Flagler County Covid-19 cases are expected to spike a little because of increased testing; AdventHealth Palm Coast’s ICU capacity at 28 percent and total capacity at 30 percent. Flagler County government defends its decision to open some trails as St. Johns opens its beaches for four hours a day, with limited use.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Man Accused of Luring 10-Year-Old Girl Into His Apartment One of 3 Child Abuse Arrests in 3 Days
A 55-year-old Bunnell man is accused of luring a 10-year-old girl and abusing her in his Palm Pointe apartment; Sarah McAllister, 31, of Palm Coast faces drunk driving charges after crashing her car, with her 6-year-old child in a booster seat.
Millions of Americans Might Not Get Stimulus Checks. Some Might Be Tricked Into Paying TurboTax to Get Theirs.
Congress gave the IRS the job of sending out coronavirus rescue checks. But the underfunded agency is struggling, while for-profit companies like Intuit have started circling, hoping to convert Americans in need into paying customers.
Sharp Rift Emerges as Flagler County Will Open Some Parks and Trails Against Cities’ Opposition
Flagler County plans to reopen some of its parks and trails even though every city in the county is opposed and the apex of the coronavirus emergency is still two weeks away, according to public health officials.
5.2 Million More Initial Claims Push Unemployment Rate Past 13%, Nearing Great Depression Figures
In Florida, the last four weeks of claims totals 652,000 which, combined with 291,000 unemployed Floridians before the crisis–a five-decade low–approaches 1 million unemployed, placing the state’s current unemployment rate at around 9 percent and doubling Flagler’s unemployment rolls, past 4,000.
Covid-19 Peak Pushed Back to May 3; In Flagler, 47 Are Tested at Drive-Up Site and 400 Households Get Food Aid
More details about the first Covid-19 infection affecting a Flagler staffer at a nursing home as the county begins drive-up testing, officials warn relaxing distancing measures, and Palm Coast launches its Rise-Up Palm Coast initiative.
Flagler County’s Teachers Union Joins Call on Governor To Keep Schools Closed For Rest of the Year
Flagler County Education Association President Katie Hansen said today she was “absolutely” behind the state education association president’s call on Gov. Ron DeSantis to keep schools closed for the remainder of the year, for the safety of students, staff and families.
Spike in People Dying at Home Suggests Coronavirus Deaths Are Considerably Higher Than Reported
Coronavirus death counts are based on positive tests and driven by hospital deaths. But data from major metropolitan areas shows a spike in at-home deaths, prompting one expert to say current numbers were just “the tip of the iceberg.”
Covid-19 Tempers: How Palm Coast Residents With No Prior Records Are Ending Up In Jail on Domestic Violence Charges
Even as the sheriff stresses de-escalation before arrests, ordinary family members are losing tempers and acting violently at home in collateral consequences of the coronavirus emergency, as this weekend’s repeated examples from Palm Coast illustrate.
Get Used To It: Distancing and Masks Are ‘New Normal’ for Coming Year
Florida residents might be social distancing and wearing facemasks for a year because of COVID-19, the state’s top public health officer said Monday.
Oceanfront Property Owners Want Beach Closure Lifted. Federal Judge Says No.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, argued that the ordinance is unconstitutional on a series of grounds, including that it violates privacy and due-process rights.
How and When to Wear a Mask, and How Not To
Whether to wear a mask or not to protect against Covid-19, in what circumstances, and in what manners. Here’s what’s known and recommended in those regards as of mid-April.
Needed Rain As Scattered Thunderstorms Settle Over Flagler Region For Next 36 Hours
Much-needed rain and some thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, with rain totals of up to 1.5 inches in the Flagler-Palm Coast region, according to the National Weather Service.
1st Infection in Flagler Nursing Home; Flagler Opens Covid Testing Site at DSC Tuesday; Big Food Drop For Needy at FPC
Flagler opens its first drive-up Covid-19 testing site Tuesday and organizes a major food drop as infection numbers appear to be slowing but local officials say it’s still important to “stay the course” on distancing.
Florida Food Stamps Recipients Cleared to Order Online
Low-income people in the state’s major food-assistance program will be able to make online grocery purchases to help protect them from the spread of COVID-19.
Flagler County’s Crime Rate Falls 19% in 2019, After 22% Drop Year Before; Staly Credits Innovations
Much of the crime drop was in non-violent crimes, burglaries and larcenies especially. Vehicle thefts increased 26 percent despite the increasing use of license-plate readers. Rapes increased, and murders matched the previous year’s total: three.
How Do We Exit The Shutdown? Hire An Army Of Public Health Workers
The pandemic has exposed massive cracks in the foundations of the U.S. public health system. Getting the country back to normal, experts say, will require a major investment in Public Health 101: training a corps of workers who can track people with the virus and prevent them from passing it to others.
Second Flagler Resident Dies of Covid-19; Had Been at AdventHealth’s ICU
A second Flagler County resident has died of Covid-19, Flagler Health Department Chief Bob Snyder said this morning. The resident had been in treatment at AdventHealth Palm Coast hospital’s intensive care unit, and died in the early hours of on Easter Sunday.
