The promotion follows the recent announcement that Undersheriff Rick Staly will retire next month. The sheriff also announced the promotions of Jason Neat and Jon Welker to Sergeant.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
10-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl Charged With Criminal Mischief After Starting Garage Fire
The fire and damage at 2 Blaine Court in Palm Coast could have been far worse than it turned out, as the girl had been playing with matches next to a container of gasoline.
Two Palm Coast Residents Arrested in Bizarre Tale of Violent Assault on Pair of Contractors
Joseph D. Patten and Russell Cade of Palm Coast are accused of violently assaulting a pair of contractors Cade had summoned for an estimate on bathroom repairs at his house. Both men have arrest records, including, in Cade’s case, a conviction for sexually abusing a child in 2000.
Two Palm Coast Servicemen On ISIS Kill List, But Sheriff’s Office Notes “No Credible Threat”
Palm Coast, St. Augustine and “Saint John” are among the 55 cities in the United States where ISIS, or Islamic State, has placed named members of the U.S. military on an alleged “kill list” for their role in attacks on ISIS in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Gutted Bill Restricting Red-Light Cameras Advances as Turn-On-Red Penalty Is Restored
While the restrictive proposal cleared its latest committee, 7-3, the bill’s only surviving measures would require cities to send our red-light camera notices by certified mail, and to use revenue for public safety programs.
Wings Over Flagler Brings a Flying Fortress Of a Show At 3-Day, 50-Plane Rockin’ of Runways
The 50-some planes at the Flagler County Airport Friday through Sunday include the enormous B-17 Flying Fortress, the C-54 Berlin Airlift Flying Museum, a a CH-47 Chinook, and a Ford Tri-Motor, the first commercial plane in the U.S.
Pursuit of Vehicle Connected to Homicide Ends in Flagler As Car Plunges Into Wooded Ditch on I-95
The pursued vehicle had been stolen in connection with a homicide in West Columbia, South Carolina. One occupant was in critical condition, the other was in custody.
Larrys’ Guns and Ammo in Heart Of Bunnell Is Target of a Night Burglary
Burglars got away with at least five shotguns, gaining access to the store by way of a ceiling vent and the attic before cops responded to a store alarm.
Weekend Blotter: Palm Coast Man Accused of Assaulting Girlfriend With 4.5-Foot Sword
Charles Meyers, a 28-year-old resident of Palm Coast, is accused of wielding the sword at his girlfriend after a night out at a bar. Also, a disturbance at the Windsor assisted living facility, and more break-ins at fitness centers’ parking lots.
Chamber Players of Palm Coast and Flagler Youth Orchestra Reunite in Concert Sunday
The Chamber Players of Palm Coast are in concert at Palm Coast United Methodist Church Sunday, March 22, at 3:30 p.m., with a special appearance by the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Harmony Chamber ensemble, the youth orchestra’s most advanced group.
Another Pot Grow House Busted in Palm Coast As Critics and Lawmakers Press Legalization
Some 28 marijuana plants were seized at a house at 17 Rocking Lane in Palm Coast. As the Sheriff’s Office announced the seizure and arrest of the resident at the house, Ray Strack, a former federal narcotics interdiction agent, was speaking on WNZF about the inanity of the war on marijuana.
Two Teens and Adult Injured in 3-Vehicle Crash and Roll-Over on Belle Terre at Point Pleasant
Morning rush-hour traffic snarled at Belle Terre Parkway and Point Pleasant Friday after four people were injured in a three-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes of Belle Terre.
A Bottle Of Cadillac Cologne Is Mistaken For a Gun, and Cory Tanner Is Shot Dead
An FDLE report detailing the shooting death by U.S. Marshals of Cory Tanner, 24, in Espanola last August describe his last moments as he rushed out toward marshals, inexplicably holding a bottle of Cadillac cologne in one hand. Marshals mistook it for a gun and fired five or six shots.
No Racism Here: EEOC Dismisses Ex-City Manager Martinez’s Complaint Against Bunnell
Armando Martinez alleged that Bunnell ended his contract in 2013 because it didn’t want a Hispanic individual in that position. He has until mid-June to file a lawsuit against the city.
Rear-End Collision at Whiteview and Belle Terre Sends 3 to Hospital
One of the three people injured was a child. The intersection is equipped with a red-light camera, though it’s not clear in this case if it was a factor in the rear-end collision.
Chick-fil-A Phenomenon Camps Out in Palm Coast: If Grateful Dead Fans Loved Chikin
Chick-fil-A’s grand opening in Palm Coast brought with it what has become a near-cult following of groupies, overwhelmingly from out of town, who camp out for 24 hours to earn their 52 free meals. A profile of the phenomenon, and the company.
