Thousands of families will line up in cars for food distributions at Palm Coast City Hall, Parkview Church, on Education Way off U.S. 1 and at Wickline Center in Flagler Beach in a day of aid reflecting the crushing needs provoked by the coronavirus emergency.
Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach and County Reopen Beaches 24 Hours Sunday Morning, Maintaining Limits on Activities
Flagler County and Flagler Beach have agreed to reopen all 18 miles of beach in the county 24 hours starting Sunday at 7 a.m., while maintaining restrictions only on certain activities on the beach: “for leisure, no, for exercise, yes,” as Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney put it this afternoon.
Flagler County’s Crime Rate Falls 19% in 2019, After 22% Drop Year Before; Staly Credits Innovations
Much of the crime drop was in non-violent crimes, burglaries and larcenies especially. Vehicle thefts increased 26 percent despite the increasing use of license-plate readers. Rapes increased, and murders matched the previous year’s total: three.
Night Fire Guts House at 21st and South Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach
A fire that broke out before 9 p.m. Saturday had by later that night engulfed and consumed a three-story house at South Daytona Avenue and South 21st Street in Flagler Beach. No one was hurt.
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom, On Sick Leave, Defends Responding to Rude Constituents Rudely
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom has been sick for over two weeks–it’s not Covid-19–and Fire Chief Bobby Pace is the interim manager for the next two to four weeks, but Newsom’s erratic interactions have caused issues with constituents and concern among officials.
Seeing Apex of Covid Crisis Still Ahead, Flagler Officials Will Not Yet Reopen Beaches Even For Limited Access
Flagler County government officials are under pressure to at least partially reopen the beaches on the Volusia model, where walking, swimming and surfing is allowed, but they cite several reasons why that would be ill-advised for a few weeks yet.
Flagler’s 1st Covid-19 Fatality: Flagler Beach’s Dorothy Strickland Dies at Halifax Hospital; Was Denied Test Locally
Dorothy Strickland, 70, died Wednesday afternoon of Coronavirus at Daytona Beach’s Halifax hospital after she had been told she didn’t meet testing criteria in Flagler County. Her last two weeks were an ordeal.
No-Go Orders On Flagler’s 18 Miles of Beaches: Some Defiance in County, ‘Stellar’ Compliance in Flagler Beach
A few people were defying the coronavirus-inspired order to stay off Flagler’s beaches in the mistaken belief that their were on their own private property, but on the whole people were complying well.
Flagler Cases Up to 4; Woman Treated for Covid-19 at Advent Is Released, But Her Son, an FPC Student, Tests Positive
Tuesday was proving to be a day of mixed signals, with resilience and fortitude competing with challenges and more dispiriting numbers as various segments of society were rapidly adapting to life under different degrees of restrictions and still often unclear expectations.
Flagler Beach Police Officer Tests Positive for Covid-19, City Manager Larry Newsom in ‘Self-Isolation’
A 45-year-old Flagler Beach police officer has tested positive for Covid-19. In an unrelated development, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom fell ill and has been in self-isolation at his home since this morning. The police department is monitoring itself but is not in isolation.
Flagler Beach and Flagler County Will Close 18 Miles of Beaches Monday Morning As Florida Infections Soar
Flagler Beach and Flagler County are closing their beaches to the public starting at 6 a.m. Monday, joining a growing list of coastal communities and counties, in Florida and elsewhere, doing likewise in an increasingly strict response to the coronavirus.
With Bogus Claims About Sunshine and Saltwater, Flagler Beach Commission Won’t Close Beach For Now
The chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission, the police chief and the parks and recreations director all cited bogus and debunked claims about either saltwater or sunshine’s supposedly beneficial effects against the coronavirus.
Close the Damn Beach Already
By keeping the beaches open, Flagler and Flagler Beach officials are wanting it both ways. They’re sending contradictory messages and enabling irresponsibility. They’re issuing visas to the virus.
Flagler Beach’s Oak Place Residents Want To Know Why the U.S. Post Office Won’t Deliver To Them
The U.S. Postal Service refuses to deliver mail to houses along Oak Place in Flagler Beach even though FedEx, UPS and other delivery services do so, and the street, though dirt, is no different than innumerable such streets in the county.
‘We’re Fighting For the Life of Flagler Beach’: County Urges Property Owners’ Cooperation in Beach Rebuilding
Flagler County government is looking for permission from almost 150 property owners along the shore in Flagler Beach to use their beachside properties over the next few months–and in perpetuity–to save the beach in what one official describes as the single-largest public works project ever conducted in Flagler
Nor’easter Severely Damages Flagler Beach Walkovers DOT Had Just Rebuilt
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom said the city had nothing to do with the poorly constructed walkovers, blaming the damage on the Florida Department of Transportation’s contractor. Older walkovers have withstood storms for decades.
Personalities and Civility More Than Differences Define 4 Candidates for 2 Seats on Flagler Beach City Commission
Ken Bryan, Paul Harrington, Deborah Phillips, and Marshall Shupe, the only incumbent, are candidates for two seats in the March 17 Flagler Beach municipal election. Their appearances at two forums were defined by thoughtfulness, mutual respect and a general consensus on most pressing issues, including development.
