The House intends to offer a $1 billion tax-cut package that includes Gov. Rick Scott’s call to reduce a tax on commercial leases and holding a back-to-school sales tax “holiday.”
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Weekend Briefing: “Working” at City Rep, Rachel Thompson at Salvo, Water Circus in Town Center, Film Festival at Hilton
An extremely busy weekend in Palm Coast includes a new plat at City Rep Theatre, a water circus in Town Center, the third annual Flagler Film Festival at the Hilton Garden Inn, and plenty more.
Taking the Pulse of Crazy: The Election Season on Eve of Iowa and New Hampshire
The electorate is angrier and more fearful than in recent presidential contests, and both Trump and Cruz are capitalizing on it, but as the field narrows, Trump’s appeal may not be as lasting.
Nurseries Will Start Growing Pot Despite Legal Challenges Threatening Their Licenses
Five dispensing organizations selected by state officials promised lawmakers Wednesday they would meet a deadline next month to get medical-marijuana production off the ground, despite legal challenges that could threaten their licenses.
Thursday Briefing: Tourist Council Rediscovers Ethics, Newsom Begins in Flagler Beach, Relay For Life
Flagler County’s Tourist Development Council will take re-votes on a series of decisions to eliminate what had been conflicts of interest in previous votes. Larry Newsom starts as city manager in Flagler Beach.
Florida House Wants to Prohibit Immigrants’ “Sanctuary” Communities
Despite emotional pleas from immigrant advocates, state House members Wednesday moved forward with measures aimed at cracking down on cities and counties that provide “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and increasing penalties for people who defy deportation orders.
Wednesday Briefing: Trump in Florida, Mayor Netts at Neighborhood Watch, Obama’s Union
Donald Trump campaigns in Pensacola this evening, Mayor Jon Netts speaks at an Indian Trails neighborhood watch meeting at the public library, the legislature has too many meetings to mention.
Familiar Priorities In Scott State of the State: Tax Cuts and Spending on Business Incentives
The governor has essentially staked his legislative session on the success of two initiatives: A $1 billion tax cut and devoting $250 million to a new “Florida Enterprise Fund” to help lure employers to the Sunshine State.
U.S. Supreme Court Declares Florida’s Death Penalty Scheme Unconstitutional
The United States Supreme Court, in an emphatic ruling Tuesday, declared Florida’s death penalty sentencing scheme to be a violation of the Sixth Amendment.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Golf Course Examined, Schools’ Teacher and Employee of the Year Crowned, State of the State
The Palm Coast City Council hears an update on its KemperSports-run golf and tennis course, which have been losing money for five years, the school district’s teacher and employee of the year are crowned this evening at the Auditorium.
In a Civilized State Without Stand Your Ground, Jordan Davis Would Still Be Alive
The covenant of civilized living demands that we work to defuse conflicts, not escalate them. It demands that we look at each other face to face, and not through the divisive lens of stereotype.
In Setback, Sun Sets on Solar Initiative for 2016 Ballot; Organizers Will Look to 2018
“Floridians for Solar Choice,” which wants to expand who can provide solar energy, fell behind in qualifying for the November 2016 ballot and remains in the midst of a contract dispute with a petition-gathering firm.
Monday Briefing: Honoring Judge Walsh, Family Life Center Golf Tournament, Lake Disston Land
The county commission honors Circuit Judge J. David Walsh, who retires next month. The Land Acquisition Committee again discusses possibly acquiring a parcel of land off Lake Disston.
Two Sweeping Supreme Court Cases Set to Redefine Abortion and Contraceptive Rights
As devastating to abortion rights as 2015 proved to be in state legislatures, 2016 is shaping up to be even more turbulent — perhaps the most momentous year for reproductive issues in a generation.
Economy Adds 292,000 Jobs in December for a 1990s-Like Total of 2.65 Million Over the Year
The seven years of Obama’s presidency have netted 8.3 million jobs, after accounting for the millions of jobs lost in the housing crash, but warning signs abound.
Weekend Briefing: The Public Library’s 16th Anniversary, Menopause at the Auditorium, JetBlue’s and Frontier’s New Routes
The Flagler County Public Library celebrates its 16th anniversary Friday afternoon, JetBlue begins New York-Daytona Beach route, Frontier adds flights to St. Augustine, Jam at Gamble Rogers.
