Palm Coast Council member Jack Howell attacked the homelessness task force in charge of drawing up goals to address the issue, but did not himself provide any goals. A gap of mis-perceptions between public and agencies addressing homeless issues is making concrete solutions more difficult.
Flagler
Rebuilding Captain’s BBQ in Place Is ‘Off the Table,’ But Decision On New Lease and Location Is Delayed
Flagler County government is not willing to repair the existing Captain’s BBQ restaurant at its own expense. Rather, it is favoring building a new structure at Captain’s expense, but not necessarily on Captain’s more expansive terms.
At Drug Court Graduation, Captors Become Heroes, and a City Manager Tells Of the Shooting That Made Him an ‘Orphan’
Flagler County Drug Court graduated four participants after a grueling process, and Alvin Jackson, the Bunnell city manager, who was the keynote speaker, described how his mother shot his father in self-defense.
Flagler Watches as Vacation-Rental Bill That Would Eliminate Local Or Homeowner Association Regulations Advances
The House bill approved today would eliminate local control and all grandfather clauses in vacation-rental rules, including those in Flagler and Flagler Beach, but Flagler officials say they’ll prevail in the end.
Flagler Commission Approves Pair of Buildings For Sheriff’s Temporary Use It Opposed 6 Weeks Ago
The Flagler County Commission approved a pair of metal buildings for $240,000 totaling 4,000 square feet to accommodate evidence storage and crime analysis now that the sheriff is without an operations center.
Bunnell Panics as Emerging Options for Sheriff’s New Operations Building Include Palm Coast Library Site and Town Center
Without evidence, Bunnell officials fear talk of moving the sheriff’s operations center out of the city is a first step toward moving the county seat to Palm Coast, and see the move as illegal.
It’s All About ‘Alignment’ Between Schools, Colleges and Jobs, Local Education Leaders Tell Flagler Businesses
The Flagler Chamber of Commerce roughly once a year devotes one of its Common Ground breakfasts to spotlight local education’s major players, as it did this morning at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn.
Palm Coast Approves Incentives for Mail-Order Firm to Merge California Operation Locally
CP Performance has been operating off Hargrove Grade and from near Santa Rosa, Calif., but will merge its operations at its Palm Coast facility, enlarging it and adding 20 jobs over the next five years.
Investigation Of Plantation Bay Plane Crash, With Joel Fallon and Josh Rosa Aboard, Ends Inconclusively
The investigation is ending inconclusively, but it sheds light on measures Josh Rosa took immediately before the crash that strongly suggest his skills and last-second maneuvers likely prevented the crash from being fatal to him and Joel Fallon.
In Rare Rejection of Its Own Staff’s Push, County Commission Rejects 54-Home Hammock Development
A Jacksonville developer wanted to rezone a 12-acre parcel at Jungle Hut Road and A1A and, to commissioners, cram in 54 homes. Commissioners, rejecting their own staff’s recommendation, said no.
Flagler Jail Inmates Among Work Crews That Cleaned Up Homeless Camp Near Public Library
The Flagler jail’s “Inmate Work Crew” launched last summer and has been used at about a dozen county-owned facilities, its work valued at the equivalent of $75,000 that would otherwise have had to be paid with tax dollars.
How Flagler Government Bought the $1.1 Million Sears Building Nobody Wants, With Scarce Money Needed Elsewhere
The Flagler County Commission ended up buying the Sears building even though it does not need it and does not have money to spare to buy it. The deal was the work of then-Administrator Craig Coffey.
Deadline Comes and Goes And Still No Breakthrough on Alternative to Sheriff’s Operations Center
A month ago the Flagler County Commission agreed to a 15-day deadline to come up with a compromise on interim space for the Sheriff’s Operations Center, when the sheriff and the clerk of court were not agreeing on using courthouse space to that end. The deadline has long lapsed, with no new proposal on the table.
County Calls DEP Over Area ‘Heavily Contaminated With Human Waste’ Around Library in Cleanup of Homeless Camp
The week-long cleanup of the homeless camp near the public library in Palm Coast revealed concerning hygienic issues but few security incidents. Meanwhile, the library is installing a new security system.
Resurfacing of Flagler’s Portion of I-95 Begins Monday, With Lane Closures Through Fall of 2020
A year and a half of lane closures and likely delays are ahead for Flagler County drivers and residents as the complete resurfacing of I-95 begins on March 18 and will stretch through the fall of 2020.
Inspection Finds Seating-Capacity Violations at Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s, Raising New Questions
A state inspection of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing found the restaurant to have 188 seats though it’s licensed for just 60. The county says it’s fixing the issue, which raised new questions for the restaurant, which has been at the center of a controversial proposal to expand at the county park.
