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Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News

4 County Commissioners Endorse Petito Plan to Save Beaches and Launch Public Campaign for Sales Tax Increase

March 3, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito's plan for beach management got a huge lift from the County Commission today. (© FlaglerLive)

Four county commissioners–Andy Dance, the chair, Greg Hansen, Pam Richardson and Kim Carney–gave their blessing today to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s resolute financial plan to make county government responsible for rebuilding and maintaining all 18 miles of beaches. The commissioners gave Petito their consensus that she may now develop a public campaign to win support. Palm Coast’s support will be crucial. Without it, the plan dies.

Black Hawk Helicopter Repair Company Gets 30-Year Lease in Plant It’ll Build at Flagler Airport

March 3, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

A Black Hawk helicopter at Flagler County airport in 2011, when it was one of three sent there with the Florida National Guard to help fight wildfires. (© FlaglerLive)

Get ready to see a lot more Black Hawk helicopters flying around Flagler County’s airport in the heart of Palm Coast as a new company moves in, bringing with it almost three dozen jobs. The Flagler County Commission on Monday in a 3-1 vote approved a 30-year lease with Van Damme Helicopters, a company that repairs and repurposes for civilian uses Black Hawks that are no longer used by the military. Commissioner Kim Carney dissented and expressed some reservations.

Man Holding ‘God Bless Homeless Vets’ Sign on Public Sidewalk Outside Funky Pelican Arrested on Armed Trespassing Charge

March 3, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 89 Comments

The Funky Pelican, in business since 2010, features large, public blackboards on its walls fronting State Road A1A, where members of the public are invited to express themselves, albeit courteously and congenially.

Jeffrey Marcus Gray, a 55-year-old resident of Forest Court in St. Augustine, was arrested on a felony charge of armed trespassing Sunday morning after he refused to leave the immediate vicinity of the Funky Pelican, the restaurant at the Flagler Beach pier. The pier is public property, as is the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. The restaurant itself leases its space from city government in Flagler Beach. But individuals may be trespassed from public sidewalks or parks or other public property, if not without raising potential legal issues.

FTC Launches Accelerated GED Program at Carver Center

March 2, 2025 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

South Bunnell's community strongly identifies with the Carver Center. (© FlaglerLive)

In a significant stride toward enhancing adult education, Flagler Technical College (FTC) has unveiled an accelerated GED program at the G.W. Carver Community Center in Bunnell. This initiative is a cornerstone of FTC’s broader mission to expand adult learning opportunities across Flagler County as the adult education component of Flagler County Schools. Classes are already underway, having begun in full swing for the Winter ’25 school semester. Classes are open enrollment, so students may enroll anytime throughout the semester.

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on A1A in Flagler Beach, Two Teens Killed in Car Crash on CR304 Within Hours

March 2, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 34 Comments

The concrete median that divides State Road A1A starts at South 9th Street, where the motorcyclist attempted to pass an SUV on the left, striking the median and overturning. (© FlaglerLive)

After going more than three months without a road fatality, Flagler County roads were the site of two crashes causing the death of three people within hours early Sunday morning–a motorcycle crash in Flagler Beach and a car crash on County Road 304.

Ray Stevens, In Critical Condition, Resigns His Palm Coast City Council Seat Two Months After Swearing-In

February 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Ray Stevens at his swearing-in. (© FlaglerLive)

Elected to the Palm Coast City Council last November after surviving a historically close primary race, Ray Stevens tendered his resignation today, citing ill health. He had missed three successive meetings and attended last Tuesday’s meeting remotely, saying he’d be back in person next week, only to have a grave relapse.

After Qualms from Palm Coast and Bunnell, County’s Beach-Saving Plan Gets a Much Warmer Reception from Flagler Beach

February 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Local officials getting ready to break ground on the beach-renourishment project in Flagler Beach last June. Next time the beach is to be renourished, the county or Flagler Beach must have at least $13.5 million in hand. Only a beach-management plan can get them there. (© FlaglerLive)

After a punting response from Palm Coast government and a muted one from Bunnell, Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s ambitious plan to save the county’s beaches and permanently ensure their maintenance got a warmer response from the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening, with one commissioner hoping the city will not only back the plan but be its champion.

