Col. Jack Howell of Palm Coast was nominated for the national award for his work with Teens in Flight over the past 10 years, an organization that trains young pilots whose parents were killed or injured in conflicts since 2001.
Flagler
Median Price of Homes in Flagler Cross Back Over $200,000 For 1st Time Since Housing Boom
The average number of home sales in the past seven months is still slower than the previous six months, but inventory is diminishing and prices continue to rise, once again raising questions of affordability.
Ethics Commission Tosses 5 More Complaints Against County Officials, from Weeks Era
The Florida Ethics Commission threw out complaints against four of the five Flagler County commissioners and County Attorney Al Hadeed in the latest sweep of what has been a drizzle of frivolous complaints against county officials.
County Approves Big Spending on Tourism Office Staff and Rigs and Hints at Raising Tax
County government absorbed the tourism office last fall and is spending big on it, raising staff pay, expanding staff, buying $300,000 worth of equipment and talking about raising the 4 percent sales tax supplement on short-term rentals to 5 percent.
“Go Forward!” Flagler Beach Tells County, Clearing Way for $900,000 Design of Beach-Erosion Project
The Flagler Beach City Commission endorsed the county’s decision to give up on federal dollars and instead spend county and state dollars on the first phase of what will amount to a hugely expensive, $44 million beach-protection project over the next 50 years.
Flagler’s Unemployment Ticks Down to New Post-Recession Low of 5.3% as Employment Surges
In March, strong job growth continued in Flagler County with a gain of 396 for a two-month gain of 868 jobs–numbers not seen since before the Great Recession. Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent.
Nurse Assistants at Grand Oaks Rehab Strike for $15/hr Wage in Echo of National Movement
Workers at Grand Oaks Rehab Center in Palm Coast, most on poverty wages, walked out for 24 hours, though they’d given the facility almost two weeks’ notice and replacements ensured no residents lacked care.
Pot-Possession Decriminalization Could Advance in Flagler As Part of Broader Civil Citation Program
Not just the possession of small amounts of pot, but such offenses as battery and criminal mischief could be de-criminalized and shifted to civil citations in an approach that will be studied by a newly formed committee.
Survey Puts Homeless Total in Flagler-Palm Coast at 104, But Undercount Likely
The 2016 census of the homeless population in Flagler-Palm Coast was a dramatic decline from 2015, but also very likely an under-count. The majority of homeless people who have no shelter at all are in Palm Coast.
For 2nd Time in 2 Months, County’s Emergency Communications Falter, and Agencies Chafe
A problem at a tower on John Anderson Highway hampered sheriff’s deputies’ ability to communicate for an hour Monday evening. The county is describing the issue as minor while Palm Coast and the sheriff’s office see it as more emblematic of a recurring problem.
Demolition Devours Another Chunk of Old Palm Coast as Backhoes Blitz ITT Building
The massive building at 1 Corporate Drive had been ITT headquarters in Palm Coast’s nascent days then office and classroom space for the school district’s adult education programs. The building had its uses but was never a good investment for the district.
Rookies Hutson and Renner Sum Up Legislative Session as Veterans of Policy and Reforms
First-year Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner, whose districts include all of Flagler, spoke at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast this morning in a celebration of of the session they just completed, and promises to keep cutting taxes and reducing government regulation.
Flagler County Fair 2016: Rock n’ Rib Fest and Nova Rex’s Metallic High Hair Among Peaks
The Flagler County Fair begins today through Sunday and this year folds in Rock ‘n Ribfest, the annual rock music festival that will feature several bands. including Nova Rex and Restless Heart.
In Major Shift, County Proposes Rebuilding Beach Without Federal Dollars For Now
With federal dollars unlikely to share in the $44 million project, Administrator Craig Coffey wants the county commission to share costs with state transportation and environmental agencies instead, though the plan is rife with uncertainties.
County Commission Retreats From Joint Meeting With Palm Coast Council on EMS
After appearing ready to meet with Palm Coast, county commissioners now say that between election turn-over and the absence of a crisis, there’s no need to meet over ambulance issues.
County Explores Big-Idea Energy Savings, But Through Long-Term Wedding With Contractor
Flagler County government is looking to go greener with its energy consumption, but some of those ideas may not be possible without wedding government to a single private contractor for a decade and a half or more.
Latest Ethics and Elections Complaints Against County Said to Set “New Highs for Creative Writing”
The complaints rehash allegations made in previous complaints related either to the 2013 county purchase of the old Memorial Hospital in Bunnell or to conflicts between the commission and Kimberle Weeks, the former elections supervisor currently under felony indictment.
