Compared to the 140 applications for the job 5 years ago, this round drew a skimpy response, with a shortlist reflecting the city commission’s limited choices.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Traffic Stop on I-95 Leads to Man Wanted in Homicide and Credit Card Fraudsters
The three suspects are held on more than $1 million bond at the Flagler County jail: Juan Torres-Rodriguez, Liz Figueroa-Rodriguez, and Alberto Bourdier Maldonado.
Anna Pehota, 75, Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder for Shooting Husband in Hammock
The woman–Anna Pehota, who has owned the trailer with her husband John since 1993–called 911 just after 4:30 p.m. to say that she thought she’d killed her husband, and that she’d shot him three times.
Commissioners Ax Planning Board Chairman Who’d Opposed Controversial Developments, Replace Him With a Developer
The Flagler County Commission booted off Russ Reinke who’d long chaired the planning board and replaced him with developer Art Barr after Reinke had opposed several recent controversial developments.
Sheriff Hires 13 Deputies, Underscoring Turnover of More Than 100 in Three Years
Well over a third of the Flagler Sheriff’s 285 positions have turned over in Jim Manfre’s three-year tenure, while 85 percent of full-timers have less than 15 years’ service–and a third have less than three years.
Thief Breaks Into Andrey’s Auto, Finds Keys and Drives Off in Car Stolen From Lot
The thief, acting alone, is seen in video footage rummaging through the business and trying a couple of cars before driving off in a stolen Mitsubishi.
“Be Prepared,” 10 Potential Candidates for Office Are Told in Chamber’s Grooming Class
Most of the 10 candidates who made it through the grooming for office–6 Republicans, 2 Democrats and 2 Independents–are familiar names in local politics and on advisory boards.
Trash Bandits: Sheriff Looking for Rogues Who Dumped 18 Tons of Tires Off Old Kings Road
The 18 to 19 tons of use tires (37,000 pounds) were dumped off North Old Kings Road, between Matanzas Woods Parkway and Princess Place Preserve. Flagler government removed them.
Bunnell Man Is Accused of Raping a Woman at the Gospel Gardens Nursery
Juan Yon-Cerna, a 46-year-old resident of Bunnell, is accused of raping a woman after inviting her for a beer at the business. He is being held on $20,000 bond.
Buddy Taylor Student Struck by School Bus This Morning on Parkview Drive
The student was treated for minor injuries at Florida Hospital Flagler, and by just after noon, had been released. The driver was cited for failing to yield, and is on administrative leave.
At Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Fundraiser, It Felt Like the 1980s Again. That’s The Problem.
Even though a sizable crowd turned up for the fundraiser Sunday, the effort still falls significantly short of keeping the club going or convincing the school board that the group leading the effort can lease the property and make it work as a club again.
Palm Coast Parkway Pizza Hut Employees Robbed at Gunpoint and Penned in Cooler
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery late Saturday night at the Pizza Hut on Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway. No one was hurt.
Video In Suicide-By-Cop Attempt Shows Deputies’ Control of Hairtrigger Confrontation
The eight-minute video of the confrontation, posted here, shows P-Section resident Stacy Culotta holding a gun and how Sgt. Van Buren and two other deputies eventually defused the situation.
Home in Palm Coast, Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Is Celebrated, With Craned Necks
Reilly Opelka, who won Wimbledon’s junior crown earlier this summer and starts a 20-tournament professional tour next year, accepted a congratulatory sign at the Palm Coast Tennis Center this morning.
Two Women Threaten To Shoot Boys, 13 and 15, Over Knock at the Door at Integra Woods
Candance Ashley McCall, 28, and Letita Crimes, 33, confronted the boys while allegedly brandishing guns after a boy knocked on their door by mistake, then sough to confront them again at the boys’ apartment.
Golf as Wrestling Match: Only in Flagler Beach as 2 of 3 Proposals for Old Course Bogey
A split Flagler Beach City Commission is leaning toward Flagler Golf Management to take over the old 9-hole course at the south end of town as obstacles remain and few alternatives exist. The next round is scheduled for Oct. 22.
Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Republicans: Don’t Associate Us With Palm Coast Charter Review
Mike McElroy, president of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies, says Palm Coast Councilman Steven Nobile’s push for a charter review–while not a bad idea–is entirely his own rather than an agenda of the RRRs.
U.S. 1-Palm Coast Parkway Wreck: Man and Passenger Crash Through 200 Feet of Woods, and Walk Away
The Chevy Impala traveled from Pine Lakes Parkway through the intersection and into the woods after what appeared to have been its driver’s medical episode.
