The 500-mile-wide Nicole made landfall as a hurricane near Vero Beach around 3 a.m. Thursday, battering Florida’s east coast with damaging waves that have wrecked parts of State Road A1A in Flagler Beach, while swathing parts of the state in tropical storm conditions.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Luke Ingram, 19, Charged In Murder of Grandfather and Assault of Father and Cops in Clermont Ct. Incident
Luke Ingram, a 19-year-old resident of Dunwoody, Ga., was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his grandfather, Darwin Larry Ingram, 85, at 34 Clermont Court early this morning.
Tropical Storm Nicole Took a Toll Along A1A Wednesday, With ‘Devastating’ Beach Impacts Still Ahead
The center of Tropical Storm Nicole was about 300 miles southeast of Flagler Beach in mid-afternoon today, but the vastness of its strength and impacts was apparent up and down Flagler County’s coast, with most pronounced damages to dunes south of the Flagler Beach pier and toward the Flagler-Volusia County line.
Leann Pennington, Theresa Pontieri, Will Furry and Cathy Heighter Win, Half-Cent Tax Passes, Amendments Fail
For Flagler County and Palm Coast, it is an election of new faces: four races, four newcomers to elected office: Leann Pennington won a seat on the County Commission, Theresa Pontieri and Cathy Heighter won seats to the Palm Coast City Council, and Will Furry won a Flagler County School Board seat.
Tropical Storm Nicole: Barrier Island Evacuation Ordered and Shortened School Day Wednesday, Closed Thursday
Tropical Storm Nicole’s path has been edging closer to Flagler County. A hurricane watch was issued for the Flagler County coast late this morning. A tropical storm warning is also in effect for Flagler. Rougher, more hazardous and more damaging effects are expected on the barrier island, but possibly not as violent on the mainland, though rain amounts may be closer to 6 inches for much of the county.
Election Day Opens With Most Ballots Already Cast in Brisk Early and Mail Voting
Polls opened today for the final day of the 2022 election, with nearly 42,000 votes already cast by mail or in early voting in Flagler County. Only a handful of local races are on the ballot.
After nearly 6,000 Flights, County Hails Dana Morris, FireFlight’s Chief Pilot, on Eve of His Retirement
After nearly 6,000 flights and 4,300 flight hours, FireFlight Chief Pilot Dana Morris’s career in Flagler is ending. His co-pilot Todd Whaley gifted him a replica of FireFlight today as the County Commission recognized his 20-yuear career in Flagler.
Barrier Island May Be Evacuated Wednesday Morning as Nicole’s Effects on Flagler Could Repeat Ian’s
Flagler County emergency management officials are cautioning residents of the barrier island, from Flagler Beach to Marineland, to be ready to evacuate as early as Wednesday as sub-tropical storm Nicole strengthens into a hurricane, making landfall in south Florida in the first hours of Thursday. Talks are ongoing possibly to stand up a shelter at the Palm Coast Community Center.
Five Inmates Graduate from Flagler Jail’s Immersive Addiction Recovery Program, for Total of 42
Inmates in the addiction-recovery program live, breathe and eat together at the Flagler County jail, replicating the value of an in-patient recovery program and vastly improving its success rate, as most of those who are released–with follow-up care–do not return to the jail.
Porsche-Driving Man Gets Impatient With Road-Crew Worker–and Drives Into Him
Donald Steimle of Palm Coast faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after driving his Porsche into a flagman at a job site where Steimle allegedly lost patience.
DOT Dumping Sand at South End of Flagler to Protect A1A, But Heart of Flagler Beach Is Defenseless
Workers have been dumping new white sand at the rate of 590 cubic yards a day to buttress the dunes and protect State Road A1A from the Flagler Beach city limit down into Ormond By the Sea. Yet Flagler Beach itself, including the area at the heart of the city that has eroded even more since Hurricane Ian, remains critically defenseless.
