Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is looking for surfer volunteers to help at-risk and foster youth in the community learn to surf this summer in Flagler Beach.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
‘Landscaping’ and Reducing Truck Traffic Are New Goals to Calm Florida Park Drive Ire
Exploring landscaping options and truck-traffic reductions will be the next attempt by Palm Coast government to address complaints from Florida Park Drive residents about noise, pollution and traffic.
Alexis Somerford, 27, Mother of 4, Dies in Alleged Suicide by Gunshot in Palm Coast’s F-Section
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death in an alleged suicide of Alexis Marie Somerford, 27, Saturday night (May 25) at her home at 85 Farragut Drive in Palm Coast.
At Flagler’s 1st-Ever Suicide Town Hall, Hope and Resolve Confront Grim Void of Mental Health Services
Personal stories of confronting suicide, including that of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, combined with an assessment of Flagler’s grim mental health landscape to show the county’s growing awareness and resolve not to remain entirely at the mercy of circumstances.
Prosecution Questions If Accused Murderer Joey Bova Is Insane Or Just Playing The System
Joseph Bova is accused of murdering Mobilmart store clerk Zuheily Rosado in 2013, but has been seesawing between competence and incompetence since, delaying trial. He appears to be sliding back into incompetence for the third time.
Dolphin Discovery Buying Marineland Attraction Would Yield $128,000 In New Flagler Tax Revenue
The pending sale of Marineland Dolphin Adventure by for-profit Dolphin Discovery means the property, assessed at $5 million, would return $128,000 a year to Marineland, Flagler County and school board coffers.
Janet and Dennis McDonald Agree to Settle Ethics Case for $500 Each, Reflecting Minor Disclosure Violations
School Board member Janet McDonald and her husband Dennis McDonald agreed to settle a three-year-old case with the Florida Commission on Ethics, conceding that they had made minor and unintended violations on their financial disclosure forms.
Baseless Claims of a “Shoot Up” at Indian Trails Middle School Spread Through Snapchat
Indian Trails students received a Snapchat message warning them not to go to school today for fear of a shooting, a claim that grew out of a misunderstanding tied to a student who’d made threats before.
Town Hall on Suicide Awareness in Flagler Will Feature Survivors and Mental Health Experts
Flagler Lifeline, a volunteer committee and Flagler Cares affiliate established to broaden conversation and awareness of suicide, will host the public town hall event at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building.
Bruce Haughton Is Found Guilty of Assisted Suicide in Death of Katherine Goddard in R-Section
Bruce Haughton, 54, and Katherine Goddard, 52, his girlfriend of 16 years, attempted to jointly kill themselves in their Palm Coast home’s garage in 2017. She died. He lived. Then he was criminally charged.
It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again: Sheriff’s Palm Coast Precinct Will Return to Former Space On Old Kings Road
The space at 17 Old Kings Road is 2,000 square feet, or 1,000 square feet less than the space at City Marketplace. But it’s $3,500 a month.
Smoke In Cabin and Rear-End Crash Sideline Full Greyhound Bus at SR100 in Palm Coast
A woman was hospitalized and several people aboard a Greyhound bus complained of injuries and smoke discomfort after the bus began to fill with smoke on I-95 in Palm Coast, then was rear-ended by another car
For Bruce Haughton, the Price of Failing to Die in a Double-Suicide Is a Criminal Charge
Prosecutors are not disputing that Bruce Haughton, 54, wanted to die, only that when he failed in his suicide attempt, he became an accessory in the death by suicide of Kathryn Goddard, a claim he disputes.
County Orders Space Reallocation For Sheriff at Courthouse; ‘We’re Going to Stand Our Ground,’ Bexley Says
The County Commission acting as landlord is directing its administrator to come up with the necessary additional space for the sheriff at the courthouse, where Clerk Tom Bexley says it’s useless to try.
Amy Fulmer, FPC Teacher and Formality Singers Director, is New Flagler Auditorium Chief
FPC teacher and Formality Singers director Amy Fulmer replaces Lisa McDevitt, whose 16-year tenure at the auditorium was cut short by illness and her death in January.
Sheriff’s Beachside Substation Is Renamed in Honor of Grady Prather Jr., Who Started Marine Unit
The late Capt. Grady Prather Jr. had launched the Flagler sheriff’s marine unit, which was disbanded after his retirement in 2008, but was revived last year. Prather died in 2009.
In Rare Assisted Suicide Trial in Flagler, Jurors Weigh Sympathy For Desperation Against an Unforgiving Law
Bruce Horton, 54, became an accused criminal when he failed to die along with Katherine Goddard in Palm Coast’s R-Section two years ago as the two had made a pact to die together. He’s on trial this week.
