The Marineland Town Commission Thursday evening agreed to suspend all permitting of special events, including vendor markets, 5K runs and weddings anywhere on the grounds of the River to Sea preserve–a public park–until the town and Flagler County government are in full compliance with the management terms of the preserve both had violated. The suspension is not a small matter for Marineland, whose character as a town with only a handful of residents and just one private business is defined at least in part by the events that take place in town, especially in connection with its natural amenities.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Senator Files Bill to Scrap Later Start Times for High School Students, Putting Transportation Ahead of Student Needs
With Florida school districts facing a 2026 deadline, a Senate Republican on Friday filed a proposal that would repeal requirements aimed at later start times for many high schools. The proposal would benefit Flagler County schools, where officials in 2023 devised a new start times, but in the opposite direction. Supporters of later start times have argued that the changes would help high-school students get more sleep. But the requirements have faced concerns from school districts about issues such as bus schedules.
Freytag Cancer Center at AdventHealth Palm Coast Opens
The Freytag Cancer Center at AdventHealth Palm Coast officially opened on Jan. 16, revolutionizing cancer care in Flagler County. This facility, made possible by many donors, including Peter and Sue Freytag of Palm Coast, offers advanced medical treatments and compassionate care closer to home.
Palm Coast’s Planning Board Approves $12 Million Construction Plan for New Public Works and Utility Facility Off U.S. 1
The Palm Coast Planning Board on Wednesday unanimously approved the construction plan for phase one of the city’s own Maintenance Operations Center on U.S. 1, a project a decade in the works that will consolidate public works, stormwater and the Utility Department’s administrative offices on the same grounds i what, over the next half century, will prove to be the new center of the city as it expands west. It’s not as if the board was in a position to object.
Despite Extension, City Manager Opening Draws Just 38 Applicants; Only 1 Managed a City of Palm Coast’s Size
Only 38 candidates have applied to be Palm Coast’s next city manager. The general quality of applicants is not stellar: top-flight candidates are not beating down the city’s door. Less than half the applicants (17) have previous city manager experience. Only a handful of those have managed a city with more than 50,000 people. Among the three, only one has managed a city with a population close to Palm Coast’s 107,000 (the current city manager of Edison, N.J.)
In ‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ City Rep Produces the ‘Most Hilarious Show About Depression You’ve Ever Seen’
“Every Brilliant Thing” a one-man play, is the story of a man who as a child sought to cope with his mother’s depression and suicidal tendencies, and to find a way to cheer her up. At first glance, “Every Brilliant Thing” may seem to be a play that labors and strains under the profound, harsh realities of depression and suicide. But a critic called it “the most hilarious show about depression you’ve ever seen.”
It’s Not Your Imagination: Palm Coast Homes Used as Vacation Rentals Increase by 70% in 2 Years, to Over 500
It’s not your imagination. The number of single-family homes used as short-term vacation rentals has increased by 60 percent in two years across Flagler County, while the number of vacation rentals in Palm Coast alone, where most of the growth is concentrated, has surged by 70 percent, with the overwhelming share of those in single-family homes, condos or town houses.
After Ragga Surf Cafe Exit, Flagler County and Marineland Seek to Win Back State’s Trust in Preserve Management
Flagler County government and the Town of Marineland administration have drafted a joint plan to reassure the state agency with oversight of the River to Sea Preserve that the two local governments are still capable of managing the Preserve, which had fallen out of compliance with state requirements and put both governments at risk of losing ownership. Meanwhile, Ragga Surf cafe has left Marineland and will reopen at a location in St. Augustine on Friday.
Jury in Minutes Finds Daniel Rodriguez, 27, Guilty on All Charges of Raping and Molesting Boy; Life In Prison Next
A jury of three men and three women found Daniel Rodriguez, 27, guilty on all charges of sexually assaulting and molesting a young boy he had groomed and befriended since he was 10, and started abusing when he was 11, until he was 13. The abuse took place in Palm Coast between 2020 and 2022. Rodriguez faces mandatory life in prison without parole when he is sentenced at a later date. The judge will have no discretion to lessen the sentence.
The Paints They Are A-Changin’: Palm Coast May Lift Most Restrictions on House Colors
The Palm Coast City Council appears on the verge of repealing most restrictions on house colors. As a consequence, homeowners would be allowed to paint houses in darker, less light-reflecting colors than allowed in the city’s 25-year history. But the move occurs in opposition to environmental trends that are encouraging lighter, whiter urban colors as a tool of fighting climate change, as darker colors absorb heat rather than reflect light and require homes to spend more energy on cooling.
