In turns moving, startling and informative, a day-long workshop on the death penalty in Flagler Beach, featuring two exonerated men, urged an assembly of 60 to more actively get involved in a movement to abolish capital punishment in Florida.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Murder Victim’s Family Denied Up to $150,000 Over Station Owner’s Workers’ Comp Lapse
Following Zuheily Roman Rosado’s murder at the Mobil station in Palm Coast on Feb. 21, the state Division of Insurance Fraud filed a third-degree felony charge against the station owner when an investigation revealed no workers’ compensation coverage, which would have provided Rosado’s family funeral and other death benefits.
10 Unlicensed Contractors, 8 from Flagler, Arrested in a Sting Operation
The unlicensed contractor would come in to a house and agree to install plumbing lines, shampoo bowl sinks or light fixtures, never knowing he was talking to an undercover agent.
“So Happy You Guys Have Come Along,” Plantation Bay Residents Tell County and Bunnell
If questions lingered over Flagler County’s and Bunnell’s expensive and controversial acquisition of the Plantation bay utility, Plantation Bay residents dispelled them Thursday by enthusiastically giving their endorsement to the deal, though county and city commissioners are still facing questions from constituents beyond the development.
Bunnell Manager Armando Martinez’s Bid for Satellite Beach Job Falls Short
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez was one of four finalists for the city manager’s job, but Satellite Beach hired Courtney Harris, a local resident, Thursday evening. Martinez said he was happy either way.
Veteran Flagler Fireman’s Home Burns in Rima Ridge, at County’s South End
Ron Walker spent his life fighting fires and protecting other people’s homes and properties. He retired from the Volusia County Fire Department, and has been a Flagler County volunteer fireman. On Thursday afternoon, the house he built burned for unknown reasons.
Bunnell’s Armando Martinez a Finalist For City Manager’s Job in Satellite Beach
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez had tried in 2011 to move closer to home in Brevard County, and now is more compelled to do so as his political backing has severely weakened on the Bunnell City Commission.
St. Johns Sting Operation Leads to 15 Arrests of Men Solicting Underage Sex
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested 15 men in five days last week in a sting operation targeting individuals soliciting minors for sex. The operation was called “Operation No Soliciting. Arrests included one suspect from Flagler County, Vyacheslav Azarov, 43, from Palm Coast.
“Rising Star” Paul Bovino Is Appointed Commander of Flagler Sheriff’s Patrol Division
Paul Bovino was appointed permanent commander of the Neighborhood Services Division, formerly known as the patrol division, in place of David O’Brien, who was given the choice of either being fired or retiring in the messy culmination of a re-organization that had initially cast O’Brien among the management team.
Mystery Man Flown to Halifax After Suicide Attempt Off Flagler Beach Bridge Fails
A man in his early 50s who would only say that his name is “Jim” jumped from the Flagler Beach bridge after 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, but was rescued by a fisherman who jumped after him. The man had been riding an unmarked motorcycle with a shaved off VIN number.
Flagler Beach Cyclist Frederick J. Martinez Is Killed in Collision With a Work Van on SR100
Frederick J. Martinez, a 51-year-old Flagler Beach resident, was violently struck and killed by a work van as he rode his bike east on State Road 100 Tuesday afternoon, a little less than a mile from Old Kings Road.
The Death Penalty Comes to Flagler Beach: Saturday Workshop Takes On “Broken System”
The workshop between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Santa Maria Del Mar’s Community Hall, will feature former death row inmates Herman Lindsey (exonerated in 2006) and Seth Penalver (2012), along with several other death penalty experts and advocates for the repeal of Florida’s capital punishment.
As County Ratifies School Levy Referendum, Elections Supervisor Lines Up Concerns
Weeks, who expects a very low turn-out, is not planning on having an early-voting site for the June 7 special election, which falls on a Friday. The election may cost upwards of $100,000. The commission voted 5-0 to place the initiative on the ballot.
As Obamanomics Trickles Down, Florida’s Unemployment Rate Drops But Flagler’s Lags
Though improving, Florida’s unemployment rate is still 33rd out of the 50 states, while Flagler’s, at 11 percent, remains the second-worst in the state, after Hendry’s 11.4 percent.
Ronn Rauber, 20-Year Flagler Sheriff’s Veteran, Arrested on Domestic Battery Charge
Ron Rauber, 42, was arrested by a fellow-deputy Sunday evening after his ex-wife Amanda Kaznocha said he’d pinned her to the wall during an argument in front of the couple’s three young children.
Grand Cherokee Rolls Over on Rymfire, Injuring One; FHP Calls It Alcohol-Related
A Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled over on Rymfire in Palm Coast just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday, injuring the driver, who was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler.
Five Missing Aboard Drifting Boat Are Rescued After 1 a.m. on Intracoastal Near Marineland
The Palm Coast boat owner, Danilo Gomez, 43, explained that he, three family members and a teen-age friend were heading home from St. Augustine when they experienced engine problems.
