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Flagler County Commission

Anti-LGBTQ Activist Wants Flagler Library System to Stop Paying $173 Membership to American Library Association

December 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

The words "drag queen" might be in one of those books stacked at the Flagler County Public Library, but that's probably the extent of it. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County library system is hoping to fend off an attempt by a South Florida activist opposed to LGBTQ equality to sever library staff memberships in the American Library Association and its affiliates, though currently that entire cost amounts to $173. It is the latest flare-up of an ongoing push by the far right in schools and libraries to restrict or ban LGBTQ-related materials, themes or associations, particularly in connection with children’s access or programs, though in this case the connection–if there is one–is tenuous.

Heather Haywood’s ‘Inauthentic’ Records Fail to Prove Incendiary Accusation Against Flagler Commissioner Hansen

December 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Heather Haywood, a Realtor and member of the Flagler County Planning Board, addressing the County Commission in November. Commissioner Greg Hansen said she "stood right there and lied" about him. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed said Friday that Planning Board member Heather Haywood, who has made false and public accusations against Commissioner Greg Hansen, has not been responsive to a public record request, and what she has submitted about “Hansen” is deemed “inauthentic”–that is, either fabricated or part of a scam. The County Commission on Monday is to vote on whether to retain Haywood’s membership on the planning board or to remove her. 

Flagler Airport Marks Opening of 42 New T-Hangars, But $6.5 million Project Barely Reduces Waiting List

December 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 34 Comments

County officials dedicated the opening of 42 T-hangars at Flagler Executive Airport, adding to the 56 existing T-hangars. The $6.5 million project was mostly financed by the Florida Department of Transportation. Despite the new addition, the waiting list for hangar space is still 158 people.

Facing Lawsuit from Ormond Beach, Flagler Defends Acquiring ‘Easement of Necessity’ That Crosses Volusia Border

December 11, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Fending off a lawsuit from Ormond Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed explained why in his view Ormond Beach’s lawsuit against the county over an easement through conservation land in Hunter’s Ridge is off-base: Ormond Beach could itself settle the matter by acquiring conservation land on its side of the border, by setting aside unreasonable fears that Flagler will build a highway–and by upgrading Durrance Lane, the road that runs across the Hunter’s Ridge development.

County Commission Sets Committee Assignments for Coming Year

December 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The County Commission just before the chairmanship switched to Andy Dance. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission has selected its committee assignments for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Committee assignments to these important boards provide county commissioners with community input, expertise, and diverse viewpoints that help the Board of County Commissioners make informed decisions.

Proposed Joint Agreement on Bunnell’s Carver Center Governance Gives Sheriff’s PAL New and Larger Role

December 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

The Carver Center gym before a town hall organized by Superintendent LaShakia Moore in late September. (© FlaglerLive)

A proposed joint agreement on governing the Carver Center in South Bunnell–the area’s only recreation and community center–gives the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Police Athletic League a broader presence and a much more prominent role in the management of the facility, especially in programming and running the gym.

National Guard at Flagler Airport Breaks Ground on $15.7 Million Facility at Armory That’ll Add 30 Jobs

December 4, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

A rendering of the new facility that will go up where the Avenger Air Defense missile system was sitting, on the grounds of the Flagler Executive Airport east of the existing armory. (© FlaglerLive)

Barely three years after cutting the ribbon on its $22 million, 73,000-square-foot Flagler Palm Coast Readiness Center on the south expanse of Flagler Executive Airport, the Florida National Guard today broke ground on a 37,000 square foot building that will consolidate truck and weapons maintenance operations from two other units into the Palm Coast facility and add 30 permanent jobs.

County May Remove Heather Haywood from Planning Board Over a ‘Lie’ and Refusal to Comply with Record Request

December 4, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Realtor and Flagler County Planning Board member Heather Haywood has been strongly cautioned by the county attorney about her refusal, so far, to comply with a public record request. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

The Flagler County Commission Monday morning voted unanimously to “reconsider” Heather Haywood’s service on the county Planning Board, pointing to her possible removal, should she not comply with a public record request FlaglerLive filed on Nov. 21. Haywood on Nov. 20 stood before the commission and accused Commissioner Greg Hansen of writing to her inappropriately. She did not back-up her statement with evidence. She has so far not produced the alleged communication, nor any other requested.

