Wilbert Vreen, a 67-year-old resident of Gentle Care Assisted Living in Palm Coast, was arrested early Tuesday morning on allegations that he stabbed his roommate there. The roommate was treated and released from AdventHealth Palm Coast with non-life-threatening injuries, and returned to the facility.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
Raymond Warren, a retired assistant public defender who practiced in Flagler County and the rest of the Seventh Judicial Circuit for decades, reviews the reaction to the hung jury in the Monserrate Terron case and argues why the jury got it right.
Man Points a Gun at Another Driver on SR100, Now Faces Felony and Car Forfeiture
Bryant E. Stanley, 50, was booked at the Flagler County jail overnight on a felony aggravated assault charge stemming from an apparent road rage incident on State Road 100, where he is alleged to have pointed a gun at another driver on Tuesday.
Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
While some other communities have cancelled their celebrations because of state hostility, the fourth annual Flagler Pride Fest will be a three-day celebration this weekend, starting with drag night at Coquina Brewery, a day-long festival at Palm Coast’s Town Center, and the Pulse commemoration at veterans Park in Flagler Beach Sunday.
Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
Flagler County School Board member Will Furry’s posturing about the Flagler Youth Orchestra has nothing to do with the FYO, of which he knows nothing and has no interest. It has to do with FYO’s director’s last name–Tristam–and Furry’s willingness to sacrifice a star district program over his vindictiveness for FlaglerLive.
Flagler School Board Scrutinizes Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Financials At Tuesday Workshop
The financial structure of the Flagler Youth Orchestra came into question on Tuesday at the Flagler School Board’s workshop meeting: the district had failed to audit the orchestra’s financials, even though it’d been written into district policy that such audits should take place. An audit is ongoing.
County All But Derides Flagler Beach’s Plea for Financial Aid to Manage Visitors’ Impact
Flagler Beach government has invited the county and cities to a joint meeting on June 21 where Flagler Beach will make a plea for more money to manage visitors’ impacts on its beaches and infrastructure. But the city’s invitation got a cold and at times nearly derisive reception from the County Commission.
Flagler Beach Man Charged with Home Invasion Armed Robbery Against Ex
Mark Kes, a 39-year-old resident of South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach, is at the Flagler County jail, facing a first-degree felony home-invasion armed robbery charge, and five other felony charges resulting from an alleged intrusion and attack in the early hours of Saturday at the home of the woman who had broken up with him.
After Deadlock on Rape Charges, New Trial for Monserrate Teron Set for July 24
A 12-member jury deadlocked at the end of a four-day trial on May 25, resulting in a mistrial, as two jurors appear to have had doubt–not whether abuse occurred, but whether it occurred in Palm Coast.
Gas Prices Sink as Oil Prices Near Late 2021 Levels
Gas prices in Flagler County and across Florida fell to their lowest level since early April, averaging $3.36 per gallon in the state and the region, with some gas stations in Volusia County selling at just over $3 a gallon.
Take Pride
This Pride Month, there’s not much to be proud of in people who to this day would rather burn than raise the Pride Flag. It’s about time it replaced all those MIA flags in school yards and at courthouses. LGBTQ victims, unlike the mythical missing, are real, and they’re piling up.
Drunk Driver Allegedly Goes Nuts on Deputy After Crashing Into Hydrant
Frank Clement Jr. of Palm Coast, who was drunk, faces a first-degree felony charge after allegedly assaulting a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy by grabbing the deputy’s crotch and twisting his testicles, causing the deputy great pain.
AdventHealth Dedicates New Medical Office Building on Palm Coast Parkway, Ahead of Hospital
AdventHealth Palm Coast hosted a prelude-like opening this afternoon as the medical office building next to the hospital was blessed and dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by physicians, hospital executives and others.
At FPC, Misplaced ‘Man Cave’ Culture and Improprieties Cause Demise of Girls’ Basketball Coach
A Flagler County school district investigation of now-former Flagler Palm Coast high School basketball coach Anthony Wagner found that he had committed various improprieties and acted unprofessionally, resulting in his second written reprimand and his removal from that role. He is also not being recommended for reappointment as a teacher.
Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
An examination of the communications between Waste Pro and Palm Coast illustrates the scope and depth of the two sides’ dispute over recycling bins, with Palm Coast essentially considering their removal a form of theft, and Waste Pro standing by its decision to take back thousands of them. The two sides may be heading to court.
Mom Arrested After Witnesses Report her Brutalizing Her 7-Year-Old Child on A1A
Amanda Hopkins, a 33-year-old Smith Trail resident of Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge late Wednesday night in Flagler Beach after witnesses reported she brutalized her 7-year-old daughter by the side of State Road A1A, near South 6th Street, in what appears to have been a drunken rage.
Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
Neither Florida nor Palm Coast tax electric vehicles’ energy consumption, though EVs drive and damage local roads just as other vehicles do. The Palm Coast City Council, faced with a $52 million road-repair bill over the next five years, is looking for new revenue, and targeting EVs. But they may not be a lucrative source just yet.
