A 12-year-old student bicycling south from Buddy Taylor Middle School this afternoon was struck and injured by a vehicle at the Belle Terre Parkway-Pritchard Drive intersection.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Palm Coast Zaps Electric Tax in Favor of Existing and ‘Creative’ Revenue to Rebuild Public Works
Palm Coast put to rest further talk of an electric service tax but is still hunting for $21 million to rebuild its decrepit public works facility, and will look for existing and creative sources.
9 Years in Prison For Tyler W. Dutton in DUI Manslaughter Death of Jordan Marie Rineer, 25
Tyler Wayne Dutton was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years’ probation in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer on U.S. 1 in October 2015.
Electric Service Tax Is Back As Part of Proposed Options to Rebuild Palm Coast’s Public Works
The Palm Coast City Council backed down from instituting electric taxes last fall in the face of staunch public opposition, but those options are back as part of a new round of discussions on rebuilding the public works facility and improving roads.
“Spiraling Down For a While”: The Violent Story Before the Stand-Off With Fugitive Michael E. Moore
Michael Eugene Moore’s wife describes in an interview the history of a man spiraling down since his release from prison, leading up to Saturday’s 3-hour standoff in Palm Coast.
Roundabout Construction on US1 and Old Dixie Begins: Be Prepared For Traffic Shifts and Single Lanes
U.S. 1 will have one lane in each direction through the project area. The speed limit will be reduced along U.S. 1 through the construction zone.
3-Hour Standoff Ends Peacefully With Arrest of Man Previously on America’s Most Wanted
The standoff on Beaverdam Road in Palm Coast involves a suspect believed to have carried out an armed robbery in Virginia. He refuses to leave his car.
Cory McClure, 25, a Palm Coast Realtor, Takes His Own Life
Cory Michael McClure, a 25-year-old Realtor who’d struggled through agonizing physical pain for several years, took his own life at a house on Kashmir Trail in Palm Coast Wednesday morning.
It’s On Again: Get Married on the Flagler County Courthouse Steps on Valentine’s Day
The mass wedding ceremony, a new tradition, drew 21 couples last year, five of them renewing their vows, with live music, cheer and Clerk of Court Tom Bexley presiding.
$2 Million Repaving and Widening of Old Dixie Highway from US 1 to I-95 Starts
The widening and repaving of a 2.3-mile stretch of Old Dixie Highway, from I-95 to U.S. 1, begins Monday (Jan. 28) and will be completed in a week.
Girlfriend, 16, Hospitalized, Boyfriend, 18, Faces Felony Assault Charge on Pregnant Woman
Tyler R. Torres, 18, of Palm Coast, was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after allegedly repeatedly punching his 16-year-old girlfriend.
Thomas Binkley, 62, Found Guilty of Molesting 2 Girls, 6 and 8, and Faces Life in Prison
Thomas Binkley of Bunnell was living with the girls at the time of the incidents. Their parents had taken him in because he’d fallen on hard times and was in poor health.
16 Apply for Flagler Interim Administrator As County Hurriedly Hires HR Director
With a few days to go for applicants, the interim Flagler County administrator opening drew two county government applicants and three more from Palm Coast.
First of 3 New Cell Towers in 9 Years Going up off Palm Coast Parkway, With AT&T On Board
A new 150-foot cell tower is going up behind Heroes Park on Palm Coast Parkway, with AT&T leasing space, and will be followed by two more on Palm Harbor Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway.
Interim Beau Falgout Clear Favorite as Palm Coast Council Draws Up Manager Shortlist
Palm Coast Interim Manager Beau Falgout garnered the most support from council members shortlisting 16 candidates out of more than 50, as their search for a manager continues.
Lisa McDevitt, a Force Behind Flagler Auditorium and Arts Education, Dies at 58
Lisa McDevitt, the executive director of the Flagler Auditorium for the last 16 years and a fierce advocate for the arts in education, died Monday after a months-long struggle with cancer.
Sheriff’s Cmdr. David Williams Appointed Palm Coast Liaison, Replacing Mark Carman
Cmdr. David Williams, who’s been with the agency since 2001, was named the liaison to Palm Coast, replacing Mark Carman, who’s to be the police chief in Crescent City.
