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Flagler

We Asked Flagler County Leaders to Tell Us About Their Favorite Book of 2023. Their Answers Are Page-Turners.

December 29, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

reading project best books of the year

Twenty-one Flagler County leaders–in politics, culture, business, education, media–were asked to tell us about their favorite book of 2023. The very wide-ranging responses were always enlightening and often surprising, showing how minor our political or ideological differences can be, or ought to be, when we connect on a cultural and personal or literary level, which is to say: a human, or humanist, level.

Suzanne Johnston, Flagler County’s Unchallenged Tax Collector Since 1st Election in 2004, Will Not Run Again

December 27, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

A hug worth a million appreciations: Bart Johnston congratulates his mother Suzanne Johnston in 2020, the day Suzanne won her re-election uncontested for the fourth straight time. It would prove to be her last election. (© FlaglerLive)

Suzanne Johnston, Flagler County’s Tax Collector since 2004 and one of its more colorful and unchallenged elected officials, will be stepping down at the end of 2024, when she will be 75. She announced her decision in an interview with FlaglerLive this afternoon, and said she’d be supporting her second-in-command, Shelley Edmonson, for the seat in next year’s election.

17-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Killed in Mudding Crash in Flagler Estates When SUV Flips Into Waterlogged Ditch

December 23, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 67 Comments

Potatoville Road, or Potatoe Ville Road, is a dirt road, not always that wide, that runs along the southern edge of Flagler Estates at the northeast corner of Flagler County. (Google)

A 17-year-old Palm Coast boy was killed and another injured in a mudding crash in isolated and unlit Flagler Estates shortly after midnight this morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Four other youths in the vehicle escaped injuries.

Flagler County and New Florida State Guard Sign Lease on $10 Million Training Facility Near Sheriff’s Jail in Bunnell

December 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

florida state guard training facility

It is no longer just a possibility. It is now a certainty. The Florida State Guard’s training facility will be located in Flagler County next to the Flagler County jail on Justice Lane in Bunnell. The County Commission on Monday approved a 30-year lease with the Guard. As with the National Guard armory on county grounds near the county airport, the State Guard will not pay rent.

Commissioners Votes Heather Haywood Off Flagler Planning Board Over Public Records Snub: ‘She Handled It Poorly’

December 19, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Heather Haywood had no apologies or conciliatory words for Greg Hanse or the Flagler County Commission Monday evening. To the contrary. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

On a motion by Greg Hansen, the Flagler County Commission Monday evening unanimously voted to remove Realtor Heather Haywood from the county’s planning board after Haywood falsely accused Hanse of “crossing a line” in a Facebook Messenger text he never sent, and after Haywood failed to take seriously a public record request. It was the second time in a month that the commission removed a planning board member. Haywood appeared to leave commissioners no choice. 

Anti-LGBTQ Activist Wants Flagler Library System to Stop Paying $173 Membership to American Library Association

December 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

The words "drag queen" might be in one of those books stacked at the Flagler County Public Library, but that's probably the extent of it. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County library system is hoping to fend off an attempt by a South Florida activist opposed to LGBTQ equality to sever library staff memberships in the American Library Association and its affiliates, though currently that entire cost amounts to $173. It is the latest flare-up of an ongoing push by the far right in schools and libraries to restrict or ban LGBTQ-related materials, themes or associations, particularly in connection with children’s access or programs, though in this case the connection–if there is one–is tenuous.

Heather Haywood’s ‘Inauthentic’ Records Fail to Prove Incendiary Accusation Against Flagler Commissioner Hansen

December 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Heather Haywood, a Realtor and member of the Flagler County Planning Board, addressing the County Commission in November. Commissioner Greg Hansen said she "stood right there and lied" about him. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed said Friday that Planning Board member Heather Haywood, who has made false and public accusations against Commissioner Greg Hansen, has not been responsive to a public record request, and what she has submitted about “Hansen” is deemed “inauthentic”–that is, either fabricated or part of a scam. The County Commission on Monday is to vote on whether to retain Haywood’s membership on the planning board or to remove her. 

Flagler Airport Marks Opening of 42 New T-Hangars, But $6.5 million Project Barely Reduces Waiting List

December 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 34 Comments

County officials dedicated the opening of 42 T-hangars at Flagler Executive Airport, adding to the 56 existing T-hangars. The $6.5 million project was mostly financed by the Florida Department of Transportation. Despite the new addition, the waiting list for hangar space is still 158 people.