Potential Storm Has Flagler Officials Worried About Further Damage to Weakened Dunes
A storm developing east of the Bahamas has Flagler County officials worried–not about a significant wind or rain event, but about higher tides, high waves and further damage to the already weakened dune system along the county’s 18 miles of coastline.
FEMA Dollars May Not Be Enough to Rebuild Pier, State Emergency Chief Guthrie Tells Flagler Officials
Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told a group of Flagler County and Flagler Beach officials that they’ll need to lobby their state representatives for additional money if they hope to have all the funds necessary for an 800-foot concrete replacement pier.
Palm Coast Loses Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon to Cancer Days After He Is Honored for Milestones
The Palm Coast Fire Department’s Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon died today of an inoperable brain tumor less than three months after he was diagnosed, and barely two weeks after he was recognized in a ceremony for earning his paramedic certification. He had just turned 51 on Tuesday.
Flagler Schools Have Been Quietly Banning or ‘Removing’ Many Books Since Summer in Bow to ‘Moms for Liberty’
The school district has been quietly and steadily banning books from library shelves at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High, and at Indian Trails and Buddy Taylor middle schools since summer, FlaglerLive has found, with every title part of a list of challenges from just three members of the group known as “Moms for Liberty.” There is no indication that the challengers are reading the books, but they have been asked to join the district’s review committee.
Brittany Myers, Former NICU Nurse, Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison Over Child Beatings
Brittany Ann Myers, the 39-year-old former neonatal intensive care nurse and mother of five, was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison followed by three years on probation for brutalizing her 14-year-old son, acts captured on video by the boy’s sister.
The Next Medical Examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam: Powerful Panel Narrows List of Candidates to 5
The committee tasked with recommending a new medical examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam County this morning narrowed its search to five applicants who will be interviewed for the $320,000-a-year job on December 6 in St. Augustine. The five candidates are Kent Harshbarger, Keng-Chih Su (he goes by Kenny), Stacey Simons, Catherine Miller and Wendolyn Snead.
‘A Failed Model Ends Today,’ Recovery Pioneer Says in Flagler Launch of New Drug Treatment
Dr. Kenneth Scheppke, a state health official, appeared in Flagler County alongside others in a formal launch of a $1.3 million, medically assisted drug-addiction treatment system called Coordinated Opioid Recovery, or CORE. Flagler is one of 12 counties in the state to enact the program.
Sheriff’s SWAT Team Assists FBI in Serving Warrants in ‘Multiple Locations’ in Flagler
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team joined agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation early this morning to serve warrants in “multiple” locations around the county, Sheriff Rick Staly said. But details about the operation, as is common when federal agents are the lead agency, are scant to none.
Higher Proportion of Flagler Democrats Are Voting Than GOP, But Still Not Enough to Outnumber Advantage
The perception is that Democrats appear to be sitting on their hands. They’re not: they’re outvoting Republicans, but only in proportion to their registration numbers, not in ballots cast. Since there are so many more registered Republicans than there are Democrats in the county, Democrats’ slight enthusiasm edge has not been nearly enough to compensate for the huge gap in actual ballots cast by Republicans.
Halloween Hangover: Gas Prices Will Jump at Least 25 Cents Tuesday as Election Ploy Ends
The GOP-dominated Florida Legislature and the Biden administration have both manipulated gas prices ahead of the 2022 election, with a gas-tax cut in Florida that ends tonight, sending prices soaring 7 percent overnight, and continued releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, now at its lowest since 1984.
Churches Are Breaking the Law by Endorsing in Elections, Experts Say. The IRS Looks the Other Way.
For nearly 70 years, federal law has barred churches from directly involving themselves in political campaigns, but the IRS has largely abdicated its enforcement responsibilities as churches have become more brazen about publicly backing candidates.
Will Furry Chooses Sleaze. Again.
Will Furry, the candidate for Flagler County School Board in the race he’s contesting against Courtney VandeBunte, is running a sleazy campaign funded by deceptive PACs and rich in lies and fabrications. Yet he calls it his “journey of faith.”