Oscar Ray Bolin Jr., To Be Killed Tonight, Is 23rd Execution on Gov. Scott’s Watch
Bolin was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Teri Lynn Matthews, whose body was discovered on Dec. 5, 1986, near the side of a road in rural Pasco County.
Scott’s Proposed Billion-Dollar Tax Cut and $250 Million For Job Subsidies Sets Up a Fight
An election-year budget that includes huge tax cuts, record funding for public schools and a new initiative to bring jobs to Florida might be good politics for lawmakers. The question is whether they can afford it.
Thursday Briefing: Grand Landings’ Problem With Blacks, Romeo and Juliet at Flagler Auditorium, Rubio’s Surge
The Observer runs the disturbing account of a former Miss Amrica describing the profiling of her son in Grand Landings, Rubio surges to second place in new Hampshire.
Just Short of Endorsing, Gov. Scott Says Trump “Is Capturing Frustration of Many Americans”
Scott’s pro-Trump position contrasts with that of many state Republican leaders, who have lined up in the presidential campaign behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Wednesday Briefing: Volusia’s Sheriff Johnson Retires, Cops Protest Tarantino at Palm Coast’s Epic, Science’s Gettysburg
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #171 of Palm Coast, still misquoting Quentin Tarantino, plans a protest of the filmmaker at Epic Theaters, Volusia County’s four-term sheriff announces his retirement.
More Than 13,000 Rape Kits Remain Untested Statewide as Crime Labs Strain
The report lists 15 kits from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office that were not submitted to FDLE, but no kits–submitted or unsubmitted–from the Bunnell and Flagler Beach police departments.
Tuesday Briefing: A Billboard to Find a Missing Man, Limiting School Testing, Shakespeare’s Death Methods
Crime Stoppers and the sheriff’s office today unveil a billboard on A1A to further the search for George Contos, who disappeared in May. The school board meets tonight, and a chart shows every manner of death in every Shakespeare play.
How to Defeat Islamist Extremists in 2016
We should think of the Middle East and Islam as being in a process of transition, with the West helping it along: the Middle East toward rule-based and religiously tolerant societies, and Islam toward its rightful place as a faith of progress and humanity, argues Tony Blair.
Judges Continue to Deny Dependency Pleas From Undocumented Teens in Florida
A determination of dependency, based on issues such as abandonment by parents or abuse, would help the teens apply for a special immigration status and seek permanent residency.
Monday Briefing: Flagler’s Centennial Preparations, Recycling Christmas, Saudi-Iranian Follies
Time to recycle those Christmas trees and decorations, Flagler County’s centennial committee meets for the first time to chat up 2017, and it’s back to politics as usual.
2016: A Year of Political Games in the Making
After a strange and at times exhausting 2015, Florida’s government and political establishment is bracing for what could be another intriguing year with another election is on tap in the biggest swing state in the nation.
Florida Prisons, Already Censoring a News Publication, Now Seek to Censor Legal Brief
The Florida Department of Corrections is seeking to block state and national media organizations from filing a brief in a legal battle about whether a publication should be barred from Florida’s prisons.
Push for Policing Reforms Expected in 2016 Legislative Sessions, But Not in Florida
Passing more laws in 2016 will depend on politics — and the level of public outcry — in each state. The federal government has no jurisdiction over local policing, leaving state lawmakers are ultimately responsible for reforms.
For Millennials, Government Is a Gap of Generations and Representation
Millennials, those born after 1980 who entered adulthood at the turn of the century, hold just 5 percent of state legislative seats, while comprising 31 percent of the U.S. voting-age population.
The Real Enemy: Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism, Mother to al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban
If you want to know who inspired the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS, look further than America’s “friend” and ally, Saudi Arabia, which has been financing the spread of Wahhabism’s lethal adulteration of Islam for years.
Florida’s Year of the Bizarre, The Messy and the Ungoverned
In Florida politics, the year was educational, entertaining and bizarre. It was a year unlike any other in recent memory — and many in Tallahassee hope it stays unlike any other for quite some time.
The Last Briefing of the Year: The NBA’s Anti-Gun Dunk, Bunnell Signs Davis, and the Hottest Year on Record
As if you didn’t know it already: 2015 will be by far the hottest year on record for the planet, not just because of Donald Trump, the NBA launches a gun-control campaign.
Florida Population, Growing Faster Than California, Tops 20 Million
The Sunshine State, adding more than 1,000 people a day, is nearly up a half-million people on New York, which it surpassed a year ago to become the third most-populous state.