A Bunnell Man Is Falsely Arrested Over Name Error, and Case Proceeds Despite Corrections
In a nightmare of the persistence of bureaucratic errors, Dakota Ward, 19, who’s never been in trouble, was confused with another man and falsely arrested on a battery charge last week. His case is still proceeding.
Flagler’s 6 Public-Sector Unions Launch Unified Political Arm as Palm Coast Workers Bargain
The new organization, joining teachers, cops, firefighters, school employees and municipal workers, aims to rival Realtors, home builders and the chamber in political influence and regain some power in collective bargaining.
Flagler County Royalty:
The Trouble With Uncontested Elections
Property Appraiser Jay Gardner and Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston have no competition, Tom Bexley for clerk of court barely does: Good as they are at their jobs, it’s not good for Flagler or for the offices they represent.
Scrubbing Sexism: Scott Signs Bill Awarding Big Raise to Supervisors of Election
The long-overdue raises, averaging 18 percent, redress salaries traditionally kept low because most supervisors were, and still are, women.
“It Is Done!” Flagler Celebrates Opening of Exit 293 Interchange With North Palm Coast’s Future
Eighteen years in the making, the Matanzas interchange with I-95 is expected to alleviate traffic in palm Coast and spur development in the north of the city while giving residents of the L, B and F Sections faster, safer access to I-95.
County Takes Dim, Caustic View of Palm Coast’s “Efficiency” Push in Ambulance Services
County commissioners say if Palm Coast wants to make services more efficient, it’s the city’s problem, not theirs. But they’ve agreed to hold a joint meeting in May to discuss possibilities.
Florida’s 4.9% Unemployment Rate Matches Nation’s, Flagler’s Nearly There, at 5.4%
The number of Flagler County residents holding jobs surged by 472, one of the best single-month increases since the recession, lowering the county’s unemployment rate to its lowest level since 2007.
Kimberle Weeks Makes a Court Appearance In Hearing That Illustrates Extent of Secret Recordings
The hearing addressed various technical motions, but also featured the testimony of an FDLE investigator that delved into the breadth and nature of Weeks’s recordings, which her defense attorney strived to show were not made illegally.
Flagler County Supportive of Broadening Discrimination Protection in Housing for LGBT
Barbara Revels, who chairs the county commission, is proposing an amendment to a housing ordinance to extend non-discrimination protection to individuals for sexual orientation.
With Less Accountability, Flagler’s Tourism Dollars Continue Shift To Big-Ticket Events
County government’s tourism arm, which manages $1.6 million in tax dollars, is diminishing emphasis on community events to push sports and conferences which draw people without necessarily promoting the county.
Flagler on “Budget-Signing Watch” as 4 Local Items Totaling $3 Million Await Scott Signature
Pending appropriations include $2 million for improvements to the Plantation Bay utility, $200,000 for the Malacompra drainage fix, and $200,000 for Flagler Beach’s stormwater improvements.
Bill Baxley and Elbert Tucker Win Big in Bunnell, Trump and Clinton Win Flagler and Florida
There were ballot problems in one precinct in Palm Coast, where voters were handed the Bunnell ballot, but not in large enough numbers to alter the results.
Palm Coast Floats New Rescue System in Name Of “Efficiency,” But County Sees Many Flaws
No one is complaining about ambulance service in Palm Coast, but the city council is favoring changing the system by adding two county ambulances and spreading manpower around. The county, which runs EMS, says the plan is costly and unnecessary.
For 1st Time in 9 Years, Bonding Out of Jail in Flagler Made More Expensive for Most Suspects
The new bond schedule in some cases doubles bonds or eliminates them for many offenses, but the schedule applies for only a brief period between arrest and first appearance before a judge, when any amount bond (or no bond) can be set.
Linda Solomon, Dervish Painter of Joy and Ex-Flagler Artist of the Year, Dies at 74
Solomon continued dancing and painting dancers, as well as musicians, mystical landscapes and more, throughout much of her years-long battle with ovarian cancer, which took her life on March 7.
Flagler Hikes Together: “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk” Kicks Off Annual Readers’ Events
Flagler Reads Together, the annual March event, began Friday with Ben Montgomery speaking of his book, “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk,” this year’s featured title, before 84 people at the Flagler County Public Library.
