Joan Naydich, the former teacher’s aide at Matanzas High School, described how Brendan Depa destroyed her life at 10 o’clock that Tuesday morning in 2023, when the then-17-year-old special education student rushed her as she was leaving his classroom–after he spat on her–knocked her unconscious and pummeled her, all on video.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Flagler County and Ormond Beach Will Hold Extraordinary Meeting in Hopes of Resolving Dispute Over 1,750 Feet
The Flagler County and Ormond Beach city commissions will meet on May 16 in hopes of resolving a lawsuit Ormond Beach filed against the county, disputing Flagler’s use of a 1,750-foot stretch of dirt road on Ormond Beach’s side of the county line, through conservation land the county manages.
Jayden Jackson, 21, a Sheriff’s Deputy’s Son, Is Arrested in Hit-and-Run Death of Shaunta Cain on U.S. 1
Jayden Ikaika Jackson, the 21-year-old son of a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested on Monday on a first-degree felony charge of hit-and-run causing the death of 51-year-old Shaunta Cain in late 2022.
Veranda Bay Says It’s Ready to Annex Into Flagler Beach; Its 2,700 Future Homes Will Double City’s Size
Ken Belshe, who represents Veranda Bay, the planned 2700-home development along John Anderson Highway, told Flagler Beach’s city attorney in an email that voluntary annexation is a go. The city had been assiduously pursuing Veranda Bay to annex, amending its annexation ordinance to make it possible, courting Belshe with what amounted to a love letter, and with not a little bit of anticipatory drool, sharply increasing its development impact fees that would disproportionately be generated from Veranda Bay.
Man Accused of Woodlands Murder Judged Incompetent for Trial. State Hospital Won’t Take Him. Now What?
Charles Kidd, the 86-year-old former resident of 20 Blare Drive in Palm Coast’s Woodlands, where he is accused of shooting and killing 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier last August, has been deemed incompetent to stand trial and ineligible for restorative treatment that could bring him back to court to face a second degree murder charge.
‘I Love You Mayor’: Palm Coast’s David Alfin Gets a Warmer Reception at Coffee Talk Than at Council
Based on the pillorying he regularly gets from the floor at Palm Coast City Council meetings, David Alfin can look like a mayor more embattled than front-running barely three months from an August primary. Judging from this morning’s town hall-style “Coffee Chat” with Alfin at Panera Bread, where he was warmly received, reports of Alin’s demise may be premature. “I love you Mayor” isn’t something you hear at council meetings lately. It was heard this morning.
Bunnell Man and His Family Wake Up to Find Ex at Foot of His Bed With a Knife, Ready to Attack
It is among the worst imaginable situations in one’s home: to wake up and see an armed, threatening assailant at the foot of the bed. It was even worse for R.G. and his family: his two young children were in the bedroom, as was his girlfriend. The assailant clenching a knife was his ex-wife, Melinda Gould, 40, who’d previously faced a stalking charge, and who earlier that night had been on the hunt for a gun. She now faces five felonies, one of them punishable by up to life in prison.
Chief Engert: How Flagler County Jail Stepped Up to Ensure Brendan Depa’s Continuing Education
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and its jail were not responsible for the education of Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student arrested over a year ago on a charge of aggravated battery of a school employee. Nevertheless, the jail, under the supervision of Chief Daniel Engert, has ensured that a team of volunteers and professionals have continued Depa’s education, with notable and continued successes.
Why Do Your Groceries Cost So Much? Price-Gouging, Not Inflation.
According to a new report by the Federal Trade Commission, the largest grocery retailers — which include Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon, which owns Whole Foods — used the pandemic as an excuse to raise prices across the board. The same is true for big agribusinesses like Tyson Foods and DuPont, which sell the lion’s share of meat products and seeds. These giant companies wrote themselves a blank check during Covid, which they now expect us to pay for.
Brendan Depa’s Sentence: Neither Vengeance Nor Mercy. Only Humane Justice.
On May 1 Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will sentence Brendan Depa on a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. The punishment will be nowhere near that: the sentencing guidelines don’t call for it, the incident doesn’t warrant it, and Perkins is not a hanging judge. The question is whether he will impose any prison time, and whether reason and justice, not mercy or vengeance, will prevail.
