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
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.
Retired News-Journal Editor Cal Massey’s Novel Published by Experimental Fiction Press
An award-winning political dark comedy by Cal Massey, a Daytona Beach News-Journal editor retired in Flagler Beach, has been published by the Journal of Experimental Fiction in Chicago. Massey retired as deputy managing editor of the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2016.
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.
GOLA in Flagler Beach Dons ‘The Face of Ukraine’ for Benefit Art Show
The Gallery of Local Arts’ “Face of Ukraine” show will benefit World Central Kitchen, an aid organization whose website, wck.org, says it is “first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises.” The show will be accepting monetary donations from patrons who do not wish to purchase art.
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.
Metronet Adds Flagler Beach and Bunnell to Gig Cities as Broadband Wiring of All Neighborhoods Starts in Spring
Metronet, the broadband company that announced it would make ultra high-speed service of 1 gig available across Palm Coast available by 2023, has now sealed similar agreements with Bunnell and Flagler Beach. Those agreements were secured with a lot less fanfare, if any, than the one with Palm Coast, which the city announced in mid-December.
Flagler County Tries to Buy More Time in Dunes Easement Dispute in Face of Army Corps’ Eroding Patience
Faced with an ultimatum from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Flagler County government has outlined a timeline to the federal agency that it hopes will buy it more time before the Corps redirects $17 million earmarked for dune reconstruction in Flagler Beach.
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.
With One Exception, Flagler Beach Commissioners Leery of Alternating July 4 Fireworks With Palm Coast
Between logistics and tradition, five of the six members of the Flagler Beach City Commission, including the mayor, are either hesitant or opposed to giving up on July 4 fireworks even if Palm Coast wants to hold them on that day only in alternate years. But officials are also saying the whole discussion may be premature, given the impending disappearance of the Flagler Beach pier for two years, when July 4 fireworks will likely have to be in Palm Coast anyway.
County in Talks with Coastal Cloud to Buy $1.5 Million Parcel on A1A for Future Visitor Center
Flagler County’s tourism bureau is in discussions to buy a corner lot on State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach for a future visitor center. The 0.37-acre lot, owned by Coastal Cloud (the Hammock-based tech company), is listed at $1.5 million.
Bunnell Mayor Robinson Re-Elected; Ex-Commissioner, Police Chief and FHP Trooper Pete Young Runs Again
Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson, in office for all but two of the last 26 years, won another three-year term as mayor, and Pete Young, a former Bunnell commissioner and police chief, will run for a city commission seat, with two incumbents. Two Beverly Beach commissioners were reelected without opposition, but two Flagler Beach incumbents face one challenger in the March 8 municipal elections.
Sheriff Staly on Simultaneous July 4 Fireworks in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach: ‘It Will Certainly Strain Our Resources’
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is cautioning the two cities that simultaneous July 4 fireworks will mean his agency might not be able to support Flagler Beach as it has before on that day. But a Palm Coast City Council member has now shifted position, and favors continuing July 4 and July 3 shows, giving each city July 4 in alternate years. But would Flagler Beach agree to hold its shows on July 3 every other year?
Simultaneous Fireworks in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach? ‘Unworkable, Unsafe and Unsound’
Scott Spradley, chairman of the committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed to study how best to continue Independence Day events in the city, was sharply opposed to holding fireworks the same day as Palm Coast, as Palm Coast officials have suggested. Spradley took his stand as he delivered the final report of the committee’s work, which had not addressed the Palm Coast issue.
‘You Had Me at 8-Inch Shells’: Palm Coast Would Shift Fireworks to Airport, But on July 4, Clashing With Flagler Beach
While the Palm Coast City Council is fine with moving Independence Day fireworks to the county airport, three council members want to see fireworks only on July 4, which would clash with Flagler Beach’s iconic show and create coordination problems that the city and the Sheriff’s Office may not have the resources to provide simultaneously.
Prosecution Drops Felony Fraud Case Against Terry McManus of Flagler Beach’s Ocean Palms Golf Club
Terry McManus, whose company runs the Flagler Beach city-owned Ocean Palms Golf Course, was convicted on a DUI charge and sentenced to four years in prison last fall. He was scheduled to go on trial on a felony fraud charge this morning. The prosecution dropped it in exchange for his plea to a misdemeanor charge. He claimed the state did not have the evidence to convict him on the fraud charge.
Palm Coast Government Will Propose Shifting July 3 Fireworks Event to Flagler County Airport
Palm Coast is considering shifting its July 3 fireworks show away from Town Center’s Central Park and to the nearby Flagler County airport’s grounds–to accommodate more people, easier parking, smoother traffic, and bigger fireworks.
Incumbents a Crowd as Qualifying Soon Closes in Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach for March Elections
For an off-year, 2022 will not be short of elections in Flagler County, starting with elections in Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach on March 8. A combined seven incumbents in the three municipalities are making a play to keep their seats, and absent additional candidates filing to run, Bunnell and Beverly Beach could end up with uncontested elections.
