot general aviations building at Flagler County Executive Airport finally got its ground ceremonially broken this morning before dozens of local officials and spectators. The $11.2 million building is financed by a $5.6 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, a $5 million appropriation from the legislature, and $620,000 in local airport funds.
Palm Coast’s Choice for City Manager: One Candidate With Extensive Civil Experience, the Other Military
In Richard Hough and Paul Trombino, the last two candidates for Palm Coast city manager still standing at the end of a thin and self-eroded field, the City Council has two distinct choices if it decides to offer the job to one of them at its evening meeting Tuesday: one brings extensive military experience, the other brings even more extensive civil experience. For all their differences, they have one thing in common. Neither has been a city or county manager, though both have managed large operations with large budgets and sizeable personnel.
Possible Sale of Flagler Beach’s Golf Course Again Raises Public Concerns, as Does ‘Horrendous’ State of Greens
Even as it has received appraisals for the property, the Flagler Beach City Commission again said last Thursday that whatever may or may not happen with Ocean Palm Golf Club, the nine-hole course at the south end of town, is in the earliest stages. Talk of its sale and a conceptual site plan for a 30,000 square-foot building there are all preliminary. Residents who neighbor the course raised doubts again at the meeting, suggesting that the plan is further along than the city claims, and that a workshop is in order. They also complained about the course’s current condition.
Florida House Votes to Scrap Work Limits for Older Teens But Ban STI Treatment Without Parental Consent
Although older teens could work unlimited hours, they wouldn’t be able to get treatment for sexually transmitted infections on their own under two bills the Florida House approved Friday. House lawmakers voted on party lines both to require parental consent for health care providers to treat minors with STIs and to let 16- and 17-year-olds work full-time hours during the school year without their parents’ permission.
Flagler County Assist, the County’s Unique Emergency Management Support Organization, Marks 40th Year
Flagler County Assist (FCA) is celebrating 40 years of service to the people of Flagler County. Since 1985 Flagler County Assist has supported numerous events and provided assistance during emergencies including wildfires, hurricanes, storms small and large public events as the 4th of July in Flagler Beach and the annual Pink on Parade 5 K race.
How Florida Went from Swing State to Solid Republican
Florida has undergone a dramatic political transformation over the past decade from a swing state to Republican stronghold. In 2012, there were almost 1.5 million more registered Democratic voters than Republicans in Florida. In 2020, Democrats’ advantage dropped to about 97,000. And by September 2024, there were almost 1 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Flagler’s Sam Greco Votes with House Majority to Eliminate Local Tourism Councils and Use Bed Tax Revenue to Cut Property Tax
A House measure passed Friday would have potentially damaging consequences for Flagler County tourism promotion, beach protection and beach management. The proposal would eliminate all local tourist development councils and use all but 25 percent of the revenue from the tourism sales surtax to offset property tax reductions.
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris’s Choice: Change Conduct or Become Irrelevant
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris doesn’t have to change his politics. But if he is to be a relevant mayor rather than an isolated nobody on the council for the next four years, he should change his conduct. He would benefit from giving his Napoleonic ego a four-year sabbatical and from giving up the illusion that his power is more than one-fifth of the council’s, that his word is law, or that the mayor’s position is defined by authority more than ceremony. He has plenty of time to rescue his mayorship. The council would be his first ally. So would the administration. He doesn’t seem interested.
Brendan Depa Appeal: Court Abused Its Discretion By Imposing State Prison Instead of Juvenile Sanctions
The long-expected appeal in the case of Brendan Depa argues that Circuit Judge Terence Perkins abused the court’s discretion last summer when he imposed a five-year, adult prison sentence and 15 years of probation rather than what would have amounted to two years in a juvenile prison. Depa, who will be 20 in August, was a 17-year-old Matanzas High School special education student when he attacked then-teacher aide Joan Naydich after he got angry for being disciplined over the use of a Nintendo game. Surveillance video of the attack circulated around the globe, turbocharging the case’s visibility.