FHP’s Cpl. Pete Young, Flagler’s Longest-Serving Cop By Far, Earns Singular Medal
With 500 traffic homicide investigations and into his 5th decade in law enforcement, Pete Young is the longest-serving uniformed cop in Flagler-Palm Coast. He has no plans to stop.
17-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder in July’s L-Section Shooting of Phillip Haire
Zaire Roberts of 46 Pine Hill Lane in Palm Coast faces a 1st-degree attempted murder charge for the alleged shooting of Phillip J. Haire, 18 on Lewisdale Lane in late July.
Three Companies Tee Up Proposals to Run Flagler Beach’s Fallow 9-Hole Golf Course
The 34 acres of the old Ocean Palm Golf Club will be in play this evening at 5:30 p.m. as a committee hears proposals to rejuvenate the grounds profitably through a lease.
Three Matanzas High School Students Arrested For Armed Burglary in Palm Coast’s F-Section
A ninth grader and two tenth graders who’d run from Matanzas High School were charged with armed robbery following two incidents in Palm Coast’s F-Section this morning.
Palm Coast Manager Apologizes for Ordering Work Without School Board Approval First
City Manager Jim Landon ordered utility work to proceed without securing an easement from the Flagler County School Board, though he’s been critical of the county over a similar issue.
Suicide By Cop Averted as Deputy’s Taser Ends Stand-Off on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast
Stacy Culotta, 36, drew Flagler deputies to her house on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast where she confronted them with what looked like a firearm Monday afternoon, until Sgt. Michael van Buren incapacitated her.
Palm Coast Council Rebuffs Steven Nobile’s Latest Call for Charter Review Process
Palm Coast Council member Steven Nobile today again pressed for a citizen-led charter review only to again be blunted by a silent majority and a disagreeing Mayor Netts.
“Security” Gains Ridiculed as Bunnell Agrees To 1-Way Traffic in Front of Sheriff’s New HQ
“You can still buy fertilizer, you can still buy diesel fuel, you can still rent a truck,” Commissioner Tucker said, evoking the ease of blowing up buildings.
Palm Coast Felon Reports to Probation Office With a Loaded Gun. In a Stolen Car.
Christopher Smith, 38, of Palm Coast, carried a .25 caliber pistol and arrived at the probation office in a Ford reported stolen from Dollar Rent a Car.
County Approves Indefinite Halt to Road Impact Fees, May End Them in East Flagler
A moratorium has cost cost the county $810,000 in transportation impact fees and $145,000 in parks and recreation fees as a result.
Duane Weeks, on Bail, Is Stabbed, Suspect Jailed Following Confrontation at a Bar
Weeks, the 34-year-old son of former elections supervisor Kimberle Weeks, was trauma evacuated following the Annie Oakley Saloon incident Sunday.
Publix Wins as Jury Verdict Concludes Sex Harassment Claim at Palm Coast Store Was Fabrication
A jury decided swiftly that not only had sex harassment taken place, but Robert Barry’s claims of wrongful termination didn’t need to be considered at all in light of the fabrication.
Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Coming Home to Palm Coast Tennis Center Friday
The public is invited to the Palm Coast Tennis Center this Friday (Sept. 18), from 11 a.m. to noon, to welcome home 2015 Wimbledon Junior tennis champion Reilly Opelka. The Tennis Center is located at 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy.
In Publix Trial, Jury Must Now Weigh Plaintiff’s History of Dishonesty Against Claim of Wrongful Termination
The witness phase in the trial against Publix ended Friday in Flagler Circuit Court, leaving it to a jury Monday to decide the claim of ex-employee Robert Barry that he was fired because he reported a case of sexual harassment that may never have happened.
Party On: Flagler Beach Commission Approves Policy For Private Events on Pier, 4-0
The Flgler Beach City Commission Thursday voted 4-0 to approve a new policy regulating how the Flagler Beach pier may be rented out for private parties–and closed to the general public–up to six times a year.
Pedestrian Evacuated in Critical Condition After Being Struck By Pick-Up on A1A in Flagler Beach
Ronald Tristani, a 71-year-old pedestrian and Palm Coast resident, was struck by a pick-up truck on State road A1A in Flagler Beach, at South 5th Street, at 10:42 this morning, and was flown out in critical condition within minutes.
