The Flagler County Commission Thursday evening voted unanimously to hire Michael Rodriguez, a lawyer with 28 years’ experience, much of it in local government, as its next county attorney, replacing Al Hadeed, who retires in two weeks. The unanimous vote masked reluctance among some commissioners to immediately make the choice, which was made more by default than by acclamation.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Motorcyclist, 62, Is Killed in Crash After Striking Median on A1A Near Surf Club
A 62-year-old motorcyclist died at midday Thursday when he ran his motorcycle into a median, crashing on State Road A1A near the intersection with Old A1A, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Rising Again 2 Years After Demolition as County Secures Leaseholder for New Restaurant
Two years after Flagler County’s Bull Creek Fish Camp was torn down following severe damage from Hurricane Nicole, a nearly 5,000-square-foot building is rising in its place and will be leased to a west Flagler family that will run a restaurant there again. The Flagler County Commission tentatively agreed to leasing the property–which has yet to be built up–to Jessica Norton-Henry and the mother-son team of Pamela White and Joshua White.
School Board’s Derek Barrs Glides Through Senate Committee Hearing’s Grandstanding Members Unscathed
Navigating a few ideologically choppy waters as senators dueled over deregulation and political interference, Flagler County School Board member Derek Barrs on Wednesday cleared the main hurdle to his presidential nomination to lead the Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as he appeared for a nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Transportation Committee.
Palm Coast Council Again Reverts on Allowing All Exterior House Colors, to Now Keep 5 on Ban List
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday agreed to rescind its two-week-old decision to end all restrictions on houses’ exterior paint colors. It will instead allow almost all colors while preserving a ban on five: neon, fuchsia, magenta, orange and purple. The proposed change would still result in the least restrictive color rules since ITT founded Palm Coast in the late 1960s as a deed-restricted community. The upshot for now is that the famously, handsomely dark blue house in the F Section that’s been at the center of the controversy for months can keep its royal color.
As Sheriff Announces Sweep Netting 17 Arrests, 18th Is Seized While Watching Staly on Facebook
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and State Attorney R.J. Larizza this afternoon announced the results of a six-month undercover investigation of suspected drug pushers, many of them habitual offenders. The sweep netted cash, guns, drugs and 18 arrests, eight of them this morning and a ninth taking place even as the sheriff’s press conference was rolling–and as the suspect was watching it.
Man Shot 8 Times in 2nd Heist Is Guilty of Armed Robbery at Palm Coast Circle K and Sentenced to Life in Prison
A jury of six convicted Qwinntavus Jordan, 34, of armed robbery of a Palm Coast Circle K in 2023 at the end of a three-day trial at the Flagler County courthouse today. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Jury Convicts Man Who Turned Down 1-Year Plea Deal for Hit-and-Run; He Faces Up to 15 Years in Prison
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols had warned Joao Paulo Fernandes just five weeks ago: don’t go to trial. You’ll lose. Fernandes, a 50-year-old Palm Coast contractor, thought he knew better than the seasoned judge. He turned down a plea deal for hit-and-run with injury that would have had him serve less than a year in prison. Today, a jury convicted him, and that offer is off the table. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Palm Coast Council, with 2nd Censure Vote, Will Ask Governor to Remove ‘Toxic’ Mayor Norris
The Palm Coast City Council in a 4-1 vote today censured Mayor Mike Norris for the second time in three months and agreed to send a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to unseat the mayor. Both acts were extraordinary for this or any city but for controversies Norris has been provoking since his election last November, making a routine of the extraordinary.
Palm Coast Council’s Five Charter Review Picks Reflect Politics and Experience, Not Diversity
The Palm Coast City Council today appointed five residents–five men, four white, one Hispanic–to the Charter Review Committee, along with five alternate members, out of 27 applicants. The council’s choices reflect some appointments with an eye to politics and some to experience. The appointments include former two-term County Commissioner Donald O’Brien and current East Mosquito Control District board member Michael Martin. O’Brien especially has deep familiarity both with governance and parliamentary procedures, as well as the difference between charters and ordinances.
