The new runway at the Flagler Airport will accommodate more fuel-heavy jets, thus adding to the airport’s fuel sales. Next up is the building of a new terminal.
Flagler
Ban On: Overriding Commissioner’s Plea, Flagler Enacts Prohibition on Medical Pot Shops
It was the second and final reading of an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler, and it passed Monday morning, 3-2, ending a nearly year-long debate.
Jonathan Lord Takes Over Flagler’s Emergency Management as Its 6th Chief in 12 Years
Jonathan Lord, 43, had for more than two years been deputy director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, overseeing the statewide response to Hurricanes Hermine, Matthew and Irma firsthand.
Vacation Rentals Would Be Protected Class in Residential Neighborhoods In Bill Flagler Calls “Extreme”
One proposed bill would eliminate local regulation of vacation rentals and make it difficult for home-owner associations and towns like Flagler Beach to prevent short-term rentals anywhere.
As Snow Flirts With Florida, Flagler Rains Will Yield To 3 Nights of Hard Freezes, and Precautions
Snow fell as far south as St. Augustine today but not quite in Flagler, where officials are cautioning about hard freezes and opening a cold-weather shelter for the next three nights.
Thank You for Record 7.6 Million Visits to FlaglerLive in 2017: A Review of a Disordered Year
FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam reviews a year of record murders, record fatalities, disappointments in Palm Coast, but a sheriff’s great year, and new readership records for the site.
Flagler’s 4.2% Unemployment and Steady Housing Numbers Point to a Healthy Year
Flagler County and Florida are ending the year on an economic high note, with unemployment in the county at 4.2 percent, down from 5.6 percent a year ago.
Painters Hill and Hammock Dunes Property Owners Will Pay Extra Tax for Erosion Control
The four taxing districts, made necessary by hurricanes, will levy surtaxes on property owners only in those areas to defray the cost of protective sand berms and a sea wall the county will build.
Overriding Medical Marijuana Users’ Pleas, and Voters, Flagler Commissioners Pass Dispensary Ban
The 3-1 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries outright Monday evening ends a year-long process that saw commissioners zigzag between approval and prohibition.
A Fifth of Old Kings Elementary Students Absent as School Grapples With Outbreak
54 students were sent home Friday and at least 35 were sent home today after developing flu-like symptoms, but the outbreak appears limited to Old Kings Elementary.
County And Bunnell Score Big Grants For Plantation Bay and Stormwater, Flagler Beach and Palm Coast Do Not
Flagler County won a $500,000 grant for improvements to its Plantation Bay utility, Bunnell won $460,000 for stormwater and sewer improvements from the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Charges or Sanctions Against Judge Scott DuPont Up to Commission as Hearing Ends
The final hearing in the year-long case alleging misconduct against Circuit Court Judge Scott DuPont ended Tuesday, with a decision expected sometime in the next two months.
Ethics Commission Orders Kim Weeks and 2 Others To Reimburse $312,000 in Fees Over Frivolous Complaints
The state Ethics Commission ordered Kim Weeks to pay nearly $130,000 and Dennis McDonald and Mark Richter Jr. to pay the rest to compensate the county for defending against frivolous and defaming complaints they’d filed.
Joint Legislative Committee Unanimously Votes To Audit East Flagler Mosquito Control
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner, who represent Flagler, had asked the committee for an audit after that the tax-supported district incurred a $1.1 million deficit in a budget of $1.8 million.
Sidestepping Health Concerns, Flagler Approves 5 New Cell Towers, 2 Rising 350 Feet
Without denying health hazards, the Flagler County Commission approved the siting of five new cell towers, including one in Palm Coast, as part of its next-generation emergency communications system.
Lighting and Sign Improvements Coming to 3 Flagler Interchanges on I-95
Interchanges at Palm Coast Parkway, State Road 100 and Old Dixie Highway will see improvements between 2018 and 2019 in a $5.6 million project.
