After angering them with his deciding vote approving Beachwalk’s 50-home subdivision in the Hammock, Commissioner Joe Mullins called a town hall meeting before the same Hammock residents to explain his long-range approach to development.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Flagler Deputy Resigns, Without Charges, After Accusation of ‘Excessive Force’ On Older, Mentally Ill Inmate
Jared Tazewell, 34, was a detention deputy at the Flagler County jail for three years. He allegedly punched 54-year-old Mark Duncanson after Duncanson threw his walker at him. The sheriff’s office released no documentation Tuesday.
Flagler Hepatitis Cases Up to 9, Volusia Has 3rd Highest Total in State, With 236
Another 64 cases of hepatitis A were reported to the state last week, bringing the total number of reported cases this year to 2,609 and continuing a massive increase in cases compared to last year.
Old Kings Road’s Bottleneck Intersection With Palm Coast Parkway Will Be Widened Starting in May
The widening of Old Kings Road at Palm Coast Parkway, one of the more chronically congested segments of city streets, has been planned for since before 1999. The city finally has the money for the $8.2 million project.
Bova Tries To Fire His Attorneys and Represent Himself Moments Before His Murder Trial. Judge Says No.
Before starting with jury selection this morning in Joseph Bova;s trial for the murder of store clerk Zuheili Rosado, Bova tried delaying the trial by seeking to represent himself on his insanity defense.
Disagreements Persist About Flagler School Board’s Religious Invocations Past and Future
A divided Flagler County School Board has yet to decide whether and how to conduct invocations at the start of its meetings following Chairman Janet McDonald’s out-of-order introduction of a pastor and her invocation at the August meeting.
An Erratic Joseph Bova Goes On Trial Today for 2013 Murder of Zuheili Rosado, Arguing Insanity
Joseph Bova II’s trial begins Monday for the murder of Zuheily Roman Rosado at a Palm Coast gas station in 2013, after six years of see-sawing between Flagler’s jail and a psychiatric hospital. He is arguing insanity.
Joy McClure, Missing Since Sept. 12, Found Dead in Apparent Suicide in South Palm Coast
Joy McClure, 69, of Palm Coast, had last been heard of at her Kashmir Trail home on Sept. 12. A friend reported McClure missing on Sept. 18. What’s believed to be her remains were found in the woods not far from her home.
UNF Pitches Medical Hub in Palm Coast’s Town Center in Major Partnership With City, Schools and AdventHealth
The University of North Florida is submitting a $23 million request to the State Board of Governors that includes Palm Coast’s Town Center as a hub of an innovative concept of medical higher education that ties directly to medical-sector jobs in Northeast Florida, a concept UNF calls MedNex.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood Smears Our Judges
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s call on Chief Judge Zambrano to “overturn” another judge’s ruling on a convicted sex offender’s bond shows contempt for and misunderstanding of the very laws Chitwood was sworn to uphold. He sets a noxious tone.
Facts Dissolve in Antifreeze In Largely Misinformed Protest of Palm Coast’s Taxes and Budget
Palm Coast’s 2020 tax rate and the size of its budget drew some protesters at a hearing Wednesday, but many residents addressing the council were misinformed or mis-characterized the numbers.
City Repertory Theatre’s New Season: Shakespeare, Teen Lust and Two Neil Simons
Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre continues to push boundaries with three tales of adolescent love and lust, “Romeo and Juliet” not least, but also a couple of box office-pleasing Neil Simons.
Home Invasion Robbery in Palm Coast’s P-Section Points at Victim’s Nephew and 2 Suspects
Alexander Brown, 20, and two unknown men are wanted in a home-invasion robbery on Pine Grove Drive in Palm Coast at midday Wednesday. Brown is the nephew of the victim.
James Taylor Found Guilty, Again, of Molesting His Step-Daughter, 11, and Faces Life in Prison
It was the third trial on the same charge for ex-Palm Coast resident James Taylor, 41, after a mistrial and a remand for a new trial on appeal. He faces an almost certain sentence of life in prison because of his past as a felon and sex offender.
Flagler Approves Unattended Tethering of Dogs Outdoors, Against Humane Society Objections
A revised Flagler County ordinance allows unattended tethering of dogs within certain rules while banning the use of weights or injurious equipment. The relaxed rules were in response to the American Kennel Society, but go against the Flagler Humane Society’s recommendations.
Flagler Health Officials Target Hot Spots to Protect Against 363% Statewide Increase in Hepatitis A
Flagler County Health Department officials are visiting the county jail, drug programs and homeless ministries to administer vaccines in attempts to limit the hepatitis A outbreak concentrated in central and south-central Florida.
Setting High-Intensity Precedent, Flagler Commission Approves 50-Home Subdivision in Hammock
The Flagler County Commission in a 3-2 vote approved the 50-home Beachwalk development at the intersection of A1A and Jungle Hut Road, rejecting arguments by Hammock residents that the subdivision is not in line with the Hammock’s low-intensity character.