County Money for Flagler Beach’s Lifeguards Survives for One More Year After Outcry
To Flagler Beach’s relief, the Flagler County Commission today agreed to reverse course from a plan to eliminate paying for half the salaries of Flagler Beach’s lifeguards, as the county has been doing for years. The commission agreed to the one-year extension of what will be a $106,000 payment even as it directed County Administrator Heidi Petito to continue talking with the city to prepare it for an end to the county subsidy. The decision today was part of a budget overview as Petito presented the tentative budget for next year.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes 4-1 to Start Negotiating Sale of Ocean Palm Golf Club, But Residents Skeptical
To more skepticism than support from residents, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to enter into negotiations to sell its chronically ramshackle 37-acre Ocean Palm Golf Club to Jeff Ryan, who has held the property’s lease for over a year and a half. If the course is sold, there’s no guarantee against a future commission approving the land for development. It would only take a unanimous vote of the commission to do so.
Flagler School Board’s Lauren Ramirez Challenges Ethics Commission’s Pending Restrictions on Her Private Business
Flagler County School Board member Lauren Ramirez is contesting a proposed finding by the Florida Ethics Commission that would severely restrict local public school students and employees from her business. Prohibiting local students from using her company’s services, she argued, would “have broad, unintended implications for public officials who own businesses unrelated to their elected duties and who operate in good faith under the assumption that members of the public, including students or parents, can choose where to spend their time and money.”
Judge France Signs Order Against Palm Coast Mayor Norris, Ending Attempt to Unseat Gambaro
Circuit Judge Chris France on Thursday signed the judgment against Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, who had filed suit to have the court remove fellow Council member Charles Gambaro and order a special election. France ruled on the matter at the end of a 50-minute hearing last July 3 with Norris in attendance. The written judgment spells out the ruling and closes the case, unless Norris appeals.
Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
Following up on an announcement Wednesday by Google that it would be building a transatlantic cable and land it in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Flagler County for the first time this week disclosed what has been reported since last August–that a company would build a large data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But the two governments’ releases provided more boasts than information.
5 Felony Charges for Palm Coast IT Administrator Accused of Launching Cyber Attack on His Company After He’s Fired
Richard Clayton Wozniak, a 41-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s P Section, was arrested Wednesday on five felony charges following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation that found him to have allegedly carried out a cyber attack on his company’s computer infrastructure in retaliation for the company firing him. The attack crippled some of the company’s functions.
Don’t Paint Your House Purple Just Yet: Palm Coast May Reconsider Stricter Color Regulations or Referendum
A week after a unanimous Palm Coast City Council vote to move toward revoking all outside paint-color restrictions, Council member Theresa Pontieri said on Tuesday she’ll request a reconsideration, pausing the process. She will seek either a “more reasonable change to the code” or possibly put the matter to voters in a referendum. At least two other council members are willing to think about a referendum.
At Flagler County Jail, Inmates in Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Now Foster Kittens as Part of Their Therapy
In collaboration with the Flagler Humane Society, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has launched a kitten-fostering program at its nationally recognized mental health and addiction recovery program at the county jail, enabling participating inmates to care for homeless kittens in need, providing a unique therapeutic experience aimed at long-term recovery for both the kitten and the inmates.
Sean Moylan Withdraws from Contending for County Attorney, Citing Divided Commission; 2 Applicants Left
In a letter remarkable for its grace and sense of service, Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan on Monday night told Flagler County commissioners he was withdrawing from contention to replace Al Hadeed as the county attorney. He said he “did not did not want my candidacy or appointment to foster division on the commission.” That leaves just two candidates in the running: Marsha Segal-George and Michael Rodriguez. The County Commission interviews them July 15. Scott McHenry had also been short-listed. He withdrew.
Dodging and Defiant After Losing Lawsuit, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Says He Doesn’t Care If He ‘Cost the City $1 Million’
A defiant Mike Norris Tuesday evening said he didn’t care if he “cost the city a million dollars.” He was not repaying a dime of the $30,000 the lawsuit he just lost cost taxpayers. He gave no indication that he accepted the court’s ruling. He blamed his colleagues for not taking his advice in December to protect the city against the lawsuit he ended up filing. He warned his colleagues on the Palm Coast City Council that he would be seeking reimbursement of his legal fees over the pending ethics complaint they filed against him. And he renewed conspiratorial claims about city staff and “what’s going on in this city.”
Flagler School Board May Soon Have an Open Seat Again as Derek Barrs Heads for Senate Confirmation Hearing
Derek Barrs’s days as a Flagler County School Board member may be numbered. Barrs’s confirmation hearing to be Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 16 before the Senate Transportation Committee. If he is confirmed, which appears likely, Barrs’s departure will require another gubernatorial appointment to the school board seat, with a year and four months left in that term before the 2026 election.