With Curt Emphasis on “NOW,” Palm Coast Mayor Wants Radio Answers from County
For Netts, usually a model of decorum and grace, it was an unusually demanding letter over an issue that has created simemring tensions between the county and city managers for months.
In a First, Flagler’s Early Voters Will get Ballots Printed On Demand, Saving Money and Paper
The old approach of printing surplus ballots creates costly redundancies and, eventually waste: unused ballots are discarded. That approach will still be used on election days.
Flagler’s Aveo Pandering: The Artful Way To Do a Groundbreaking, and the Bogus Way
It was rank manipulation when Aveo Engineering, county government and Rick Scott pretended to break ground on a factory at the Flagler County airport three years ago. It was never built.
Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants: Flagler Sheriff Says Yes, But Local Opinion Is Divided
A dozen states have legalized issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, primarily as a safety measure, but Flagler officials reflect state opinion that has prevented such legalization from taking place in the Sunshine State.
Court Ruling Favoring Counties in Juvenile Detention Costs Could Send Flagler $300,000
An appeals court ruling could mean the state owes more than $100 million to counties in a long-running dispute about who pays to detain juvenile offenders.
Flagler Voter Registrations Surge to 90%, Aiding GOP as Democrats Fall to Historic Low
Flagler County’s voter registration rolls have surged by 21 percent since 2009, resulting in a 90 percent registration rate, with Republicans riding a 4,500-voter advantage over Democrats.
Promising 300 Jobs 3 Years Ago, Aveo Engineering Bails on Airport Lease But Pledges to Remain in Flagler
Aveo Engineering, the much-touted LED parts manufacturer had promised 300 jobs by 2016 at the Flagler County Airport. Neither jobs nor facility have materialized, though the company is still pledging to grow in Flagler, but not at the airport.
Palm Coast Signals Going Its Own Way In Growing Rift With County Over Radio System
City Manager Jim Landon is pressuring the county to replace its emergency radio infrastructure–on which the city and sheriff depend– well before 2020. The county is resisting, citing costs.
Sheriff Manfre Ethics Case: In Eviscerating Language, Judge Recommends $6,200 Fine, Public Reprimand and Censure
An administrative law judge suggests the sheriff lied under oath as part of his defense in a case that has clouded his term since 2014 and that continues to damage his image in a re-election campaign featuring a slew of opponents.
Florida Bar Dismisses Complaint Against County Attorney in Latest of Many Defeats for Growlers
The Florida Bar’s dismissal keyed into the fact that one of the two complainants, Kimberle Weeks, had felony charges pending against her. The other tossed complaint was by John Ruffalo of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies.
At Flagler’s Progressive Public Safety Council, a Farewell to Judge Walsh, and a Welcome to Foxman
The largely unheralded but powerfully representative Public Safety Coordinating Council was the scene of a passing of gavels of sorts Wednesday for Flagler County’s judiciary.
Smoke May Be Visible South of SR 100 From Controlled Burn at Bulow State Park
This prescribed fire will remove the hazardous level of fuel on the property. Potential fires have a greater risk of being destructive the longer vegetation accumulates.
Family Livid After FDOT Uproots Roadside Memorial to Tyler Tracy 7 Months After Wreck
Tyler Tracy’s memorial was one of five an FDOT official decided had to be removed on US1, though others were left in place, angering Tracy’s widow and family and getting Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts involved in defense of the family.
Dueling On, State Recommends $19,000 Fine and Public Reprimand Against Manfre, Who Maintains Innocence
The dueling recommendations in the long-standing ethics case against Sheriff Manfre are awaiting an administrative law judge’s decision, further dragging on an issue that has clouded the sheriff’s term into his re-election year.
Florida’s Black Cowboys: An Exhibit Tours All Flagler Schools, Bucking Stereotypes
The Florida Black Cowboys exhibit, produced by the Agriculture Museum, opens a window on a little-known part of Florida and American history. The exhibit will appear at every Flagler County school.
As Flagler’s Emergency Communications Briefly Falter, Palm Coast and Sheriff Assail County Over Long-Term Plans
The county’s critical emergency radio system briefly failed when a tower lost its back-up power Thursday even as county, city and sheriff’s officials were meeting in the first high-level meeting since 2013 to deal with their differences over modernizing the emergency communications system.
Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte In Dramatic Rescue of Drowning Man
Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte was in the W-Section when the drowning of a 71-year-old resident on Whispering Pine Drive was called in. He rushed to the scene and pulled the man out of the pool.