A proposed commercial development at the southeast corner of State Road 100 and the entrance to the county airport, opposite Bulldog Drive, is at the center of the latest water dispute between Palm Coast and the county.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
On Florida Park Drive, Council Wants a Stop To Traffic-Calming Proposals That Dead-End
Palm Coast council member blames the city administration for not acting on several proposals to help reduce traffic, pollution and noise along Florida Park Drive.
Flagler Approves $14.8 Million Next-Gen Emergency Communication System, But Faces Bid Protest
Motorola won the $14.8 million contract to upgrade the emergency communications system every local first responder and other workers depend on, but Flagler faces a protest from CI, the other bidder and provider of the existing system.
Flagler Sheriff’s Corporal Counseled Over Racial Slur, Latest Revelation Since November
James Miley, a Flagler County Sheriff’s corporal, was counseled verbally in February after a deputy reported that Miley had used a racial slur while referring to a Latino subordinate.
Three Flagler County Rotary Clubs Join to Plant 220 Long Leaf Pine Trees Together
The project is in response to a call by Rotary International President Ian Risley for the organization to plant 1.2 million trees, one for each member of the international organization.
Gunshot Kills Brandi Celenza, 25, on Palm Coast’s Felter Ln. in “Definitely Suspicious” Incident
Brandi Celenza, 25, died of a gunshot today at 23 Felter Lane in Palm Coast in what authorities at the scene are describing as a suspicious incident–for now.
Sheriff Staly, FHP’s Pete Young and 2 Lesser Lights Compete For Fastest Lawman On The Draw
The Law Enforcement Shootout on April 15 at the Ag Museum features defending Champion Staly against FHP’s Pete Young, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Putnam Sheriff “Gator” Deloach.
Paul Miller Loses Latest Appeal of Life Sentence for Dana Mulhall’s Murder in Flagler Beach
Circuit Judge Dennis Craig ruled that even if a use-of-force expert had been heard at trial, the jury would not have found grounds for self-defense and convicted Miller, now 70, of murdering Dana Mulhall.
Jury Finds Ex-Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks Guilty On All 7 Felony Counts of Illegally Recording Others
Former Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks was found guilty on felony counts that she illegally recorded other officials during her tenure.
Flagler Beach Without a Beach? Researcher Lays Out Erosion’s Implications at Workshop
Flagler Beach native and beach-erosion expert Chad Boda presents findings from his recently-defended dissertation on beach sustainability at a city workshop.
Flagman Is Struck and Killed By Van on Colbert Lane Repaving Project, Near Waterfront Park
A flagman working for Halifax Paving on the Colbert Lane resurfacing project in Palm Coast was struck by a work van this afternoon, and later died at the scene.
Kimberle Weeks Trial Day 3: Defense Opts Against Putting On a Case, Relying on Outlier Theory Instead
In an echo of Kimberle Weeks’s own irreverence toward established law, her lawyers are arguing an untested and unusual interpretation of what amounts to a public meeting: all conversations between public officials involving public business.
Flagler Government Approves Open-Ended Renewals of County Administrator’s and Attorney’s Contracts
County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Attorney Al Hadeed have been the commission’s hires since 2007. Their contracts no longer will have an end date.
Trial Day 2: Jury Hears Kim Weeks Insult Secretary of State and Others As Ken Detzner Sat in Witness Box
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner was a star witness for the prosecution today, saying Kim Weeks recorded him without his permission. he then heard her call him a “dumb bastard.”
Fugitive Felon Leads Deputies On Chase Across Palm Coast Before K-9 Chomps Him to a Stop
Richard Lawrence Knoblaugh, 37, took deputies from SR100 to Matanzas High before crashing his SUV in his own C-Section yard and falling to a K-9’s bite Monday evening.
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland’s State Of the City Address at Community Center
The full text of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland’s State of the City Address at an event produced by the Observer Tuesday.
Jury Seated in Kimberle Weeks Trial as Defense Wins Minor Victory Over Prosecution Tactic
The week-long trial of ex-elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks began today with day-long jury selection. Weeks faces nine felony counts of allegedly illegally recording and disseminating communications.
Attempted Suicide Leads to Baker Act, Then Arrest Over Gun Threat and Violence
A 37-year-old resident of Rolling Sands Drive in Palm Coast faces two felony counts after he resisted an involuntary Baker Act following an attempted suicide.