Facing Lawsuit from Ormond Beach, Flagler Defends Acquiring ‘Easement of Necessity’ That Crosses Volusia Border

December 11, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Fending off a lawsuit from Ormond Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed explained why in his view Ormond Beach’s lawsuit against the county over an easement through conservation land in Hunter’s Ridge is off-base: Ormond Beach could itself settle the matter by acquiring conservation land on its side of the border, by setting aside unreasonable fears that Flagler will build a highway–and by upgrading Durrance Lane, the road that runs across the Hunter’s Ridge development.

Palm Coast Adopts Countywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan

December 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The new boat launch at Waterfront Park. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council took a significant step forward in its commitment to providing residents and visitors with a high quality of life by approving the 2023 Parks & Recreation Master Plan.

County Commission Sets Committee Assignments for Coming Year

December 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The County Commission just before the chairmanship switched to Andy Dance. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission has selected its committee assignments for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Committee assignments to these important boards provide county commissioners with community input, expertise, and diverse viewpoints that help the Board of County Commissioners make informed decisions.

Proposed Joint Agreement on Bunnell’s Carver Center Governance Gives Sheriff’s PAL New and Larger Role

December 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

The Carver Center gym before a town hall organized by Superintendent LaShakia Moore in late September. (© FlaglerLive)

A proposed joint agreement on governing the Carver Center in South Bunnell–the area’s only recreation and community center–gives the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Police Athletic League a broader presence and a much more prominent role in the management of the facility, especially in programming and running the gym.

National Guard at Flagler Airport Breaks Ground on $15.7 Million Facility at Armory That’ll Add 30 Jobs

December 4, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

A rendering of the new facility that will go up where the Avenger Air Defense missile system was sitting, on the grounds of the Flagler Executive Airport east of the existing armory. (© FlaglerLive)

Barely three years after cutting the ribbon on its $22 million, 73,000-square-foot Flagler Palm Coast Readiness Center on the south expanse of Flagler Executive Airport, the Florida National Guard today broke ground on a 37,000 square foot building that will consolidate truck and weapons maintenance operations from two other units into the Palm Coast facility and add 30 permanent jobs.

County May Remove Heather Haywood from Planning Board Over a ‘Lie’ and Refusal to Comply with Record Request

December 4, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Realtor and Flagler County Planning Board member Heather Haywood has been strongly cautioned by the county attorney about her refusal, so far, to comply with a public record request. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

The Flagler County Commission Monday morning voted unanimously to “reconsider” Heather Haywood’s service on the county Planning Board, pointing to her possible removal, should she not comply with a public record request FlaglerLive filed on Nov. 21. Haywood on Nov. 20 stood before the commission and accused Commissioner Greg Hansen of writing to her inappropriately. She did not back-up her statement with evidence. She has so far not produced the alleged communication, nor any other requested.

Marineland Mayor Angela TenBroeck Invited to Address UN’s Climate Change Summit in Dubai

November 29, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Marineland Mayor Angela TenBroeck in a screen capture from one of her videos.

Marineland Mayor Angela TenBroeck is on her way to Dubai, where she’s been invited to address the United Nations’ climate change summit. The summit includes representatives from nearly 200 countries and thousands of businesses, non-governmental organizations and advocates for a cleaner, cooler planet. TenBroeck will be on on a series of panels addressing clean water, workforce, economic development, hunger alleviation and justice for indigenous people.

Andy Dance as County Commission Chair: Process, Deliberation and Transparency Come in from the Cold

November 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Thoughtfulness, long in exile, takes up the gavel at the Flagler County Commission: Andy Dance was voted chairman. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance said he intends to put his chairmanship to work for more transparency, clearer goal-setting, more vetting of issues and fewer surprises, especially at budget time, as he outlined a vision that he has been pushing for in his first three years on the commission.

County Approves Captain’s BBQ Settlement, Bringing Lawsuit’s Cost to $1 Million, and Big Changes at Bing’s Landing

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 35 Comments

The Flagler County Commission this evening. In 2018, Donald O'Brien, left, had voted against the original lease amendment that led to the lawsuit. Greg Hansen, center, and Dave Sullivan, right, had voted for it. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission this evening unanimously approved a settlement with Captain’s BBQ, ending the restaurant’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county. The settlement would, in Commissioner Leann Pennington’s words, “stop the insanity.” The county administration’s attempts to happy-face the settlement notwithstanding, it is now clear, by the commissioners’ own assessments, that the county would have lost had the case gone to trial, and that accepting a costly, and in some ways humiliating, settlement, was the county’s only choice.

