The Hammock Community Association is challenging the Flagler County Commission’s decision to allow the Hammock Harbour project to go forward, claiming A1A zoning rules don’t allow for a warehousing-type facility. The county does not consider the planned development to be a warehouse.
Flagler
With Little Transparency, County Approves $250,000 to Redesignate 12 Miles of Dunes as ‘Preservation Facility’
The county commission today approved spending $250,000 for a project to which they had no written documentation, either for themselves or for public inspection, though it is the first step in a significant redefinition of the county’s beaches.
Mullins-Centered Facebook Barbs Termed ‘Mishegoss’ But ‘Private’ As County Commission Rejects Censure
County Commission Chairman Dave Sullivan rejected a call to censure fellow-Commissioner Joe Mullins today and said he would not entertain discussions of Mullins’s Facebook page–nor Mullins attempts to regulate media in any way.
Judiciary Lets Down Its Robes as It Celebrates Flagler County Judge Totten’s Investiture
Flagler County Judge Andrea Totten’s investiture at Channel Side in Palm Coast drew more than a dozen judges and nearly as many ceremonial presentations and speeches advising the judge on her new course.
County Administrator Cameron Sells Land to Commissioner Joe Mullins’s Company for $405,000, then Pays Off Home Mortgage
Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron sold a parcel of land on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine to the Mullins Companies for $405,000 in August in what Cameron described as an “arms-length transaction” with Joe Mullins, the Flagler County county commissioner.
Search Fatigue or Satisfaction Limit Turnout at Public Forum on Choosing Next School Superintendent
Just eight people participated in a public forum designed to hear ideas about what sort of school superintendent should be hired next, what challenges lay ahead and what works in the district today.
It’s All About Landing UNF as Palm Coast Rallies Cities and County in Show of Unity Before Legislative Delegation
Local cities and the county joined Palm Coast in an unprecedented show of unity and common goals at Thursday’s annual legislative delegation meeting, to press Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson for support in bringing the University of North Florida to Palm Coast’s Town center.
Dave Sullivan Is New County Commission Chairman, McDonald Retains School Board Chair
The titles don’t necessarily mean as much as they imply. No chairman or vice-chairman has more power than he or she would have had without the title, though some try to use more heft than they have.
Flagler County Tells Sellers, Realtor and Inspector of Damaged Sears Building to Buy It Back or Get Sued
Flagler County commissioners voted to offer the sellers of the $1.25 million Sears building the chance to buy back the damaged structure or face a lawsuit. Flagler bought the building in November and discovered it to be damaged from a pre-existing water-intrusion condition.
Visiting Flagler, State Board of Education Singles Out Wadsworth’s Anna Crawford, a Finalist for State Award
Wadsworth Elementary Principal Anna Crawford is one of three finalists for the 2019-2020 Innovative Principal Award, and was recognized, along with one of her sixth grade students, during a state Board of Education meeting in Bunnell.
Craig Coffey Lands Deputy Administrator Job in Okaloosa County, Ending Nearly Year-Long Search
The Okaloosa County Commission voted unanimously to confirm the appointment of Craig Coffey as deputy county administrator for $136,000 a year.
Should Commissioner Joe Mullins Be Chained and Muzzled?
In what he said was sarcasm, Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins wrote a woman that “We did decide to chain and muzzle all radical liberals in the county” at Tuesday’s town hall on dog-chaining, which he hosted. It’s an inadmissible offense on many levels.
Waste Pro Taps Home Grown Talent to Head Its Palm Coast Operation in Latest Reinvigoration
Waste Pro, the garbage hauler on contract to provide garbage and recycling service for residents in Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler, appointed DSC graduate and long-time local resident Heather Badger-Felmet as division manager in Palm Coast.
Flagler’s Permissive Rules on Dog-Chaining Draw Loud Calls for Revision as Palm Coast Takes Note
Some 65 people turned up at a “town howl” on dog tethering at the Flagler Humane Society Tuesday evening, where County Commissioner Joe Mullins pledged he would be revisiting a controversial county ordinance. The debate may have consequences beyond county government as Palm Coast is in the midst of revising its own animal ordinance, and Flagler Beach may follow suit.
Mary Ann Clark, Resolute Founder and Leader of Innumerable Flagler Institutions, Dies at 91
Mary Ann Clark’s eclectic leadership, tenacity, verve and love for her community founded, fostered or shaped many of Flagler County’s cornerstone civic and cultural organizations over the past four decades.
Flagler’s Fair Housing Rules Would Add Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence, Veterans and LGBTQ
The Flagler County Commission in the next few weeks is expected to hear a proposal to revise the county’s fair housing ordinance, which hasn’t been revised in 30 years. The proposal would add or clarify several protected classes.
