Eric Cooley, 43, serves on three Flagler Beach advisory boards and has been a near-permanent presence at city commission meetings, speaking for business and echoing McGrew, who may not run again.
Flagler Beach City Commission
Flagler Beach And Troubled Golf Course Aim For Reset But Still At Odds Over “Bad Business”
The president of the troubled Ocean Palms Golf Course promised city government to be more hands-on, but the two sides remain at odds over how much compensation is owed.
A New, Not Much Improved A1A in Flagler Beach: Median, 30MPH, Drainage, But No Added Protection
The state transportation department presented details of the summer construction of A1A from South 9th to South 22nd streets. The project got mixed reviews from Flagler Beach residents.
Flagler Beach’s Golf Course Closed Again, Its Fate Uncertain, As Dispute With City Leads To Impasse
Golf course management and Flagler Beach government are at serious odds over money owed (by both sides) in a dispute that has the city talking about re-advertising for new management.
Flagler Beach Residents and Businesses Will See a 25% Increase in Water, Sewer and Garbage Rates
Years of inattention by the city commission have led to a near-crisis point in Flagler Beach, requiring massive fee increases to keep up with the city’s critical infrastructure.
Flagler And Cities Submit Lists of Requests To Lawmakers, Who Dampen Expectations
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner listened to streams of requests from governments and constituents but made no promises in light of a “tough” legislative session ahead.
It Is Done: Sklar And Flagler Beach Sign Settlement Over Marina, Ending Decade Battle
A legal battle that immobilized the Flagler Beach marina since 2010 ended when owner Howard Sklar signed a settlement agreement Monday, and the mayor signed it today.
Engineer Likens Flagler Beach Pier to “Congestive Heart Failure” As Reopening Is Again Uncertain
Though it looks structurally sound, the Flagler Beach pier suffered multiple forms of damages not visible to the naked during Hurricane Irma and must again undergo repairs before re-opening.
Historically Low School Tax Will Diminish Effects of Tax Increases in Palm Coast and County
Even though county government, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell are all increasing taxes, homeowners’ bills will not see a steep increase thanks to a lower school tax.
In Flood-Pummeled Flagler Beach, Mountains of Heartbreak, But Surges of Grit And Samaritans
No place was hardest-hit by floods than Flagler Beach, yet no place seems as vibrant with community support as neighbors have mobilized to help neighbors cope.
In Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and County, More Contempt For Medical Pot
Elected officials in Palm Coast, Flagler County and Flagler Beach are still peddling false or misleading assumptions as they draw up more restrictive medical pot dispensary zoning.
Divided Flagler Beach Commission Agrees To 15% Tax Increase, 2 New Cops, 1 Fire Captain
Residents in Flagler Beach will see their second big tax increase in a row, along with a 35 percent water and sewer rate hike, a 10 percent garbage hike and a 30 percent stormwater hike.
In Reversal, Flagler Beach Will Allow Medical Pot Dispensaries, Limiting Them to Mainland
The Flagler Beach City Commission unanimously agreed to drop a proposed ban and allow dispensaries along State Road 100, but not on the beach side.
Flagler Beach Offers City Manager Newsom 30% Raise, to $120,000; He’d Asked for 7%
City Manager Larry Newsom would get a $28,500 raise–assuming he can make the numbers work in a budget that also calls for a 4 percent across the board raise for employees and other wishes.
12-Year Effort to “Renourish” Beaches All But Washes Out as County Urges Wall of Dunes Instead
Flagler County is urging Flagler Beach to sign on to a $20 million plan to rebuild dunes on top of a wall of rock, though most of that money has yet to be secured.
Flagler Beach Marina Settlement With City Collapses, But This Time It’s a Sklar Thing
Flagler Beach and Marina owner Howard Sklar return to court in late September as their settlement talks over the Flagler Beach Marina collapsed when Sklar reversed course on a building requirement.
In Flagler Beach, Tax Collector’s Roadside Sign Catches Commissioners’ Wrong Eye
Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston wanted to alert people of the new location for concealed weapon permits, but the sign ran afoul of Flagler Beach commissioners’ sights.
Flagler Beach Delays Medical Pot Ban Vote For 2 Weeks, But Hazy Evidence Unchanged
The absence of one of the five commissioners led to the delay on the vote on a controversial measure that would ban the operation of medical pot dispensaries anywhere in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach’s Newsom, Again Short-Listed For Another Job, Also Eyes Palm Coast
Larry Newsom is short-listed as an “alternate” after four candidates for the Putnam County Administrator job, though he says he’s not likely to take it.
