Battery charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office against several Matanzas High girls following a series of fights that stretched over several days and locations.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
School Taxes Would Rise To Pay For Per-Student Increase, But Formula Could Further Hurt Flagler
Flagler is the 6th-highest taxed district in the state, by legislative formula, yet gets back the 65th lowest dollars per student. A governor proposal to increase education funding could make that worse for the district.
Five New Towers Part of County’s Plan to Replace $11 Million Emergency Communications System
Flagler government unveiled vast new plan to replace the aging emergency communications system starting next year, keeping mum on final cost estimates, which will be steep.
Samantha Posella, 17, Missing Three Weeks From Her Llama Trail Home
Samantha Lynn Posella, a 17-year-old resident of 45 Llama Trail in Palm Coast, walked out of her house on Oct. 25 and hasn’t been seen since.
Armed Robbery at Taco Bell Leads to Chase and 2 Arrests, But Flagler Deputy Injured In Crash
Craig Rossi, a 10-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was injured when his car collided with the fleeing vehicle,w hose two suspects were arrested soon afterward.
The Last Weeks of Savannah Deangelis, 23, Who Died Monday From an Opioid Overdose
Savannah Deangelis of Palm Coast, a Matanzas High graduate, overdosed in late October after being expelled from a recovery program in dubious circumstances after the hurricane.
Joy McGrew Makes It Official: She Will End Dozen Years on Flagler Beach Commission
McGrew, the most forthright and colorful member of the commission, said it’s time for a new generation of leaders. She all but endorsed Eric Cooley as her successor.
7-Eleven Owner Eric Cooley Will Run for Joy McGrew’s Flagler Beach Commission Seat
Eric Cooley, 43, serves on three Flagler Beach advisory boards and has been a near-permanent presence at city commission meetings, speaking for business and echoing McGrew, who may not run again.
Evidence Was Illegally Obtained, But Judge Rules It Admissible In Dykes Child-Sex Case
The defense’s attempt to suppress illegally obtained evidence against Paul Dykes, the Palm Coast man accused of raping a child, fell to an exception to the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate oneself.
2 Men Shot on Seamanship Trail in Seminole Woods; Sheriff Looking For Woman of Interest
Two men were critically wounded in a shooting involving “a lot” of gunshots after midnight this morning outside 28 Seamaship Trail, Sheriff Rick Staly said from the scene.
The 34th Annual Palm Coast Yacht Club Holiday Boat Parade Set For Dec. 16
Mayor Milissa Holland will serve as Grand Marshall for this year’s Holiday Boat Parade, which in 2016 drew a record 33 boats along the Intracoastal.
A Man For All Seasons, Sisco Deen Is Flagler County Veteran Of the Year
Recognized at today’s county ceremony marking Veterans Day, Sisco Deen served two decades in various branches of the military, including during the Vietnam War, and is the long-time archivist of the Flagler County Historical Society.
Flagler Beach And Troubled Golf Course Aim For Reset But Still At Odds Over “Bad Business”
The president of the troubled Ocean Palms Golf Course promised city government to be more hands-on, but the two sides remain at odds over how much compensation is owed.
Matanzas High Student Fabricates Gun Incident, But School’s “Security Status” Was Not Changed
A Matanzas High School student’s fabrication of a gun sighting on campus around noon today led to a localized lockdown in the school’s parking lot, car searches and a lot of police activity on campus.
In City Rep Theatre’s “Other Desert Cities,” A Recognizable Family At War With Itself
The Jon Robin Baitz play opening Friday at Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre explores in darkly comic tenors a family’s reverberations through Vietnam, the Iraq war and the present.
Hidden Lakes Opposition Muted as Palm Coast Council Approves Rezoning For Potential Apartments
The rezoning opens the way for what could be a 136-unit apartment complex off Old Kings Road near State Road 100, with a gas station also slated the nearby corner.
A Bit Soggy Still, Princess Place Re-Opens Segments In Time For Creekside Festival
The majority of the trails will remain closed until further notice due to flooding, but the two-day Creekside Festival is on with live music, food, crafts and play zones.