Andy Dance as County Commission Chair: Process, Deliberation and Transparency Come in from the Cold

November 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Thoughtfulness, long in exile, takes up the gavel at the Flagler County Commission: Andy Dance was voted chairman. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance said he intends to put his chairmanship to work for more transparency, clearer goal-setting, more vetting of issues and fewer surprises, especially at budget time, as he outlined a vision that he has been pushing for in his first three years on the commission.

County Approves Captain’s BBQ Settlement, Bringing Lawsuit’s Cost to $1 Million, and Big Changes at Bing’s Landing

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The Flagler County Commission this evening. In 2018, Donald O'Brien, left, had voted against the original lease amendment that led to the lawsuit. Greg Hansen, center, and Dave Sullivan, right, had voted for it. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission this evening unanimously approved a settlement with Captain’s BBQ, ending the restaurant’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county. The settlement would, in Commissioner Leann Pennington’s words, “stop the insanity.” The county administration’s attempts to happy-face the settlement notwithstanding, it is now clear, by the commissioners’ own assessments, that the county would have lost had the case gone to trial, and that accepting a costly, and in some ways humiliating, settlement, was the county’s only choice.

Commissioners Keep Haywood on Planning Board But Boot Davies Off Contractor Review Panel

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Jeff Davies, the now former member of the Contractor Review Board, addressing the County Commission about his qualifications, with Heather Haywood, a member of the county's planning board, seated. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

The Flagler County Commission in a pair of 4-1 votes this afternoon agreed to keep Heather Haywood as a member of the county’s planning board, but boot off Jeff Davies from the Contractor Review Board on nationalistic grounds: he is not an American citizen, and thereby not a registered voter.

County Not Yet Stoked for Skate Park Improvements But Approves 4 Pickleball Courts at Wadsworth Park

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The quarter century old skate park at Wadsworth park has steel ramps that rust in the salty air, and that, overall, is in dire need of renovation. (© FlaglerLive)

Wadsworth Park, the 45-acre county facility on the mainland side of the Flagler Beach bridge, will soon see a tennis court converted to four pickleball courts, but county commissioners are not ready to approve a plan to renovate the skateboarding park: the county administration is proposing a band aid, while users of the park are advocating for a more ambitious, but also more permanent, renovation.

In Settlement, Flagler County Will Pay Captain’s BBQ $800,000 and Allow New, 5,000 Sq. Ft. Restaurant at Bing’s Landing

November 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 94 Comments

A view of the "peninsula," as seen from Captain's BBQ at Bing's Landing, where the restaurant will build a 5,000 square foot building, with the county picking up $400,000 of that cost. The picture above was taken during training involving Flagler County Fire Rescue and the county's emergency helicopter. (© FlaglerLive)

Four years after Captain’s BBQ sued Flagler County government in a breach of contract claim, a negotiated settlement calls for the county to pay Captain’s $800,000, and clear the way for a new, 5,000 square foot restaurant at the county park. For Flagler County taxpayers, the dispute with Captain’s, just entering its fifth year, will have cost close to $1 million, when the county’s attorneys’ fees are included. The settlement is a huge victory for Captain’s.

When Even Ed Danko Is Right

November 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

civility on elected boards

Ed Danko is right to resist Mayor David Alfin’s proposal to have all council members sign “Code of Conduct,” including a pledge of civility. It is not an elected board’s place collectively to regulate or codify its members’ behavior, or government’s place to force pledges of any kind on anyone.

Ormond Beach Sues Flagler County Over Easement, and Threatens to Cut Off Water to Hunter’s Ridge

November 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Sean Moylan, assistant county attorney for the County Commission, argued the county's case in a dispute with Ormond Beach. Two days later, the city took Flagler by surprise and sued. (© FlaglerLive)

The City of Ormond Beach is suing Flagler County government and a developer in the Hunter’s Ridge subdivision at the south end of the county, claiming that Flagler and the developer entered into an illegal agreement ceding an easement to the county that crosses a conservation area belonging to the city. Flagler County’s denials aside, Ormond Beach fears–and is convinced–that the county will one day use the 60-foot-wide easement to build a paved road.