Ex-Embry Riddle Athletic Director John Phillips, Preacher of ‘Patience,’ Appointed President of Palm Coast-Flagler Chamber

February 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

John Phillips in a screen shot from a YouTube interview on the Educational AD Podcast (2024).

The Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce appointed John Phillips, the former athletic director at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (and the broadcast voice of some of its teams) its new president after a five-month search and the untidy ouster of former President Greg Blose. Chamber Board Chair Michael Chiumento III announced the appointment in an email this afternoon.

Flagler Beach Planning Board Gets Seasoned New Members as Barbara Revels and Suzie Johnston Return

February 28, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Suzie Johnston, left, and Barbara Revels. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening appointed former Flagler County Commissioner Barbara Revels and former Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston to the Flagler Beach Planning and Architecture Review Board. Scott Chappuis, a retired appraiser, was re-appointed to a third term. The members serve three-year terms and are part of a panel of seven.

Flagler Beach’s Days Are Numbered. That’s No Reason for Palm Coast to Assist Its Suicide. 

February 27, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

As Benjamin Franklin is said to have once told Flagler Beach Commissioner Jane Mealy, "a beach, if you can keep it." (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler Beach’s days are numbered. A beach-protection plan is essential. The county has produced one that spares the cities any tax increase and ensures the renourishment and management of all 18 miles of the county’s beaches. Sending the question to referendum ensures its death, and with it the eventual death of our beaches. Flagler Beach and Palm Coast should not be so fatalistic.

County’s Heidi Petito Scores 84% in Latest Evaluations, With Sharp Criticism from One Commissioner

February 27, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito presenting the beach-management funding plan to the Marineland Town Commission last week. Petito, in her evaluations by county commissioners, was commended for fostering good relations with other governments. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito scored 82 percent on her latest evaluation, an improvement over the previous year’s 78 percent, if with some caveats. Among them: sharp, almost lawyerly criticism from Commissioner leann Pennington on one hand and unrealistic perfect-score evaluations on the other.

Ralph Carter Park Rears Its Dusky Lights Again as Councilman Clamors for Dimmers Just Months After City Upgrades

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Though there's been recurring complaints about Ralph Carter Park's lights for years, those complaining can be counted on one light pole. (© FlaglerLive)

A year after Palm Coast staff installed shields on the flood lights at Ralph Carter Park in the R Section, to recalibrate park hours in line with residents’ demands, and to hold a community meeting to outline it all, City Council member Charles Gambaro is asking to lay it all back on the table as he sees the same problems recurring there.

John R. Jenkins, Home Health Care Nurse, Arrested After Footage Shows Him Brutalizing Disabled, Voiceless Man

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

John Roy Jenkins.

John Roy Jenkins, 68, had been caring for a profoundly disabled man in his 20s in palm Coast since last March. When the alleged victim’s mother looked at indoor surveillance video, she uncovered repeated cases of Jenkins’s physical and verbal abuse against and torment against her son. He faces four felony counts of abusing a disabled person.

Flagler Humane Society Takes a Lashing from Palm Coast Council as Accountability and Transparency Are Questioned

February 26, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Flagler Humane Society Director Amy Carotenuto addressing the Palm Coast City Council Tuesday. (© FlaglerLive via YouTube)

Palm Coast City Hall’s maintenance crews might still this morning have been cleaning up the bloodbath Amy Carotenuto and the Flagler Humane Society she leads endured Tuesday at the hands of City Council members and numerous residents who spoke, some of them former volunteers at the society. Some of the criticism was unfair and undocumented, but some of it was self-inflicted by a society that lacks transparency and a sense of accountability.

