Flagler County’s Tourist Development council this morning approved a $739,000 grant for Palm Coast government’s ongoing expansion of the city’s tennis center off Belle Terre Parkway into a Southern Regional Recreation Center, with a new and park-like trailhead, a community center, and a dozen pickleball courts. The grant will defray the cost of the pickleball courts.
Flagler
As Joe Mullins Draws National Embarrassment Over Troopergate, Pennington Trounces Him in Straw Poll
It’s been the worst week of Joe Mullins’s nearly-four year tenure on the Flagler County Commission, less than six weeks from the Aug. 23 primary, with a Republican Party straw poll showing him far behind challenger Leann Pennington and major national media reporting on his abuse of authority with Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
1,200-Home Eagle Lakes/Radiance Development Clears County Commission Against Opposition, 3-1
In a victory as major for the developer of future phases of Eagle Lakes as it is a blow to existing residents of Eagle Lakes, the Flagler County Commission this evening cleared the way for a 1,200-home development on 612 acres at the south end of Old Kings Road, a development one commissioner likened to Palm Coast’s Grand Haven, at least by size.
‘I Run the County,’ Commissioner Joe Mullins Tells FHP; A Trooper Calls Him ‘Belligerent’ and ‘Disrespectful’
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins, who has made a chronic habit of speeding, getting pulled over then attempt to get out of a ticket by abusing his authority, told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper that “I run the county” in one such attempt on I-4 last month, video of the encounter shows, and another trooper called him “extremely condescending, belligerent, illogical, and disrespectful.”
Developments Could Stall If County, Cities and District Can’t Agree on School Construction Payments
As they hurtle toward an arbitrary Aug. 31 deadline that could potentially bring some local development to a halt, the Flagler County School Board on one side and the county, Palm Coast and Bunnell on the other remain in sharp opposition over how to collect money developers owe the district to ensure there are enough schools for incoming students.
Multiplication of Loaves: Flagler Radio’s Food-A-Thon on July 8 Aims for $1 Million Food Buy for Needy
A July 8 Food-A-Thon organized by Flagler Broadcasting’s four radio stations aims to raise $200,000 in cash, which can then be leveraged to buy more than $1 million in food to ensure $00 worth of groceries every week for 3,500 families through the new year. The donations and pledges are already poring in.
School Board at Impasse With County and Palm Coast Over Billing Developers for New Schools
The Flagler County School Board says it needs to collect a larger portion of impact fees up front to plan for $175 million in new school construction. The County Commission and Palm Coast object, proposing a plan that would let developers pay a smaller share up front, and pay as they go.
Taxable Values Surge at Highest Pace in 16 Years, Setting Up Windfall for Government
Taxable values in Flagler County rose 18 percent in 2021, higher than initially estimated two months ago. Values rose nearly 20 percent in Palm Coast, 14.5 percent in Flagler Beach and 22 percent in Bunnell. The school board’s taxable values increased by 25 percent. For local governments, the surging values can translate to surging revenue–if the governments do not hold the line on tax rates.
Palm Coast Opts for FCC Environmental After 16 Years With Waste Pro, Dismissing Pleas and Accusations
The Palm Coast City Council voted 4-1 to approve a $32 million, seven-year contract with FCC Environmental, ending what will be a 16-year relationship with Waste Pro, whose employees and supporters unsuccessfully attempted to sway the council back their way Tuesday evening.
Doctor’s $1 Million-a-Year Endowment, Largest of Its Kind, Launches Flagler Cares Initiatives for Neediest
In what amounts to the largest health-related private endowment in Flagler County’s history, Dr. Stephen Bickel is pledging to award Flagler Cares, the Palm Coast-based non-profit focused on health and social services for the neediest, $1 million a year, every year, leading to a self-sustaining endowment worth $10 million. Flagler Cares today is launching mold-breaking innovative grants and local health initiatives with the money.
Palm Coast Plans to Trash Waste Pro for New Hauler, FCC Environmental, and Another Fee Increase
After 15 years with Waste Pro, Palm Coast government is proposing to drop the trash hauler and sign a seven-year, $32 million contract with Houston-based FCC Environmental, raising residential homes’ monthly trash fee to $32.32 a month, up 59 percent from last year, and 7.8 percent from the existing, temporary one-year extension contract with Waste Pro.