Commissioners Keep Haywood on Planning Board But Boot Davies Off Contractor Review Panel

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Jeff Davies, the now former member of the Contractor Review Board, addressing the County Commission about his qualifications, with Heather Haywood, a member of the county's planning board, seated. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler County TV)

The Flagler County Commission in a pair of 4-1 votes this afternoon agreed to keep Heather Haywood as a member of the county’s planning board, but boot off Jeff Davies from the Contractor Review Board on nationalistic grounds: he is not an American citizen, and thereby not a registered voter.

County Not Yet Stoked for Skate Park Improvements But Approves 4 Pickleball Courts at Wadsworth Park

November 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The quarter century old skate park at Wadsworth park has steel ramps that rust in the salty air, and that, overall, is in dire need of renovation. (© FlaglerLive)

Wadsworth Park, the 45-acre county facility on the mainland side of the Flagler Beach bridge, will soon see a tennis court converted to four pickleball courts, but county commissioners are not ready to approve a plan to renovate the skateboarding park: the county administration is proposing a band aid, while users of the park are advocating for a more ambitious, but also more permanent, renovation.

Flagler Beach Planning New Year’s Fireworks and ‘Surf Board Drop’ in What Could Be Launch of New Tradition

November 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Fireworks off the pier again? On New Year's? It may not be so far fetched, though maybe not from that far out on the rickety pier. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Beach City Commission at a special meeting Tuesday will consider approving a $33,600 plan for a New Year’s fireworks celebration triggered by the commemorative drop of a lighted surf board likely blazing with 2024. The 12-minute fireworks show would be produced by My Three Sons, the company that produced last July 4’s countywide show at Flagler Executive Airport, and would be launched at midnight from the stable portion of the pier–immediately after the surf board drop at Veterans Park.

In Settlement, Flagler County Will Pay Captain’s BBQ $800,000 and Allow New, 5,000 Sq. Ft. Restaurant at Bing’s Landing

November 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 94 Comments

A view of the "peninsula," as seen from Captain's BBQ at Bing's Landing, where the restaurant will build a 5,000 square foot building, with the county picking up $400,000 of that cost. The picture above was taken during training involving Flagler County Fire Rescue and the county's emergency helicopter. (© FlaglerLive)

Four years after Captain’s BBQ sued Flagler County government in a breach of contract claim, a negotiated settlement calls for the county to pay Captain’s $800,000, and clear the way for a new, 5,000 square foot restaurant at the county park. For Flagler County taxpayers, the dispute with Captain’s, just entering its fifth year, will have cost close to $1 million, when the county’s attorneys’ fees are included. The settlement is a huge victory for Captain’s.

Flagler Playhouse Season Will Continue at Matanzas’s Pirates Theater as ‘ReBuild’ Kicks Off at Woody’s

November 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

flagler playhouse survival

The Flagler Playhouse’s shows will go on: the venerable company’s 150-foot theater in downtown Bunnell was demolished two weeks ago, but in a Phoenix-like turn-around, its next three shows will be staged at Matanzas High School’s Pirates Theater, essentially more than salvaging the bulk of the season. The playhouse is launching its “Let’s Kick Off the ReBuild” campaign at Woody’s BBQ Tuesday evening.

154 Participants Later, Flagler Cares’ Opioid Recovery Initiative Marks Its First Year, With New Wheels

November 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

core program flagler cares

The Coordinated Opioid Recovery initiative launched in Flagler County a year ago under the umbrella of Flagler Cares, umbrella. It’s a multi-layered approach that shepherds individuals toward recovery through medically-assisted treatment, peer-to-peer counseling, mental health and other services. Last week it marked its anniversary with, among other things, the ribbon-cutting for an outreach vehicle run by Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services.

When Even Ed Danko Is Right

November 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

civility on elected boards

Ed Danko is right to resist Mayor David Alfin’s proposal to have all council members sign “Code of Conduct,” including a pledge of civility. It is not an elected board’s place collectively to regulate or codify its members’ behavior, or government’s place to force pledges of any kind on anyone.