On the Stand, Alleged Victim Describes Sex Assaults Since He Was 11 by ‘Father Figure’ and ‘Best Friend’
Daniel Revay Rodriguez, now 27, is accused of sexually assaulting a young boy over several years after grooming him and his family by making himself an essential father figure and by showering the boy with expensive gifts, food and at times pot. His trial began Monday. He faces mandatory life in prison if he is convicted.
Sheriff Staly Appoints Joseph Barile His Chief Deputy, Filling Post That Stood Empty for 6 Years
Sheriff Rick Staly announced today that he has appointed Commander Joseph Barile as the Chief Deputy of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The Chief Deputy will be responsible for law enforcement and court and detention operations.
Flagler Beach Grants Final Approval for 22-Unit Apartment Complex Made to Look Like Single Family Homes
Ratifying the recommendation last month of its planning board, the Flagler Beach City Commission approved the final site plan for the 22-apartment complex called Legacy Pointe Cottages on 3 acres of currently wooded land at the end of Joyce Street, west of John Anderson Highway. The project is a scaled down version of a plan that first consisted of 39 apartments in two buildings, that the City Commission had approved last year.
Less Than a Year After Witnessing Friend’s Death By Overdose, She Causes One and Faces Manslaughter Charge
Less than a year after she was in the house when her friend Brian O’Shea died of a fatal fentanyl overdose, Stephanie Raimundo caused the death by overdose of Calvin Stull, who was about to mark his 22nd birthday. Stull was found dead at Belle Terre Park on jan. 3, 2024. Raimundo was charged with manslaughter and may face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
USTA and Palm Coast Play to New Courts, New Tournament and Possible Doubles Partnership
Less than an hour before qualifiers were to start for the inaugural Women’s USTA Pro Circuit tournament at the Southern Recreation Center this morning, Palm Coast officials, representatives of the USTA and players gathered at the newest court-side in town to cut the ribbon on four new clay courts.
Bunnell Board Tells City Commission: Shrink Haw Creek Reserve Mega Development By 2,500 Homes
On its third try since November, the Bunnell Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the rezoning and development agreement controlling the Reserve at Haw Creek–the largest single development proposal in Flagler County since Palm Coast was conceived in the 1960s–but not before issuing nearly a dozen proposed conditions to the Bunnell City Commission, which takes on the proposal next. Among those conditions: Lower the planned 8,000 home total to 5,500.
Veranda Bay Developer Pauses Annexation into Flagler Beach to Draft Litigation Threat Workaround
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening agreed to pause indefinitely further annexation steps involving Veranda Bay, the large development along John Anderson Highway. The city did so at the developer’s request. The pause and its indefinite timeline look more dramatic than they are. In fact, the pause appears to be more of a strategic retreat allowing the developer to redraw annexation plans in light of the threat of a lawsuit by opponents of annexation, had the original plan gone forward.
Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra Opens 20th Concert Season Jan. 19 with ‘Baroque and Classical Gems’
The Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra will open their Winter Festival – the group’s 20th concert season – with “Baroque and Classical Gems,” featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, a work by his youngest son Johann Christian Bach, and an original piece, based on a 17th-century Lutheran hymn, by Solisti principal cellist Joseph Corporon.
Palm Coast Council Signals Willingness to Relax Commercial Vehicle Parking in Residential Driveways
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday signaled its willingness to reconsider the city’s ban on the overnight parking of commercial vehicles in residential driveways without the vehicles’ signage being covered. The City Council considered repealing or amending the ban on commercial vehicles twice before, in 2010 and 2021, falling short each time.
New Rules: Palm Coast Council Restores Extra Workshop Among Changes Reflective of New Crew and Law
The shiniest-new Palm Coast City Council since the city’s founding voted to restore a second monthly workshop to go along with the two monthly meetings it’s held nearly since the city’s creation in 1999. It’ll need it: the council, with just one member barely exceeding two years’ service and everyone else a rookie or close to it, collectively is the least experienced in the city’s history. The decision is part of a relatively modest rewriting of council procedures prompted by its members’ wish to be more accessible to the public.
