Palm Coast government wants to align city policy with a new state law requiring more detailed criminal backgrounding of youth athletic coaches and others who supervise children in organized sports even when they do not work for the city. The backgrounding could result in disqualification from coaching in some cases, but council members want to more precisely define those thresholds so that, say, a drug offense from 10 years ago isn’t a life sentence away from coaching. The city attorney is cautioning council members to be consistent, whichever policy they adopt.
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Abandoning Most Public Responsibilities, But Not Pay, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Forces Council Members to Pick Up Slack
Attending and chairing most meetings aside, a piqued and vengeful Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is no longer fulfilling basic public and administrative council responsibilities that his four colleagues are fulfilling, in some cases causing his colleagues to carry the weight of the responsibilities he’s shrugging off. He has abandoned all but one of his committee responsibilities, he refuses to meet with the acting city manager to prepare for meetings, his petulance or absence has required Theresa Pontieri, as vice mayor, to step in and lead high-profile public functions, and he’s now refusing to participate in town halls.
Facing $3 Million Deficit, Flagler County Asks Sheriff, Court Clerk and Other Constitutionals for Doge-Like Cuts
The Flagler County Commission must close a $2.9 million deficit as it prepares a $150 million 2026 budget that goes in effect on Oct. 1. The county and its five constitutional officers are projecting a 10.7 percent growth in their collective budgets, from $137.2 million this year to a requested $151.9 million. Projected revenue will grow by 9.6 percent, or $11.8 million. But that is not enough to fully cover the gap.
Charter Review Committee Field Grows to 10, With Notably Experienced Additions
The list of applicants to serve on the five-member Palm Coast Charter Review Committee has grown to 10, with a little over a week left before the application window closes. The four new applicants since last week bring distinct and varied experience, including Donald O’Brien, who just ended an eight-year tenure as county commissioner, two of them as chair, Jake Scully, the data architect, former member of the Palm Coast Planning Board and former long-time owner of PC Bike, and Karen Sousa, a 10-year employee of the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office.
One for the History Books: Inaugural Bunnell History Day Explores Past of “The Crossroads of Flagler County”
The inaugural Bunnell History Day drew drew visitors, vendors, artists and activists to the county’s 108-year-old city Saturday. Co-organizers Ed Siarkowicz, the president of the Flagler County Historical Society, and Pete Johnson, a 32-year-old handyman and former Palm Coast mayoral candidate, credit Elaine Studnicki, the immediate past president of the Palm Coast Historical Society and a grant writer for the Flagler County Historical Society, with coming up with the idea to celebrate Bunnell’s history.
Imagine If Florida Government Shut Down. Would Floridians Even Notice?
Instead of addressing our numerous problems, from unaffordable housing to unaffordable insurance to inflation to flooding, elected officials prefer to spend much of their time worrying about pronouns, boasting about helping Trump’s storm troopers arrest brown folks, or trying to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Moral Collapse: Florida Thinks Letting Prisoners Live in 100-Degree Heat with No Air Flow Isn’t Cruel Enough
The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. You’d think that would settle the question of whether a person should be left to endure 100-degree heat in a locked dormitory with no air conditioning, no airflow, and no escape. But in Florida, the state argues that this kind of heat doesn’t rise to the level of cruelty. It’s just part of the sentence.
Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
Flagler County Commissioners Pam Richardson and Kim Carney are sacrificing our beaches to an ideological fantasy. They are opposing an increase in the half-cent sales tax that would fund beach protection, claiming there are alternatives. They have not offered a single viable proposal, preventing the enactment of a beach management plan. Their poorly informed obstructionism only ensures accelerated erosion and a shorter lifespan for the beaches–and the barrier island.
8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
The development agreement for the controversial 8,000-house development and 800 RV sites known The Reserve at Haw Creek goes before as Bunnell City Commission Monday evening. The outcome of the controversial proposal–the single largest development in Flagler County’s history after ITT started Palm Coast in the late 1960s–is uncertain.
Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
The Palm Coast City Council approved the first phase of a five-year, $304,000 plan to integrate all city surveillance cameras–on streets, on and inside buildings, at utility and other facilities–with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center. Integration will significantly expand the center’s capabilities and give the Sheriff’s Office immediate and unimpeded access to the camera streams, though the city will retain control of the network, the software, and the implementation of the system.
Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
The Palm Coast City Council agreed to scrap plans to charge residents and businesses bank or digital check fees–the ACH autopay system, or ACH debit–when making electronic payments for utility bills and other city-related costs. But the transaction fee applying to credit or debit card transactions will remain.
AP, IB and AICE Face Sharp Cuts if Florida Senators Have Their Way
The Senate is warming to a new funding means for advanced courses allowing high school students to earn college credits. But the upper chamber has still only offered 70 percent of the funding calculated under a model in use for decades. A Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee offer Thursday provides $418 million in the form of a categorical grant to school districts. That’s more than $175 million less than the House wants to fund.
1.3-Mile Sea Wall at South End of Flagler Complete But for Turtle Nest’s Delay, Giving A1A ‘Highest Protection’
In time for hurricane season projected to spin 13 to 19 named storms, the 1.3-mile seawall at the south end of Flagler County is complete but for a 50-foot stretch–delayed because of a turtle nest. An equally long sea wall 6 miles south, in Volusia County, will be completed by early fall, with a cover of vegetation completed by year’s end. The combined $117 million Florida Department of Transportation projects were financed mostly with federal money. DOT built them after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole again severely damaged State Road A1A south of the pier.
Judge Dismayed as Hit-and-Run Defendant Rejects 1-Year Deal to Risk Up to 15 in Prison
Joao Fernandes adamantly asked for a trial for his hit-and-run charge. He’d been willing to serve a single year on probation–an admission of guilt for his hit and run that left a 25-year-old motorcyclist a heap of broken bones–but nothing more. His attorney, Brian Penney, seemed as convinced as his client. Fernandes turned down an offer of serving one year in prison. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols told them their idea of a settlement was “offensive to the state.”
David Jolly Makes It Official: He’s Running for Governor as Newly-Minted Centrist Democrat
Former Republican Congressman David Jolly on Thursday became the first prominent Democrat to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race, saying he can attract middle-ground voters who want leaders to address issues such as rising housing and property-insurance costs. Jolly, 52, represented a Pinellas County district in Congress for nearly three years and more recently has been a cable-news political commentator. He hopes to become the first Democrat elected governor since Lawton Chiles won in 1994. Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot run again next year because of term limits.
Florida Law Restricting Ballot Initiatives Survives Court Challenge
A federal judge Wednesday refused to block parts of a new Florida law that placed additional restrictions on the state’s ballot-initiative process, turning down arguments by groups seeking to take issues to voters in 2026. As an example of the controversial parts of the law, it would shorten from 30 to 10 days the length of time to submit signed petitions to supervisors of elections. The judge agreed that the law makes it harder to get proposed amendments on the ballot, but disagreed tha it has severely burdened voters’ speech.
New Cell Towers Planned for Palm Coast Parkway East of I-95 and in Seminole Woods, as Business and Safety ‘Necessity’
Two more cell towers will rise over Palm Coast to add to the seven existing ones as the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved leasing two city-owned land parcels. One is at the future Fire Station 22 on the north side of Palm Coast Parkway near Colbert Lane–the station is under construction–the other is at 50 Citation Boulevard, co-located with the city’s Water Treatment Plant #2. Palm Coast government will generate some revenue from each, which will be built by private companies at their own expense.
Palm Coast Council Approves Hiring of Sheriff’s Chief Strobridge on 4-1 Vote; Staly Addresses Risks
The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote Tuesday night approved hiring Mark Strobridge, the Flagler County Sheriff’s chief of staff, as the assistant city manager for at least three months. With little discussion, the majority of the council was supportive. Mayor Mike Norris was not. Strobridge has described his responsibilities as focusing on the utility department hire and on improving process and efficiencies across the city. A source familiar with the hire says some already-designated personnel may be losing their job during Strobridge’s tenure.