‘If You Get Out of This Car You’re Going to Jail,’ Troopers Warned Joe Mullins in Confrontational Stop
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins was threatened with arrest by troopers as he argued with them and told them, twice, he was an elected official, after being pulled over for going 91.7 mph on I-4 in June, and after initially ignoring the troopers even as one of them clocked him.
Flagler Beach Mayor Files Grant On Her Own, Underscoring Grievance With Manager Over Serial Fails
Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston filed an application to the county’s Tourist Development Council for a $739,000 grant to rebuild the city’s boardwalk, without commission approval, but in reaction to what she sees as a series of failures on the city administration’s part to follow through on city initiatives.
Flagler Supervisor of Elections Joins Other Local Agencies in Switch to .gov Website
FlaglerElections.gov is now the official website domain of the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office. A .gov web address helps ensure that Florida voters know that they are communicating with an official government organization and a trusted source of election information.
Flagler County Seeks Volunteers for Meals on Wheels and Supplemental Food Programs
Flagler County Senior Services is looking for a few good men and women volunteers to assist with the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program and Meals on Wheels.
Flagler Leadership Academy’s 3rd Class Graduates 16 from Eight Local Governments
Sixteen students – representing the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections, and Flagler Schools, as well as the cities of Bunnell, Flagler Beach, and Palm Coast – were presented diplomas for completing this leadership development program.
Flagler Beach Misses Deadline on $739,000 Tourism Grant. It had 18 Months to Apply. And an Extension.
The Flagler Beach City Commission learned Thursday evening that the city missed out on up to $739,000 in grant funds from the Flagler County Tourist Development Council–a grant that had been available since January 2021. The city was afforded an extension. It missed that deadline too.
Take the ‘Internet Speed Test’ Survey
Flagler County officials are encouraging residents to take an anonymous one-minute speed test and survey to help identify opportunities for expansion of broadband services in Florida. The survey can be completed on any device and from any location.
Again Ticketed for Speeding, Flagler Commission Chairman Joe Mullins Again Begs for Favor
The ticket is not remarkable. What’s more notable about Joe Mullins is his pattern of seeking to get out of penalties, and of reaching out to public officials to do so or invoking their names either to get out of a ticket or in attempts to get out of being adjudicated and getting points on his license, with a promise that he’d never do it again. Then he does it again.
On Palm Drive Near the Future Gardens Development, Flagler Beach Awakens to Stormwater Responsibility
Residents along Palm Drive in Flagler Beach have worried about flooding from the very large future development of The Gardens, now Veranda Bay, nearby, but a city commissioner found that the city has neglected to maintain the stormwater system, which itself would go a long way to mitigating waterflow issues in the future.
School District’s Half-Penny Sales Surtax Renewal, for Tech and Safety, Will Be on the November Ballot
The Flagler County Commission Monday evening approved on a 4-0 vote placing a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot to renew for the third time the school district’s half-penny sales surtax. The vote was not a surprise, though it reflects a shift from Commissioner Joe Mullins, who earlier this month was signaling opposition to the tax.
Flagler County Hosts Weeklong Florida Emergency Preparedness Association Academy
Twenty-five emergency management professionals from 13 counties, the Salvation Army, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management made Flagler County their temporary home as they immersed themselves in the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) Intermediate Academy – hosted by the county.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Student Michael Baskin’s Design Wins Scenic A1A Logo Contest
Flagler Palm Coast High School student Michael Baskin’s digital art design was selected from more than 20 submissions for the contest. The design will be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation for review and installation at strategic locations along the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway.
3 Arrested, 4th Sought in Murders of Noah Smith and Keymarion Hall by ‘Wannabe Badasses’
In a major break in two related murder cases, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly today announced the arrests of three of four individuals in the shooting deaths earlier this year of Noah Smith and Keymarion Hall, both 16, both in South Bunnell, both in drivebys resulting from a simmering feud between wannabe gangs in Bunnell and Palm Coast.
As Sheriff Staly Asks for 10 More Deputies from City and County, Alfin Floats Impact Fee Budget Model
Sheriff Rick Staly is asking for 10 more deputies from Palm Coast and the county and renewed focus on better salaries. Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin is proposing to shift law enforcement budgeting to an impact fee model, thus having new development shoulder a substantial part of the cost.
