Between redistricting and term limits, Flagler County for the first time in years could have its biggest chances at direct representation in Tallahassee and Washington–depending on who runs. Some big names are counting themselves out.
Flagler
Warning of Brain Drain, Flagler Government Signals a Return of Employee Raises in 2012
County employees, including firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, haven’t had a raise in three years, and have seen their take-home pay severely erode through inflation, health care and retirement costs. County officials are now worried about losing employees to better-paid jobs.
In Bunnell Police Chief Battle, a Popular Choice Against City Manager’s Unpopular Criteria
Lt. Randy Burke wants to be Bunnell police chief and has been at the department for almost 20 years. Some 200 people signed a petition favoring his appointment. But Burk has no BA–a new job requirement that outgoing chief Arthur Jones never had to meet, and that Burke says was put there to keep him out.
Enthusiasm Curbed as GOP Primary Turnout In Flagler and Florida Plummets From 2008
Just 10,825 Flagler Republicans turned out to vote in Tuesday’s primary, for a 43 percent turnout, compared to a 53 percent turnout in 2008. The drop across the state was steeper, adding to Republican anxieties about having the numbers to take back the White House in November.
For Flagler’s Republican Leaders, Romney-Gingrich Anxieties Frame an Unenthused GOP
Nearly a dozen prominent Flagler County Republicans spoke of their choices or hesitance in the Florida primary and beyond, illustrating a lack of excitement in the GOP, and nervous predictions about November.
Good News for Flagler Property Owners: Most Home Values Will Barely Fall; Some Will Rise
Flagler County Property Appraiser’s preliminary estimate sees a property value drop in “the low single-digits” at most, with taxable values rising in Grand Haven and Flagler Beach, among other spots, as the five-year collapse in values appears to draw to an end.
Perth Amboy’s Van Eckert Accepts Flagler’s Offer To Be Economic Development CEO
Helga Van Eckert has accepted Flagler County’s government’s offer to become its latest economic development CEO. She will start in late February with a salary of close to $110,000 a year. The future of Greg Rawls, the previous CEO still serving through the transition, is unclear.
Canvassing Board Certifies 1,095 Absentee Ballots, County Commission Picks Alternate
The three-member Flagler County Canvassing Board met at noon Friday to certify the first batch of primary election ballots ahead of Tuesday’s vote. On Thursday, the county commission picked Milissa Holland as an alternate canvassing board member.
In Flagler Beach City Election, More Reruns Of Faces and Ideas Than Stark Choices
Two of the four candidates in the Flagler Beach municipal election on Jan. 31 have served on the commission before, a third has run for office many times, leaving just one rookie in the mix. Fresh ideas, too, were wanting in a recent forum where the candidates laid out their positions.
Flagler’s Unemployment Falls to 13.9%, But Labor Force Is Down 3.6% Over the Past Year
Flagler’s rate is the lowest in three years, suggesting sustained, if slow, improvement, but the workforce has shrunk by 1,200, raising concerns that the county is losing population or attraction as a place to work.
Flagler Beach Election: Candidate Forum 6 p.m. Tonight at Disabled American Veterans Hall
Tonight’s forum starts at 5 p.m. with a meet-and-greet and at 6 with actual questions at the DAV Hall on 6th Street. Flagler Beach elections are usually held in March. This election was moved up to coincide with the presidential primary election on Jan. 31, and to save the city money.
Chief Rick Look, Ailing, Will Not Return to Sheriff’s Office; Maj. O’Brien Likely Successor
Chief Rick Look joined the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office from FDLE in 2005. His retirement, while not yet official, had been known for some time. He’ll be drawing disability as Maj. David O’Brien, acting chief since last year, takes over.
Turner Talk Begins at Flagler’s Tourist Development Council; Several Grants Awarded
Georgia Turner, Flagler’s new tourism chief, had her debut before the Tourist Development Council Wednesday as the council approved grants totaling $170,000, including underwriting for two popular and growing local conferences that attract numerous out-of-towners.
Downplaying Expectations, County Ratifies Offer to Jobs Council CEO, for $110,700
Don’t start looking for bottom-line job creation from the county’s new economic development department, commissioners are saying, even as the county’s tax-funded efforts will be judged overwhelmingly by net new jobs that can be attributed to their existence.
Miranda Vows: Commissioner Milissa Holland and Undersheriff O’Brien Will Marry April 21
WNZF’s David Ayers exerted the confession about the upcoming wedding from David O’Brien, the undersheriff, who had done his best to keep the news of his wedding to Milissa Holland an open secret.
Bunnell’s Barbara Korn and FPC’s Sarah Poppe Win School District’s Top Honors for 2012
The 2012 Teachers and Employees of the Year at the Flagler Auditorium Thursday evening featured every school’s nominees and a cheer-leading crowd with shrieking lung capacities.
