Mayor David Alfin provided the swing vote Tuesday evening to keep Lauren Johnston as acting city manager until a permanent replacement is found, after a powerful plea–and motion–by Council member Theresa Pontieri to ratify Johnston contract and respect council procedures, the charter and principle. Moments later, the council rebuffed an attempt by Council member Ed Danko to hire Jerry Cameron, the former Flagler County administrator, in place of Johnston. Danko’s motion died for lack of second.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Marcus Chamblin’s Defense Loses Almost All Key Motions It Sought Ahead of Next Week’s Circle K Murder Trial
Marcus Chamblin, 29, is one of two men facing murder and attempted murder charges in the death by fusillade of Deon O’Neil Jenkins and the wounding of another man, S.T., as they sat in a car at the Circle K on Palm Coast Parkway early the morning of Oct. 12, 2019. The defense lost motions to keep out of view of the jury a set of lyrics that could amount to a confession, and evidence found in the car Marcus Bauer and Chamblin drove out of Flagler County.
Six Life Terms for Andrew Sharp, 22, Who Repeatedly Assaulted His 8-Year-Old Cousin and Procured Her
Six weeks after Donald Andrew Sharp was found guilty of raping his cousin starting when she was 8, and of procuring her as a sexual toy to her slightly old brother, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Sharp to six life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. Sharp was unreactive.
Jerry Cameron Again Rears Up as Possible Acting Manager in Palm Coast Days After Council Voted In Johnston
Former County Administrator Jerry Cameron’s name is again lurking around Palm Coast City Hall as an interim possibility days after the council unanimously voted to install Assistant City Manager Lauren Johnston as its acting manager, the role required and so defined by the city charter in the absence of a permanent appointment. The possibility is bewildering staffers at City Hall, polarizing the council, and creating confusion about Johnston’s role ahead of Tuesday evening’s council meeting.
The Day Bunnell Shook with Groundbreakings: New City Hall, New Road, New Urban Horizon
Bunnell and Flagler County government held a pair of groundbreakings today to mark the construction of a new Bunnell City Hall and the digging through of the future 1.7-mile Commerce Parkway from State Road 100 to U.S. 1. The opening of Commerce Parkway may re-balance the city geographically and economically, adding a commercial and industrial component to go with the heavy residential development of Grand Reserve to the north.
Florida Is Blatantly Mixing Church and State in So-Called ‘Pregnancy Crisis Centers’
Planned Parenthood says Crisis Pregnancy Centers are “run by anti-abortion activists who have a shady, harmful agenda: to scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion, and to tell lies about abortion, birth control, and sexual health.”
Michael Rickman and Daytona Solisti in ‘Mozartiana – Music of Mozart’ April 21 in Ormond Beach
Pianist Michael Rickman and the Daytona Solisti Classical Players will perform a concerto that one music historian called “one of the greatest wonders of the world” – Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, KV 271 “Jeunehomme.”
Flagler County Acquires Last 25 Acres of Privately Held Land Along Princess Place Road for $700,000
Following the County Commission’s approval last November, Flagler County government this week closed on a $700,000 acquisition of the last 25 acres that were in private hands at Princess Place Preserve. The just market value listed by the Flagler County Property Appraiser is $198,000. The land last sold in 1994 for $45,000. The purchase was based on two appraisals the county conducted, and negotiations with the sellers.
Flagler Beach Has a New Mayor in King, a New Chair in Spradley, and One Temporarily Ruffled Feather
The Flagler Beach City Commission has a new mayor in Patti King following a non-election that saw her seated without opposition as her predecessor, Susie Johnston, chose not to run. And in a snub to tradition he prompted, though it wasn’t intended to be on his behalf, Scott Spradley was elected chair, leaving Commissioner Rick Belhumeur dejected over being passed over.
A $15,000 Plan to Transform the Foot of the Flagler Beach Bridge Into a Passive, Inviting Park
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening is expected to approve a $15,000 plan transform a small area beneath the west side of the Flagler Beach bridge into a passive park with a proposed $7,500 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District and an equal, matching amount from the city’s general fund. An obscure state land preservation agency owns a small portion of the same land, which may create a complication.