Palm Coast’s Alan Avellan Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison Over Secret Videos of a Child and Overt Sexual Acts
Alan Avellan Jr., the 38-year-old Palm Coast resident arrested last year on charges of casting pornographic videos to a television that children were watching in his house, was sentenced to three years in prison followed by eight years on sex-offender probation, and was designated a sex offender for life. He pleaded guilty to eight felonies that added up to a maximum of 70 years in prison, resulting from his abuse of children’s privacy and his own inappropriate acts in their presence.
Freudian Slip: City Rep’s ‘Hysteria’ Takes Farcical Look at Dali’s Meeting with “Father of Psychoanalysis”
British playwright Terry Johnson reimagined an actual, historically documented meeting between the 81-year-old Freud–father of psychiatry–and the 34-year-old Salvador Dali–the indomitable surrealist–into “Hysteria,” an intellectual farce that City Repertory Theatre’s John Sbordone calls “one of the funniest things that CRT has ever done.”
Majority of Palm Coast Council Candidates Oppose Pre-Election City Manager Hire, Others Fence-Sit, with Nuances
Six of the 11 non-incumbent candidates running for three Palm Coast City Council seats oppose the council’s decision to hire a new city manager before this year’s elections, which will turn over at least two of the council’s five seats, and possibly three, if Mayor David Alfin is not re-elected. Three candidates are on the fence about it, seeing strong arguments on both sides. Only one favors the hire outright.
17-Year-Old Runaway from Wisconsin and Companion Found in Palm Coast and Arrested for Car Theft
A 17-year-old adolescent reported missing out of Green Bay, Wis., and an 18-year-old woman from that state were found in Palm Coast and arrested for grand theft auto. The vehicle belongs to the adolescent’s father, who had been traveling, and who’d locked away the keys.
Ethics Commission Dismisses Conflict of Interest Claims Against Palm Coast Council’s David Alfin and Ed Danko
The Florida Ethics Commission last Friday dismissed a pair of complaints claiming that Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and City Council member Ed Danko, the vice mayor, voted on matters in which they had a conflict, and did not disclose it. The commission found the complaints legally insufficient.
Lawsuit Blames Flagler Schools’ Failure to Address Brendan Depa’s Known Needs and Risks Before Attack on Aide
Brendan Depa, the now-18-year-old former Matanzas High School student captured on surveillance video attacking his teacher’s aide 14 months ago, filed suit today against Flagler County schools, accusing the district of failing to properly address his behavioral end mental disabilities, to properly train the staff in charge, or to provide legally required educational supports. The failures led to a grave but foreseeable, violent incident, the lawsuit states, injuries to the aide, and the prospect for prison for Depa.
Flagler County’s Tourism Revenue Dips 6.4% in Last 6 Months as Covid-Era Surge of Visitors Dissipates
Tourism tax revenue in Flagler County is down 6.4 percent in the first six months of the fiscal year–October through March–as vacation rentals and leisure-room occupancy in local hotels has fallen after what Tourism Director Amy Lukasik describes as the “record-breaking years of Covid, when Florida remained an open destination as other states and countries took safer and saner protections for their residents.
For Palm Coast Council, ‘Utopian’ Goals on Roads, Parks, Arts and Jobs Clash with Fixation on Reducing Tax Rate
The Palm Coast City Council has narrowed its goals for the coming year to 12. It is an ambitious, immediately contradictory list that starts with limiting government revenue by way of a rolled back tax rate as a goal, then goes on to outline costly initiatives the administration has not been able to address in line with demand for lack of money: road repairs, swale repairs, more money for arts and culture, advancing the dredging of saltwater canals, implementing the parks master plan, and so on.
Looking Past ‘Some Real Losers Over the Years,’ Bunnell Mayor Robinson Delivers a Buoyant State of a City
“I’ve been on this board a long time. And we’ve had some real losers on this board over the years,” Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson said with remarkable candor Monday evening, speaking from a dais at the Government Services Building that has known its share of losers, not just from Bunnell government: the County Commission and the School Board also hold their meetings there. She had just delivered a celebratory State of the City address.