Palm Coast Enacts Vacation Rental Regulations as 10-Guest Limit Survives, But Milestone May Be Sort-Termed
Ending a half-year slog, the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the city’s first-ever short-term vacation rental regulations, with registration and inspection fees and penalties for violators. There are well over 200 such rentals in the city. The 10-guest cap per rental survived after a last-ditch attempt by two council members to raise it, but children exempt from counting against the cap may now be up to 3 years old. The previous exemption applied for children up to 1 year old.
Fired Palm Coast Utility Director’s ‘Whistleblower’ Action Details Grave Issues and Conflicts But No Smoking Gun
Former Palm Coast Utility Director Amanda Rees in a nine-page “whistleblower” letter to the City Council detailed dysfunction, personality clashes, discordant expectations, leadership issues and poor diplomacy, along with fearful or preemptive politicking among an administrative leadership clearly jarred by what had been an unpredictable and at times rash City Council. But anyone looking for corruption, malice, or a smoking gun in the letter would not find it. The city rejected its whistleblower claim.
Flagler’s New Legislative Delegation, Meager in Money and Seniority, Tells Locals: Don’t Expect Much
The much-diminished Flagler County Legislative Delegation took its seats this afternoon in Bunnell, cautioning local government and organization representatives seeking state aid for numerous projects that it’s a new, poorer day in Tallahassee, where federal Covid aid and legislative seniority are gone. Sen. Tom Leek and Rep. Sam Greco are each in his first term, though Leek brings eight years of service in the House, where he rose to the appropriations committee chairmanship before he was term-limited.
Palm Coast Fire Police’s Steven Brooks Critically Injured by Passing Car as He Worked Seminole Woods Crash
Palm Coast Fire Police member Steve Brooks was on duty, just beginning to secure a crash site in Seminole Woods late Tuesday afternoon when he was struck by a passing car and critically injured. He was flown to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach, where he remains in critical but stable condition, according to Pam Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill.
Lee Greenwood Brings His ‘God Bless the USA’ and American Spirit Tour to Palm Coast’s Fitz Arts Center
Country music star Lee Greenwood bring his trademark patriotism, his star-spangled-shirt, his veteran recognitions, his “God Bless the USA,” his many hit songs and many that weren’t to the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center in Palm Coast the evening of Jan. 23 for a 7 p.m. concert, just six days after Crystal Gayle, that goddess of country, descends with her river of hair on the Fitzgerald stage.
5 Years in Prison for Joshua Sevin, Who Pleads to Reduced Charge of Child Abuse
Joshua Eugene Sevin, a 30-year-old resident of Lakeside Place in Palm Coast, was sentenced this afternoon to five years in prison followed by five years on the near-equivalent of sex-offender probation after pleading to two reduced charges of felony child abuse. He had originally been charged with two counts of molesting a middle-school girl. The two felony counts carried a maximum penalty of 30 years.
Owner Appeals ‘Dangerous Dog’ Designation But Doesn’t Contest Bulldog’s Two Violent Attacks in the Hammock
For only the third time in 10 years, the Flagler County Commission will hear an appeal next week by a dog owner whose bulldog, Luke, was declared “dangerous” by the county’s special magistrate following two attacks in the Hammock last October. The case hinges in substantial part on the determination of a county animal control officer who is facing an unrelated criminal charge of animal cruelty, a potential vulnerability in the county’s case.
David Allen Gee, Known as Dr. Dave and Voice of FPC and Matanzas Football, Dies at 73
David Allen Gee, age 73, of Palm Coast, Fla., passed away on January 2, 2025 at his home, surrounded by loving family after a long illness. David was a sportscaster in Atlanta and in Palm Coast was a D.J. on WNZF and KOOL – Lunch with Dr. Dave – for 10 + years and a D.J. on The Blizzard for five years. A sports junkie, he was also the radio voice of Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High School football in Flagler County.
Bunnell’s 8,000-Home Development Plan Nears Approval. Residents Raise Questions. Officials Don’t.
Members of the public had many questions, at least to the extent that they were allowed to speak their mind. Members of the Bunnell City Commission and its planning board barely had any as the two panels met in a joint workshop Thursday evening to examine the development agreement for the 8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek project that will transform the city.
Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless and Others Will Open for Its Longest Stretch Yet
The Sheltering Tree will open the Flagler County cold-weather shelter for its longest-ever stretch as an extended clod wave descends on Flagler County starting tonight and lasting for much of next week.
