• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
    • Marineland
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • First Amendment
    • Second Amendment
    • Third Amendment
    • Fourth Amendment
    • Fifth Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Eighth Amendment
    • 14th Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Privacy
    • Civil Rights
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Florida

DeSantis Signs Ninth Death Warrant: Loran Cole, 57, for 1994 Murder of Florida State Student John Edwards

July 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Loran Cole.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a death warrant for an inmate convicted in the 1994 murder of a Florida State University student who went to the Ocala National Forest to camp with his sister. Loran Cole, 57, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 29 at Florida State Prison.

J.D. Vance Eclipses DeSantis. But He Might Want to Watch His Back.

July 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 38 Comments

JD Vance leaves Ron DeSantis behinf

If Trump wins and somehow doesn’t declare himself president-for-life, Vance will be the nominee in 2028. Ditto if Trump loses and the country survives the violence. Vance could end up as president before then, possibly without lifting a finger — except maybe to pass Trump the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburgers that finally tip him over into massive stroke territory. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and their autocracy-loving billionaire buds will see to that.

Florida Schools May Not Return to Pre-Pandemic Enrollment for 10 Years, Economists Forecast

July 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Sure it's Christmas, but absenteeism when school is in session has been a problem. (© FlaglerLive)

A state forecast indicates Florida schools will experience declining enrollment in five of the next six years, with the one positive year representing less than a 0.1% increase. The student enrollment forecast from the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research predicts that 12,379 fewer students will attend traditional public schools during the 2024-2025 school year, a 0.5% drop from 2.366 million to 2.354 million. 

Project 2025 is a Bad Bet for Florida’s Future

July 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 57 Comments

The repeat the county and Flagler Beach are trying to avoid: A1A south of the pier after Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. (© FlaglerLive)

Project 2025 is a blueprint for Trump’s next term. It is full of recommendations for clamping down on abortion, banning pornography, abolishing the Homeland Security and Education departments, killing the Head Start program for kids, and putting the entire executive branch, including the Department of Justice, under direct control of the president — no civil service protection.

Florida Among 25 States Seeking Halt to Biden Rule Restricting Coal-Fired Power Plants

July 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

It's not just the fog. You can't see the mountaintop because coal mining has removed it: a former mountain in West Virginia. (© FlaglerLive)

In Florida, coal is no longer a major factor in electricity generation. As 0f 2022, and coal-fired power plants supplied about 6% of the energy supply, down from 36% in 2001, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Attorneys argue that if the Biden administration’s rule is allowed to continue, it will mean that hundreds of megawatts will be forced offline, leading to power shortages during critical weather during the summer and winter.

Federal Judge Permanently Blocks Part of ‘Stop Woke’ Act

July 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

DeSantis overstepped. (© FlaglerLive)

A federal judge Friday permanently blocked restrictions that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers placed on addressing race-related issues in workplace training — part of a controversial 2022 law that DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.”

Florida High School Athletes May Now Cash In With Sponsors as State Board Approves ‘NIL’ Plan

July 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

There's money to be made. For some. (© FlaglerLive)

While saying additional protections are needed, the State Board of Education on Wednesday ratified a plan approved last month by the Florida High School Athletic Association that will allow high school athletes to get paid through name, image and likeness, or “NIL,” deals.

Florida Has the Highest Rate of Heat-Related Illnesses, Report Finds

July 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

florida heat dangers

More than 5.7 million Floridians are vulnerable to extreme heat, according to a report from the Florida Policy Institute, which called upon state lawmakers to repeal a new law that prohibits local governments from enacting heat protections for outdoor workers.

Florida Issues Potentially Intrusive Social Media Age-Verification Rules to Ban Children from Platforms

July 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

florida social media rules

The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on at least some platforms — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts. It also requires age verification to try to prevent minors under age 18 from having access to online pornographic sites.

Florida Democrats, Mirroring Nation’s, Quickly Rally Around Kamala Harris

July 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

kamala harris democrats rally

Members of Florida’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention threw their support Monday to Vice President Kamala Harris, a day after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election campaign. As part of a rapidly moving effort to coalesce support behind the vice president, a group of Florida party leaders held a call with reporters to back Harris’ bid to become president and pointed to increased enthusiasm they hope translates down the ballot.