District Skeptical of Adding “Floater” to School Deputies’ Ranks and Increasing Contract with Sheriff 20%
The Flagler County School Board has few quibbles with a proposed 10 percent increase in its contract with the Sheriff’s Office for the 12 School Resource Deputies it pays for. The coming year’s budget is $1.52 million, compared to $1.377 million. The figures don’t include overtime costs. The board is more skeptical about a proposed addition to the contract: a 13th “floater” deputy who would increase the cost of the contract 20 percent, to $1.65 million, in a year when the district is getting no additional “Safe Schools” dollars from the legislature and is facing its own budget challenges.
Flagler Students Taking Vouchers for Private Education Double to 1,606 in One Year, Accelerating Drain from Public Schools
The number of Flagler County students taking public money for private, parochial or homeschool education doubled from last year to this year, from 884 to 1,606, according to the district’s latest calculations, far more than initially estimated. In spring, the district, based on state-provided figures, estimated that 1,236 students would draw on vouchers. The 1,606 students are draining $14.2 million in public education dollars from the district had they been attending traditional public schools.
3 Years in Prison for Tesla-Driving Realtor Who Refused to Take the Court Seriously After Violating an Injunction
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols’s patience had been tested. Repeatedly. Today, she was out of it, and Zachary Tuohey, a 35-year-old father of three, a once well-off, Tesla-driving Realtor who until nine months ago had never had a run-in with the law, let alone seen the inside of a jail cell, was out of luck. Nichols sentenced him to three years in prison followed by 18 months on probation with severe conditions. It had all started with an injunction his ex-girlfriend had filed, and which he kept violating. Then he repeatedly violated his probation, questioning the court and law enforcement along the way.
Flagler Schools Again Fall Short of an A as Poor Gains Among Lowest Performers and 2 Schools’ Retreats Result in B
For the fourth straight year and the 11th of the last 12 years that the state has issued school grades, the Flagler County School District was rated B, despite a year of gains in almost every one of the district’s nine traditional school and in many categories. It just wasn’t enough. The district fell just two percentage points short of the needed 64 to rank an A, as it did last year, even though the threshold for an A was significantly lower than two years ago.
Flagler District’s New Hire Will Reflect Dual Allegiance to School Choice–and to District as ‘the Best Choice’
As the Flagler County school district is forced by a new state law to advocate for school choice–including vouchers, homeschooling and virtual schooling–against its own interests, the district is also learning to make the salesmanship work for itself: if there is to be true choice, the district must be included in the mix, and the message the district is disseminating is that it is “the best choice.”
Flagler Beach Exploring Allowance for Backyard Chickens, With Caution Against Turning Island Into Kauai
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur is interested in allowing residents to raise chickens in their backyards, similarly to Palm Coast, where the city just adopted a pilot program to that effect. Flagler Beach Commission Chair James Sherman is “open to it.” The allowance would mirror regulations in other cities.
The Manchurian Candidate Is Alive and Well and Living in the White House
Until last week I did not believe in the transmigration of souls from celluloid to reality. That changed when Congress passed the so-called “big beautiful bill.” Raymond Shaw, the brainwashed assassin of “The Manchurian Candidate,” is alive and well and living in the White House. There may be other explanations. But outside of the theater of the loony it’s difficult to understand why a president of the United States would gift China the greatest act of strategic self-destruction next to China’s own suicide in the 15th century.
Retirement for Reilly Opelka? Wimbledon Disappointment Brings Palm Coast’s Tennis Giant to a Crossroad
Michael Lewis, who’s covered Reilly Opelka for FlaglerLive since 2013, was reporting from Wimbledon this week, where Opelka fell in the second round, and where Lewis saw the Palm Coast tennis giant “depressed, frustrated and at a loss as to what’s going on with his career” as he interviewed him after the match.
Two Injured When Boat Crashes into a Dock on Intracoastal Near Beverly Beach
Two people were injured, one of them severely, when their pontoon boat crashed into and went under a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway near Beverly Beach late the afternoon of July 4.
In Stinging Defeat for Mayor Norris, Judge Rules on All Counts in Favor of City’s Gambaro Appointment
Circuit Judge Chris France today handed Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris a stinging defeat in his lawsuit against his own city, challenging the legality of the council’s appointment of Charles Gambaro to a vacated seat last summer. In a hearing lasting less than an hour, and in a courtroom with more than two dozen Norris supporters filling the gallery, France ruled against Norris both on standing–he had none–and on the merits.