Night Fire Guts House at 21st and South Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach
A fire that broke out before 9 p.m. Saturday had by later that night engulfed and consumed a three-story house at South Daytona Avenue and South 21st Street in Flagler Beach. No one was hurt.
Florida Seeing Over 1,000 New Infections a Day as Federal, State and Local Officials Send Clashing Messages
The largest spike of coronavirus cases yet in Flagler-Palm Coast was on Thursday, with seven cases confirmed just that day, for a total of 44. Most of the new cases are the result of local, or community, transmission.
Pedestrian “In the Middle of the Highway” Struck and Killed on I-95 South of SR100
The fatal crash took place just before dawn, on a straight but dark stretch of I-95, about a mile south of the intersection with State Road 100. The two occupants of the Mercedes that struck the pedestrian, who apparently stood in the middle of the road, were not hurt.
Ex-Employee and “Family Friend” of Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach Charged With Burglarizing the Business
Jason Charles Mesagaes Jr., a 19-year-old resident of Faith Lane in Palm Coast, had left drops of blood at the Sally’s Ice Cream window he’d allegedly broken to get in, enabling police to trace back the burglary to him.
AdventHealth Offers Drive-up Covid-19 Testing at Daytona International Speedway Starting Friday
The tests will be available to anyone who meets the criteria for testing, as set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A doctor’s order in not required for testing. AdventHealth will pay the cost of testing for the uninsured.
Flagler Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart Helping to Lead Push for Expansion of Mail Ballots and Early Voting
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Keiti Lenhart is among the Florida supervisors who have asked Gov. Ron DeSantis for emergency measures they say will help them cope with an anticipated “significant statewide shortage” of poll workers later this year because of the coronavirus.
42-Year-Old Palm Coast Woman Admits to Placing 400 Obscenely Incoherent Pamphlets in Mailboxes
Abril Cestoni, a Palm Coast resident and an employee at Publix in the Hammock, said she distributed 400 pamphlets to inform residents of what she considered to be problems with the local clergy. She said she was not showing signs of Covid-19 infection.
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom, On Sick Leave, Defends Responding to Rude Constituents Rudely
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom has been sick for over two weeks–it’s not Covid-19–and Fire Chief Bobby Pace is the interim manager for the next two to four weeks, but Newsom’s erratic interactions have caused issues with constituents and concern among officials.
AdventHealth Using Experimental Treatment of Plasma Infusions From Covid-19 Patients Who’ve Recovered
Recovered patients who are at least 15 days out from experiencing symptoms are eligible to donate plasma through OneBlood, whose Big Red Bus is routinely seen in palm Cpoast and Flagler, collecting blood.
Jimaya Baker, Alleged Ringleader in Near-Fatal Robbery, Faces New Armed Robbery Charge Involving Teens
Jimaya Leann Baker is the 18-year-old Palm Coast resident who is alleged to be the ringleader behind the armed robbery that resulted in the shooting and disabling of of Carl Saint Felix on White Star Drive in 2018.
‘When It Starts Getting Into Your Local Hospital, It Becomes Real’
Communities nationwide must fight their own coronavirus battles, leaving local hospitals to make do with limited staffing, testing, personal protective equipment and mechanical gear. The difficult conversations feel unceasingly cruel.
Flagler EOC Gets 500 Test Kits in Preparation for Drive-In Site at DSC Campus; County Cases at 35; Florida Deaths Near 300
Flagler County’s emergency management division secured the 500 test kits in addition to those at the health department, and it hopes to secure more. The drive-in location will still be by appointment, with a focus on first responders, health workers and those over 65.
Flagler County at Risk of Losing $6 Million in State Funds, Jeopardizing Army Corps Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
Flagler County is at risk of losing a $6 million state grant for the planned 2.6-mile beach-reconstruction project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Flagler Beach. The federal government is $11.3 million of the $17.5 million project. The project is predicated on Flagler County assuming the remaining $6.1 million. Flagler government’s chief engineer, […]
Flagler Donors Show Their Love For Hospital “Heroes” as AdventHealth Opens Hubs for Covid-19 Contributions
Flagler Beach’s Wanda Dearth is among those organizing drives for cash, food, masks and other items for front-line health workers and others, while AdventHealth has launched a hub facilitating contributions.
Are You Really Recovered After Overcoming Covid-19? Doctors Can’t Guarantee You Won’t Re-Transmit
As with so many other aspects of the coronavirus, determining when a patient has recovered is fraught with uncertainties. Federal guidelines are limited. Physicians can’t offer seemingly recovered patients who aren’t retested any guarantees about whether they will be able to transmit the virus.
Drive-In Testing Location Coming to Flagler as Local Cases Reach 34, State Peak Expected on April 21
Previous models had shown the Coronavirus pandemic peaking in Florida the first week of May. The earlier projected peak would mean 3,000 fewer hospitalizations statewide, and a few hundred less ICU-level patients, as well as fewer deaths. But models can change.
