One of the children, who’s roughly 5 years old, was flown to Shands hospital in Jacksonville. A 3-year-old child was transported by ground to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Single-Engine Plane Crashes in Hunter’s Ridge, Pilot Survives With Severe Injuries
A single-engine plane crashed in Hunter’s Ridge, at the south end of Flagler County, at 4 p.m. today. The pilot survived with serious injuries, authorities are reporting.
Gail Wadsworth Holds Court A Final Time as Flagler’s Political World Pays Tribute to Legacy
Almost a dozen judges, innumerable elected officials, most of the courthouse staff and many others gathered today to bid farewell to Clerk of Court Gail Wadsworth, who retires after four terms and lifetimes of local politics.
Flagler Beach and Bunnell Will Have Contested City Elections in March as 2 Challengers Qualify
Flagler Beach incumbents Marshal Shupe and Kim Carney have drawn Paul Eik as an opponent. In Bunnell, John Sowell, a former pilot for Flagler County Fire Flight, will challenge incumbents Bonita Robinson and John Rogers.
Flagler Unemployment Rate Ticks Up for 4th Month in a Row, to 5.7%, Florida’s Up to 4.9%
The streak in increasing unemployment is echoed by an equally suggestive streak: five straight declines in the number of house sales closing in Flagler County, going back to May’s post-recession peak of 259 sales.
New A1A Options Include Moving It to Central and Daytona Avenues, and 5.2-Mile Sea Wall
Six options for the future A1A in Flagler Beach were unveiled by the stat Transportation Department Thursday, three of them including a huge (but buried) sea wall, and three shifting traffic to Central and Daytona Avenues.
Flagler Beach’s Closed-Door Session Ends With Agreement to Negotiate Settlement With Sklar and Marina
Spurred by a court order largely siding with Howard Sklar’s Marina, scuttled in disputes and litigation for years, the Flagler Beach City Commission voted 5-0 following a closed meeting to negotiate a final settlement and bypass appeals.
Salvo Art Is Evicted in Dispute With Nature Scapes, Rendering Vanguard Gallery’s Artists Homeless
JJ Graham’s Salvo Art Project, the vibrant gallery and artist colony, had a 10-year lease with Nature Scapes, but a long dispute with the nursery’s owners culminated in an eviction and mediated settlement today that closes Salvo’s doors on Jan. 7.
Palm Coast Council Talks As If It Wants To Be Pioneer in Medical Pot, But Post-Moratorium
In a radical departure from its previous incarnations, the Palm Coast City Council discussed medical marijuana in terms of economic development potential for the city as well as in line with its purported humane benefits.
Company Would Get $90,000 in County Subsidies to Build New Palm Coast Plant in Novel Incentive Approach
Manufacturer Gioia Sales employs 42 on Palm Coast’s Hargrove Grade and would build a larger facility on Commerce Boulevard, with 10 years of subsidies from Flagler County.
Ex-Commissioner Barbara Revels Faces $4,500 Fine in Ethics Violations Over Transparency
Barbara revels, the former Flagler County commissioner, agreed to settle the ethics case against her, admitting to numerous errors in three years of required financial disclosure forms.
SBA Approves $50 Million in Disaster Loans For Post-Hurricane Recovery; Dec. 16 Deadline Looms
Some 1,510 disaster loans have been approved so far, totaling $51,5 million, for affected residents and business owners, with interest rates ranging from 1.5 to 4 percent.
In Flagler Beach Again, Sen. Nelson Conveys Feds’ Message on Beach Fix: No Seawalls
Sen. Bill Nelson was back in Flagler Beach to tout the passage of a water bill that includes authorization for $15.6 million in federal beach renourishment dollars for Flagler County. But it’s conditional on the state not building sea walls.
At Home Depot, a Road Rage Incident Goes From Parking Row to Pellet Gunshot
Trevor Mullennix, 37, of Lee Drive in Palm Coast, pulled out a pellet gun and fired a shot at another driver after his vehicle allegedly cut-off another in the Home Depot parking lot, and was charged with felony assault.
Cops Aren’t Under Siege.
Civilians and Liberties Are.
It’s a widely accepted but dangerous myth: that cops are under siege, handcuffed by “new restrictions.” The reality is the opposite, with more unbridled and brutal policing than we care to admit.
Muslims In Palm Coast and Bunnell Still Feel Welcome Even as Political Rhetoric Snarls
Only a handful of Muslim immigrants live in Palm Coast and Bunnell. They speak of their many years locally fondly, remembering only rare instances of discrimination in the past and a current atmosphere of neighborliness and acceptance.
