Flagler County officials asked U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, the Republican whose six-county district includes all of Flagler County and who was visiting Flagler Beach today, to give them help in efforts to federalize larger portions of the 10 miles of shore that still need new beach sand. The county has no money to extend beach renourishment to that portion of the barrier island. But the congressman, who is not big on climate change measures, was reserved, making no promises.
Flagler
Controversial Solitude Development on A1A Moving Toward 14 Three-Story Condo Units Instead of 16 Houses
On the drawing board for almost 20 years, the controversial Solitude at Matanzas Shores development proposed for 3.9 acres of beachfront property on A1A just south of the Surf Club condominiums is now moving toward construction as 14 three-story condominium units in an L-shaped pair of buildings rising 35 and 36 feet. Each unit would have a pool deck.
It’s Official: Pam Richardson Takes Down Ed Danko, Ending Term of Bluster and Animosity
When it was all done, the result was unchanged from Tuesday, except for this: it’s now official. The often cheery, at times underestimated Pam Richardson has taken down the blustery and divisive Ed Danko, the one-term Palm Coast City Council member, in the most closely contested Flagler County Commission race in memory.
Longer Than Expected Recount Recesses at 1 AM to Continue Saturday at 9
A bleary-eyed Flagler County Canvassing Board recessed the recount in a Palm Coast City Council race and a County Commission race a few minutes before 1 a.m. Saturday, only to resume it eight hours later, at 9, as the recount took significantly longer than expected and a hiccup further delayed it.
Ballot Review Doesn’t Change Outcome: Richardson Beats Danko, Stevens Holds 2-Vote Lead
With afternoon recounts still pending, this morning’s review of 46 provisional ballots and questionable mail-in ballots did not change the outcome of Tuesday’s election in the closest contests. Pam Richardson’s victory over Ed Danko for County Commission held. Ray Stevens’s two-vote lead held over Dana Stancel in a Palm Coast City Council race to determine who moves onto the runoff against Andrew Werner.
One FireFlight Is Decommissioned After 22 Years, Another Takes Its Place as County Mulls 24-Hour Operation
At 8:50 Wednesday morning, FireFlight lifted off from near its hangar at the Flagler County Airport for the last time. The 24-year-old helicopter was decommissioned after 22 years of service in Flagler County, while its younger version, a $5.6 million helicopter, took its place. County Commission Chairman Andy Dance said there will likely be discussions starting in December to consider whether to go froma 12-hour to a 24-hour operation for the emergency helicopter.
Beach Project Nears Conclusion as It Moves to Pier and Heart of Flagler Beach, With a Few Traffic Disruptions
The $27 million beach renourishment project in Flagler Beach is nearing conclusion in the next few weeks, well ahead of schedule, at least its latest schedule: the project overall had been delayed a few years. It entails a few traffic disruptions this morning.
Ed Danko’s Chance of Flipping Result Is Remote as Provisional Ballots and Recount Steps Ahead Are Mapped Out
Ed Danko’s chances of flipping his 40-vote loss to Pam Richardson in a County Commission race is statistically very remote if not close to impossible, based on current numbers and next steps. That’s the case even as 47 provisional and mail-in ballots have yet to be judged as valid or not, and a handful of additional ballots–overcounts or undercounts–will also have to be judged by the Canvassing Board.
Dance Wins Re-Election, Richardson and Carney Win Commission, Ramirez and Ruddy Win School Board, Norris and Manfre in Runoff
Andy Dance won his second term on the Flagler County Commission, trouncing Fernando Melendez in the only clear runaway victory of the evening as the Supervisor of Elections announced early results of the primary. Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy won school board seats, Pam Richardson beat Ed Danko for County Commission, while Mike Norris and Cornelia Manfre looked headed for a runoff, leaving David Alfin behind.
Big Shopping Mall Plans for Hunter’s Ridge Approved With Some Questions About Access and Landscaping
With pointed questions about the project’s sidewalks and green spaces, the Flagler County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a key step toward construction of the first large-scale shopping center in Hunter’s Ridge, the sprawling, so far largely residential development at the south end of the county and across the border into Ormond Beach. Primrose at Hunter’s Ridge is to be in the northwest corner of the intersection of Hunter’s Ridge and Airport Road.
