The Palm Coast City Council is awakening to several converging realities about Town Center, the once and future promise of the city’s vitality: incentives for apartment construction have worked, incentives for commercial development have not–not yet–and turnover on the council and the administration means few recall the purpose of Town Center to start with. The mayor is looking for a reset.
Flagler
County Defense Against Captain’s BBQ Lawsuit: The Commission Illegally Approved Lease Amendment, So It’s Void
Flagler County government is actually arguing that since it approved the controversial lease amendment with Captain’s BBQ without seeking bids first, it was an illegal move, so the agreement is null and void. And with that approach, the county is now seeking to have Captain’s lawsuit against it thrown out. That hearing is set for Thursday.
Biden Wins
Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States, with Kamala Harris the first-ever woman–the first Black, the first Indian-American–vice-president.
Holland and Klufas Hold On, Staly Wins Re-Election, Don O’Brien and Andy Dance Win County Commission, Ed Danko, Victor Barbosa Win Council Seats
With all early voting results counted, Sheriff Rick Staly had an insurmountable lead to win re-election to his second term, as did County Commissioner Donald O’Brien. Andy Dance, the school board member, also had an insurmountable lead to win the County Commission seat Charlie Ericksen opted not to contest.
Electionland: The State of Election Day in Palm Coast and Flagler County
At the current rate, and with mail ballots still being dropped off, Flagler could end the day with 75,000 ballots cast out of 92,000 eligible voters, for a turnout of 81 percent–close to the records of the 2000 and 2004 elections.
Flagler Reaches 40 Covid-Related Deaths, Hospitalizations Up, Florida’s Daily Average Back Above 4,000
Covid hospitalizations were back up to 7 over the weekend at AdventHealth Palm Coast after bottoming out at 2, and Flagler’s coronavirus case load totaled 227 in the last two weeks, signaling more hospitalizations ahead.
53,000 Flagler Voters Cast Ballots Without Incidents. A Handful of Local Republican Pols Have Behaved Less Well.
If voters have been model citizens so far, and they have, a very small handful of candidates or party operatives, particularly in the Republican Party, have been a little less so: their actions have required the interventions of poll deputies, of Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and of sheriff’s deputies.
Ballots Cast in Flagler Near 90% of 2016 Total, But Turnout Record Still Distant Absent Massive Election Day Surge
As in Florida and the rest of the nation, Flagler County is seeing a surge of early voting and voting by mail in one of the most unusual–and unpredictable–election in memory. But Flagler would have to experience an even more unusually heavy turnout in the remaining days of the election, especially on Election Day, if the turnout records of the 2000s are to be broken.
Octogenarian Incumbents Fight for Survival on Flagler Mosquito Control Board Following Troubled Term
For the first time since 2008, all three seats on the mosquito control board, which controls a $2.2 million budget and levies taxes on Flagler homeowners, are being contested simultaneously, a direct reflection of the board’s troubled few years–a financial crisis, and the booting off of Robert Fruehan following his felony conviction. Two incumbents, Barbara Sgroi and Jules Kwiatkowski, are fighting for survival on the board.
Covid Cases Rising Again in Flagler and Florida, Pointing to ‘Third Wave’; DeSantis Relaxes Nursing Home Visits
Four weeks after the governor lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, Covid-19 cases are again rising in Flagler County and Florida, mirroring on a smaller scale a surge cascading across the country and sparing few states as officials speak of a third wave of the pandemic on the cusp of the holiday season.
Emails Threatening Democrats to Vote Trump in Flagler County and Elsewhere Originated With Iran
The emails that several Flagler County Democrats, hundreds of Floridians and others across the country received today, threatening recipients to vote for Donald Trump or else, were the work of Iran, according to a federal investigation.
GOP Voter Registrations Cutting Into Democrats’ Statewide Lead, and Reach Historic Lead in Flagler
Republicans’ proportion of registered voters in Flagler County has grown to 45.7 percent this year, compared to 39.8 percent in 2016, while Democrats’ proportion has shrunk to 30.5 percent, from 31.8 percent four years ago.