House Panel Drops Investigation of Casey DeSantis Charity That Funneled $10 Million to Political Committees
After weeks of investigation, a state House leader said Thursday his panel is halting a probe into a foundation linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida. Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, spent weeks scrutinizing the foundation’s receipt of $10 million as part of a $67 million legal settlement that Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid managed-care company, reached last fall with the Agency for Health Care Administration, then redistributing the $10 million to two anti-pot political committees.
Cowpen Fire in West Flagler Jumps to 250 Acres in Hours Before Firefighters Contain 90%
A fire that started about 3 p.m. Thursday (April 24) on the west side of Flagler County quickly grew from 7 to 250 acres in a matter of hours, reflecting the brittle conditions resulting from increasingly dry ground. The blaze, identified as the Cowpen 2 fire, is still burning but is 90 percent contained this morning.
Bunnell Commission Bids Farewell to 5-Year Commissioner Tonya Gordon as New Members Are Sworn-In
The Bunnell City Commission bid farewell to Commissioner Tonya Gordon, who was elected in 2020 and chose not to run for re-election. Commissioners David Atkinson and Dean Sechrist were sworn-in, as was Mayor Catherine Robinson. John Rogers was named vice-mayor again. In Robinson and Rogers, the commission has the longest- and second-longest serving elected officials on major boards in the county.
With House and Senate Split on Size of Tax Cuts, Florida Legislature Goes Into Overtime
With the Senate and House unable to reach agreement on tax cuts and spending, lawmakers will not finish negotiations on a new state budget in time to end the legislative session as scheduled next week. The House has proposed a tax package (HB 7033) totaling about $5 billion, with the cuts largely stemming from a plan to permanently reduce the state’s sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent. The Senate proposed a $1.83 billion tax-cut package (SB 7034) that includes eliminating sales taxes on clothing and shoes that cost $75 or less.
Another Stunner from Mayor Norris: He Interviews City Manager Candidates By His Truck in Parking Lot
Less than 24 hours after he posted a sepia-colored “WANTED” poster of himself, thumbing his nose at his critics, Palm Coast Mayor this morning held his two interviews with prospective city manager candidates in the City Hall parking lot, standing by his truck–and forcing the two candidates to do likewise.
In Somewhat of a Setback for County’s Beach Plan, Tourism Council Awards Only Half the Money Asked
The county’s own Tourist Development Council on Wednesday rejected a request for roughly $2.6 million over the next three years to help with reconstruction of the county’s beaches and the county’s ambitious $120 million beach-management plan. Instead, the council voted to award half that amount, or roughly $1.3 million, depending on what the tourism sales surtax generates. The county may still apply for TDC grants to make up the difference.
No Plea Offers in Jermaine Williams’s Death-Penalty Trial for Murder of His Wife, Yolonda Williams, in Bunnell
The death penalty case against Jermaine Williams, the 52-year-old Bunnell resident accused of stabbing his 50-year-old wife Yolonda Williams in the couple’s South Pine Street driveway last August, will not be tried until fall or perhaps next year, Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis told the court today. The defense told the court that numerous depositions have been conducted, and numerous depositions still remain. The prosecution and the defense have not discussed a plea. That remains a possibility, though anything less than life in prison is unlikely.
Divider. Coward. Bully. Dictator: 4 Palm Coast City Council Members on Mayor Mike Norris, In Their Own Words
As the Palm Coast City Council in a pair of unanimous votes censured Mayor Mike Norris, expressed its no-confidence in him and forwarded a complaint to the Florida Ethics Commission, each of the four council members spoke at length about their vote on motions unprecedented in Palm Coast’s 25-year history. Their statements follow.
Florida Sues Snapchat, Alleging Social Media Platform Is Not Blocking Minors
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit alleging that the operator of Snapchat is violating a high-profile 2024 law aimed at keeping children off some social-media platforms. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Santa Rosa County circuit court, came after a federal judge last month rejected a request by tech-industry groups for an injunction to block the law. In a federal-court filing Monday, attorneys for the state said Uthmeier “expects that additional investigations and enforcement actions will commence soon.”