Palm Coast Throws Cold, Brackish Water on County Beach Tax and Management Plan, Calling for Referendum

February 25, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

County Administrator Heidi Petito pitching for federal help with beach protection projects to Mike Waltz last August, before the president named the congressman his national security adviser. The Palm Coast City Council was a tougher audience for Petito today. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council today was not receptive to County Administrator Heidi Petito’s comprehensive but expensive financing plan for a long-term solution to saving the county’s 18 miles of beaches. At least three council members favor sending the proposal to the ballot for a referendum, which would almost certainly fail and delay the enactment of an already lagging beach-management plan to 2027, after the next general election. 

Christopher Caschera, 26, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison and 10 on Probation for CSAM Possession

February 25, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

caschera

Christopher Carlo Caschera, a 26-year-old resident of Pittman Drive who’d interned in Palm Coast government and was employed as an environmental specialist for DeLand government, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by 10 years of sex-offender probation and a lifetime designation as a sex offender. The sentence results from a plea and conviction on 15 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.

On Second Thought, Palm Coast Council Expands City Manager Shortlist to 11, With Gimlet Eyes on Kandahar

February 25, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

An American patroil in Kandahar, the Afghan province, during America's ill-fated war there. The seven months a candidate for Palm Coast city manager spent in Kandahar caught the eye of a City Council member, vaulting the candidate into the short list.

After getting a small and unimpressive batch of candidates from a four-week job posting in December, the Palm Coast City Council’s head-hunter for a new city manager did a desperate thing, marking the want ad as “open until filled.” That drew nine more candidates, and two who re-applied from the first batch. This time, there were two stand-outs, perhaps three, in the council’s view.

Flagler Jail Would Make 100 Beds Available to ICE as Staly Joins Florida Sheriffs Ramping Up Immigration Enforcement

February 24, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

Sheriff Rick Staly is working on an agreement wiith US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (© FlaglerLive)

All of the state’s 67 counties have entered agreements with federal immigration authorities to detain undocumented immigrant criminals in jails, the Florida Sheriffs Association announced on Monday as the state rushes to assist President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is working on an agreement with ICE to make 100 beds at the Flagler County jail available for ICE detentions of up to 72 hours per inmate, in exchange for $125 a day per inmate.

Marineland Commissioner and Ex-Mayor Angela TenBroeck Forced to Resign After Latest in Odd Pattern of Evictions

February 24, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Angela TenBroeck at a Meet the Mayors forum hosted by the Flagler County Association of Realtors last May, flanked by Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson, right, and Flagler Beach Mayor Patti King. (© FlaglerLive)

Angela TenBroeck, who’d served as a commissioner and mayor in Marineland since 2020 and was the 2021 Florida Agriculture Woman of the Year, was forced to resign her seat last week when she lost her residency in Marineland. Since September, Marineland lost its town clerk, its most popular mobile amenity, and now TenBroeck, all involuntarily, all with one thing in common that triggered their departure: an eviction from property owned by JDI Marineland, the company long associated with Atlanta’s Jim Jacoby and Atlanta-based Jacoby Development.

Flagler County’s $114 Million Beach Management Plan Depends on Raising Sales Tax and Winning Cities’ Buy-In

February 24, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

Flagler County government is looking for buy-in from cities to extend beach protection across all 18 miles of Flagler's shoreline. But it'll be costly. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government’s proposed $114 million plan to rebuild, maintain and protect 18 miles of shoreline over the next six years depends on raising the local sales tax by half a penny, imposing a $160-a-year tax on each barrier island property, including Flagler Beach, doubling spending on the beach from the county’s tourism-tax revenue, and temporarily using some general fund revenue toward the effort.

DeSantis’s Know-Nothing Assault on Florida’s Public Universities

February 23, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Jeanette Nuñez, until recently lieutenant governor, is becoming interim, and likely permanent, president of Florida International University. (Photo via FIU)

DeSantis, the lame duck and failed presidential candidate, may have lost much of his hold on the Legislature but, given that he appoints state university trustees, our institutions must still suffer his anti-intellectualism, his spite, and his obsession with “woke.”

Paving Contractor Will Seal Cracks on 33 Palm Coast Streets Before Micro-Surfacing

February 22, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

weed crack

Beginning Monday (Feb. 24) the City of Palm Coast’s micro-surfacing contractor, Asphalt Paving Systems, will begin crack sealing on multiple roadways as part of an upcoming pavement preservation project. This is a temporary step in the process, not the final road surface.

