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.
Flagler
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.
Opponents of The Gardens Development Win Commissioners’ Concern Even as They Lose Appeal
Preserve Flagler Beach, a group largely opposing the proposed 335-home Gardens development on John Anderson Highway, lost a procedural battle but gained commissioners’ sympathy and concerns on substantive grounds in a hearing Wednesday.
Heroes
If Flagler County had a Nobel Prize, Flagler Health Department Chief Bob Snyder and Dr. Stephen Bickel, the medical director there, would have won it this year for their management of the coronavirus pandemic, absurd claims against them notwithstanding.
County Commission Meeting Turns Circus as Defiant Anti-Maskers Spread Falsehoods Before They’re Asked to Leave
A group of anti-mask militants held up the county commission meeting for 30 minutes today before addressing the panel in brews of misinformation, social media memes and alternative facts and calling for the removal of the Health Department’s Bob Snyder and Dr. Stephen Bickel. The commissioners explicitly rebuffed the militants in turn.
Flagler Sees 3 More Covid Deaths, New Spike in Cases and Hospitalizations; 14 Cases at Old Kings Elementary
There’s been 184 new cases in the last 14 days alone in Flagler, and 28 positive cases in the Flagler County school district through today since school reopened on Aug. 24, half of them at Old Kings Elementary, as a renewed spike has the local health department chief concerned.
State Puts Gag Order on Flagler Health Department’s Public Release of Covid Numbers in Schools
The state’s gag order falls as the Flagler health department was preparing to issue a weekly reports of cases in schools, and as a drizzle of covid cases continues to affect Flagler schools, with a few classrooms, individual faculty and students required to quarantine. The district intends to issue some of the information.
Jorge Salinas, a Transparency Ace, Appointed Deputy County Administrator In Largely Secretive Process
County Administrator Jerry Cameron appointed Jorge Salinas, 53, an assistant city manager in an Oregon town for the past five years, as his “chief of staff,” ending a largely secretive process that had involved the county commission.
16th Covid Death in Flagler; Old Kings and Bunnell Quarantine 2 Classes; District Will Issue Weekly Covid Report
In a series of development, and as a drizzle of cases continue to develop on local campuses, the Flagler Health Department and the school district will issue weekly reports detailing where in schools covid-19 cases have been confirmed, in contrast with Volusia County, where the district is refusing to disclose any such information.
Jerry Cameron, Chief of Sham
Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron put on a show behind closed doors of interviewing what may be his successor. Though 121 people applied, Cameron knew who he was going to pick from the start, skirting public record and open meeting laws along the way.
3 Covid Cases at Bunnell and Old Kings Elementary, 2 at FPC; 21 Cases at 7 Assisted Living Facilities
Flagler County’s Covid-19 numbers have been trending downward for the last five weeks. But new infections have emerged in schools as faculty and staff returned to campuses and, after a long period of calm, in more than half a dozen local assisted living facilities.
Motorized March to Flagler Courthouse Friday Marks 1963 March on Washington and Justice Reform
After the motorized march wends its way into the parking lot, speakers on the steps of the Flagler County courthouse commemorating the 1963 March on Washington will talk on criminal justice issues, voting rights and police reform.”
County Administrator Jerry Cameron Maneuvering to Hire His Successor Behind Closed Doors, With Commission’s Complicity
Four local candidates have been short-listed out of more than 100 applicants for deputy Flagler County administrator in a hiring that likely lines up the next county administrator, but Cameron has been going about the hire with no public discussion, involvement or notice even though commissioners are interviewing the candidates Friday.
On 1st Day of School in Flagler, Excitement Balanced by Apprehension, and Far Fewer Students Enrolled
Fewer than half the district’s students took seats in actual classrooms and 10,000 attended one of Flagler schools’ three options overall, a 23 percent decline from the district’s usual enrollment. If there was a measure of excitement about being back, there was also apprehension, uncertainty, many unanswered questions.
Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom Dies at 56 After a Series of Illnesses
Larry Newsom, who Flagler Beach City Commission Chairman Jane Mealy termed the best city manager she’d worked with among a half dozen, died this afternoon at AdventHealth Palm Coast after seesawing between serious illnesses ad recoveries over the past year.
‘Salvation Is In Sight’: Army Corps Extends Deadline as Dunes Hold-Outs Take Money and Sign
Impressed by a local, massive fund-raising effort intended to buy off 11 hold-outs, the US Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to extend the deadline in the long-sought, $25 million dune rebuilding project along 2.6 miles of shore in Flagler Beach.
Flagler’s Unemployment Back Up to 10.2%, Florida’s Up to 11.3% as Covid Surge Takes Economic Toll
After dropping sharply to 9.4 percent in June–down almost five points from the month before–Flagler County’s unemployment rate rose again, to 10.2 percent in July, a reflection of the coronavirus resurgence that began and June.
As Covid-Related Layoffs Hit Courthouse, Clerk of Court Gets, $250,000 Emergency Appropriation
Flagler County Clerk of Court Tom Bexley said his office saw $600,000 in lost revenue, the reduction from 62 jobs to 54, including four actual layoffs, and uncertainties ahead, requiring a $250,000 emergency appropriation to stave off further cuts.
Conklin, Massaro and Woolbright Win School Board, Sullivan Survives, and Finally, It’ll Be Judge Alicia Washington To You
Jill Woolbright and Cheryl Massaro won seats on the Flagler County School Board, and Colleen Conklin, at 20 years the longest serving elected official in the county, won her sixth term. Dave Sullivan won reelection to the County Commission. But the Palm Coast City Council is still very much in flux.
Last Day to Vote in Primary Began With 21,000 Ballots Already In and Historic Mail-In Count
Though powered by the largest vote-by-mail volume in the county’s history, Flagler County’s 2020 primary election turnout would need a relatively strong in-person voting tally today to exceed 2018’s turnout of 30 percent. The 2016 primary turnout of 27 percent is a closer target.
Judge Quashes Flagler Commission Decision on Hammock Boat Storage Facility, Halting Project for Now
A Flagler County circuit judge quashed a November decision by the Flagler County Commission that had opened the way to a controversial 240-boat storage facility and restaurant in the Hammock, next to Hammock Hardware. The judge ruled that the county reached its decision without substantial evidence.
With Fall Sports Postponed for Now, Flagler Schools Face Mix of Uncertainty and Lack of State Guidance
Football players, swimmers, runners, golfers and other student-athletes who normally would be gearing up for a season they’ve worked years for are now faced with an uncertain future.
Raising $40,000 in 40 Hours, Flagler Beach Residents Throw Down Greenback Gauntlet to Dunes Project Hold-Outs
A remarkable fund-raising effort in Flagler Beach aimed at breaking a stalemate in a dunes-rebuilding project raised $40,000 in less than two days. The money would be parceled out to 11 property owners who have so far refused to sign easements and allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild the beach, a project 15 years in the works.
Flagler Records 14th Covid Death; 15% of Flagler Children Tested Are Positive a Week Before School
Florida and Flagler continues to add new infections at elevated rates even as the overall numbers have fallen from their July peak. Despite the decline, the state is experiencing new cases at a rate of nearly 7,000 a day, averaged out over the past seven days.
Behind Façade of Flagler Schools as ‘Family,’ Bitter Discontent from Teachers, and Orders Not to Open Windows
Teachers returned to Flagler’s nine public schools today amid bitter disputes over their safety and options while the district contends with innumerable and at times competing concerns, with somewhat diminished ranks and no additional resources to make it all stick. It’s going to be a difficult year.