In Bunnell, Scrapping for Police Chief’s Pay And a Taxpayer-Funded Christmas Party
Bunnell City Manager Armando Martinez’s request for a $60,000 salary for the next police chief was batted down (to $50,000) while a proposal to pay for next year’s staff Christmas party with city scrap metal proceeds drew resistance.
Road Fatalities Rise Again in Flagler in 2011, to 24, As Pedestrian Kill Rate Exceeds Orlando’s
The more than 4 deaths per 100,000 population in Flagler means that the Palm Coast-Flagler County area was more dangerous for pedestrians than Orlando-Kissimmee, the most dangerous metropolitan region in the country.
Helga van Eckert Is Job Council’s Top Choice As a Council Member Sits Out the Decision
Flagler County’s newly formed jobs council voted to offer Helga van Eckert the top executive job at the county government’s economic development agency. Van Eckert beats out Chris Clifton, who came in second, and Bruce Register, who came in third.
Jobs Council Interviews 3 Vastly Different Candidates for Top Economic Development Job
None of the three candidates for the $100,000 job lacked in confidence, experience or enthusiasm, and each projecting enough qualities but sharply different temperaments to make a choice between them difficult. That choice may be made Friday.
Ex-Cops Begin Lineup To Challenge Sheriff Don Fleming, Who’s Declaring for a 3rd Term
Ray Stevens, an Ossining, N.Y. cop, and John Pollinger, a Jersey cop (like Fleming) before their retirements to Palm Coast, are the early filers in what promises to be a crowded field for the $120,000-a-year job.
Judge Sharon Atack Won’t Run Again This Year, Opening 2nd Flagler Judgeship in 2 Years
On the bench since 1995, Flagler County Judge Sharon Atack, 65, cited personal reasons for her retirement. November’s election to the seat will likely draw a large field of contenders and, Atack said, “at least one” woman.
More Candidates for Jobs Council’s Top Post Drop Out, Citing Expectation of Creating Jobs
Some candidates were worried that they’d be expected to create 200 jobs in their first year, though candidates have also been raising concerns over the checkered political history of economic development in Flagler County.
Two Hammock Teens Faked Their Abduction, Triggering an Amber Alert Overnight
Danielle Annis, 17, and Amanda Hunt, 15, residents of a home on Ocean Crest Drive in the Hammock in Palm Coast, faked their own abduction and stole their parents’ car Wednesday evening. Charges against them may be pending.
Light at the End of the Catacombs: Home Sales Up Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s real estate market can take heart: for the first time in half a decade, the home-buying industry is looking a lot less grim than it’s been, even if prices have yet to catch up to the uptick in sales.
A Fight Over a Cat Escalates Into Violence, Police Chases and a 6th Jailing 3 Days Later
Gregory Wright, a resident of the Mondex, didn’t want a cat sharing his bed with his girlfriend because of dander, though that was only one pretext leading to an alleged series of violent outbursts, threats and a case of false imprisonment.
Timeline: Hammock Dunes DRI, 1982-2011
Timeline of the Hammock Dunes development DRI from its Admiral-ITT origins through its Ginn-Luber Adler ownership and disputes with the Flagler County Commission.
Palm Coast Seethes as Flagler Ends Hammock Dunes DRI’s Obligations to County and City
The Flagler County Commission closed the books on the 28-year-old Hammock Dunes “development of regional impact,” angering Palm Coast over developer dollars the city contends should still be paid for widening Palm Harbor Parkway.
Citing Health and Other Priorities, Bunnell Police Chief Arthur Jones Will Resign in April
Bunnell Police Chief Arthur Jones will leave his post at the end of April after three years as a tempering force in a small but tumultuous department, and as the city’s first black police chief.
Flagler’s Unemployment Rate Remains Stubbornly At 14% As Florida’s Improves
Flagler County’s unemployment rate remains Florida’s second highest, after Hendry’s 15.1 percent, while job creation in the state, while slow, continues. Gov. Rick Scott took credit for the job creation.
Warned Of Animal Filth Months Ago, a Mondex Woman Is Jailed on Child Neglect Charges
The house where four young children lived was strewn with dog waste and infested with roaches. Deputies had first investigated the scene in late July.
“Between Us Girls”: Jobs Council Hears Drones, Stunners and Enthusiasm in 7 CEO Interviews
Flagler County’s economic development council conducted seven phone interviews over four hours this afternoon, hoping to pare down its list to three or four candidates who’d be interviewed in person.
Flagler’s 7 Governments Gather to Hear How Well Their Economic Development Is Doing
Despite enduringly high unemployment and a year of fraying rather than unity among local governments, the county hosted an intergovernmental summit Tuesday that piled back-patting on exclamation marks.