County Calls Waste Pro On the Carpet, Only to Lavish Praise, Flattery and Excuses
The county administration’s account of Waste Pro trash-hauling service contrasted sharply with commissioners’ stories of complaints, or documented complaints in Palm Coast.
In Reorganization, Hansen Takes County Chairmanship, Sullivan Is on Canvassing Board
The county commission chairmanship gives Hansen added visibility during an election year, while Sullivan takes over a canvassing board position with a fraught history.
Upwards of 1,100 Flagler Volunteers Are Recognized For Indispensable Help During Irma
More than 1,130 volunteers were documented to have lent a hand during the Hurricane Irma emergency and many more helped but were never added to lists.
Getting Over Resistance Against Apartments in Palm Coast: Less Prejudice, A Bit More Height
Housing, real estate and local government officials this morning diagnosed the sources of Flagler-Palm Coast’s affordable housing crisis and proposed a few solutions in a unique discussion at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Flagler County Warns of Scam Under the Guise of Waste Management Trash Hauler
Waste Management notified Flagler County officials about a scam in another state asking “valued customers” to wire transfer money to a different account
Not Dead Yet: County Must Formalize Medical Pot Ban By Ordinance, Giving Advocates Another Go
The Flagler County Commission’s Nov. 20 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries was only one step: commissioners must still pass an ordinance formalizing the ban, twice, giving proponents of dispensaries another chance to make their case.
New Regulations Give Flagler Government Policing Powers Over Towing Companies
A new Flagler County ordinance sets out requirements, fees and penalties for the county’s three towing companies, reining in what the county administration said had been some abuses in the industry.
How Residents of One Street, Citing False Information, Got 3 Flagler Commissioners To Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries
Residents of Treetop Circle in Plantation Bay made false but popular claims about medical pot dispensaries to convince Commissioners Greg Hansen, Charlie Ericksen and Dave Sullivan to ban dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler.
Armed Robbery Victim in Hammock Seeks Out and Finds Suspect, Leading to Arrest
Cody Wilson, 26, was booked at the Flagler jail on $110,000 bond after he allegedly robbed at gunpoint a man who was smoking marijuana in his driveway in the Hammock.
Sheriff Again Urges Transportation Secretary to Improve Safety at “Deadly” White Eagle Intersection
The transportation department last February largely ignored recommendations by Sheriff Rick Staly for more safety measures at the crash-prone intersection on U.S. 1. Staly again wrote the transportation department on Tuesday.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Hearing Over Development at Lakeside on A1A, Expected to Be Contentious, Postponed to Dec. 18
Lawyers representing three different sides of the proposed 185-home development have all asked for a postponement, and the county attorney has advised commissioners to agree.
Case Against Kimberle Weeks Now Hinges On Judge’s Precedent-Setting Decision on Searches in Electronic Age
Ex-Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorneys argue that the search warrant that produced incriminating evidence against her was an illegal fishing expedition. Without it, the case against Weeks collapses.
Florida Adds 125,000 Jobs, Dropping Unemployment to 3.6%, Flagler’s at 3.8%
In essence, the state saw little negative effect from Hurricane Irma despite its severity and the disruptions it spread over Florida.
Flagler County on Periphery of Opioid Crisis, But Deaths Report Signals Lethal Spikes
Deaths related to heroin and fentanyl use are rising locally, and deaths related to prescription drugs spiked 22 percent as the region proves not immune to the opioid crisis.
Five New Towers Part of County’s Plan to Replace $11 Million Emergency Communications System
Flagler government unveiled vast new plan to replace the aging emergency communications system starting next year, keeping mum on final cost estimates, which will be steep.
A Man For All Seasons, Sisco Deen Is Flagler County Veteran Of the Year
Recognized at today’s county ceremony marking Veterans Day, Sisco Deen served two decades in various branches of the military, including during the Vietnam War, and is the long-time archivist of the Flagler County Historical Society.
Waste Pro Falls Down On the Job In Palm Coast And Flagler But Refuses To Say Why
After winning a contract renewal in Palm Coast last year fines against Waste Pro have been piling up to the thousands of dollars every month since spring.