Timing of YMCA’s $16 Million Facility in Palm Coast May Hinge on City and School Board Cash Contributions
The Volusia Flagler YMCA is prepared to build a $16 million, 44,000-square-foot YMCA in Palm Coast’s Town Center with a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool. But the organization is asking Palm Coast government for $3 million, and to take over management of the city’s Aquatic Center, known as Freida Zamba pool. The Y is also asking the Flagler County School Board for $3 million, which the board will see as a very heavy lift, and will be approaching the county with a similar request. The Y’s Palm Coast project does not appear to be contingent on the government’s cash contributions, but its immediacy will be.
Palm Coast Council Excoriates an Absent Mayor Norris in Extraordinary Unanimous Censure and No-Confidence Vote
“Coward.” “Bully.” “Dictator.” “Abysmal.” “Shocking.” “Conspiracist.” “Ego.” “inferiority complex.” “An embarrassment.” Those are some of the terms Palm Coast City Council members used today to describe their colleague, Mayor Mike Norris, before a pair of unanimous votes extraordinary for their reach and intent–one to formally censure him and express the council’s no-confidence in him, one to forward a formal complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics. If sustained, the council intends the complaint to be the precursor of a request to Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Norris from office.
Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course: Palm Coast Will Seek Buyer for City’s Deficit-Prone ‘Gem’
Possibly ending the city’s 17-year ownership of the Palm Harbor Golf Club, the Palm Coast City Council will look for a buyer for the 137-acre course and backyard to hundreds of properties in the C-Section. The request for proposal will include the condition that the land remain a golf course in perpetuity. The council is framing the initiative as an “option” and as information-gathering rather than an absolute commitment to sell. But it would also be the first time in the course’s history that the city has taken this step.
Palm Coast Council Poised to Call on Governor to Remove Mayor Norris, Who Is a No-Show at Today’s Meeting
Less than a day after an independent investigative report blistered Mayor Mike Norris for violating the city charter and for chronically unbecoming conduct at City Hall, Council member Charles Gambaro this morning called on the council to request that Gov. Ron DeSantis remove Norris from office for “malfeasance.” Norris was a no-show for a 9 a.m. workshop this morning.
Independent Investigation Sustains Accusations of Interference and Hostility By Mayor Norris, Suggesting Malfeasance
Raising the possibility of malfeasance, an independent investigation sustained allegations that Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris violated the charter by interfering with city management and calling for the resignation of City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo. The findings go much further, drawing the portrait of a mayor at times unhinged with hostility, rudeness, foul language, misplaced humor and demeaning statements, revealing “a pattern of inappropriate conduct and unprofessional behavior” that undermines Palm Coast’s government “and creates a hostile work environment for city employees.”
Flagler County Prepares to Rebuild 5.5 Miles of Beach for $36 Million North of Pier Even as Long-Term Plan Is In Doubt
Flagler County government revealed a plan to rebuild–or renourish–between 5.5 and 7 miles of beach north and south of the area the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt last year, for $36 to $40 million, starting as early as October. State and federal grants are in hand to pay for the project. But a majority of county commissioners are reluctant to ensure that the renourishing is not wasted–as it will be if it is not followed by subsequent renourishments. That majority appears unwilling to support a long-term financing plan for all 18 miles of beach.
Modest Surplus Projection at Palm Harbor Golf May Temper Pressure on Palm Coast to Sell or Change Course
The Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Department is expecting to almost break even this year and to generate a $93,000 surplus next year at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club. By the city’s estimate, the surplus would decline if the city were to take over course maintenance from a private contractor. Both findings, to be presented to the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday, relieve pressure on the city and the council to end general fund subsidies to the golf club, let alone sell it. At least for now.
New College Hides Russell Brand Sleaze Behind Free Speech
Florida attracts sleazeballs, creeps, and the criminally-inclined the way cookie crumbs attract roaches. It’s always been like this: Al Capone wintered in Miami Beach; Richard Nixon escaped to his Key Biscayne compound so he could hang out with his mob-affiliated pal Bebe Rebozo; Charles Ponzi made a name for himself for selling Florida swampland — impossible to build on— to unsuspecting Yankees. Russell Brand almost made it on the list.