Tuesday Briefing: Michael Goodyear’s Thank You from French Government, Christina Goodin’s Senior Project
Veteran Michael Goodyear received the Legion of Honor from the French government. He was awarded the honor by Sal Rutigliano during the meeting of the Flagler County Commission Monday evening.
Congress Has Created An Average of 50 New Crimes Per Year for the Past Decade
In just the five years Congress created 439 new criminal offenses for a of 4,889 federal crimes. That’s in addition to the growing number of state and local crimes for which Americans can be prosecuted.
Monday Briefing: A Dedication at Princess Place, Miller Clayton’s Heroism, Dangerous Dog Reversal
Miller Clayton, the boy who saved his brother and himself from a fire last month, will be honored by several firefighters associations, a dangerous dog designation may be reversed.
Floridians for Solar Choice Ballot Initiative Unlikely to Meet Deadline to Qualify
The proposal, favored by liberals but opposed by the utility industry, would allow businesses to generate up to two megawatts of electricity and sell it to neighboring properties.
Artless Censors: The Flagler’s School Board’s Misplaced Allegiance to “Staff”
The Flagler school board shirked its responsibility when it chose to be a cheerleader for a principal instead of offering guidance and oversight after a student’s art work was censored at FPC.
Supreme Court Removes Brawling Brevard Judge For Creating “National Embarrassment”
Calling Judge John C. Murphy’s behavior “appalling” the court ordered him removed from the bench after his altercation with a public defender last year was caught on videotape and went viral.
Weekend Briefing: Starlight 5K in Town Center, Handel’s Messiah, Dancing Around Flagler, Christmas With a Deputy
Christmas With a Deputy is tonight at Target, Handel’s Messiah in two weekend performances at First Church of Palm Coast, the Starlight 5K is Saturday evening in Town Center, and more.
Florida Supreme Court Unanimously Signs Off On Medical Pot Amendment For 2016 Ballot
People United for Medical Marijuana, which is led and heavily financed by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, still needs to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state by a Feb. 1 deadline.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Contracts With New Manager Newsome, McLaughlin Takes Over Economic Opportunity
The Flagler Beach City Commission may approve a contract with Larry Newsome, its new city manager, this evening. Commissioner Nate McLaughlin takes over chairmanship of the county’s economic opportunity council.
A Problem for Enterprise Florida and Gov. Rick Scott: Bill Johnson
Just what the governor doesn’t need: a reason for lawmakers to blow raspberries at his budget request for Enterprise Florida Inc. (EFI). As it happens, they might have their reason. His name is Bill Johnson.
Wednesday Briefing: A $40,000 Tax Subsidy for a Writers’ Conference, Jeff vs. Luka, Bach’s Brandenburgs
The county’s Tourist Development Council is asked to consider a $40,000 tax subsidy for the four-day Florida Outdoors Association conference at the Hammock Beach Resort next September, four times the amount awarded last year.
France Says Non, Merci, to Madame Trump
In the xenophobic, racist’s right-wingers’ very anger – in their spokespeople and in the words they used – lurked a threat to the republic, to democracy, and to the nation’s fundamental values.
Tuesday Briefing: Justin Boyles Guilty of Murder, Coming Years’ School Calendars, Wadsworth Park Closure
Justin Boyles was convicted of second-degree murder and faces life in prison for the murder of Hammock resident Ed Mellener in 2013, the Flagler School Board takes up calendars for the next two school years.
Pinellas Sheriff’s Caution on Open-Carry Bill Triggers Duel of Furious Accusations
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says a Sarasota Herald-Tribune blogger “absolutely mischaracterizes” his concerns about open-carry, as the blogger and Florida Carry, the pro-gun lobby group, claim the sheriff would threaten to shoot concealed carriers.
Brandon Henry, Kayaker in St. Johns, Missing on River Since Sunday Afternoon, Is Found
Brandon Henry, 29, of St. Johns County, was last seen at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon launching his kayak on the St. Johns River, near his home, and traveling north on the water, somewhat south of Jacksonville.
Monday Briefing: A Garden For South Bunnell, A Sensitive Acquisition on Lake Disston, Library Talk
The Flagler County Land Acquisition Committee is considering the potential acquisition of a $2.8 million, 116-acre property on Lake Disston. The public library board talks finances, and officials meet in South Bunnell to dedicate a vegetable garden.