Despite Investigation Clearing Starbucks, Moody Targets Company for Alleged Race-Based Hiring
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in May filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations alleging that Starbucks had policies that “appear on their face to be racial quotas.” But after an investigation, the commission’s executive director in November issued a determination that there was “no reasonable cause” to believe that the Seattle-based coffee company violated a state anti-discrimination law.
Remembrance of Reads Past: Flagler County Leaders and Thinkers’ Favorite Books of 2024
What started last year as FlaglerLive’s end-of-year gift to our readers is back this year with 18 community leaders and thinkers sharing with us their favorite book of the year. Each was a surprise, a discovery, a challenge in the most rewarding sense. Your to-read pile is sure to grow. Happy New Reads in what we hope will be a page-turning 2025.
FPL Seeks to Increase Electric Rates in Four Successive Years Starting in 2026
FPL, which provides electric power to all of Flagler County, will seek increases of about $1.55 billion that would take effect in 2026 and $930 million that would take effect in 2027, according to a letter filed with the Florida Public Service Commission. It also will seek additional money in 2028 and 2029 to pay for solar-energy and battery projects, though the filing did not detail specific amounts.
Flagler Beach’s Kimberly Chewning, 53, Arrested for Allegedly Attacking Cops and Smashing Neighbor’s Window
Kimberly Chewning, a 53-year-old resident of South 2nd Street in Flagler Beach, was booked at the Flagler County jail Sunday morning on felony charges of battering and threatening law enforcement officers following what had initially appeared as an attempted burglary in her next-door apartment, and in which law enforcement believes she may have been involved.
Jimmy Carter’s One Hundred Years of Solitude
Contrary to his undeserved and simplistic reputation, Jimmy Carter was one of the better presidents of the 20th century. But Americans like their country to be run as a theme park. Annoyances like reality, responsibility and malaise have no place. Neither did Carter. The fantasists have been taking their revenge on him ever since, even as Carter’s legend grew in the 43 years since his presidency. He became the busiest ex-president in history, if still the least celebrated and the most shunned.
As Florida Celebrates Ignorance, SAT Scores and College Rankings Drop, Teachers Flee
A recent column in the Independent Florida Alligator laments how college professors and other educators who teach disfavored subjects or use certain words are beginning to self-censor. The headline reads, “Think While It’s Still Legal.” Gov. Ron DeSantis and his angry regime aren’t big fans of thinking. Or learning. They hate and fear knowledge.
LGBTQ+ People Relive Old Traumas as They Age on Their Own
Of the 3 million Americans over age 50 who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender, about twice as many are single and living alone when compared with their heterosexual counterparts. This slice of the older population is expanding rapidly and faces a daunting array of problems, including higher-than-usual rates of anxiety and depression, chronic stress, disability, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, according to numerous research studies.
Bunnell Says No to Developer Seeking To Reduce Open Space By 10% at 8,000-Home ‘Haw Creek Reserve’
The 8,000-home development called Reserve at Haw Creek in Bunnell may proceed, but it will have to respect the city’s minimum requirement of 60 percent of open space. Rejecting a developer’s claim that his due process was violated or his veiled threat to build more apartment buildings if his request was rejected, the Bunnell City Commission voted 3-2 to deny an exception that would have allowed reducing open space at the Reserve at Haw Creek from 60 percent to 50 percent.
Justifying Book Bans, Florida Says It’s Not Required to Provide Libraries to School Students. Publishers Disagree.
Major publishing companies and authors Friday argued that a federal judge should deny Florida’s request to dismiss a lawsuit over the removal of school library books, saying a controversial state law violates First Amendment rights. Attorneys disputed a state position that selection of school library books is “government speech” and, as a result, is not subject to the First Amendment.
Flagler County Raised Concerns Well Before Developer Sought to Reduce Open Space at 8,000-Home ‘Reserve’ in Bunnell
As the developer of the proposed 6,000-t-8,000-home Reserve at Haw Creek in Bunnell, the single-largest development in the county since Palm Coast’s origins, seeks to lower the proportion of open space there, Flagler County months ago issued a detailed letter to the city raising concerns with the plan, especially as it relates to the number of homes, flooding and open space. And that was before the developer increased the proposed density and sought to lower the amount of open space.
