The Flagler school board doesn’t believe in equality anymore. The administration, out of fear and misplaced pragmatism, is abandoning the word “equity” and replacing it with a bromide of a euphemism–“student success”–in appeasement of a faction led by School Board members Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald, the same board members targeting books and instructional materials with anti-racism and other minority-oriented themes.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Bowing to Vague Pressures, Flagler County School Board Removes ‘Equity’ From Its Goals’ Language
In a move that left one school board member stunned and others agreeing to a change that seemed almost entirely the result of vague, polemical attacks on the word on social media and in charged but limited national discussions, the Flagler County School Board on Tuesday agreed to drop the word “equity” from its goals. The word will be replaced with “student success.”
‘Do We Settle?’ Palm Coast Mayor’s Question Reflects Disappointment in 90 Manager Applicants, Suggesting Do-Over
Mayor David Alfin and other Palm Coast council members are disappointed in the quality of candidates who have applied for city manager, opening the possibility that the process may be set aside and re-started, with a search firm this time–if the mayor gets his way.
Two Parents Are Arrested on Felony Child Neglect Charges After Leaving Toddler Unsupervised Overnight
The parents of at least three children were arrested on November 10 on felony child neglect charges after they were found to have left a toddler unsupervised at their house at 57 Blare Castle Drive in Palm Coast, where the toddler’s sisters, 13 and 14, were also left without supervision.
Jill Woolbright Wants 4 Books Banned Over Anti-Racism, LGBTQ, Police Violence and Rape Themes; District Removes Them Pending Review
Copycatting a tactic developing across the country and targeting the same books, Flagler County School Board member Jill Woolbright wants four books removed. The books, award winners and critically acclaimed, deal with LGBTQ themes, anti-racism, police shootings, and the trauma of rape. Three are by Black authors.
Almost As Bad as Hurricane Matthew: Post-Storm Survey in Flagler Reveals Substantial Loss of Dunes
Last weekend’s nor’easter ripped through Flagler County’s dune structures and caused a lot more damage than originally thought, further weakening the dune line that has steadily been losing sand since it was rebuilt in 2018 for $20 million after Hurricanes Matthew and Irma.
100-Room Hotel in Heart of Flagler Beach, ‘A Good Fit,’ Could Break Ground in 2nd or 3rd Quarter of 2022
After buying the 1.3 acres that used to be a farmer’s market in the heart of Flagler Beach for $3.8 million in July, the CEO of the Ormond Beach-based hotel development firm redeveloping the land promises a 100-room, 3-story hotel that will reflect the Flagler Beach lifestyle and will not be “a cookie cutter Hampton Inn.”
James McIntire, 71, Pleads to Molesting Girl, 15, in Exchange for 2 Years in Prison; He’d Faced Up to 15 Years
James Lee McIntire, a 71-year-old resident of 71 Florida Park Drive in Palm Coast, pleaded guilty on Monday to molesting the 15-year-old daughter of a woman who said he’d molested her, too, when she was 14, some 28 years ago. McIntire pleaded only to the offense for which he was charged–the more recent case, which covers several incidents that took place at McIntire’s home in the summer of 2019.
Sgt. Dominic Guida, A 19-Year Veteran of Bunnell Police and Sheriff’s Office, Dies After Heart Attack in Training
Sgt. Dominic Guida of the Bunnell Police Department was rushed to AdventHealth Palm Coast this afternoon after suffering a cardiac event while in training with Flagler County sheriff’s deputies at the county’s training facility and burn tower on Justice Lane in Bunnell. He died at the hospital. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Guida’s death at 5:40 p.m.
In Shift, Flagler Beach Will Not Abandon July 4 Fireworks. It’s Now How, Not Whether, to Preserve Tradition.
After considering abandoning July 4 fireworks due to overcrowding and safety concerns, a committee appointed by the Flagler Beach City Commission to study the matter will recommend keeping the fireworks while proposing a series of management and policing approaches to better control crowds, minimize underage drinking and provide alternatives to driving and parking on the island.
When Even the Victim of Domestic Violence Wants a No-Contact Order Lifted, and the Judge Says No
Joel Buzzard, 49, of Bunnell, is on bail awaiting trial on a felony domestic violence charge involving a woman with two young children who, today, wanted his no-contact order lifted so they could see each other again. A judge said no, and Buzzard’s own attorney ordered him out of the courtroom when he had an outburst.
Big Box Store ‘Everyone in the County Will Be Happy About’ Coming to SR100 Near Airport
A developer is seeking to rezone 40 acres of agricultural land to industrial along State Road 100 near the county airport, land owned by Jay Gardner, the county property appraiser. He says the developer plans a big-box store anchoring a commercial development with restaurants and other out-parcel type businesses. Industrial uses are less clear.