Richard Hamilton Pays Tribute to Mike Lagasse, Folksy Land Manager Who left Flagler Government for St. Johns
About a month ago Mike Lagasse, who’d headed Flagler County government’s environmental projects and been its land manager since 2011, left the county for a job in St. Johns County government as its environmental division manager. On Monday, Lagasse got a tribute from the floor of the County Commission by Richard Hamilton.
Orlando’s A-1 Block Corporation Planning Concrete Block Manufacturing Plant Next to Flagler County Fairgrounds
A-1 Block Corporation of Orlando will build and open a 55,000-square-foot concrete-block manufacturing plant on 25 acres just north of the Flagler County Fairgrounds off Sawgrass Road. The Flagler County Planning Board approved the project’s site plan last week. The site was formerly residential and used to board horses. It is currently categorized as pastureland. It was rezoned. It is bordered by industrial land to the north. There are no residential parcels on Sawgrass anymore.
Embattled Old Dixie Motel Submits Makeover as ‘Hotel Henry,’ But a Suspicious Flagler Planning Board Balks
For three years, the cryptic owners of the decrepit Old Dixie motel have been promising county officials that they’re getting ready to submit renovation plans and end the building’s history as an eyesore to nearby residents and a legal ordeal for the county. On Tuesday, the county’s Planning Board finally got to review that plan. But it couldn’t bring itself to approve it as board members fear the motel owners are “trying to pull the wool over eyes,” while the owners had yet to secure key steps for development.
Flagler County’s 4.6% Unemployment Is Highest in Three Years; Florida’s Rate Stays at 3.3% for 4th Month
Flagler County’s unemployment rate of 46 percent in July was the highest since August 2021, when it was 4.9 percent and rapidly falling from its Covid-era high of 11.1 percent the year before. he labor force had also been gaining steadily until last August, when it peaked at 52,293, a record. It has fallen since. In July, it was 51,739, about where it stood in January. That suggests the county’s influx of new residents, especially working-age families, has slowed.
Flagler’s Election Turnout Tracks Down from 2020 But Elections Supervisor Lenhart Applauds Candidates’ Civility
Flagler County’s election turnout is tracking lower than in the 2020 primary as a variety of factors, including new laws restricting voter freedoms, have taken full effect. As of today turnout is less than 16 percent in the primary election in Flagler, with two days of early voting plus election day left. But Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said she was proud of local candidates, who have maintained a level of civility unseen in years.
Flagler County Readies to Adopt Tougher Rules to Protect Trees from Demolition on Development Sites
Flagler County government is belatedly moving toward adopting a tree ordinance that would significantly increase tree-protection measures, either by reducing the number of trees cut, by increasing replanting requirements, or by establishing a tree fund that will be a form of replacement bank developers may pay into, to compensate for the trees destroyed on a development site.
An Inside Look at the Army Corps’ Beach Renourishment Along Flagler County’s Shore as It Nears Completion
The beach renourishment project that started in Flagler Beach last month after almost 20 years of planning and waiting is nearing completion at remarkable speed, with operations moving to the area of the Flagler Beach pier and north of it starting in the middle of next week and windup expected this month. The project is little short of the recreation of earth. Here’s a detailed tour for those unable to make it to the project site.
With Some Reservations and $635,000 in Renovations, School District Prepares to Rent Old Courthouse
The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission are preparing to sign a joint agreement that will lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to the district for just two years, with two options to renew for five years each, and an option to buy. Some school board members have reservations about the building’s quality, but will not stand in the way of approving the lease.
Flagler Library’s ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground with a Shovelful of History and Images of a Future Page-Turner
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell officials along with advocates and friends of the library gathered at the 7-acre site of the future “Nexus Center” south branch library for a groundbreaking today, which was as much of a celebration of the future building as it was a recognition of Library Director Holly Albanese’s perseverance to finally get to this point, after nine or 19 years, depending on hos you calculate it.
