On the drawing board for almost 20 years, the controversial Solitude at Matanzas Shores development proposed for 3.9 acres of beachfront property on A1A just south of the Surf Club condominiums is now moving toward construction as 14 three-story condominium units in an L-shaped pair of buildings rising 35 and 36 feet. Each unit would have a pool deck.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Forbidding a Margaritaville Hotel Rooftop Spike Repeat, Flagler Beach Limits All Building Heights to 35 Feet
A rewritten ordinance will forbid rooftop bars, dance floors, lounges, or any other public uses on 35-foot-high buildings in Flagler Beach, with the notable exception of the Margaritaville Hotel’s rooftop lounge, whose height city officials permitted by mistake even though it exceeds limits set out in the city charter. The Flagler Beach City Commission last week sharply rejected a recommendation by its own Planning and Architectural Review Board to approve an ordinance that would have allowed some features on buildings to go as high as 49 feet.
‘Hell No!’ Response and Plan Sponsor’s Pull-Out Force DeSantis Administration to ‘Pause’ State Park Scheme
In a masterpiece of spin and understatement, the DeSantis administration credited “overwhelming interest” for temporarily pausing a scheme to put golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts on nine of Florida’s pristine state parks. “Overwhelming opposition” better describes the thunderous “Hell no!” Tallahassee was hearing from private citizens and public officials throughout the state. The secretive groups behind the plan heard the dissent loud and clear. The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation acknowledged it sponsored the plan to build on the park and has pulled out due to the public backlash.
It’s Official: Pam Richardson Takes Down Ed Danko, Ending Term of Bluster and Animosity
When it was all done, the result was unchanged from Tuesday, except for this: it’s now official. The often cheery, at times underestimated Pam Richardson has taken down the blustery and divisive Ed Danko, the one-term Palm Coast City Council member, in the most closely contested Flagler County Commission race in memory.
Longer Than Expected Recount Recesses at 1 AM to Continue Saturday at 9
A bleary-eyed Flagler County Canvassing Board recessed the recount in a Palm Coast City Council race and a County Commission race a few minutes before 1 a.m. Saturday, only to resume it eight hours later, at 9, as the recount took significantly longer than expected and a hiccup further delayed it.
Flagler Beach Will Lower Speed Limit to 20 Across the City, Citing Safety and Streets Shared by Many Non-Motorists
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to drop the citywide speed limit to 20, from a variety of higher speeds–30 along some streets, 25 along others. Speeds along State Road A1A and State Road 100 will remain at 25. Whether, and to what extent, the Flagler Beach Police Department will be able to enforce what for many residents and visitors will be a significantly lower speed limit than they’re used to is an unanswered question.
Ballot Review Doesn’t Change Outcome: Richardson Beats Danko, Stevens Holds 2-Vote Lead
With afternoon recounts still pending, this morning’s review of 46 provisional ballots and questionable mail-in ballots did not change the outcome of Tuesday’s election in the closest contests. Pam Richardson’s victory over Ed Danko for County Commission held. Ray Stevens’s two-vote lead held over Dana Stancel in a Palm Coast City Council race to determine who moves onto the runoff against Andrew Werner.
Flagler Beach Agrees to $600,000 Deal with Data Company for Undersea Cable Landings, with Potential for $750,000 More
Ending a four-month tangle of negotiations, and to Palm Coast’s immense relief, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday approved a deal with an Atlanta-based DC Blox, a data-service company, that will allow it to use city rights-of-way to land undersea internet cables for $600,000, with a potential for up to an additional $750,000. There would be no subsequent payments. DC Blox is planning a data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But that plan, to be subsidized with tax incentives, was contingent on a successful deal in Flagler Beach.
An Activist With a Problematic Past Says Brendan Depa’s Appeal of Prison Sentence Is Going Forward
Mark Hadden, a 56-year-old Vero Beach resident who describes himself as a former professional basketball player in overseas leagues and the founder in 1993 of an organization called the American Coalition for the Advancement of All People, who is also a registered sex offender, held a press conference at the county courthouse to announce that he had retained attorneys to handle Brendan Depa’s appeal.