For 100 Children, Christmas With a Deputy Is a $150 Shopping Spree to Jingle Bells of Sirens
Larry Jones’s and the Sheriff’s Office’s Christmas With a Deputy this year is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16 at City Centre at 145 City Place in Palm Coast’s Town Center. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
At Palm Coast’s City Rep Theatre, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Trump Era
The Jane Wagner play made famous by Lily Tomlin comes to Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre with a gaggle of prophetic wit and satire about the dawning Donald Trump era.
Flagler Schools’ Bus Drivers and Nurses, Among Others, Finally Get Modest Pay Increase
Bus drivers, among the lowest paid employees in the district, will get a $2-an-hour raise, nurses will get a $3.65-an-hour increase, improving recruiting in those positions. Administrators, too, are getting a raise: 25 cents an hour.
Palm Coast Approves New Gated Community for L-Section by Grand Haven Developer
Traffic concerns aside, Matanzas Woods residents spoke enthusiastically about a project they see as helping reverse the fortunes of a neighborhood long weighed down by the troubled but unrelated golf course not far off.
Two FPC Students Involved In Feared Plot Against the School Face Felony Charges
Two of the six students suspended from school after the feared plot was uncovered in September were charged with making false bomb threats and apparently expelled from school today, but have not been arrested.
Palm Coast Moves to Foreclose on Fallow Matanzas Woods Golf Course as Fines Mount
The filing follows a March filing by the golf course owners to enjoin the city against enforcing what the owners call “vague, unspecified and inapplicable ordinances.”
Parents in Mourning Candle-Lighting Set for Sunday in Flagler Beach’s Veterans Park
The ceremony, organized by Donna Lunsford and Carol Fisher, is part of the Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting that takes place on the same day in every part of the world.
Another Rash of Car Break-Ins Hits High-Visibility Business Locations Across Palm Coast
Car windows were smashed out during the business day at Chick-fil-A, Sunshine Academy and several other locations along Palm Coast Parkway in the third such wave of the year.
Palm Coast Favors $6 Million Reconstruction of Public Works Facility Off U.S. 1 Over 5 Years
Public work costs are usually the result of new or improved roads, bridges, parks, swales and so on. But Palm Coast’s aging 10-acre public works facility will itself become Ground Zero for a $6 million reconstruction project.
Crime in Flagler and Palm Coast Continued Decline in 2016, But Violence Is Up Again
Overall crime declined in the first six months of the year but violent crime was on the rise again, with increases in murders (there were two in 2015), rapes, and aggravated assault.
Late Commissioner Frank Meeker’s Photo Is Cover Art for 2017 State Association Calendar
A stunning image of a tiger swallowtail on a Florida flame azalea taken by the late Flagler County Commissioner Frank Meeker graces the Florida Association of Counties 2017 calendar cover.
A Stage Grows In Town Center as Palm Coast Arts Foundation Celebrates New Milestone
The arts and culture organization now has a handsome outdoor stage to call its own on its new grounds in Palm Coast’s Town Center, which it celebrated with an afternoon of performances and activities.
Flagler County Approves 6-Month Moratorium on Medical Pot Dispensaries or Facilities
Flagler County commissioners said the moratorium is not intended to counter the constitutional amendment legalizing medical pot, but to give the county time to figure out what zoning and other regulations may be in place with legalization.
Almost 40 Christmas Trees Stolen From Hollar and Greene Distributor in West Bunnell
The facility at 3258 County Road 305 in west Bunnell has long been managed by Duane Weeks, the husband of the former elections supervisor, Kimberle Weeks. He put the loss of the two thefts at $2,000.
County’s Tourism Office Seeks a Blank Check Of $150,000, and No-Bid Award of $130,000
The spending authorizations depart in one way or another from county or tourism council policy and underscore to what extent the paper trail behind tourism office spending has been thinning out over the past two years.
Court Ruling Mostly Favoring Developer May End Nearly 2-Decade Wrangle Over Flagler Beach Marina
Howard Sklar’s marina and boat-works on the Intracoastal in Flagler Beach has been mired in conflict with the city almost since its inception in the late 1990s. A circuit court ruling may finally clear the way for its operations.
Ex-Soccer Coach Sean Stern, Accused of Molesting 2 Teens, Turns Himself In, Held on $500,000 Bond
Sean Stern worked for the now-defunct Professional Sports Pathways Academy in Palm Coast, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and in other local soccer programs.
Sheriff Meets With FPC and Matanzas Students On Timely Issues But Again Gives Neither Public Nor Press Notice
It was the sixth time Sheriff Jim Manfre held “One Common Ground” meetings with community members, and the sixth time his office neglected to publicly notice the meetings or inform local media so they could be properly reported.
