S.E. Cline was one of two bidders to out improvements to the River to Sea Preserve park in northeast Flagler. County commissioners approved the contract unanimously.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
John Melvin, 56, of Bunnell, Is Killed in a Motorcycle Wreck on U.S. 1
John Melvin, 56, of Bunnell, was riding his Honda motorcycle south on U.S. 1, just north of the Old Dixie Highway intersection., when he failed to navigate a curve that has seen its share of wrecks over the years.
Only 5 Candidates, Including 4 Incumbents, Apply for 4 Palm Coast Planning Board Seats
Appointments to the influential Palm Coast planning board by the city council can turn into perpetual re-appointments despite the city’s two-term limit, which the council can override with a super-majority vote.
Greg Rawls, Long-Time Face of Economic Development in Flagler, Opts For a New Tribe
Greg Rawls had been Enterprise Flagler’s executive director since 2007 before Palm Coast and Flagler County killed that economic development partnership, and Flagler formed its own, where Rawls worked as a manager. He’ll be working for Creek Indian Enterprises in Alabama.
A 21-Year-Old With Mental Health Issues is Tased, Twice, and Jailed Rather than Baker-Acted
The family of Cameron Anderson doesn’t understand why the 21-year-old, who had mixed medication with drink and threatened to kill himself, was jailed instead of being Baker-Acted, as people who threaten harm to themselves usually are.
Women of the Year: Cindy Dalecki And Rebecca DeLorenzo Take Flagler
Marketing 2 Go’s Cindy Dalecki got the United Way’s Women’s Initiative of Flagler County’s Outstanding Woman of the Year Award and the president’s Volunteer Service Award, while the Flagler Business Women named Flagler Chamber VP Rebecca DeLorenzo its 2012 Woman of the Year.
Ed Skellings’s Death Leaves Florida Without a Poet Laureate for the First Time in 32 Years
A memorial to Ed Skellings will be held at the City Island library in Daytona Beach on Sept. 6 as the Florida State Poets Association lobbies the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott to formalize the poet laureate’s appointment and link it to Florida’s literary and literacy efforts.
After Two Incidents, Secret Service Warns Of Counterfeit Money Circulating in Flagler
At least two incidents involving large cash withdrawals from Bank of America and Prosperity Bank in the past two weeks, each including some fake $100 bills, led the Secret Service to issue the warning for Flagler County.
Rumble in the Jumble: Marking Territory, Flagler Republicans Just Can’t Get Along
John Ruffalo, a member of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies, allegedly used force against a 72-year-old woman to keep her from going into Republican headquarters in the Staples shopping center Saturday, even though she is the wife of the chairman of the Flagler County Republican Executive Committee, and a member of the committee herself.
Almost 27% of Flagler Residents Under 65 Are Without Health Insurance; Reform Would Help
Obama’s health care reform would almost eliminate the proportion of uninsured, but Gov. Rick Scott’s refusal to join reform’s expanded Medicaid eligibility means that many of Flagler’s 16,774 eligible residents will be shut out of the benefit.
Population Explosion at Humane Society as Flagler Favors $200,000 Spay/Neuter Grant
For the Flagler Humane Society, the $100,000-a-year grant over two years would vastly expand a spay/neuter program and help Flagler aim to be a no-kill community, ending animal euthanasia.
Palm Coast Stormwater Fees Going Up 46%, Taxes Stay Level, Most Infrastructure Neglected
With the Palm Coast City Council’s refusal to raise property taxes , the city’s infrastructure will continue to deteriorate, Mayor Jon Netts and the city administration warned. But a majority of council members, led by Frank Meeker–who’s running for a county commission seat–refused to budge.
Palm Coast Child Specialist at Rehab Center for Adolescents Arrested on Molestation Charges
Corey Hodges, 34, a resident of 36 Barrington Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested on charges stemming from interaction with teen-age girls at Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare in Volusia, where Hodges worked. Stewart-Marchman fired Hodges. The charges are the result of a complaint by a 15-year-old girl, a client at the center’s Residential Adolescent Program, where Hodges had started working in February.
Palm Coast Will Require Garage Sales to Be Registered and Pay $5 Fee to Ensure Tracking
Palm Coast will impose a new permitting and fee requirement on garage sales to ensure that residents hold no more than two sales per lot per year, and to provide treasure hunters with a government-based database of garage sales by address and date.
What Six School Cops and $287,464 Buy: Mentor, Counselor, Law Enforcement Officer
A trio of school and sheriff’s officials described to the Palm Coast City Council the impact of six school deputies in Flagler County middle and high schools, but not without triggering questions about what “went wrong” to make the cops necessary on campus.
Farm to Flag: One Commissioner’s Idea to Cultivate Flagler’s Agricultural Powers
Ideally, Farm to Flag would provide fresh foods to public nutrition programs while revitalizing the area’s major agricultural industries, creating more jobs and boosting the local economy through one of its traditional mainstays. But the program is rife with obstacles.
Jack Howell’s Teens-in-Flight Raising $10,000 for Aurora Shooting Victims’ Medical Bills
Jack Howell was incensed to hear that some of the Aurora, Colo., shooting victims would have trouble paying their medical costs. He’ll be flying $10,000 to them in September through a fund-raiser he’s organizing.