One FireFlight Is Decommissioned After 22 Years, Another Takes Its Place as County Mulls 24-Hour Operation
At 8:50 Wednesday morning, FireFlight lifted off from near its hangar at the Flagler County Airport for the last time. The 24-year-old helicopter was decommissioned after 22 years of service in Flagler County, while its younger version, a $5.6 million helicopter, took its place. County Commission Chairman Andy Dance said there will likely be discussions starting in December to consider whether to go froma 12-hour to a 24-hour operation for the emergency helicopter.
Beach Project Nears Conclusion as It Moves to Pier and Heart of Flagler Beach, With a Few Traffic Disruptions
The $27 million beach renourishment project in Flagler Beach is nearing conclusion in the next few weeks, well ahead of schedule, at least its latest schedule: the project overall had been delayed a few years. It entails a few traffic disruptions this morning.
Mondex Mother Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge Over Joining Fight Between Daughter and Another Girl
Kahtrynn Ann Stephanopoulos, a 34-year-old resident of Berrybush Street in the Mondex, or Daytona North, west of Bunnell, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse in an incident that took place at a bus stop last week. She is accused of joining rather than stopping a fight between her daughter and another teenage girl as students on the bus looked on, bellowed, cheered and taunted, and at least one of them took video of the whole scene.
Ed Danko’s Chance of Flipping Result Is Remote as Provisional Ballots and Recount Steps Ahead Are Mapped Out
Ed Danko’s chances of flipping his 40-vote loss to Pam Richardson in a County Commission race is statistically very remote if not close to impossible, based on current numbers and next steps. That’s the case even as 47 provisional and mail-in ballots have yet to be judged as valid or not, and a handful of additional ballots–overcounts or undercounts–will also have to be judged by the Canvassing Board.
Final Day of Otherwise Calm Election Marred by Accusations of Insults from One Mayoral Candidate to Another
Palm Coast mayoral candidate and leading vote-getter Mike Norris dismissed accusations by Alan Lowe, one of the five candidates in that race, that Norris was openly insulting and threatening on Election Day outside the public library in Palm Coast, though Lowe’s wife captured some of the belligerence in a brief video clip.
Dance Wins Re-Election, Richardson and Carney Win Commission, Ramirez and Ruddy Win School Board, Norris and Manfre in Runoff
Andy Dance won his second term on the Flagler County Commission, trouncing Fernando Melendez in the only clear runaway victory of the evening as the Supervisor of Elections announced early results of the primary. Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy won school board seats, Pam Richardson beat Ed Danko for County Commission, while Mike Norris and Cornelia Manfre looked headed for a runoff, leaving David Alfin behind.
Big Shopping Mall Plans for Hunter’s Ridge Approved With Some Questions About Access and Landscaping
With pointed questions about the project’s sidewalks and green spaces, the Flagler County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a key step toward construction of the first large-scale shopping center in Hunter’s Ridge, the sprawling, so far largely residential development at the south end of the county and across the border into Ormond Beach. Primrose at Hunter’s Ridge is to be in the northwest corner of the intersection of Hunter’s Ridge and Airport Road.
Palm Coast City Attorney: Wait Until November for Heighter Replacement by Appointment, Not Election
Palm Coast’s city attorney is recommending to the council to appoint a member to the seat just vacated by Cathy Heighter, who has resigned, but also to wait until November to make that appointment, and to make the appointment effective for the remaining two years on Heighter’s term, foregoing an election for that seat until 2026.
Palm Coast City Council Member Cathy Heighter Resigns, Upending Budget and Election Timing
Palm Coast City Council member Cathy Heighter resigned Friday, less than two years into her first term. City Manager Lauren Johnston received Heighter’s resignation letter by text this morning. The resignation upends the council at a pivotal time: it is about to approve next year’s budget and its new Comprehensive Plan. It is in the middle of an election. And the proximity of the November election and the timing of ballot eligibility has the city administration and its lawyer scrambling to figure next steps.
Orlando’s A-1 Block Corporation Planning Concrete Block Manufacturing Plant Next to Flagler County Fairgrounds
A-1 Block Corporation of Orlando will build and open a 55,000-square-foot concrete-block manufacturing plant on 25 acres just north of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off Sawgrass Road. The Flagler County Planning Board approved the project’s site plan last week. The site was formerly residential and used to board horses. It is currently categorized as pastureland. It was rezoned. It is bordered by industrial land to the north. There are no residential parcels on Sawgrass anymore.