RaceTrac Station at Old Kings and SR100 Starts Construction in June as Kings Pointe Resurrects
The new RaceTrac gas station is a breakthrough for the long-dormant Kings Pointe development, until now one of the symbols of the housing collapse.
Flagler Beach Drug House Busted, Filth Draws Code Enforcement, 5 Arrested, 3 Already Out
The Paytas family members and associates at the 135 Oak Lane house in Flagler Beach have been subjects of drug busts before, and some of them have served prison time.
New Law Gives Property Owners Right to Restrict Beach Access. Flagler Working On Protecting Public’s “Customary Use”
The new and unusual Florida law allows beachfront property owners the right to wall off or restrict dry-sand areas from public use, but Flagler government intends to protect that “customary use” despite the law.
Traffic Stop Turns to Air, Foot and K-9 Chase Off State Road 100, Three Women, 2 Men Apprehended
A traffic stop that began on State Road 100 near the city limit between Palm Coast and Bunnell late this morning has turned into a chase on foot, by air, and with K-9 units.
Judge Craig Is Out, Judge Perkins Is In As Flagler’s Felony and Civil Benches Again Flip
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will replace Dennis Craig, who’s headed back to Volusia, becoming the sixth judge in eight years to preside over Flagler County’s felony court.
Sheriff’s Jail Deputy Suspended After Reporting to Work Drunk; Supervisory Issues a Concern
Flagler Sheriff’s detention deputy Mark Sousa’s alcohol test recorded him at 0.096 and 0.093 four hours into his shift–the four hours it took supervisors to react to an employee’s repeated request to intervene.
Driver Wanted in Monday’s Hit-and-Run Death Is Found: Was on Suspended License for DUI
Bryan Brown, 60, of Ormond By the Sea, allegedly owned up to the crash after quick policing and reporting combined with the conscience of Brown’s employer.
Unprecedented Flagler Forum With 7 Judges Has Some Make News and Others De-Mystify The Bench
Seven local judges appeared at the Flagler Palm Coast Forum Tuesday evening, the Ed Fuller group devoted to civic and electoral discussions featuring candidates running for office.
Mondex Man, 62, Held On $200,000 Bond on Charges Of Molesting Girls, 6 and 8
Thomas Jay Binkley, a 62-year-old resident of Forest Park Street in Bunnell, allegedly confessed to molesting the girls, who were in his charge.
Youths’ Bizarre Story of Dead Baby in Hidden Trails Dumpster Yields Placenta, But No Baby
Calling the discovery of a human placenta, but no baby, it a “mystery,” Sheriff Staly is asking the public’s help in determining the whereabouts and welfare of the newborn.
A Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Faces Grand Theft Charge, Again Implicating Courthouse Squad; Attorney Calls It “A Witch-Hunt”
Nancy Birdsong, a 20-year civilian employee with the Flagler Sheriff’s Office, is the third courthouse-connected employee to face disciplinary action, and inquiries are not over.
Raymond Almodovar, Flagler School Bus Driver, Is Killed in Hit-and-Run on I-95; Driver of Jeep Sought
Raymond Almodovar, a Flagler school district bus driver, was killed after his car was struck twice by two different vehicles on I-95 in a hit-and-run in Palm Coast.
Fuel Tanker Flips and Leaks 1,200 Gallons Before Spill Is Stopped at US1 and SR100 in Bunnell
The fuel truck’s driver was hospitalized and state agencies were at the scene to evaluate the extent of the clean-up necessary as fuel went into a retention ditch and drainage.
“March For Our Lives” Draws 100 Along Palm Coast Parkway in Orange Echo of Global Student Movement
The Palm Coast demonstrators joined some 800 planned March For Our Lives protests across the globe today, calling for sensible gun control and a ban on assault-type weapons.
As Judge DuPont Continues to Battle Removal, Zambrano Orders Flagler Bench Again Shuffled
Flagler County will lose Family Judge R. Lee Smith to Putnam after less than two years and gain newly-minted Judge Chris France, among other changes caused by the DuPont affair.
Flagler’s Labor Force and Number of Job-Holders Jump to New Highs as Unemployment Falls
Flagler County’s labor force has grown by 42 percent since the recovery began in 2010, and more impressively, the rate of people holding jobs has grown 63 percent, by a net 17,500 people.