Early Voting Draws Out Voters in Throngs at 2 Palm Coast Locations and GSB, But Nowhere Near Record
Voters began lining up to vote more than three hours before early voting began today at the public library site, with lines growing to include hundreds of voters at each of the three sites in Palm Coast and Bunnell.
Two Covid-Related Deaths Bring Flagler’s Total to 36; Florida’s 7-Day Average Is Up 29% From 2 Weeks Ago
In Flagler, the weekly case load continues to to remain stubbornly high, relative to the summer spike, even though relative to other counties in the state Flagler is in better shape. It has the 22nd lowest rate of infection, out of 67 counties, based on the last seven days’ average.
‘Outraged’ Elections Supervisor Rips County Administrator Jerry Cameron Over ‘Contempt’ for Voters and Bad Planning
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart on Saturday wrote county commissioners to ask for help in suspending construction at the GSB during election weeks after County Administrator Jerry Cameron responded to her personal pleas with contempt.
‘If They Can’t Understand the Detour They Shouldn’t Be Voting,’ County Administrator Says, Reversing Pledge to Suspend Construction at GSB
County Administrator Jerry Cameron is refusing to suspend construction for the two weeks of early voting, even though voters must detour through a confusing maze to get to the county elections office in back of the Government Services Building.
Voting By Mail in Flagler Has Already Shattered the 2016 Record, With Democrats Significantly Outpacing GOP
With 19 days to go before the Nov. 3 election, Flagler County voters have cast more than 16,500 ballots by mail, already shattering the 2016 total in mailed-in ballots by 3,000. The count is going up hourly.
Flagler Elections Supervisor Lenhart Issues Sharp, ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Warning Against Voter Intimidation
Responding to concerns about voter intimidation days from early voting in Flagler, both Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Sheriff Rick Staly are sending strong messages to would-be disrupters at polling places, and preparing for polling days with 39 poll deputies–civilians sworn in just for the election period.
With 33rd and 34th Deaths, More Flagler Residents Have Died of Covid in 7 Months Than in Car Crashes in Any Year
The number of confirmed covid deaths so far means that the disease is the eighth leading cause of death in Flagler County, ahead of suicide and Parkinson’s, and about even with deaths from Alzheimer’s. At the current rate, covid is on pace to become the sixth leading cause of death this year, ahead of diabetes.
County Mixes Reassurances and Threat of Eminent Domain to Convince 11 Hold-Outs to Sign Off on Flagler Beach Dunes Project
Flagler County government may have to start eminent domain litigation against two property owners even as the remaining nine appear close to signing easements allowing for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild dunes on 2.6 miles of shoreline in Flagler Beach.
All Palm Coast a Trail: Pink Army Run Transformed Into a Virtual ‘Parade’ Sunday, With Radio Kickoff
While the Pink Army run’s anchors will kick off the event with an hour-long program on the radio Sunday morning–The Beach FM, 92.7, and WNZF–residents across the county are encouraged to take part by creating their own walk, their own run, their own 5K anywhere of their choosing.
Denise Calderwood, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Denise Calderwood is an independent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 5, facing incumbent Republican Donald O’Brien and independent Paul Anderson. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Paul Anderson, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Paul Anderson is an independent candidate for Flagler County Commission, facing incumbent Republican Donald O’Brien and independent Denise Calderwood. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Bunnell Resident Accused of Threatening Census Worker With Assault Rifle and Firing a Shot
Michael Cooper is a 32-year-old resident of 4758 Clove Avenue in Daytona North, is accused of pointing an assault rifle at a Census worker then firing a shot after the worker got in his car to leave.
In Friendly But Sharp Terms, Flagler Beach Draws a Conditional Roadmap for the County on The Gardens Development
Flagler Beach’s city attorney has drawn up a nine-page document that amounts to a roadmap for the County Commission as the county attempts to balance The Gardens’ development on John Anderson Highway with residents’ serious concerns about the plan.
