Karen Barchowski has owned Sally’s Ice Cream on A1A in Flagler Beach for 10 years. She is selling the business and moving to Vermont, after her embracing outlook fostered through Sally’s a powerful hub of acceptance and diversity. “We found invincible love,” Barchowski says of her years in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach City Commission
In Flagler Beach, ‘We Got Hit the Hardest’ in the County, Manager Says at Emergency Meeting, Calling for Patience
The Flagler Beach City Commission took stock of Hurricane Ian’s impact on the city at a hastily arranged emergency meeting at noon today, balancing the fact that the hurricane largely spared Flagler County of severe impacts but still left Flagler Beach with the most damage locally.
Westward Ho, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Tells Realtors, with View to Double City’s Footprint
Palm Coast Mayor offered a bullish vision of Palm Coast’s westward expansion past U.S. 1 while speaking to fellow-Realtors at the annual Meet the Mayors event Wednesday, along side County Commissioner Greg Hansen, Bunnell mayor Catherine Robinson, Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston and Beverly beach Mayor Steve Emmett.
Cities, Including Flagler Beach, Looking Into Banning Smoking and Vaping on Beaches
Several communities in coming weeks and months could move forward under a new state law that allows cities and counties to ban smoking cigarettes and vaping at locally controlled beaches and parks.
Flagler Beach Commission Set to Approve Budget With 13% Tax Increase
The Flagler Beach City Commission is set to vote next week on a proposed budget that would raise the city’s property tax rate slightly and equate to a 13 percent tax increase for non-homesteaded property owners like businesses and renters.
Dune Reconstruction Project Is Set for Next June Even as 1 Property Owner Holds Out
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Jason Harrah told the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening that the now two-decade-old plan to rebuild 2.6 miles of beach south of the pier is set to begin in June.
Flagler Beach Commission Gives City Manager William Whitson A Mediocre Evaluation, and a Few Pointers
As an evaluation for the chief executive of a local government, that of City Manager William Whitson, his first since his arrival here in May 2021, is not a triumph. It evokes words like middling, mediocre, passable, decent, tolerable. In the exact words of the evaluations themselves, they average out to the low end of “Meets the Job Standards.”
‘Disturbing’ Beach Erosion Near Pier Meets Split and Muddled Response from Flagler Beach Commission
A 90-minute emergency meeting of the Flagler Beach City Commission this morning resulted in more confusion, disagreement and speculation than direction on how to address what City Manager William Whitson described as “disturbing” and relatively sudden erosion of a massive portion of beach at the pier and just north of it. Others–including surfers and a city commissioner–said the sand has merely migrated, and will return of its own.
Massive Erosion Strikes North and South of Pier; Flagler Beach Commission Calls Emergency Meeting
Erosion north of the Flagler Beach pier and around 13th Street South has left portions of the shore without beach, with sheer cliffs of sand instead, as was the case along much of the Flagler shore following Hurricane Matthew. Yet there’s been no major storms. County and Flagler Beach officials are concerned, and examining options.
Solution in Sight in Months-Long Conflict Over School Construction as Halt to Big Developments Looms
A compromise proposal suggested by School Board member Trevor Tucker may resolve a conflict that has divided Flagler County government and the School Board, along with some of the county’s cities, over how builders and developers are billed for school construction. Absent a resolution, more than a dozen large developments could be brought to a halt.
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.
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.
In Silver Lining for Flagler Beach, $25,000 Not Spent on Fireworks Redirected to Dodge Dunes Campaign
At the behest of Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan, Flagler’s Tourist Development Council this morning agreed by consensus to award some or all of the $25,000 that the city did not spend on its ill-fated July 4 fireworks show back to efforts focused on the Dodge the Dunes campaign, primarily in Flagler Beach.
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.
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.
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.
Developments Could Stall If County, Cities and District Can’t Agree on School Construction Payments
As they hurtle toward an arbitrary Aug. 31 deadline that could potentially bring some local development to a halt, the Flagler County School Board on one side and the county, Palm Coast and Bunnell on the other remain in sharp opposition over how to collect money developers owe the district to ensure there are enough schools for incoming students.