Flagler County Walks Away From $35 Million In Beach-Repair Money: “It’s Them Abandoning Us”
Flagler county officials put the blame squarely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when they explain why they walked away from $35 million, and why county and state dollars must step in as replacement.
KKK Fliers Targeting Jews Dropped in Front of Flagler Beach Homes, Latest in Multi-City
Rash From Same Hate Group
The KKK flier attacks Jews and warns of “white extinction,” and is from the same group that’s been dropping fliers in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia since the Charlottesville rally of white supremacists.
County Road 13 Re-Construction Nears Completion $1 Million Under Budget
The project, started in May, was paid for through a pair of state grants totaling $3.6 million. Money not used returns to the state, to be awarded on other projects.
Officials Caution: Initial Rejection From FEMA Is Not The Last Word
Don’t just accept the initial response, because every resident has the right to appeal any decision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flagler officials say.
Flagler And Cities Submit Lists of Requests To Lawmakers, Who Dampen Expectations
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner listened to streams of requests from governments and constituents but made no promises in light of a “tough” legislative session ahead.
Short-Term Rentals in Flagler County: The View From Home Owners’ Associations
Paul C. Pershes, president of the 1,100-home Ocean Hammock Property Owners Association, addresses members of a key senate committee that will be hearing proposed regulations of short-term rentals.
Flagler’s Unemployment Rate Falls To 3.9%, A 10-Year Low, Even As Hurricane Whacks State’s Jobs Figures
Flagler’s sharp drop is even more remarkable for taking place during a month that saw Hurricane Irma cut across the region, severing power, work schedules and routines for almost 10 days.
Flagler Commissioners’ Legislative Priorities Unravel in Messy Amateur Hour
Less than five days from presenting their legislative priorities to lawmakers, Flagler County commissioners’ priority list devolved into a chaotic process that could undermine its goals.
Flagler’s Domestic Violence Task Force Spurs Sheriff’s Action Ahead of Final Report’s Recommendations
Flagler County now has its own “batterer-intervention program” and Sheriff Staly will devote a detective full-time to pursuing domestic violence cases as his task force prepares to submit its recommendations Friday.
Flagler Commissioners Approving $400,000 In Grants to Six Critical Social Service Agencies
The grants subsidize free healthcare for the poor, a shelter for abused women, interventions for victims of rape, and help for addicts and individuals with mental health needs, among other services.
Flagler District’s Bombardments Battling Mosquito Surge Not Seen in 65 Years As County Seeks State Aid
Stagnant waters left from two massive storms have led to record numbers of mosquitoes in Flagler, with aerial bombardments resuming Thursday and likely more coming.
Throngs of Residents Opposing Big A1A Development Fail to Stop Board’s Unanimous OK
The Flagler County Planning Board Tuesday evening voted to recommend approval of a pair of developments totaling 190 homes that would bookend north and south side of Lakeside By the Sea.
Flagler Again Takes Vacation-Rental Case To Tallahassee as New Battle Lines Are Drawn
Willing to deal and compromise, County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Attorney Al Hadeed addressed a Senate committee workshop today in Tallahassee, ahead of what’s expected to be another fierce battle over vacation-rental regulations.
Why Lakeside By The Sea Residents See a Pair of Proposed Developments Turning Their Properties Into “Little Lakes”
A developer plans to build 185 homes at the north and south ends of Lakeside By The Sea, the subdivision in the Matanzas Shores area at the northern end of Flagler County, on the barrier island.
In Boost To Flagler, Committee Approves Bills Including $50 Million a Year For Beach Repair
If the bills survive the coming legislative hurdles, there may be new money for Flagler County to tap into to repair its severely eroded beaches.
Stonework Company From Former Soviet Republic Opening 30-Job Distribution Hub in Palm Coast
Kamara Stone USA is based in Georgia, the nation in Southwest Asia, and plans to create 30 jobs over the next four years, distributing granite, marble and mosaics from its Hargrove Grade location.