Isaac Forces Republican Leaders to Shutter Monday’s Convention Schedule in Tampa
With Tropical Storm Isaac bearing down on Florida, Republican leaders will convene Monday and immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon. Organizers are concerned, in part, about transportation problems as high winds and other storm conditions threaten the Tampa Bay area.
Dominic Mone, 21, Who Drowned Near Flagler Beach Pier Friday, Is Discovered Saturday Morning
Dominic Mone of Orlando went swimming with his older brother in Flagler Beach Friday morning when a wave swept both under. Dominic never resurfaced. The drowning is the first in a lifeguard-protected zone in Flagler Beach in six years.
Flagler Students’ ACT Scores, Reflecting College Readiness, Fall for 4th Year in a Row
If Flagler County were a state, its composite score of 18.6 would rank at the very bottom of the table, below Mississippi’s 18.7, well below the national average of 21.1, and a universe away from the scores of students in New England and the Northeast.
Without Evidence But Plenty of Cash, Palm Coast Approves 52 Spy Cameras, Up from 10
The Palm Coast City Council’s agreement to increase the city’s traffic spy cameras to up to 52 is backed by no crash data and no scientific evidence that the 10 existing cameras improve safety, but Palm Coast stands to make up to $437,000 a year from the new scheme.
Flagler 911: A Mom’s Purse Stolen Under Her Child’s Eyes, and a Prohibitionist Arrested
A purse is stolen in the Publix parking lot from a car, under a 3-year-old child’s eyes, cars are broken into at the Fairfield Inn, a computer-repair scam strikes a Palm Coast resident, a deputy causes a wreck, and more incidents.
Flagler School Board Hails Sales Tax Victory and Revenue But Readies to Lose $2 Million
As Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin took their seats after winning a fourth term, the school board learned that its sales tax revenue was up to $4.2 million, thanks to more sales activity in the county. But the district is also losing at least $2 million from the expiration of an unrelated tax by year’s end.
Skirting Landon’s Flogging of Cline Construction, Palm Coast Awards New Contract
The Palm Coast City Council awarded S.E. Cline Construction a $208,000 contract to build a water-control structure a week after City Manager Jim Landon argued to the council, harshly and publicly, that Cline was falling down on the job.
After 22 Years of Mostly Broken Promises, County Stops Hunter’s Ridge Development
The Flagler County Commission voted unanimously to stop all permitting on the 5,000-acre development that has yet to go beyond promises, while its developer has failed to meet a laundry list of county demands and requirements.
For $50,000, Flagler County Hires Marketing Firm to Buff Up Economic Development
The Flagler County Commission this evening approved a $50,000 contract with Orlando-based Solodev, a marketing and web-design firm that pledges to launch the county’s revamped economic development website by January 2013.
News-Journal Dynasty’s Post-Mortem: Federal Judge Snips Golden Parachutes’ Last Lines
A federal district judge ruled that Georgia Kaney, the News-Journal’s former publisher, and David R. Kendall, its former chief financial officer, must pay almost half a million dollars in legal fees Cox Newspapers incurred to avoid paying the pair $5.5 million in severance, the latest wrinkle in the collapse of the local newspaper dynasty.
Thelma Wagenhoffer, Who Drove Her Car Into Belle Terre Publix, Loses Her License
Thelma Wagenhoffer, the 76-year-old woman who drove her Toyota Camry through the glass entrance of the Publix Supermarket on Belle Terre Parkway on April 14, was found guilty of careless driving Thursday in Flagler County traffic court.
SUV Crosses Belle Terre, Flips Across Ditch And Through Backyard; One Woman Hurt
A Palm Coast nurse’s aid, was at the wheel of her Ford Escape SUV when she lost control going down Belle Terre Parkway at lunchtime and flipped through the backyard of a house on Point of Woods Drive. She was rtaken to Florida Hospital Flagler.
Planning Board Unanimously Backs Big Senior Complex Near Woodlands, Upsetting Many
The recommendation now goes before the Palm Coast City Council, which is expected to approve land use changes to enable the 216-unit assisted and independent living facility despite the conversion of conservation land and traffic issues that concern Woodlands residents.
Two-Week DUI Crackdown Begins on Flagler and Florida Roads as FHP and Sheriff Mobilize
The Florida Highway Patrol and the Flagler County Sheriff’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign begins Aug. 17 and stretching through the Labor Day weekend, which ends Sept. 3. It’s part of a national anti-DUI campaign, but no local checkpoints are scheduled.
Court Clerk Gail Wadsworth Says Hail Mary Worked As Lawmakers Reverse Budget Cuts
In Flagler County, some 20 courthouse employees can go back to working full time after agreeing to furlough themselves down to 37.5 hours a week rather than see one of their own laid off. Courthouse hours that were cut back on July 1 will be restored for the public.
Flagler Beach’s Allen Whetsell Is Kiwanis’s Florida Governor, a First for Flagler and Volusia
Allen Whetsell, the general manager at Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home, a Kiwanian for 30 years and a recent candidate for supervisor of elections, was installed as Governor of the Florida District, giving the service organization its first Flagler governor in 95 years.
