Flagler Sheriff’ deputy Kyle Gaddie was injured in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Road A1A and 16th Road in the Hammock late this morning.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Sharlyn Johnson, 60, Is Killed, in Two-Vehicle Crash at U.S. 1 and Eagle Rock Road
Sharlyn Johnson, 60, was killed Thursday evening in a two-vehicle t-bone crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Eagle Rock Road, just north of Plantation Bay. Christen Barney, 22, of Bunnell, suffered minor injuries.
Parent Who Allegedly Threatened to Burn Down Bunnell Elementary Over Racism Faces Felony Charge–and Potential Hate Crime
A 23-year-old parent of two children at Bunnell Elementary accused school staff of being racist and was heard allegedly threatening to burn down the school. The sheriff’s office forwarded a felony charge to the State Attorney’s Office and recommended a more serious charge under the state’s hate-crime law.
Should Commissioner Joe Mullins Be Chained and Muzzled?
In what he said was sarcasm, Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins wrote a woman that “We did decide to chain and muzzle all radical liberals in the county” at Tuesday’s town hall on dog-chaining, which he hosted. It’s an inadmissible offense on many levels.
Waste Pro Taps Home Grown Talent to Head Its Palm Coast Operation in Latest Reinvigoration
Waste Pro, the garbage hauler on contract to provide garbage and recycling service for residents in Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler, appointed DSC graduate and long-time local resident Heather Badger-Felmet as division manager in Palm Coast.
Flagler’s Permissive Rules on Dog-Chaining Draw Loud Calls for Revision as Palm Coast Takes Note
Some 65 people turned up at a “town howl” on dog tethering at the Flagler Humane Society Tuesday evening, where County Commissioner Joe Mullins pledged he would be revisiting a controversial county ordinance. The debate may have consequences beyond county government as Palm Coast is in the midst of revising its own animal ordinance, and Flagler Beach may follow suit.
Michael Cummings Pleads to Murdering Ex-Wife at Palm Coast Home and Faces 30 Years to Life in Prison
Days from his trial on a first-degree murder charge, Michael Cummings, 48, pleaded to second degree murder in the death of Faith Cummings, 44, at their Point Pleasant home in Palm Coast in January 2018.
The Thrill Is Gone: Bunnell’s Alvin Jackson Survives Firing Attempt, Then Gets Small Raise After Tepid Evaluations
An attempt by Bunnell City Commissioner Jan Reeger to fire Manager Alvin Jackson failed Monday, but brought to light divided opinions about Jackson’s performance and serious claims about his financial and employee management.
Mary Ann Clark, Resolute Founder and Leader of Innumerable Flagler Institutions, Dies at 91
Mary Ann Clark’s eclectic leadership, tenacity, verve and love for her community founded, fostered or shaped many of Flagler County’s cornerstone civic and cultural organizations over the past four decades.
Flagler’s Fair Housing Rules Would Add Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence, Veterans and LGBTQ
The Flagler County Commission in the next few weeks is expected to hear a proposal to revise the county’s fair housing ordinance, which hasn’t been revised in 30 years. The proposal would add or clarify several protected classes.
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.
Investigation Shows Bullet Nearly Struck Woman as Felon Shot Into 2 Homes Over $10 Dispute
Wyatt Cunningham, 62, of west Flagler, is accused of firing a rifle several times into two homes, both occupied by several older people, over an argument involving a $10 bill for mowing grass.
Palm Coast Uber Driver, 53, Accused Of Molesting Deceased Girlfriend’s 11-Year-Old Daughter for 2 Years
Philip Frederick Martin, 53, of 95 Wedgewood Lane in Palm Coast, had been allowed to continue visiting with his deceased girlfriend’s daughter, who reported the alleged molestation took place over two years.
Veterans Weekend Briefing: Last of “Spring Awakening,” Kaiti Lenhart at AAUW, Chamber Players, NAACP Awards, Airmen
Last weekend for “Spring Awakening” at Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre, Kaiti Lenhart is the featured speaker at AAUW, Artist Choice and Young Emerging Artist Exhibit at the Art League, the NAACP hosts its annual awards banquet.
New Report Concludes Sheriff’s Operations Building ‘Should Be Ready for Re-Occupancy’ With Repairs
There are continuing issues at the sick, former Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell, but they are repairable, or treatable, a moisture and concrete evaluation report to the county concludes even as it lists a series of problems.
Flagler Is No Citrus: Local Officials Say New York Times Is Safe From ‘Fake News’ Censorship at Library
In the wake of Citrus County commissioners rejecting a public library digital subscription to The New York Times, Flagler County’s library and government officials stressed that nothing like that would be tolerated locally.
Next Year’s School Calendar Builds In 2 Days Off for Elections and Hurricane Make-Up Days, Leaving Thanksgiving Week Off Intact
Next year’s Flagler schools calendar will keep students off campus on election days and provide four built-in hurricane make-up days before Thanksgiving Week is affected.