At Opponents’ Meeting on The Gardens Development Off John Anderson, More Vigilance Than Chest-Thumping
A community meeting by a group that opposes The Gardens development off John Anderson Highway drew some 100 people Thursday evening but kept the shrillness and triumphalism to a minimum, focusing instead on how to maintain “positive, respectful pressure,” in the group’s president’s words.
New Report Concludes Sheriff’s Operations Building ‘Should Be Ready for Re-Occupancy’ With Repairs
There are continuing issues at the sick, former Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell, but they are repairable, or treatable, a moisture and concrete evaluation report to the county concludes even as it lists a series of problems.
Flagler Is No Citrus: Local Officials Say New York Times Is Safe From ‘Fake News’ Censorship at Library
In the wake of Citrus County commissioners rejecting a public library digital subscription to The New York Times, Flagler County’s library and government officials stressed that nothing like that would be tolerated locally.
The Gardens Development Off John Anderson Scales Back Significantly, But Still Faces New County Obstacles
The Gardens off John Anderson Highway was originally planned as a 3,966-home and apartment development but was scaled back to 330 lots. Even then, county regulators said it would need a rezoning to go forward, a politically uncertain step the developers are loath to take.
For 1st Time in 11 Years, County Tells Bunnell Homeless Are Shared Problem as Shelter Backers Seek Compromise
As a federal investigation forced Bunnell government to allow the re-opening of a homeless cold-weather shelter there, County Administrator Jerry Cameron told city officials what they haven’t heard in 11 years: that homelessness is a shared responsibility.
ICI Homes’ Latest Expansion at Plantation Bay Approved, 3-2, But Not Before a Drubbing Over Stinginess
County Commissioner Dave Sullivan said ICI Homes is not doing enough to share in the county’s burdens of repairing Plantation Bay’s troubled water and sewer utilities. The commission approved a 132-home phase of the development.
240-Boat Storage Facility in the Hammock off A1A Will Go Forward as County Rejects Objection
The proposed Hammock Harbor boat storage and restaurant development near Hammock Hardware on A1A drew a legal appeal from residents who disputed the county’s interpretation allowing the re-development under existing zoning rules. But county commissioners saw nothing wrong with the project.
Palm Coast Lines Up Support from County and Cities for UNF’s MedNex Initiative in Town Center
Flagler County commissioners today unanimously endorsed a proposed UNF partnership with Palm Coast to create a medical hub in Town Center as the county’s top legislative priority for 2020.
From High School to $37,000-a-Year Firefighters: Flagler Hires 1st Three Recruits Out of FPC’s Fire Academy
Noah Dunaway, Dylan Cronk and Beau Kruithoff, all 18, are the very first Flagler County Fire Rescue recruits to be hired directly out of FPC’s fire academy. They were introduced to the Flagler County Commission this morning. They’ll be making $37,000 a year within weeks.
Questions of Ethics and Reimbursements After County Officials Appear on Commissioner Joe Mullins’s Radio Show
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins offered to have county officials host and appear once a month on the weekly radio show he pays for, but the offer raised a series of protocol, policy and ethical implications.
Flagler County Veterans Day Ceremony Features Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Ernest Audino
Flagler County residents are invited to gather with the Board of County Commissioners to honor the men and women who bravely served in the country’s military at the Veteran’s Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, November 11.
Forced Out or Not, Flagler Fire Chief Don Petito Is Looking to ‘Get the Hell Out’ in Fallout From Clash
Flagler County Fire Chief thought he was being forced out with an ultimatum until County Administrator Jerry Cameron said he’d misunderstood, but he’s looking to leave anyway in the wake of a clash with Chief Information Officer Jarrod Shupe during the Hurricane Dorian emergency.
What’s Flagler County Got Against Affordable Housing? A Forum Attempts to Demolish Enduring Stigmas.
Many Palm Coast and Flagler County residents generally revile apartments, subsidized housing and other forms of affordable housing. A county-sponsored forum attempted to tackle the stigmas and offer fresher perspectives.
Sheriff Lists Sex Offenders’ No-Go Homes and Increases Patrols on Halloween’s ‘Operation Witch Way’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office provided a list of the 28 registered sex offenders with prohibitions on participation in Halloween, and cautioned about increased patrols to check for speed, aggressive driving and drunk drivers over the next two nights.
Flagler County’s Economic Development Farce Is Wasting Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Beat Its Own Drum
Since Flagler County government created the $450,000-a-year economic development department, the county has added 10,000 jobs, but only a few dozen as a result of the department’s involvement.