Led by Paul Renner, Board of Governors Rejects Ono’s Appointment as President of UF Over Past Views on DEI
After a coordinated campaign by conservatives attacking his “evolution” on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, a divided state university system Board of Governors on Tuesday blocked Santa Ono from becoming the University of Florida’s next president. Ono’s assurances didn’t convince some of his harshest critics on the board, including former state House Speaker Paul Renner, who posted a 22-page document titled “The Case Against Dr. Santa Ono” on social media after Tuesday’s meeting began.
Mark Strobridge, Sheriff’s Chief of Staff, Set to Be Assistant City Manager in Palm Coast for 3 Months
In an unusual arrangement, the Palm Coast City Council is set to vote on an agreement that would bring Mark Strobridge, Sheriff Rick Staly’s chief of staff and right-hand man, as assistant city manager for a few months, with a focus on operations and the city’s leaderless Utilities Department. Acting Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston finalized the plans today after approaching Strobridge about it a few weeks ago. The Sheriff’s Office has the largest contract out of the city’s general fund, and Strobridge has negotiated that contract every year.
County Kills Half-Cent Sales Tax for Beaches as It Seeks Mystery ‘Alternatives’ to Save 18 Miles of Shoreline
The half-cent sales tax increase the county administration proposed to pay for the long-term management and preservation of Flagler County’s 18 miles of beaches died today after weeks of comatose uncertainty. Commissioners Kim Carney and Pam Richardson summarily killed it. The 18-mile beach-management plan itself may not be dead. At least the sales tax’s executioners don’t think it is. Carney moved for the commission to workshop a deep dive into the management and funding plan with alternatives to the sales tax that would generate the $12 million a year necessary to pay for beach maintenance.
Deputy’s Son Jayden Jackson, 23, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Hit-and-Run Death of Shaunta Cain
Jayden Jackson, the 23-year-old resident of Daytona North facing a first-degree felony hit-and-run charge in the death of Shaunta Cain, 54, on U.S. 1 almost three years ago, was sentenced to five years in state prison followed by five years on probation, plus restitution and other requirements. Jackson is the son of Bryan Jackson, a long-time deputy with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Flagler County Will Buy 5.2-Acre Parcel on Intracoastal North of Hammock Dune Bridge for Preservation as Parkland
The Flagler County Commission this morning approved the purchase for up to $1.9 million of 5.2 acres of scrub land fronting the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Coast, immediately north of the Hammock Dunes bridge, for perpetual preservation and possible transformation into a park. County officials say the price is worth the future preservation of a prime piece of land in an area prone to high-density development. The parcel is not isolated, but would become part of Palm Coast’s network of connected trails and parks.
GOP Bill Would Kick More Than 3 Million Off Food Stamps and Shift $14 Billion In Costs to States
The massive tax and spending bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would likely result in 3.2 million people losing food assistance benefits, and saddle states with around $14 billion a year in costs, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Democrats have argued the bill, which the House passed, 215-214 early Thursday without any Democrats in support, would cut programs for the needy to fund tax breaks for high earners.
American Doctors Are Escaping to Canada. Guess Why.
The Medical Council of Canada said in an email statement that the number of American doctors creating accounts on physiciansapply.ca, which is “typically the first step” to being licensed in Canada, has increased more than 750% over the past seven months compared with the same time period last year — from 71 applicants to 615. Separately, medical licensing organizations in Canada’s most populous provinces reported a rise in Americans either applying for or receiving Canadian licenses, with at least some doctors disclosing they were moving specifically because of the new regime in the United States.