Flagler School Board Quietly Settled with Ex-Attorney Kristy Gavin for $160,000, and with Paul Peacock for $100,000

February 21, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

paul peacock kristy gavin settlements

The Flagler County School Board, operating almost entirely out of the public eye, settled disputes and lawsuits with former Board Attorney Kristy Gavin last July for $160,000, with former principal Paul Peacock in October for $100,000, and with former Exceptional Student Education director Martha von Mering in October for $19,500. The School Board at no point openly discussed any of the three cases.

Marineland Dolphin Adventure Parent Files for Bankruptcy and GM Resigns, Raising Concerns for Town’s Future Finances

February 21, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

Skies have darkened over Marineland Dolphin Adventure. (© FlaglerLive)

Marineland Mayor Gary Inks says the Dolphin Company, parent of Marineland Dolphin Adventure, filing for bankruptcy is creating uncertainty about the attraction’s future: the general manager at Marineland Dolphin has resigned after months of going unpaid, the hours have been reduced to just 15 a week, and the company is behind on paying its property tax installments to Marineland, Flagler County and other local governments.

At Tiger Bay, a Smart-Urbanism Expert Gives a Nice Slide Show of Great Cities, But Local Relevance Is a Puzzle

February 20, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Sandra Baer of Personal Cities did not likely tell a sold-out Tiger Bay Club audience anything it did not know. (© FlaglerLive)

Addressing Flagler Tiger Bay Club today, Sandra Baer, founder and CEO of Personal Cities, spoke a lot of buzzy concepts about “smart cities” no one would dispute and illustrated her talk with slides of some of the world’s greatest cities, but the talk was short on substantive insights relating to local challenges.

Sheriff’s Deputies Capture 3 in Stolen-Vehicle Incident in Palm Coast’s L-Section

February 20, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Sheriff Rick Staly, gun drawn, at the scene of an apprehension in the L-Section today. (FCSO)

Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies captured two individuals and are looking for a third following a stolen-vehicle incident that unraveled in Palm Coast’s L-Section. The vehicle was stolen in Seminole County and appears to have triggered a license-plate reader in Flagler County, leading to a chase and apprehension. The sheriff is urging residents not to take chances.

Who Do You Think You Are? Here’s Why You Should See ‘The Niceties’ at CRT

February 20, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Julia Davidson Truilo as Janine and Phillipa Rose as Zoe in City Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Niceties.” (Mike Kitaif) tristam

“The Niceties,” which opens tonight at City Repertory Theatre, is familiar to our ideologically poisoned times, raising questions about whether there is such a thing as objective truth. It subverts assumptions about American and Black history, generational divides, and power. It will make you angry only if you’re not honest with yourself as it also subverts your own assumptions about who you think you are. 

What Is an ‘Erosion Control Line’ and Why Is the State About to Set a New One on Flagler County’s Beaches?

February 19, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The state established an Erosion Control Line, delineating seaward state property from upland private property, along the more than 3 miles of beaches in Flagler Beach that were rebuilt (or renourished) last year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That line is permanent, and will define where the beach must be rebuilt, every time it is eroded. A similar line is about to be set north of the Flagler Beach pier. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County and state environmental officials are hosting a workshop and hearing Thursday evening in Bunnell that will set a new and perpetual boundary between private properties and state property along the county’s beaches, what is officially referred to as an Erosion Control Line. The new ECL is slated for what’s called Reach Two on the county’s beaches, from North 7th Street in Flagler Beach to the northern limits of Varn Park. Here’s an explanation about what this means.

Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park Wins State Planning Association’s Great Places in Florida Award

February 19, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

waterfront park

The American Planning Association’s Florida Chapter named Waterfront Park the winner of the Great Places in Florida People’s Choice Award for 2024, taking 60 percent of the vote in a statewide competition driven by community boosting. Waterfront Park, Palm Coast’s 20-acre treasure on the Intracoastal, opened in 2010 as the 12th of the city’s parks, quickly becoming a favorite among local residents and a draw to visitors.

