The Keep Rick Staly Our Sheriff Campaign announces that it has donated $100,000 dollars of left-over campaign funds to the Flagler Sheriff’s Employees Assistance Trust (F.S.E.A.T.). The money was donated to FSEAT during a re-election celebration on July 30th at Loopers Par & Grille. More than 150 campaign supporters and donors attended.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Flagler County Escalates Disclosure Pressure as Old Dixie Motel Owners Brazenly Defy Court Order to Pay Bond
As the old Country Hearth Inn on Old Dixie Highway continues to rot amid neighbors’ ire, the owners of the property are now in brazen defiance of a court order to put up a $250,000 bond in compliance with their contract with the county. County government has filed two motions that turn up the pressure for financial disclosures and accountability on the owners, even though it does not expect them to comply anymore than they have complied with all other contractual or court-ordered obligations so far.
How Anthony Romine Faked Paralysis to Get Out of Flagler Jail, then Escaped Hospital Before Biting Rearrest
Anthony Romine is the 29-year-old resident of Elk River Drive in Ormond Beach and two-time state-prison offender who Saturday faked his way out of the Flagler County jail on a bogus ailment then escaped his guard at the hospital, leading local authorities on an expensive seven-hour chase that alerted county residents, ending in his re-arrest. He is unlikely to make it through the coming court proceedings without additional prison time.
Jeffrey Seib, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Jeffrey Seib is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. It’s an open seat. The candidates who qualified are Kathy Austrino, Shara Brodsky, Ty Miller and Seib. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Fentanyl-Caused Deaths Down 10% in Florida, 14% in Flagler, Putnam, and St. Johns: A U.S. Attorney’s Perspective
For the first time in 12 years, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission’s 2022 report showed a small decrease of 3 percent in deaths caused by fentanyl. This month, the Commission issued its interim report for the first six months of 2023. According to that report, the number of deaths caused by fentanyl in Florida was down approximately 10 percent as compared to the same time period in 2022.
How Flagler Schools’ ‘Truth in Millage’ Budget Hid $10 Million Going to Private and Home School Tuition
Until Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin asked for the numbers to be detailed and published, the school district was hiding $10 million it is receiving from the state only for it to be redistributed to families who use use the money–an average of $8,000 per student–to pay for private, religious or home school bills, and for transportation. The amount of public money going to private schooling is surging, as are the number of students going that route.
Derek Barrs, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Derek Barrs is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Janie Ruddy in District 3. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
Alarms Raised Over Beach Dredging Feared Close to Live Fishery Grounds, Endangering Soft Corals and Sea Life
Backed by GPS data, photographs, and eyewitness accounts from the ground and from a fishing vessel, four people–two of them key advocates of the beach renourishment project ongoing in Flagler Beach, two of them fishing-vessel owners–are warning in dire terms that the dredging of over 1 million cubic yards of sand from the sea bottom several miles offshore is raking up live sea life and getting dangerously close to damaging or destroying a unique fishing ground.
Ray Stevens, Palm Coast City Council District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Ray Stevens is one of three candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. It’s an open seat, as Council member Nick Klufas is term-limited. He is running for a County Commission seat. The candidates who qualified are Dana Mark Stancel, Stevens and Andrew Warner. All registered voters in Palm Coast regardless of party or non-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this City Council race.
11-Year-Old Virginia Boy with Disturbing Profile Arrested Over Spate of Swatting Calls to Flagler Schools in May
Following an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, authorities arrested an 11-year-old boy from Henrico, Virginia, and charged him with 43 felonies in connection with a series of swatting calls the boy allegedly placed to Flagler County schools last year, as well as to the Maryland State House.
Car Strikes and Kills 81-Year-Old Pedestrian on County Road 305 South of Hollar and Greene Plant
An 81-year-old Bunnell man was walking along 305 when he was struck by a car and killed Wednesday evening, the third pedestrian to die from a car collision on Flagler County roads this year.
Flagler Beach Gets $745,000 TDC Grant for Boardwalk Rebuild That May Never Happen, Besting County and Palm Coast
After three bracing presentations by three local governments but tortuous debate by Flagler County’s Tourist Development Council members, the council on Wednesday approved a $745,000 grant for Flagler Beach to rebuild its boardwalk near the pier even though the city has none of the remaining $3 million to build it. Palm Coast and Flagler County were at the losing end of the three-way pitch for the sizeable grant, which the tourism board offers only every two years.