Witches in Bunches Ride the Streets as Flagler Beach Creates New Brew For Art’s Charms
The first Witches of Flagler Beach Bike Ride surprised residents and drivers along a 2.5-mile circuit in the city this morning as some 30 witches on bikes took to the streets, an event organized by the fledgling Flagler Beach Creates, a volunteer organization focused on enriching the city’s public art and culture.
Dangerous Flagler Beach Pier Is Condemned, Demolition Moved Up As Hazards Worry City Officials
With repair costs pegged at $2 million over 14 months and dangerous collapses possible, the Flagler Beach City Commission agreed to condemn the rickety pier and wall it off, accelerating a demolition schedule in preparation for the construction of a $15 to $18 million, 800-foot concrete pier that could be completed in late 2025.
FEMA and Flagler Open ‘Disaster Recovery Center’ at County Fairgrounds
Flagler County Emergency Management has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), which will open a “Disaster Recovery Center” on Saturday, October 29, at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell.
Courtney VandeBunte, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Courtney VandeBunte is in a runoff election for the open District 2 seat on the Flagler County School Board, facing Will Furry. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in the race.
Will Furry, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Will Furry is in a runoff election for the open District 2 seat on the Flagler County School Board, facing Courtney VandeBunte. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Inmate with Competency Issues Is Tased Twice Into Submission After Challenging Deputies With Broken Plunger
Isaac Brevil, 35, whose competency has been ordered examined by a Flagler court, was twice tased and subdued in a violent scuffle with deputies at the county jail after he allegedly broke a plunger, turned it into a weapon and attempted to stab a deputy with it.
City Repertory Theatre and Beau Wade Drag ‘Charley’s Aunt’ Onto the Stage
“Charley’s Aunt,” a favorite farce for over a century, the play is laugh-out-loud fun from start to finish. Written by the Liverpool-born British playwright and actor Brandon Thomas, the play premiered in England in 1892, broke the then-current record for longest-running play worldwide, landed on Broadway in 1893 and later toured internationally. It has been revived ever since, as well as adapted for films and musicals.
Carlos DuPree, 36, Sentenced to Life in Prison for Armed Home Invasion in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Carlos DuPree, a St. Louis man who’d been in Palm Coast just 10 days the night he said he wanted to buy $400-worth of pot at a house on Prospect Lane, was sentenced to life in prison this afternoon at the end of a four-day trial on six charges, including armed robbery during a home-invasion on Prospect Lane.
Flagler Cares Awards $800,000 in 1st Round of Social Service ‘Catalyst’ Grants
Flagler Cares on Wednesday announced its inaugural “catalyst fund” grants totaling $800,000 to three organizations that will each provide needed social services in Flagler County–for teens suffering from anxiety and depression, for individuals and families recovering from abuse or other forms of dislocation, and for the food-insecure.
At Post-Ian Town Hall, Flagler Beach Projects Resilience, Public Is More Guarded
The city’s message was: Between city preparedness, the mobilization of volunteers, the city’s (and the county’s) continuing luck and ongoing planning for recovery, Flagler Beach made it through with limited damage but to its pier and beaches, which are unrecognizable. Some residents were a bit less cheery.
Developer Planning 750-Home Subdivision, One of Palm Coast’s Largest, at SR100 and Old Kings Road
In what would be one of the largest developments in Palm Coast, a company is applying to build up to 750 upscale single-family homes in a Grand Haven-like gated community over 500 acres stretching from State Road 100 north, parallel to Old Kings Road.
Alan Lowe, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Alan Lowe is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Theresa Carli Pontieri. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Theresa Carli Pontieri, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Theresa Carli Pontieri is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 2, running against Alan Lowe. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Housing Market in Flagler and Palm Coast Beginning to Feel Sharp Pain of Rising Interest Rates
House prices are falling. So are the number of sales. Houses for sale are staying on the market longer. The supply of houses is rising. If the downward trend continues, the implications will have a pronounced ripple effect on a local economy still substantially dependent on construction and real estate, on demographic projections, and on the timing of school construction planned for later this decade.