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.
5 Children Split in Foster Care, 8 Pets Looking for Homes and Donations Sought as Result of Parents’ Negligence
With their parents, Betty Allen, 42, and Dennis Allen, 44, facing felony neglect charges the five children have been split between two foster homes and their eight pets, including four dogs, put up for adoption in the fallout from the discovery of a Bunnell house in a deplorable state.
For 1st Time in 11 Years, County Tells Bunnell Homeless Are Shared Problem as Shelter Backers Seek Compromise
As a federal investigation forced Bunnell government to allow the re-opening of a homeless cold-weather shelter there, County Administrator Jerry Cameron told city officials what they haven’t heard in 11 years: that homelessness is a shared responsibility.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler Beach land Regulations, Pilsners for Polio, Stetson Guitar Ensemble
Flagler Beach holds the second citizen’s input session focusing on the city’s Land Development Regulations, the Rotary Club of Palm Coast hosts Pilsners for Polio and Karaoke for a Cause, the Stetson University Guitar Ensemble presents a program of various combinations of guitars.
School Board Calls for Investigation of FPC’s Discipline Procedures in Unusual Settlement With Ex-Teacher’s Whistleblower Complaint
Vanishing disciplinary paperwork and lax follow-ups in bullying and harassment complaints were of special concern to the school board as it settled a whistleblower case with ex-FPC’s i3 teacher Robert Sprouse Tuesday, agreeing to pay him up to $30,000.
ICI Homes’ Latest Expansion at Plantation Bay Approved, 3-2, But Not Before a Drubbing Over Stinginess
County Commissioner Dave Sullivan said ICI Homes is not doing enough to share in the county’s burdens of repairing Plantation Bay’s troubled water and sewer utilities. The commission approved a 132-home phase of the development.
Tuesday Briefing: State of Education, Election Forum, LGBT Youth Group, DSC Veterans Ceremony, Chess on the Porch
Superintendent Jim Tager delivers the State of Education address, the Hammock Community Association hosts a forum for county commission election candidates, Chess on the Porch at the Humidor.
240-Boat Storage Facility in the Hammock off A1A Will Go Forward as County Rejects Objection
The proposed Hammock Harbor boat storage and restaurant development near Hammock Hardware on A1A drew a legal appeal from residents who disputed the county’s interpretation allowing the re-development under existing zoning rules. But county commissioners saw nothing wrong with the project.
Palm Coast Lines Up Support from County and Cities for UNF’s MedNex Initiative in Town Center
Flagler County commissioners today unanimously endorsed a proposed UNF partnership with Palm Coast to create a medical hub in Town Center as the county’s top legislative priority for 2020.
Sheriff’s Deputy and Bunnell Police Officer Fall Violently Ill In Contact With Arrested Suspect’s Unknown Narcotic
The sheriff’s K-9 deputy Gibson Smith and the Bunnell Police Department’s Jennie Baker were briefly hospitalized after falling ill during an arrest of a known dealer of heroin and other drugs Saturday night.
From High School to $37,000-a-Year Firefighters: Flagler Hires 1st Three Recruits Out of FPC’s Fire Academy
Noah Dunaway, Dylan Cronk and Beau Kruithoff, all 18, are the very first Flagler County Fire Rescue recruits to be hired directly out of FPC’s fire academy. They were introduced to the Flagler County Commission this morning. They’ll be making $37,000 a year within weeks.
Flagler Health Department and Florida Heiken Team Up to Get Free Eyeglasses to Elementary Students
Florida Heiken is one of two state funded vision programs that help at-risk students achieve academic and social success by making services available to uninsured public school students in grades K through 12 who have failed a school-based vision screening and are in need of follow-up and possible corrective lenses.
Squalor, Despair and Girl’s Talk of Suicide Land 2 Parents in Jail on Felony Charges of Neglecting 5 Children
Betty Nicolicchia-Allen, 42, and Dennis Allen, 44. of Daytona North were jailed after authorities found their five young children in deplorable conditions in their house, which had been deeded to them years ago by Habitat for Humanity.
Questions of Ethics and Reimbursements After County Officials Appear on Commissioner Joe Mullins’s Radio Show
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins offered to have county officials host and appear once a month on the weekly radio show he pays for, but the offer raised a series of protocol, policy and ethical implications.
James Taylor, 42, Is Sentenced to Life in Prison for Molesting 11-Year-Old Step-Daughter
The mandatory sentence was expected. Circuit Judge Terence Perkins had no choice because Taylor is a previously convicted felon several times over, and the victim at the time of the offense was younger than 12.
Flagler Jail Van in Crash With Car on U.S. 1 in Bunnell, Minor Injuries to Elderly Couple
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Brian Sheridan, who’s in charge of jail transport to and from the courthouse, was at the wheel of the van. He was transporting one inmate. Neither were hurt.