Behind Flagler Tax Services Owner Newsholme’s $300,000 in Fraud: Mounting Debts and Ponzi-Like Scheme
Robert Newsholme, the former owner of Flagler Tax Services, a three-year Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation found, had essentially been running what amounted to his own Ponzi scheme, taking money from clients who thought they were paying their IRS taxes, using that money to pay debts from lending companies, then borrowing more money from different lending companies to pay previous lending companies while putting off his clients who wanted their money back, plying them with promises and bad checks.
County Pulls Back from Heavy-Handed Attempt at Regulating ‘Behavior’ or ‘Objects’ at Polling and Public Grounds
The Flagler County Commission’s latest grapple with the messiness of democracy led it Monday to postpone until after the election any plans to regulate campaign zones or other forms of speech on public property, as it had sought to do last month, not without some controversy.
Flagler Humane Society Blasted for Lax Standards and Euthanasias as Commissioner Raises Prospect of County Take-Over
Appearing before the Flagler County Commission on Monday, numerous current and former volunteers at the Flagler Humane Society, including a former board member, spoke critically, sometimes bitterly, of an organization beyond its capacity to care for a growing number of animals, a governing structure too lax with policies and procedures, unaudited books, unjustified euthanasias, and a climate of retribution that led to the discharge of three volunteers who spoke out about the recent euthanizing of Guapo, a pit bull mix.
New Beach Erodes in Flagler Beach as Tropical Storm Debby Batters Northern Path with Potentially Catastrophic Rains
Impacts in Flagler County were expected to be more limited to winds in the 20 to 30 mph range for the rest of the day and some heavy rainfall, but the sea’s impact on Flagler County’s shore was already apparent as churns eroded significant portions of the newly renourished beach at the south end of Flagler Beach, while further eroding the redder, not-yet renourished sands north of the pier.
Why Is Palm Coast’s Mayor Extending the Red Carpet to ‘Constitutional Sheriff’ Extremists?
A local representative of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association known as CSPOA is asking the Palm Coast City Council and the County Commission to enact ordinances making Flagler a “Constitutional County.” That would be illegal and unconscionable: CSPOA is an anti-government extremist group that seeks to undermine federal, state and court authorities while placing the local sheriff above them all.
Flagler Schools Losing $10.8 Million to Pay for 1,250 Students to Attend Private, Religious or Home School
Three take-aways largely explain how the state is gradually emaciating traditional public education’s budget by lowering the tax rate, as it has almost every year since 1995, by diverting millions of dollars to subsidize families’ private, religious and homeschool education bills, and by causing an inevitable exodus of students from public school to privately subsidized education, but at public expense.
Sea Turtles Are Crawling Out of New Dunes in Flagler Beach and Wandering on A1A
Flagler County government has received reports that some wayward sea turtles have been able to crawl up onto the top of the new dunes in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction project area in Flagler Beach and there is worry that they may wander onto State Road A1A. Efforts are under way to provide a solution.
Flagler County Escalates Disclosure Pressure as Old Dixie Motel Owners Brazenly Defy Court Order to Pay Bond
As the old Country Hearth Inn on Old Dixie Highway continues to rot amid neighbors’ ire, the owners of the property are now in brazen defiance of a court order to put up a $250,000 bond in compliance with their contract with the county. County government has filed two motions that turn up the pressure for financial disclosures and accountability on the owners, even though it does not expect them to comply anymore than they have complied with all other contractual or court-ordered obligations so far.
Alarms Raised Over Beach Dredging Feared Close to Live Fishery Grounds, Endangering Soft Corals and Sea Life
Backed by GPS data, photographs, and eyewitness accounts from the ground and from a fishing vessel, four people–two of them key advocates of the beach renourishment project ongoing in Flagler Beach, two of them fishing-vessel owners–are warning in dire terms that the dredging of over 1 million cubic yards of sand from the sea bottom several miles offshore is raking up live sea life and getting dangerously close to damaging or destroying a unique fishing ground.
Flagler Beach Gets $745,000 TDC Grant for Boardwalk Rebuild That May Never Happen, Besting County and Palm Coast
After three bracing presentations by three local governments but tortuous debate by Flagler County’s Tourist Development Council members, the council on Wednesday approved a $745,000 grant for Flagler Beach to rebuild its boardwalk near the pier even though the city has none of the remaining $3 million to build it. Palm Coast and Flagler County were at the losing end of the three-way pitch for the sizeable grant, which the tourism board offers only every two years.