251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
Almost a year to the day when the Palm Coast City Council approved the project, Crest Residential broke ground on Wilton Palm Coast, a 251-unit luxury complex split between a quadrangular, four-story building and a few three- and two-story buildings.
As Investigation of Principal Paul Peacock Nears Conclusion, His Absence from Reappointment List Draws Speculation
As an independent investigation into employee complaints against Wadsworth Elementary Principal Paul Peacock concluded, Peacock’s name was absent from the list of administrators to be reappointed next year, raising speculation about his fate. The school board attorney said the list is not complete.
Flagler’s Property Values Still Rose Robustly, Continuing Potential Windfall For Local Governments
Property values didn’t rise as sharply this year as they did in 2022. But the increase is still the second-highest in 16 years, generating substantial new revenue for local government budgets.
Palm Coast’s Belk Converted Into One of 16 Outlet Stores as Company Struggles
Belk has converted its Palm Coast location on Cypress Edge Drive into an off-price outlet store and will host a grand opening on June 3. The outlet has been opened as such since May 16. The retailer itself has been struggling.
Flagler Replaces Confusing Letter-Based Evacuation Zones With Neighborhood Names as Hurricane Season Begins
As the 2023 hurricane season begins–with a forecast of 12 to 17 named storms–Flagler County’s Evacuation Zones A and B and C are a thing of the past, replaced by a more intuitive, neighborhood-named system. Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord previewed the season and a few changes ahead.
Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
A Flagler Palm Coast High School committee of faculty and residents voted 7-0 to keep Becky Albertalli’s The Upside of Unrequited on high school library shelves. It was the last challenge of the year by just three individuals, who had filed 44 challenges to 22 titles, succeeding in having 12 of them removed.
I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
Our tax laws shouldn’t protect giant CEO retirement accounts when my coworkers and I can’t afford to save at all: even after 22 years of working for Walmart, our nation’s largest employer, I can’t afford to retire any time soon.
A Memorial Month for Our Rights
Tuesday begins a month of memorial days as we watch our Supreme Court continue to roll back those very rights soldiers died for, trampling them more effectively than any enemy foreign or, for the most part, domestic, ever has.
Palm Coast’s Darryl Boyer, Running for Renner’s Seat, Appears on Fox & Friends to Talk Trump/DeSantis
Darryl Boyer, the youngest emerging face of Flagler County’s Republican Party and a candidate for the Florida House seat held by Paul Renner in the 2024 election, was a guest this morning on Fox & Friends Weekend, his second appearance in four weeks on the show.
Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
Sgt. Michael Breckwoldt, a 20-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the supervisor of its narcotics unit, is at the center of an allegation that he had a physical altercation with a bar patron and flaunted and abused his power while drunk at a Flagler Beach bar early this morning, claiming he runs the town.
Flagler County’s Local Government Leadership Academy Graduates 13 Professionals
Thirteen executives, managers and professionals from a half dozen local government agencies graduated from the Flagler County Local Government Leadership Academy at a special ceremony at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Operations Center last week.
Peggy Border, For 17 Years Flagler’s Exact and Far-Seeing Elections Supervisor, Dies at 78
Peggy Rae Border, who ran the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office for 17 years with foresight and meticulousness to great acclaim, died on Tuesday surrounded by family, following a long illness. She had been living locally at an assisted living facility for the last few months, and was 78.
Mistrial: Jury Deadlocks in Teron Trial On Rape Charges, Questioning Where Crime Took Place
A 12-member jury this evening deadlocked in Monserrate Teron’s trial on charges that he raped his 7-year-old niece at his Palm Coast home in 2019. Absent a plea, which he has previously turned down, or the victim’s decision not to testify again, the Army veteran and nurse will be tried again.
Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
Waste Pro, in its final week as Palm Coast’s garbage hauler, is driving through neighborhoods and taking back the recycling bins it freely provided residents over the years. The city is considering litigation, and fining the company for every bin it claims.
A Shattering Day for Teron’s Trial on Child Rape Charges as 2 Other Alleged Victims Make Similar Accusations
The prosecution in the trial of Monserrate Teron, 59, rested Wednesday after a series of setbacks for the defense, including two adult women who testified that Teron had done to them, when they were 7 or 8, what he is accusing of doing to a 7-year-old girl in palm Coast in 2019. He faces life in prison if convicted.
Florida Will Publish Annual Index of Books Banned or Challenged in Schools
The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved a new rule that will lead to Florida officials publishing an annual list of library books and instructional materials that have drawn public objections, in a move that the board’s chairman said will “provide transparency for our families.”
On Flagler Schools’ Ban List: The Upside of Unrequited, a Review and a Recommendation
Becky Albertalli’s “The Upside of Unrequited,” about a fat girl’s desperate quest for a date after 26 unrequited crushes, is one of 22 titles on Flagler’s ban list, and the last to be considered by a school-based committee at FPC on Thursday.
11 Year Old Tells Jury Her Uncle Raped Her ‘Multiple Times’; Defense Fails to Impeach Her Credibility
In the trial of Monserrate Teron, accused of raping his 7-year-old girl niece in Palm Coast in 2019, the alleged victim, now 11, testified today, as did her mother, in a powerful day for the prosecution. The defense tried but failed to undercut the girl’s credibility.