Flagler’s Davis Ecker, 27, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound at Motel on A1A
Davis Ecker, 27, died of a self-inflicted gunshot early Sunday morning (Jan. 20) at the Ocean Crest Motel in Ormond By the Sea.
The Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Cold-Weather Shelter, Holds Fundraiser March 10
The “Have a Heart for the Homeless” dinner and dance will raise money for the shelter assisting new, near, or chronically homeless, and the all-volunteer effort needs your help.
Survey Time: Palm Coast Government Wants To Hear Your Views About the City
Palm Coast residents have two more weeks to take the 2018-2019 Palm Coast Citizen Survey. The survey is ongoing now through Saturday, Feb. 2.
Austin Chewning Named Flagler Deputy of the Year as Gala Raises $77,000 for Sheriff’s Employee Assistance
Austin Chewning, Sheria Woods, Kerri Anderson and Angela Camit were among the year’s winners at a gala to raise money for sheriff’s employees facing unexpected hardships.
Motorcyclist Seriously Hurt in Crash With SUV at Belle Terre and SR100
A Bunnell motorcyclist was seriously hurt in a crash with an SUV at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and State Road 100 shortly after 8 p.m. this evening.
Thieves Break Into Tax Collector’s Office in Staples Shopping Center and Get Away
Two thieves broke into the Flagler County Tax Collector’s satellite office in the Staples shopping center off Old Kings Road just after 3 this morning.
Suspect Identified and Charged in Armed Robbery at Palm Coast’s Kay Jewelers
Tyrone Lamar Walker, 25, of Georgia, told investigator he targeted Kay Jewelers in Palm Coast because it was an obvious choice. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking his extradition on several felony charges.
Rymfire’s Donelle Evensen and Matanzas’s Eugenia Moore Win District’s Top Honors for 2019
Donelle Evensen a literacy coach Rymfire Elementary School, is the 2019 Flagler County Teacher of the year, and Eugenia Moore, the guidance clerk at Matanzas High School, is the support employee of the year.
Flagler Unemployment Ends Year at 3.9%, Florida at 3.6% As Tourism Spurs Jobs
Leisure and hospitality job gains led the way in 2018, with an increase of 45,800 jobs statewide, while Flagler’s labor force and number of people with jobs set new records.
Two Incumbents and Two Challengers Running in Flagler Beach’s March Election
The Flagler Beach March 5 election has drawn two incumbents, Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur, second-time challenger Paul Eik, and newcomer Deborah Phillips, a business owner in town.
Old Kings Elementary’s Addison Davis Survives Being ‘Eviscerated’ and Wins County Spelling Bee on a Pretzel
Addison Davis, 11, a fifth grader at Old Kings Elementary, won the county-wide spelling bee Wednesday and goes on to the regional bee in Jacksonville on Feb. 19.
Palm Coast Is Concerned: Not Enough Sports Fields For Tournaments, Local Teams and Growth
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland wants broader planning for additional sports fields in the city that ensure local sports organizations and residents aren’t sidelined by money-generating tournaments.
Ex-Dr. Florence Fruehan Arrested on 2 Felony Charges of Battery on Older Women
Florence Fruehan, the Palm Coast doctor who lost his license in November over allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with patients, faces two new felony counts of battery on persons 65 or older.
Reilly Opelka Loses In Five-Set Australian Open Thriller, But Ranking Soars
Former Palm Coast resident Reilly Opelka lost a five-set heartbreaker in the second round of the Australian Open tennis tournament Tuesday night into Wednesday morning in Melbourne.
In Flagler Beach, A1A Shops and Restaurants Hope Their ‘Open For Business’ Signs Are Louder Than Road Construction
A1A businesses in Flagler Beach worry that year-long construction on the road will once again hurt business even as they prepare a campaign to remind patrons that doors are very much open.
FPC’s Shaunti Stafford, 17, Takes Her Life, Flagler’s Third Teen Suicide in 18 Months
Shauntiana Autrice Stafford, a 17-year-old student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, took her life Monday evening at her home at Madison Green Apartments.
Audubon Society’s David Ringer Is Keynote Speaker at Palm Coast’s Birds of a Feather Fest
National Audubon Society executive David Ringer, Audubon’s point man during the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, speaks at Birds of a Feather Fest on Feb. 8.