Sales Tax Cut Appears Dead as House and Senate Leaders Agree to More Limited Exemptions
Nearly a month after leaving the Capitol without passing a budget, House and Senate leaders said Friday night they had reached an agreement that will clear the way for lawmakers to begin hammering out details of a spending plan Tuesday. The agreement includes a $900 million tax cut through eliminating a tax on commercial leases, a longtime priority of business lobbyists. It also includes what the memos described as $350 million in “permanent sales tax exemptions targeted towards Florida families,” $250 million in debt reduction and $750 million in annual payments into a state rainy-day fund.
Answering Lawsuit, Palm Coast Accuses Mayor Norris of Frivolously Weaponizing Court Against Gambaro’s Legitimacy
Palm Coast has mordantly and vigorously answered Mayor Mike Norris’s claim that Charles Gambaro should be booted off the council and a special election held to replace him. Attorney Rachael Crews, who represents the city, is giving Circuit Judge Chris France a buffet of arguments to find Norris’ claim “frivolous,” falsely urgent, legally groundless, injurious to the city charter, and not least, without standing. Norris sued Palm Coast and Gambaro on May 5, claiming that Gambaro’s appointment last fall should have ended in November.
Ethics Opinion Recommends Restricting Flagler School Board’s Lauren Ramirez’s Business Activities in Schools
A proposed opinion by the staff attorney of the Florida Ethics Commission recommends restricting Flagler County School Board member Lauren Ramirez’s private-business activities in Flagler schools to unbranded and neutral volunteering. If ratified, the opinion would prohibit Ramirez from marketing her company on school grounds, recruiting students to her various programs, employing any school personnel either as company staffers or as volunteers, sponsoring any teams or events beyond unmarked donations, or using a district-wide communication tool to market her company’s fliers to students.
Flagler Beach Secures All FEMA Funds for New Pier, Construction of $14 Million Replacement Begins June 16
Flagler Beach today secured $10 million from FEMA in addition to the $4.5 million awarded by the state for the reconstruction of an 800-foot concrete pier. The city announced that the demolition of the old pier will begin June 16. The late Larry Newsom, the former city manager, first sought FEMA funds after the pier was damaged by Hurricane Matthew. It has been damaged much more since, and closed since October 2022.
Flagler County’s Beach-Saving Plan All But Killed by Opposition to Sales Tax Increase Despite Last-Minute Switch
Flagler County’s long-debated $114 million beach-management plan looked all but dead at the end of a contentious two-hour meeting of the County Commission Monday, with only two commissioners willing to support an increase in the half-cent sales tax to fund the plan. The commission needs four votes to enact the higher tax. At the last minute, and after at times angrily denouncing the information the administration has provided her–and not provided her–Commissioner Kim Carney said she would support the tax. But the switch may be short-lived.
Palm Coast Man, 55, Arrested on Felony Animal Cruelty Charge for Asphyxiating Dog That Attacked His Chihuahua
Howard Taft Blair, a 55-year-old resident of Warwick Place in Palm Coast, was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony, for killing one of his dogs by asphyxiation. Blair told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies that killing Nutmeg, a 15-month-old American bulldog and labrador retriever mix, was necessary after Nutmeg attacked one of the family’s four other dogs.
Palm Coast’s Fire, Parks and Road Impact Fees Are About to Jump 90 to 160% as City Capitalizes Future on Development
The Palm Coast City Council is about to raise development impact fees for transportation, fire and parks from 95 percent to over 160 percent in some cases. The new fees would go in effect in full in mid-September. Impact fees are the one-time fee builders or developers pay on new construction to defray the cost of the “impact” of their development on infrastructure. The revenue helps pay for new roads, new parks or recreation centers and new fire stations or fire trucks.
Palm Coast Council Holds 8-Hour Meeting Without Drama or Embarrassments. Mayor Norris Was On Vacation.
Normalcy shouldn’t be news. At the Palm Coast City Council’s workshop on Tuesday, it was. Normalcy returned, if perhaps temporarily, after a string of meetings going back months that degraded proceedings with embarrassing regularity, derailing the city’s search for a city manager and culminating in the mayor’s censure and his retaliatory lawsuit against the city he leads. The tone on Tuesday was oddly, radically different. Mayor Mike Norris was on vacation. And Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri chaired the workshop.
