Six of the tax-supported district’s 14 employees have been laid off and other cuts are ahead weeks after it celebrated moving into a new, $2.1 million building at the Flagler County Airport.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Divided Palm Coast Council Treads Toward Searching For New Manager Starting in January
The Palm Coast City Council will put out a call for search firms in January, and foresees a search taking 12 to 18 months, a schedule that didn’t win unanimity at today’s meeting.
Woman Charged For Slashing Boyfriend’s Tire and Aggravated Assault After He’s Late To Work
Palm Coast’s Kristin Trotter, 40, of the W-Section, was back in jail for the second time in two years after an allegedly violent altercation with her 28-year-old boyfriend.
For Flagler County’s Specialized Firefighters, Four Technical Rescues in a Week
Two water rescues, one extrication in a car crash and a rescue from atop the Palm Coast Water Tower kept Flagler County Fire Rescue’s specialized teams busy.
Palm Coast Hires $200,000 Consultant To Figure Out What Roads To Pave Next, and How
The consultant will help the city figure out cheaper ways to resurface its 550 miles of streets than the method it’s been using for years, starting with an inventory of roads, cracks and sidewalks.
Florida’s Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday Is This Weekend: Here’s A Guide
Florida’s 2017 sales tax holiday on school supplies, clothing, shoes and personal computers and other select accessories is this weekend–starting at a minute after midnight Friday, Aug. 4, through midnight Sunday, Aug. 7.
New Driver’s Licenses, With Double the Security Features, Intended to Cut Down on Fraud
Each card will have better safeguards, from features that appear only when viewed under ultraviolet light to a pastel-colored linear rendering of the Florida state seal and a large orange “FL.”
Flagler Beach Marina Settlement With City Collapses, But This Time It’s a Sklar Thing
Flagler Beach and Marina owner Howard Sklar return to court in late September as their settlement talks over the Flagler Beach Marina collapsed when Sklar reversed course on a building requirement.
Widening and Resurfacing of County Road 305 From Haw Creek Bridge Begins Aug. 7
The project extends from the Haw Creek Bridge, just south of the S curve, for 2.7 miles towards County Road 304. The roadway will remain open during construction, with single-lane closures as needed.
Man Faces 6 Counts of Negligence After Provoking Crash on Seminole Woods Blvd., Endangering 2 Families
Six other people, three of them children, were involved in a two-vehicle crash when Larry B. Batson Jr. intentionally drove his car against another on Seminole Woods Boulevard.
IHOP Restaurant and Chipotle Mexican Grill Nearing Construction in Palm Coast
International House of Pancakes will open near the Island Walk Starbucks on Palm Coast Parkway. And Chipotle will open next to Panera Bread on State Road 100.
More Hype Than Fury as Tropical Storm Emily’s Effects on Flagler Mirror Summer Storms
Emily is not expected to be much more than an irritating soak with maximum winds of 45 mph. Those winds are expected to weaken as the storm crosses the state.
City Market Place Briefly Evacuated After Resident Brings In Grenade Found in Backyard
The St. Johns County Bomb Squad was called in to claim the grenade, which the resident turned in to the sheriff’s Palm Coast Precinct at City Market Place.
In Flagler Beach, Tax Collector’s Roadside Sign Catches Commissioners’ Wrong Eye
Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston wanted to alert people of the new location for concealed weapon permits, but the sign ran afoul of Flagler Beach commissioners’ sights.
40% of Sea Ray Boats’ Workforce in Flagler Affected By Layoffs and Furloughs
Some 90 employees have been laid off and 130 furloughed out of a workforce of 560 at the Sea Ray Boats plant off Colbert Lane even as manufacturer’s parent company posts strong earnings in the second quarter.
Palm Coast’s Erin Vickers Set For September Trial on Child Rape in 1st of 49 Charges
Erin Vickers, 23, and then-boyfriend Paul Dykes, 20, face a combined 90 charges of raping children as young as 1, and taking and transmitting pictures and video of child porn.
Flagler Beach Delays Medical Pot Ban Vote For 2 Weeks, But Hazy Evidence Unchanged
The absence of one of the five commissioners led to the delay on the vote on a controversial measure that would ban the operation of medical pot dispensaries anywhere in Flagler Beach.