In Flagler Beach, Swale-Digging Triggers Flood of Grievances and Few Answers Satisfying to Residents
The swales will continue to be dug. The project is contracted and paid for. The contractors digging swales may be more sensitive to some of the residents’ concerns, but that’s a subjective possibility.
Flagler Beach Residents’ Anger Over Swale Dig Triggers a City Meeting, But Project Was No Secret
Flagler Beach officials will hold a meeting Feb. 12 as a result of mounting anger by residents at the south end of town surprised by the digging of swales along South Daytona, but the commission had repeatedly discussed the $500,000 stormwater project and its necessity last year.
Frieda Zamba Featured at Flagler Beach Historical Museum’s New Surf Exhibit
Frieda Zamba and Haley Watson will be available for autographs and selfies featured in the Flagler Beach Historical Museum’s new Surf exhibit opening Friday, Feb. 7.
Flagler Beach Citizens Academy Taking Enrollment for March Session
The latest session of the Flagler Beach Citizens Academy is scheduled for eight consecutive Wednesdays beginning on March 4, 2020, running through April 22, 2020, from 2:00—5:00 PM.
Flagler Beach Will Allow Limited Dog Tethering Under Strict Guidelines as It Revises Animal Ordinance
Contrasting with Flagler County and Palm Coast governments, Flagler Beach all but approved revisions of its animal ordinance long sought by the Humane Society, with some strict restrictions–but not a ban–on dog tethering.
Both A1A Lanes Reopen to Traffic in Flagler Beach in Big Relief to Businesses and Central Ave.
A little more than 300 days into the latest reconstruction of that storm-battered road, both lanes of State Road A1A reopened to traffic at 3:55 p.m. today. The full project won’t be completed until late January.
Crime Rate in Flagler and Palm Coast Continues Steep Drop in 1st Half of 2019
The crime index in Flagler County and Palm Coast dropped in the first six months of 2019, continuing a steep decline of the last two years, falling 15.1 percent compared with the first six months of 2018. The declines were especially steep in Flagler Beach and Bunnell.
Flagler Beach and Bunnell Will Split $1 Million in Grants To Reduce Sewer Pipe Pollution
Bunnell and Flagler Beach will each receive $500,000 for pollution-reducing sewer-pipe improvements thanks to a pair of grants from the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board. The district board approved the two grants at its monthly meeting in Palatka earlier today.
Flagler Beach Officers Punch and Tase Man To Subdue Him During Domestic Violence Incident
The incident with the 26-year-old Flagler Beach resident was a culmination of loosely related altercations involving Hobbie that had progressively become more violent. He’s being held at the county jail on $120,000 bond.
Northbound Traffic on A1A in Flagler Beach Will Shift to Newly Completed Lane as Project Advances
Northbound State Road (S.R.) A1A traffic will be shifted onto the newly constructed southbound roadway between South 23rd and South 7th Street in Flagler Beach beginning sometime Thursday, Dec. 5. Southbound traffic will remain on South Central Avenue.
At Opponents’ Meeting on The Gardens Development Off John Anderson, More Vigilance Than Chest-Thumping
A community meeting by a group that opposes The Gardens development off John Anderson Highway drew some 100 people Thursday evening but kept the shrillness and triumphalism to a minimum, focusing instead on how to maintain “positive, respectful pressure,” in the group’s president’s words.
The Gardens Development Off John Anderson Scales Back Significantly, But Still Faces New County Obstacles
The Gardens off John Anderson Highway was originally planned as a 3,966-home and apartment development but was scaled back to 330 lots. Even then, county regulators said it would need a rezoning to go forward, a politically uncertain step the developers are loath to take.
How Dredging 550,000 Cubic Yards of Ocean Sand Will Change Flagler Beach’s Dunes
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project will dump darker dredged sand on 2.6 miles of beach to rebuild Flagler Beach’s dunes starting next spring, and stretching to the end of the year.
Flagler Beach Commission Set to Impose Steep Increase in Water and Sewer Rates for 5th Year in a Row
The city is proposing a 12.5 percent increase for water and sewer rates and a 12.8 percent increase in the stormwater fee. That’s after water and sewer rates went up 25 percent this year, 34 percent the previous year, 20 percent in 2017 and 13 percent in 2016.
Veracity at Issue After a Cyclist Is Seriously Hurt in Crash With Flagler Beach Commissioner Belhumeur’s Truck
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur is raising questions about the accuracy of the crash report he was involved in, but the commissioner himself was not entirely truthful about the circumstances of the crash, which sent Garey R. Sharpe, 60, to the hospital more than a week ago.
Two Palm Coast Teens Face Child Abuse Charges Following Video-Captured Attack Near Flagler Beach Pier
Sierra R. McRoberts and Jocelyn Miley, both 18 and from Palm Coast, face child abuse and other charges–including aggravated child abuse for Miley–following a violent confrontation near the Flagler Beach pier on Sunday with a 14-year-old girl.