Public-Notice Misstep Delays County Commission’s Decision on Captain’s BBQ Settlement to Nov. 20

November 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

captains bbq settlement

The Flagler County Commission held a two-hour closed-door session this afternoon to discuss a potential settlement in Captain’s BBQ’s four-year-old lawsuit against the county. What was to be a special meeting following the closed session was postponed because it was not properly noticed. So commissioners could not reach consensus, make motions or take a vote.

Captain’s BBQ and Flagler County Reach Tentative Settlement in Lawsuit Entering 5th Year

October 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

suffering captains bbq settlement

Captain’s BBQ and its landlord, Flagler County government, have reached a “tentative settlement” in Captain’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county, now entering its fifth year. The settlement was reached at an Oct. 27 mediation. But it’s not over. The County Commission must approve it, and will discuss it in a closed-door session next week. A previous proposed settlement, in 2020, failed.

Heather Haywood Is Homesteaded in Volusia But Serves on Flagler’s Planning Board. A Commissioner Questions That.

October 19, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington has issues with Heather Haywood serving on the county's planning board while being homesteaded in Volusia County. Commission Chairman Greg Hansen was among those voting to waive Haywood's residency requirement in February 2022 when the commission appointed her to the planning board. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission is giving Realtor Heather Haywood, who the commission appointed to the county planning board in February 2022, 30 days to drop her homestead exemption in Volusia County or appear before the commission for another vote on her eligibility for the planning board. But for the homestead record, there appears to be little question that Haywood is a Flagler County resident.

Flagler County Tried to Evict a Tenant at the Airport. Jury Called It Retaliation and a Violation of 1st Amendment.

October 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 82 Comments

Les Abend with his plane at the county airport, from where the county attempted to evict him in retaliation, a jury said, for Abend's opinions. (© Les Abend for FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger sent Les Abend an eviction notice regarding the hangar Abend had leased for over four years. A two-day trial resulted in a verdict against the county, with a jury finding that the county was retaliating against Abend, a former member of the county’s airport advisory board, for his criticism of Sieger. An eviction case turned into a rare First Amendment case in County Court. Abend will get to keep the hangar.

Victory for the Hammock as County Rejects More Intense Commercial Development on A1A Parcels

October 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 39 Comments

The pair of parcels on State Road A1A an applicant was seeking to rezone. (Google)

The Flagler County Commission Monday unanimously rejected a proposal to rezone an acre of Hammock property along State Road A1A to more intensive commercial uses. The commission, siding with Hammock residents, found the proposal vague in its designs for the property, at odds with the Scenic A1A overlay, and at risk of setting a precedent that would potentially damage or demolish the road’s character.

Judge Orders One Final Mediation in Hopes of Averting Trial in Captain’s BBQ Suit Against County

October 9, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Captain's BBQ, to the left, at Bing's Landing. The lawsuit it filed against the county is four years old. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission met behind closed doors for the first time in over three years this morning to discuss a possible settlement of the four-year-old lawsuit by Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing. The judge in the case ordered the two sides again to go to mediation to avoid a January trial. Mediation and an attempted settlement that made significant concessions to Captain’s in 2020 failed as commissioners rejected the proposal.

Bob Snyder, ‘Giant During Covid,’ Steps Down from Flagler County Health Department He Led for 11 Years

October 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Bob Snyder looks up to retirement. (© FlaglerLive)

Bob Snyder, who’s led the Flagler County Health Department since 2013, was the co-architect of the county’s response to the Covid pandemic and more recently ensured that the department’s funding more directly reflect the county’s population, after decades of imbalance, stepped down and opted for retirement Sunday, six months before he was planning to do so.

When Sisco Deen Reconnected Descendants to the Local Legacies of General Hernández, Bings and MalaCompra

October 1, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Sisco Deen, standing, with descendants of Gen. Hernandez, at the MalaCompra archeological site. (Flagler County Historical Society)

The late Sisco Deen and his wife Gloria played a central role in exhuming history and reconnecting descendants and state historians with the local legacy of General Joseph Hernández, who owned a plantation residence in what became Bings Landing Park and was the first Hispanic in Congress.