Ormond Beach Sues Flagler County Over Easement, and Threatens to Cut Off Water to Hunter’s Ridge

November 7, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Sean Moylan, assistant county attorney for the County Commission, argued the county's case in a dispute with Ormond Beach. Two days later, the city took Flagler by surprise and sued. (© FlaglerLive)

The City of Ormond Beach is suing Flagler County government and a developer in the Hunter’s Ridge subdivision at the south end of the county, claiming that Flagler and the developer entered into an illegal agreement ceding an easement to the county that crosses a conservation area belonging to the city. Flagler County’s denials aside, Ormond Beach fears–and is convinced–that the county will one day use the 60-foot-wide easement to build a paved road.

Public-Notice Misstep Delays County Commission’s Decision on Captain’s BBQ Settlement to Nov. 20

November 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

captains bbq settlement

The Flagler County Commission held a two-hour closed-door session this afternoon to discuss a potential settlement in Captain’s BBQ’s four-year-old lawsuit against the county. What was to be a special meeting following the closed session was postponed because it was not properly noticed. So commissioners could not reach consensus, make motions or take a vote.

Captain’s BBQ and Flagler County Reach Tentative Settlement in Lawsuit Entering 5th Year

October 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

suffering captains bbq settlement

Captain’s BBQ and its landlord, Flagler County government, have reached a “tentative settlement” in Captain’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county, now entering its fifth year. The settlement was reached at an Oct. 27 mediation. But it’s not over. The County Commission must approve it, and will discuss it in a closed-door session next week. A previous proposed settlement, in 2020, failed.

Drone Footage Shows Extent of Flagler Playhouse Fire’s Irreparable Devastation; Likely an Electrical Cause

October 31, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

A drone image of the Flagler Playhouse taken on Monday by Flagler County Fire Rescue.

Drone footage of the aftermath of the Flagler Playhouse fire shows annihilating damage you cannot see from street level, with the entirety of the theater–the main building–as if systematically bombed through its nave. The multilayered roof of metal, asphalt shingles and wood has collapsed, melted from within. The iconic spire somehow kept standing at the front of the building, held up by metal trusses, though it’s a matter of time before it is removed.

Flagler Playhouse Burns, Demolishing Home of County’s Oldest Theater Troupe and a City Landmark

October 30, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 33 Comments

The Flagler Playhouse at sunrise today. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler Playhouse, for 46 years a mainstay of the performing arts in the county, lost the rustic theater it has occupied and packed with audiences since 2006 in Bunnell as a fire destroyed it Sunday night into early Monday. Flagler County Fire Chief Michael Tucker said the building was irreparable.

Amid Horrors in Israel, Temple Beth Shalom Prepares to Celebrate 50th Anniversary in Palm Coast

October 27, 2023 | Michael Lewis | 2 Comments

Temple Beth Shalom celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend in Palm Coast. (Temple Beth Shalom)

Fifty years ago, 18 Jewish families who found themselves living in Flagler County in the early 1970s, discovered each other and discovered they had no place of worship to call their own. They founded Temple Beth Shalom, which bills itself not as a Conservative or a Reform temple, but rather an egalitarian, independent house of worship. This weekend, it celebrates its 50th anniversary in Palm Coast.

Flagler County Cultural Council Wants You To Know: ‘We’re Here To Stay.’ But It’s Going to Need Help.

October 23, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

FC3 flagler county cultural; council

FC3, the Flagler County Cultural Council, has big ambitions–among them, to be known as the county’s designated arts agency, as the driver, supporter, coordinator and promoter of local arts, culture and history, and as a magnet for state and national grants that will help local cultural agencies thrive, or incubate new ones. But for all its giddiness, the organization, after three years, remains cash-poor and mostly in the organizational stage.

Heather Haywood Is Homesteaded in Volusia But Serves on Flagler’s Planning Board. A Commissioner Questions That.

October 19, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington has issues with Heather Haywood serving on the county's planning board while being homesteaded in Volusia County. Commission Chairman Greg Hansen was among those voting to waive Haywood's residency requirement in February 2022 when the commission appointed her to the planning board. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission is giving Realtor Heather Haywood, who the commission appointed to the county planning board in February 2022, 30 days to drop her homestead exemption in Volusia County or appear before the commission for another vote on her eligibility for the planning board. But for the homestead record, there appears to be little question that Haywood is a Flagler County resident.