Flagler Beach Mayor Files Grant On Her Own, Underscoring Grievance With Manager Over Serial Fails
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston filed an application to the county’s Tourist Development Council for a $739,000 grant to rebuild the city’s boardwalk, without commission approval, but in reaction to what she sees as a series of failures on the city administration’s part to follow through on city initiatives.
Flagler Beach Misses Deadline on $739,000 Tourism Grant. It had 18 Months to Apply. And an Extension.
The Flagler Beach City Commission learned Thursday evening that the city missed out on up to $739,000 in grant funds from the Flagler County Tourist Development Council–a grant that had been available since January 2021. The city was afforded an extension. It missed that deadline too.
On Palm Drive Near the Future Gardens Development, Flagler Beach Awakens to Stormwater Responsibility
Residents along Palm Drive in Flagler Beach have worried about flooding from the very large future development of The Gardens, now Veranda Bay, nearby, but a city commissioner found that the city has neglected to maintain the stormwater system, which itself would go a long way to mitigating waterflow issues in the future.
Flagler Beach Kills Fireworks on July 4 Over Dissatisfaction With Vendor and Contract Changes
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally and irrevocably killed this year’s July 4 fireworks after further dissatisfaction with both the fireworks vendor and the administration’s handling of the matter, which means it’ll be the third year in a row that the pier will be dark the night of Independence Day.
Provider Still Hasn’t Signed Flagler Beach Fireworks Contract or Shown Insurance. City Chief ‘Not Yet’ Worried.
Less than six weeks from July 4, and two weeks after the Flagler Beach City Commission voted to approve a $24,000 contract with Ryan Allen to set off Independence Day fireworks, the contract is still not signed, Allen has still not provided proof of insurance, and the city has therefore not issued a deposit check.
Hundreds Turn Up For Flagler Beach’s 1st ‘Hang 8’ Dog-Surfing Contest, Putting Event on Map
Flagler Beach’s inaugural Hang 8 dog-surfing competition drew close to 1,000 people over the five-hour event, giving the city what its organizers say will be an established annual draw.
Setting Aside Transparency Concerns, Flagler Beach Commission Reaffirms Support for $420,000 Dumpster Project
The $420,000 reconstruction and expansion of the dumpster pad outside the Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach–$450,000, including architectural drawings–will go forward, the Flagler Beach City Commission decided last week, despite questions by two commissioners and the mayor.
A Leery Flagler Beach Commission Votes for Diminished July 4 Fireworks Despite Provider’s ‘Bait and Switch’
Don’t expect the kind of fireworks show you’ve been used to this July 4 in Flagler Beach now that “the residents have been betrayed,” in the words of the chairman of the city’s former July 4 committee. The commission’s vote followed on the heels of a series of embarrassing missteps, poor vetting on the city’s part, and documentation provided only hours before commission meetings.
Fireworks Producer Bills Flagler Beach 150% More Than Agreed Price for July 4 and Drafts Yet Another Company
The latest fireworks producer, Ryan Allen, today sent a $60,000 invoice to City Manager William Whitson for the July 4 fireworks show, a 150 percent increase from the $24,000 the city commission agreed to, while the show would now be a co-production with yet another company the city commission knew nothing about.
Flagler Beach Commission Reels from Stink Behind Blind Vote on $420,000 Repair Job at Funky Pelican
Last month the Flagler Beach City Commission approved a $420,500 bid to rebuild the garbage-dumpster pad adjacent to the Funky Pelican. Four of the five commissioners and the mayor did not know that the project was not merely to repair the pad, but to double the space, further blocking the public’s view of the ocean on the north side of the restaurant–and doubling what had originally been planned as a $200,000 job.
Flagler Beach Commission Clears Crafting Contract With Fledgling Fireworks Provider for July 4
In an attempt to bail itself out of a jam, the Flagler Beach City commission at a special meeting this afternoon directed its city manager to draft a contract with a new, young, largely untested company to provide a 20-minute fireworks show on July 4.