In Historic Shift, Palm Coast Council Votes Unanimously to End All Color Restrictions on Exterior House Paint
Palm Coast’s decades-old discrimination against colored houses may be over. In a remarkable vote on Tuesday, the Palm Coast City Council unanimously agreed to repeal almost all restrictions on exterior house colors in place since before Palm Coast was a city. The requirement of only two base colors and some accent-color allowances will remain. The repeal is nowhere near final. It requires a rewrite of the ordinance, a hearing before the planning board, and two more hearings before the council. The vote was a victory for Mayor Mike Norris, who pushed hardest for the repeal.
More Tension and Frustration Than Answers as County Seeks to Break Off Animal Control from Flagler Humane Society
Flagler County government is estimating that if it were to run its own animal control operation, separate from the Flagler Humane Society, it would cost taxpayers $420,000 in the first year and an average of $333,000 a year. County Commissioner Kim Carney says the numbers are not believable and are designed to set up the proposal for failure. Commissioner Leann Pennington, who is also interested in breaking away, is displeased with the slow pace of moving that way, despite the commission’s direction to its administration to have a plan fleshed out before the next one-year contract with the society runs out.
Mayor Mike Norris Snubs July 4 Parade and Reading of Declaration of Independence with Colleagues
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is snubbing both the July 4 parade and the traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence alongside 15 elected officials, including all four of his council colleagues Friday as he continues to abdicate many of his office’s public responsibilities outside of council meetings.
Stunning Flagler Beach, County Plans to End Paying Its Half of Lifeguard Costs, Endangering Program’s Future
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Peito wants to end the county’s annual grant to Flagler Beach that for years has paid for half the cost of the city’s lifeguard program. Without that money, the city may have to either shrink its 15-block zone of lifeguard-covered shoreline or space out its lifeguard towers further, increasing response times in drowning or distress incidents. At least one city commissioner is questioning whether the city could keep financing the program on its own.
Palm Coast Library Hours Will Be Cut 23% and Staff Reduced, Shifting Resources to New Nexus Center in Bunnell
The Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast will see a sharp, 23 percent reduction in hours of operation–from 52 to 40 hours a week–and a significant reduction in staffing as the new south side library, known as the Nexus Center, opens later this year, itself with slightly fewer staff than originally planned. Each library will be closed two days a week. For the Palm Coast branch, that means no more Monday hours. It’s been closed on Sunday.
County Administrator Asks Constitutionals to Cut Cost-of-Living Raises from 4% to 2% to Close $2.2 Million Gap
Facing a $2.2 million deficit in next year’s budget Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito is asking the county’s five constitutional officers to consider reducing what had been a proposed 4 percent cost-of-living pay increase to 2 percent, a reduction that would all but erase the gap. Most of the constitutional officers are willing to work with the county toward that end, with caveats. The constitutionals include Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Sheriff Rick Staly, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart, and Tax Collector Shelly Edmonson.
No More Undocumented Chickens: Palm Coast Launches Pilot Backyard Program for Up to 4 Hens Per Coop
The city today launched a pilot program that will permit 50 residents to have up to four chickens per backyard coop. The $100 permit, valid for two years (or $50 a year), will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is available to residents of homesteaded, single-family houses only. That means residents of areas controlled by homeowner associations are not eligible. Nor are residents in apartments or duplexes. Nor are renters. Nor are roosters.
Palm Coast Administration Issues Budget Plan Scaling Back Some Spending Ahead of July 8 Discussion
With budget season in full swing, the City of Palm Coast is presenting the Fiscal Year 2026 General Fund budget at the City Council workshop meeting on Tuesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. The City Council’s priorities remain at the heart of this budget, with a focus on maintaining a healthy fund balance or reserve while investing in public safety, infrastructure, and long-term efficiencies.
DeSantis Signs $115 billion Budget, Vetoes $567 million; Palm Coast’s Modest Appropriations Survive
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a long-awaited state budget Monday just hours before it would take effect, vetoing $567 million. Palm Coast’s pair of appropriations, $2.5 million for an “equalization tank” and $2.5 million to help modernize Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 in the Woodlands, the city’s biggest and oldest, survived vetoes.