Marshall Thomas, Matanzas Student Accused of Sexually Assaulting 10th Grader and Stealing Guns, Pleads Out
Marshall Thomas, the former Matanzas High School student accused of stealing his father’s firearms to face down other teens at Holland Park and of sexually assaulting a fellow-student during class, has been committed to a high-risk juvenile justice program until his 21st birthday, following which he will be on probation for the balance of five years. Thomas turns 18 on Wednesday.
Trump and Elon’s Musky Bromance
Elon Musk gives aid and comfort to right wing rioters in England, stokes hatred, accusing an Olympic boxer (a woman) of being a man, does his damnedest to destroy once-valuable companies, and spreads 19th Century racist pseudo-science. He’s also — no surprise here — supporting Donald Trump. The bromance is mutual.
Sheriff Staly and Chief Daniel Engert Launch 2nd Opportunity Re-entry Program at County Jail
August 14 marked the launch of a new program at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility (SPHIDF) that offers a fresh start in life after incarceration. Sheriff Rick Staly joined Daniel Engert, FCSO Chief of Court and Detention Services, and Cathleen Relyea, Offender Programs and Services Supervisor, in introducing the 2nd Opportunity Re-entry Program to the SPHIDF inmates.
The “School Choice” Swindle Is Demolishing Public Schools
“School choice” is an orchestrated demolition of public schools and the social contract. The focus-group euphemism masks the thieving of tax dollars to subsidize private schools, transforming what was once an aspiration of fringe Christian and anti-government militants into state doctrine. Flagler County schools are losing close to $11 million this year to “choice.”
Embattled Old Dixie Motel Submits Makeover as ‘Hotel Henry,’ But a Suspicious Flagler Planning Board Balks
For three years, the cryptic owners of the decrepit Old Dixie motel have been promising county officials that they’re getting ready to submit renovation plans and end the building’s history as an eyesore to nearby residents and a legal ordeal for the county. On Tuesday, the county’s Planning Board finally got to review that plan. But it couldn’t bring itself to approve it as board members fear the motel owners are “trying to pull the wool over eyes,” while the owners had yet to secure key steps for development.
Flagler County’s 4.6% Unemployment Is Highest in Three Years; Florida’s Rate Stays at 3.3% for 4th Month
Flagler County’s unemployment rate of 46 percent in July was the highest since August 2021, when it was 4.9 percent and rapidly falling from its Covid-era high of 11.1 percent the year before. he labor force had also been gaining steadily until last August, when it peaked at 52,293, a record. It has fallen since. In July, it was 51,739, about where it stood in January. That suggests the county’s influx of new residents, especially working-age families, has slowed.
Palm Coast’s Michael Louis Pilla, 71, Charged with Capital Felony in Recurring Rapes of Child Over 7-Year Span
Michael Louis Pilla, a 71-year-old resident of 24 Lema Lane in Palm Coast for the last 20 years, was charged on Wednesday under a new Florida law that makes him eligible for the death penalty over the alleged rape of a child under 12. He was also charged with additional counts of rape related to alleged assaults that took place after the child turned 12.
Flagler’s Election Turnout Tracks Down from 2020 But Elections Supervisor Lenhart Applauds Candidates’ Civility
Flagler County’s election turnout is tracking lower than in the 2020 primary as a variety of factors, including new laws restricting voter freedoms, have taken full effect. As of today turnout is less than 16 percent in the primary election in Flagler, with two days of early voting plus election day left. But Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said she was proud of local candidates, who have maintained a level of civility unseen in years.
Flagler County Readies to Adopt Tougher Rules to Protect Trees from Demolition on Development Sites
Flagler County government is belatedly moving toward adopting a tree ordinance that would significantly increase tree-protection measures, either by reducing the number of trees cut, by increasing replanting requirements, or by establishing a tree fund that will be a form of replacement bank developers may pay into, to compensate for the trees destroyed on a development site.
An Inside Look at the Army Corps’ Beach Renourishment Along Flagler County’s Shore as It Nears Completion
The beach renourishment project that started in Flagler Beach last month after almost 20 years of planning and waiting is nearing completion at remarkable speed, with operations moving to the area of the Flagler Beach pier and north of it starting in the middle of next week and windup expected this month. The project is little short of the recreation of earth. Here’s a detailed tour for those unable to make it to the project site.