In Flagler, Nor’easter’s Damage Is Limited to Some Dune Erosion, a Few Walkovers, Street and Yard Flooding
Flagler County made it through the weekend nor’easter with some heavy rains and the expected high waters and some flooding and minor damage to walk-overs and dunes, but no reported flooding into homes or any serious property damage. The forecast for rain had been for 4 to 8 inches. The county got roughly 5.
Corporal Punishment Is Child Abuse. Florida Law Must Stop Protecting It.
Under Florida law, child abuse is legal as long as the violence doesn’t amount to intentional, malicious harm. There is no age cut off. There are no limits on what means are used to brutalize a child. The law is a leftover from barbaric days.
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Set Veterans Day Ceremonies for Nov. 11
The Guest speaker will be Mr. Randall Scott Morris, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War and who is also past President of the Flagler Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
2 Flagler School Board Members Object to Black Lives Matter Language and a ‘Hate Group’ Trolls District’s Library Books
The Flagler County School Board is not banning books–yet. But two board members–Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald–are on the warpath, playing up isolated complaints about materials they find objectional on ideological grounds and mirroring similar attempts in other districts where a few voices have capitalized on largely manufactured controversies. The board members’ moves parallel a national extremist organization’s inquiry in Flagler and other Florida counties about the district’s book holdings, especially targeting racially-conscious and LGBTQ-themed books.
Matthew Wright Dies of Wound in Attempted Murder-Suicide, Gia Troutman, 23, in Critical Condition
Matthew Wright, the 25-year-old Palm Coast man involved in what appears to be an attempted murder-suicide Thursday afternoon, had spent most of his adult life in prison. He’d been out less than a year when he died Thursday of what authorities are reporting as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, after shooting his girlfriend, Gia Troutman, four times.
Domestic Argument Between Man and Woman Leads to Apparent Attempted Murder Suicide on Bunker Knoll Lane
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a domestic altercation between a woman and her boyfriend on Palm Coast’s Bunker Knoll Lane that resulted in a shooting that left both severely wounded this evening. The shooting appears to have been an attempted murder suicide.
In Wrenching Hearing, Judge Opts for Closure More than Retribution in 5-Year Prison Sentence for Fatal Hit and Run
Joshua Carver had faced up to 30 years in prison for the hit and run collision that left 29-year-old Jonathan Rogers dead on the side of State Road 100 in February 2020. Circuit Judge Chris France sentenced him to five years in prison and five years on probation after hearing from families on both sides of a divide marked not by enmity but mutual loss.
Nor’Easter’s Rain and Flooding Potential Forces Moving Matanzas-FPC Potato Bowl to Tonight
With a Nor’easter expected to bring between 1 and 3 inches of rain to the region starting Friday morning, the athletic departments at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High School agreed to move the annual potato bowl from Friday to tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Matanzas’s Pirates Stadium.
35% Short of Needed Bus Drivers, School District Agrees to $15/hr Pay, Plus Incentive, as Part of Raises for All Service Employees
Members of the Flagler Educational Support Professional Association, the union that represents Flagler schools’ 800-some service employees, are voting today on what may amount to the largest pay increase in nearly 20 years, though bus drivers and paraprofessionals will see larger increases than all others.
Learning Is for Commie-Pinko Wokesters and We Don’t Need Any of It Around Here
Praise Jesus, here in Florida our governor has decreed that there will be no “The 1619 Project,” and none of that Critical Race Theory making our sweet white children hate themselves, their mamas and daddies, and their great-great-grandparents, who happened to belong to the Ku Klux Klan.
Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic Marks 20th Anniversary Nov. 12 and 13 in Flagler Beach
The 20th Annual Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic presented by The Surf Station will take place on November 13 and 14 in Flagler Beach. What began in memory of Tommy Tant—a local surfer who passed away tragically from an aortic aneurysm at 24 years old—has grown into a beloved event that celebrates the bond of family, friendship, and surf culture he loved.
‘You Know This Always Ends Up with You in Jail,’ Cop Tells Fleeing Felon After Manhunt and 10th Arrest in a Decade
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy was investigating the latest domestic disturbance at David Badal’s Palm Coast house when Badal fled, almost injuring the cop, and triggered a two-hour manhunt resulting in his arrest and two felony charges, the latest in a chronic, temperamental criminal history.
Turf Battle Over Picnic Tables at FPC Devolves into Threats of a Shooting and Felony Arrest of 15 Year Old Student
An argument over a picnic table between two groups of students at Flagler Palm Coast High School on Tuesday allegedly led one of the students to threaten to shoot another at given place after school. The student was arrested.
