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Flagler Beach City Commission

Karen Barchowski Sells Storied Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach as She Plots Her Next Revolution

October 7, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 45 Comments

Karen Barchowski has owned Sally's Ice Cream for the past 10 years. She is passing the torch to new owners on Nov. 1. She'd been painting this afternoon when she took a break for a picture. (© FlaglerLive)

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.

In Flagler Beach, ‘We Got Hit the Hardest’ in the County, Manager Says at Emergency Meeting, Calling for Patience

October 4, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Flagler Beach was in repair mode all the way to its water tower today. (© Rick Belhumeur for FlaglerLive)

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

September 14, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

david alfiun westward palm coast expansion

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

September 3, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

A new law allows cities and counties to ban smoking and vaping on beaches they control. (© FlaglerLive)

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

September 2, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Flagler Beach, when it had a beach. (© FlaglerLive)

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

August 22, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

The entirely eroded beach at a South 13th Street crossover in Flagler Beach last week. It's part of the segment of beach that a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project would rebuild. (© FlaglerLive)

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

August 18, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson with his one true champion on the commission, Jane Mealy, last February, just before Whitson's tenure ran into a series of difficulties. (© FlaglerLive)

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

August 10, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

Cliffs instead of a beach: the nearly catastrophic erosion at the Flagler Beach pier and north of it is prompting an emergency response from city government, but options are limited and expensive. (© FlaglerLive)

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

August 8, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

The beach north of the Flagler Beach pier has been carved out, without so much as a major storm. (© FlaglerLive)

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

August 4, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Flagler County School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker, flanked by Board members Janet McDonald, left, and Colleen Conklin, making his compromise proposal that may resolve a long-running conflict pitting the county on one side and the school board on the other--with cities largely caught in between--over the way builders and developers are charged for school construction. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 28, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

The Flagler Beach City Commission in a less stressful environment, at last April's dedication of a glass-crushing recycling machine. From left, Commissioner James Sherman, Devorah Phillips, Mayor Suzie Johnston, Commissioner Jane Mealy and Commission Chairman Ken Bryan. Commissioner Eric Cooley is not pictured. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 22, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Jason DeLorenzo, left, and Ray Tyner, director and deputy director of Palm Coast's development department, proposed a compromise solution to payment of school construction fees just as a working group seemed primed for a crash. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 20, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The message can be lost on visitors. A revitalized Dodge the Dunes campaign may help. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 15, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Flagler Beach Commissioners Jane Mealy and Ken Bryan, along with Deborah Phillips (not pictured) are having sharp differences with Mayor Suzie Johnston over the mayor's role on the commission. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 15, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

The Flagler Beach City Commission and Manager William Whitson need a reset. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 14, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson has 90 days to prove to commissioners that he's still their guy. (© FlaglerLive)

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

July 8, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, left, chaired this morning's Intergovernmental Agreement Oversight Committee meeting intended to outline the various governments' positions on the collection of fees from builders for school construction. Those in attendance were County Commissioners Dave Sullivan and Andy Dance, Bunnell City Commissioners Bob Barnes and John Rogers, School Board members Janet McDonald and Colleen Conklin, School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker, and Palm Coast City Council member Nick Klufas. (© FlaglerLive)

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

June 30, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 42 Comments

The Flagler Beach city administration did not file an application for a tourism grant worth up to $739,000, though it had a year and a half to do so. The mayor filed it on her own this week, though it is going nowhere. The mayor's action was likelier intended as a message. (© FlaglerLive)

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.

June 24, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

Flagler Beach has been looking to rebuild its boardwalk and is planning to rebuild its pier. It had a crack at more than $700,000 in a local tourism grant. It missed the deadline--and an extension. (© FlaglerLive)

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

June 22, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Flagler Beach City Commissioner Ken Bryan points to the wetlands behind his property on Palm Drive, and the eroded berm system, in the foreground, that is now breached in several places. (© FlaglerLive)

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

June 10, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening killed this year's July 4 fireworks, which means it'll be the third year in a row that the pier will be dark the night of Independence Day. (© FlaglerLive)

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.

