Secretary State Ken Detzner, who told the committee he knows what a “train wreck is and they’re not pretty,” expressed unease about having a deadline to implement the program before a plan is in place.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Weekend Briefing: Beatles Tribute at the Auditorium, Picnics and Pops Moved, DeSantis at Ocean Art Gallery
Busy weekend all around with the Beatles tribute at the auditorium, Ron Desantis appearing at Ocean Art Gallery in Flagler Beach, a soccer tournament and the Picnics and Pops concert, moved to Destination Daytona at I-95 and US1.
Obama Doctrines, Bland Rhetoric, and the Mealy-Mouthed West
From President Barack Obama’s oxymoronic first-term mantra “leading from behind” to the recent German variant “leading from the center,” empty phrases have become the currency of Western governments, writes Ana Palacio.
You May Soon Shoot Black Bears: FWC Will Set One Week in October For Hunting
Hunting up to 200 black bears in Flagler and other parts of Florida would be allowed as part of a management plan as the state’s bear population of 2,500 is in increasing contact with its human population of nearly 20 million.
Thursday Briefing: Rape Suspect James McDevitt in Court, Jobs Council in Session, Apollo 16 in Memory
James McDevitt, accused of raping a woman in Flagler Beach in 2013, appears before a judge today for a final docket sounding before a scheduled trial next week. With more on Pope Francis, Magna Carta and Apollo 16.
Special Session Ahead for Legislature as Lawmakers Fail To Resolve Budget Clash
Gov. Rick Scott’s administration, federal officials and House and Senate leaders have waged a public war over health dollars, which President Obama’s administration declared Tuesday are tied to an expansion of Medicaid.
Rep. Ron DeSantis Makes It Semi-Official: He’s Considering a Run for Rubio’s Senate Seat
DeSantis’s quick rise after his election to the House in 2012, his frequent presence on conservative talk shows and relentless criticism of the Obama administration has made him a favorite of tea party conservatives and some further to the right.
Wednesday Briefing: Landon’s Futurism, Shakespeare’s New Rape Play, Goodbye Percy
Jim Landon’s “Making Our Future Together” Lunch ‘n Learn lecture today is sold out, three Flagler middle school girls are named to a prestigious STEM conference, Shakespeare’s new authenticated play is making students uncomfortable, and it’s Take a Wild Guess Day.
Rep. Jason Brodeur: My Religious Freedom Bill Will Encourage More Adoptions
Rep. Jason Brodeur, the Sanford Republican, sponsored the controversial bill that would allow adoption agencies to discriminate in their decisions on whom to place where, even on behalf of the state’s foster system. Brodeur defends his bill.
Florida Lawmakers Float Measure to Regulate Drones Amid Buzz of Privacy Concerns
The proposals prohibit the use of aerial drones to capture images that could infringe on the privacy of property owners or occupants but also give police some authority to use drones.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast’s Golf Dreams, VPK and Kindergarten Round-Up, Anchors’ Demise
The Palm Coast City Council again hears from the management company trying to keep the city’s golf course and tennis center from soaking in the red, VPK and kindergarten registration is today, Frank Rich tells us why the anchorman’s job is the dumbest.
Rubio Joins Growing List of Presidential Hopefuls, Setting Up Showdown With Bush
A primary showdown between Rubio and Bush could cause friction in Tallahassee, where the GOP dominates state government, and a scramble is expected for Rubio’s senate seat.
Geography as Destiny: Hospitals Leave Downtowns For More Prosperous Digs
By moving to wealthier areas, hospitals can reduce the percent of uninsured and lower-paying Medicaid patients, but relocations often spark anger from those left behind, who worry about loss of jobs and of access to care, particularly for the poor.
Monday Briefing: Gunter Grass Is Dead, Desalination in California, Rubio Announces
The great German writer Gunter Grass, author “The Tin Drum,” is dead, Marco Rubio announces his plans for the 2016 presidential election this evening.
April 13, 1975
April 13, 1975, marks the first day of the Lebanese Civil War. On the 40th anniversary, FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam remembers that day as he lived it in Lebanon, and reflects on what the date has meant for two generations of Lebanese.
A Bigger Public-Health Problem Than Hunger: The Global Obesity Threat
The total economic impact of obesity is about $2 trillion a year, or 2.8% of world GDP – roughly equivalent to the economic damage caused by smoking or armed violence, war, and terrorism, according to new research by the McKinsey Global Institute.
Upon Further Review: Inside the Police Failure to Stop Darren Sharper’s Rape Spree
Nine women reported being raped or drugged by Sharper to four different agencies before NFL safety Darren Sharper’s capture. His Sharper’s rampage of druggings and rapes could have been prevented, according to a two-month investigation by ProPublica and The New Orleans Advocate.