Kathy Austrino, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Kathy Austrino is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Council Votes 7-2 to Deplete Tourism Fund’s $11 Million Reserves and Build Flagler Visitor Center on SR 100
It was as audacious a plan as any that Flagler County Tourism Director Amy Lukasik presented to the Tourist Development Council this morning: take out $10.3 million out of two tourism funds’ reserves, reducing those reserves to $1.2 million, and appropriate the money for construction of the Flagler County Visitor and Eco Discovery Center on State Road 100, near the metallurgic foot bridge. The council went for it, voting 7-2 to recommend moving forward with Lukasik’s plan.
Flagler School District Yet Again Stuck at a B for 3rd Straight Year, But All Schools are at A or B
A third of Florida’s school districts scored an A in the 2023-24 school year. The Flagler County school district was not among them. For the third year in a row, and for the 10th of the last 11th grading years, the district remains stuck at a B, one of 26 districts in that pack. Seventeen districts scored a C. None scored lower. Two districts were not graded. The Florida Department of Education released the grades today.
Janie Ruddy, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview Template
Janie Ruddy is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Derek Barrs in District 3. The District 3 and District 5 seats are both open as incumbents Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro have opted not to run again. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
Palm Coast Residents Will Pay 3.75% More in Garbage Fees as Hauler Adjusts for Inflation
Palm Coast residents’ monthly garbage cost will go from $32.32 to $33.53, a monthly increase of $1.21, an annual increase of $14.52. Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said he was “troubled” by the increase but acknowledged there was nothing the city could do about it, since it is contractual.
Sawmill Branch Will Add 425 Single Family Homes in West Palm Coast as Planning Board Approves Latest Phase
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for 425 single family homes in the Sawmill Branch development’s latest phase on U.S. 1, a month after approving 320 town houses for a separate phase. The single-family home phase is on 213 acres west of U.S. 1, about half a mile south of Old Kings Road North. The town houses are on 65 acres, with lot size of 2,000 square feet.
Vincent Sullivan, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview Template
Vincent Sullivan is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Lauren Ramirez in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
Miller’s Ale House Preps Opening Aug. 5 Ahead of BJ’s Warehouse, With Luring Appetizer for First Guests
Miller’s Ale House is opening its 113th restaurant in Palm Coast on Aug. 5, in one of the five satellite businesses in front of BJ’s Wholesale Club, which opens a few weeks later. Miller’s Ale will host a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and offer recurring goodies to the first 100 guests that day.
Palm Coast’s David Chenowith, 32, Faces Charges of Human Trafficking of a Child, Statutory Rape and Molestation
David Chenowith is a 32-year-old resident of Palm Coast, the father of a 10-year-old girl, and a convicted felon with an extensive arrest record and a previous state prison stint of almost three years. On July 18, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on charges of statutory rape of a 16 year old, molesting a girl younger than 16, and human trafficking of a minor–two second-degree felonies and a life felony if convicted.
Lauren Ramirez, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview
Lauren Ramirez is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Vincent Sullivan in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
DeSantis’s Florida: The Who Cares State
Florida’s current regime (motto: “Ignorance is Strength”) operates on the theory that if you refuse to utter certain words — ”racism,” for example, “Covid,” or “climate crisis” — and pretend with all your might that what you see in front of you isn’t real, then the problem disappears.
To Neutralize Write-In Fraud, Switch to Republican: An Open Letter to My Flagler County Neighbors
Jake Scully, a lifelong Democrat until this summer, says the only way to get around the fraud of two-write-in candidates closing two County Commission races to almost 50,000 voters is to switch to Republican before the July 22 deadline.
Sheriff Issues Cease and Desist to Ed Danko Over Unauthorized Use of Images and ‘Endorsement’ Reference
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office today issued a sternly worded letter to Ed Danko, the Palm Coast City Council member and a candidate for the County Commission, immediately to remove images of and references to Sheriff Rick Staly from a campaign video Oliver North recorded for the Danko campaign.
Police Investigating ‘Suspicious’ and Violent Death of Sally J. Byrd, 66, in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach Police are investigating the “suspicious” death Thursday morning of “Sally J. Byrd, 66, a resident of Pebble Beach Village at the south end of Flagler Beach. A man is in custody in Georgia in connection with the case, after stealing the woman’s car and fleeing the area.
Pam Richardson, Flagler County Commission District 5 Candidate: The Live Interview
Pam Richardson is one of two Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 5, in the Aug. 20 primary. It’s an open seat as Commissioner Donald O’Brien has elected not to run for a third term. Richardson faces Ed Danko, currently serving as a Palm Coast City Council member. Only registered Republicans may cast a ballot in the election.
