In their hour on the air, sitting in close quarters in WNZF’s studio but with an empty chair between them, Palm Coast mayoral candidates Cornelia Manfre and Mike Norris attacked, ducked, provoked and raised alarms about each other, never in good fun but never with disrespect. Manfre was clearly more prepared, sounding more forceful, answering questions in sharp, short and clear outlines and keeping Norris on the defensive.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Early Voting at Flagler County’s Five Locations Breaks Single-Day Record; 12,100 Mail Ballots Already In
With some 12,100 votes already turned in by mail so far, early voting in Flagler County began its 13-day run today with record-breaking turnout despite slow lines as a ballot with two dozen races and a half dozen constitutional and charter amendments took voters time to read and fill out.
Federal Judge Cites ‘Legislative Privilege’ to Shield School Board Members from testifying in Book Ban Case
A federal judge has shielded Escambia County School Board members from having to testify in a legal battle about the removal of children’s books from school libraries. United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on Friday issued a 15-page order agreeing with the school board that members do not have to give depositions because of what is known as “legislative privilege.”
New College’s Descent from Stellar Florida College to ‘Eugenicon’
Steve Sailer, a “eugenicon” who believes Black people are genetically inferior to whites, race is biological, interracial marriage is wrong, and “core Americans” are by definition white, has been invited to speak at one of New College’s “Socratic Stage Dialogues.” Socrates himself would not know whether to laugh, cry, or take an even bigger swig of hemlock.
Hurricane Milton Damage Forces Flagler Beach Public Library, a City Treasure, to Close Until Further Notice
Hurricane Milton’s rains caused some damage at the Flagler Beach Library, requiring services to be limited to curbsides, with even those services now suspended. A reopening date is not yet certain, but is probable later this month.
54-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Wanted in Flagler Beach Shooting Found Dead of Apparent Self-Inflicted Gunshot
Yairton Garcia, the 54-year-old Palm Coast and Daytona Beach resident suspected by Flagler Beach police of shooting and wounding a man in Flagler Beach in the early morning of Oct. 5, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Lake Charles house in Palm Coast on Wednesday after Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies had surrounded the house and sent in a robot to investigate Garcia’s whereabouts.
After Closed-Door Meeting, No Sign Palm Coast Is Settling Ballot Referendum Litigation, Which May Go Past Election
Signals from Thursday’s closed-door meeting of the Palm Coast City Council suggest that the city appears not ready to settle the lawsuit over the ballot referendum on a charter amendment that would allow the city more freely to borrow money and enter into lease agreements. If the referendum fails, the case would be moot. If it succeeds, it won’t be the end of litigation: at least twice before courts have invalidated such referendums in Florida well after the vote was certified, and those challenging the measure intend to keep challenging it even if it succeeds at the polls on Nov. 5.
Aviation Company Aura Aero Selects Volusia Over Flagler County for for 500,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Plant and 1,000 Jobs
Aura Aero Inc., the French designer and manufacturer of next-generation aircraft, has announced its intent to build a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly plant in Volusia County at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The facility will create more than 1,000 high-paying jobs in the area. Flagler County had been in contention for the facility.
Palm Coast Council Wants Another Re-Write of Vacation-Rental Ordinance, Pushing Approval to Next Year
Four months after it directed its attorney to draft it, the Palm Coast City Council again delayed approving the city’s first-ever vacation-rental ordinance as numerous issues and new proposals arose after the latest draft, which was due for a first read on on Tuesday. Instead, the council agreed to table it and schedule another workshop in December or January, when three new members will be on the council. That means the council will barely have time to approve the ordinance before the state Legislature again tries to pass a law that invalidates local ordinances.
Palm Coast Renews Contract with Southern Group Lobbying Firm, But With a Probationary Caveat
Last June the Palm Coast City Council called on the carpet its lobbying firm in Tallahassee after voicing some dissatisfaction over the city’s record haul in state appropriations. On Tuesday, the council renewed its contract with the firm, but only for one year, not three, as the administration had proposed. The city will pay the firm $72,000 for the year, up from $60,000 in the last contract year, and leave the option open for four renewals.
Contracted Jail Guard Roberto Martinez of Palm Coast Accused of Pulling Gun on Fiancée
Roberto Martinez, a 34-year-old resident of Bannerwood Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after allegedly intimidating his fiancée with a gun during an argument, and quickly changing into his guard uniform before police showed up, as if to gain favor with deputies.