Flagler Circuit Judge Scott DuPont Faces Charges of “Recklessly” Spreading Baseless Claims About Opponent
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont may face serious disciplinary action from the Florida Supreme Court if the Judicial Qualifications Commission recommends it after finding probable cause that he violated ethical rules in his latest election campaign.
Not a Storm Too Soon, Worst Hurricane Season In 11 Years Ends as Flagler Continues Recovery
Florida ended its 2016 hurricane season Wednesday, marking the first time in more than a decade that the Sunshine State was hit by a hurricane–and the closest Flagler County came to a direct hit in decades.
Wawa Might Anchor Long-Sought Redevelopment Plan at Bulldog Drive, But Uncertainties Abound
The Palm Coast City Council is set to sell to a developer corner lots at Bulldog and SR100 for almost $600,000 less than it paid for them, as an incentive and linchpin for the redevelopment of the Bulldog Drive entrance.
Enormous Debris Pile from Hurricane Matthew Inadvertently Catches Fire Off U.S. 1
One of three of the nearly-20-foot-high piles of flammable debris collected over the past two months after Hurricane Matthew caught fire Tuesday morning and continues to burn today, though the fire consumed much of the pile.
Electric Rates Will Go Up 8% on Jan. 1, and 13% by 2018 as Regulators Approve FPL Settlement
FPL rates in Flagler County and across the state will go up substantially over the next three years, starting in January, as the Publci Service Commission approved an $800 million base-rate increase for the utility.
18-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Accused of Molesting Girl, 12, On Bike Ride in R-Section
Owen Parker, 18, faces a second degree felony charge of molesting a 12-year-old elementary-school girl as they were riding bikes near Rymfire Elementary earlier this month.
With an Election Looming, Bunnell Commission Rebuffs Request to Raise Its Salaries Back Up
Commissioner Bill Baxley’s proposal to raise salaries cut in 2014 back up to $9,600 a year got no support from a commission with two members–John Rogers and Bonita Robinson–running for re-election in March.
3rd Set of Human Remains Found in 4 Months as Dune Erosion North of Varn Park Uncovers Bones
For the third time since August, authorities in Flagler County have been led to what they believe to be human remains, this time apparently uncovered by beach erosion caused by Hurricane Matthew.
Staly Names Bisland Undersheriff as Transition Team, Including Big Donors, Gets to Work
Jack Bisland, an investigator at the State Attorney’s office, had been Jim Manfre’s chief of investigations briefly in 2013, but the two men quickly parted ways.
In Month of Spiking Violence Against Police, 2 Palm Coast Men Arrested Separately For Threatening or Battering Cops
Anthony Banks, 42, allegedly battered and threatened an FHP trooper following a car crash, and Jarret Register, 24, threatened to shoot a sheriff’s deputy in the chest after an altercation at Smiles bar. Both men were allegedly drunk.
Flagler Beach Holiday at the Beach Parade Set for Saturday: Late Participants Welcome
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is once again hosting the Holiday at the Beach parade this Saturday, Dec. 3, along resilient State Road A1A in the city and is welcoming last minute parade applicants this week. See the application below.
Palm Coast Man With Long Criminal Record Charged With Arson at Fenimore Ln House Fire
Vitaly Tsabak is accused of spending more than an hour stealing televisions, computers and other items from the house on Fenimore Lane in Palm Coast before setting it on fire Friday morning.
Crime Scene Declared at Suspicious Dawn Fire at Fenimore Lane House in Palm Coast
A fire broke out at dawn in the living room of a duplex at 164 Fenimore Lane in Palm Coast this morning. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the living room. But it was almost immediately termed suspicious.
New School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker Calls For, and Gets, Half As Many Meetings
Relying on a faulty analogy with Duval County schools, Flagler County School Board Chairman Trevor Tucker wants the number of meetings cut from four to two per month, but wants these to be meatier than they’ve been. The board gave its guarded approval.
Human Remains Found in Wooded Area of Hunters Ridge, May Have Been There 1 or 2 Years
A resident of Hunter’s Ridge, the sparse, isolated development straddling the Flagler-Volusia County line, found human remains while searching for his drone this morning, not far from his home on Ashford Lake Drive.
Democrats Try to Stay Relevant After Barely Adding to Their Diminished Numbers in Florida Legislature
Democrats’ 41-member caucus faces a 79-member Republican majority in the Florida House, with 15 Democrats facing 25 Republicans in the Senate.