Ed Danko, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 5: The Live Interview
Ed Danko is one of two Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 5, in the Aug. 20 primary. It’s an open seat as Commissioner Donald O’Brien has elected not to run for a third term. Danko, a one-term Palm Coast City Council member, faces Pam Richardson.
Sheriff Staly Rejects as ‘Misleading’ Ed Danko Campaign Claim of Endorsement in Latest Ollie North Video
As he did in 2022 regarding a different campaign using almost identical techniques and using Oliver North, Sheriff Rick Staly today said he was never endorsed by Ed Danko, as a Danko campaign video claims, and called the Danko video–which uses two images of Staly with Danko–“misleading” at best. Danko said he’s frequently spoken of his support of the sheriff and equates support with endorsement.
Alien Menace and Combustible Dancing Shake Up City Repertory Theatre with “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals”
“The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals,” which opens tonight at City Repertory Theatre in Palm Coast, takes its cue from the body snatching school: After an extraterrestrial presence stealthily arrives via a meteor that crashes into a small-town theater and proceeds to uncork “some kind of blue” something, the townsfolk are suddenly and inexplicably breaking into song and dance routines in everyday life situations. Soon the infected townsfolk begin acting more and more like zombies.
Bill Clark, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Bill Clark is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3, in an open-seat election, as Dave Sullivan has opted not to run again. Clark faces Republicans Kim Carney and Nick Klufas in the Aug. 20 primary.
Flagler County Library’s $14 Million South Branch ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground in August, Ending 10-Year Wait
Almost a decade after Holly Albanese and the Library Board of Trustees first conceived it, the south branch of the Flagler County Library–to be called the Nexus Center–will break ground on Aug. 5 on the 7-acre parcel opposite the Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center, a short walk down from the future Bunnell City Hall now under construction. The 23,000-square-foot, one-floor library, combined with the county’s social services offices, will open at the end of October 2025.
Jury Finds Man Guilty on 9 Counts in Video Voyeurism of 12-Year-Old Stepdaughter in Her Bathroom
At the end of a three-day trial today, and after deliberating barely an hour, a jury found Tyler Habdas, now 32, guilty on nine charges of voyeurism of an underage child, child abuse, and illegal use of a cell phone. He’d secretly and repeatedly taken video of his 12-year-old daughter as she showered at her grandmother’s home in Flagler County. He faces up to 75 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.
Kim Carney, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Kim Carney is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3, in an open-seat election, as Dave Sullivan has opted not to run again. Carney faces Republicans Bill Clark and Nick Klufas in the Aug. 20 primary.
‘I Don’t Want to Wrestle With Pigs’: Palm Coast Rejects Danko Push to Lock City Into $2.3 Million Budget Cut
Overcoming what Council member Nick Klufas called fellow Councilman Ed Danko’s “pontification,” the Palm Coast City Council today rebuffed an attempt by Danko to remove $2.3 million from the city’s proposed budget and adopted instead a slightly reduced tax rate for next year while preserving funding for the addition of nine new sheriff’s deputies and three new firefighter-paramedics.
BJ’s Wholesale Club Readies to Open as County Raises Traffic Concerns and Palm Coast Annexes
BJ’s Wholesale Club on State Road 1100 will open in a matter of weeks, its parking lot paved on Monday and its certificate of occupancy soon to be issued, Flagler County’s planning director said, while Palm Coast government today took the first step toward annexing the property. But county officials raised concerns about traffic lights and traffic patterns ahead. The 32-acre property will consist of BJ’s and its gas station, Miller’s Ale House, opening around Aug. 1, Longhorn Steakhouse and Chase Bank.
Nick Klufas, Flagler County Commission District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Nick Klufas is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. The two-term Palm Coast City Council member, who is term-limited, faces Kim Carney and Bill Clark, both Republicans, in the Aug. 20 primary. Because a write-in candidate has filed expressly to close the election to non-Republicans, only registered Republicans may cast a ballot in this race.
Reviled Daytona North Special Tax Will End as County Adopts Proposed 2025 Budget with Modest Tax Increase
The Flagler County Commission this afternoon adopted a proposed tax rate for next year that, absent further decreases before two September hearings, will be a hair lower than the existing rate. County Administrator Heidi Petito, in a shift from last year, is proposing suspending the increasingly reviled special tax in Daytona North (or the Mondex), eliminating $260,000 in revenue to the general fund that will be more than made up by tax collections.