Flagler Beach’s Newsom, Again Short-Listed For Another Job, Also Eyes Palm Coast
Larry Newsom is short-listed as an “alternate” after four candidates for the Putnam County Administrator job, though he says he’s not likely to take it.
Hutson and Renner Try To Push Back Against Criticism on Home Rule, Taxes and Education
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner took credit for–and defended–several controversial bills that passed in the last session of the Legislature as they spoke to Flagler’s political and business leaders this morning.
JJ Graham’s Salvo Arthouse Finds Permanent Home, Ending Wandering Years
What was Hollingsworth Gallery, then Salvo Art Project, is now Salvo Arthouse on East Moody Boulevard iN Bunnell, opening a new era for JJ Graham and Petra Iston.
Special-Ops Firefighters Rescuing Man Taken Ill Near Top of Palm Coast Water Tower
A contractor working on the water tower for the city fell ill, possibly of heat stroke, and required a rescue by the county’s and Palm Coast’s paramedics, and a special team.
It’s Not Just Palm Coast: Credit Card Skimming at Gas Stations Up 160% in Florida
State figures show 315 skimmers had been discovered at Florida gas pumps through July 18, compared to 120 skimmers discovered through the first seven months of 2016.
Timothy Daniel, 17-Year-Old Student, Takes His Life With a Gun
For the Matanzas High School community, it is the fifth violent death involving a current or recently former student since January 2016: two students were killed in traffic-related crashes, three took their own lives.
Alternative to FPL-Matanzas Footpath Dies as Administration Hits Council With Done Deal
A potential $400,000 temporary sidewalk along Old Kings Road, sought for years by F-Section resident, turned out to be an illusion as its proponent was outmaneuvered today.
Democrat Nancy Soderberg, Ambassador From Departed Era, Wants to Represent Flagler In Congress
Nancy Soderberg, a foreign policy expert and top aide in Bill Clinton’s presidency, wants the seat held by Republican Ron DeSantis. She has a lot to learn.
Flagler Beach’s Golden Lion Cafe Set To Take Over Palm Harbor Golf Restaurant
Golden Lion would sign a five-year lease to run the food and beverage operation, including a bar, catering in the clubhouse and on the golf course, and other amenities.
Per Curiam: County Attorney Al Hadeed Is Awarded State Association’s Ethics in Government Honor
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed has been leaving legal footprints in Florida law going back to the 1970s, in defense of ethics and Sunshine Law standards.
Palm Coast Pill House: “You’re Using Drugs?” “No Mom, I’m Selling Drugs.”
A 30-year-old woman was arrested while her 5-year-old son slept in a bedroom sheriff’s deputies said was stashed with hundreds of oxycodone pills, bags of pot and close to $9,000 in cash.
Tracy Vandament, 48, Found Dead In Suicide on Palm Coast’s Cimarron Drive
Tracy Vandament, originally from Oklahoma, had been depressed from going through a divorce and not seeing his children.
Flagler Unemployment Ticks Up But Remains Below 5%, Florida’s Hits Post-Recession Low
Flagler County’s unemployment rate ticked up three decimal points to 4.8 percent in June as the labor force shrank a little and the unemployment rolls grew.
Palm Coast Council Will Decide Manager’s Future in Extraordinary Workshop on Aug. 3
The council is moving toward ending Jim Landon’s 10-year tenure. That workshop is expected to be followed with a special meeting in a matter of days to ratify whatever decision is reached on the 3rd.
Fraud Alert: Credit Card “Skimmers” Found at Four Palm Coast Gas Stations
The defrauding skimming devices have been found at gas stations along Palm Coast Parkway and Palm Harbor Parkway. There are no arrests and no suspects.
Flagler’s Elementary Schools Will Accommodate New Requirement
of 20 Minutes of Recess Per Day
A new law requires districts to provide 100 minutes a week of free-play recess, outside of phys-ed classes, in elementary schools. Flagler was already providing close to that.
PAL and Flagler District Agree to Middle School Sports Programs, But Student Records Would Not Be Private
The Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League will run several middle school sports programs this year, but participation is conditional on PAL having access to attendance, grades and progress reports.
