What looks like a new school tax on the Nov. 2 ballot is, in fact, the continuation of a tax property owners have been paying all along. The school district still has a battle on its hand to convince voters.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Enterprise Flagler’s Tax-and-Build Plan Bombs as Tea Party Wags a Big No
Not unexpectedly, a tea party crowd of about 250 clearly rejected the proposal, appearing on November’s ballot, to raise taxes to build industrial structures in hopes of getting new jobs.
Palm Coast Will Condemn Private Properties, Muscling Through Bulldog Drive Beautification
Invoking eminent domain is Palm Coast’s latest plan of attack against an immigrant business owner who refuses to sell his parcels at the city’s price.
City OKs Hospital Growth—and Exceptions to Height, Density But Not Sign Rules
In risky allowances by the Palm Coast City Council, Florida Hospital Flagler got almost everything it asked for, opening the way for other businesses to demand the same sort of land-use exceptions.
Austin McElroy, JT’s Seafood Shack Employee for 4 Years, Killed Biking on A1A Saturday Night
The 61-year-old dishwasher and prep cook had worked at the restaurant for some 4 years. He didn’t own a car and lived in a small, nearby place.
Evidence of Violent Child Porn Lands Flagler Beach Man in Jail on $500,000 Bail
Virtually every image or video allegedly found on the suspect’s computer involve pre-pubescent boys and girls in acts indistinguishable from child rape.
Latest Crime Reports
A fight at Ralph Carter Park, Oxycodone fraud, charging an innocent man for $800 worth of Direct TV bills, larcenies, burglaries and DUIs and more.
Joining Palm Coast, County Administration Disputes Arts Foundation’s Conference Center
The tourism council recommends spending up to $50,000 on a marketing study for the center. The county administration disagrees. It’ll be up to county commissioners to decide Monday evening.
7-Year-Old Boy Critical After Crash on Old Kings Road Shears Car in Half
The boy was flown to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach in critical condition. The woman who was driving the car was in stable condition. The wreck took place south of Old Kings Elementary.
Harley Motorcyclist Killed on I-95, Possibly in Hit and Run
Gary W. Audette, 55, was traveling south on his Harley when he lost control late the evening of Sept. 18, veering onto the median of the interstate and flipping several times.
Blaming Poor Sales, Sea Ray Lays Off 170 From Palm Coast Plant; Future Uncertain
The The Brunswick Corp.-owned boat manufacturer is one of the largest and best-paying private employer in Flagler County, and the beneficiary of generous local government subsidies and incentives.
Its Initiative in Flames, Enterprise Flagler Hands Tax-and-Build Plan’s Fate to Tea Party
The Flagler County Tea Party Group will hold a straw ballot on Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build “economic development” initiative on Sept. 21. Enterprise Flagler may then ask the county commission to pull the measure from the ballot.
Hometown Idol vs. Proven Manager: Flagler Beach Commission Splits Over Its Next Pick
After a series of wrangling votes rich in political maneuvering, the commission will re-interview three candidates for city manager–Bruce Campbell, Gary Word and Edward Sealover.
15 Palm Coast Residents Arrested in Oxycodone Bust; State System to Tackle Abuse Is On Hold
All 15 men and women arrested in the prescription-drug bust are from Palm Coast. Three are still at large. A system designed to reduce prescription-drug abuse is on hold.
Janke Offers to Withdraw from Flagler Beach Manager’s Job Amid New X-Rated Allegations
Janke had initially withdrawn from consideration, but reversed course and said he’d leave it up to the commission to determine whether his candidacy was too much of an embarrassment.
Proposed Coral Farm at Matanzas High School Raises Tentacles of Possibilities–and Questions
In an untested, risky arrangement, the proposal would have the school district lease land to a private company that would, in exchange, share some of its profits with the district.
Preliminary SAT Results Show Higher Scores for Flagler’s Class of 2010
In all but math at FPC, students at the county’s two high schools improved when compared with last year’s seniors. Some 1.6 million students took the test in the last round.