Flagler County Approves Higher Taxes, Palm Coast Stays Level, But Claims of ‘Historic’ Rollback Are Inaccurate

September 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Not quite sine die: the council meets again on Oct. 3. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast and Flagler County government this week adopted their budgets and tax rates for the 2023-24 fiscal year with little controversy and so few people in the audience at final hearings that you could count them on one hand. The county raised taxes, the city kept its taxes flat. Palm Coast going back to the rolled back rate was not unique, as some council members claimed or thought.

‘Faith’ Bridge Over SR100 Goes from Maligned to Acclaimed as It Opens, But in the Absence of Its Champion

September 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Officials hope the look of the bridge, shaped like the Flagler Beach Pier's A-frame, will become just as iconic. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County and city officials inaugurated the formal opening of the $12.3 million pedestrian bridge over State Road 100, five years in the making, with speeches and a dedicatory run by the Flagler Palm Coast High School track team. But its leading champion, Faith al-Khatib, was absent.

Malacompra Beach Annexation Into Palm Coast Draws Frosty but Not Fatal Response from Joint Committee

September 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

Riders on the Old Coast Guard Road near Malacompra park in the Hammock. (© FlaglerLive)

The joint local government committee of county and city representatives that met for the second time approached at arm’s length Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri’s proposal that Palm Coast annex into the city the county beach and access at Malacompra Road.

Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri Makes Startling Move to Annex Malacompra Park: ‘Our Citizens Are Entitled to Their Own Beach’

September 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 71 Comments

The beach at Malacompra Park. (© FlaglerLive)

In a startling proposal that may revive city-Hammock conflicts dormant since the mid 2000s, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri on Tuesday said the city should consider annexing the county’s Malacompra Park so Palm Coast can have its own beach. The idea did not get a warm reception from fellow council members or others.

Flagler County Joins St. Johns in Banning ‘Floating Structures’ Used as Unregulated Party Stores on Waterways

September 11, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

The floating structure County Commissioner Andy Dance spotted on the Intracoastal, toward the north end of the county, last Saturday--a few days after he and his colleagues on the commission voted to ban such structures from county waters. (Andy Dance)

A month after St. Johns County did so, the Flagler County Commission last week banned all floating structures used on county rivers, lakes or inlets “like a neighborhood convenience store on the water,” as a county memo describes them, and that the county considers unregulated nuisances that at times damage the surrounding ecology.

Flagler County Bans Beach Bonfires in Turtle-Nesting Season, Joining Prohibitions Long in Place in 3 Towns

September 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

bonfires banned

Thirteen years ago, after much controversy, the Flagler Beach City Commission banned bonfires on the beach during turtle season. Beverly Beach and Marineland have similar bans. But it was only on Monday that the ban extended to the rest of the county’s beaches–18 miles of shoreline in all–as the County Commission voted 5-0 to approve an ordinance.

$12.3 Million Pedestrian Bridge Over State Road 100 Gets Its Grand Opening on Sept. 19

September 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

Since the above picture was taken, the county has darkened the stainless steel tent over the pedestrian bridge with a chemical application, to reduce the glare. (© FlaglerLive)

The tin-tented, recently rust-painted and frequently derided pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 will get its public grand opening celebration the afternoon of September 19. A coat of darkening chemicals was applied to the tipi-like stainless steel tent over the bridge to diminish its reflection’s almost blinding effect at sunup and sundown, depending on which direction one was traveling.

Sisco Deen, Giant Archivist and Historian of Flagler County from One of Its Original Families, Dies at 83

September 1, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Sisco Deen, 1940-2023. (© FlaglerLive)

Claude Sisco Deen, Flagler County’s premier archivist and a leading historian of local families and culture, died Thursday evening in Palm Coast a little after sunset. He had been the research maven behind Flagler County’s centennial in 2017, was that year’s Flagler County Veteran of the Year, and built unparalleled databases of local family histories and historical documents.

For Charlie Ericksen, a Poignant Farewell from Colleagues and Friends in a Chamber He’d (Mostly) Loved

August 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

The portrait that has stood in Charlie Ericksen's place for the last couple of weeks at the County Commission. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government’s Holly Albanese organized a Celebration of Life of former County Commissioner Charlie Ericksen, who died on July 31. The celebration was held in the commission’s chamber last Tuesday, where some three dozen colleagues and friends and two of Ericksen’s sons attended, some of whom speaking with poignancy and candor.