With One Exception, Palm Coast Council is Not As Eager for Repeat of Rolled Back Tax Rate This Year
Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko is pushing for rolling back the city’s tax rate for the second year in a row, but other council members, especially Theresa Pontieri, is resisting, citing increasing demands from residents for such services as road repairs and the sheriff’s request for nine additional deputies, costs that would be harder to meet if the rate was rolled back.
For Derrius Bauer, Co-Defendant in Circle K Murder, a Choice Between Risking Life in Prison and a Grim Deal
The guilty verdict and sentencing of Marcus Chamblin last week in the shooting death of Deon Jenkins did not end that case. Derrius Bauer, his co-defendant, is scheduled for trial in September. Bauer previously refused a plea deal or to be a witness for the state, against Chamblin. He is now paying the price of loyalty, having few options, none of them likely to foreclose on a fate similar to Chamblin’s.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Attacking a Woman, Then Breaking Into Her Ex’s Home and Attacking Him
Christian Michael Smith, a 25-year-old resident of Quarter Horse Lane in Bunnell, faces two felonies, including one punishable by life in prison, on accusations that he briefly imprisoned and assaulted the mother of his child, then drove to the Palm Coast home of the same woman’s ex, with whom she also has a child, broke in, and assaulted him there.
Construction Begins on $24 Million, 1.3-Mile Seawall at South End of Flagler Beach, Adding to City’s Clangs
Flagler Beach might as well be known as Construction City for the rest of the year. The second, but nowhere near last, gargantuan project to clang the city began today as the Florida Department of Transportation’s contractors started work on a $24 million, 1.3-mile seawall at the south end of Flagler Beach–what will be the longest sea wall the city has ever known, though it won’t necessarily be visible when completed.
Flagler Beach Will Declare April Sisco Deen Month in Perpetuity as Scholarship Takes Historian’s Name
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday is set to be the first city to declare April “Sisco Deen Month” in perpetuity, in honor of the archivist and long-time member of the Flagler County Historical Society, who died last August at 83. Deen was a Flagler Beach resident.
The Dis-Education of Brendan Depa
Brendan Depa, the now 18-year-old former Matanzas High School student to be sentenced on May 1 on a first-degree felony count of assaulting a teacher’s aide, is alone being punished for what in fact amounts to a systematic and catastrophic failure, on the part of Matanzas High School and district officials, to follow Depa’s Individualized Education Program, which set out guidelines and requirements on how to contend with his mental health issues.
Typical House Will Cost $5,000 More in Flagler Beach as City Approves Series of New Impact Fees
It’ll cost builders $5,000 more to build the typical 1,500 to 2,000-square foot house in in Flagler Beach, a cost that will be passed down to buyers of new homes, as the city commission last week approved an increase in water and sewer impact fees and instituted new impact fees for fire, police, the library and parks and recreation.
Flagler Unemployment Holds at 4.1% as Local Home Sales Near 4-Year Low and Time to Contract Hits 8-Year High
Flagler County’s March unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent for the third straight month, remaining above 4 percent for six of the last eight months even as county residents netted 134 new jobs and the number of the unemployed remained flat. The slowing pace of new workforce residents is reflected in the slowing pace of home sales, which are near a four-year low. That is one of several local economic indicators that, should they persist, may be of concern to those in the housing industry.
Why Is Palm Coast Backroom-Dealing Tax Incentives with a Private Company?
Palm Coast is in the middle of a secret deal with an Atlanta-based company called DC Blox, which bought 34 acres in Town Center for $3.3 million last fall. It plans to build a data center there to land several undersea internet-data cables, by way of Flagler Beach. The city and the county are cooking up some kind of tax incentive with the company. We don’t know how much. We don’t know for how long. Presumably, we’ll find out only when the deal is sealed.
Construction of Roundabout at Cody’s Corner, One of Flagler’s Deadliest Intersections, Begins Monday
Finally, construction of the roundabout first planned in 2018 at Cody’s Corner–the intersection of State Road 11 and County Road 304, one of the deadliest in the county–begins Monday. The roundabout is the result of two studies that confirmed what local residents have always known: the intersection is a magnet for crashes, with six deaths there since 2014–two in 2022 alone–and 15 injuries.