Flagler Beach’s US Army Corps Dune Restoration Project: Public Workshop and Hearing on October 22
Flagler County in coordination with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on October 22 will host a workshop followed by a public hearing to address the creation of an Erosion Control Line along the upcoming 2.8 mile Army Corps of Engineers project within the city limits of Flagler Beach.
Bill Would Prohibit Dogs in Restaurants, But Not Preempt Local Ordinances Like Flagler Beach’s
Most four-legged patrons of pet-friendly restaurants would have to remain outside, under a bill proposed this week by state Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando.
An Outlier Keeps Flagler Beach Manager Larry Newsom’s Evaluation Just Shy of Stellar
If it weren’t for City Manager Rick Belhumeur’s rather sour, outlying evaluation, Larry Newsom would have had a comfortable “outstanding” combined score from the other commissioners and the mayor as he approaches the fourth anniversary of his tenure in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach Strains To Assure Residents That Big Utility Fixes Have Nothing To Do With The Gardens Development
Many Flagler Beach residents worried that the city commission’s approval of $1.4 million in water and sewer projects were designed to accommodate the planned Gardens development along John Anderson Highway. Not so, city officials insist.
Gender-Conscious Flagler Beach Charter Commission Proposes Minor Changes for Ballot
The seven-member Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission that convened for the first time in 10 years this year had a hard time coming up with proposed changes to the city’s charter at its half-dozen meetings since late June.
Hurricane Dorian in Pictures and Video, Flagler Edition
Hurricane Dorian has monopolized lives in Palm Coast and Flagler County. Here’s a rough visual draft of the emergency as it has unfolded over the past few days in various parts of Flagler.
Days After a 2-Dog Rescue from a Blaze, Flagler Beach Firefighters Get Certified for Pet CPR
The Flagler Beach Fire Department’s personnel and some of its volunteers gathered at Flagler Animal Hospital for a tutorial with Dr. David Rosiek, who trained the firefighters on pet-CPR techniques.
Candlelight Vigil at Flagler Beach’s Veterans Park on Aug. 31 to Mark Overdose Awareness Day
Open Door Recovery and Re-entry Ministries hosts a candlelight vigil in memory of victims of the opioid crisis on August 31 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Flagler Beach, starting at 7 p.m.
Judge Denies James McDevitt Motion for Relief, Letting 40-Year Prison Sentence Stand for Rape in Flagler Beach
James McDevitt, now 27, argued he’d gotten poor counsel from two attorneys before his sentence on a 2013 rape of a 40-year-old woman in Flagler Beach. A circuit judge rejected his claims.
Flagler Beach Police Chief Doughney: “I Don’t See Panhandling as a Problem In the City”
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley pushed for an ordinance targeting “aggressive panhandling” in the city, but the Police Chief Matt Doughney rejected the premise that there was such an issue in Flagler Beach, and got the proposal tabled pending his revisions.
Flagler’s 4 Mayors and a Commission Chairman Boast of Renewed Energy and Problem-Solving
Mayors and the county commission chairman speak as if clouds have lifted and new sources of energy are driving their organizations–resolving chronic controversies and problems, reinvigorating economic plans, even cleaning house, especially in Palm Coast’s administration.
A Little Over a Dozen Arrests, One Notable Fight, 2 Brush Fires and 30,000 People: A Heat-Soaked July 4 in Flagler
Flagler Beach witnessed one serious fight that led to two arrests, and two brush fires, while Palm Coast had a minor party-related disturbance and Bunnell seemed to verge on the brink of a serious commotion until an arrest defused the situation.
Flagler Beach Fireworks and “Fabulous Fourth” Parade on July 4
Flagler Beach this year hosts its traditional July 4 celebration, with its Fabulous Fourth parade at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. fireworks. In Palm Coast, fireworks are on July 3 in Town Center. Both events will feature kid zones and games.
Boos, Jeers and Defiance as Flagler Beach Voices Its Opposition to The Gardens Development on John Anderson
Some 300 to 400 people turned out at a Palm Coast meeting hosted Monday by the developers of a planned 3,966-unit project on John Anderson Highway, the crowd promising staunch opposition.
The Gardens Project Off John Anderson Highway: The View From the Developers’ Perspective
The Gardens is an 825-acre, 3,966-unit mixed-use development proposed off John Anderson Highway by SunBelt Land Management as a successor to a Ginn proposal a decade ago. Ken Belshe, a member of the development group, describes the scope and intent of the project.
40-ft. Trawler Is Gutted in 2-Hour Fire By Moody Ramp Under Flagler Beach Bridge
A 40-ft. trawler that had begun its journey on the St. Johns River and was making its way south was gutted by fire this afternoon, burning for some two hours as firefighters fought the blaze under the Flagler Beach bridge at Moody Boat Launch. No one was injured.
Does Flagler Beach Have a Panhandling Problem? Not Exactly, But City Will Consider New Rules.
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening will discuss adopting an ordinance against “aggressive” panhandling at the urging of City Commissioner Eric Cooley, a business owner in town.