Sheriff’s and School Bus Director’s Caution: “Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.”
With Flagler County schools resuming on Thursday, Aug. 15, the sheriff’s office and the school district’s transportation department–responsible for 85 bus routes traveling 8,000 miles a day–are reminding parents, students and all drivers to heighten their prudence. A list of bus routes and times is included.
The Winners: Fleming, Manfre, Holland, Conklin, Dickinson, Wadsworth, Larizza, Corbett, Ericksen, Meeker and the School Tax
Flagler County election results posted live and fresh as soon as they’re tabulated, with rolling analyses of the races.
Woodlands Residents Fear Radical Changes as Grand Haven Proposes New Developments
The Grand Haven developer is looking to plant a 200-bed assisted living facility at the southeast edge of the Woodlands, near their midst, potentially—and radically—changing the complexion of the old neighborhood. The proposal goes before the Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening, at 5:30.
Your Only Job Today: Vote
Polls opened at 7 this morning. They will close at 7 this evening. You have one, brief job today–by far a more important job than sitting at your desk or punching a clock: find your precinct and go vote.
In Two Key Flagler County Races, Candidates Swell Their Coffers With Their Own Money
As the primary campaign culminates with Tuesday’s vote, the races for Flagler County Court Judge and Flagler County Sheriff have overwhelmed all others in money raised and spent, but with notable exceptions, candidates’ own money talked loudest.
Fire Consumes Seminole Woods House That Belongs to a Family of Four
A single-family house on 15 Seaman Trail East in Seminole Woods, belonging to a couple with two young children, was demolished by a fire that started at 3:30 Monday afternoon. A neighboring house was protected. No one was injured.
Florida Hospital Flagler Spared Sister Hospitals’ Fraud Lawsuit and Medicare Penalties
Florida Hospital Flagler came out unscathed by readmission penalties Medicare is levying on 2,000 hospitals, including most hospitals in Florida. FAF was also not among seven sister-Adventist hospitals named in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraudulent billing that a federal judge said last week may now go forward.
Elmer Leroy Goostree of Bunnell in Critical Condition Following US1 Wreck Early Today
Goostree was traveling south on U.S. 1, not far past State Road 100 in Bunnell, when he ran off the road, on a curve, “for reasons unknown,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Second Multi-Vehicle Pile-Up in 2 Weeks, Involving 3 Trailers, on Palm Coast Part of I-95
A tractor trailer overturned in the pile-up and leaked fuel, triggering a hazardous material situation, while two other trailers were damaged and a sedan was nearly demolished, and two of I-95’s northbound lanes were closed for more than seven hours.
Flagler 911: Details on the Buffalo Grove Drive Stand-Off; From Break-in to Arrests
A husband’s alleged battery of his pregnant wife, a car smash-in at Varn Park leads to a double arrest, the stand-off at Buffalo Grove Drive was feared to have entailed a “suicide by cop,” a car is set ablaze by the “Palatka Botys” at Flagler Estates, and a long list of other crimes.
Palm Coast Data Revenue Down Another 20% in Latest Quarter as Parent Company Posts Loss
Palm Coast Data’s entire revenue for 2012 was less than half its revenue for just two quarters barely four years ago, when it signed a job-incentive deal with Palm Coast government and the state of Florida. The promised jobs have not materialized.
Commission Candidates Support a Jail Sales Tax, But Not the Way the County Went About It
Four of the five candidates for the Flagler County Commission agree with renewing the county’s portion of a half-cent sales tax, on the books for 20 years, but they’re very critical of the way the commission opted out of a voter referendum on the issue.
Sheriff’s Deputy Calls on Rodeo Skills to Corral a Mini-Horse Hurdling Traffic in the Mondex
The Flagler County Sheriff’s office sent out an unusually cheeky press release this afternoon, summarizing the capture and repatriation of a lost mini-horse in the Mondex. The horse is not necessarily a friend of sheriff Fleming’s.
In Flagler Commission Race, Ronald Reagan Club Targets Fellow-Republican Meeker
A complaint alleges that Frank Meeker, the Palm Coast council member running for county commission, is violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits employees of any agency receiving federal dollars from running for office. Meeker works for the St. Johns River Water Management District, which gets 0.4 percent of its revenue from the federal government.
Complaint Cites Broad, Harsh Discrimination Against Black Students in Flagler Schools
Flagler County schools are among five Florida districts cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center in complaints filed with the federal Office of Civil Rights, calling for federal investigations into discriminatory punishments that disproportionately target black students.
Uniform Policy Rules and Penalties Dress Up School District’s New Code of Conduct Edition
The Flagler County School Board Monday approved rules and penalties that apply to the district’s new uniform policy. But the Code of Conduct makes many allowances for students who cannot wear uniforms.
Palm Coast Warns of Unlicensed Contractors Soliciting Local Work
The Palm Coast and Flagler County administrations are warning of an increase of unlicensed business activity across the region. Working most trades without a license is against the law. Here’s how to be prepared against unlicensed contractors.