The Selling of Palm Coast:
Mayor’s State of the City Speech: $40 a Plate, Sponsors Sought, Profits Go To The Observer
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland headlines a State of the City event at the city’s new community center in April, but for $40 a ticket. The for profit event is produced by the Observer, which will take all earnings.
For Life-Sentenced Murderer Paul Miller, Unexpected Glimmer of Hope As His Counsel Is Questioned
In a powerful argument based on new revelations that emerged today, Paul Miller’s attorney is arguing that the representation he got at trial was ineffective to the point that his conviction may never have happened.
Flagler-Palm Coast’s Population Grows 2.5% in a Year, to 110,510
Flagler County gained an estimated 2,705 residents in the last 12 months calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau, suggesting a need for more housing.
City Rep’s ‘Blood Knot’ Peels Off Limits of Black and White Skins Through Apartheid
The Athol Fugard play tells the story of two South African brothers in the early 1960s, one of whom returns to live with his sibling after years of passing as white.
Parent Faces Charges After Appearing to Instigate Fight Between 2 Indian Trails Middle School Boys
Anthony Gardiner, a 34-year-old resident of Pam Coast’s B Section, was captured in several videos either instigating or intervening in a fight between two boys on a Belle Terre Parkway sidewalk.
Sheriff’s Chief Paul Bovino, Newly-Minted FBI Academy Graduate, On The Experience From Within
Paul Bovino is among the more charismatic and intimidating members of the Sheriff’s Office, a cop’s cop with outsize stage presence and a love of the job that radiates in most things he says and does.
C.J. Nelson Exonerated of Felony Child Abuse Charge in Epic Confrontation, Faces
Sentence on Misdemeanors
A jury found C.J. Nelson not guilty of felony child abuse in an incident in which he punched a 16-year-old girl, but found him guilty of two misdemeanor battery charges.
Iconic Geodesic Dome at North End of Flagler Beach Collapses and Won’t Be Rebuilt
The two geodesic-domed houses, totaling close to 10,000 square feet between them, have been at Flagler Beach’s north end since the early 1980s. The owner says the dome will be replaced with a flat roof.
Sheriff Staly Orders Investigation Re-Opened in Flagler Courthouse Bailiffs’ Behavior
Staly issued the order three days after a FlaglerLive story detailed allegations of racial and sexual improprieties involving courthouse deputies and staff.
Severe Weather and “A Few Tornadoes Possible” in Afternoon for Flagler-Palm Coast
The National Weather Center’s prediction for today projects a potential for severe and damaging weather onto the entirety of Flagler.
Tiny RV Park Proposed for Colbert Lane Revs Up Residents’ Rebellion, and Is Denied
Upscale or not, Palm Coast Plantation and Grand Haven residents saw a proposed RV park on Colbert Lane as a trailer park, and the county commission rejected it Monday evening.
Fleeing Man Who Overturned Truck on Palm Coast Parkway Is a Felon With History of Chases
Brent Enfinger, fleeing cops since Volusia County, was at the wheel of a truck that overturned on Palm Coast Parkway Saturday when he got out and fled again before his arrest.
Levi Ovenshire, 19, Sentenced to 15 Years In Prison For Friend’s Attempted Murder in F-Section
Levi Ovenshire, 19, shot 19-year-old Marco Salazar in the back as the two were hanging out at 13 Fulton Place in Palm Coast last June 24. Ovenshire later spoke as if he’d been hallucinating.
As in Flagler, Few Districts Embrace Arming “Marshals,” So Money May Shift to School Cops
In Flagler County, Superintendent Jim Tager and the school board said they would not support arming anyone who is not, in essence, as trained as school deputies must be to carry a weapon.
Vehicle Chase Ends in Arrest Off Palm Coast Parkway After Pick-Up Overturns
The driver of the pick-up fled on foot toward the Red Roof Inn but was apprehended by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies within minutes.
Driver Plows Into 4 Bikers on U.S. 1 North of Matanzas Woods, 3 Are Hospitalized
Two men and a woman were hospitalized, one of them airlifted as a trauma patient, after a car plowed into them as they rode south on U.S. 1 Friday afternoon.