DeSantis’s Florida: The Who Cares State

July 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

florida who cares state

Florida’s current regime (motto: “Ignorance is Strength”) operates on the theory that if you refuse to utter certain words — ”racism,” for example, “Covid,” or “climate crisis” — and pretend with all your might that what you see in front of you isn’t real, then the problem disappears.

Florida Is Sitting on $198 Million in Federal EV Money That Could Provide More Chargers

July 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

EV chargers on the Florida Turnpike powered by FPL. (FDOT)

Florida is one of 15 states that won’t allow any companies to apply for $198 million in federal money the state is receiving over the next five years the Biden Administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. The state is doing so on purpose, citing a laundry list of culture-war complaints, such as “Covid tyranny,” as well as criticism of electric vehicles.

Escambia School Board Wants 7 Year Old Deposed in Book Fight

July 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

A display at the Lynx Bookshop in Gainesville. (© FlaglerLive)

As it tries to fend off a constitutional challenge to removing and restricting school library books, the Escambia County School Board on Tuesday argued that it should be able to take a deposition of a 7-year-old student who is part of the lawsuit. Attorneys for the board, in a 20-page court document, urged U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell to reject a request for a protective order that would shield the child, identified by the initials J.N., from having to testify in a deposition.

More than 1 Million Floridians Couldn’t Afford to See a Doctor in 2022

July 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

hospital visitations

Approximately 28% of Florida adults can’t afford to see a doctor when they need to, according to newly published data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data for 2022, the latest available, put Florida among the states with the highest rates of people who skipped medical visits because of high costs. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi — other states that haven’t expanded Medicaid — were also listed, according CDC Disability and Health Data System data published Tuesday.

Tendentious ‘Statement’ on Florida Abortion Ballot Measure Sparks Controversy

July 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Plus ca change: abortion activists from both sides of the debate demonstrating outside the old Florida Capitol in 1989. (Florida Memory)

A state panel late Monday finished revising a “financial impact statement” that will appear on the November ballot with a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights — with amendment supporters accusing the panel of a “dirty trick to mislead voters.” The statement makes several unsubstantiated claims about costs the abortion measures could impose on the state budget.

Trump Chooses J.D. Vance Over Rubio for Vice President

July 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

marco rubio

Former President Donald Trump on Monday bypassed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in making his vice-presidential pick, averting what could have been a major change in Florida’s political landscape. Trump announced freshman U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his 2024 running mate, a short time after the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee.

Lt. Gov. Nunez Links Anti-Abortion Message to ‘Free Florida’ Signs

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Brought to you by the ministry of doublethink. (Florida Department of Transportation)

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said the state’s new “Free Florida” welcome signs reflect “freedom to right to life, of course for those babies.” The Florida Department of Transportation has not yet reported how much the signs have cost taxpayers.

Hurricane Forecast Ramps Up, Adding 2 Named Storms for Total of 25 as Beryl Is Termed ‘Harbinger’

July 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

A palm tree at the south end of Flagler County teeters on the edge of a vanished dune, three-quarters of its roots exposed, ready to tumble. The tree symbolizes the consequences of Tropical Storm Nicole on Flagler County's coast, where A1A, homes and the county's tourism economy are similarly teetering. (© FlaglerLive)

A day after deadly Hurricane Beryl pounded Texas, experts at Colorado State University on Tuesday increased their storm forecast for what was already expected to be an above-average hurricane season. Including Beryl and short-lived tropical storms Alberto and Chris, the department’s forecast now calls for 25 named storms this season, up from 23 when the first forecast was released in April.

Florida Renewing Push for Nuclear Power, Starting with Military Installations

July 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Photo by Daniele La Rosa Messina on Unsplash

The Florida Public Service Commission has scheduled a Sept. 5 workshop as it begins carrying out a legislative directive to submit a report by April 2025 about the possibility of using “advanced” nuclear technologies. That includes the possibility of adding nuclear power at military bases.

Florida Among 13 States With GOP Governors Rejecting Summer Food Program for Kids

July 7, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 52 Comments

florida lunch program

A new, permanent summer grocery program will help nearly 21 million kids across 37 states get enough to eat this year while school’s out. Not in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis is among 13 Republican governors whose states opted out of the federal program, citing their opposition to what they deride as “welfare” and their unwillingness to cover administrative costs.

