Nearly identical Florida House and Senate bills that would all but eliminate Flagler County government’s authority to regulate vacation rentals are making their way through committees. The Senate bill started as more friendly to local regulations, and one committee approved it unanimously. But amendments have since pared that local regulatory power.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Cost to Save Beaches and Properties in Flagler from Rising Seas: $6.3 Million a Year, Year After Year
Flagler County commissioners and other local officials heard the sobering conclusions of a seminal beach management study today, and the large costs ahead that will fall on all local governments and residents if the beaches are to be preserved. That money is nowhere in place for now, nor is a management plan.
Nissan and School Bus Carrying 25 Students Collide on Old Kings Road North, No Injuries
A Nissan Sentra and a Flagler County schools bus collided shortly after 4 p.m. today on North Old Kings Road at Fanshawe Lane, causing significant damage to the sedan but no injuries to the students on the school bus.
Imprisoned 4 Times in 16 Years, Palm Coast Man Faces 10 New Charges After Traffic Stop and Chase
Kevin Spearmon, 37, of Palm Coast, spent seven of the last 16 years in prison in four different stints mostly for two type of charges: drug possession or trafficking, and fleeing cops. He added more similar charges after fleeing cops and a brief chase Friday evening.
Jamey “JuJu” Bennett, 19, Is Shot and Killed in Altercation Off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast
Early this morning, Jamey Jahiem Bennett, 19, a former student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, was shot and killed in the area of StorQuest Express, the self-storage facility off Old Kings Road North, just past Palm Harbor Parkway. Bennett is the third young Black man shot and killed in five weeks in Palm Coast and Bunnell.
City Panel Votes to Name Sports Complex Baseball Field After Doug Berryhill, Palm Coast Little League Champion
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee voted 5-0 to rename Field 6 at the Indian Trails Sports Complex after Doug Berryhill, for more than a decade a legendary Palm Coast Little League vice president and coach who grew the organization and was beloved by thousands of families.
Joseph Bova, Serving Life for Murder, Rejects New Trial But Stunningly Wins Chance to Reduce Sentence to 45 Years
It was another astonishing court appearance and potential shift in a history of astonishing hearings and the trial involving Joseph Bova II, the now-34-year-old schizophrenic serving life in prison for the 2013 murder of Zuheily Rosado, the mother of five, at a Palm Coast convenience store on State Road 100.
It’s Fireworks as Usual in 2022 as Cities’ July 4 Grab Is Ticking Burst for Another Year
Flagler Beach and Palm Coast agreed to leave well enough alone this year, with July 4 fireworks in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s July 3 fireworks moved to the county airport. Palm Coast’s wish to have a some July 4’s of its own will be hashed out in future years.
Sheriff Adds 160 Palm Coast Field Cameras at Parks and Other Facilities to Growing Surveillance Network
The Palm Coast City Council Tuesday voted to grant the Flagler County Sheriff untrammeled live access to the city’s 160 non-traffic surveillance cameras. Those cameras are not part of the sheriff’s license plate readers, which were installed a few years ago. The cameras in question in the latest agreement are all those located at city parks, City Hall, city facilities like its utilities department, including water and sewer plants, or public works department and other city-owned locations.
It’s Raining Rooftops: Palm Coast Council Approves 400 Units in 2 Gated Subdivisions in W and B Sections
The Palm Coast City Council approved 278 attached town homes just north of Belle Terre Elementary and 121 single-family homes in the W Section, both in what will be gated communities, as development in the city continues its torrid pace and the median single family home price reaches $350,000 with still-low supplies of homes for sale.
Mondex Man Calls 911 Screaming for Help Then Allegedly Assaults Paramedics Who Responded
John Vincent Benning, 55, faces a felony aggravated assault charge after a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy reported he assaulted paramedics with a metal pipe as they were tending to his brother’s health in the Mondex, or Daytona North, late Tuesday evening.
Shirley Chisholm Trail: Palm Coast Committee Votes 5-0 to Rename Pine Lakes Path After Maverick Black Leader
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee, an advisory panel of the Palm Coast City Council, is recommending the renaming of the Pine Lakes Trail along Pine Lakes Parkway to the Shirley Chisholm Trail to honor the first Black woman elected to Congress and run for president, before she moved to Palm Coast in 1991. The recommendation requires the council’s ratification, however.