Flagler County Readies to Approve $6 Million Fix of Plantation Bay Utility, Borrowing $3.8 Million
County officials say the entire cost will be borne through Plantation Bay’s utility system and its rate-payers, without affecting county taxpayers at large.
Sheriff’s Precinct on Utility Drive? Palm Coast Explores Bailing Out County’s Search for Space
City, county and sheriff’s officials spent Thursday exploring various buildings, among them Palm Coast’s Utility Department building off Old Kings Road, as potential sites for the sheriff’s Palm Coast precinct.
Fired Employee Suspected of Burying $1 Million Worth of Equipment in Pond at US1 Construction Site
The four small bulldozers and excavator are valued at over $1 million, and were were submerged in a pond to which a water pump had also been vandalized, preventing it from working.
Court Orders 4 of 18 Animals Returned to Owners at W-Section Home, With Probation-Like Conditions
A county court order returned four of 18 animals to Mackenzie and Staci Steele, with the rest distributed between four other parties. The Steels must abide by strict conditions and still face a criminal charge.
County’s Intention To Seek Damages Over Sears Building Fiasco Belies Cozy Relations With Broker in Run-Up to Sale
Flagler County today sent letters of intent to sue for damages to the parties involved in the purchase of the mold-infested Sears building, including the real estate broker the county had a very close relationship with for years.
Stabbing Involving 2 Buddy Taylor Middle School Students Just Off the Bus Leads to Charges
A Buddy Taylor Middle School student stabbed another during a fight immediately after the two students got off their school bus Wednesday afternoon near the corner of Chapel and Hope Streets in Bunnell.
An Inside Look at Sheriff’s Confidential Weekly ‘Crimemaps’ Strategy Planning With Command Staff
Every Wednesday, the sheriff and his command and other top staffers meet to map out the coming week’s crime-fighting focuses, analyzing trends, hot spots and raw intelligence. This week, reporters were invited to witness the session.
Deputies Seized Weapon and Drugs From a Bunnell House on Tuesday. Today, The House Burned.
The duplex at 502 East Drain Street in Bunnell was the scene of a drug raid Tuesday, and a house fire today. Both times, the house was unoccupied. A fire marshal was investigating the case.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: County’s Just-Acquired Sears Building for Sheriff Has Water Intrusion and ‘Substantial Mold’
Flagler County officials discovered today the $1.1 million Sears building they just agreed to buy is plagued by water intrusion and “substantial mold,” just like the sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell.
Palm Coast Wins 1st Place in National Mayor’s Challenge as Residents Pledge to Save 33 Million Gallons of Water
Palm Coast won first place in the 8th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation for cities its size, with 8,022 Palm Coast residents pledging to cut water use by 33 million gallons over the next year.
Flagler School Board Considers Rezoning, Creating 6-8 Middle Schools or K-8 Centers
The Flagler School Board is considering options for its nine schools that may include sending all sixth graders to middle schools, converting all elementary and middle schools into K-8 centers, rezoning, or elements of all three.
16-Year-Old Girl Who Made Bigoted Threats About FPC Teacher Is Arrested
The State Attorney is charging the girl with a count of written threats to kill, a felony, following a December incident in which the girl exchanged hateful and allegedly threatening messages about her teacher with another student.
A Memorial for Fallen Deputies Lifts Blue Lights In Shadow of Flagler Sheriff’s Catacomb
The doors to the Sherif’s Operations Center in Bunnell were kept locked Monday evening, and at times, as the crowd held its bluish candles aloft, it looked as if the building too was being memorialized.
Faith-Based Southern Correctional Medicine Will Be New Health Provider at Flagler Jail
Southern Correctional Medicine replaces Armor Correctional Health after a breakdown in relations between the sheriff and the company following the death of inmate Anthony Fennick in February.
Tom Bexley: There Really Is No More Room For Sheriff’s Operations in the Courthouse
Flagler County Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, weighing in on the space issues with sheriff’s operations at the courthouse, says clerk operations would be fragmented and jeopardized if further accommodations were made.
Days After Release From Jail, Frequent Felon Robert Brandon Is Accused of Assaulting Same Man
Robert Brandon of Palm Coast spent four months in jail for assaulting Frank Rodriguez. Days after his release, he is accused of again landing Rodriguez in the hospital after an assault.
T-Bone Crash At CR302 and 305 Leaves 18-Year-Old Brandon Schwartz in Critical Condition
Brandon Taylor Schwartz, 18, of Ormond Beach, in critical condition after a t-bone crash at the intersection of County Road 302 and County Road 305 in west Flagler.