Plaintiffs Ask Judge to Order Return of Banned Books to School Library Shelves as Lawsuit Continues

July 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

A display at the Lynx Bookshop in Gainesville. (© FlaglerLive)

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said Escambia officials had restricted 1,031 books under the county’s review process. As of June 27, “some 178 challenged books remain restricted, although no decision has been made about the validity of the challenge,” according to the motion. The motion said that, while restrictions should be lifted on all books, the request for an injunction was limited to seven books.

Judge Blocks Biden Rule Preventing Gender-Identity Discrimination in Florida

July 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

gender identity rule

The rule, which was scheduled to take effect Friday, is designed to help carry out a federal law that prevents discrimination in health-care programs that receive federal money. The law prevents discrimination based on “sex,” and the rule would apply that to include discrimination based on gender identity.

Drive Begins to Get Medicaid Expansion on Ballot as 653,000 Floridians Lost Coverage in Past Year

July 3, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Angela Dumala speaking at a press conference in Tampa on March 27, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)

More than 653,000 Floridians who lost their Medicaid coverage over the past year because the state determined they were ineligible. Nearly 315,000 Floridians in the so-called coverage gap, ineligible for Medicaid or insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Florida Voices for Health, a nonprofit advocacy group that works on multiple health issues including expanding Medicaid, is pushing to get Florida to join the majority of states that have expanded Medicaid.

Law Still Blurry as Supreme Court Punts on Florida’s Social Media Law

July 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

first amendment social media

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated appeals court decisions involving Florida and Texas laws designed to restrict the power of social media companies to curb content that those platforms consider objectionable, sending Florida’s case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Texas case to the Fifth Circuit.

Gov. DeSantis’s War on the Arts

June 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

A work by Sheila Goloborotko on exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art, part of the 2024 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art Exhibit.

Some people are ignorant and proud of it. Ron DeSantis is one of those people. The man just vetoed almost every pitiful penny of arts and culture funding in the state budget. Museums, music, youth programs, local treasures, historic houses, Black heritage centers, performing arts spaces, dance companies, kids’ music programs, even renowned institutions such as the Ringling Museum of Art. With his characteristic eloquence, DeSantis snarled, “Some of the stuff I don’t think was appropriate for state tax dollars.”

DeSantis to Farmworkers’ Need for Housing: Drop Dead

June 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Pointing to concerns that it could provide housing for illegal foreign workers, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday vetoed an agriculture industry-backed bill that would have made it easier to build housing for farmworkers.

Panel Moves Forward on Black History Museum in St. Johns County,

June 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Sen. Geraldine Thompson chairs the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force but dissented Friday.

Facing a Monday deadline, members of a state task force Friday voted to submit a report to the governor and the Legislature that outlines suggestions on how to build, market, operate and eventually make self-sufficient a Black history museum proposed for St. Johns County.

DeSantis Vetoes Occupational License Reform Bill Aimed at Broadening Opportunities and Reducing Recidivism

June 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

The bipartisan measure (HB 133) sponsored by Miami-Dade Democrat Kevin Chambliss and Seminole County Republican Rachel Plakon, would have reduced the time from five years to three years that the Barbers’ Board and Board of Cosmetology could use a criminal conviction as grounds to deny licenses.

The bipartisan measure (HB 133) sponsored by Miami-Dade Democrat Kevin Chambliss and Seminole County Republican Rachel Plakon, would have reduced the time from five years to three years that the Barbers’ Board and Board of Cosmetology could use a criminal conviction as grounds to deny licenses.

Ocala Prayer Vigil Organized by Police and City Officials to End Violent Crime Ruled Unconstitutional

June 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Overt, explicitly Christian prayers are routine at the Bunnell City Commission. (© FlaglerLive)

Nearly a decade after the event was held amid a crime spree, a federal judge Wednesday ruled that the city of Ocala violated the U.S. Constitution in organizing and carrying out a prayer vigil. U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan issued a 50-page decision that sided with atheists, who argued the prayer vigil in a town square violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Release of Balloons Into the Air

June 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

balloon release banned florida

You can’t celebrate or remember a loved by releasing balloons in Florida anymore. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation prohibiting the intentional release of balloons filled with a gas lighter than air. Exceptions include weather balloons and hot air balloons. Violating the law will mean a $150 fine for people older than 6. 

Sales Tax Is Lifted On Slew of Recreational Items For All of July

June 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

florida sales tax holiday recreational

Sales taxes won’t be collected in July on many supplies for boating, fishing and camping and tickets purchased for live music events, sporting events, fairs, festivals, theater performances and movies. Last year, the state offered the tax holiday for three months, but it will be limited to July this year.