Flagler Beach Committee’s July 4 Report: Fireworks On, Scaled Back Parade, Stepped Up Policing
The committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed to study the future and feasibility of Independence Day activities on the increasingly crowded barrier-island city has dropped all controversial ideas from its final report, adopting instead a moderate, stay-the-course approach that will be recognizable by all, with a few notable improvements planned or proposed.
Flagler Beach Commission Signs Off on Revolving Loan of Up to $17.6 Million to Rebuild Sewer Plant
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday unanimously approved authorization for a loan of up to $17.6 million to rebuild and expand the city’s sewer plant, a more-than $2 million difference from when the commission was first presented figures in June, when it voted to borrow up to $15 million. In 2019, the cost of the project had been pegged at $11 million.
How a Flagler Beach Detective Cracked the Case of a Couple’s Spree of Armed Robberies Across East Coast
Pairing evidence from a burglary on South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach with the recovery of a stolen truck in the city, Flagler Beach detective Rosanna Vinci’s investigation led to the arrests of Jesann L. Willis, 35, and Rickley Joshua Senning, 32, in Washington., D.C., last week. They were wanted for armed burglaries in several states.
Intoxicated Man Arrested for Child Neglect at Flagler Beach Bar After Refusing Numerous and Insistent Offers of a Ride
A 34-year-old man was repeatedly given the opportunity by a cop–Flagler Beach Police officer Evan Scherr–to be driven home by a rideshare service, a taxi or a friend, warned that if he were to drive himself home he’d be endangering himself, his young daughter and others, and was arrested. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the charge.
Flagler Beach’s Christmas Parade Lights Up in Fiery End Amid Holiday Throngs. No One Hurt.
A 1930s Jaguar replica caught fire at Flagler Beach’s Holiday Parade, ending the festivities three quarters of the way through. No one was hurt as firefighters, some of them who’d been part of the parade, jumped into the fray and quickly controlled the scene.
With Bells, Santa and Starry Nights, First Friday Returns in Flagler Beach After Nearly 2-Year Absence
First Friday returned in Flagler Beach Friday evening for the first time since the Covid pandemic sent the monthly festival on hiatus in the spring of 2020. Friday’s return event coincided with the second-year edition of the launch of Starry Nights, the city’s newest addition to its Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Christmas celebrations as the Flagler Beach pier, many other city landmarks, businesses and homes light up in unison.
Future July 4 Celebrations Take Shape Between Certainty of Fireworks and Uncertainty of Flagler Beach’s Geography
The July 4 committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed last August to figure out whether there is a future for the Independence Day fireworks that light up much of the city’s historical identity is close to finishing its work, with a final report now in preparation.
100-Room Hotel in Heart of Flagler Beach, ‘A Good Fit,’ Could Break Ground in 2nd or 3rd Quarter of 2022
After buying the 1.3 acres that used to be a farmer’s market in the heart of Flagler Beach for $3.8 million in July, the CEO of the Ormond Beach-based hotel development firm redeveloping the land promises a 100-room, 3-story hotel that will reflect the Flagler Beach lifestyle and will not be “a cookie cutter Hampton Inn.”
In Shift, Flagler Beach Will Not Abandon July 4 Fireworks. It’s Now How, Not Whether, to Preserve Tradition.
After considering abandoning July 4 fireworks due to overcrowding and safety concerns, a committee appointed by the Flagler Beach City Commission to study the matter will recommend keeping the fireworks while proposing a series of management and policing approaches to better control crowds, minimize underage drinking and provide alternatives to driving and parking on the island.
A Divided Flagler Beach Commission Rejects Church’s Proposal to Open a Small Christian School Near Center of Town
In an unusual land-use decision that bowed to public concerns over firearms and economic activity, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday rejected a church’s request to run a non-traditional parochial one-room school on South 6th Street, between South Central and South Daytona avenues.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes to Build 800-ft., $12.5 Million Concrete Pier Replacement
The Flagler Beach Pier will be demolished and rebuilt as an 800-foot concrete pier, with $10 million in federal funds already allocated, and $2.5 million in money the city must still find. The city hopes the new, more hurricane-resistant pier will be completed by the time Flagler Beach marks its centennial in 2024.
Attention Flagler Beach: Your Parking Areas Are Shrinking, and That’s a Problem on July 4
The reconstruction of State Road A1A in Flagler Beach meant the elimination of a slew of parking spots, worsening the difficulty of managing July 4 crowds, traffic and parking. A city commission-appointed committee is wrestling with the challenge.
Flagler Beach Opponents Appeal Ruling that Cleared The Gardens for Development Along John Anderson Highway
Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek, the group opposing The Gardens development along John Anderson Highway, is asking the Fifth District Court of Appeal to quash a decision by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins that found the County Commission acted within the law when it cleared the development in November 2020.