July 4 Fireworks in Flagler Beach Appear Back On as City Seeks to Lock In Producer, But Questions Persist
In a special meeting called for Monday, the Flagler beach City Commission will consider approving a $24,000 agreement with a Green Cove Springs company to produce the July 4 fireworks, resolving the risk of a dark July 4 created when the city failed to contact its previous fireworks producer in time.
Flagler Beach Could Have Had Its July 4 Fireworks Had It Not Waited Until April 24 to Book the Show
Several things were said by officials at the Flagler Beach City Commission meeting that were either inaccurate or incomplete, and a key point of information was left out: the commission was not aware that it was not until April 24 that the city contacted Santore to book the show, or that Santore was prepared to do the show had it been contacted earlier.
July 4 Fireworks in Flagler Beach May Not Happen as Long-Time Pyro Supplier Santore Is Booked Elsewhere
Fireworks by Santore, the fireworks manufacturer, cannot produce Flagler Beach’s Independence Day show on July 4 for only $25,000. The city may have another option with a much smaller provider, but that may not pan out, leaving the city without a fireworks show on that day.
Tourism Bureau Would Have Paid No More than $727,500 for Visitor Center Land on A1A, But Loses Out
Flagler County’s tourism bureau would have paid the appraised price of $727,500 for a choice parcel at the corner of State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach, listed at $1.5 million, but the parcel is now going to a buyer offering much more, returning the tourism bureau to its hunt for land for a future visitor center.
City of Flagler Beach and Golf Course Company Duel with Lawsuit and Eviction Notice
Flagler Golf Management, the company running Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach since 2015, has sued the city just as the city has filed an eviction notice in circuit court, and six weeks since the Flagler Beach City Commission voted to end its 35-year lease with the company.
A Year After Giving Up on It, Flagler Beach Is Crushing Back Into Glass Recycling with $200,000 Machine
The glass-crushing machine, nicknamed “Big Blue” by the city, will transform residents’ recycled glass into useable products, but it’s also the reason residents are paying an additional $2 recycling fee. The machine will help reduce the city’s glass-garbage volume and turn pulverized glass to numerous other uses.
Dog-Surfing Contest Comes to Flagler Beach as Mayor and Commissioner Hope to Ride the Next Viral Wave
The one-day Hang 8 Dog Surfing Contest comes to Flagler Beach on May 21 as City Commissioner Eric Cooley and Mayor Suzie Johnston hope the inaugural event goes viral and adds to the city’s character. The event’s proceeds will be directed to the Humane Society and dog-rescue organizations.
Plan for 100-Room Hotel in Flagler Beach Is Revealed, Drawing City’s Approval and Concerns Over Parking and Beach Use
The Flagler Beach City Commission unanimously approved construction plans for the Compass Hotel, as it will be called, downtown, in place of the farmer’s market, but commissioners raised concerns about the hotel’s use of its portion of the beach and about parking.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 5-0 to Break Ocean Palms Golf Lease and Seek New Management Company
Seven years into a rocky marriage that never lived up to its promise and twice before verged on dissolution, the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally ended its relationship with Flagler Golf Management, the company that since 2015 had managed Ocean Palms Golf Club, the city-owned, nine-hole golf course framed by scores of homes at the south end of town.
Flagler Beach Government’s Audit Eviscerates Golf Course Company’s Books, Leaving Its Fate in Doubt
A long-awaited audit of Flagler Golf Management, the company that runs Flagler Beach’s city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Club, found serous irregularities, unaccounted dollars and unexplained expenses as the city commission and the management company’s officials prepare to meet face to face for the first time since 2017 this evening.
Mealy and Newcomer Sherman Win in Flagler Beach, Incumbents Barnes and Schultz Win in Bunnell
Long-time Commissioner Jane Mealy, one of the city’s more popular elected officials for over a decade and a half, again won handily, with James Sherman second, while in Bunnell incumbents Bob Barnes and Tina-Marie Schultz won, surprising recently retired FHP Cpl. Pete Young, a distant third.