Palm Coast Approves 1st Steps Toward $240 Million Sewer Expansion, With Higher Utility Rates Coming in Spring
Addressing one of the most critical issues hampering the city’s infrastructure–and facing an order from the state to expand sewer capacity–the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday took a pair of momentous steps that by next spring will result in higher water and sewer rates to help pay for a nearly quarter-billion dollar expansion of one of the city’s two sewer plants. Only a portion of the construction can legally be covered by development impact fees. Absent grants or unexpected new revenue, the rest has to be paid through water and sewer rates, which are currently too low to shoulder that burden.
How Residential Growth, a State Order and Intense Rains Are Forcing Palm Coast’s Hand on Sewer Expansion
A combination of sharp growth that’s not paying for itself, a consent decree–or mandatory order–by the state and increasingly intense rain events have combined to force Palm Coast to rapidly expand its two sewer plants, resulting in significant capacity by 2028 but at significant cost: one of the two plant expansions will cost $245 million, between design and construction costs, and likely more by the time it’s done around 2028. The city has no choice in that timeline because of the consent decree, just as the Palm Coast City Council will have no choice but to raise utility rates next year.
Settlement Offer Gives Palm Coast Council Chance to Pull Embattled Debt Referendum from the Ballot
The Palm Coast City Council is holding a closed-door meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday at City Hall to consider a settlement offer in the lawsuit challenging the veracity of the city’s debt referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. The offer proposes that opposing sides agree to end the lawsuit and not count the results of the referendum, which will still appear on the ballot. The city would not owe the opposition attorneys’ fees.
Total Hurricane Milton Damage to Private Property in Flagler and Cities: $18.8 million, Government Costs Yet to Be Tallied
Flagler County suffered an estimated $18.8 million in private property damages countywide from Hurricane Milton, and an additional $14 million in damages to just under 11 miles of beachfront, with additional estimates yet to be calculated such as costs to government infrastructure and services, and losses to the federal portion of the beach in Flagler Beach–the 2.6 miles the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just renourished.
Anger, Praise and Rudeness for Palm Coast’s Storm Response; Another Failed Attempt at Building Moratorium
A blustery, angry morning segment of a day-long meeting of the Palm Coast City Council today felt like aftershocks of Hurricane Milton as numerous residents assailed what they saw–against evidence–as the city’s failed response during the storm while some residents praised the same response for weathering a historic rainfall with very limited damage: just five homes had any kind of flooding, the city confirmed this afternoon. An attempt by City Council member Theresa Pontieri to call for a year-long moratorium on residential construction failed.
For Colleen Conklin, a Preview of Farewells and Flowers After 24 Years as She Logs Penultimate School Board Meeting
Flagler County School Board members Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro, each in her own way, spoke their farewells at their last voting School Board meeting, though both will serve through another workshop in November, where a celebration of their tenures is planned. Conklin has been on the board since 2000, Massaro since 2020.
School Board Rejects Developer Interested in Building ‘Specialty Retail Center’ on Palm Coast Parkway Property
The Flagler County School Board this evening will again formally reject a developer’s interest in buying the district’s old 7.2-acre Corporate One property at the southeast corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Corporate Drive, a 7-acre site that used to be one of ITT’s headquarters, in the early years of developing Palm Coast, before the board bought it for $3.5 million. It was not one of the board’s wisest decisions.Tailwinds Development, a company that specializes in building retail commercial shopping centers, was interested in the acreage.
Flagler Schools Will Only Make Up One Day and Sacrifice 4 Lost to Hurricanes, While Preserving Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks
Assuming no more storms or other events require further school cancellations, Flagler County schools will have four fewer instructional days this school year. Thanksgiving and winter breaks will not be affected, the year will not be extended, and the district will still meet the legally required total of instructional days. The Flagler County School Board signed off today on its calendar committee’s minimal changes.
Hurricane Milton’s Flagler Path in Pictures: Flooding, Beach Erosion, Damaged Roads and Roofs, but Nothing Disastrous
Hurricane Milton barreled through the midsection of the Florida Peninsula Thursday morning, lashing Flagler County with tropical-storm-force winds (and a few hurricane-force gusts) and up top 19 inches of rain in parts of the county. But damage overall was mostly minor despite floodwaters. Here’s an album in pictures and video.
Flagler County in Federal Disaster Declaration: Residents Can Seek Help; Beach Will Be Repaired at 100% U.S. Expense
President Joe Biden on Friday approved a major disaster declaration for 34 Florida counties that suffered damage from Hurricane Milton, including Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. The declaration will help individuals and local governments to shoulder recovery costs, including–for governments–reimbursements for the majority of costs incurred by damage sustained or services provided during the storm and the recovery period.