Flagler Pride: Local LGBTQ+ Community Celebrates Itself, with Activism, Avowals and 2 Mayors
The third annual Flagler Pride weekend held at Palm Coast’s Town Center and in Flagler Beach this weekend drew some 500 participants, featured musicians, comedians and a belly dancer on Saturday, a vigil on Sunday, and two mayors along the way–Palm Coast’s David Alfin and Flagler Beach’s Suzie Johnston–reflecting Flagler Pride’s growing local imprint and embrace.
Flagler Beach Kills Fireworks on July 4 Over Dissatisfaction With Vendor and Contract Changes
The Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening finally and irrevocably killed this year’s July 4 fireworks after further dissatisfaction with both the fireworks vendor and the administration’s handling of the matter, which means it’ll be the third year in a row that the pier will be dark the night of Independence Day.
In Flagler, Red-Flag Law and Therapy Dogs Begin to Impact Response to Domestic Violence and Other Crimes
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly hosted the latest domestic violence summit today at the Hilton garden Inn, where much of the discussion centered on changes that have taken place since 2016, and more especially since 2018: how the so-called red-flag law now plays a role in the gravest domestic violence cases, and how therapy dogs can be the difference between a witness cooperating, or opening up, and not.
Expect Lane Closures on SR100 as Work Crews Install Beams on Future Pedestrian Bridge
A new phase of construction for the soon-to-be pedestrian bridge that will cross over State Road 100 began today (June 9) as crews, using a crane, installed the first of several colossal, concrete beams across the roadway. The beams are being trucked in on oversize trucks.
State Road 100 Will Be Repaved, Have New Sidewalks and Additional Crossing Points
The Florida Department of Transportation plan s a $11.6 million upgrade of State Road 100–or East Moody Boulevard–from just east of Old Kings Road and I-95 in Palm Coast to the edge of central Bunnell to the west, a 4.55-mile project starting in the fall of 2023.
How Mud Muckers in West Flagler Bogged Down in Its Own Lawsuit and Wetlands Violations, and Lost
Mud Muckers for many years operated as a huge ATV park southwest of Bunnell, until it was found to be violating wetlands rules and required to move. Mud Muckers sued its landlord, and today lost its final appeal, four years after it said–inaccurately–that it had been unceremoniously shut down.
The Gardens, Now Veranda Bay, Clears Last Hurdle Before Construction of First 56 of 334 Homes
After innumerable public, regulatory and legal hurdles, including a lawsuit, Veranda Bay today won with another key vote from the Flagler County Commission–an almost-routine 5-0 vote this time approving the final plat for the first 56 lots of a development that’ll eventually number 334 homes.
Bunnell’s Long-Awaited Commerce Parkway Survives Veto, as Does Barrier Island Sewer Project, But Not Ag Museum
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued $3.13 billion in vetoes Thursday as he signed a record $109.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1. For Bunnell, the $6.8 million allocated for long-awaited Commerce Parkway survived, as did an $8 million allocation for the barrier island’s septic-to-sewer project.
“Be Prepared to Be Off the Grid”: Flagler Emergency Management Chief Decodes Hurricane Season
Flagler County Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord today prefaced the 2022 hurricane season, with 14 to 21 storms predicted, six to 10 of them expected to become hurricanes. There are some worrisome weather factors in play, but also improvements in preparation and infrastructure.
2.2 Million Floridians Expected on the Roads This Weekend Despite Record High Gas Prices
More than 39 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more across the country this Memorial Day weekend, including 2.2 million Floridians–10 percent of the state’s population–even as gas prices hit a new record of $4.58 a gallon in the state on Thursday.
From One Massacre to Another: Friday Vigil in Veterans Park Will Mark Mass Murders in Uvalde and Buffalo
A vigil in memory of the 31 victims of the Buffalo and Uvalde mass-shooting victims is scheduled for at 8 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach. The vigil will have no speeches. Participants are encouraged to bring candles or lighters. A bell or a gong will be rung 31 times.
‘There’s a Lot of Covid Out There’: Virus Spiking Again in Flagler, But This Time Response Is Left to Individuals
Covid is back in force again in Flagler and Florida, and is on pace to be raging in the next few weeks. The public health response is vastly different than it was in the first two years of the pandemic, with a focus on a hands-off approach that leaves everything to personal choices while making a vast array of health measures freely available–if people choose to use them, and if they’re aware of them. Neither is necessarily the case, thus accelerating the spread of the latest variant.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate Falls to Record Low of 2.6%, Beating Housing and Pre-Pandemic Booms
In the two previous booms on record, Flagler’s unemployment rate had fallen to a low of 3.6 percent in December 2005, at the crest of the housing boom, before starting to rise the following year. In the late 1990s boom, the county’s unemployment hit 2.7 percent in September 1999 (when 486 people were unemployed), until now the lowest rate recorded.