Push For Swift Homeless ‘Solutions’ Clashes With Individual, On-the-Ground Realities
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins and Palm Coast City Council member Jack Howell want solutions to what they call a homeless crisis, but others are reminding them that efforts are in place. The resources and focus to pull them off in concert may not be.
Its Eye on Homeless, Public Library Draws ‘Green Zone’ to Stop Roaming On Property Outside Regular Hours
The Palm Coast library’s “Green Zone” is intended to keep the more than three dozen homeless people who have encamped on county land southwest of the library from using the building’s covered areas or its parking lot as gathering, sleeping or rest places.
Flagler’s Labor Force and Residents With Jobs Reach New Records Even as Local Unemployment Rises
The number of people with jobs in Flagler County rose by 657, an unusual and impressive 1.5 percent, sending Flagler’s employed labor force to a new record, and rising by 2,000 compared to January 2018.
If Your Ancestors Took Part in Flagler’s 1920 Election, AAUW Wants To Hear From You
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Flagler wishes to extend an invitation to the descendants of the women of Flagler County who were recognized and listed, by the Flagler Tribune, on October 21, 1920, as “Qualified Voters” for the November 2, 1920 General Election.
County Orders Armed Security at Palm Coast Library in Signal to Homeless, Patrons and Staff: ‘Safety Is Paramount’
In the latest development of the homeless crisis at the Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast, the library director and a county commissioner pressured the interim county administrator to provide armed security at the library while the county searches for a longer-term solution.
Jerry Cameron, There Are Better Ways To Save Face Than Blaming Media Over The County’s Homeless Blunder
Interim Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron said the media “interjected” themselves in the controversy over the order to vacate the homeless from around the library before the matter was “ripe.” FlaglerLive’s editor disagrees.
Facing Mounting Criticism, Flagler Scraps Exiling Palm Coast Homeless and Will Keep Them Near the Library
Averting what was turning into another embarrassing shamble, Flagler County government today scrapped plans to evict the homeless from the public library grounds in Palm Coast and exile some to an isolated camp at the far end of the county.
This Is Russell Landing: Flagler County’s Idea of a Homeless Camp
An examination of Russell Landing, the extremely isolated site Flagler County would move homeless people to, is not as healthy, safe or desirable a location as the county is making it out to be.
Mealy and Belhumeur Keep Seats in Flagler Beach, Reeger and Baxley Win in Bunnell, Newcomer Doug O’Connor Wins Beverly Beach
Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur won decisively in Flagler Beach, Jan Reeger won by two votes in Bunnell, incumbent Bill Baxley won by a far larger margin, and in Beverly Beach, newcomer Doug O’Connor unseated one of three incumbents.
Citing Bad Deals and Other Needs, Flagler Commission Rejects Loan to Buy $1.1 Million Sears Building for Tax Collector
Commissioner Dave Sullivan opposes buying the old Sears building, saying the county should stop removing private business property off the tax rolls when it has land of its own it can build on. He also wants the county to focus on the Sheriff’s Operations Center and the Plantation Bay utility first.
Sheriff’s Employees Were Not Imagining It: New Report Finds Mold From Water Intrusion at Sheriff’s Operations Center
The result of wall cuts and analysis below floor tiles pointed to extensive water intrusion and the discovery of black mold in two locations, among other problems, and no indication that the building may be re-occupied any time soon.
Hurried Mess: Why The Latest County Meetings on Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Were Canceled, and What’s Next
A combination of questionable timing, lack of sufficient notice, lack of preparation and the absence of some commissioners led to the cancellation of a pair of much-anticipated county commission meetings on Captain’s BBQ and Bing’s Landing this week.
State Audit Finds Slew of Irregularities and Procedural Disarray at Flagler’s Mosquito Control District, But No Fraud
A state audit of Flagler County’s mosquito control agency found a budgeting and procedural process in disarray but did not see fraud in the seeming disappearance of $1.1 million, which had more to do with overspending.
DeSantis Suspends Ex-Dr. Fruehan From Flagler Mosquito Board Over Felony Charges
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order suspending Florence Fruehan from the East Flagler Mosquito Control District board pending the resolution of two felony counts against him.
Flagler Commission Signs Contract Worth $237,000 With Interim Administrator Cameron
The $237,000 compensation package for Jerry Cameron includes a salary of $160,000, a $1,000-a-month car allowance, $14,155 in personal days and $7,100 in deferred compensation, though Cameron is already drawing state retirement benefits.
Sheriff Fires Armor, Jail Health Provider at Center of Anthony Fennick’s Death, and Institutes Immediate Changes
Sheriff Rick Staly is firing Armor Correctional Health and instituting a series of measures at the jail making family-inmate contact easier in critical times, and information more readily accessible.