Storm Debris Removal in Palm Coast Begins October 16
The City of Palm Coast announced today that storm debris removal will begin on Wednesday, October 16. Residents should not place storm debris in bags, cans, or containers. Make sure to place all debris at the curb by Wednesday, October 16, and ensure that the swales and ditches are kept clear.
Who Controls the Flagler Beach Bridge? City and Sheriff Iron Out Bridge-Closure Mix-Up for Future Reference
Flagler Beach officials and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly have ironed out a confusing mix-up over who has authority to close the Flagler Beach bridge and under what circumstances, after the city approved a resolution that appeared to grant that authority to the sheriff. The sheriff did not agree with the resolution. The matter’s disposition sets a precedent, or at least clarifies one of the more frequently misunderstood local issues during emergencies–when an how the bridge is closed, if at all, and by whom–and may prevent a similar misunderstanding in the future.
Over 100 Homes in Palm Coast Damaged by Wind; Woodlands a Flood Concern; Surge in Flagler Beach Was Limited
Flagler County and city officials are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Despite the worst rain event Palm Coast has known in its history, despite some floodwaters in Flagler Beach’s low-lying areas and severe winds during Hurricane Milton’s passage over the region, the number of homes that experienced water intrusion have been limited to “a handful,” while the number of homes reporting wind damage, in Palm Coast, stands at 57. The numbers in Flagler Beach are not yet known. The shelter will close today, the night curfew will be rescinded.
Water Surging in Flagler Beach’s Low-Lying Areas, Flooding Some Homes; 44,800 Still Without Power in Flagler
“This horror will grow mild, this darkness light,” Floridians may be telling themselves–perhaps in not so many words–as Hurricane Milton edged off the coast of Florida this morning, still as a hurricane that left a wide swath of destruction and 3.2 million customers without power in its enormous path.
With Hurricane Milton’s Worst Ahead, Torrential Rains Raise Flooding Concerns in Palm Coast and Close Roads
Torrential rain in Palm Coast ahead of Hurricane Milton has “severely overwhelmed” the city’s stormwater system. Milton’s advance rain bands have led to a few street closures in the B Section, to city crews special-delivering sand bags to some residents, and to an alert from the city to residents to minimize water usage as the stormwater system is being overwhelmed by precipitation–with the worst yet to come.
Commissioner ‘Disheartened’ By Lack of Evacuations in Flagler Beach, Where Milton Preparations Are Plainly Low Key
But for significantly less traffic on most roads, you’d be hard-pressed to see that the largest part of Flagler County under an evacuation order was heeding the warning this morning. From the looks of the Barrier Island and the mainland part of Flagler Beach in the first hours after the 8 a.m. evacuation order, there were many more cars parked in driveways than getting packed or driving off. Homes with sandbags or other storm preparations were the exception. Businesses were more likely to be boarded up than homes, though that was the exception even for businesses, most of which were closed.
Evacuations Ordered for Entire Barrier Island and Much of Mainland East of I-95, Curfew Wednesday Night
Hurricane Milton’s projected path has remained remarkably steady with very slight variations north or south, but with models agreeing on landfall in the Tampa Bay area after midnight Thursday and now mostly merging to agree on a path along or a bit south of I-4, toward Merritt Island and the Space Coast, where it would exit, still as a hurricane, Thursday afternoon. Tropical-storm force winds ranging between 40 and 70 mph are expected in Flagler County, with the possibility of hurricane-force winds especially on the barrier island.
County Has No Intention of Closing SR100 Bridge and Sheriff Says It’s Not His Call Alone. Flagler Beach Had Other Ideas.
The Flagler Beach City Commission in an emergency meeting Monday approved a resolution asking the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to “exercise appropriate measures” regarding the State Road 100 bridge. The resolution does not explicitly ask the sheriff to close the bridge if need be, but the commission’s discussion before voting on the resolution indicated that intent, even though it appears to clash with the county’s emergency declaration, state law, and the sheriff’s own position.
AdventHealth Offering Free Video Consults Through Centra Care Wednesday and Thursday
AdventHealth is deploying its extensive safety preparations as Hurricane Milton approaches the region. The health system has stockpiled thousands of gallons of water and generators are standing by to run the hospital on emergency power if necessary. Sandbags are prepared should they be needed to secure doors and windows.