On Eve of Trial, Tyrese Patterson Pleads to Murdering Noah Smith, 16, and Faces Up to 50 Years in Prison
Three days before his jury trial on a first-degree murder charge that could have resulted in a prison term for life if he were found guilty, Tyrese Patterson, 23, pleaded to second degree murder in the January 2022 shooting death of Noah Smith, then a 16-year-old student at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Patterson faces between 25 and 50 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.
4 Arrested in Sheriff’s Sting Operation Involving Seekers of Under-Age Girls, Including 2 on Trafficking Charges
The Flagler County Sheriff in cooperation with other agencies in the region arrested four men Saturday and Sunday following a sting operation targeting individuals who sought out what the men allegedly thought were underage girls for sex.
49-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Rear-End Collision Against Pick-Up on I-95 in Palm Coast
A 40-year-old man from Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis, Mo., rear-ended a pick-up truck on I-95 late Saturday night, was thrown off the motorcycle and landed on the pavement, near the center guard rail. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Assassination Merch
Medieval pilgrims traded gold for relics such as the alleged thumb of John the Baptist or vials of the alleged blood of Christ from his crucifixion. This will be the first presidential race in history when blood will feature front and center in the Trump campaign’s most iconic image, the candidate bloodied but fist-pumping as an Iwo Jima-flag-like clutch of brawn props him up. Trump is the flag. Trump is America. Welcome to assassination merch.
Promenade Breaks Ground at Town Center’s 1st Mix of 200 Apartments and Array of Shops After 20-Year Wait
When it opens in 22 months, Promenade will be Town Center’s largest–well, its only–mixed use development to date, and what so much of Town Center was imagined to be when it was conceived out of 2,000 acres of scrub 22 years ago. The developer, the architect, city and county officials gathered on the project’s 17 acres this morning for a groundbreaking and a few insights into what’s coming.
Flagler Beach Gush of Drainage Complaints Mirror Palm Coast’s as Commission Rebuffs Moratorium
The Flagler Beach City Commission tabled a proposal to stop construction in flood zones for six months. The administration was proposing the moratorium on using fill at work sites to give it time to rewrite the city’s building regulations, which the city engineer blamed for drainage issues on residential lot. Commissioners disagree, saying the problem is the city’s own non-enforcement of its existing regulations.
Judge France Rejects Latest Attempt by Old Dixie Motel Owners to Renege on $250,000 They Owe, Now Past Due
Circuit Judge Chris France this morning denied the latest attempt by the owners of the derelict Old Dixie Motel not to post a $250,000 bond with the county, as they have been contractually obliged to do for three years. They may face contempt proceedings next. The judge reminded the owners’ attorney that the money owed is past due, and the clock continues to tick.
Friday Food-A-Thon Aims for $200,000 for Flagler Food Bank, Underscoring Need Approaching 6,000 Families
Close to 6,000 families have registered with Flagler County’s Grace Community Food Pantry, 2,000 more than last year, as WNZF and Flagler Broadcasting launch the third annual Food-a-Thon in hopes of raising $200,000, money that can be leveraged into $1 million worth of food. The drive is aiming for a bounty of small donations this year.
Fernando Melendez, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 1: The Live Interview
Fernando Melendez is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. He is challenging incumbent Andy Dance in the Aug. 20 primary. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20.
2 Parents Suing Over Book Bans in St. Johns Schools Tell Flagler Freedom to Read Activists: ‘Be Loud and Proud’
Nancy Tray and Anne Watts, parents suing in federal court over book bans in St. Johns County, were guests today of the weekly meeting in Palm Coast of the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a non-profit Chaired by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. The group took stock of the state of book bans in the two counties and the state, how to counter them, and what to expect next.
Flagler School District Will Negotiate Lease of Old Courthouse With the County, Eying Room for Historical Society
The Flagler County school district’s plan to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to shift half a dozen programs there would cost $632,000 in up-front renovations and $202,000 a year in rent and utilities. The Flagler County Historical Society had plans of its own for the old courthouse. The district will negotiate with both the county and the historical society in hopes of reaching mutually agreeable accommodations.
Andy Dance, Flagler County Commission Candidate, District 1: The Live Interview
Andy Dance is the incumbent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. Fernando Melendez is challenging him in the Aug. 20 primary. Both candidates are Republicans. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20. There is no run-off.