Grumpily, Tourist Council Extends Aging Grant for Princess Place Preserve 1 More Year
The $35,000 matching grant from the council was awarded in 2006 to improve the preserve’s museum. It’s been poorly handled since, though the preserve’s value is indisputable.
Goomba’s Ex-Hitman Joey Calco Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison; Calzone Case Ahead
The 10-year sentence is on a gun-possession charge. Calco has yet to go to trial on an assault charge stemming from his alleged attack over a calzone at his former pizzeria.
Revving Up Speed Zones, State Tells Flagler: Manatees More Endangered Than Boaters
A local committee had recommended mostly hand-off, unregulated speeds on the Intracoastal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission staff rejected the approach.
Suspected Burglar’s Flashlight Is Cops’ Beacon in Dave’s A1 Auto Shop Arrest
The glowing flashlight was in a fenced lot at the County Road 200 auto shop late Monday night. The suspect had also allegedly loaded his truck with goods from the store before he was caught.
Carver Gym on the Drawing Board: Rosy Goals, Grayer Certainties
A committee set up to save Carver Gym from the cleaver isn’t lacking for ideas and objectives, but money and ownership remain the unanswered questions.
Bunnell Commissioners Are Excoriated for Doubling Their Salaries While Others Suffer
By doubling their salaries to $9,600 a year, Bunnell commissioners matched the salaries of council members in Palm Coast, a city with 30 times the population of Bunnell.
Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park, Carving Out Tranquility on the Intracoastal, Opens
See a photo gallery of Palm Coast’s newest jewel, the 12th in its collection of parks. It opens Saturday with special booths and walking tours around the 20-some acres.
Shunning Hometown Favorites, Flagler Beach Names Scott Janke Frontrunner for Manager
Scott Janke is the former town manager in Fort Myers Beach, where he was fired last year, through no fault of his own, when his wife was outed as a porn star. They’ve been separated almost a year.
Sheriff Fleming and Rollie Fingers to Headline Sex-Exploitation Prevention Fund-Raiser
The sheriff is the the 2010 recipient of the “Greatest Save” Law Enforcement Award for Florida. Fingers, baseball’s great relief pitchers, will host the $100-a-plate evening.
So Long, Sadie Strickland: Bunnell Centenarian Was Told Flagler Would Devour Her in 1927
Sadie Strickland died on Sept. 10. She was almost 101. Her neighbors thought she and her husband would run back to Georgia in 1927. The neighbors were wrong.
Crime Reports, Sept. 6-12, 2010
The consequences of foreclosures on property safety, an almost-burglary at a pharmacy, Larcenies, stolen vehicles, angry husbands, angry wives, and more.
Sheriff Don Fleming, Art Critic: Tapped to Jury 9/11 Show, He Pays Tribute to Colleagues
Judging an art show was a first for Sheriff Fleming, though the first responders of 9/11 have particular significance for him: as a police chief in New Jersey, he’d worked with nine of the Port Authority cops who died that day.
Hometown Democracy and Class-Size Amendments Spark Up Civic Association Forum
The Flagler Palm Coast Civic Association’s forum featured contrasting views on ballot proposals that would affect class sizes, development laws, and two local taxes.
In 1st of 2 Rounds, County Adopts 14% Tax Rate Increase Against Scattered Criticism
The rate, $5.5905 per $1,000 in assessed value is up from $4.8894 per $1,000; for a $138 million budget that includes 287 county employees, down 64 positions in three years.
With 4 Out-of-Towners, Flagler Beach Resumes Interviews to Fill Manager’s Chair
Last week was the hometown favorites’ time. This week, five of the eight candidates for manager are being interviewed.
County Cuts Supervisor of Elections’ Budget 4.9%, But Keeps It Well Above 2009 Level
The $656,000 budget is 6.7 percent above where it was in 2009, and 43 percent higher than what it was in 2004. Commissioner Milissa Holland dissented from the vote approving Supervisor Weeks’ budget.
Bunnell Rebuffs Sheriff’s Offer to Provide Law Enforcement at 26% Less Than City’s Costs
The Flagler County Sheriff’s proposal to cut Bunnell’s police costs by $260,000 by taking over proved less convincing than commissioners’ emotional attachment to a troubled police department.