On an Unsettled Day, Judge Dawn Nichols Brings Order to Court as She Begins Post-Perkins Tenure
A week after Terence Perkins’s retirement, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols walked into court at 1:35 this afternoon, wished the lawyers, a half dozen inmates inmates and a dozen people in the gallery a good afternoon, and got to work with pleas, a couple of sentencing hearings, bond and status hearings with workmanlike cheer and speed just shy of breathless.
Milton Could Be Among ‘Most Destructive Hurricanes on Record,’ NHC Warns; Flagler Readies for Flooding; Cancellations Multiply
Hurricane Milton, now a monster storm, had sustained winds of 180 miles per hour, making it one of the most intense and dangerous hurricanes ever recorded. It had crashed NHC’s site in early evening Monday, as Florida’s midsection was bracing for a direct hit in the Tampa Bay area and Flagler County was preparing for severe impacts and potential hurricane-force winds that it did not record even during Hurricanes Mathew and Ian in 2016 and 2017.
Ahead of Hurricane Milton, State Emergency Director Guthrie Warns of Possibly ‘Largest Evacuation’ Since 2017
With Hurricane Milton expected to reach Category 3 or 4 force before hitting Florida in the middle of the week, state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie on Sunday urged residents to immediately start putting storm plans in place, which could include evacuating further inland.
Hurricane Milton, Gaining Force Quicker, Is Barreling Toward Florida’s I-4 Corridor and Flagler By Midweek
Eleven days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend, Tropical Storm Milton, expected to be Hurricane Milton by tonight, is rapidly gaining strength and is expected to become a major hurricane by Tuesday. It is mobilizing Florida from Tampa Bay through the north-central midsection of the state, including Flagler County, where severe conditions and impacts are expected. Tropical-storm-force winds are expected in Flagler County late Tuesday night into Wednesday. The rainfall potential over the next five days for coastal Flagler County, including Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach, is in the 8 to 12-inch range, and in the 6 to 8 inch range for inland Flagler.
Flagler Beach Police Investigating ‘Suspicious’ Shooting of a Palm Coast Man on A1A
The Flagler Beach Police Department and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office are investigating what they are terming the “suspicious” shooting of a Palm Coast man on State Road A1A early this morning. The man survived and was taken to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
Palm Coast Faces State Order to Build Up Sewer Capacity by 2028 as System Falters; Utility Rate Increases Inevitable
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is issuing a consent decree to Palm Coast government requiring the city to improve and expand one of its two sewer plants by 2028. The decree is a direct result of a system under strain and often over capacity. Compliance will be expensive, with ultimate costs in the $200 million range. Some of that may be paid with development impact fees. But a substantial portion of the cost will be the responsibility of existing rate-payers. The City Council will have no choice, especially with a consent decree hanging over its collective neck.
Palm Coast City Council Candidates Ray Stevens and Andrew Werner Sharpen Differences in Radio Face-Off
Ray Stevens and Andrew Warner, the two candidates in the runoff for the District 3 seat of the Palm Coast City Council, faced off on WNZF’s Free For All Fridays this morning in a more focused and spirited discussion than candidates typically do at soporific and rarely challenging forums. The two candidates tangled for 65 minutes over development, their past, their associations, the reason they’re running, and why they’d be a better councilman than the other guy.
Flagler School Board is Doing Nothing to Encourage Applicants for Seat Vacated by Sally Hunt. Here’s How to Apply.
The Flagler County School Board discussed the appointment of Sally Hunt’s replacement for the first time Tuesday, for just four minutes. It had no clue what to do next, and has no intentions of informing the public that the application window is open, or facilitating applications. The board chair has had contact with the governor’s appointment office, but did not say what that entailed other than getting an acknowledgement from that office that Hunt had resigned.
Palm Coast Says It Has No Control Over Burn Piles on Lands Cleared for Development But Will Seek Attorney General’s Opinion
For years Palm Coast has had an ordinance giving it authority to control where and when burning takes place. The ordinance conflicts with state law, which reserves that authority exclusively to the Florida Forest Service. Rather than approve a new ordinance just yet, the Palm Coast City Council has agreed to seek an Attorney General opinion on what regulatory authority the city could seek within the law.
Palm Coast Fire Department Mourns Loss of Former Colleague Zachary Shane Mahaney, 43, to Suicide
The Palm Coast Fire Department is mourning the loss of Zachary Shane Mahaney, a 43-year-old former firefighter who spent a year with the department until last June. He died by a self-inflicted gunshot on Sept. 25 or 26 in Ormond Beach after going missing from his parents’ home on Sept. 25.