$2,000 Reward for Return of Stolen “Quilty” Sculpture, One of 16 in Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Turtle Trail
One or more thief stole “Quilty,” the sixth of 16 turtles in the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Turtle Trail, an $8,000 work installed in October 2019 at at the Grand Haven Condo Association’s Creekside Park, at Waterfront Park and Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
For Second Time in 3 Weeks, Flagler School Board Members Reject Declaration Against Hate
An attempt by Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin to revisit a proclamation denouncing hate speech failed today, with School Board member Jill Woolbright calling the debate a “waste of time” and Janet McDonald calling hate speech subjective.
Two 17 Year Olds Charged in Palm Coast Armed Home Invasion Will Plead to 10 to 15 Years in Prison
Darius Watts and Kori Jones were 15 years old when they took part in a home invasion robbery in Palm Coast’s P-Section in December 2020, when they victimized seven residents, beating and robbing them. They were charged as adults and faced up to life in prison if they were convicted on all charges. The plea deal allows them to lower the penalty substantially. A third defendant, Carlos Dupree, intends to go to trial.
Dear Chairman Tucker: Don’t Appease School Board’s Crackpots
School Board members Janet McDonald and Jill Woolbright are directly and exclusively responsible for the board’s degradation into binges of deceit and zealotry. Until they have their third vote, it’s in Chairman Trevor Tucker’s power to re-assert the reality-based majority he speaks for. Anything less is appeasement–or complicity.
Same Cop, Same Felon, Same Method and Drugs, 2 Arrests 16 Days Apart Totaling 13 Charges
Michael Windom, 22, got out of prison after a three-years sentence just weeks ago. He was arrested twice in the last 16 days at the Town Center apartments in Palm Coast on 13 charges, including a first-degree felony charge of trafficking fentanyl and numerous other felony counts.
Single-Engine Plane Crashes on I-95 South of State Road 100, Two Occupants Only Scratched
Two occupants of a single-engine Cessna suffered only minor injuries when their plane crashed on I-95’s northbound lanes a little before 1 p.m. today, between the State Road 100 and Old Dixie Highway exits.
FPC’s Jack Petocz Is Featured at Length in Page One New York Times Story on Schools’ Book Bans
Jack Petocz, the Flagler Palm Coast High School senior who organized last November’s protest against two local school board members’ attempt to ban books from school libraries, is featured today in a Page One New York Times article that examines a surge of attempted and actual book bans in school districts across the country, including in Flagler.
Secret College Presidential Searches in Florida Would Open the Way to Corruption, Nepotism and Cronyism
Once again, certain legislators want to exert more control — not less — over the thoughts, actions and beliefs of local Floridians who are seeking higher education to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Prosecution Wins Key Ruling to Buttress Alleged Rape Victim’s Testimony in Larry Cavallaro’s Coming Trial
Larry Anthony Cavallaro, the now-74-year-old former Flagler Beach gallery owner who faces a first degree felony rape charge involving a 42-year-old woman at his home in Flagler Beach in December 2017. A judge today ruled in favor of allowing the key testimony of a third party who witnessed the alleged victim’s impairment–and felt it herself, as both women were visiting Cavallaro before the alleged assault.
It’s Groundhog Day at Flagler Beach’s City-Owned Golf Course as Commission Again Issues Lease Ultimatum
The Flagler Beach City Commission is yet again reenacting its recurring drama with Flagler Golf Management, the company that’s been running the city’s nine-hole Ocean Palms Golf Club at the south end of town since 2015, issuing its third threat to end the lease since 2017. Meanwhile, the company’s founding owner is in prison.
Interim Bunnell Police Chief Snead Speaks as Someone Who’s Staying, If With Cringe-Worthy Humor
Last week Interim Bunnell Police Chief Brannon Snead was adamant that Monday would be his last day. Monday came and went. He’s still there, and spoke at a promotion ceremony for three new sergeants as if he was very much in the picture–if with uncomfortable reminders of why his career at the Florida Highway Patrol was cut short.
Property Appraiser Will Hold Saturday Hours for Homestead Filings and Other Needs Feb. 12
The Flagler County Property Appraiser’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 12, at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, to accommodate homestead exemption filings as the March 1 deadline approaches.
Retiring Nice-Guy Approach, Flagler County Will Sue 2 Flagler Beach Property Owners Over Dunes Project
Facing an ultimatum from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the county will sue two Flagler Beach property owners to secure beachside easements necessary to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with a long-delayed dune-rebuilding project along 2.6 miles of beach in the city. The county had been threatening just such action for 15 months, but was hoping to avoid it.