A Mast Arm Crashes Onto State Road 100 at the Foot of the Flagler Beach Bridge, Impeding Traffic
It isn’t yet clear why, but a traffic-light-bearing mast stretching over State Road 100 at Flagler Avenue in Flagler Beach, just before the bridge, bent and struck the road this morning around 10:30, causing some havoc with traffic. No one was hurt.
Ernesto, Soon to Be Major Hurricane, Will Veer Far from Coast But Create Dangerous Rip Currents and Surf
Though Tropical Storm Ernesto, which will become a hurricane today, is veering far east of the coast, the Flagler and Florida coastlines will see dangerous rip currents and heavy surf that may further damage beach renourishment efforts in Flagler Beach, starting Thursday. Some of the sand dredged onto the beach there in the last few weeks was eroded by heavy surf from Tropical Storm Debby.
Anthony Wiggins, 32, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on Threats, Stalking and Domestic Violence Charges
The various cases of Anthony Wiggins Jr., a 32-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s F Section, had busied the court for two and a half years since his initial arrest on a battery charge, then additional charges of written threats to kill, aggravated stalking despite an injunction, and violating conditions of his pre-trial release. On the eve of his trial, which was scheduled for Monday, Wiggins pleaded out, was found guilty on all charges, and sentenced to five years in prison.
With Some Reservations and $635,000 in Renovations, School District Prepares to Rent Old Courthouse
The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission are preparing to sign a joint agreement that will lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to the district for just two years, with two options to renew for five years each, and an option to buy. Some school board members have reservations about the building’s quality, but will not stand in the way of approving the lease.
In Major Leap for Public Art, Palm Coast Will Require Developers to Devote Portion of Project Costs to Art Fund
It’s taken 25 years, but Palm Coast appears ready to take the arts seriously. The City Council today agreed to a plan that will require developers to pay a small portion of their development costs into an arts fund that would be used to pay for public art installations. If such a fund was in place last year, it would have generated close to $1 million, city officials said.
Flagler Humane Society Director Defends Shelter’s Euthanasia Record and Rejects Criticism as Inaccurate
Amy Carotenuto, director of Flagler Humane Society, describes the society’s procedures, including euthanasia when necessary, and defends the society’s record in the face of recent criticism by current and former volunteers who spoke to the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council.
Flagler Library’s ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground with a Shovelful of History and Images of a Future Page-Turner
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell officials along with advocates and friends of the library gathered at the 7-acre site of the future “Nexus Center” south branch library for a groundbreaking today, which was as much of a celebration of the future building as it was a recognition of Library Director Holly Albanese’s perseverance to finally get to this point, after nine or 19 years, depending on hos you calculate it.
Federal Felon Who Defrauded Government of $1.9 Million Arrested on Kidnapping Charge in Palm Coast
Dino Ajloni, 44, whose federal probation on a case of defrauding the government of nearly $2 million ended last year, was arrested on kidnapping, aggravated battery and domestic battery charges after an altercation with his girlfriend ended in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast last Thursday.
Time for TrumpOlympics™
As a fellow from a state the French have never heard of put it, these “woke Olympics” are “not going to fly in Oklahoma.” We need a new Olympics, a wholesome, American Olympics without the degenerates and the foreigners. Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the TrumpOlympics™!
Behind Flagler Tax Services Owner Newsholme’s $300,000 in Fraud: Mounting Debts and Ponzi-Like Scheme
Robert Newsholme, the former owner of Flagler Tax Services, a three-year Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation found, had essentially been running what amounted to his own Ponzi scheme, taking money from clients who thought they were paying their IRS taxes, using that money to pay debts from lending companies, then borrowing more money from different lending companies to pay previous lending companies while putting off his clients who wanted their money back, plying them with promises and bad checks.
Terrell Sampson, Trigger Man in Shooting Death of Noah Smith, 16, Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
Terrell A. Sampson, the 20-year-old Bunnell man who opened fire on three people on a street in Bunnell in January 2022, triggering a shootout that killed 16-Year-old Noah Smith, was sentenced to 12 years in prison this morning. Sampson’s bullets did not hit Smith, but Circuit Judge Terence Perkins noted that had Sampson not opened fire, the shootout would not have followed.