Employees Will Sue Sheriff Over Sick Operations Center, and the Sheriff Is All For It
The law firm representing 27 Flagler sheriff’s employees served the sheriff notice of a lawsuit for negligence over the Operations Center, a move Sheriff Rick Staly is supporting.
An Angry Tom Bexley Freezes County’s Attempt To Cede 1st Floor of Courthouse to Sheriff
Clerk of Court Tom Bexley was angered by a sheriff’s proposal, which the county would have had to approve, to use the first floor of the courthouse for the foreseeable future as the sheriff’s exile from the Operations Center continues.
County Will Consider Importing Water From Palm Coast For Troubled Plantation Bay, Halting $6 Million Plan
Flagler County was ready to award a $6.1 million contract to build a new water plant at Plantation Bay when Commissioner Dave Sullivan pushed to halt the process and consider other options Monday.
Flagler Commission Picks Jerry Cameron, Retired from St. Johns Government After Eclectic Career, Its Interim
Cameron replaces Craig Coffey, whom the commission forced to resign last month, and is expected to restore some semblance of leadership in an administration adrift for weeks.
In Post-Jones Era, Friends of the Library Revive With Nomination of Carl Laundrie as President
The Friends of the Library, an independent, non-profit support group for the Flagler County Library, nearly met an untimely end with the death of Terry Jones, its long-time president.
Flagler Supervisor of Elections Wants To Know Why You Love Voting: Take the Survey
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart is asking registered voters to take a five-question online survey about why and where they like to vote, grist for further voter outreach in the future.
Second Valentine’s Day Mass Wedding at Flagler Courthouse Features Vows and Surprises
Eleven couples married and five renewed their vows in the Flagler Clerk of Court’s second anual mass wedding on the steps of the county courthouse at noon today.
Flagler’s Addiction Crisis Has a Treatment Problem: There’s Barely Any. Council Talks, With Little Action.
In the opioid crisis, first responders are doing their part, only to see the same individuals adrift the moment they’re out of first responders’ hands: The front lines are meeting the challenge. The rear isn’t.
Flagler Commissioners Will Hold Open 1-on-1 Interviews With Administrator Candidates
The county attorney advised Flagler county commissioners that erring on the side of openness was best in deciding whether to individually interview candidates in closed or open sessions.
Flagler’s AAUW Branch Marks 35 Years of Advancing ‘Equity for Women and Girls’
What began with an organizational meeting of the Flagler Beach of the American Association of University Women is now an organization 50-member strong.
Anthony Fennick Will Die Saturday Morning, Days After Degrading at Flagler Jail. Family Awaits Answers.
The family of Anthony Fennick, 23, will gather around him Saturday morning, when his breathing machine will be disconnected. He was brain dead after suffering days of high fevers at the Flagler jail, where his care was neglected, his family says.
Jim Cigler Is an Unlicensed Contractor. Repeat Judgments Against Him Don’t Stop Him
From Working.
Flagler County just won a judgment against Jim Cigler, an unlicensed contractor known as “The Gutter Guy,” but Cigler faced several judgments before and kept on falsely advertising his services as licensed and insured.
Costs and Concerns Muck Up Plantation Bay Utility as County Begs for $10 Million
The Flagler County Commission is asking for a state appropriation of $10 million to fix the Plantation Bay sewer plant partly from fears that a sewer tank may burst, but the decision was hasty and lacked ready analysis.
Flagler Pays $16,000 to Settle Website Access Suit, and Much More to Become ADA Compliant
As one commissioner calls it “a scam,” county government will settle a lawsuit and prepare to hire more staff to address Americans With Disability compliance with county websites.
Flagler Commission Narrows Interim Choices to 4, But Questions Remain About Interviews
Three of the four candidates are former city or county administrators. The exception is one internal county candidate. They’ll be interviewed Feb. 18, when the commission may choose among them.
Gargantuan Egos Gone, 3 Cities’ Managers And County Get Down to Unusual Business
Flagler County’s three city managers and its commission chairman led a Common Ground panel presentation reflecting the vast change-overs at the top of local government and anticipating a new way of doing business ahead.
It’s On Again: Get Married on the Flagler County Courthouse Steps on Valentine’s Day
The mass wedding ceremony, a new tradition, drew 21 couples last year, five of them renewing their vows, with live music, cheer and Clerk of Court Tom Bexley presiding.
$2 Million Repaving and Widening of Old Dixie Highway from US 1 to I-95 Starts
The widening and repaving of a 2.3-mile stretch of Old Dixie Highway, from I-95 to U.S. 1, begins Monday (Jan. 28) and will be completed in a week.