County Commission Again Delays Decision on School Impact Fees As Disputed Numbers Strain Trust on Both Sides
The Flagler County Commission voted to delay for two months a decision on the school board’s request to double its impact fees following a two-and-a-half hour meeting Tuesday evening. The county is not trusting the school board’s numbers, and the school board is frustrated over the county’s resistance to what the district considers an emergency request.
County Commission Boots Mike Goodman Off Planning Board in Apparent ‘Retaliation’ Over Captain’s BBQ Lawsuit
The Flagler County Commission on Monday unceremoniously voted to boot Mike Goodman, the co-owner of Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing and a voice of prudence on development, off the county’s planning board, just three years after voting him in. Commissioner Dave Sullivan directly cited Captain’s lawsuit against the county and said removing Goodman might spur movement on the lawsuit, which has stalled.
Detectives Investigating Alleged Home Invasion Robbery and Shooting on Palm Coast’s Coral Reef Court
Early Monday morning a 36-year-old Palm Coast resident of Coral Reef Court reported to Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives that he was the victim of a home-invasion robbery, in the course of which he fired a gun belonging to one of the assailants, but missed.
With County as Farrier, Whispering Meadows Ranch Takes a Step Closer to Permanent Home at Fairgrounds
With Flagler County government clearing the way lease, free, a large portion of a 44-acre parcel, Whispering Meadows Ranch, Flagler County’s equine therapy non-profit on John Anderson Highway, is a step closer to its next permanent home on the grounds of the county fairgrounds.
Felony Cruelty Charge for Man Who ‘Whacked’ Trapped Raccoon and Left Injured Cat Without Care for 3 Months
Todd Rainey, 55, told a sheriff’s deputy he “whacked” a raccoon that had been trapped in a cat trap because it couldn’t get out, and had left his own cat’s injured leg go without medical attention for three months. He faces a felony count of animal cruelty.
Plagued With Problems, Flagler Beach Bar and Restaurant Formerly Known as Jimmy’s Hang Ten Closes Permanently
The restaurant and bar at 1112 South Oceanshore Boulevard, immediately north of the Topaz motel, dealt with the difficulties of the pandemic before James Harris, who had co-owned the bar with his wife, was arrested on July 3 on charges of molesting his stepdaughter. Then a different set of problems emerged: code enforcement issues with the city over noise, music permits and insufficient bathroom accommodations.
Mandates Decline as Appeals Court Signals Alachua and Duval ‘Defiance’ on Masks Violates Law
A seven-page order said two school districts have been “remarkably open in their defiance” of the state over masking. Meanwhile, as Covid cases go down, several school districts that had been strict about mask mandates are now loosening their policies.
Father of 20-Month-Old Boy Found Guilty of Brutalizing and Burning Him, and Faces 80 Years in Prison
A jury this evening found Deviaun Toler, 29, formerly of Palm Coast, guilty on all charges of aggravated child abuse, felony abuse and neglect at the end of a five-day trial. The victim was his 20-month-old son, who was near death when hospitalized, but survived.
A Divided Flagler Beach Commission Rejects Church’s Proposal to Open a Small Christian School Near Center of Town
In an unusual land-use decision that bowed to public concerns over firearms and economic activity, the Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday rejected a church’s request to run a non-traditional parochial one-room school on South 6th Street, between South Central and South Daytona avenues.
School Officials and Sheriff’s Deputies Again Forced to Respond to Generic Attempt to Disrupt the Day at FPC
A local school–this time, Flagler Palm Coast High School–was again the target of a vague threat of violence, disseminated on social media and mirroring similar, low- to no-credibility threats circulating in other parts of the country.
After 3 1/2 Years of Lies, Keith Johansen Is Found Guilty of Murdering His Wife and Is Sentenced to Life Without Parole
A jury found Keith Johansen, 39, guilty in the first degree murder of his 25-year-old wife Brandi Celenza in April 2018 at their Felter Lane home in Palm Coast. Johansen had been angered by his wife’s online “infidelities.” She was the mother of a boy, 6 years old at the time, who was in the house when Johansen shot her twice.
Homeless Man Didn’t Want to Walk Back to Volusia. So He Carjacked a Truck.
Eric Christian Marcotte is a 25-year-old homeless person who normally makes Volusia County, is accused of carjacking the work truck of a power line crew on State Road 100 in Bunnell because he didn’t want to walk back to Volusia.
Flagler Beach Commission Votes to Build 800-ft., $12.5 Million Concrete Pier Replacement
The Flagler Beach Pier will be demolished and rebuilt as an 800-foot concrete pier, with $10 million in federal funds already allocated, and $2.5 million in money the city must still find. The city hopes the new, more hurricane-resistant pier will be completed by the time Flagler Beach marks its centennial in 2024.