Flagler County Tried to Evict a Tenant at the Airport. Jury Called It Retaliation and a Violation of 1st Amendment.

October 18, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 82 Comments

Les Abend with his plane at the county airport, from where the county attempted to evict him in retaliation, a jury said, for Abend's opinions. (© Les Abend for FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger sent Les Abend an eviction notice regarding the hangar Abend had leased for over four years. A two-day trial resulted in a verdict against the county, with a jury finding that the county was retaliating against Abend, a former member of the county’s airport advisory board, for his criticism of Sieger. An eviction case turned into a rare First Amendment case in County Court. Abend will get to keep the hangar.

Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord Addresses House Committee on Hurricane Recovery

October 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord was invited to address the Florida House Select Committee Monday for the second time this year about hurricane resiliency and recovery as part of a panel discussion.

Victory for the Hammock as County Rejects More Intense Commercial Development on A1A Parcels

October 17, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 39 Comments

The pair of parcels on State Road A1A an applicant was seeking to rezone. (Google)

The Flagler County Commission Monday unanimously rejected a proposal to rezone an acre of Hammock property along State Road A1A to more intensive commercial uses. The commission, siding with Hammock residents, found the proposal vague in its designs for the property, at odds with the Scenic A1A overlay, and at risk of setting a precedent that would potentially damage or demolish the road’s character.

Palm Coast Tornado Confirmed, ‘Multiple, Severely Damaged Homes’ in B-Section, Some Homeless

October 12, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 39 Comments

B-Section Tornado Confirmed, ‘Multiple, Severely Damaged Homes’ in B-Section, Some Homeless

Flagler County Emergency Management and other first responders are investigating a tornado touching down in Palm Coast’s B Section around 4:45 this morning, leaving a trail of downed trees, downed power lines, damaged roofs, fencing and power losses. There are no reports of injuries.

Don O’Brien Said to Consider Dropping Out of House Race, Pam Richardson Runs for County Commission

October 9, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Donald O'Brien, left, and Pam Richardson. (© FlaglerLive)

Darryl Boyer, one of three Republican candidates in the primary for the state House seat that Paul Renner is relinquishing in 2024, said today that Donald O’Brien, one of the other two competitors for that seat, told him he was likely dropping out of the race. At the same time, Pam Richardson, the Realtor-broker, has joined the Republican primary race for O’Brien’s Commission seat, also contested by Ed Danko and Victor Barbosa.

Flagler’s Family Life Center Nets $26,000 from Creekside Festival Donation as 10,000 Turn Out

October 9, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Vendor space sold out at the 2023 Creekside Music and Arts Festival, and the two-day event drew a combined crowd of 10,000. (Flagler Broadcasting)

Last weekend’s edition of the Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve made up for last year’s, when Hurricane Ian made the park impassable and forced the event to move to the Agriculture Museum. The two-day event drew 10,000 people and netted the Family Life center a $26,000 donation from Flagler Broadcasting, which organized the event.

Judge Orders One Final Mediation in Hopes of Averting Trial in Captain’s BBQ Suit Against County

October 9, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Captain's BBQ, to the left, at Bing's Landing. The lawsuit it filed against the county is four years old. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission met behind closed doors for the first time in over three years this morning to discuss a possible settlement of the four-year-old lawsuit by Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing. The judge in the case ordered the two sides again to go to mediation to avoid a January trial. Mediation and an attempted settlement that made significant concessions to Captain’s in 2020 failed as commissioners rejected the proposal.

State Attorney’s Jason Lewis, Near-Invincible Prosecutor, Wins 7th Judicial Circuit’s Lifetime Achievement Award

October 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis had no idea he would be the State Attorney's recipient of the Boyle Award for th Seventh judicial Circuit. (© FlaglerLive)

Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, a ferocious, annihilating prosecutor who’s as genial outside the courtroom as he is fearsome inside it, since 2014 has managed the Flagler outpost of the State Attorney’s Office and oversees its homicide attorneys in the four-county Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Palm Coast Issued Development Orders for 4,138 Homes This Year Alone, and Has 13,361 ‘in Pipeline’

October 5, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 46 Comments

Too much? (© FlaglerLive)

While City Council member Theresa Ponstieri significantly overstated the actual number of homes the council approved this year, there is no question that Palm Coast is growing rapidly, and that Council policy is doing all it can to accelerate that growth, with increasing rumbles from existing residents who think, like Pontieri, that the pace is too rapid.