Explosion Rocks Neighborhood Around 28 Poppy Lane in Palm Coast; Investigation Ongoing
A loud explosion shook the neighborhood around 28 Poppy Lane in Palm Coast early this morning, drawing a response from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, a road closure and the summoning of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s bomb squad.
Belle Terre Parkway Resurfacing Begins Monday from Royal Palm Parkway to SR100
On Monday (Jan. 31), a contractor will begin milling and repaving the segment of Belle Terre Parkway between Royal Palms Parkway and State Road 100 as part of the city’s annual repaving program. The segment is among the most heavily traveled in the city. The project will take four to six weeks.
With One Exception, Flagler Beach Commissioners Leery of Alternating July 4 Fireworks With Palm Coast
Between logistics and tradition, five of the six members of the Flagler Beach City Commission, including the mayor, are either hesitant or opposed to giving up on July 4 fireworks even if Palm Coast wants to hold them on that day only in alternate years. But officials are also saying the whole discussion may be premature, given the impending disappearance of the Flagler Beach pier for two years, when July 4 fireworks will likely have to be in Palm Coast anyway.
County in Talks with Coastal Cloud to Buy $1.5 Million Parcel on A1A for Future Visitor Center
Flagler County’s tourism bureau is in discussions to buy a corner lot on State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach for a future visitor center. The 0.37-acre lot, owned by Coastal Cloud (the Hammock-based tech company), is listed at $1.5 million.
Dismissing ‘Slippery Slope of Censorship,’ GOP Senators Back Stricter Scrutiny of School and Library Books
The proposal (SB 1300) would change the review process for books and other learning materials, adding requirements and making it more open to the public but also enabling regular purges of book lists to align them with standards or if the books are considered out of date.
Judge Re-Commits Richard Dunn, Who Killed His Father in 2006, to State Hospital After Bizarre Incidents
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins termed the re-commitment of Richard Dunn, 61, to a state hospital a “close call.” A change in Dunn’s medication had caused him to act in bizarre ways that worried counselors and health care providers, because some of the behavior and hallucinations mirrored those he exhibited around the time he killed his father in Palm Coast in 2006.
‘Incredibly Manipulative’ Bryan Loveland Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison After Repeat Contempt
Since his arrest in 2017 on second-degree felony charges after he was accused of fondling the 12-year-old daughter of his then-girlfriend, Bryan Patrick Loveland has been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game that he’d been largely winning against detectives, prosecutors and the court: he’d managed to stay out of prison. That ended today.
Ex-Deputy Dedorius Varnes Pleads to Lesser Charges of Aggravated Stalking, Faces Up to 5 Years in Prison
Ex-Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Dedorius Varnes accumulated six criminal charges in two cases, including two second-degree felonies, and faced potentially up to 40 years in prison. Instead, he will be sentenced to two third-degree felonies and little prison time, if any, based on a plea he entered today.
When Hearing Fleetwood Mac Is a Homicidal Red Flag: Dr. Wants Man Who Killed His Father Back in State Hospital
Richard Dunn, 60, who killed his father in Palm Coast in 2006 and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, had slowly regained degrees of freedom until last September when he started behaving again as he had before the killing. A judge has been holding hearings to decide his fate as he’s sat at the Flagler County jail since September.
Breaking 8 Years’ Standstill, Flagler County Will Move Ahead with $16 Million South Side Library
The Flagler County Commission gave the go-ahead today for a $16 million south side library on Commerce Parkway in Bunnell, opposite the future Sheriff’s Operations Center, ending eight years of prevarications. But while several funding options are available, it is still not at all clear how the commission will pay for the 32,000 square foot facility, now slated to open in late 2024.
Except in Schools, Omicron Wave Crests in Flagler and Florida as Officials See End to Emergency
An end to the pandemic has been predicted before, especially after vaccines began rolling out, only for delta to obliterated those premature hopes. But several factors are converging in an indication that this time the crisis stage may well be on the wane, to be replaced by more routine infectious-disease management strategies.
Patient, Beware: Florida Among States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments
Unethically and deceptively–since it gives patients a false sense of security–several states, Florida among them, are still pushing the costly monoclonal treatments — often charging hundreds of dollars a session — that public health officials now say are almost certainly useless.