County Commission Steps Back From Creating Sheriff’s Building ‘Task Force,’ Opting
For More Workshops
The Flagler County Commission today took no more decisive action on the Sheriff’s Operations Center than to hold more workshop sometime in the future, though none was scheduled.
Bunnell’s Catherine Robinson Yet Again Re-Elected Unopposed, 6 Running For 3 Seats
By the time Catherine Robinson takes the oath of office for her next term, she may face a very different commission, certainly with two new commissioners at the table, and possibly three.
Bunnell Man Threatens Life of Deputy and His Family After Latest of Many Arrests
Devarus O’Shea Bethea, 31, of Bunnell, was released from state prison in 2017 and had remained out of trouble since–until the day after Christmas, and again on Friday evening.
Help Wanted: Flagler County Seeking Interim Manager and Hoping to Stave Off Exodus
Deputy County Administrator Sally Sherman will lead the county’s administration for the next two weeks as the commission searches for an interim, before launching into a search for a permanent replacement for Craig Coffey.
Reilly Opelka In Stunning Upset Of World’s 9th-Ranked Isner at Australian Open
Reilly Opelka, the former Indian Trails Middle School student, now 7-feet tall, showed his maturity and improved ground game to stun Isner, who was ranked 9th in the world going into the game.
On Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s, Commissioner Hansen Says Compromise Is On the Table
Allaying fears that his mind is made up, County Commissioner Greg Hansen said he’s willing to go for a compromise that would locate Captain’s BBQ away from the center of Bing’s Landing.
Palm Coast Man Charged With Raping a Girl In His Custody Since She Was 5, Saying “It Just Happened”
The near-daily rapes by Michael D. King, 40, originally of England, are alleged to have taken place in Palm Coast when the girl was between 7 and 10, and apparently during an earlier period when she was 5, as well as in other counties.
Proposal Calls for $1-an-Hour Paid Parking on A1A in Flagler Beach, Restrictions Elsewhere, and Meter Maids
The Flagler Beach City Commission is yet again considering a paid-parking proposal for its downtown area, but the plan, which projects $300,000 in revenue, would cost almost as much to run.
Beyond Coffey: Alternate Locations Emerge for Sheriff’s Operations Center as Calls to Abandon Troubled Building Mount
A 20,000 square-foot building built to attract new business and industry is one of the options for the sheriff’s operations center as the sheriff, employees and at least two county commissioners don’t see a path back into the troubled Operations Center anymore.
Flagler Commission in 3-2 Vote Accepts Craig Coffey’s Resignation, Effective Friday
Th commission’s decision means Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey’s last day is Friday, ending an 11-year tenure that soured precipitously in the past year.
11-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Student Faces Felony Over Knife Possession and “Murder” Threat
The 11-year-old student is alleged to have brought a 12.5 inch knife to school and thrown it over the fence after threatening a 13-year-old with “murder.”
Resignations of Key Loyalists Give Administrator Coffey ‘Pause’ About His Plan to Resign
County Administrator Craig Coffey’s announcement that he was resigning was followed by that of Sally Sherman, his deputy, and Joe Mayer, HR director, and changed Coffey’s own course.
Flagler Administrator Craig Coffey Offers to Resign; Special Meeting Set for Wednesday
County Administrator Craig Coffee is seeking to resign in exchange for severance and six months’ health benefits. The commission will decide whether to accept at a 5:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday.
Flagler District’s Graduation Rate Soars to 88%, Vindicating Big Push and Tager’s “Bunker”
The district’s graduation rate’s improvements were powered by gains among black and at-risk students, and by Superintendent Jim Tager’s “bunker,” a system that focuses on students who think they can;t make it.
Changing Position, Key Commissioner Says Sheriff’s Building is Not Repairable and Calls For New HQ Elsewhere
Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan says he won’t spend another nickel on the sick Sheriff’s Operations Center and calls for building a new structure somewhere else.
Deputies Rescue 2 Women, One Blind, Entrapped in Car Driven Into Pond at Waterfront Park
Nancy Burns of Palm Coast misjudged a small road for Colbert Lane and, in heavy rain, drove into a pond at Waterfront Park, with her blind daughter and a service dog. They were rescued and were uninjured.