Flagler County Voters Will Vote on Whether to Retain 11 Judges, Most of Whom They’ve Never Heard Of
On the Nov. 8 ballot, 11 of the 26 boxes where voters will be asked to fill an oval are retention votes in judicial elections for five Supreme Court and six appeals court judges. They’re not races. Voters are merely asked: should so-and-so “be retained in office” or not. It’s the merit-retention system. In the overwhelming majority of cases, voters have no idea who those names, and the judges are invariably retained.
Report Describes Flagler Beach Pier as ‘Unsafe’ and Partly in Ruins, Calling for Keeping It Off Limits
Even under the parts of the pier that remain, piles have disappeared, bracing has been severely damaged, and hardware even on parts of the pier closer to the shore–parts not made of stainless steel–has failed. The entire structure is severely damaged to the point that further collapses of sections of the pier during mildly heavy seas would not be surprising.
Cody’s Corner Is Again the Scene of a Fatal Crash as 44-Year-Old Woman is Killed in T-Bone
Cody’s Corner, the intersection of State Road 11 and County Road 304 in southwest Flagler County, was again the scene of a fatal crash Sunday afternoon as a 44-year-old woman lost her life in a t-bone collision.
Trump-Appointed Judge Refuses to Block Florida Law Muzzling Gender ‘Instruction’ In Schools
Skirting merits of the law by citing lack of standing, U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger refused to block school districts from carrying out a new state law that restricts instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. She rejected arguments by parents, students and a non-profit organization.
Cell Tower Company Applies for Exception to Build 150-ft. Monopole off Club House Drive, Setting Up Clash
A cell tower construction company has filed an application for a special permission to build a 150-foot tower off Club House Drive in Palm Coast, a proposal some neighboring residents have opposed, but that city officials see as critical for improvements of cell reception and public safety communications.
Fernando Melendez Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Fernando Melendez is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 4, facing Cathy Heighter. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Cathy Heighter, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Cathy Heighter is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council in the District 4 race. She faces Fernando Melendez. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Some Circle K Stores Will Pair Up With Medical Pot Dispensaries, But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet
Green Thumb Industries announced today it will begin selling medical marijuana at certain Circle K gas stations and convenience stores in Florida starting next year. But the pilot program is limited to just 10 of the 600 Circle K locations in the state. The locations of what the company calls a “test and learn” approach have not yet been announced.
Leann Pennington, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Leann Pennington is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 4, facing Independent Jane Gentile-Youd in the Nov. 8 general election. Pennington defeated first-term incumbent Commissioner Joe Mullins in the Aug. 23 primary with 69 percent of the vote.
Palm Coast’s First Fall Arts Festival in Central Park Saturday, With Spotlight on Local Artists
Palm Coast government and the Palm Coast Arts Foundation are hosting the first Fall Arts Festival in Central Park in Town center Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free. And the focus will be on local artists.
Jane Gentile-Youd, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Jane Gentile-Youd is an independent, or no-party affiliation, candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 4, in the general election on Nov. 8. She faces Leann Pennington. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race, regardless of party affiliation or residency location.
School Boards Now Required to Out LGBTQ Bathrooms and Muzzle Discussions of Gender and Race
County school boards and charter schools will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms, and teachers could be fired if they violate two controversial new laws muzzling discussion of gender identity and racial matters.
At Flagler Tiger Bay, Bluish State Attorney Aronberg Talks Trump Prosecutions, Death Penalty and Election Predictions
Part stand-up, part roast, part prognosticator, and always the analyst, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a Democrat, dove right in as he faced a decidedly Republican crowd in his appearance at Flagler Tiger Bay today, talking about Donald Trump and Hunter Biden prosecutions, predictions for the coming election, and his view on the death penalty and the Nicholas Cruz verdict.