West Flagler Man Shoots Himself Twice With .22 and Survives, But in Critical Condition
John Joseph Kipe, a 54-year-old resident of Panda Bear Lane in Bunnell, is in critical condition after what appears to be an attempted suicide by gunshot Tuesday evening.
A Mock Election Opens Flagler Supervisor’s Office to Public View, But Potato Vote a Shock
Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart held a mock election and open house, allowing voters to try new voting equipment and, for the first time, visit the elections office behind the scenes.
Shots Fired Outside Frieda Zamba Pool While Children’s Camp Was Still Active
A man fired two shots at a car leaving the parking lot outside Palm Coast’s Freeda Zamba pool Monday afternoon, next to Belle Terre Park. The pool was still open for another hour.
City Manager Landon’s Fate Teetering, Council Agrees to Special Meeting To Set New Course
The Palm Coast City Council will hold a special workshop likely next week to decide how to end Manager Jim Landon’s tenure as even his big severance package now appears less of an obstacle.
Palm Coast Woman Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charge In Death of Dog and Neglect of Another
Georgia A. Rose, 39, of 16 Princess Luise Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a charge of cruelty to animals following the death of a young dog she had been caring for, and persistently neglectful conditions surrounding a second dog that survived.
Judge Kim C. Hammond, Legend From Seminole Gridiron to Flagler Courtroom, Dies at 72
Judge Kim C. Hammond was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bob Graham in 1979 and spent his entire judicial in Flagler County, where the county courthouse now bears his name.
Palm Coast Council Ready To Fire Or Push Out Jim Landon, Dismissing His Secretive “Succession” Ploy
Four Palm Coast City Council members have lost confidence in Manager Jim Landon and want him gone, with severance issues an obstacle. He wants to stay two more years and appoint his successor.
Alleged Meth Lab Busted on 2.5-Acre Property With 9 Buildings in Mondex, 5 Arrests
The search was conducted at 2345 Blueberry Street, netting the arrest of Gage Ryan Watts, 21, and four others before an extensive search operation that uncovered meth labs.
WESH 2 Pilot Finds Plane that Crashed With With 2 People On Board Over Pellicer Creek
The plane, a Piper PA44 Seminole, was returning from Brunswick, Ga., on its way to Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, fell off radar at 11 p.m. Thursday near Marineland.
Countering 70% of Its Own Voters, Flagler Beach Prepares to Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries Outright
The City Commission this evening takes up an ordinance that would ban medical marijuana dispensaries anywhere in the city. The city fears not doing so would turn it into a pot hub.
Palm Coast Aldi Draws Hundreds Before Doors Open in Grocery Wars’ First Local Salvo
The Palm Coast opening of Aldi, the discount grocery store, generated unusual excitement and crowds this morning, signaling a coming disruption in the grocery-chain business.
Fireworks Stolen in Burglary From Bunnell Shop Blamed For Severe Injuries to 2 Boys
Fireworks that had been altered or corrupted and that injured two boys, ages 7 and 8, were traced to a burglary from a shop off U.S. 1 operated by Brett Lyons for one month a year.
Phillip Haire, Accused of Shooting at Cop and Parents, Threatened a Hit on Judge Moore-Stens
Palm Coast’s Phillip Haire threatened Judge Moore-Stens’s life claiming she had put out a hit on him, and that she was scared because he’d flicked her off at his first appearance.
Boots, Stetson Hats and Tommy Guns Dress Up Flagler Sheriff’s Centennial Celebration
Some 200 people gathered at the Flagler Sheriff’s centennial, including the families of eight sheriffs and three former sheriffs themselves as a torrid sun sweated out many memories.
Discount Grocer Aldi Opens Its Palm Coast Store Thursday on State Road 100
Aldi’s prices are at significant discount as stores forego frills and luxuries for Aldi-brand products, customers who bag their own groceries and Costco-like shelving systems.
Sheriff’s Call For 5 Extra Deputies in Palm Coast Would Raise City’s Policing Cost 27% Since 2014
Sheriff Rick Staly is asking the city for five additional deputies to form a traffic unit exclusively for Palm Coast. The city manager’s presentation of a contract with the sheriff was less complete.