Mission Critical? Cooper the Dog Has Been Dead 15 Months. Owner, 73, Is Arrested on a 2018 Bite Charge.
Some arrests in the midst of the coronavirus public health emergency are more absurd than others, especially in light of state and local judicial orders to limit all proceedings to essentials. Dottye Benton’s arrest Sunday night at her Palm Coast home is one of those.
Seeing Apex of Covid Crisis Still Ahead, Flagler Officials Will Not Yet Reopen Beaches Even For Limited Access
Flagler County government officials are under pressure to at least partially reopen the beaches on the Volusia model, where walking, swimming and surfing is allowed, but they cite several reasons why that would be ill-advised for a few weeks yet.
Palm Coast Location of Sheriff’s District Office Is Out: Flagler Commission Moves Building Back to Bunnell
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center will not be built in palm Coast after all, but will rise on Commerce Boulevard in Bunnell, next to a planned branch library, the County Commission decided Monday.
Weekend Rise: Florida Cases Reach 12,350, Flagler at 31, With 5 Hospitalizations; Surveillance Testing in Miami
As of Sunday evening, just 409 people had been tested in Flagler, including 68 at AdventHealth Palm Coast, but health department officials were saying 550 test kits were expected sometime next week.
We Need A Lot More Covid-19 Transparency From the CDC
The CDC is hiding potential disparities in who gets tested for coronavirus. To start, the CDC should expand its dashboard, and publicly report metrics using demographic categories like sex, race, ethnicity, primary language, and disability status.
It’s Hardly Shocking the Navy Fired a Commander for Warning of Coronavirus Threat. It’s Part of a Pattern.
In dismissing the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy once again punished the messenger, a frontline leader brave enough to tell the unvarnished truth to superiors about a threat to his sailors.
At AdventHealth, 15 Ventilators and Plans for 66 ICU Rooms; Local Officials Prepare for Surge and Promised Tests Don’t Show
As confirmed Flagler County Covid-19 cases reach 28 Friday evening, local health officials are now stopping short of using reassuring language, saying the worst is yet to come, while various shifts point to the increasing severity of the pandemic.
Mittelstadt Signs 3-Year, $154,200 Superintendent Contract After School Board Splits 3-2 Over Details
The board had approved the contract on Tuesday, but with less unanimity than all five board members wanted: the unusual 3-2 vote split over a clause that two board members said was not giving Mittelstadt the job security she should have in an election year.
Man Shoots Himself In the Mouth With Deputies at the Door to Arrest Him on Domestic Assault Charges
Gary Hills, 68, of 71 Sandy Beach Walk in north Flagler, had allegedly held his wife hostage overnight after beating her, holding a gun to her head and threatening to kill her, the dog and himself, before shooting himself just as deputies were knocking at his door Wednesday morning.
Coronavirus Kills Longest Economic Expansion On Record With 701,000 Job Loss in March, Much Worse to Come
The longest economic expansion on record, a 113-month streak that netted 22 million jobs between October 2010 and February 2020, is over. The economy shed 701,000 jobs in March and the number of unemployed persons grew by 1.4 million.
HIPAA Heist: Lethal Privacy In the Age of Coronavirus
Misapplications and misinterpretations of the federal medical privacy law known as HIPAA are conspiring to kill more of us than otherwise would die from the coronavirus. And officials are taking advantage of the law to cloak their failures.
Florida Covid-19 Cases Increasing By More Than 1,000 a Day; Flagler’s at 24, With 4 Hospitalized
Floridians, public health and emergency management officials are contending with rapidly accelerating indices of crisis, from infection numbers to hospitalizations to unemployment figures that are triggering a different sort of emergency even for those unaffected by the virus.
Flagler’s 1st Covid-19 Fatality: Flagler Beach’s Dorothy Strickland Dies at Halifax Hospital; Was Denied Test Locally
Dorothy Strickland, 70, died Wednesday afternoon of Coronavirus at Daytona Beach’s Halifax hospital after she had been told she didn’t meet testing criteria in Flagler County. Her last two weeks were an ordeal.
Sheriff Prepares Shift to Enforcement of Quarantine and Stay-Home Orders Amid Questions; Restrictions in Effect Friday
What will enforcement of mandatory stay-home orders look like in Palm Coast and Flagler, for residents and coronavirus-infected individuals? Sheriff Rick Staly and Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord have been pouring over the orders in preparation.
DeSantis Orders Stay-at-Home Across Florida, Limiting Activity to All But Essential Services for 30 Days; Palm Coast Holds Virtual Town Hall
Speaking from his office shortly after 1 p.m. today, Gov. Ron DeSantis today said he is issuing an executive order requiring all Floridians to stay at home except to seek “essential services” for the next 30 days.
One Killed, Two Critical in 2-Vehicle Crash on U.S. 1 in at CR 200 in South Flagler
A 59-year-old Palm Coast resident was killed and two people were in critical condition following in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning on U.S. 1 at County Road 200, in the community of Favoretta, just north of Plantation Bay.