Council Votes 7-2 to Deplete Tourism Fund’s $11 Million Reserves and Build Flagler Visitor Center on SR 100
It was as audacious a plan as any that Flagler County Tourism Director Amy Lukasik presented to the Tourist Development Council this morning: take out $10.3 million out of two tourism funds’ reserves, reducing those reserves to $1.2 million, and appropriate the money for construction of the Flagler County Visitor and Eco Discovery Center on State Road 100, near the metallurgic foot bridge. The council went for it, voting 7-2 to recommend moving forward with Lukasik’s plan.
Sawmill Branch Will Add 425 Single Family Homes in West Palm Coast as Planning Board Approves Latest Phase
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for 425 single family homes in the Sawmill Branch development’s latest phase on U.S. 1, a month after approving 320 town houses for a separate phase. The single-family home phase is on 213 acres west of U.S. 1, about half a mile south of Old Kings Road North. The town houses are on 65 acres, with lot size of 2,000 square feet.
Pam Richardson, Flagler County Commission District 5 Candidate: The Live Interview
Pam Richardson is one of two Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 5, in the Aug. 20 primary. It’s an open seat as Commissioner Donald O’Brien has elected not to run for a third term. Richardson faces Ed Danko, currently serving as a Palm Coast City Council member. Only registered Republicans may cast a ballot in the election.
Ed Danko, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 5: The Live Interview
Ed Danko is one of two Republican candidates for Flagler County Commission, District 5, in the Aug. 20 primary. It’s an open seat as Commissioner Donald O’Brien has elected not to run for a third term. Danko, a one-term Palm Coast City Council member, faces Pam Richardson.
Bill Clark, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Bill Clark is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3, in an open-seat election, as Dave Sullivan has opted not to run again. Clark faces Republicans Kim Carney and Nick Klufas in the Aug. 20 primary.
Flagler County Library’s $14 Million South Branch ‘Nexus Center’ Breaks Ground in August, Ending 10-Year Wait
Almost a decade after Holly Albanese and the Library Board of Trustees first conceived it, the south branch of the Flagler County Library–to be called the Nexus Center–will break ground on Aug. 5 on the 7-acre parcel opposite the Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center, a short walk down from the future Bunnell City Hall now under construction. The 23,000-square-foot, one-floor library, combined with the county’s social services offices, will open at the end of October 2025.
Kim Carney, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Kim Carney is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3, in an open-seat election, as Dave Sullivan has opted not to run again. Carney faces Republicans Bill Clark and Nick Klufas in the Aug. 20 primary.
Nick Klufas, Flagler County Commission District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Nick Klufas is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. The two-term Palm Coast City Council member, who is term-limited, faces Kim Carney and Bill Clark, both Republicans, in the Aug. 20 primary. Because a write-in candidate has filed expressly to close the election to non-Republicans, only registered Republicans may cast a ballot in this race.
Reviled Daytona North Special Tax Will End as County Adopts Proposed 2025 Budget with Modest Tax Increase
The Flagler County Commission this afternoon adopted a proposed tax rate for next year that, absent further decreases before two September hearings, will be a hair lower than the existing rate. County Administrator Heidi Petito, in a shift from last year, is proposing suspending the increasingly reviled special tax in Daytona North (or the Mondex), eliminating $260,000 in revenue to the general fund that will be more than made up by tax collections.
Judge France Rejects Latest Attempt by Old Dixie Motel Owners to Renege on $250,000 They Owe, Now Past Due
Circuit Judge Chris France this morning denied the latest attempt by the owners of the derelict Old Dixie Motel not to post a $250,000 bond with the county, as they have been contractually obliged to do for three years. They may face contempt proceedings next. The judge reminded the owners’ attorney that the money owed is past due, and the clock continues to tick.
Friday Food-A-Thon Aims for $200,000 for Flagler Food Bank, Underscoring Need Approaching 6,000 Families
Close to 6,000 families have registered with Flagler County’s Grace Community Food Pantry, 2,000 more than last year, as WNZF and Flagler Broadcasting launch the third annual Food-a-Thon in hopes of raising $200,000, money that can be leveraged into $1 million worth of food. The drive is aiming for a bounty of small donations this year.