Deep Disagreements Remain Between School District and Cities and Builders Over Enrollment and Impact Fee Dues

August 25, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

William Whitson, the district's intergovernmental planner

Are Flagler County’s public schools adding students? Will the district need to build new schools? Should it be drawing money from developers today even though it has no certain plans to build schools yet? Those questions were asked and answered with varying degrees of certainty and a lot more disagreements on Thursday in the latest meeting of a joint committee of local government representatives in charge of reviewing how much money developers are required to pay to defray the cost of new school construction. 

Flagler County Beats Sharp Retreat on Raising Sales Tax or on Increasing Road Levy on Daytona North

August 22, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Flagler County Commissioner Donald O'Brien, in full campaign mode, said he hadn't joined the consensus to seek out cities' opinions on raising the sales tax. Commissioner Dave Sullivan disagrees. (© FlaglerLive)

It’s messaging in a bit of a shamble, the Flagler County Commission on Monday beat a retreat on two fronts: it will not seek cities’ support in an attempt to raise the sales tax an additional half penny. And it will not raise the special tax Daytona North residents pay for road maintenance. Both issues had been controversial. The retreats underscore a combination of lacking, poor and conflicting messaging from the County Commission on one side and a rueful public reaction to both proposals on the other.

Charlie Ericksen Jr. Is Laid to Rest With Military Honors and Solemn Salutes at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery

August 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

The flag-folding ceremony during Charlie Ericksen Jr.'s internment at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery this afternoon. (© FlaglerLive)

Charlie Frederick Ericksen Jr., the former Flagler County commissioner, U.S. Army Lieutenant and father of three who died on July 31 in Celebration, was laid to rest at Cape Canaveral National cemetery with military honors this afternoon following a solemn ceremony attended by family, a few friends, and a few Flagler County officials past and present.

Time for Flagler County Government To Appoint a Citizen Advisory Group

August 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 25 Comments

They can use the help: the Flagler County Commission. (© FlaglerLive)

As Flagler County government appears to flail between budget shortfalls and a call for a new tax, it may be time for the county to do what St. Lucie County has been doing for years: appoint a citizen advisory group of resident volunteers with business experience to review future budgets and advise the commissioners.

County’s Sales Tax Hike Rings Hollow as Attorney Defends Commissioner’s Unilateral Request for Delay

August 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

County Attorney Al Hadeed, from where he usually sits during commission meetings. (© FlaglerLive)

Reeling in a school’s worth of red herrings, County Attorney Al Hadeed today fervently defended the authority of County Commissioner Dave Sullivan to ask Flagler Beach government a week and a half ago to pull from discussion a request from the County Commission for support of a proposed increase in the sales tax.

Sheriff’s PAL Is Not Taking Over Carver Center Or Changing Its Name, County and School District Assure Community

August 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

The Carver Center in Bunnell is a lot more than a community center to its neighboring residents. (© FlaglerLive)

Contrary to rumors and fears, the Flagler Sheriff Police Athletic League is not taking over the Carver Center in South Bunnell, nor is the Carver Center losing its name, its governing structure its staffing by the school district, the chairman of the Flagler County School Board and the county administrator say. But PAL is seeking to have a significant presence there.

Candidates Lining Up to Run for Dave Sullivan’s County Commission Seat, Including Kim Carney and Nick Klufas

August 4, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Kim Craney, left, and Nick Klufas. (© FlaglerLive)

Former Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney joins a growing field for the District 3 seat Dave Sullivan will be relinquishing. The field so far includes two other Flagler Beach residents, Bill Clark and Tom Hutson, and does not yet formally include the race’s heavy-hitter: Nick Klufas, the two-term Palm Coast City Council member, who will soon announce.

Flagler County’s Sales Tax Fraud

August 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

Clueless. From left, Greg Hansen, Donald O'Brien and Dave Sullivan. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government is attempting to convince cities and the public to support an increase in the sales tax using false information, deceptive reasoning and cowardly politics. Local governments have legitimate needs for more revenue, but fooling the electorate isn’t the way to do it.