By Law, $10 Million Hope Florida Deal Should Have Been Audited. It Wasn’t.
The Florida statute that governs money owed to the state requires the CFO to audit the “accounts of all the officers of the state” in regard to transactions like last year’s controversial settlement with Medicaid contractor Centene Corp. that saw $10 million in public proceeds funneled through the Casey DeSantis-affiliated Hope Florida Foundation to attack a referendum staunchly opposed by her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to legalize cannabis. No such review or audit was conducted.
With New Cat-5 Resistant Roof, Flagler’s Emergency Management Prepares for Hurricane Season of 13 to 19 Named Storms
Aside from his annual briefing on the coming hurricane season’s 13 to 19 named storms, Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said the county’s Emergency Operations Center now has an $830,000 roof that can resist 180 miles per hour winds, his department is just one of six certified departments ou of the state’s 67 counties, and a new, $10 million stand-alone emergency shelter is scheduled to be completed at the county fairgrounds by next summer.
At Flagler Tiger Bay, Ex-US Attorney General Gives Bullish View of ‘Unitary’ Executive Power, With Nod to Calvin Coolidge
Jesse Panuccio is the former executive director of the Florida Department of Executive Opportunity, general counsel to former Gov. Rick Scott and twice the acting U.S. Attorney General during the first Trump administration. He focused on the record spate of recent presidential executive orders and “their legal status,” drawing from headlines about the most aggressive use of executive power since the Civil War in combination with Panuccio’s interpretation of history in the founding era to endorse the current president’s conduct as legally justified.
Solemnity and Dissonance at Palm Coast’s Memorial Day Ceremony as Congressman Invokes 1.2 Million Casualties
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri led Palm Coast’s traditional commemoration of Memorial Day at Heroes Park with a tribute to Gold Star families as U.S. Rep. Randy Fine invoked the “stupendous” deaths of 1.2 million American casualties in wars over the years, four days after implying that nuking 2 million Palestinians was justified.
Don’t Buy the False Narrative that Palm Coast’s Infrastructure Isn’t Keeping Up with Growth
No one disputes that Palm Coast has grown significantly and faster than most communities in the country. The city’s population has grown by 150 percent in 20 years. That kind of growth naturally brings challenges, and anyone who suggests otherwise is being disingenuous. But to claim that our infrastructure is incapable of supporting this growth, or worse, that the city has been sitting idly by, is to ignore a mountain of evidence.
Democracy’s Sunset: There’s a 70% Chance the Constitution Will Be Suspended Before 2028
The democratic moment is over. There’s a 70 percent chance that the Constitution will be suspended before the legal end of the current administration. The chance of a suspension grows to 110 percent in case of an actual emergency, like a 9/11-style attack. But a majority of Americans aren’t interested in democracy anymore. They want their strongman. Nothing else explains the country’s surrender to the degradation of the country’s institutions since Jan. 20.
Why the Far Right Fabricated the Myth of a Migrant ‘Invasion’
The current administration is using the claim that immigrants have “invaded” the country to justify possibly suspending habeas corpus, part of the constitutional right to due process. A faction of the far right has been building this case for years. By 2022, invasion rhetoric, which had previously been relegated to white nationalist circles, had become such a staple of Republican campaign ads that most of the public agreed an invasion of the U.S. via the southern border was underway.
Danko No Longer District Director for Randy Fine; Congressman Calls for Nuking Gaza’s 2 Million Palestinians
Ed Danko and U.S. Rep. Randy Fine have parted ways a week after the former Palm Coast City Council member was named Fine’s district director in Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns Counties. On Thursday, Fine called for the nuking of Gaza, the small enclave of 2 million Palestinians. Fine will be a featured speaker at Palm Coast’s Memorial Day commemoration, and at the county’s commemoration later on Monday.