Fernando Melendez, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 1: The Live Interview
Fernando Melendez is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. He is challenging incumbent Andy Dance in the Aug. 20 primary. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20.
Flagler School District Will Negotiate Lease of Old Courthouse With the County, Eying Room for Historical Society
The Flagler County school district’s plan to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to shift half a dozen programs there would cost $632,000 in up-front renovations and $202,000 a year in rent and utilities. The Flagler County Historical Society had plans of its own for the old courthouse. The district will negotiate with both the county and the historical society in hopes of reaching mutually agreeable accommodations.
Andy Dance, Flagler County Commission Candidate, District 1: The Live Interview
Andy Dance is the incumbent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. Fernando Melendez is challenging him in the Aug. 20 primary. Both candidates are Republicans. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20. There is no run-off.
10 Years and 520 Shows Later, Toby Tobin and WNZF Cross a Milestone of Real Estate Matters in Flagler
WNZF and Don Tobin, better known to Flagler County and the world as Toby Tobin, today marked the 10th anniversary and the 520th show of Tobin’s Real Estate Matters, on the air weekly since 2014. The occasion was marked with a cake, vodka, a mini-reunion of past co-hosts and the introduction of Tobin’s latest co-host, Annamaria Long, executive officer of the Flagler Home Builders Association.
DeSantis Veto of Vacation-Rental Bill Opens the Way for Palm Coast Regulations with Flagler’s as Model
Facing pressure, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure a bill that deregulated local control of vacation rentals, saying the proposal would create “bureaucratic red tape” for local officials. Now, Palm Coast has another chance to write its own vacation-rental ordinance, or at least craft some city-specific regulations. City Council member Theresa Pontieri said this morning she intends to open the way for just such a proposal, with caution, as residents increasingly complain of rentals.
Tiger Bay Straw Poll: Richardson Trounces Danko; Derek Barrs and Lauren Ramirez Take Schools, Alfin Hangs On
Thursday’s Flagler Tiger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every local election candidate on the Aug. 20 primary ballot. A straw poll consisting of some 225 votes yielded a few arresting results, such as County Commission candidate Pam Richardson’s trouncing of an absent Ed Danko, and a not-too surprising tight race for mayor in Palm Coast.
In Latest Delay, Old Dixie Motel Owners Want a Stay on Judge’s Order to Pay $250,000 Security
The owners of the Old Dixe Motel appear still unwilling to pay a $250,000 deposit they’ve owed the county for three years and that Circuit Judge Chris France ordered them to pay last week. They have filed a motion through their attorney to stay the order, pending a July 11 hearing before France.
Flagler Tiger Bay Prepares for Largest Candidate Meet-and-Greet of Primary, Waving Off Fret Over Straw Poll
As of Monday some 40 local and state candidates had confirmed attendance at Thursday’s Tiger Bay Meet and Greet, what is expected to be the largest election gathering of the sort for Flagler County and Palm Coast politics ahead of the Aug. 20 primary. The three-hour free event starting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Palm Coast Community Center will include a voter-registration drive organized by the Supervisor of Elections’ office, and a straw poll, which one candidate is criticizing as a “sham.” He appears isolated.
Some Hammock Residents Tell Flagler County: Tax Us for Beach Protection, and a Commissioner Sees Opportunity
Even as cities’ unhappy reactions have forced Flagler County quickly to retreat from a proposal to create a new tax for almost all residents and businesses in the county, Flagler County Commissioner Donald O’Brien is encouraging his colleagues on the commission to consider a special taxing district that would target just the northern 10 miles of the barrier island in the unincorporated part of the county.
The Write-In Fraud
Two people who have zero intention to run campaigns have filed to run as write-ins, closing two Flagler County Commission races to 51 percent of the electorate in cynical maneuvers to benefit Ed Danko and Kim Carney in their respective races, against Pam Richardson in one and Nick Klufas and Bill Clark in the other. The write-in fraud takes advantage of a loophole in the law that enables anyone, without paying a dime or showing any intention to campaign, to be a write-in, thus closing otherwise open primaries.