As Rideshare Apps Like Uber Build Up Fares, Florida Senate Taps Insurance Requirements
As taxi and limo services call for stricter regulations on growing “transportation network companies,” the Senate has expanded an insurance measure to include a requirement for around-the-clock coverage on the vehicles of app-connected rideshare drivers.
Will Florida Senate Recognize That Every Child Has the Right To Be Loved?
The choice is not whether church-sponsored agencies have a right to practice their religion. Of course they do. The issue is whether they have a right to enforce their beliefs against others when acting as agents of the state. They do not.
Weekend Briefing: Flagler Beach’s 90th Birthday Bash, a Murderer Returns, Millennials’ Hookup Culture
Enoch Hall, on death row for the murder of a Volusia prison guard in 2008, challenges his conviction before Flagler’s Judge J. David Walsh, who presided over his trial. The Palm Coast Garden Club holds its annual sale, Flagler Beach holds its 90th birthday celebration.
Relearning to Love the Bomb
The shocking thing about nuclear weapons is that they seem to have lost their power to shock. While the nuclear deal just reached with Iran is very good news, that effort should not obscure the bad news elsewhere, writes Garth Evans.
Rejoice, Students: There’ll Be Less Testing. But Not Much Less. House Approves Roll-Back.
The bill puts a hold on the use of student test data for school grades, teacher evaluations and student promotion to fourth grade until the new Florida Standards Assessments can be independently validated.
Thursday Briefing: Anger Management at the County Jail, Renewed Debate on Police Tactics
Police tactics are again under scrutiny after a video captured the cold-blooded killing of an unarmed man running away from a cop in South Carolina. “Fresh Off the Boat” fails its writer, and the White House condemns “gay therapy.”
Gov. Rick Scott Angling For Sen. Bill Nelson’s Seat in 2018
Scott in an OpEd lectured Obama on how he’s balancing budgets, creating jobs and demonstrating “fiscal responsibility” here in Florida. He’s preparing for his next makeover and political campaign, writes Daniel Tilson.
Florida House Advances ‘Conscience Protection’ Bill That Discriminates Against Gay Adoptions
Three hours of debate and numerous attempts to diminish the ability of private, religious adoption agencies to deny placement among gay couples failed as the bill now appears headed for approval Thursday.
Wednesday Briefing: Renaming State Colleges, SC Cop Charged With Murder, Florida as Obamacare Capital
A South Carolina cop is charged with murder after video surfaces showing him shooting a suspect in the back, after the suspect was stopped for a broken taillight.
The Solar Price Revolution: Why Renewable Energy Is Becoming Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels
As some countries prepare to generate solar-powered electricity at half the cost of its production in the U.S., assumptions that generating electricity with natural gas or coal is less expensive or more efficient than solar power are rapidly becoming untenable.
Florida Senate Calls For Police Policies on Body Cameras, Addressing Privacy and Data
Body cams are worn by deputies at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Jim Manfre instituted the practice when he took office in 2013 and has been an ardent defender of the cameras.
Tuesday Briefing: Wittman at the Auditorium, Cops’ Body Cams, and Jeb’s Hispanic Origins
Florida lawmakers talk of regulating cops’ body cameras. The Flagler school board and Palm Coast City council have full agendas today. Jeb Bush discovers his Hispanic origins.
In Reversal, Scott Opposes Expanding Poor’s Health Insurance and Opens $2.2 Billion Budget Hole
Scott’s opposition means Florida would again forego $47 billion in federal aid over the next 10 years while fewer poor Floridians would have health coverage–and the state’s budget would lose $2.2 billion in current aid that federal officials will no longer provide to the state under its existing medicaid system, which falls short of federal standards.
Poll Finds Medical Pot Legalization Still Heavily Favored in Florida; Gov. Scott Still Not
But when voters could cast ballots on both matters last fall, they rejected a constitutional amendment proposal to legalize pot, albeit by a small margin, and they re-elected Scott, albeit by an even smaller margin.
Monday Briefing: Matanzas Woods Interchange Gets Busy, Carver Auction Gets Going, Rolling Stone Retracts
The county commission is set to approve a $9 million contract to start construction on the long-awaited Matanzas Woods interchange at I-95. Rolling Stone retracts its story on a rape at the University of Virginia; a noon webcast conference is scheduled at the Columbia School of Journalism.
Florida Utility Proposes Doubling State’s Solar Energy Capacity, But Not For Another 10 Years
Duke Energy’s proposal to double solar capacity in Florida to 500 megawatts comes as as a coalition seeking to allow Florida businesses and property owners to sell limited amounts of solar energy has taken another step toward getting its proposal on the 2016 ballot.
Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross
Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross, 14 panels of abstract art retelling Christ’s Passion, are as sublime and austere as they are evocative.
Indiana and Arkansas Retreat From Hate Laws. Florida Plows Ahead.
Between Sen. Frank Artiles’ war on transgender people and a House bill protecting discrimination against gay parents, Florida verges on making bigotry state policy again, harkening back to Jim Crow days, but against the LGBT community.
Weekend Briefing: 1st Friday in Flagler Beach, Special Election Early Voting, Lawmakers Get Homophobic
Good Friday closes many government offices but not the voting booth: early voting for the special election for House and Senate in Flagler continues through Saturday. The Big Red Bus needs your blood donations, plus a few words on Bush, Montaigne and Disney employees.
Job Creation Slows to 126,000, Unemployment Rate Stays at 5.5%
Several factors have slowed the economy in the first quarter: harsh winter conditions, recession in Europe and a surging dollar, which hurts exports. Even lower oil prices, which have benefited consumers at the pump, have crimped investment in the energy sector, reducing job expansion there.
Florida Prison Guards and KKK Members Arrested in Plot to Murder Black Ex-Inmate
Arrest documents in the case expose chilling details of the Klan’s organization in North Florida and offer a reminder of the region’s ugly history of racism.
Guilty of Being Poor: Across the Nation, Courts Shake Down the Destitute
From fines targeting the poor to civil asset forfeiture, courts have mounted odious means of seizing cash and property from people not charged with any crime and who can’t afford legal defense.
Thursday Briefing: Fair Days, Budget Crunch, and a Florida Land Sale the Size of Rhode Island
The Flagler County Fair continues. Some 560,000 acres, the largest undeveloped private land parcel east of the Mississippi, goes on sale in Florida. The land is between Gainesville and the Panhandle. McDonald’s $1 raise, but only at a few stores.
Daytona State College May Have To Drop “State” From Name and Limit 4-Year Degrees
A Florida Senate proposal would forbid community colleges from using the word “state” in their name and cap at 5 percent the share of a college’s enrollment that could be made up of students pursuing baccalaureate, or four-year, degrees.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler County Fair, Observer Fooleries, “Religious Freedom” Mockeries
The Flagler County Fair begins today, the Palm Coast Observer hires a new writer, for one day, the world’s largest sperm bank lands in Orlando, Apple’s Tim Cook warns of bigotry hiding under the banner of religious freedom.
Guns and Ammo Included In Sales Tax Holiday Florida Lawmakers Are Set To Approve
Guns and ammunition remain in a proposed Independence Day sales-tax holiday on hunting gear that is part of a wide-ranging tax cut package that advanced Tuesday in the House.
My Surprise Visit From FDLE
FDLE interprets Beatles lyrics as a threat on Gov. Rick Scott, and Daniel Tilson, the columnist, gets a call investigating his intentions. He wonders if this is the way FDLE operates under Rick Swearingen, Scott’s hand-picked replacement of Gerald Bailey.
Pounded By E-Mail Mire, Clinton’s Leads Falter Slightly as Jeb Bush Rises in Florida
For the first time since the poll has been conducted with Hillary Clinton’s name included, the former secretary of state is not ahead in Florida: Jeb Bush would beat Clinton, 45 to 42, in a head-to-head matchup, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, released this morning.
Tuesday Briefing: IMAG NE That Sculpture, Anti-Semitism On the Rise, Bigotry Hiding as Religious Freedom
An imaginative sculpture is installed at the Flagler County Public Library, a religious freedom act is used by homophobes to justify discrimination, anti-Semitism rises in Florida and elsewhere.
Three Weeks After ATF Approves Powdered Alcohol, Florida Senate Votes To Ban It
Though federally approved, under Florida’s bill a person selling powdered alcohol would face a first-degree misdemeanor. A second violation within five years would carry a third-degree felony.
Deadliest State: Florida Roads Have Highest Bicyclist Fatality Rate in The Nation
Florida spent decades building roads designed to move commuters from homes in sprawling suburbs as fast as possible. Conventional wisdom says these roads were built for speed, not bicycles.
Monday Briefing: Jeb Bush vs. Scott Walker, Rubio’s Guns vs. Butter, Quiet Flagler
Flagler County’s official calendar decides to extend spring break until Tuesday. Jeb Bush and Scott Walker have their differences, Obamacare gets a surprisingly bright report card.
House Ties Money to School Dress Codes, More Dollars for Charters, Fewer Class-Size Penalties
Most of the school-related bills were passed in lopsided votes, though Democrats united to oppose a measure that could funnel local tax dollars to charter-school construction.