3rd Covid Death Linked to Social Club of Palm Coast Superspreaders, and 2 More Bring Flagler’s Total to 32
Less than two days after confirming three more covid-related deaths this week, the Flagler Health Department this morning confirmed three more, including a third death related to the August superspreader events at the Social Club of Palm Coast. The Club meanwhile has reopened and is advertising its social events on its Facebook page without a word about the victims.
State Extended Deadline After Online Registration System Crashed, But Voting-Rights Groups Say 1 Day Isn’t Enough
A meltdown of Florida’s online voter-registration system hours before Monday’s deadline to sign up to vote in the November election prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to extend the deadline until 7 p.m. Tuesday, but voting-rights groups quickly filed a lawsuit alleging the state’s action didn’t go far enough.
Three More Covid Deaths Bring Flagler’s Total to 29 Even as New Infection Numbers Stabilize
The continuing death toll is a reflection of covid’s unavoidable reality: while the number of new infections in the state and in Flagler have fallen and stabilized since the summer’s peak, the numbers have done so at a relatively high level.
Health Department Chief Rips Social Club of Palm Coast for Preventable Covid “Illness and Tragedy”
The County Commission asked Flagler Health Department Chief Bob Snyder to explain the superspreader event at the Social Club of Palm Coast that led to dozens of infections and two deaths, and Snyder did not hold back placing the responsibility for the “tragedy” squarely on the club’s non-enforcement of masking and social distancing rules.
Firefighter John Keppler Jr. Is Flagler’s Only Line-of-Duty Death. Florida and U.S. Honor Him. Flagler Does Not.
Even as John Keppler Jr., who died in 2002, has been previously honored by the state, Flagler County refuses to recognize his line-of-duty death–a recognition Keppler has received from two state memorials and one national memorial.
3 Flagler Residents Die of Covid, Raising Local Toll to 26; Health Department Expecting Rapid Tests Soon
The latest Flagler County victims of covid-19 were 67, 73 and 77. There are 16 patients with a covid diagnosis at AdventHealth Palm Coast, though covid-related numbers have declined in Flagler schools, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Flagler Beach Commission Will Lay Down 4 Conditions for The Gardens Development, Adding to County’s Pressure
Placing its full weight behind its new approach, the Flagler Beach City Commission will condition its support for The Gardens on more explicit assurances about road, utility, flooding improvements, and more certainty about a “cap” on future development.
Grinding Past “Mini-Surge,” Flagler Records Its 24th Covid Death as Florida Exceeds 700,000 Cases
Flagler County continues to experience a significant number of infections, though totals have fallen for two successive weeks, down to 80 in the week ending Sept. 26, from 109 the previous week and 139 the week before that, with a little over 100 tests a day being administered on average.
DeSantis Lifts All Restrictions on Restaurants and Businesses and Prohibits Local Constraints
DeSantis is decoupling for good the connection between science and public health on one hand and the economy on the other, opting exclusively for a focus on business measures in hopes of spurring consumer confidence. That confidence, however, continues to lag as individuals’ apprehensions continue to drive behavior.
Joe Mullins’s Cowering Enablers
By refusing to censure Joe Mullins for insulting Greg Hansen and Charlie Ericksen, Commissioners Donald O’Brien and Dave Sullivan are cowering enablers of Mullins’s bigotry, his bullying, his indecency. They all demeaned the County Commission and the constituents they represent.
The Gardens Development Again Rebuffed as Commission Seeks More Answers and Residents’ Buy-In
The Flagler County Commission on Monday opted unanimously to table The Gardens’ application for a 335-home development on John Anderson Highway, the latest in a series of obstacles the development has faced since reviving a plan first devised by developer Bobby Ginn a decade and a half ago.
Corinne Hermle, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Corinne Hermle is the Democratic Candidate for the Distritct 1 County Commission seat, facing Republican Andy Dance in the Nov. 3 election. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Flagler Sheriff’s New Real-Time Crime Center Merges Tactics, Technology and Powerful Surveillance Tools
The age of command, control, surveillance and crime-fighting in real time is here, and its nerve center at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, operational since spring, is the Real-Time Crime Center. The sheriff opened it to reporters on Wednesday.