Flagler Beach’s Farmers Market Will Move to South 2nd Street by City Hall After Losing Wickline Park
The Flagler Beach farmers market that’s jazzed up the grounds of the Wickline Center off South Daytona Avenue since 2022 will have a new home after July 4: along South 2nd Street between State Road A1A and South Central Avenue, in front of City Hall. The city nudged the market out of Wickline Park where it had been operating since 2022, after complaints about the misuse of the park. The new location will significantly improve visibility for the market, which is run by Flagler Strong, a nonprofit.
Federal Judge Hears Challenge to Florida’s Law Sharply Restricting Ballot Initiatives
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker listened to about three hours of testimony on Florida Decides Healthcare’s and Smart & Safe Florida’s request that he block certain provisions of the law while the legal challenge moves ahead — including a requirement that sponsors turn in completed petitions within 10 days after the voter signs the petition, as well as stepped up fines and criminal penalties.
Palm Coast City Attorney Calls Mayor Norris ‘Unprofessional and Inappropriate’ 3 Weeks After Censure for Similar Behavior
Palm Coast City Attorney Jeremiah Blocker last week told Mayor Mike Norris that his conduct with the city’s two attorneys was “unprofessional and inappropriate” following a suggestion by Norris that the attorneys were ignoring him. It was the latest in a series of incidents involving Norris’s often brusque conduct involving city staffers, council members or members of the business community. The latest revelations are notable for having occurred after Norris was censured by the rest of the City Council for his conduct, and after he had offered something resembling an apology.
Maga’s Fearful War on Universities
Ron DeSantis has been trying for years to regulate speech in colleges and universities, impose restrictions on what teachers can teach in schools, and decree which books the state of Florida finds “acceptable.” DeSantis, nothing if not energetic in his rage, is now determined to shield our precious college students from Dangerous Thoughts. He’s the model for someone else in charge.
Margaritaville’s Compass Hotel in Flagler Beach Opens in Buffett-Themed Celebration of a Downtown Remade
“Total excitement. Fantastic. Finally.” With those words, Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King summed up the response to today’s opening of the 100-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville in the heart of Flagler Beach, more than half a century after its three-story predecessor in the same spot closed its door on its last guest. The $27 million project includes a pair of bars and restaurants totaling 240 seats and employs some 80 people, most from Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.
Flagler County Clears Construction of 124 Single-Family Houses at Veranda Bay in Latest Phases of 453-Unit Development
The Flagler County Commission approved Monday the final plat for 124 single-family house lots at Veranda Bay near Flagler Beach, the last two of six phases totaling 335 houses in the development along John Anderson Highway, which was permitted for 453 housing units in 2020. Veranda Bay’s ultimate plan is for 2,400 housing units and annexation into Flagler Beach. That plan is on a hiatus.
State Attorney Investigating Records Linked to Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida
Records related to a state House probe of a nonprofit linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida assistance program are part of an “open” investigation, Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell’s office said Tuesday. House Health Care Budget Chairman Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, submitted records to Campbell’s office late last month after concluding a House inquiry into the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit linked to the Hope Florida program.
Reversing Planning Board’s Decision, Palm Coast Council Approves 100,000-Sq.-Ft. Storage Facility on Pine Lakes Pkwy
Overriding a decision by its Planning Board, the Palm Coast City Council today granted a special zoning exception to allow construction of a 100,000-square-foot storage facility on 6.8 acres off Pine Lakes Parkway, halfway between Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway. The Planning board, in an unusual decision, voted 4-2 to deny the special exception, saying there were enough self-storage facilities as it is: social media pages are rife with screeds about a surfeit of storage facilities.
Flagler Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord Warns of a Different Disaster Ahead: the Vanishing of FEMA Money
With or without FEMA, Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord cautioned, local governments must be prepared to assume more costs of recovery than they have in the past, especially if the federal government declares fewer disasters, as appears to be the plan. Fewer declarations will mean far less reimbursements and far fewer grants for innumerable projects and services local governments depend on in the recovery phase of what are becoming routine climate disasters.