For Helen Reddy, No More “Stupid Pop Songs” as She Takes Over the Auditorium Sunday
Helen Reddy, the woman responsible for the mega 1971 hit “I Am Woman,” that second-wave feminist anthem, doesn’t dance to anyone’s drum. At 71, she takes on stages and audiences as if it were still Seneca Falls.
18-Year-Old Faces First-Degree Felony Battery Charge Over Grandmother’s Accusations
Mary Lee, 80, claims her 18-year-old granddaughter, Jestina, pushed her over a chair, a claim Jestina denies, though the 18-year-old is in jail on $1,000 bond.
Steve Settle Is Named Chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission on 5-0 Vote
Steve Settle is the new chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission. He was elected unanimously Thursday evening by his fellow-commissioners (and himself). He replaces Jane Mealy, who’d served one year in the post.
Responding to ACLU, Manfre Restores His Own More Permissive Jail Mail Policy
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre has rescinded a policy that for the last two years, under Sheriff Don Fleming, prohibited inmates at the county jail from receiving letters at all, or writing letters longer than two pages.
Back from a Limb, Ray Stevens “Distances” Himself from November’s Manfre Endorsement
Republican Ray Stevens says he would not have endorsed Democrat Jim Manfre in November had he known that firings were on the way. Manfre himself defended his actions as necessary, while thanking Stevens for his opinions.
Proposed Law to End Red-Light Camera Ticketing of Right Turns Advances
If they become law, the restrictions would seriously crimp the use of red-light cameras as revenue generators, as is the case in Palm Coast, where up to 52 such cameras are in place–at least for the companies operating the cameras, since Palm Coast is guaranteed revenue regardless of the number of tickets issued.
Instructor-Pilot Lands Stalled Single Engine Plane Safely on Palm Coast Parkway
A single-engine Cessna carrying two people that developed engine trouble landed safely at 6:45 p.m. on Palm Coast Parkway, just west of Belle Terre. The plane is sitting on the road at the moment, as authorities investigate. No one was hurt.
Flagler School District Is Glowingly Re-Accredited, a Timely Validation Ahead of Levy Push
The Flagler County school district was re-accredited for the next five years by the nation’s leading accreditation agency, a boon to the district as it makes the case to voters that they should approve a levy raising property taxes modestly to preserve programs and improve security.
Lt. Gov. Carroll Resigns as Internet Cafe Scandal Sweeps Florida–and Palm Coast
As Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were serving a search warrant on the Internet Cafe in the Home Depot shopping center, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was resigning in connection with the scandal, which has led to Allied officials’ arrests.
Gary Pearson, 54-Year-Old Motorcyclist, Killed in Collision at Matanzas Woods and U.S. 1
Gary Pearson, 54, of Jacksonville, was killed as he rode his motorcycle north on U.S. 1, before 8 a.m. Wednesday, when a car pulled out of Matanzas Woods to take U.S. 1 south, and failed to see the motorcyclist.
Booze Up: Palm Coast Government Is Your New Special-Events Bartender
After some reservations two weeks ago, the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday agreed to have the city acquire a liquor license and itself sell booze at the city’s special events, generating more cash the city says it will reinvest at those events.
Risks, Cautions, But Mostly Needs as Flagler School Board Readies for Tax Referendum
The Flagler County School Board Tuesday evening will approve going to a tax referendum in June, asking voters to increase their property taxes modestly to preserve programs and add security in schools, but the proposal doesn’t have the unanimity two similar proposals had in the last three years.
Trailer Hauling Tons of Cantaloupe Catches Fire on I-95; No One Hurt
The trailer of a Pittsburgh-based driver hauling cantaloupe from South Florida caught fire some six miles north of Palm Coast Parkway Tuesday afternoon, reducing the northbound lanes to one for more than two hours. There were no injuries.
Flagler County’s “Ulympic Games,” Set for April, Are Crying for Participants
Flagler’s “Ulympic Games” feature 10 sports over a week, April 6-13, open to anyone employed by any local government, but as a March 15 deadline approaches, only a few dozen people had registered.
Abuse of Dispatch: When Calling 911 (Five Times) Lands You at the Flagler County Jail
Palm Coast’s Wesley Jackson, 26, called 911 to report property damage Saturday night, but allegedly kept calling, cussing out the dispatcher and the cop who showed up, and ended up arrested on a charge of abusing 911, a misdemeanor.
Fuego del Mar Restaurant in Flagler Beach Spices Up Town’s Gastronomic Renaissance
Nicholas Kimball’s Fuego del Mar restaurant on A1A’s Oceanshore Boulevard in Flagler Beach is expected to employ 100 people and provide high wages to full-timers while burnishing the city’s growing reputation as the county’s destination for authentic, original, non-chain restaurants.
Bike Week Claims First Serious Accident Victim in Flagler, in I-95 Wreck
Dana Marie Oleske, 35, was riding her 2004 Honda Shadow north on I-95, in Palm Coast, when she crashed in the emergency median after attempting a passing maneuver. She is in critical condition.