School Bus On Its Way to Buddy Taylor Middle Strikes Jogger on Sesame Blvd. in Palm Coast
The school bus’ jutting side mirror is believed to have struck the jogger around 6:26 this morning. The victim was evacuated to Halifax hospital. The students on the bus were taken to school on a different bus.
Another Accidental Shooting in Palm Coast; A Stabbing in Bunnell; An Arrest For Fake ID
The shooting took place in the Hammock after a man, fearing that a prowler he’d shooed off was going to return, was cleaning his gun, and the gun went off.
Flagler Auditorium Lights Up Its $86,000 LED Marquee, Boosting Visibility
The $71,000 Deltronics sign, plus $15,000 for its installation, was paid for through a $150,000 grant from county government’s Tourist Development Council and is part of a series of improvements at the auditorium designed to improve visibility and impact.
Palm Coast Votes 3-2 to End Red-Light Camera Contract in 2017 and Reduce Flashers To 5
A divided council still disagrees on the red-light cameras’ value. The city is being sued, but says the payout, should there be one, will be manageable.
Flagler’s Unemployment, No Longer Leading State, Plummets Below 7% For First Time Since 2007
Flagler’s 6.9 percent unemployment rate sent the county down to 14th place among counties with the worst unemployment, ending years of Flagler sitting at or near the top of that chart.
Undersheriff Rick Staly Resigns,
Fueling Speculation About 2016
The resignation, framed as a retirement, is likely to fuel speculation that Staly–a registered Republican–may be preparing a run for the sheriff’s office in less than two years.
Echoing Advocates, Flagler Commission Unanimously Approves Sea Ray’s Parking Lot Expansion
The vote was a victory for the Brunswick Corp.’s Sea Ray manufacturing plant, the unanimity of the vote was a victory for the county’s business establishment, though opponents had voiced concerns about the company’s existing pollutants and its future plans.
Claiming He Wasn’t Driving, Man Is Arrested For DUI After Injuring Biker in a Wreck
The wreck, which resulted in a head injury for a biker, took place outside the White Eagle Lounge, when witnesses told police Raymond Albinger, 54, jumped out of the truck he was driving and threw out a cooler from the bed of the truck into the bushes.
Flagler Sheriff Warns of Phone Scammers Impersonating Deputies
The scam involves an individual posing as a sheriff’s lieutenant and claiming to victims that they have to pay up for missing a grand jury appointment.
We Don’t Oppose Sea Ray. We Oppose Pollutants and Debasing Flagler Beach’s Quality of Life.
Two Flagler Beach residents lay out the case against Sea Ray’s proposed land use change to accommodate a parking lot, a change opponents say paves the way for more pollution without compelling the company to take stronger toxic-emission control measures.
Citing Taxes, Palm Coast Says County Owes City a Fire Truck to Help Mend Aging Fleet
The council heard an unusual proposal from council member Jason DeLorenzo that would reopen old wounds with the county as Palm Coast looks to simultaneously replace three fire engines that have more than 30 years’ service.
Two Bikers Trauma-Evacuated After Wreck in Downtown Bunnell Shuts Down U.S. 1
A man and a woman, neither wearing helmets, were evacuated to Halifax hospital’s trauma unit with head injuries after the single-bike wreck at U.S. 1 and East Booe Street at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Two More Jewelry Heists Reported,
Again in Hammock and Grand Haven
The burglaries bring the total to six since last week, all of them targeting jewelry and relatively older home owners in the two distinctly higher scale areas.
Suspect Eludes SWAT Team and Other Cops After Night Stand-Off in Seminole Woods
The serving of a warrant for Sean Monti’s arrest on 9 Squash Blossom Trail late Sunday night turned into a stand-off involving various units of the Sheriff’s Office and the SWAT team, which eventually searched the house and found the suspect had vanished.
Angered By Messy House, Palm Coast Man Is Jailed on Child Abuse and Battery Charges
Tyrone Patterson, 37, of Riverview Place in Palm Coast, has been jailed before on battery charges. He is accused of battering his girlfriend and two of four children in the household.
Bill Banning Red-Light Camera Tickets for Right-Turn on Red Sails Through House Panel
The proposal and one like it in the Senate would further complicate Palm Coast’s troubled red-light camera program and its relationship with ATS, the private company running the local scheme. Right-turn on red tickets generate the majority of revenue.
Before Going Golden, Girls Have Their Middle Age at Flagler Playhouse’s “Dixie Swim Club”
“The Dixie Swim Club,” now playing at the Flagler Playhouse, makes more demands on funny bones than cerebral cortexes as it explores what makes women tick and men wonder about women.