14 Years in Prison for Devarus Bethea, 38, Over Fentanyl Trafficking as He Quotes Latin Root of ‘Remorse’ to Judge
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols sentenced Palm Coast’s Devarus Oshay Bethea, 38, to 14 years in prison, by far his longest of his four prison sentences since 2010, with an additional five years he gets to serve concurrently. Bethea pleaded to trafficking fentanyl, a first-degree felony, and unlawful use of a communication device, a third-degree felony. He could have faced 35 years in prison and $100,000 fine. The fine was waived. He spoke to the judge of the latin root for the word “remorse” in hopes of mitigating his sentence.
Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan’s Lock on Job to Succeed Hadeed Looks Anything But Certain
A divide over the hiring of the next county attorney is becoming clearer between Flagler County commissioners, making Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan’s prospects to get the job, so bright a few months ago, somewhat less than a lock as two commissioners didn’t shortlist him for public interviews on July 15, though they did not foreclose on his chances, either.
Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
Gregory Allen Smith, a 45-year-old resident of 6 Plateau Place in Palm Coast, is being held without bond at the Flagler County jail on five first-degree felony rape charges and two molestation charges involving the adolescent daughter of his wife before they separated in 2019.
States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up: ‘Locals Won’t Step Up Unless They’re Dealing with a Catastrophe’
Many states rely on the federal government for the vast majority of their emergency management funding. Now, local leaders are looking for clues about the money — and the future of FEMA itself. W. Craig Fugate served as FEMA administrator under Obama and, before that, as head of Florida’s emergency management division under then-Govs. Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist. “My experience tells me locals will not step up unless they are dealing with a catastrophe,” Fugate said.
Flagler Beach Commissioners Blister Design for New A-Frame and Boardwalk as ‘Expensive Gingerbread’
Flagler Beach’s planned reconstruction of the A-Frame and boardwalk at the pier is now estimated to cost $3 million, up $300,000 from last year. And city commissioners are not too thrilled about the too-fancy architectural design. Not at all–especially proposed changes to the A-frame and shell-like exteriors to a new building’s facade. They killed both proposals, among others they panned, opting for simpler looks that preserve what they see as old charms. They directed their designer to return later this summer with a significantly revised plan.
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Awarded State Association Honor for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Local Government Law’
A month from retirement after a career spanning four decades as county attorney for Flagler County government, Al Hadeed on Thursday received the Gordon Johnson Award “for his distinguished service to Flagler County and outstanding contributions to local government law in the State of Florida.” Hadeed received the award during the Florida Association of County Attorneys’ annual two-day continuing legal education seminar in Orlando. The association president prized Hadeed’s institutional memory and his mentorship of younger attorneys.
Fast times at Flagler Beach for DJ Vern’s Cherry Drops as Hall of Fame Inductees Take Over Pier for Music Video
Flagler Beach’s Vern Shank, also known as DJ Vern, whose band The Cherry Drops was inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame last year, is bringing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Robert Romanus to shoot a new music video on the Flagler Beach Pier this weekend, “I Dedicate This Song to You.” The new video is just part of what are heady times for Shank and the Cherry Drops, keeping Flagler Beach in the limelight.
July 4 Celebration from Flagler Beach Parade to Palm Coast Fireworks at County Airport
Flagler County Government and the Cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell invite all Flagler County residents and visitors to the United Flagler 4th Community Celebration on Friday, July 4, starting with the Independence Day Parade in Flagler Beah and culminating with a 15-16 minute firework show featuring 3,300 shells at the county airport. All events are free.
Answering Appeal, Attorney General Says Brendan Depa’s Adult Sentence for Beating Teacher’s Aide Was Deserved
Answering the appeal of Brendant Depa’s conviction to five years in prison and 15 years on probation for assaulting his teacher’s aide at Matanzas High School in February 2023, the Attorney General’s Office in a 25-page brief argued that Circuit Judge Terence Perkins did not abuse his discretion when he imposed an adult sentence in Augsut 2024, as the defense argued in its appeal.
Flagler County Students Post Strong, Across-the-Board Improvements in All Grades and Disciplines, Boosting Superintendent
Flagler County students in all grades improved their scores year over year in English and math, in some cases markedly so, as well as in all other disciplines subject to standardized tests, according to figures released by the state Department of Education Wednesday. The results are a boon to Superintendent LaShakia Moore and her administration, reflecting the first testing cycle entirely on her watch since her appointment in September 2023.