Bob Snyder, ‘Giant During Covid,’ Steps Down from Flagler County Health Department He Led for 11 Years

October 3, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Bob Snyder looks up to retirement. (© FlaglerLive)

Bob Snyder, who’s led the Flagler County Health Department since 2013, was the co-architect of the county’s response to the Covid pandemic and more recently ensured that the department’s funding more directly reflect the county’s population, after decades of imbalance, stepped down and opted for retirement Sunday, six months before he was planning to do so.

When Sisco Deen Reconnected Descendants to the Local Legacies of General Hernández, Bings and MalaCompra

October 1, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Sisco Deen, standing, with descendants of Gen. Hernandez, at the MalaCompra archeological site. (Flagler County Historical Society)

The late Sisco Deen and his wife Gloria played a central role in exhuming history and reconnecting descendants and state historians with the local legacy of General Joseph Hernández, who owned a plantation residence in what became Bings Landing Park and was the first Hispanic in Congress.

At Sisco Deen’s Memorial, Tales of When Jail Saved Him from Dissolution and a Jeep Shook Him Overboard

September 28, 2023 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Al Hadeed, the county attorney, a friend of Sisco Deen's and an amateur historian in his own right, signs Deen's memorial banner at the entrance to Cattleman's Hall Wednesday. (© FlaglerLive)

More than 130 people turned up at Cattleman’s Hall at the Flagler fairgrounds for the Quaker-style memorial and life celebration of Claude Sisco Deen, the veteran, archivist and self-made historian who exhumed much of Flagler County’s documented history and died at 83 on Aug. 31.

Don’t Blame Us Seniors for the Affordability Crisis. Blame Developers.

September 24, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 15 Comments

affordable housing palm coast

A Hammock resident rejects the claim that Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s seniors “contribute least” as they buy up homes, or that they are to blame for the housing affordability crisis. Rather, developers convince your fearless leaders that they cannot make any money unless they cram in as many houses on a property as possible. They convince commissioners to change zoning frequently, for profit.

Flagler County Approves Higher Taxes, Palm Coast Stays Level, But Claims of ‘Historic’ Rollback Are Inaccurate

September 21, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Not quite sine die: the council meets again on Oct. 3. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast and Flagler County government this week adopted their budgets and tax rates for the 2023-24 fiscal year with little controversy and so few people in the audience at final hearings that you could count them on one hand. The county raised taxes, the city kept its taxes flat. Palm Coast going back to the rolled back rate was not unique, as some council members claimed or thought.

‘Faith’ Bridge Over SR100 Goes from Maligned to Acclaimed as It Opens, But in the Absence of Its Champion

September 20, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Officials hope the look of the bridge, shaped like the Flagler Beach Pier's A-frame, will become just as iconic. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County and city officials inaugurated the formal opening of the $12.3 million pedestrian bridge over State Road 100, five years in the making, with speeches and a dedicatory run by the Flagler Palm Coast High School track team. But its leading champion, Faith al-Khatib, was absent.

Jury Finds Brenan Hill Guilty In Murder of Savannah Gonzalez, and Faces 25 Years to Life in Prison

September 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Brenan Hill during his trial this week. (© FlaglerLive)

A jury of four women and two men found Brenan Hill guilty of second degree murder and two other charges in the shooting death of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, after deliberating two hours and 45 minutes today. He faces life in prison when Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, who presided over the five-day trial, sentences him at a later date.

Malacompra Beach Annexation Into Palm Coast Draws Frosty but Not Fatal Response from Joint Committee

September 15, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

Riders on the Old Coast Guard Road near Malacompra park in the Hammock. (© FlaglerLive)

The joint local government committee of county and city representatives that met for the second time approached at arm’s length Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri’s proposal that Palm Coast annex into the city the county beach and access at Malacompra Road.

Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri Makes Startling Move to Annex Malacompra Park: ‘Our Citizens Are Entitled to Their Own Beach’

September 13, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 71 Comments

The beach at Malacompra Park. (© FlaglerLive)

In a startling proposal that may revive city-Hammock conflicts dormant since the mid 2000s, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri on Tuesday said the city should consider annexing the county’s Malacompra Park so Palm Coast can have its own beach. The idea did not get a warm reception from fellow council members or others.

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