Sheriff Doubles Reward to $10,000 for Information in Circle K Murder off Palm Coast Parkway
Deon O’Neal Jenkins, 26, of Palm Coast, was gunned down and the driver of the car he was sitting in was wounded in the Oct. 12 attack off Palm Coast Parkway. No one has been arrested since.
Rymfire’s LaShakia Moore and iFlagler’s Erin Quinn Are Flagler District’s Top Administrators of the Year
LaShakia Moore, principal at Rymfire Elementary School was tapped as the top school administrator while iFlagler’s Erin Quinn was selected as Assistant Principal of the year.
Justice Department Is Investigating Bunnell Government Over Closure of the Cold-Weather Homeless Shelter
The Sheltering Tree had operated Bunnell’s cold-weather shelter for 11 years out of 1st United Methodist Church on Pine Street until the Bunnell City Commission shut down the operation in July, refusing to approve a special zoning exception for it.
Forced Out or Not, Flagler Fire Chief Don Petito Is Looking to ‘Get the Hell Out’ in Fallout From Clash
Flagler County Fire Chief thought he was being forced out with an ultimatum until County Administrator Jerry Cameron said he’d misunderstood, but he’s looking to leave anyway in the wake of a clash with Chief Information Officer Jarrod Shupe during the Hurricane Dorian emergency.
Matanzas Student, 17, Faces Felony Charge after Racist Threats of Violence on Another Student for “Snitching”
The 17-year-old student took a video of himself making the threats and ridiculing a sheriff’s deputy’s presence at the alleged victim’s home at the same time, as he drove by.
What’s Flagler County Got Against Affordable Housing? A Forum Attempts to Demolish Enduring Stigmas.
Many Palm Coast and Flagler County residents generally revile apartments, subsidized housing and other forms of affordable housing. A county-sponsored forum attempted to tackle the stigmas and offer fresher perspectives.
Rare Look at Minefield of Self-Representation as Judge Perkins Defends Decision to Deny Murder Suspect’s 6th Amendment Right
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins for the second time in five weeks on Tuesday defended his decision to deny Joseph Bova the right to represent himself during his trial on a first-degree murder charge at the end of September. Bova was found guilty and Perkins sentenced him to life in prison. The case is on appeal.
Sheriff Lists Sex Offenders’ No-Go Homes and Increases Patrols on Halloween’s ‘Operation Witch Way’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office provided a list of the 28 registered sex offenders with prohibitions on participation in Halloween, and cautioned about increased patrols to check for speed, aggressive driving and drunk drivers over the next two nights.
Truck Ban Among Proposals to Calm Florida Park Drive Traffic, But Don’t Expect License Plate Reader Enforcement
Florida Park Drive may soon see a heavy-truck ban and other traffic calming measures as the Palm Coast City Council prepares to ratify the most substantial changes addressing residents’ concerns about the road in years. But contrary to this morning’s council discussion, License Plate Readers will not be part of the enforcement.
Turning Down Plea Offer, Michael Cummings Will Be Tried Nov. 18 on Wife’s Murder
Michael Cummings is accused of murdering his ex-wife at the house they shared on Point Pleasant Drive in Palm Coast in November 2018. Faith Cummings, 44, was found bludgeoned and asphyxiated.
Flagler County’s Economic Development Farce Is Wasting Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Beat Its Own Drum
Since Flagler County government created the $450,000-a-year economic development department, the county has added 10,000 jobs, but only a few dozen as a result of the department’s involvement.
Appeals Court Upholds Attempted Murder Conviction of Jonathan Canales, Who’s Serving Life Term
Jonathan Canales, now 32, was convicted of shooting his live-in girlfriend and the mother of three young children in the neck in their Daytona North trailer in 2014. His appeal focused on his prior acts of domestic violence toward the victim, saying thay should not have been admitted at trial.
Danielle Anderson’s Dual Role as Flagler GOP Operative and News-Journal Correspondent
The News-Journal has defended Danielle Anderson’s dual roles as a correspondent and as president of the Flagler County Republican Club by saying she does not cover political stories. But last week she covered Sen. Rick Scott’s visit to Flagler, without a disclaimer.
Flagler County Hosts an Affordable Housing Forum on Oct. 29
Have questions about what affordable housing is, what the need is in Flagler County and the challenges that must be overcome? The Flagler Housing for All Coalition is hosting a public forum at 5:30 p.m. October 29 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors to discuss those topics and more.
Jury Finds Victor Williams, 43, Guilty of Lesser Charge In Case of Sex and Drugs With Boy, 16
Victor Williams of Palm Coast faces up to 15 years in prison. He would have faced life in prison on the more serious charge. The five-day trial hinged on whether Williams had impaired the boy with alcohol and Xanax when they had sex.
Ethics Commission Blisters McDonald’s “Complete Disregard for Law,” Imposing $4,000 Fine and Public Reprimand
The Florida Ethics Commission voted 4-3 to impose a $4,000 fine on former Flagler Commission candidate Dennis McDonald, $6,000 less than the ethics commission advocate had recommended.
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.