Ragga Surf Eviction Stands as Marineland and Flagler County Snipe at Each Other and State Snubs Them All
If the 50-some of supporters of Ragga Surf Café who turned out for a Marineland Town Commission meeting Thursday evening to hear some hope, any hope, that the café can stave off eviction from its temporary home at the River to Sea Preserve on Dec. 31, they were disappointed. The eviction stands. The earliest Ragga may have a chance to reclaim its spot, if at all, may be March, judging from what County Administrator Heidi Petito estimated, though it would likely be longer.
November House Sales in Flagler County At Lowest Level in Almost 7 Years, Job-Holder Total at 2-Year Low
Flagler County’s unemployment was 4.4 percent in November, up a decimal point from a revised 4.3 percent the previous month, a statistically insignificant change, even as the number of unemployed residents declined slightly. More alarmingly: housing sales hit a seven-year low, while the number of Flagler residents holding jobs continued to decline significantly.
12 Palm Coast and Bunnell Residents Arrested on Charges of Drug Selling and Trafficking
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly this afternoon announced the conclusion of an 11-month investigation that netted the arrest of 12 residents of Palm Coast and Bunnell on a variety of drug-related sale and trafficking charges. To a man–and one woman–every suspect has a history of arrests, some of them long histories.
Colossal 6,000-Home Plan in Bunnell is Now 8,000 Homes, and Developer Wants to Cut Open Space by 10%
The developer of the proposed Preserve at Haw Creek, a 2,800-acre development west of Bunnell that would dwarf the city in size and population, has raised the number of dwellings from 5,000-to 6,000 in a May presentation to 6,000 to 8,000 now, and is asking the city to lower the minimum required open space from 60 percent to 50 percent. The city’s planning board unanimously rejected the request. The Bunnell City Commission hears the appeal on Monday.
State Raises Objections to Flagler Beach’s ‘Black Hole’ of Data About Veranda Bay as County Repeats Concerns
Flagler Beach’s proposed annexation of Veranda Bay, the planned 2,400-home development along John Anderson Highway, is facing yet more obstacles in addition to an opposition group’s threat to sue. State agencies tasked by law with reviewing the city’s planned amendment to its land-use rules to accommodate the development have raised objections, citing a lack of data.
County Knocks Off $100,000 from Offer for ‘Sensitive’ Land Purchase to Expand Bull Creek Campground
After knocking $100,000 off the asking price due to some problematic maintenance issues on the property, the Flagler County Commission agreed to buy an eight-parcel, 27.5 acre property, including a homestead, near Dead Lake for $1.145 million, using the county’s tax-supported Environmentally Sensitive Land fund. The property will be converted into an extension of the Bull Creek Campground.
Argument Escalates To a Shooting at Palm Coast Econo Lodge, and 2 Men Are Arrested
Two men were arrested Tuesday following a shooting at the Econo Lodge motel off Kingswood Drive in Palm Coast. No one was injured in the incident, which drew a substantial response by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. James L. Everett, 19, faces felony charges of firing into a dwelling and tampering with evidence. Steven Hyatt, 22, faces a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
School Board’s Furry Defends No-Bid Contract for New Attorney as Ruddy and Ramirez Raise Questions
Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez are discovering that the Flagler County School Board to which they were just elected is its own peculiar governing creature, unlike any local government when it comes to transparency and certain procedures. Exhibit A: its attorney hires. The new board members raised questions about the no-bid hire of the board’s attorney in addition to a separate counsel for the district’s staff work.
Flagler County Wants 2025 To Seal the Deal for Beach Protection, Paid For Mostly With Your Taxes
The Flagler County Commission wants to ensure that 2025 will be the year when it will vote in a beach-management funding plan, ending Flagler’s long and undistinguished run as the only county in Florida without one. That, along with lowering the tax rate and paying more to retain county staff are among the commission’s priorities for the coming year.
Commissioner Pennington Assails County Administration Over Ragga Surf Fiasco: ‘Issues Didn’t Get Handled Properly’
Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington late Monday night sharply criticized the county administration, including its legal department, over a series of errors and missed steps that led to a state rebuke of the county’s permission to Ragga Surf Cafe, a for-profit company, to use public land at Marineland’s River to Sea Preserve to run its business. County Administrator Heidi Petito and County Attorney Al Hadeed defended their actions.