Palm Coast Opioid Dealer’s Arrest Points Only To Fractional, Street-Level Source of Crisis
Palm Coast’s Joseph Colon, 34, has been in and out of jail and prison over drug dealing for years, but his arrest on heroin and fentanyl trafficking charges masks the much broader, more legal source of the crisis.
Waste Pro Falls Down On the Job In Palm Coast And Flagler But Refuses To Say Why
After winning a contract renewal in Palm Coast last year fines against Waste Pro have been piling up to the thousands of dollars every month since spring.
Flagler County Walks Away From $35 Million In Beach-Repair Money: “It’s Them Abandoning Us”
Flagler county officials put the blame squarely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when they explain why they walked away from $35 million, and why county and state dollars must step in as replacement.
KKK Fliers Targeting Jews Dropped in Front of Flagler Beach Homes, Latest in Multi-City
Rash From Same Hate Group
The KKK flier attacks Jews and warns of “white extinction,” and is from the same group that’s been dropping fliers in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia since the Charlottesville rally of white supremacists.
Suspect In Custody After Pursuit Shuts Down Portions of Belle Terre and Disrupting School Busing
A high-speed chase that went into Quail Hollow turned into an extensive search on foot and by air in Palm Coast’s Z-Section as a suspected car thief ran into the woods this afternoon just before 3 p.m.
Car Reported Stolen By Inmate Leads to 4 Arrests at Suspected Drug House on Palm Coast’s Ft. Caroline Ln.
The house at 21 Fort Caroline Lane in Palm Coast had been under sheriff’s deputies surveillance for a while because of suspected drug activity there.
L’Darius Smith, 21, Acquitted of Molesting 2 Step-Sisters; Jury Finds Guilt on Minor Charge
Palm Coast’s L’Darius Smith could have faced 15 years in prison on accusations he molested girls age 8 and 9 but was essentially acquitted.
A New, Not Much Improved A1A in Flagler Beach: Median, 30MPH, Drainage, But No Added Protection
The state transportation department presented details of the summer construction of A1A from South 9th to South 22nd streets. The project got mixed reviews from Flagler Beach residents.
Gary R. St. Peter, 67, Is Killed, Another Man Injured As Their Mustang Overturns Off A1A Near Surf Club
Gary Robert St. Peter was killed and David Zlokas, 64, injured when their car careened off State Road A1A, within a few feet of the Surf Club condominiums, at 10 p.m. tonight.
Accused of Molesting 2 Girls When He Was 15 and 16, a 21-Year-Old Winks and Plays To Camera
Now 21, L’Darius Smith was 15 or 16 when he allegedly molested two girls, 8 and 9, he was living with as siblings in Palm Coast five years ago. He did not act as if he were on trial today.
New RaceTrac Gas Station Coming To Old Kings and SR100, Apartment Complex Eyed
Hidden Lakes residents spoke in opposition to a zoning change allowing a 136-unit apartment complex at Old Kings Road just north of Kings Pointe.
Accused of Brutalizing Pregnant Ex, Palm Coast Man Sought Voodoo To Induce Miscarriage
Patrick Leroy, a 29-year-old resident of Shady Lane in Palm Coast, faces nine charges stemming from incidents in which he allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and harm her 4-year-old son.
How 2nd Grader at Old Kings Got Whole School District and 2 Other Counties To Go Green
Students boycotted the use of plastic trays on the way to convincing the administration to adopt more eco-friendly, biodegradable paperboard lunch trays that don’t harm oceans, as plastics do.
Sheriff Tamps Down Rumors and Quackery of Antifa Apocalypse in Palm Coast This Weekend
Conspiracy theorists have been in overdrive, inventing the coming of violent protests, even in Palm Coast, designed to overthrow Trump this weekend. The rumors are false.
Gargiulo Foundation Committing to $100,000 Sculpture Garden in Palm Coast’s Town Center
The Gargiulo Art Foundation is proposing to put up a sculpture garden in Town Center, an echo of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s own plans for art in public places.
In Rare Rejection of Plea Deal, Judge Wants Prison For Woman In Molestation Case
Palm Coast’s Maria Howell, accused of molesting a teen, was ready to plead to 10 years’ probation, but Judge Dennis Craig rejected the plea, asking for prison time.