In Knotty Deal, County Agrees to 980-Acre Buy from Ginn Co. for at Least $3.25 Million
The county will pay $2.25 million now, $1 million more in 24 months, and potentially $1.25 million more over an undetermined amount of time should the land yield lucrative wetlands credits.
Tourist Tax Increase Clears Key Hurdle With 4-1 County Commission Vote
The Flagler County Commission must now hold a public hearing on the increase of the tax from 3 to 4 percent, but the 4-1 vote suggests the measure is headed for approval.
School Board Approves $166 Million Budget; Tea Party’s Response Is Mostly Decaffeinated
The school board’s final budget adoption hearing was better attended than most ion previous years; questions and comments didn’t necessarily have much to do with the budget.
Memo To Enterprise Flagler: Why Your Tax Plan Is Fumbling (and What To Do About It)
From its message to its messenger, Enterprise Flagler’s tax-and-build plan is facing obstacles and unanswered questions of its own making. It may be too late to reverse opposition, but not too late to do the right thing.
McHenry’s Bar Patrons Foil a Robbery After a Parking Lot Assault Over an Iphone
22-year-old Nicholas Stolinas of Marco Island is in jail on $29,000 bond after an alleged assault and robbery in the McHenry’s Bar parking lot.
Launching 6th Season, Flagler Youth Orchestra Calls on All Students 3rd Grade and Up
The Flagler Youth Orchestra begins its sixth season, with an open house at the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Students 3rd grade and up are welcome.
Crime Reports: Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2010
Yet another case of credit-card skimming, this time in Flagler Beach; Driving intoxicated and with a bag of pot on Belle Terre, a burglary on Bunker Hill, a burglary at a job site on Eric Drive, and more.
Labor Day Fire Demolishes Home by 3rd Hole of Palm Harbor Golf Course
Palm Coast Fire Department unites responded to the single-family home fire around 3 p.m. Monday (Sept. 6). The home belongs to Deborah and Will Morningsun.
Ron Vath Mystery Theater: Flagler Beach Commissioner Takes a Job With FEMA
Ron Vath had applied for the job in April. The job may be permanent, but the postings may not be. He is due back sometime in early fall.
24 Roses in Red, White and Black for Ray Boylan, Mentor Beyond Call and Color
Ray Boylan, who died on Aug. 26 at age 76, was a hero of the Flagler school district’s African American Mentor Program, and its only white mentor. His widow Gail was honored Saturday.
Campana’s First:
FPC Bulldogs 30, Matanzas Pirates 13
First game of the season, full house, the Bulldogs and the Pirates were in something of a dogfight at first before the Bulldogs asserted themselves in spite of the Pirates’ grit.
Ox-Bow Development: Councilman Meeker Sees Palm Coasters as Business-Hunting Posse
Frank Meeker would award $1,000 per job over three years for local residents who convince businesses elsewhere to “uproot” themselves and move to Palm Coast. City staff is studying the idea.
Softball League: Flagler Beach Interviews 3 Hometown Candidates for Manager, Gently
Easy questions, general answers: that sums up the day’s interviews of three familiar faces in Flagler Beach. Commissioner Ron Vath was absent. The show drew a maximum of 20 people.
North By Northwest: State Rejects Palm Coast’s Sprawling Growth Horizon
While the state approved of Palm Coast’s plans to develop the Bulow Creek area, it rejected the city’s planned expansion to its west and northwest, calling it unneeded and fraught with sprawl.
It’s Raining Taxes, Cont’d: Behind Scenes, County Manager Floats Sales Tax Increase
One proposal would increase the half-cent sales tax by a super-majority vote of the county commission, bypassing voters.
3 Local Candidates for Manager on Flagler Beach’s Interviewing Schedule Thursday
See all eight candidates’ resumes, as well as the interviewing schedule of four candidates on Thursday: James P. Gallagher, Caryn Miller, Michael Evans and Bruce Campbell.