The Gardens Development on John Anderson Highway Clears Key Planning Board Hurdles in Near-Unanimous Votes
The Gardens, the big development proposed to go up on the two sides of John Anderson Highway, and that’s galvanized strenuous opposition from residents in Flagler Beach cleared the Flagler County Planning Board with near-unanimous recommendations Tuesday. The proposal goes before the county commission next, possibly in September.
In Good Shape? If Flagler Were Its Own Country, We’d Have the 10th Worst Covid Rate in The World
Flagler County officials often speak triumphantly of the county’s lower covid numbers compared to the rest of the state. It’s a deceptive and reckless comparison that denies the severity of the local pandemic when placed in its proper context.
Bryan Says City Manager’s Letter on The Gardens Made ‘Total Clowns’ of Flagler Beach Commissioners and Wants It Rescinded
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Ken Bryan was sharply critical of City Manager Larry Newsom over a letter Newsom wrote assuring The Gardens developers that the city has capacity to provide water and sewer to some 355 proposed homes along John Anderson Highway.
Flagler Crosses the 1,000 Mark in Covid Cases as It Edges Past Peak, But Significant Load Persists
Even as Flagler crossed past 1,000 covid cases, key trends have been falling from the peak of mid-July, though if numbers are stabilizing, they are doing so at still high numbers relative to the April wave.
Bob Jones, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Bob Jones is running against Donald O’Brien in the Republican primary on Aug. 18. The winner will face two independents in the Nov. 3 general election. Jones, like other members of the local Trump Club, is not answering questions.
Down to 11 Owners Holding Out, Army Corps May Decide on Aug. 19 Whether To Kill Dunes Project
County government is dueling with 11 property owners in Flagler Beach who are refusing to sign easements that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild dunes along 2.6 miles of beach. Without the easements, a $25 million projects 15 years in the works could be cancelled.
Flagler Beach’s Bruce Garrison One of 2 More Covid-Related Deaths, Bringing Flagler’s Total to 14
Bruce Garrison, 66, had been a supervisor at Flagler Beach’s city-run sanitation department. His death and that of a 69-year-old man bring Flagler County’s total to 14, including two non-residents, as covid-19 cases nearly tripled locally since the beginning of July.
‘Phew, We Dodged One,’ Storm Surge ‘No Longer an Issue’ and Evacuations Unnecessary as Isaias Threat Diminishes
Tropical Storm Isaias will not be much of an issue anymore and evacuations in Flagler won;t be required as emergency personnel ramped down their response Sunday afternoon.
Despite Building Fiascos, County Now Wants ‘Due Diligence’ On Buying Old $1 Million Bank of America in Flagler Beach
Despite a nightmarish history of buying old buildings and having to unload them at a loss, the Flagler County Commission Monday will hear a proposal from its tourism department to gather information on buying the 40-year-old $1.1 million former Bank of America building on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach, opposite the pier.
Donald O’Brien, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Donald O’Brien, a first-term incumbent, is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 5, facing Bob Jones in the Aug. 18 primary.
Flagler Commissioner Joe Mullins Pays $750 Fine in Settlement of Campaign Finance Violations Claim
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins paid the Florida Elections Commission a $750 fine on April 17 to settle allegations that he had accepted illegal campaign contributions during his 2018 run against then-Commissioner Nate McLaughlin.
Kim Carney, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Kim Carney is candidate for the Flagler County Commission, challenging District 3 incumbent Commissioner Dave Sullivan. The Aug. 18 election is open to all Flagler County registered voters regardless of party or geography.
Flagler Health Department’s Medical Chief Rebukes ‘Covid Minimizers’ as Deaths Surge and Hospitalizations Persist
Dr. Stephen Bickel, the medical director at the Flagler and Volusia health departments, criticized “covid minimizers” for seizing on rogue data to diminish the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic, hurting efforts to fight it.
Dave Sullivan, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Dave Sullivan is an incumbent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3, facing Kim Carney in the Aug. 18 primary. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the race regardless of address or party affiliation.