“Shut up and Listen!” City Repertory Theatre’s Production of “The Niceties” Explores the Mis-Education of Black History

February 19, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Julia Davidson Truilo is Janine, a Boomer-aged university history professor, and Phillipa Rose is her student Zoe in City Repertory Theatre’s production of the 2018 Eleanor Burgess play “The Niceties.” (Mike Kitaif)

In “The Niceties,” Eleanor Burgess’ 2018 two-person play, Zoe – a Black millennial Ivy League student – heatedly confronts her white, female Boomer history professor: “Listen, there is one appropriate way to respond to a woman of color when she says ‘I have an idea to assert,’ and that is to shut up and listen because she has experiences that you cannot possibly know and insights you can learn from.” The play, running from Thursday to Sunday at City Repertory Theatre, challenges conventions of Black history, the generational divide, and the meaning of objective truth.

New Big-Box Store and Shops Slated Near BJ’s Wholesale, But Palm Coast Is ‘Leery’ of 255-Apartment Allowance

February 18, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 43 Comments

Less than 10 years ago, Palm Coast government was begging for developers to give its State Road 100 corridor a chance. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council approved on first reading the annexation from the county of a 39-acre parcel on State Road 100, adjacent to the BJ’s Wholesale Club property just east of Bulldog Drive. The property is slated for a development similar to the BJ’s shopping center. But the council did so with an informal condition: that a portion of the land zoned for apartments, entitling a developer to build 255 units there, be converted exclusively to commercial zoning. No apartments.

Judge Denies Bond ‘Across the Board’ to Kristopher Henriqson, Who Faces Capital Felony Over Girl’s ‘Reprehensible’ Abuse

February 18, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Kristopher Henriqson, left, in court today, next to Assistant Public Defender Courtney Davison. (© FlaglerLive via zoom)

Kristopher Henriqson, 47, of Palm Coast, will remain in jail, a judge ruled today, pending the disposition of the charges against him, including a capital rape charge stemming from three years of alleged sexual abuse of his step-daughter when she was between 9 and 12. He had sought to lower his bond. Instead, it was entirely revoked.

Jordan Pittmon, 26, Faces Statutory Rape Charge After Sex with 14-Year-Old Runaway

February 18, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Jordan Scott Pittmon of Palm Coast.

After Jordan Scott Pittmon had assured the girl’s aunt that he would never have any interest in a minor, he was arrested and charged with statutory rape of the aunt’s 14-year-old niece, who had run away from her Palm Coast home last May.

Lawmakers Seek to Roll Back Water Management Districts’ Environmental Efforts

February 17, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

water management districts environment scale back

A Florida Senate committee Tuesday will consider a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts. Sen. Brodeur said in a prepared statement that water management districts were founded to manage stormwater and flood-control efforts but have taken on other issues.

Plane Crash Victim Identified as Skydiving Pilot and Ex-USAF Crew Chief Thomas Russell Harvey

February 17, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

A skydiving Thomas Harvey, right, is a profile picture on his Facebook page.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon identified the victim of Friday evening’s plane crash in the isolated woods of southwest Flagler County as Thomas Russell Harvey, a 75-year-old pilot celebrated by Skydive Palatka as “our favorite pilot and friend.”

With Little Controversy, Flagler Beach Approves Water, Sewer, Garbage and Stormwater Rate Increases

February 17, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

A cardboard recycling pile at Flagler Beach's utility plant. (© FlaglerLive)

After months of delay, the Flagler Beach City Commission last week approved a series of rate increases for water, sewer, garbage and stormwater. Water, sewer and garbage-collection rates will increase 3.5 percent. The monthly stormwater fee will increase 37.2 percent. Further increases may be slated for coming years. Combined, a typical household with consumption of 5,000 gallons a month will see the monthly utility bill go from $192.55 to $204.26, an increase or $11.71, or $140.52 for the year.