May 26, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

ryan allen fireworks

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

May 23, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

Flagler Beach launched its first Hang 8 dog-surfing competition Saturday and appears to have hit on a wave of success it intends to build on next year. (© AJ Neste for FlaglerLive)

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

May 16, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

The dumpster pad outside the Funky pelican that's had no dumpster for years, because it would be too heavy for the deteriorated condition. The pad is to be rebuilt and expanded by about 50 percent through a $420,000 contract. (© FlaglerLive)

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’

May 13, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Flagler Beach's July 4 fireworks will be low-level this year. (© FlaglerLive)

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

May 12, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

A guarded Flagler Beach City Commission listens to Ryan Allen explain how he would provide the July 4 fireworks show in Flagler Beach at a special meeting of the commission last Monday. The person in the audience is Scott Spradlety, the attorney who chaired the commission-appointed fireworks committee that completed its work last January. Spradley has been skeptical of the latest fireworks proposal. (© FlaglerLive)

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

May 11, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The dumpster enclosure outside the Funky pelican in Flagler Beah has needed repairs for years. The city commission voted to award a bid for those repairs. It did not know that it was also voting to expand the dumpster area, further blocking the view of the ocean to the north of the restaurant. (© FlaglerLive)

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

May 9, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Ryan Allen, whose company would be producing the July 4 fireworks in Flagler Beach, addressing the city commission this afternoon. (© FlaglerLive)

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

May 6, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

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

April 29, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

Why and how Flagler Beach may miss out on July 4 fireworks this year is a tangled tale. Above, the wiring for a previous fireworks show off the Flagler Beach pier by Fireworks by Santore. (© FlaglerLive)

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

April 29, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

Santore's fireworks set-up on the pier at a previous July 4. Santore, based in west Flagler, cannot produce the show on the 4th this year. (© FlaglerLive)

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

April 28, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

The parcel at South 9th Street and State Road A1A is no longer available. (© FlaglerLive)

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

April 25, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Flagler Golf Management faces eviction from the Ocean Palms Golf Club grounds at the south end of Flagler Beach. The company is challenging the eviction with a suit of its own. (© FlaglerLive)

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

April 15, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

"Big Blue," Flagler Beach's new glass-crushing machine. (Flagler Beach)

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

March 29, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley shows the logo of the Hang 8 Dog Surfing Contest to his colleagues last week as he was seeking permission to hold an inaugural dog-surfing event on the Flagler Beach sands. He got approval. (© FlaglerLive via YouTube)

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

March 25, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The Compass Hotel in a rendering presented to the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday.

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

March 11, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Tiffany "Belle" McManus and Bruce Godwin of Flagler Golf Management making their case before the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening in a 90-minute hearing that did not go their way. The commission voted to terminate the city's lease with the company after seven years. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 10, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Clubs looking for balls at Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 8, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

The candidates this morning in Flagler Beach : from left, Rick Belhumeur, James Sherman and Jane Mealy. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 5, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

The three candidates for the two seats in the March 8 Flagler Beach election for City Commission. From left, newcomer James Sherman, incumbent Jane Mealy, first elected in 2016, and incumbent Rick Belhumeur first elected in 2016. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 4, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Flagler Beach's privately-run, city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Club has never paid property taxes. A court decision this week suggests local property appraisers may legally deny a local government's exemption for such privately run amenities. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 2, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Speaking publicly for the first time since she took over management of the city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach, Belle McManus says she had no intentions to be at loggerheads with the city, and is hoping to resolve all differences. The city has issued an ultimatum that could lead to a severing of the lease after seven years. (© FlaglerLive)

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

March 1, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan, center, ripped into fellow-Commissioner Rick Belhumeur at last week's commission meeting, over Belhumeur's campaign claims that the commission was spending extravagantly. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler Beach TV)

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

February 22, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

The last holdout: the small parcel above is one of two "remnants" on the east side of State Road A1A that still requires its owner to sign an easement so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can rebuild it into a more substantial dune than the eroded remains standing there now. (© FlaglerLive)

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

February 11, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Flagler Beach lifeguards executing an actual rescue of a swimmer in distress, caught in a rip current, in an image captured by a woman who'd bought her camera that day and was experimenting with it at the Funky Pelican, the restaurant at the Flagler Beach pier. (Flagler Beach)

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

February 10, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson, left, and City Attorney Drew Smith at tonight's Flagler Beach City Commission meeting. (Flagler Beach video)

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

February 7, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

What Flagler County is hoping to prevent with a beach management plan yet to be written, or paid for. Above, Hurricane Matthew's demolition of the southern part of A1A in Flagler Beach. The state transportation department rebuilt the road at costs exceeding $30 million, including a temporary fix. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is set to rebuild the dunes along that way, at costs exceeding $25 million (including a state and local match). But there's no start date. (© FlaglerLive)

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

February 3, 2022 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The Flagler Beach pier will still light up on July 4, at least for another year. (© FlaglerLive)

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

January 28, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

The Ocean Palms golf course at the south end of Flagler Beach has never lived up to the city's expectations as a stable, transparent business over the years. (Facebook)

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

January 27, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 20 Comments

One of the three dune "remnants" at the center of the county's impending eminent domain action against two property owners in Flagler Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

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.

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