Covid ‘Superspreader’ Night and Other Events at Social Club of Palm Coast Cause at Least 2 Deaths and Up to 50 Infections
An August 28 singing night at the Social Club of Palm Coast on Old Kings Road, where people sang and socialized, many without masks or social distancing, triggered a rare covid-19 superspreader event whose toll in infections and deaths the Flagler Health Department is still tallying.
Andy Dance, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Andy Dance is the Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1, facing Democrat Corinne Hermle, for the seat previously held by Charlie Ericksen. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.
Commissioners O’Brien and Sullivan Block Motion to Censure Joe Mullins Even as They Call Behavior ‘Unacceptable’
Don O’Brien and Dave Sullivan refused to censure Joe Mullins for insulting fellow-commissioners, saying it would be bad for Flagler’s reputation. Sullivan didn’t want to be the first chairman on whose watch a censure vote passed.
Flagler Beach Commission Makes It Explicit: The City Will Provide Water and Sewer to The Gardens Development
Flagler Beach can and will provide water and sewer to The Gardens, one of the more controversial proposed developments on any local government’s agenda. Monday evening, the County Commission was set to hear The Gardens’ development applications in one of the last hurdles before it can start building.
With No Mention of Hansen or Ericksen, ‘Vague’ Joe Mullins Apology Contradicts Continuing Insults Online
Joe Mullins’s brief apology today was more focused on back-patting and dissembling his role while never taking responsibility for the abuse he’s continued to heap on Commissioners Hansen and Ericksen. The email doesn’t materially change anything, Commission Chairman Dave Sullivan said, with a discussion about Mullins set for next Monday’s meeting.
Unemployment Falls to 6.7% in Flagler and 7.4% in Florida; Government Jobs Account for a Fifth of Gain
The number of people with jobs in Flagler increased to 43,000, up 2,200 from the previous month, but still more than 4,000 workers short of where the labor force stood a year ago, suggesting that thousands remain on the sidelines.
Joe Mullins Again Erupts in String of Abuse Against Commissioner Hansen at 9/11 Event, Spurring Calls for Censure
Less than 48 hours after insulting Commissioner Greg Hansen at a County Commission meeting, Commissioner Joe Mullins unleashed another string of worse abuse on Hansen, to his face–at an event commemorating the death of 3,000 victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. But Commissioners Sullivan and O’Brien are resisting saying whether they’d censure him.
State Claims Inspectors Won’t Go Easy On Bars and Breweries That Violate Covid Rules
The state on Monday began allowing bars and breweries to again serve alcohol for on-site consumption, after a similar attempt ended in June because of a lack of compliance with safety rules.
31 Test Positive At Grand Oaks Rehab; Flagler’s Covid Death Toll Up to 21 as Cases Spike Again to Near Peak
Two more covid-related deaths were added to Flagler’s tally and a serious spike in cases at the Grand Oaks rahab and nursing home, in schools and at social clubs has resulted in a return of near-peak case loads for the county.
Haunted by Covid, Palm Coast and Sheriff Prepare for Halloween With Balance of Tradition and Safety
While such standard events as the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Hall of Terror have been cancelled, Parkview Church’s mega trunk-or-treat event will unfold as a drive-through version, and the sheriff is adding a drive-through event in early October.
County and City Taxes Will Stay Flat for Most Homesteaded Properties Except for Spike in Bunnell
Residents of Flagler County and each of its cities will again see little to no change in their property tax bills next year as governments are adopting tax rates that either stay flat or roll back a little, with the exception of Bunnell.
Joe Mullins Fires Demeaning Personal Insults at Commissioners in a Meeting, Repeating ‘Dangerous’ Pattern
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins called fellow-Commissioner Greg Hansen a “fat sonofabitch” and Charlie Ericksen a “useless old man” at a meeting Wednesday just months after Ericksen had felt so threatened by Mullins that he called on Sheriff Staly for help.