In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
The Palm Coast City Council last week approved rezoning 42 acres of greenbelt-designated land to make room for a 180-home single-family residential development that will expand the built-out footprint of Seminole Woods.
Jurors Seated in Teron Sex Abuse Case After a Day of Triggered Anxieties and Traumas
A panel of 12 jurors and two alternates was seated this afternoon at the end of the first day of trial for Monserrate Teron, the 59-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting his 7-year-old niece in Palm Coast in November 2019.
Captain’s BBQ Trial Delayed to February as Both Sides Ask for More Time
The two sides asked for the delay jointly, but not necessarily because a resolution is pending. Rather, each side still has adversarial motions that have yet to be heard in court. Captain’s is also attempting to bring the county back to the mediation table. The county had been resisting. A trial would have been premature, the two sides agreed. The judge granted the delay two weeks ago.
Law Requiring Later School Start Times Is Causing Significant Push-Back from Local Boards
Several members of the Flagler County school board as elsewhere in Florida districts are not thrilled by the late start time for middle schools, or the earlier start for elementary schools. Opposition is focused on expected additional costs.
Hang 8 Dog Surfing Brings Out Throng of a Thousand in Flagler Beach’s Zaniest Contest Yet
The second annual Hang 8 Dog Surfing contest in Flagler Beach this morning drew spectators in the low thousands, double or triple last year’s turnout, as big and small dogs surfed in rough waves then donned costumes for the red-carpet competition. Fifty dogs were registered in total.
School Board’s Sally Hunt Feels Unsafe in Workshops and Asks for Permanent Deputy Security
Without explaining why, and to her colleagues’ surprise, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt told the board she feels unsafe in workshop settings on the third floor of the Government Services Building, and has requested the posting of a deputy there, which would cost the district at least $2,600 a year.
At 2.9%, Flagler Unemployment Continues in Same Low Range for 13th Month, With More than 50,000 Employed
For 13 months running, Flagler County’s unemployment rate has remained steady, fluctuating by a few decimal points between 2.6 and 3.4 percent. In April, it was 2.9 percent in the seasonally unadjusted calculation the state’s labor department released today.
A Tattoo Studio Is Approved Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, But Outdated Stigmas Endure
The fact that Supreme Custom Tattoo on Old Kings Road required a special exception and planning board approval reflects enduring stigmas and stereotypes that still attach to tattoo and body piercing studios, though in studios’ cases, the city is far more accommodating than landlords, who often arbitrarily discriminate against them.
2023 Sheriff’s Gala Raises $130,000 for Employee Assistance as Attorney General Ashley Moody Headlines
More than 180 guests attended the 5th Annual Sheriff’s Gala to benefit the Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Trust at the Hammock Beach Resort including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, raising $130,000.
Palm Coast’s Population at 98,411 in Latest Census Estimate, 18th-Fastest Growing in U.S.
Palm Coast grew 10.3 percent between 2020 and 2022, to 98,411 people, according to the Census Bureau’s latest estimate, released today. The city is on pace to cross well past the 100,000 threshold this year, and based on the last two years’ trend, likely did so in February or March.
LaShakia Moore Is Flagler Schools’ Interim Superintendent. Why Would She Want Permanent Post?
The question LaShakia Moore isn’t yet answering is whether she will apply for the permanent position, which the board hopes to fill by Jan. 1. She enjoys district and community support and respect. Yet the more valid question, given this school board’s volatility, may be: why would Moore want to be the permanent superintendent?
3-2 Vote to Keep Belle Terre Swim Club Open Is Only One More Uncertain Reprieve for Troubled Facility
The Flagler County School Board’s 3-2 vote Tuesday to keep the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club open to the public is only one more extension of uncertain length. The board has yet to decide how long it will keep it open, and on what terms, in essence leaving fundamental questions that have bedeviled the club for years unanswered.
A Federal Lawsuit Is Filed Against Florida School District, Calling Book Bans Unconstitutional
The lawsuit is against the Escambia County School District and its local school board. Plaintiffs include PEN America, powerhouse publisher Penguin Random House, several authors, and parents of children. A remedy: Return books to school library shelves, particularly books considered “targeted,” according to the lawsuit.
In Trial of Man Accused of Raping 7 Year Old, Judge Will Allow Evidence ‘Devastating to Defend’
Monserrate Teron, a 59-year-old nurse and Army veteran, goes on trial Monday on charges of raping a 7-year-old girl. Today, a judge let stand an order allowing the prosecution to question two adult sisters who will testify that Teron abused them in the 1980s similarly to the way he abused the younger girl more recently, complicating the defense.
A Different ‘Battle of the Books’ Cheers Competing Students at Rymfire Elementary
At Rymfire Elementary this morning, it was a very different “Battle of the Books” from the kind that’s been crumpling Flagler County’s school libraries for the last couple of years: this battle was all about the love and joy of reading, as 80 students competed to match blind quotes with any of the 15 books they’d read this year.