Brendan Depa Was Baker Acted Immediately After Sentencing: ‘I’m Going to Die in Jail,’ He Wrote
Brendan Depa, the 18-year-old sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for beating Joann Naydich, Depa’s paraprofessional at Matanzas High School, in February 2023, was immediately Baker Acted from the county jail afterward when jail staff saw he had written on a sheet of paper that he was going to die in jail. His mother said he feared being killed by other inmates or dying of his own hand.
Latest Flagler School Board Follies: Hunt Celebrates Mediocrity, Furry Abuses His Seat to Push ‘Endorsements’
“Board member comments” at the Flagler school board have devolved almost always into a disaster, an embarrassment, a circus of ignorance, hypocrisy, stupidity or bigotry, compliments of the board’s trilobites: Sally Hunt, Will Furry and Christy Chong. No wonder they prefer illegal secret meetings. No wonder Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro can’t wait to escape the asylum. The sane ones weren’t there Tuesday to witness the latest drivel from Furry and Hunt, the first illegal, the second just creepy.
County Pulls Back from Heavy-Handed Attempt at Regulating ‘Behavior’ or ‘Objects’ at Polling and Public Grounds
The Flagler County Commission’s latest grapple with the messiness of democracy led it Monday to postpone until after the election any plans to regulate campaign zones or other forms of speech on public property, as it had sought to do last month, not without some controversy.
Palm Coast Council Clears Final Plats for 119 Housing Units in Town Center and Seminole Woods
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of final plats clearing the way for construction of 61 single family homes and 58 town homes, one in Town Center, one in Seminole Woods.
Brendan Depa Is Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison, 15 on Probation for Attacking His Para at Matanzas High School
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Brendan Depa to five years in prison followed by 15 years on probation. The courtroom was full, with Depa supporters on one side, Naydich supporters, in smaller numbers, on the other, but including R.J. Larizza, the state attorney, who turns up at only the highest profile cases. All remained silent as the sentence was pronounced, as did Depa.
To Succeed Travis Hutson, Tom Leek’s Battle of the Fliers with David Shoar Is Among Key Florida Senate Races
The Republican primary for Senate District 7–made up of St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and part of Volusia counties–has drawn a flood of money and endorsements as House Appropriations Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and financial adviser Gerry James seek to represent the heavily Republican district. Term-limited Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, cannot seek re-election in the district.
Flagler Humane Society Blasted for Lax Standards and Euthanasias as Commissioner Raises Prospect of County Take-Over
Appearing before the Flagler County Commission on Monday, numerous current and former volunteers at the Flagler Humane Society, including a former board member, spoke critically, sometimes bitterly, of an organization beyond its capacity to care for a growing number of animals, a governing structure too lax with policies and procedures, unaudited books, unjustified euthanasias, and a climate of retribution that led to the discharge of three volunteers who spoke out about the recent euthanizing of Guapo, a pit bull mix.
Mother of Tristin Murphy, Who Killed Himself with Chainsaw in Prison, Pleads with Judge on Brendan Depa’s Behalf
Cynthia Murphy, the mother of Tristin Murphy, a schizophrenic who used a chain saw to kill himself in prison, where he was serving a sentence for littering, pleads with the judge about to sentence Brendan Depa–the autistic student who beat his paraprofessional at Matanzas High School last year–not to believe Florida state prison officials’ claim that mental health treatment is adequate there for people like Depa.
Brendan Depa’s Sentencing Set to Conclude 3 Months After It Started: ‘I’m Going to Accept Whatever Happens’
Brendan Depa, now verging on his 19th birthday, returns to court Tuesday after a three-month hiatus to conclude his sentencing hearing on a charge of attacking Joan Naydich, the paraprofessional assigned to him as a student with special needs at Matanzas High School, in February 2023. The sentences Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will impose is unpredictable, other than that it will not be anywhere near the 30-year maximum.
New Beach Erodes in Flagler Beach as Tropical Storm Debby Batters Northern Path with Potentially Catastrophic Rains
Impacts in Flagler County were expected to be more limited to winds in the 20 to 30 mph range for the rest of the day and some heavy rainfall, but the sea’s impact on Flagler County’s shore was already apparent as churns eroded significant portions of the newly renourished beach at the south end of Flagler Beach, while further eroding the redder, not-yet renourished sands north of the pier.