Despite 4 to 7 Inches of Rain, Palm Coast And Flagler Are Still Facing Drought
An area of Bunnell saw the most rain in the last 24 hours, at just over 7 inches, parts of A1A, Palm Coast and the Mondex saw water-covered roads, but no property damage or home flooding. This rain event aside, the drought persists.
Two Men Caught in Bunnell After Smashing Their Speeding Car and Fleeing Cops
Two men driving east at a recklessly dangerous speed on SR100 this morning smashed their car then triggered a foot and air chase before being caught by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies.
An Introductory Letter from Georgia Turner, Flagler’s New Tourism Guru
Turner was hired in November to lead the county’s tourism efforts on behalf of the Tourist Development Council. She introduces herself in her own words.
Florida House Releases Redistricting Lines Tuesday, Mapping Out Flagler’s Political Future
The House of Representatives panel charged with redrawing the state’s political boundaries will unveil a slate of options for the state’s congressional and state House districts Tuesday, setting the stage for discussions that could affect the balance of power in Florida for a decade.
Christmas Parachutes Into a Parade and Yules Up Sweaty Bed Races in Flagler Beach
The annual bed races, postponed in October, capped a day of festivities that had Santa jumping oput of a plane and landing on Flagler Beach’s sands and a parade that seemed to go on forever, like the photo gallery included here.
As Flagler Jobs Council Narrows CEO Shortlist, Few Stand-Outs and Some Concerns
Not a single candidate got unanimity from all nine council members. Only one candidate got eight votes but the circumstances of his departure from his last job are very cloudy.
Prayer Becomes Official Policy at Bunnell Meetings; “You Can Wait Outside” If Offended
Bunnell voted to open its government meetings with one or more prayers, an idea proposed by Commissioner Elbert Tucker. The city attorney offered cautionary guidance rather than objections.
Feed Flagler: Community-Wide Celebration Wraps-Up With 3,000 Meals Served
We’re reporting live this afternoon from various Feed Flagler locations as the community-wide Thanksgiving celebration takes place from 3 to 6 p.m.
Feed Flagler Raises $25,000 as Don Fleming Reminds Suzanne Johnston Who’s Sheriff
The $25,000 raised largely on the strength of the sheriff and the tax collector’s efforts is $10,000 more than last year, and means that $14,000 of it will be split between two Flagler County food pantries. The rest pays for today’s 4,000 free Thanksgiving meals across the county.
Sunshine Lessons Clouded By Possibly Dimmer Visibility as Jobs Council Meets for 1st Time
Flagler’s nine-member Economic Development Council conducted the equivalent of a meet-and-greet for itself on Tuesday and promptly reversed a promise that all meetings would be televised live, opting instead for audio broadcasts.
Routine County Appointments Get Testy As Commissioner McLaughlin Challenges Holland
Barbara Revels’s appointment as chairman of the Flagler County Commission was overshadowed by Alan Peterson’s and Nate McLaughlin’s unsuccessful attempts to replace Milissa Holland on two boards. McLaughlin did not take the rejection happily.
Flagler’s Firefighters and Paramedics Sweep Another Competition, This Time in Nebraska
Flagler County’s firefighters-paramedics took first, third and fourth-place honors in an annual competition in advanced life support in Omaha, Neb., and second place in the basic life support category.
John Feind Is Leaving After 8 Years; Joy McGrew and Sandra Mason In the Race
When it convenes in February, the Flagler Beach City Commission will look vastly different than it did just a year ago, with three of its commission seats and the mayor’s seat having turned over, but the four candidates running for a commission seat and the mayor’s seat are not quite newcomers.
Feed Flagler Heats: Sheriff and Tax Collector Top $6,000, Chicks With Cans Up Tonnage
Suzanne Johnston and Don Fleming are racing to top each other in fund-raising, and all else is set to go go next Wednesday’s Feed Flagler serving of 4,000 meals at 11 locations across the county.
Exodus at Flagler Chamber of Commerce As Four Staffers Resign in Four Weeks
After Peggy Heiser announced her resignation as tourism’s VP, Lauren Walsh, Nick Langille and Laura Gamba followed, though Chamber President Doug Baxter assures: “It’s got nothing to do with me,” while the TDC wondered if pay is adequate.
Alice Baker Stepping Down in Flagler Beach, Feind May Follow, Joy McGrew Wants Back In
Flagler Beach’s next election is scheduled for Jan. 31 to coincide with the presidential primary and save money. The mayor’s seat has drawn three candidates. One commission seat is up.
Sisco Deen on the Meaning of Veterans Day, Frank W. Buckles and Mackenzie’s Card
In a moving tribute to veterans and Frank Buckles, the late, last World War I veteran, Sisco Deen, Flagler County’s archivist, reminds us why we must “always remember and honor those who have served and dedicated their lives to our country.”