Sharply Rising Property Values Could Net $12.3 Million for County Government, But Commissioners Want Prudence
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito projects a windfall of $12.3 million in addition to current revenue, yielding $7.5 million in new revenue for county government operations, $3.7 million for the Sheriff’s Office, and a little over $1 million between the other constitutional offices. Again, that’s assuming the county commission does not lower the property tax rate to account for the new revenue.
Flagler County Will Take $1.2 million Out of Reserves to Pay for 2 New Firetrucks in Unbudgeted Spree
The Flagler County Commission approved spending $1.24 million out of reserves to buy two firetrucks in one fell swoop, thus replacing half of Flagler County Fire Rescue’s four front-line fire trucks when the two new engines are delivered in about 14 months. The proposal is to address an ageing fleet and was approved unanimously after little discussion.
Why I Took Part in The National Women’s March in Flagler Beach
“I was born in 1968 in a Catholic home for unwed mothers in Philadelphia,” the author, a long-time Hammock resident, writes of pre-Roe America. “My biological mother was 15 when she became pregnant. She was forever scarred for life by her experience in one of these homes. She was 16 when she gave birth and had no say whatsoever in what happened to me. Let that sink in: my mother was completely powerless over what happened to her and to her child.”
Flagler’s Inimitable Bob Pickering Earns Distinguished Service Award at Governor’s Hurricane Conference
Emergency Management Specialist Bob Pickering received the Distinguished Service Award Thursday at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in south Florida for being a jack of all trades within his department.
Looking Past Shock to Continuity, Flagler Education Foundation Appoints Teresa Rizzo Its Next Director
The Flagler Education Foundation, the school district’s non-profit support arm, appears to be making the same bet on Teresa Rizzo that it made on her late husband Joe, who had no fund-raising experience when he took over the organization, but vastly improved its its local impact between 2017 and 2022.
Free “Storm Spotters” Class On May 20 At Emergency Operations Center
Participants are eligible to become volunteer storm spotters and assist Emergency Services and the National Weather Service by reporting potentially hazardous weather events.
Hop on a Bus and Tour Half Dozen Flagler County Parks – for Free
More than a dozen lucky residents will be able to join Parks and Recreation staff and the Flagler County Parks Advisory Board for the Summer 2022 Tour of Parks on June 10.
Mullins Misinformation and Commission’s Sly Maneuver Frame 4-1 Vote to Scrap School Board Deal
The Flagler County Commission’s vote on Monday was on a significant policy matter controlling school construction and development that was not publicly noticed until hours before Monday’s meeting. It was yet another snub to process, to the Flagler County School Board, and it was colored by disinformation and inaccuracies from Commission Chairman Joe Mullins.
Flagler’s All-White Juries Aren’t What They Used To Be. Thank Wokism.
It wasn’t that long ago when an all-white jury deciding the fate of a Black man accused of raping a white woman, let alone a white underage girl, would have taken no more than the few minutes necessary to sign the verdict form declaring the man guilty. That’s assuming the man made it to the courthouse in the first place. Those days are over.
Flagler Beach Could Have Had Its July 4 Fireworks Had It Not Waited Until April 24 to Book the Show
Several things were said by officials at the Flagler Beach City Commission meeting that were either inaccurate or incomplete, and a key point of information was left out: the commission was not aware that it was not until April 24 that the city contacted Santore to book the show, or that Santore was prepared to do the show had it been contacted earlier.
Tourism Bureau Would Have Paid No More than $727,500 for Visitor Center Land on A1A, But Loses Out
Flagler County’s tourism bureau would have paid the appraised price of $727,500 for a choice parcel at the corner of State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach, listed at $1.5 million, but the parcel is now going to a buyer offering much more, returning the tourism bureau to its hunt for land for a future visitor center.
At Twice the Cost a Year Later, $6.5 Million T-Hangar Project Advances at County Airport as Terminal Lags
Delaying the construction of a new terminal building at the county airport, the County Commission today approved building 42 T-hangars at the airport at a cost double its original projection just a year ago, with the county picking up 29 percent of the cost for now, and hoping that state dollars will shoulder a larger share in coming months.