Jacob Oliva, Still a Flagler Resident, Is One of Three Finalists for Miami-Dade Superintendent
Jacob Oliva, senior chancellor of education and a former superintendent of Flagler County schools, is one of three finalists for superintendent in Miami-Dade, the nation’s fourth-largest district. The nine-member Miami-Dade school board will interview him for the job, along with two other candidates, on Monday.
Cold-Weather Shelter at Church on the Rock Will Open Saturday and Sunday Night
The Sheltering Tree will open a cold-weather shelter Saturday and Sunday nights at the Church on the Rock not only for the homeless, but for anyone who is without heat. Free transportation is also available along two routes.
Days After He’s Named Bunnell’s Police Chief, Walker Opts Out of Job, and Interim Snead Says He’s ‘Done’
There’s no public explanation behind Michael Walker’s decision not to take the police chief’s job. Brannon Snead is linking his decision not to stay to the effects on his reputation from revelations of what led to his resignation from the Florida Highway Patrol in 2016.
FPC’s Jim Gambone, a Math Teacher, and Nutrition Manager Judy Gallo are Flagler Schools’ Employees of the Year
Jim Gambone, a math teacher at Flagler-Palm Coast High School is this year’s Teacher of the Year in the district, and Judy Gallo, an area manager for Food and Nutrition Services, is the Flagler Schools Employee of the Year.
Bunnell Mayor Robinson Re-Elected; Ex-Commissioner, Police Chief and FHP Trooper Pete Young Runs Again
Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson, in office for all but two of the last 26 years, won another three-year term as mayor, and Pete Young, a former Bunnell commissioner and police chief, will run for a city commission seat, with two incumbents. Two Beverly Beach commissioners were reelected without opposition, but two Flagler Beach incumbents face one challenger in the March 8 municipal elections.
Flagler Unemployment Hits Post-Covid Low of 3.8% as County Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Job Totals
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in December fell to a 12-month low of 3.8 percent, matching the rate in December 2020. Flagler has now made up the jobs lost during the pandemic, and exceeded the pre-pandemic level, even though for all of 2021, unemployment in the county averaged 4.9 percent.
Opelka Falls to Canadian Star Shapovalov in Australian Open 3rd Round
The No. 23 seed Opelka and the Canadian Shapovalov, seeded 14th, both looking to make the Round of 16 there for the first time in their careers, split the first two sets before the younger Shapovalov pulled away. He broke Opelka’s serve once each in the last two sets to snatch a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
20 Arrested in Sheriff’s Operations Targeting Local Drug Traffickers
Suspects in the operation range in ages from 23 to 69 years of age. One of those facing charges, Michael McIntyre, is already facing time in prison on a first-degree murder conviction for selling a fatal dose of illegal drugs. He is charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine as a result of this operation.
Palm Coast Clears Way for 2nd Self-Storage Facility in 24 Hours on Old Kings Road, Near Toscana
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday approved a 155,000 square-foot self-storage facility on Old Kings Road, a short distance north of a facility the Palm Coast City Council approved on Tuesday. The two would be the 10th and 11th self-storage facilities in the city.
Flagler County Has Been Promising a South Side Library Since 2014. Commission Will Promise Again Next Week.
The Flagler County Commission next week will examine plans for a $14 million, 32,000 square-foot library that’ll also include a conference center and a portion of the building for the county’s Health and Human Services division. But as has been the case since 2014, and absent a surprise, the money for the project may be lacking yet again.
Justice Blinded and a Heroin-Stuffed Doll Spark Thrills in City Repertory Theatre’s ‘Wait Until Dark’
True to part of its mission, City Repertory Theatre once again is offering a play that is typically off the radar of the local theater scene: a genuine, suspense-filled thriller. Susy has just been blinded in a car crash. While Susy’s husband Sam is away, three sadistic thugs track a heroin-stuffed doll they’re looking for to Susy’s apartment. A harrowing cat-and-mouse game ensues and soon involves Gloria, a young girl who lives in a nearby apartment.
Calm and Confident Opelka Wins to Reach 3rd Round of Australian Open
The former Indian Trails Middle School student put forth an outstanding performance Monday night in the second round of the Australian Open, dispatching Germany’s Dominik Koepfer to reach the third round for the first time.
Land of the Free: Sing the National Anthem or Else, Florida Legislators Tell Sports Teams
Florida’s measure would prohibit government agencies from entering agreements with professional teams without written verification that the anthem would be played. Failure to play the anthem could lead to teams or venues being required to repay government money they received.