After Lying to Cops, EMTs and His Own Parents About Killing Brandi Celenza, He Takes the Stand to Say He’s Now Truthful
Keith Johansen, who faces a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of his wife, Brandi Celenza, said he lied about killing her–fabricating stories that she’d killed herself accidentally or by suicide–to protect her name: he didn’t want his parents to know they’d done meth. Now he’s claiming he killed her in self-defense because she was out of her mind and was about to shoot him.
Flagler Dental’s Antidote to Halloween’s Sugar High: $1-a-Pound Buy-Back of Unopened Candy
Flagler Dental Associates is hosting its 10th annual Candy Buy Back program November 1 through November 5. The buy back is open to all area trick-or-treaters, who can stop by Flagler Dental North or Flagler Dental South to receive $1 per pound of unopened candy ($5 limit per child).
Attention Flagler Beach: Your Parking Areas Are Shrinking, and That’s a Problem on July 4
The reconstruction of State Road A1A in Flagler Beach meant the elimination of a slew of parking spots, worsening the difficulty of managing July 4 crowds, traffic and parking. A city commission-appointed committee is wrestling with the challenge.
Whippings Had Nothing to Do With 20-Month-Old’s Skull Fracture and Critical Condition, Defense Argues at Trial
In the first full day of Deviaun Toler’s trial on first degree felony charges of aggravated child abuse, his defense attorney said Toler disciplined his 20-month-old son the way he’d been disciplined when he was a child, and argued that the child had suffered from a stroke, not a skull fracture inflicted by Toler.
Keith Johansen Springs New Defense in Gunning Down of Wife Brandi Celenza: ‘Self-Defense’
Keith Johansen, 39, is accused of murdering his wife Brandi Celenza at their F-Section home in Palm Coast in 2018. In opening arguments at his trial this morning, his attorney, discarding previous defenses of suicide or an accidental shooting, said it was self-defense, because Celenza had pointed a gun at Johansen.
A Child at Rymfire Elementary Makes False Report of a Shooting, 7 Weeks After Identical Incident There
Rymfire was again locked down early this afternoon when authorities got a call from a child reporting the same claim as seven weeks ago: a shooting in a classroom–the same classroom that had been the supposed location of the shooting in early September.
‘This Is Not a Jury of My Peers,’ Man on Trial Over Child Abuse Charges Objects Moments Before Jurors Are Seated
Deviaun Toler, 29, is on trial on four charges of child abuse, two of them first-degree felony aggravated child abuse charges, and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. He objected to the make-up of a jury of four men and four women, all white but one.
Jury Seated in Keith Johansen Trial, With Key Ruling on Admissibility of Incendiary Video Evidence Still Pending
One of the more high-profile trials of the last few years in Flagler–Court TV will be covering it–the case hinges on indirect evidence. The admissibility of some of that evidence has yet to be decided. The prosecution has surveillance video clips from inside the house graphically revealing sexual situations underscoring infidelities cleaving the couple’s relationship on one hand and Johansen’s violent temper, threats and racism on the other.
On Flagler School Board, Even Procedures Are Weaponized as Aftershocks of Bitter Meetings Still Rankle
What would under most circumstances been a five-minute discussion, if that, turned into a rehash of prosecutorial accusations, recriminations and seemingly vain explanations that underscored how far board members now diverge from each other, whether on matters of fact or perception.
2 High-Profile Trials, in Killing of Brandi Celenza and Alleged Disfigurement of a Child, Are Set for Monday
They are two of the most lurid, high-profile, long-lasting cases on the felony docket of Flagler County’s court: Keith Johansen, 39, faces a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of his wife Brandi Celenza. Deviaun Antriel Toler, 29, faces two counts of first-degree aggravated child abuse. Life in prison is at stake for the relatively young defendants in both cases. And today, both cases were set for trial the week of October 25.
There Is a Vengeful America and a Just America. Guess Which Florida Promotes.
Florida’s sentencing guidelines statute details the primary purpose of sentencing is to punish, not to rehabilitate. Honor demands vengeance. Respect commands justice. Two significantly different approaches.
Serious as a Heart Attack: For FPC and Matanzas High School Athletes, Voluntary ECG Screenings May Become Mandatory
In an effort to stem heart attacks in young athletes–about 3 percent of athletes are at risk–AdventHealth is sponsoring the first free ECG screening for local high school athletes next week, and will ask the Flagler County School Board to make the screenings mandatory by next year. There are some 900 athletes participating in dozens of sports in the two high schools.