Flagler Beach City Commission Election Profile: 2 Incumbents Speak Experience as a Newcomer Promises
The Flagler Woman’s Club on Tuesday hosted a forum for the three candidates running for Flagler Beach City Commission–incumbents Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur, and newcomer James Sherman. Here’s a complete report and analysis of the evening.
Court Says City-Owned Golf Course Managed By a Private Company Can Be Required to Pay Property Taxes
The court decision could potentially have ramifications in Flagler Beach, where the city owns Ocean Palms Golf Club, a nine-hole golf course, but has been leasing it to a private company since 2015, tax-free. The decision this week suggests local property appraisers may legally deny a local government’s exemption for such privately run amenities.
Ultimatum from Flagler Beach, Husband in Prison: Ocean Palm Golf’s Unintended Owner Tells Her Story
Belle McManus had to take over the city-owned, privately managed Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach after her husband was imprisoned on a DUI conviction. The city and the golf course already had rocky relations, and now the golf course faces a lease termination ultimatum. McManus describes her attempts to save the business in her new, unexpected role.
In Unusual Break with Meeting Customs, a Flagler Beach Commissioner Blasts Another Over Campaign Claims
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Ken Bryan described fellow-Commissioner Rick Belhumeur’s claims on the campaign trail of extravagant spending by the commission as “offensive” and “wrong” in statement unusually critical of a fellow commissioner–at a commission meeting. Bryan isn’t running in the March 8 election. Belhumeur is, and Bryan is backing a challenger.
Flagler Beach’s Tardy Dunes Project Is Down to a Single Holdout As Another Property Owner Signs Easement
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Monday evening announced he had secured a long-sought easement from Flagler Beach property owner Leonard Surles, reducing the list of holdouts to a single property owner: Cynthia D’Angiolini.
Flagler Beach Reduces Its Lifeguard Zone By Two Towers, and Asks County for More Money
Reducing Flagler Beach’s lifeguard-protected zone by four blocks will save about $25,000 a year, but the city is still seeking more than the $84,500 it is getting from the county to run the $240,000 lifeguard program.
Calling it ‘An Embarrassment to the City,’ Flagler Beach Manager Issues 30-Day Ultimatum to Golf Operation
Flagler Beach City Manager sent a harsh letter to Flagler Golf Management, the company running the city-owned golf course at the south end of town, giving it 30 days to “cure” a long list of problems, including compliance with a requested audit of the company’s books. It’s the latest showdown in a seven-year history of showdowns.
Cost to Save Beaches and Properties in Flagler from Rising Seas: $6.3 Million a Year, Year After Year
Flagler County commissioners and other local officials heard the sobering conclusions of a seminal beach management study today, and the large costs ahead that will fall on all local governments and residents if the beaches are to be preserved. That money is nowhere in place for now, nor is a management plan.
It’s Fireworks as Usual in 2022 as Cities’ July 4 Grab Is Ticking Burst for Another Year
Flagler Beach and Palm Coast agreed to leave well enough alone this year, with July 4 fireworks in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s July 3 fireworks moved to the county airport. Palm Coast’s wish to have a some July 4’s of its own will be hashed out in future years.
It’s Groundhog Day at Flagler Beach’s City-Owned Golf Course as Commission Again Issues Lease Ultimatum
The Flagler Beach City Commission is yet again reenacting its recurring drama with Flagler Golf Management, the company that’s been running the city’s nine-hole Ocean Palms Golf Club at the south end of town since 2015, issuing its third threat to end the lease since 2017. Meanwhile, the company’s founding owner is in prison.
Retiring Nice-Guy Approach, Flagler County Will Sue 2 Flagler Beach Property Owners Over Dunes Project
Facing an ultimatum from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the county will sue two Flagler Beach property owners to secure beachside easements necessary to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with a long-delayed dune-rebuilding project along 2.6 miles of beach in the city. The county had been threatening just such action for 15 months, but was hoping to avoid it.