Greg Hansen Will Represent County Commission on Canvassing Board Through 2020
Greg Hansen will serve on the three-member county canvassing board alongside County Judge Melissa Distler and Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart, assuming Lenhart doesn’t have to have her own substitute. Commissioner Charlie Ericksen is an alternate.
Same Molestation Charge, Third Trial for James Taylor After Mistrial and Appeals Court Reversal
James Taylor, 41, is accused of molesting his step-daughter, 11 at the time, by brushing her chest area over her clothes “for a couple of seconds” in 2013 in Palm Coast. A conviction could send him to prison for life.
A 14-Year-Old Girl at Buddy Taylor Middle Is Hospitalized After an Apparent Overdose
A 14-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School was hospitalized Friday morning after showing signs of a drug overdose and claiming she’d ingested 10 pills.
Intensive 50-Home Beachwalk Development in the Hammock Would Set a Dangerous Precedent
The developer is proposing to build 50 homes crammed into a parcel along Jungle Hut Road of fewer than 13 acres, under the guise of a planned unit development. County commissioners Monday evening have a chance to stop the plan.
Welcome to a Redesigned FlaglerLive Ahead of Our 10th Birthday: Here’s What To Expect
Redesigns are gimmicky, disorienting, and just plain irritating, but sometimes they’re necessary. Almost 10 years after FlaglerLive launched, it was time to bring the place up to code, but the essentials won’t change: The focus is still first and last on quality, serious news reporting, with as little attention as possible to the technical gimmickry necessary to get it to you.
Flagler Chamber President Jorge Guttierez Resigns as Shrunken Organization Continues to ‘Hemorrhage’ Cash
Jorge Gutierrez’s resignation is on the heels of another critically difficult financial year for the Chamber of Commerce as it sought loans, got behind on payroll and now looks for county government for help.
Flagler Beach Strains To Assure Residents That Big Utility Fixes Have Nothing To Do With The Gardens Development
Many Flagler Beach residents worried that the city commission’s approval of $1.4 million in water and sewer projects were designed to accommodate the planned Gardens development along John Anderson Highway. Not so, city officials insist.
Soon-To-Be Tropical Storm Humberto to Echo Dorian Path Up Florida Coast This Weekend
NHC expects the weather system they’re calling a “tropical disturbance” to move over the Bahamas today and turn into Tropical Storm Humberto either later today or overnight, then head for a path up or near the Florida coast.
Flagler Schools Require Only One Hurricane Make-Up Day, Leaving Thanksgiving Week Off Intact
The Flagler School district’s extension of the school day by a few minutes a few years ago builds up enough time in the schedule to create a surplus from which the district can then account for hurricane days. A third day will convert a teacher work day into a hurricane make up day.
Gender-Conscious Flagler Beach Charter Commission Proposes Minor Changes for Ballot
The seven-member Flagler Beach Charter Review Commission that convened for the first time in 10 years this year had a hard time coming up with proposed changes to the city’s charter at its half-dozen meetings since late June.
Obscenities Aside, Kimberle Weeks Appeal May Come Down to Judge’s Baffling Decree on ‘Public Meetings’ Definition
Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson refused to allow a definition of “public meetings” during ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks’s trial last year even though both defense and prosecution wanted a definition, which went to the heart of the case. That’s now a central plank in Weeks’s appeal.
A 60-Year-Old Man Tied to Burglaries and a Car Theft Is Arrested in Palm Coast
Timothy Smith, 60, faces a series of charges, including grand theft auto, after being found in possession of stolen credit cards and been tied to burglaries in Palm Coast early Wednesday morning.
Bunnell’s John Cicalo, 50, Is Struck By Vehicle and Killed as He Walked on Mahogany Blvd.
John Cicalo, a 50-year-old resident of west Flagler, was killed Tuesday night and Julie Kerns, 39, was seriously injured when a man driving a pick-up truck on Mahogany Boulevard in the Mondex struck them as they were walking on the right shoulder of the road.
Palm Coast and Flagler Rally For the Bahamas, With Caution To Ensure Efforts Aren’t Wasted
Palm Coast businesses and individuals such as Shane Bonner are leading herculean efforts to help hurricane-shattered Bahamas. The Red Cross’s Rebecca DeLorenzo cautions against uncoordinated efforts that could lead supplies never delivered to their intended recipients.
Defense Tries to ‘Smear’ Victim in Case of HIV-Infected Man Accused of Raping 16 Year Old
Victor Williams, 42, of Palm Coast, is accused of drugging and raping a 16-year-old boy. His defense’s strategy is to portray the boy as promiscuous and not credible, in hopes of lessening the charges against Williams, who faces life in prison if convicted.
2 Men Complain of Cold Burgers at McDonald’s, Brandish Guns, and End Up Facing Felonies
Jawan Davis and Jordon Dunn, both 20, were unhappy with the five burgers they got from the McDonald’s on Belle Terre Parkway, and brandished guns at the restaurant employee early this morning.