Palm Coasters Rate Their Town: Great Bedroom, Terrible Workplace, Measly Shopping
Palm Coast residents love their government services even as they attack them in a broad survey, but they also find work opportunities dismal and shopping and cultural opportunities not much better.
Palm Coast Would End Its Red-Light Camera Program With ATS in Two Years
The city would also reduce all operating cameras from 43 to just five. But it would also see its revenue per camera drop, from the current $700 per month to $350 per month. The city’s revenue from the cameras would drop from $361,000 to $21,000.
Flagler’s 911 Call Center Briefly Evacuated When Exit Sign Causes Minor Fire
911 service was never interrupted, officials said at the scene, as three dispatchers were sent to the center’s back-up operation at the Sheriff’s Office Operation Center on Justice Lane.
2 Maintenance Workers in Critical Condition After Vehicle Strikes Them in Palm Coast’s Town Center
One worker is suffered “life-threatening” injuries, the other is in critical condition, an FHP spokesman said, as both were taken to a trauma unit at Halifax hospital.
FPL Volunteers Power Vast Make-Over at Juvenile Justice Council’s Community Garden in Bunnell
Florida Power and Light’s “Power to Care Group” on Thursday helped rebuild the community garden in four hours–a project garden overseeers had expected would take a year.
Sheriff’s Motorcycle Unit Shifts From Harleys To BMWs For $115,000
The 110-horesepower, 1200-cc motorcycle is a model especially modified for police use. Residents and visitors can expect to see the BMW motorcycles throughout Flagler County beginning this weekend.
Vacation Rental Company Sues Flagler County Two Weeks After Regulations Are Approved
Steven Milo, head of Vacation Rental Pros, sued the Flagler County Commission, an eight-count action that alleges property, privacy and equal protection rights violations.
Rash of Palm Coast Burglaries Targets Elderly and Jewelry in Sea Colony and Grand Haven
In one case, a couple was burglarized of $50,000 worth of jewelry, with three other cases’ value adding up to more than $12,000. The thefts take place during relatively brief absences of the homeowners.
13-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Threatening To “Kill Everyone” At Calvary Christian Academy
Calvary Christian Academy in Ormond Beach, with some 60 to 70 students from Flagler County, was disrupted Wednesday by the girl’s threats, made in Instagram.
Buoyed by Turn-Around, County Approves $2.75 Million Loan To Buy 3 Buildings at Airport
Flagler County government is vastly expanding its role as a landlord as it approves buying three buildings totaling 58,000 square feet at the county airport in hopes of generating more cash for the airport operation.
Bill Forbidding Local Government Protection for Transgenders In Public Bathrooms Advances
A bill by Florida Rep. Frank Artiles that would overturn local government ordinances protecting transgender use of single-sex bathrooms passed 8-3 on a party-line vote Wednesday after an impassioned discussion in a House subcommittee.
Major Layoffs Hit News-Journal and Ex-Halifax Chain 3 Months After GateHouse Takes Over
Four newsroom employees lost their job and seven employees lost theirs in advertising. The Flagler Bureau, down to three reporters, is about to lose another as Natalie Kronicks leaves to join the Flagler County government’s communications office, coordinating marketing efforts.
Remembrance Rescue Project’s 9/11 Memorial Firetruck in Palm Coast This Week
The Remembrance Rescue Project combines the parts of two firetrucks that were at Ground Zero the day of the attacks on the Twin Towers in Manhattan.
13-Year-Old Indian Trails Boy Arrested on Knife Charge at School and Tied to Stolen Gun
A 13-year-old Indian Trails Middle School student, on probation over a drug charge, was arrested Tuesday on a felony weapons possession charge for taking a knife to school after authorities discovered he had allegedly given a stolen .380 Glock 42 to a friend.
YMCA May Return to Flagler As School District Considers Leasing Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club
Facing a deficit that will exceed $200,000, the school district’s Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club may find its savior in the Volusia Flagler YMCA, which has been in discussions with the school administration over a potential lease arrangement of the health facility.
7 Flagler Schools Share $668,000 in Bonus Dollars for Improving or Keeping High Grades
The money rewards schools that either maintain A or B grades or improve significantly toward such grades. It is one of the reasons Florida’s high-stakes testing has been facing criticism, as student testing is directly tied to monetary consequences.
Correctly Anticipating State Problems, Flagler Delayed School Testing Until Thursday
Rarely in the spotlight, Shawn Schmidli, the Flagler school district’s assessment director, anticipated that state-issued computer tests would have problems, and delayed Flagler’s testing until Thursday.