Community Paramedic: How Flagler Fire Rescue’s Caryn Prather Brought Back House Calls
Flaglere County Fire Rescue’s Prather’s made nearly 500 house calls last year, serving a client base started with people who were frequent users of the 9-1-1 system for non-emergency medical needs and transportation to the hospital. Since its inception, these calls have decreased by 80 percent.
Photographic Tour of Courthouse Illustrates Crunch and Tensions Between Sheriff and Clerk Staffs
Here’s the first detailed, photographic illustration of the space issues the sheriff, the clerk and county officials have been wrestling with over the past months at the county courthouse as the three sides try to reach an understanding on future space use.
Homeless Man Known as Marc Smith, 45, Found Dead Near Flagler Plaza Parking Lot
Marc Smith had been living in a lesser-known homeless camp off Old Kings Road and frequently sat beneath the State Road 100 I-95 overpass, where he was recently captured in an image.
Drug Raid in Palm Coast’s P-Section Leads to 2 Arrests and Children Briefly in DCF’s Custody
Cory P. Waring Jr., 23, and Mia E. Lindsay, 42, were arrested at 82 Pine Circle Drive in Palm Coast this morning following a drug raid executed by the Flagler County Sheriff’s SWAT team.
FPC’s Epic Student Musical Energizes ‘Les Misérables’ With Song, Fury and Redemption
FPC’s $17,000 production of “Les Miserables,” the musical, opens tonight and runs through Saturday at the Flagler Auditorium, featuring a cast of 57, lavish costumes and music from one of the most enduring musicals of all times.
An Alleged Abuser Tracks His Victim Near Domestic Violence Shelter Before Arrest
Dominic Petrillo, 53, is accused of pulling a shotgun on the alleged victim, beating her, then call, text and repeatedly drive by the Family Life Center where she’d taken refuge, before his arrest Tuesday.
Joe Mullins Wants Cities and the County to Draft Homeless ‘Legislation,’ But He’s ‘Out on a Limb’
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins is pressing the county administrator to develop an ordinance regulating homeless panhandling and tent-pitching with city managers, but none of the local governments other than Bunnell have discussed such policies.
Where Have All The Homeless Gone? Library Campers Scatter to Other Grounds, Some Find Roofs
More than half the homeless who lived near the library have scattered to other encampments while a few have found housing options with friends, family or through county and private help.
Faced With ‘Disgraceful’ Rent Increase at City Marketplace, Sheriff Will Move Palm Coast District Office to Old Sears Building
It’s only the latest example of the county’s largely self-inflicted and costly turmoil over land and building projects gone awry, going back to the Eden-gone-Hades of the old Memorial hospital and conversion into a sheriff’s operations center in 2013.
County Considers Nuclear Option: Forcing Clerk To Cede Space to Sheriff at Courthouse
With Clerk of Court Tom Bexley and Sheriff Rick Staly at an impasse over space needs at the courthouse, commissioners are raising the possibility that they will force Bexley to give ground.
Retired Cop Whose Car ‘Reeks of Booze’ Flashes Badge at Flagler Deputy, and Is Arrested for DUI and Drugs
Brenton M. Hodge was in a traffic crash at US1 and Seminole Woods when, asked about smelling of alcohol, he flashed his retired-cop badge, but Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Weaver would have none of it.
Grand Jury Indicts Marion Gavins Jr. on 1st Degree Murder in Killing of Curtis Gray, Will be Tried as Adult
A Flagler County grand jury on Friday indicted Marion Gavins Jr. on a first-degree murder with a firearm charge, a capital felony, in the death of 18-year-old Curtis Gray on April 13.
A K9 Chases Down an Armed Fugitive Making Suicidal Statements in Mondex Woods
Steven Janvrin, a 32-year-old resident of Rosewood Street in Bunnell wanted on drug charges, was arrested following a chase Friday in Daytona North, as a police dog found him hiding in woods.
Latest 2 Proposals for Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing Again Collapse as Sides Harden or Shift Positions
Captain’s BBQ says it won;t pay for a sewer extension even though the extension is needed only because Captain’s wants to expand, and the Hammock Community Association is no longer supportive of a new building site.
Satanic Panic: Devilish and Randy Puppet Invades City Rep Stage in ‘Hand to God’
In Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre production of “Hand To God,” a puppet ministry at a fundamentalist Christian church in a small Texas town takes a life of its own as Tyrone the puppet imposes a reign of terror and sex.
Jack Howell Calls His Palm Coast Council Colleagues “Four Idiots,” Then Apologizes
Jack Howell called his four colleagues on the city council “four idiots” during an emotionally charged comment period at an open meeting of the Palm Coast Democratic Club Thursday evening.