Flagler County Hosts an Affordable Housing Forum on Oct. 29
Have questions about what affordable housing is, what the need is in Flagler County and the challenges that must be overcome? The Flagler Housing for All Coalition is hosting a public forum at 5:30 p.m. October 29 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors to discuss those topics and more.
Ethics Commission Blisters McDonald’s “Complete Disregard for Law,” Imposing $4,000 Fine and Public Reprimand
The Florida Ethics Commission voted 4-3 to impose a $4,000 fine on former Flagler Commission candidate Dennis McDonald, $6,000 less than the ethics commission advocate had recommended.
How Dredging 550,000 Cubic Yards of Ocean Sand Will Change Flagler Beach’s Dunes
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project will dump darker dredged sand on 2.6 miles of beach to rebuild Flagler Beach’s dunes starting next spring, and stretching to the end of the year.
Behind Collapse of Furniture Company Deal With Flagler Government, Disarray, Misrepresentations and Premature Boasts
The collapse of a deal between a furniture-assembling company and Flagler County government is the latest setback for an economic development department with a checkered eight-year history and signal failures.
Space Study for Sheriff’s Palm Coast Operation Comes In at More Than $30 Million; County Will Scale Back
Flagler County government is not prepared to build a structure larger than 50,000 square feet, at a cost of $15 million at most. That design will take place over the next six months, with groundbreaking expected in the spring of 2020.
County Fires Tourism Director Matt Dunn After 4-Month Suspension, Citing New Direction Under Amy Lukasik
Flagler County Tourism Director Matt Dunn had been placed on paid administrative leave in April after coming under criminal investigation. The county says the tourism bureau is turning away from Dunn’s sports-oriented tourism, and was not firing him for any wrongdoing.
Kiwanis Recognizes Armando Castaneda, Patrick Juliano and Jamal Prince as 2019 Firefighters of the Year
The Flagler-Palm Coast Kiwanis Club honored a firefighter from each of the county’s three departments: the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Patrick Juliano, Flagler County Fire Rescue’s Armando Castaneda, and the Flagler Beach Fire Department’s Jamal Prince.
Gov. DeSantis Appoints Prosecutor and Local Resident Andrea Totten Flagler County Judge
Gov. Ron DeSantis today appointed Andrea Totten, a 40-year-old Palm Coast resident and an assistant attorney general, Flagler County judge, filling a seat newly created by the Legislature to relieve the overburdened docket of County Judge Melissa Distler.
Tiny A1A Subdivision Sees Wells Fail As a Big Development Churns Nearby. Now County Wants To Charge Residents $1,700 a Year for a Fix.
Willow Woods residents sandwiched between Washington Oaks State Park and Matanzas Woods developments would be charged $1,700 a year for 20 years to hook up to city water to replace failing wells, though residents say they’re not at fault: the development is.
$500 Ethics Fine Against Dennis McDonald Now Upped to $10,000, With Governor’s Reprimand and Censure
A three-year-old ethics case against former county commission and senate candidate Dennis McDonald could have ended last June with a $500 fine to which he had agreed. Instead, and for lack of answering a few questions and correcting the record, McDonald now faces a $10,000 fine and a public censure and reprimand by the governor.
After 8-Year Moratorium, Flagler County Will Get Back To Taxing Development for Roads and Possibly More
Flagler County government today hired a firm to study impact fees, or one-time levies on new development, to pay for roads, parks, libraries, fire rescue and public buildings in what could be a significant addition to county revenue by 2020.
The County Issued a Press Release About a Donation By Commissioner Joe Mullins. Then All Hell Broke Loose.
County Commissioner Joe Mullins had County PIO Julie Murphy write a press release about a donation he made to an addiction-recovery program in Bunnell. What followed exposes a series of serious issues between commissioners and within county government.
Palm Coast Sewer Line Through Hammock Would Reduce Reliance on Septic, But Raises Development Fears
A Palm Coast sewer line up the spine of the barrier island would help stop a reliance on septic tanks and has been a priority for local governments, but Hammock residents are concerned that it would also spur more intensive development.
Facing Hammock’s Ire, Joe Mullins Proposes Development Strategies, But Residents Are Skeptical
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.
Have an Opinion on Local Tourism? Flagler Government Needs To Know
The Flagler County Tourism Office, also known as Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches, is conducting a resident awareness survey to judge resident perception of its efforts and identify areas for improvement.
Julie Murphy completes FEMA Master Public Information Officer Program
Completing a yearlong professional development program, Flagler County Public Information Officer Julie Murphy joins fewer than 70 others across the United States recognized as Master Public Information Officer.
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.
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.