Tempers Again Flare at School Board Over Disagreement and Misunderstanding of Members’ Roles
Signaling continuing tensions underlying the dynamics of a sharply divided Flagler County School Board, tempers again flared among its members Tuesday evening over the right of members to speak their mind–or not–as Cheryl Massaro inaccurately accused Will Furry, the chair, of violating rules by addressing a recent vote in an Observer letter to the editor and Christy Chong accused her of being a bully.
Palm Coast Approves Final Regulatory Step in 4 Developments Totaling 533 Single-Family Homes
The Palm Coast City Council in rapid-fire succession Tuesday approved the final step clearing the way for four developments totaling 533 single-family homes, the final-plat approval that essentially means lots will be sold and homes built on infrastructure and according to plans that won regulatory approval several years ago. Some of the developments were more dormant than others.
After Trickle of Interest, All 5 Applicants Are Appointed to Palm Coast’s ‘Drainage Advisory Committee’
Only six people applied to be members of the Palm Coast Citizens Drainage Committee, few of them part of the vocal throngs, and one withdrew before the council had a chance to make its choices. The advisory committee required a minimum of five members and at least one alternate, and could have had as many as nine members and two alternates. Given the dearth, the council had no choice but to appoint all five members when it made that decision on Tuesday.
Bunnell Man Faces 2 Felony Child Abuse Count After Accusations He Recklessly Slung Occupied RV Around
Michael Gambino, a 51-year-old resident of Hibiscus Street in Daytona North, faces two felony child abuse counts and a battery count after his family accused him of intentionally driving recklessly as he towed the RV in which his wife and her two children were huddling. His wife called police from the RV while Gambino was still driving.
School District Still Cagey About $719,000 It Lost to Fraud, But Lawsuit Possible as Details Emerge in Drips
Six months after it was defrauded of $719,000 in a conventional phishing scheme, district officials had little to disclose in an update to the school board, though about $20,000 was recovered and a board member suggested that a lawsuit may be ahead in hopes of recovering more. The money was due the construction company building the Matanzas High School addition.
No July 4 Fireworks in Flagler Beach Until 2027, But City Intends to Reconquer the Day, and the Skies, That Year
Flagler Beach hasn’t had July 4 fireworks since 2019. It will not have them again until 2027, by which time the pier, the boardwalk and the beach will have been rebuilt, assuming hurricanes, which have a malicious mind of their own, don’t interfere. But the city is intent on staking its place as the home of July 4 fireworks in that future when it is able to host the blasts again, restoring that old tradition.
A 59-Year-Old Woman Dies After Getting Pinned By Her Rolling Car at South End of Flagler County
A 59-year-old woman lost her life when she was pinned by her rolling car on an isolated property on Strickland Road and Boice Lane at the south end of Flagler County late Monday night.
The Marcus Chamblin Trial in Pictures
A pictorial documentation of the six-day trial of Marcus Chamblin on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Deon Jenkins, featuring all the main participants and some of the evidence, traces the trial’s development from jury selection to its conclusion today (April 15), when Jenkins was found guilty and sentenced to prison.
Marcus Chamblin Found Guilty in Murder of Deon Jenkins; He Is Immediately Sentenced to Life in Prison
After deliberating for just 48 minutes, a stunningly short amount that betrayed the inevitability of the case, a jury of 12 today–eight women, four men, three of the jurors black– found Marcus Avery Chamblin guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Deon O’Neal Jenkins the morning of Oct. 12, 2019 at the Circle K off Palm Coast Parkway. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Rest Easy: Florida Law Erases and Bans All References to Climate Change
You probably think Ron DeSantis and the yahoos, grifters, simps, dolts, and dunderheads who populate the Florida Legislature are collectively incapable of solving even one of the bazillion issues facing this state. But the Legislature has figured out how to fix climate change. Your bought-and-paid-for Legislature has delivered a bill that amends Florida statutes to delete all references to climate change. Thanks to them, climate change is gone. Erased. Kaputt. Ya no es. C’est fini.
Evading Usual Bill-Signing Spectacle, DeSantis Kills Local Efforts to Protect Workers from Florida’s Brutal Heat
Gov. Ron DeSantis has quietly signed into law a measure barring local governments from requiring employers to provide workers with basic protections like shade, accessible water, and breaks from the Florida’s scorching heat and humidity.