In Wake of Measles Outbreak, A State Ends Religious Exemption for Vaccinations
New York has eliminated religious exemptions by law. Florida is a religious-exemption state, as well as a medical-exemption state. and Flagler County in 2017 had the second-highest proportion of kindergarten students in the state with an exemption, most of them for religious reasons.
William E. Carden, 37, Is Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash at Palm Coast Parkway Exit Off I-95
illiam Earl Carden, a 37-year-old resident of Palm Coast, formerly of Lake Worth, was killed early Saturday morning when his car overturned at the Palm Coast Parkway exit with I-95.
St. Augustine’s Flagler Hospital Planning Medical Inroad in AdventHealth’s Palm Coast Backyard, on Matanzas Woods Parkway
Flagler Hospital–now Flagler Health Plus–has a contract to buy 4 acres on Matanzas Woods Parkway, where it would build a small medical-village type development, down the road from AdventHealth’s planned stand-alone emergency room.
Palm Coast Teen Pleads Guilty to Lesser Felony Charge in Child Molestation Case, No Prison Time
Jose David Zayas, 18, of Palm Coast, was charged of molesting a family member after confessing to hundreds of assaults over many years. He faced up to 15 years in prison, but will serve five years on probation after pleading guilty to a third-degree felony child abuse charge.
Flagler and Florida Shift to Dorian Assistance Mode; Hurricane Season May Have Other Ideas
State emergency response workers were advised that, based on meteorological forecasts, they should expect to be back within six weeks.
Long Stand-Off on Palm Coast’s Pheasant Drive Ends With Discovery of Dead Man
Federico Guevara Jr., 52, was discovered dead of an apparent suicide after law enforcement attempted for nearly five hours to make contact within him at 9 Pheasant Drive in Palm Coast today.
County Emergency Management Ends Alert; Rising Waters Briefly a Concern in Flagler Beach
Rising waters from the Intracoastal in Flagler Beach were again a concern with high tide this evening, with reports of flooded streets and yards and water nearing homes.
Hurricane Dorian in Pictures and Video, Flagler Edition
Hurricane Dorian has monopolized lives in Palm Coast and Flagler County. Here’s a rough visual draft of the emergency as it has unfolded over the past few days in various parts of Flagler.
Here’s What You Can Do With Yourself, Dorian
Hurricane Dorian’s fortunate shift away from the Florida peninsula must have at least something to do with the collective obscenities Floridians worn out from three years of hurricanes cussed its way, creating their own defiant weather system.
Flagler County’s Own Prevail Exclusively as Nominating Commission Sends 6 Names
for County Judge to DeSantis
The recommended candidates for Flagler County judge are Alexander Alvarez, Craig Atack, Kip Miller, Scott Spradley, Andrea Totten and Alicia Washington. They were short-listed by the Judicial Nominating Commission, their names now before Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will make the appointment.
Opelka Injures His Back and Falls In 2nd Round at U.S. Open
Reilly Opelka injured his back-during his second-round U.S. Open match and wasn’t ever able to get into a groove, falling in straight sets to Dominik Koepfer.
With No Chance of Appointment, Jim Manfre’s Pledge to Run for Judge in 2 Years Still Sways Nominating Commission’s Questions
Former Sheriff Jim Manfre’s candidacy for county judge was dead on arrival at interviews for the job Wednesday, but he still managed to influence the process by advocating for a Flagler choice.
Interviews for Flagler County Judge: Several Convincing Choices, A Few Odd and Startling Ones
After 24 interviews by a nominating commission, several Flagler County based candidates for Flagler County judge stood out for the short-list that will go to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’ll make the appointment later this year.
Serial Scheming Couple Targeting and Defrauding Older Victims in Palm Coast’s Box-Store Parking Lots
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is warning of the scheme, staged by an older black couple at the expense of at least three Palm Coast victims since spring, usually in the parking lot of large shopping centers. They have yet to be found.
Palm Coast’s Rising Opelka Scores 1st U.S. Open Win, Upsetting World’s 11th Best Player
Reilly Opelka, the former Indian Trails Middle School student who is rocketing to tennis stardom more every day, scored the biggest upset of the first day of the U.S. Open Monday.
Palm Coast Pursuing Felony Charges Against Ex-Palm Harbor Golf GM Over Alleged Thefts
Tim Spangler, the former general manager of the Palm Coast-owned Palm Harbor Golf Course, faces two felony charges of fraud following an investigation into allegations he was taking payments for private lessons on city time.
Travis E. Stewart, 56, Is Killed, Woman, 53, Critically Injured in Motorcycle Crash on Belle Terre and Ponce DeLeon
A motorcycle crash with a pick-up truck at Ponce deLeon Drive and Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast left one rider dead and one in critical condition late Sunday evening.