Historically lower taxes it has no control over, a state funding formula that cheats it of 5 cents of every dollar it sends the state, and a state-required $6 million transfer to pay for private education vouchers have again left the Flagler County school district scrambling to balance its budget. But it’s been an annual erosion of local dollars, entirely at the expense of public education.
Flagler
County Attorney Al Hadeed Addresses Florida Tax Collectors Association on Short-Term Rentals
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed last week made a presentation about the proposed state preemption for advertising platforms for short-term rentals as part of the education forum for the Florida Tax Collectors Association. Tax collectors are responsible for collecting Tourist Development Tax – also referred to as resort tax, bed tax, local option tourist tax, or transient rental tax.
Flagler Voters’ Message to Poison Peddlers
Flagler voters made damn sure that white nationalists, bigots and liars like Joe Mullins, Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald had a short and embarrassing shelf life. If Flagler is solidly conservative, it remains sanely, moderately so for now, even for a one-party county with just three Democrats among 33 elected officials on six government boards.
County Resists Sheriff’s Request for Additional $700,000 in Surprise 3-2 Vote, Heralding Shift
With Joe Mullins’s surprise vote providing the majority, the Flagler County Commission this afternoon resisted Sheriff Rick Staly’s request for an additional $700,000, opting instead to hope for “savings” during the coming year, either on the sheriff’s side or on the county’s side of the ledger, that could fill that gap.
Mullins Doesn’t ‘Run the County’ Anymore as Pennington Crushes Him; Hunt Beats Woolbright, Chong Beats Tucker, Hansen Wins, VandeBunte and Furry in Runoff
It was not a good night for Flagler County’s radical, white nationalist Republicans: Joe Mullins, Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald will no longer be elected officials in the county come November as each was beaten in his her her election bid tonight. But long-time school board member Trevor Tucker also lost to newcomer Christy Chong.
Flagler County’s Sordid Primary Ends Today With Last Day of In-Person Voting
Today is Election Day, or the final day of voting in what, thanks to a handful of candidates, has been one of the more sordid primaries in Flagler County history. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unlike during early voting, you are required to vote at your assigned precinct.
Dune Reconstruction Project Is Set for Next June Even as 1 Property Owner Holds Out
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Jason Harrah told the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday evening that the now two-decade-old plan to rebuild 2.6 miles of beach south of the pier is set to begin in June.
School Board’s Jill Woolbright Says She’s in ‘Satanic Warfare’ Against ‘Evil Spirits’ at School District
Flagler County School Board incumbent Jill Woolbright, who is in a non-partisan race against Sally Hunt to be decided in the Aug. 23 election, says God placed her on the school board, that she is involved in “satanic warfare,” and that, in a reference to others on the school board and at the district office, she has “felt the evil spirits around me.”
Sheriff and County Administrator Duel Over Policing Budget Before Commissioners Nod Staly’s Way
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and County Administrator Heidi Petito dueled in front of a standing-room-only meeting room Monday night over the sheriff’s claim that the county was underfunding him, and the county’s counter that it has increased the sheriff’s budget by 48 percent since 2018, not including spending on facilities like the new Sheriff’s Operations center. But in the end, Petito’s bosses showed readiness to go Staly’s way.
Exorbitant Costs to Save Beaches, and Doing Nothing is Not an Option, Flagler Commissioners Are Told
The county commission this morning heard the results of the $250,000 beach management study it commissioned last year, and was left with two certainties: doing nothing is not an option. Starting to do something is unaffordable for now, even with six options presented by Olsen Associates, the Tampa-based consultants the county hired for the study.