Prosecution Stumbles to an End in Chamblin Trial for Murder as Star Witness Confounds Both Sides
The prosecution in the trial of Marcus Chamblin for the murder of Deon O’Neil Jenkins outside a Palm Coast Circle K in 2019 drew circles of circumstantial evidence around Chamblin, some of it damning, as the evidence portion of the case stumbled to an end on the fifth day of trial today. But the defense was also effective at showing the state’s flawed star witness to have lied often. The jury went home for the weekend. Closing arguments, deliberations and a verdict are expected on Monday.
Arrogance and Contempt in Palm Coast Council’s Election-Year Dash for New City Manager
The Palm Coast City Council’s rush to hire a new city manager mere months from an election that will turn over two, possibly three seats, shows mistrust of the acting manager, contempt for voters and the new council they’ll choose, and pathological arrogance on the part of current council members. The mayor knows better.
Not All Tornado Warnings Are Treated Equal, But Parents and Faculty at Indian Trails Middle Weren’t Told
A tornado warning localized to a particular area of Flagler County on Thursday but broadcast countywide on cell phones left faculty members and volunteers at Indian Trails Middle School anxious and in the dark about the school’s lack of response as the storm raged outside, or any effort to voice explanations or reassurances over the PA system: what parents and other did learn from the district was not issued until two hours after the fact.
Excavation Underway in L Section as Part of $9.2 Million London Waterway Project
The City of Palm Coast Stormwater and Engineering department began major excavation efforts as part of the $9.2 million London Waterway Expansion project, which will increase stormwater storage capacity and provide water quality benefits in the city’s London, Jefferson and Belleaire waterways, located in the city’s L and B sections.
Local Governments Ask Court to Dismiss Suit by ‘Disgruntled Citizen’ Challenging Carver Center Agreement
The three local governments and one agency that each have a role in funding or running the Carver Center in South Bunnell have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them filed by what they call a “disgruntled citizen” who doesn’t like the Flagler County Sheriff’s Police Athletic League’s involvement at the center, and who they say has no standing to sue.
In Chamblin Trial, 2 Prosecution Witnesses Puncture Its Own Claim that Catastrophic Argument Had Preceded Murder
The prosecution in Marcus Chamblin’s trial on a murder and attempted murder charge did not have a good day Wednesday as two of its own key witnesses punctured prosecutors’ claim that the victim, Deon Jenkins, was killed as a result of a catastrophic argument. Both witnesses said that if there’d been an argument, it was petty–not the sort of argument that would cause a man to track him down and fire 16 bullets from an AK-47-style assault rifle, killing him.
Should Palm Coast’s Saltwater Residents Pay Special Tax for Dredging? Survey Will Ask.
The Palm Coast City Council has placed the city’s 26 miles of saltwater canals on its list of priorities for next year. But don’t confuse that just yet with dredging the canals. The city doesn’t yet know what must be dredged and at what cost except in the most general terms, and doesn’t know how to pay for it all. It will survey resiodents to get some clarity on how to proceed.
Flagler Free Clinic Is Recipient of $100,000 Gift from Hammock Dunes Cares
The Flagler Free Clinic today announced it received a $100,000 donation from Hammock Dunes Cares, the none-profit arm of Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast.
Defense Argues Cops Bought Testimony to Accuse the Wrong Man in Circle K Murder of Deon Jenkins
The defense attorney for Marcus Chamblin, who faces life in prison if convicted of the murder of Deon Jenkins at a Palm Coast Circle K in 2019, argued to the jury that the state bought and paid for the testimony of the real killer and built its case around that, while accusing Chamblin and another man.
Cheryl Massaro Opts Out of School Board Race, Leaving District 5 Field to Vincent Sullivan and Lauren Ramirez
Flagler County School Board member Cheryl Massaro decided today not to continue what had been a halfhearted campaign for re-election to a second term and opted out of the race, leaving the District 5 field to Palm Coast attorney Vincent Sullivan and long-time Belle Terre Elementary PTO President Lauren Ramirez. At least so far.