A Majority of the Palm Coast City Council Now Opposes Its Own Debt Referendum, Yet It Remains on the Ballot
Newly appointed Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro attempted to nullify a controversial proposed referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. City Attorney Marcus Duffy counseled against it. That left the council in a startling position of defending a proposed referendum a majority of the council opposes. The ongoing debate is illustrative of the extent to which the proposed referendum has lost credibility and the way it is fracturing the council.
33-Year-Old Man With Mental Health Issues Again Arrested After Crash with Injuries and 5 MPH Chase on U.S. 1
Kyle McNary, a 33-year-old Palm Coast resident Baker Acted and arrested after a severe mental health breakdown in late August was again arrested on numerous charges after allegedly attacking his step-father and causing a severe vehicle crash on U.S. 1, after which he led police on a crawl of a chase at 5 miles per hour on the highway.
Fire Station 22 Will Survive as Historic Building, with 90-Space Community Center Parking To Be Built Around It
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday voted on a $3.3 million plan that would preserve the old fire station and look to “adaptively reusing the building to serve alternate functions,” in the words of city architect Eric Gebo, while creating 90 new parking spaces as overflow for the nearby Community Center. The 138 parking spaces at the Community Center have proved insufficient for the number and popularity of activities and events there. On average, seven meetings a month are turned away from the center for lack of capacity.
Palm Coast Council Appoints Charles Gambaro to Heighter’s Seat, Bypassing Boyer
Executing the closest approximation of a midnight appointment in the city’s 25-year history, the Palm Coast City Council, with three of four members in their last weeks of service, appointed Charles Gambaro this evening to the seat Cathy Heighter resigned suddenly in August.
Southern Recreation Center in Palm Coast Added as Fifth Early Voting Site
In preparation for a very high turnout during this Presidential Election, the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections will opened a new early voting site at Palm Coast’s Southern Recreation Center, at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, bringing the total of early voting sites to five in Flagler County. The addition is in expectation of a heavy-turnout election and in response to a growing population.
Palm Coast Could Have Its First Free, Public 18-Hole Disc Golf Course in a Planned W-Section Park
Palm Coast and Flagler County may soon have their first disc golf course. If the Palm Coast City Council approves a proposed agreement with a builder, the 18-hole course will be the central feature of a new 9-acre city park at the corner of White Mill Drive and Pine Lakes Parkway. The builder, Marbella Apartments, will build the park at its expense, but in exchange for $569,000 in park impact fee credits.
Same ‘Horrid’ Conditions, Different House: Parent of 5 Arrested 4 Years Ago for Child Neglect Charged Again After Toddler Wanders
Five years ago Nicolas Carter and his wife were arrested and charged with felony child neglect after authorities got complaints about the couple’s Espanola home. The couple was living with five young children in conditions lamentable beyond description. On Friday, Carter was arrested again on a similar charge, felony child neglect, and a misdemeanor charge of obstruction after one of his children–a toddler who was apparently born after the incident four years ago was seen wandering in the street, unattended. The house was in conditions similar to the one in Espanola.
The Fireman’s Son: Flagler County’s Even-Handed, Learned Judge Terence Perkins Retires
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins retires today after six years as Flagler County’s chief judge and 14 years as a judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, including stints as chief judge. In a long interview with FlaglerLive, Perkins reflected on a storied career that included a private practice at a firm he co-founded with colleagues, almost all of whom went on to become circuit or appellate judges, on the purpose of local judges, on his personal life, on the isolation and anguish judges feel at times, and on what’s next.
County Judge Andrea Totten on Circuit Judge Terence Perkins’s Retirement: ‘He Will be Profoundly Missed’
County Judge Andrea Totten has known Circuit Judge Terence R. Perkins–who is retiring today–for 13 years, starting from when she clerked for him as a staff attorney in the Seventh Judicial Circuit to when he championed her candidacy for a new county judge seat in Flagler County, to which she was appointed in 2019. Totten reflects on those years, providing a unique perspective on Perkins beyond the courtroom.
The Big Read:
Deconstructing J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Fictions
When J.D. Vance went from calling Trump “America’s Hitler” and calling himself a Nevertrumper to calling him a man of “extraordinary vision” as he accepted the nomination for vice-president, the apparent change was mistaken for the apotheosis of an opportunistic pivot and a betrayal of his memoir’s affective nuances. But it was in fact the reflection and perfection of a skill Vance displayed throughout “Hillbilly Elegy,” where he constructed a persona scaled to a chameleon’s tongue. The book is the Rosetta Stone of the Vance we see today.