Climate-Fueled Hurricanes Do to Florida What Politicians Won’t: Slow Down Rampant Growth

February 16, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Hurricane Nicole's calling card along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach in 2022. (© FlaglerLive)

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that “Residents moving to Florida drop to levels of those who are leaving.” Climate-fueled hurricanes and subsequent increases in insurance rates had done what everyone believed impossible: Make Florida seem unattractive. The end of runaway growth should solve so many of Florida’s serious problems, argues Craig Pittman.

Pilot Is Killed in Crash of Eagle Air Transport Plane in Isolated Part of Flagler County, Near Lake Disston

February 15, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

crash site

A man piloting an Eagle Air Transport Cessna crashed in an isolated, wooded area of southwest Flagler County near Lake Disston Friday evening for unknown reasons. The pilot died. There were no passengers.

I Confess: I Like Palm Coast

February 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

i like palm coast

On WNZF’s annual year in review show with local media in January host David Ayres asked me if I liked Palm Coast. I replied with a mix of sarcasm and sourness. It was more of a show-offy attempt to sound clever than an honest reflection of how I felt. For all its many flaws, there are good reasons to appreciate Palm Coast down to its irradiating redness, even for a Bolshevik like me.

Jury Finds Stephen Monroe, 26, Guilty of Murder in Killing of Noah Smith, 16, and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison

February 14, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Stephen Monroe, right, with his attorney, Terence Lenamon, late this morning as the jury was filing out to deliberate. (© FlaglerLive)

It took less than 20 minutes for a 12-member jury to find Stephen Monroe guilty as charged, just before noon today: first degree murder for the killing of 16-year-old Noah Smith on a Bunnell street in January 2022. It was not a surprise. 

In Murder Trial, Stephen Monroe Takes Stand in His Own Defense Only to Face an Inquisition Into His Rap of Lies

February 13, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Stephen Monroe tried to go toe to toe with Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, the circuit's fiercest crosss-examiner, in an hour-long inquisition this afternoon in Monroe's murder trial. It did not go well for Monroe. (© FlaglerLive)

Stephen Monroe gambled today and testified in his own defense in his jury trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in Bunnell three years ago. He did so by going up against Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, a merciless cross-examiner who had Monroe grimacing, snorting, eye-rolling, huffing, gesturing, interrupting and talking over Lewis and so many times that he drew several rebukes from the judge, apologizing every time. It did not go well for Monroe, who at no point in the hour-long inquisition figured out that dueling with Lewis might not be a good idea.

Flagler County Seeks to Protect Old Brick Road, a Historic Treasure, from Logging Trucks and Palm Coast Development

February 13, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Old Brick Road in west Palm Coast's undeveloped scrub. There's no other road like it in Florida, its rust-colored bricks cutting a path through land slated for development, and now given over to logging--and logging trucks. (Flagler County)

Flagler County is exploring ways to protect the eight miles of historic Old Brick Road in the soon-to-be-developed portion of west Palm Coast. The more than 100-year-old road, built of bricks, is used by logging trucks and will be rimmed by housing developments. The county sees the best course of action as working with Palm Coast and Rayonier, the logging company, to craft protections.

Palm Coast Council Journeys from Dubious ‘Forensic Audit’ to Mystifying Citywide ‘Risk Assessment’ as It Approves RFP

February 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The city administration and some members of the council don't see eye to eye on the budget. (© FlaglerLive)

More than a year and a half after it first entertained then backtracked from conducting a “forensic audit” on its own government in response to a handful of residents’ undocumented claims that the administration was corrupt, the Palm Coast City Council late Tuesday night agreed to issue a request for proposal for a “risk assessment,” something quite different from what would have been a prohibitively expensive forensic audit. 

Palm Coast’s Kristopher Henriqson, 47, a Federal Felon, Charged with Raping Child in His Custody; Could Face Death Penalty

February 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Kristopher Henriqson

Kristopher Henriqson, a 47-year-old resident of Lindsay Drive in Palm Coast and a federal felon, was arrested late Monday night and booked at the Flagler County jail on two capital felony counts of raping a child younger than 12, a child he was caring for. The charges, relatively a new law the Florida Legislature passed in 2023, makes him eligible for the death penalty if the State Attorney decides to seek capital punishment, and if Henriqson is convicted at trial.