Army Corps Issues Permit Notice for New, 828-ft Flagler Beach Pier, Detailing Construction and Seeking Public Input

August 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

The old Flagler Beach pier may soon be a construction zone. (© FlaglerLive)

In what one of the designers of Flagler Beach’s new pier described as “a big milestone in the federal regulatory process,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued notice that it is reviewing the permit application for the new pier, and soliciting public comment about detailed construction plans that had not been disclosed until now.

Without Authority, a County Commissioner Asks Flagler Beach to Table Sales Tax Increase Discussion

August 1, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

County Commissioner Dave Sullivan is mulling over different ways to push for an increase in the sales surtax Flagler County residents pay. He faces a very uphill climb made steeper by inaccurate county information. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Beach City Commission pulled from consideration for now a county proposal to raise the local sales tax, after Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan requested that the item be tabled–even though he had not secured the County Commission’s authority to do that. It was the latest example of factual, political and procedural messiness surrounding the county’s sales tax proposal.

Two-Term Flagler County Commissioner Charlie Ericksen, a Stalwart of Civility and Grit, Dies at 80

July 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

Charlie Ericksen, who served two terms as Flagler County Commissioner–two terms characterized by an immersive interest in all things Flagler, unfailing civility and understated wit–died today in Celebration, where he’d recently moved in declining health, to be closer to family.

Whispering Meadows Ranch Will Leave Flagler Over Next 2 Years For 9-Acre Tract in Ormond Beach

July 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Whispering Meadows Ranch operated off of John Anderson Highway for a decade and a half to great acclaim until neighbors began objecting a little over two years ago. (© FlaglerLive)

Whispering Meadows Ranch, the equine therapy non-profit that’s been looking for a new home for over two years, closed on a 9-acre tract in Ormond Beach, along State Road 40 just south of the Flagler County line, and will leave its John Anderson Highway location over the next two years. 

Flagler County Uses False Information as It Asks Cities to Support Increase in Sales Tax

July 26, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

County government's claims are off. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County government is disseminating false information about the proportion of the local sales tax paid by visitors as it seeks letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach to increase the county’s sales tax by half a percent.

Tone-Deaf Flagler County Wants Palm Coast and Other Cities to Support Sales Tax Increase

July 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

County Commissioner Donald O'Brien, left, says the county would assume all the political risk if it were to approve a new sales tax, while Commissioner Dave Sullivan said the proposal will need all the city's support if it is to fly. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission will seek letters of support from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to raise the county’s sales surtax to 7.5 percent and generate an additional $10 million that would be shared between the four governments and used at their discretion. Palm Coast’s answer may well be: Read the room.

Flagler County Faces a $5.6 Million Deficit in Road Costs Over Next 5 Years; Gas Tax Is Tapped Out

July 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

A county road in Rima Ridge, at the south end of Flagler County. (Flagler County)

Flagler County government is facing an estimated $5.6 million deficit in the next five years in the required local match for nearly a dozen road projects the state Department of Transportation is financing. That’s in addition to a need for $2.6 million in annual dollars for maintenance of the county’s roads. The County Commission is planning to approve only $2 million next year.

Ugly as Tin, the Glaring, $12 Million Bridge Over SR100 Is Radiating Concerns–and Publicity

July 12, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 90 Comments

The pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 is drawing derision for its design and concern about its glare. The $12 million bridge was just completed. (© FlaglerLive)

The just-completed A-frame pedestrian bridge over State Road 100 has turned into a recurring joke and a legitimate traffic concern that the county is addressing. But some officials see an opportunity in the bad publicity the bridge is attracting, because with it comes tourist interest and a potential marketing coup.

Flagler County Approves 1st Step to Doubling Levy in the Mondex, Angering Residents

July 10, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

A community feels shafted by the county. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission today voted 4-1 to potentially double the special assessment rate residents of Daytona North pay for some road maintenance and other infrastructure improvements. Residents attending the meeting were not happy. Nor was County Commissioner Leann Pennington.

Flagler County Whirs Closer to Buying $5.4 Million Replacement for FireFlight Helicopter

July 10, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Soon Flagler County FireFlight will soar into the sunset as the County Commission buys a new Airbus emergency helicopter. (© FlaglerLive)

In a busy pair of meetings today, the Flagler County Commission got closer to buying a new emergency helicopter, set the maximum tax rate for next year, and set proposed rates that would increase garbage pick-up costs by 45 percent.

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