Flagler’s Taste of the Arts Festival Captions Mix of Unity and Rivalries Between Organizations
The Palm Coast Arts Foundation, the Flagler County Art League, the Flagler Playhouse, and Flagler Youth Orchestra open their second Taste of the Arts festival today, but county arts organizations have a way to go before calling themselves truly, communally unified.
From Green to Red: With Golf Course Buy, Flagler Beach Fears Going Palm Coast’s Way
Flagler Beach officials are looking into whether the city should bid on the failed the Ocean Palm Golf Club course at a foreclosure sale, but they don;t want to repeat Palm Coast’s money-pit experience after that city bought the Palm Harbor golf course.
Sheriff’s Ex-PIO Files Sex Discrimination Grievance Over 35% Pay Cut and Demotion
Sheriff Manfre had hired Debra Johnson as his public information officer in 2001, only to demote her to assistant PIO and cut her pay in January, triggering one in a series of grievances in a mounting backlash against the new sheriff’s aggressive remaking of the agency.
Sea Ray Boats in Palm Coast Benefits from Plant Closures Elsewhere, With Cautions
Consolidation will likely add to the payroll in Flagler County, and do so with well-paying manufacturing jobs. It also puts to rest, at least for now, worries that Sea Ray’s local plant would either close. But the company is facing tough economic headwinds even as it stock soars to seven-year highs.
Sheriff Manfre Fires David O’Brien 2 Months After Short-Listing Him for Undersheriff
The latest of numerous shocks to roil the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in the last two months was also a stunning turnaround for O’Brien, 49, who was appointed Manfre’s chief deputy during Manfre’s first tenure as Flagler County Sheriff a decade ago.
Car Overturns on U.S. 1 South of Belle Terre Blvd., Sending 2 to Hospital
A single-car wreck closed U.S. 1’s southbound lanes south of Belle Terre Boulevard for an hour after 4 p.m. this afternoon, and sent Flagler County residents Antoinettte Nikas and Shane Miller to Florida Hospital Flagler.
Flagler School District Will Propose New Tax, Citing Costly Security Needs and Programs
The school board voted 4-1 to ask voters to approve doubling an existing critical-needs levy, to 50 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value–a decision Board Chairman Andy Dance opposed for being too large, citing “school-funding fatigue” among voters.
Sea Change on Bunnell Commission as Tucker and Baxley Are Elected and Henry Loses
Bunnell’s three-way election for the city commission was expected to be close as incumbent Daisy Henry drove in many of her voters herself, while incumbent Elbert Tucker and challenger Bill Baxley looked on from across the road.
Sequestering Florida’s Children And Their Schools
The across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, will slow our economic recovery and cost upwards of a million jobs nationally. But here in Florida, the sequestration knife cuts especially deep, particularly in the already underfunded field of public education, writes Katie Hansen.
Bunnell’s City Election Tuesday: From the Revealing to the Embarrassing
Incumbents Daisy Henry and Elbert Tucker are in a three-way race with challenger Bill Baxley for two seats on the Bunnell City Commission, but, to incumbents’ advantage, few people are paying attention.
For Flagler County Students, a New Tech Academy Without Borders, or Traditional Walls
Instead, the academy will be on the Flagler Palm Coast High School campus and students will also be enrolled at the high school. Dual enrollment will also be offered, which offers students a chance to earn college credits at Daytona State College while in high school.
Proposed Law Would Curtail Palm Coast’s Ability to Convict Red-Light Camera Violators
The proposed law, by Sen. Joseph Abruzzo, would shift the burden of proof of a red-light violation to the government imposing the fine, it would eliminate citations for right-turns on red, and it would require a live, government representative at hearings to prove that a violation took place.
Not a Word on Fire Department’s Unraveling or Future As Flagler Beach Commission Meets
Business droned on as usual at the Flagler Beach City Commission meeting on February 28, with near total silence about an alcohol scandal that gutted this quaint oceanside city’s Fire Department. Neither city staff, nor elected officials talked about the firing of five Fire Department personnel after an independent investigation.
Jamesine Fischer Pleads Guilty in Hit-and-Run, Will Serve 21 to 36 Months in State Prison
Jamesine Fischer Thursday morning pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident with a death, in the hit-and-run killing of 76-year-old Francoise Pecqueur in Palm Coast in November 2011.
Between Firings and Wrist-Slaps: How the Flagler Beach Fire Department Was Gutted
Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell fired the fire chief and four others while retaining Acting Fire Chief Bobby Pace, who falsified records, after a three-day suspension. Volunteer firefighters were hired in the others’ place to ensure that the city remains protected.
From Bankruptcy to Granny Nannies: Navigating the Shoals of Long-Term Care
Long-term care insurance is expensive, but the costs of long-term care are far more so. The experiences of local residents and businesses contending ding with reality almost everyone will eventually face illustrate the dilemmas of aging in a society with a meager safety net. A special report.