Palm Coast Plans to Sharply Raise Water-Sewer Rates and Borrow $456 Million to Finance Needs, Dwarfing Previous Debt

February 12, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 38 Comments

A chlorination tank at Palm Coast's Waste Water Treatment 1 in the Woodlands. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council is moving toward a plan to raise water and sewer rates 28 percent over the next four years and borrow $456 million over the next two to finance some of the $700 million in water and sewer infrastructure under strain from too much growth. The bond issues would dwarf all previous city bond issues and its existing total debt, which stands at $134 million. The rate increases would, for a household using 4,000 gallons of water a month, result in bill increases of $40 a month by October 1, 2028, or an annual increase of nearly $500–more for households consuming more water.

In Sequence Devastating to Defense, Prosecution Shows Jury 26 Minutes That Led Up to Noah Smith’s Murder

February 11, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Flagler County Sheriff's Cmdr. Augustin Rodriguez showing the jury the brief clip of Noah Smith's father driving his Cadillac to the hospital, with Noah aboard, dying. It was the most impactful moment of the trial of Stephen Monroe so far. Monroe faces a first-degree murder charge. (© FlaglerLive)

The next-to-last clip in a sequence of 10 brief surveillance videos the prosecution showed the jury in Stephen Monroe’s trial on a first-degree murder charge today showed a white Cadillac driving on a dark Bunnell street, toward Palm Coast. It was the father of 16-year-old Noah Smith driving his dead or dying son to the hospital on Jan. 12, 2022. Monroe had fired one of the two guns that killed him. It may have been the most impactful two or three seconds of the trial so far as a riveted jury watched.

33 Palm Coast Streets Are Getting “Micro-Surfaced,” a Granular Sealant and Life-Extender Cheaper Than Regular Paving

February 11, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

An example of micro-surfacing on a local residential street last year. (Palm Coast)

More than 30 residential streets in Palm Coast–23 lane miles, or 11.5 miles of roadway out of the city’s network of 542 miles of roads–are getting a life extension with a coating of micro-surfacing, a form of asphalt treatment for roads in relatively good condition that can prevent decay and delay by five to seven years the need to mill and resurface the road with traditional paving methods.

County Crafting New Airport Rules Regulating Surrounding Land, But Noise and Touch-and-Go Foes Shouldn’t Get Excited

February 11, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 33 Comments

A jet on a runway at Flagler County airport. The county is crafting a new ordinance regulating airport overlays. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission is moving toward adopting a long-required ordinance regulating the county airport’s flight-zones approaches. The ordinance applies to land use around the airport, restricting or prohibiting certain structures or vegetation, to minimize risks to and enhance the safe operation of planes. Some residents surrounding the airport who have been objecting to the seemingly perpetual touch-and-go flights of a flight school at the airport, and complaining about the noise, will be disappointed. The ordinance does nothing to address flights or airport use.

In Murder Trial’s Openings, Stephen Monroe’s Attorney Argues Self-Defense in Shooting that Killed Noah Smith, 16

February 10, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Stephen Monroe, right, and his attorney, Terence Lenanmon, as jury selection was set to begin. (© FlaglerLive)

Self-defense: That’s what Terence Lenamon, Stephen Monroe’s attorney, argued to a jury this afternoon in Monroe’s trial on a first-degree murder charge, after the prosecution argued that Monroe and his friends had been looking for a fight for two days and had ample opportunity to drive back to Palm Coast to avoid a deadly shooting. Instead, they exchanged fire with another man on a Bunnell street, killing Noah Smith, 16, a by-stander in January 2022.

County Acknowledges Poor Pitch to Cities for Beach Aid Even as Cryptic Talk of ‘Plan’ Continues

February 10, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

flagler county beach management plan

County commissioners were critical of the vagueness request by their own county for help from local cities in financing a beach-protection plan at a joint local-government meeting last week. The county left the cities with no reason to contribute. But the county administrator repeatedly and cryptically referred to a plan that has not been made public and not been discussed with county commissioners.

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