Sheriff Deploys Skeletal Traffic Unit To Chase After Speeders on Halloween
The Halloween detail is focusing on speeding and aggressive driving as deputies and detectives also visit 21 sex offenders banned from handing out candy.
Flagler Beach’s Golf Course Closed Again, Its Fate Uncertain, As Dispute With City Leads To Impasse
Golf course management and Flagler Beach government are at serious odds over money owed (by both sides) in a dispute that has the city talking about re-advertising for new management.
Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon Sells Home, Bought in 2009, For $103,000 Profit
Landon sold the 2,600-square-foot house on Palm Coast’s Edge Place for $388,000, a price 36 percent above that paid in 2009, a significant profit for a city where property values are still well below their pre-crash peak.
County Road 13 Re-Construction Nears Completion $1 Million Under Budget
The project, started in May, was paid for through a pair of state grants totaling $3.6 million. Money not used returns to the state, to be awarded on other projects.
Palm Coast Man Called Ringleader Of Heroin and Fentanyl Operation That Nets 9 Arrests
Julian Miller, 31, of Palm Coast, accused of running a heroin and fentanyl operation mostly in Volusia counties, was among nine people arrested Friday.
Palm Coast Says It Is 60% Done With Hurricane Debris Pick-Up But Urges More Patience
The cleanup is taking longer than previous cleanups. But that’s also because with Irma, the city did not contract with a different hauler as it did after Hurricane Matthew.
At Flagler Jail, 4th Guard This Year Resigns Over “Affair” With Inmate, Whose Wife Was Also Jailed
Rookie Danielle Basciano, 23, resigned as she was being investigated form improprieties with Salina Cox, 29, an inmate at the jail whose own wife was also incarcerated at the jail at the time.
Sheriff Staly and Superintendent Tager Involved in Minor 3-Vehicle Crash
Superintendent Jim Tager rear-ended a pick-up truck that rear-ended the sheriff’s SUV when a driver in front of the sheriff abruptly stopped through a green light, causing the wreck.
An Allegation of Rape On the Sands of Flagler Beach, But Beyond That, Mostly Blur
A 26-year-old woman reported being raped the morning of Oct. 14 somewhere between South 4th and South 9th Streets, but evidence and alcohol-blurred memories are scant.
Flagler Beach Residents and Businesses Will See a 25% Increase in Water, Sewer and Garbage Rates
Years of inattention by the city commission have led to a near-crisis point in Flagler Beach, requiring massive fee increases to keep up with the city’s critical infrastructure.
Old Kings Principal Ben Osypian and Indian Trails Assistant Principal Katherine Cooke Named Year’s Tops
Osypian is the 2017-18 Flagler Schools Principal of the Year and Katherine Crooke of Indian Trails Middle School is Assistant Principal of the Year. Both are now eligible for state honors.
Palm Coast Council Plays Up Charter Review. Until Its Lawyer Says It’s Not What It Seems.
Palm Coast government is paying the price of trying to have it both ways–appearing to hold a charter review process while at the same time distancing itself from a comprehensive review, as its charter calls for.
In Rare Case of Election Fraud, Palm Coast Felon Is Jailed For Casting Illegal Ballot
Jennifer Scott, 52, of Palm Coast’s R Section, faces two felony counts for allegedly fraudulently voting in the 2016 election, but an official says the issue is extremely rare.
Behind the Man Facing Monstrous Allegations of Incest, A History of Disabilities, But Not Incompetence
The mother of Paul Dykes, who goes on trial on charges of raping his own daughter next month, revealed in court today for the first time the personal history of the 20-year-old Palm Coast resident.
Bunnell Manager Dan Davis Placed on 6-Month Probation After Barrage of Criticism From Commissioners
Four of the five Bunnell city commissioners criticized Davis for his leadership style, his “demeaning” of employees or even commissioners, his lack of communications, but granted him a final reprieve.
When Flagler’s Judicial System Makes a 10-Year Error In a 40-Year Prison Sentence
William Copeland is serving 40 years for shooting his daughter’s grandfather in Palm Coast in 2011. The court made a 10-year error in one of his sentences.
Officials Caution: Initial Rejection From FEMA Is Not The Last Word
Don’t just accept the initial response, because every resident has the right to appeal any decision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flagler officials say.