Hypocrites on Crack
Thursday evening, Flagler Beach Commissioners Jane Mealy, Marshall Shupe and Joy McGrew flipped off voters and voted for a prohibition on medical pot dispensaries.
Countering 70% of Its Own Voters, Flagler Beach Prepares to Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries Outright
The City Commission this evening takes up an ordinance that would ban medical marijuana dispensaries anywhere in the city. The city fears not doing so would turn it into a pot hub.
Coming to Flagler Beach: No-Parking Barriers and Silt Mounds to Stop A1A Washouts
The city and the state transportation department will block off portions of A1A to parking and build silt mounds to soak up water, though some commissioners are skeptical of silt’s effectiveness.
637-Ft. Flagler Beach Pier Re-Opens Saturday, 8 Months After Hurricane Matthew Lobotomy
The Flagler Beach Pier will reopen Saturday as emergency repairs end, to the joys of a city that’s lived without its iconic amenity since Hurricane Matthew sheared 163 feet from its end and made it unstable.
Scott Vetoes Money for Flagler’s 2nd County Judge, Bunnell Bypass, Flagler Beach Sewers
The more than $300 million in vetoes are to make up for money restored to Visit Florida, economic development, and a bump in per-student funding.
Flagler Beach, a.k.a. Ocean City, Gets 9 New Lifeguard Towers, All On Strength of Volunteers
The nine lifeguard towers, on a design from towers in Ocean City, Md., are expected to more than double the life of the structures. Commissioner Rick Belhumeur led the all-volunteer effort.
Flagler Beach Unanimously Approves Marina Settlement That May End 7-Year Suit
It’s now up to Howard Sklar to sign off on the settlement agreement. His attorney said the marina, idle for almost two decades, could be operating soon, welcoming boats, building and repairing them.
Flagler Beach Pier Repair to Last a Bit Longer and Cost More as Engineers Test Loads
The Flagler Beach Pier was set to fully open May 1, but the opening date has been pushed back to the end of May, and engineering work, which won;t affect the date, will add up to $45,000 in costs.
Along A1A, Protective Plants Replace Rock Art as Volunteers Pilot Adopt-A-Dunes Program
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Joy McGrew is leading an all-volunteer effort to dug up plants from properties of willing owners along A1A and replanting them on dunes as protection against people using them as walkovers.
Badcock Furniture Will Fill Old Food Lion Space in Flagler Beach, Ending 8-Year Drought
Badcock Furniture will open in mid-summer in Flagler Square, as will a sweet shop, completing a remarkable revival of that commercial strip eight years after it had become a gaping hole for business.
In Unprecedented Flagler Beach Town Hall, Old Kings Elementary Students Become All Stars of Ideas
Mayor Linda Provencher’s Kids Town Hall drew a standing-room-only crowd, almost the entire city commission and the city’s top staff for a lively hour of ideas and suggestions from Old Kings Elementary students.
After 11 Years, Flagler Beach’s First Fridays Events Get Their First Written Policy
The proposed four-page policy formalizes what had been verbally agreed to, or assumed, over the years, but doesn’t change the focus on favoring local businesses while outlining documentation requirements.
Revealing Look at How Flagler Beach Commission, in Closed-Door Meeting, Settled Wrongful Arrest Claim
Vassili Mironov had sued the Flagler Beach Police Department for $89,000 after his arrest at Finns for a fight he says he did not start. He got $6,000 in a settlement that revealed how divided city commissioners arrived at their 3-2 vote.
City Elections: Flagler Beach Voters Stay With Shupe and Carney, Bunnell Elects John Sowell and Re-Elects Rogers
Flagler Beach voters gave Marshall Shupe and Kim Carney solid re-election numbers, while Bunnell voted out Bonita Robinson, replacing her with John Sowell, and re-electing John Rogers to three-year terms.
Flagler Beach Could Have an 1,100-Foot Pier, But On Concrete, and Not Before 2021
Concepts of a future Flagler Beach pier were unveiled, projecting greater length but less wooden rusticity, and still a lot of uncertainty regarding cost. The earliest date for a new pier would be 2021.
Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell Officials May Face Stronger Financial Disclosure Requirements
Financial disclosure forms filed by elected city officials are cursory compared to the detailed forms filed by county and other officials. That may soon change as the Legislature considers extending the stricter requirements.
Flagler Beach Pier To Be Repaired and Opened By May 1, But More Concrete Plans in Its Future
The $918,000 contract will stabilize the Flagler Beach pier but will not restore the 160 feet it lost during Hurricane Matthew. That’ll be the long-term fix, which may entail pouring concrete.
Flagler Beach Is Proposing Draconian Restrictions and Prohibitions on Drones
Flagler Beach would even further than an Orlando ordinance that just passed, banning drones over public buildings, parks, assemblies and other places absent permission from the city.
Qualifying Over in Flagler Beach and Bunnell March 7 Elections, Still Time to Register to Vote
Both cities’ incumbents and one challenger in each have qualified–Marshall Shupe, Kim Carney and Paul Eik in Flagler Beach, Bonita Robinson, John Rogers and John Sowell in Bunnell, with two seats in play in each government.
In Flagler Again, Gov. Scott Issues $15.8 Million For Beach Fix in 4 Counties, $5.4M for Flagler
The $15.8 million is not necessarily new money but includes at least $5.3 million Flagler County has been lobbying for to rebuild dunes. Gov. Scott made the announcement at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park’s beach.
Short-Listed for Top Job in Jackson County, Flagler Beach Manager Newsom Says He’s Not Interested
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom, who’s been in the middle of a different job-hunt swirl this week, had applied for the Panhandle job last summer, just six months into his job locally, as a back-up plan, he said.
Flagler Beach Approves $40 Million State Plan to Rebuild Dunes, With Sea Wall at City’s North End
In a surprising shift, Flagler Beach City Commissioners agreed to a state plan to build a sea wall at the city’s north end in exchange for a beach management plan the state would pay for.
County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin Apologizes to Flagler Beach Officials Over Interference
Commissioner Nate McLaughlin apologized in person to Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom and City Commissioners Jane Mealy and Marshall Shupe over comments he claimed were misconstrued.
Why Is the County Chairman Meddling in Flagler Beach’s Business, and Why Was Flagler Beach’s Manager Job-Hunting in Bunnell?
Flagler Beach officials were perplexed and angered by County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin’s apparent interference in their city manager’s–and their city’s–business at a time when county and city are trying to work out difficult issues.
Rift Opens Between County and Flagler Beach Over Dunes Fix; County Depletes TDC Fund
Flagler County commissioners agreed today to deplete a $1.5 million fund for beach management as part of a match to draw down state dollars, but none of the money would benefit Flagler Beach, angering officials there.
Pier Repairs, 52 Dune Walkovers, A1A: Flagler Beach Manager Newsom’s Post-Hurricane Status Report
Among other plans, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom wants the city to have the longest pier in Florida, but getting there will take a while yet as he updates all repair plans.
Why a Seawall in Flagler Beach Could Harm Sea Turtles and Violate the Law
Flagler Beach’s situation on the ground has changed enough between Hurricane Matthew and recent findings about sea turtles that state transportation department construction plans should be rethought in light of those developments, argues Chad Boda.
Numerous Concerns, Elusive Certainties as Flagler Beach and County Governments Talk Beach Renovation
Assurances Flagler Beach was looking for–that there would be no sea walls anywhere, that the city’s beaches would have priority–proved elusive in a joint meeting with county government.
Help With Beach Recovery and an Additional County Judge Dominate Requests to Flagler’s Lawmakers
Post-Hurricane Matthew recovery occupied almost half the requests at the annual legislative delegation meeting Wednesday, when Flagler’s governments, non-profits, private associations and citizens submit wish lists to state lawmakers.
County Tallies Up Almost $60 Million Cost of Repairing Beaches But Lacks Comprehensive Plan
Flagler County commissioners heard sobering costs of repairing 18 miles of beaches but a “unified” plan local cities, state and federal agencies can agree to is entirely lacking.
Flagler Beach and Bunnell Will Have Contested City Elections in March as 2 Challengers Qualify
Flagler Beach incumbents Marshal Shupe and Kim Carney have drawn Paul Eik as an opponent. In Bunnell, John Sowell, a former pilot for Flagler County Fire Flight, will challenge incumbents Bonita Robinson and John Rogers.