Case Against Publix Wilts as Judge Tosses Whistleblower Charge and “Biscuitbutt” Refutes Sex Harassment
The Flagler civil trial continues though the case of a fired employee weakened further when the women he alleged had been sexually harassed–whose nickname is “Biscuitbutt”–testified nothing of the sort had ever happened, but other machinations had.
Palm Coast’s William Pedersen, 63, Pleads Child-Rape Charge Down to Molestation, Will Serve 2 Years in Prison
William Pedersen, a 63-year-old resident of 9 Wheaton Lane, had been accused of raping and molesting a close relative when she was between 5 and 12.
Embry-Riddle’s Torrey Barnes, 23, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck in Daytona Beach
A motorcycle accident early Saturday morning claimed the life of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Torrey Barnes, 23. Barnes died from leg injuries sustained in the crash.
In Trial Day 2, Case Against Publix Falters Over Credibility and Tempers of 2 Main Witnesses
Robert Barry ‘s claim of wrongful termination against Publix frayed Wednesday as his temper and questionable veracity proved to be his biggest liabilities, with Publix’s witnesses yet to take the stand Thursday.
County Rejects One Jumbo Cell Tower, Approves Another and Hedges On Third
The Flagler commission was responding to concerns about the height and visibility of three proposed communications towers rising between 320 and 350 feet–more than twice the allowable size under county rules.
County Declares Dangerous Dog That Bit 8-Year-Old Boy, Rejecting More Clement Recommendation
The commission’s 4-1 vote went against the recommendation of a hearing officer, who found that the dog was acting in defense of its owners’ home and was reacting to what amounted to a trespassing, uninvited person walking into the house.
Opelka’s Pro Career Begins as Junior Circuit Days End With Loss in 3rd Round of U.S. Open
For Opelka, the Wimbledon boys champion, it was a disappointing end to his junior tennis career, but he now starts on the pro tour full time.
Publix on Trial as Ex-Palm Coast Employee Claims He Was Fired For Whistleblowing Sex Harassment
Robert Barry, 30, claims he was fired from the Palm Coast Town Center store after alerting superiors about a supervisor’s sex harassment of a coworker. Publix claims Barry made up the story and fired him for dishonesty.
Two Palm Coast Teens, 19 and 17, Arrested In Armed Robbery in Flagler Beach
David Eugene Adams, a felon with a history of arrests and convictions , accused Dacotah Clarke and a 17-year-old Palm Coast resident of robbing him at gunpoint in Flagler Beach Saturday.
Opelka Adds to 94-Degree Heat With Scorching Serves as He Moves to 3rd Round at U.S. Open
Opelka fired a 141-mph serve, second-fastest recorded by anyone at the Open this year, as he decisively beat Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki, 6-4, 6-1 today.
Flagler’s Push For Trio of Cell Towers Rising Higher Than Statue of Liberty Beams Alarms
Flagler County Emergency Services wants the three towers, including an especially controversial one on John Anderson Highway in Flagler Beach, to improve its communications network, but residents and environmentalists are raising questions.
Though Likely Profiled and “Harassed,” Flagler Sheriff’s CSI Pazarena Is Reprimanded Over “Conduct Unbecoming” Anyway
An internal sheriff’s investigation completed today makes clear that Pazarena and her boyfriend at no time behaved improperly at a Vitamin shop where the incident occurred, or did anything more than what an overly inquisitive shopper might do, though store employees exhibited behavior identical to profiling.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Loses 1st-Round Doubles Match at U.S. Open, Heads for Juniors
Former Palm Coast resident Reilly Opelka got his first taste of the U.S. Open men’s doubles action on Thursday, as he and partner Taylor Fritz fell in a close three-setter to Marcus Daniell and Jonathan Marray, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Dog Bites 8-Year-Old Boy: Should It be Declared Dangerous, Or Does Castle Doctrine Apply? County Commission Will Decide.
The Flagler County Commission on Sept. 9 must decide whether to declare a 2-year-old Labrador dangerous, or whether to rule that the dog was merely defending its home from an intruder.
In Flagler Beach, Builders Are Beating Back Higher Standards For Flood-Plain Homes
Builders in February opposed new regulations raising new homes higher than current flood-plain heights. Builders are now objecting to a compromise, forcing the city to revisit its regulations yet again.
Men v. Women: Three Domestic Violence Incidents Land Three Men in Jail on Felonies
Three Palm Coast men ended up at the Flagler County jail in a 48-hour span following unrelated incidents that entailed allegations of substantial violence against women and girls–two of the men’s spouses, a girlfriend, and one of them men’s two teen-age daughters. All three incidents resulted in felony charges.