Palm Coast Reels Back Talk of Firing Its Lobbyists as Southern Group’s Emissaries Deliver Veto-Proof Defense

June 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Laura Boehmer and Oscar Anderson of Southern Group, Palm Coast's lobbying firm, in a screen capture from one of the firm's videos. Boehmer and Anderson appeared before the Palm Coast City Council this morning.

A presentation to the Palm Coast City Council today by its Southern Group lobbyists was a response to an inquisition, albeit an inquisition that, by the time the pair of lobbyists had sat down in person in front of the council, had already been sharply dialed down to a sort of Marriage Encounter session. The council critics’ aim was no longer to criticize or threaten dissolution but to learn, recalibrate and grow, especially as the lobbyists twice reminded them of Palm Coast’s record appropriation hauls of the last two years.

Supreme Court Will Decide Legality of Transgender Care Bans in Decision That Will Affect Florida Law

June 24, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

supreme court trans care

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a Tennessee law restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender children is unconstitutional, in a closely watched case that is almost certain to affect similar laws in Florida and more than a dozen other states. Justices will hear the case in the fall, with a decision likely coming in June or July 2025.

DeSantis Protects Left-Lane Laggards and Residents Who Shoot Bears in ‘Stand Your Ground’ Encounters

June 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

The killing of bears is about to increase in Florida. (FWC)

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a controversial measure that will bolster self-defense arguments for people who kill bears on their property, while vetoing a bill that would have prevented motorists from cruising in the left lanes of highways.

Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate Declines to 3.6%, But Growth in Working-Age Labor Force Stalls

June 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

flagler florida unemployment may 2024

Flagler County’s May unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, down from 3.9 percent in April, as the rate continues to oscillate within the same narrow band it has for a year and a half. Previously steady growth in the labor force, however, has stalled. After rising earlier this year, it declined for the second month in a row, to 51,383, almost exactly where it stood a year ago. The labor force reflects working-age adults with families as opposed to children or retirees, who account for 60 percent of the county’s population.

Florida Supreme Court Finds No Threat to ‘Peaceful’ Protest in DeSantis Restrictions on Protesters

June 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

rioters or protesters

Rejecting arguments that the law is ambiguous, the Florida Supreme Court said Thursday that peaceful protesters are not threatened by a measure that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature passed in 2021 to crack down on violent demonstrations.

At ‘Monumental Groundbreaking’ for Beach-Rebuilding, Shovels of Praise, But Not a Word About Climate Change

June 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

Shovels against nature: the site of this morning's ceremonial groundbreaking. (© FlaglerLive)

Federal, state and local officials gathered at veterans Park in Flagler Beach under a broiling sun this morning for the groundbreaking of the $27 million beach-rebuilding project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a project 20 years in the making. Officials exchanged heaps of praise, but a principal reason behind the project–climate change–was left unspoken in a state where the words are now banned.

Social Media and Gun Laws Await Supreme Court Rulings, with Big Implications for Florida

June 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Anybody's platforms. (© FlaglerLive)

The social-media ruling likely will decide whether Florida can carry out a 2021 state law that placed restrictions on platforms such as Facebook and X. The gun ruling in a Texas case could help determine the fate of a 2018 Florida law that barred people under age 21 from buying rifles and shotguns.

Integrity Florida Calls on Governor DeSantis to Veto Senate Bill 7014

June 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Wish lists have an advantage in a one-party state. (Facebook)

This bill threatens to undermine the very principles that our government should uphold. The bill includes provisions that would restrict the ability of citizens and watchdog organizations like Integrity Florida to hold elected officials accountable.

Florida Argues in Court It Is Free to Censor or Control State-School Professors’ Academic Freedom in Classrooms

June 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

The University of South Florida. (USF Facebook page)

The state of Florida is free to forbid college professors from criticizing the governor in the classroom, an attorney argued on behalf of the state during an appellate court hearing over the Stop Woke Act — adding that those professors are free to seek work elsewhere if they don’t like a legislature-controlled curriculum.  Academic freedom and when the government can insert itself into the classroom were focal points for a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit panel.

Amendment 5: I’m Homesteaded. I Don’t Need Another Perk To Deepen Inequalities and Hurt Local Governments.

June 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 27 Comments

amendment 5 homestead inflation florida

A yes vote on Florida’s Amendment 5 on this November’s ballot means that every year, the second of two $25,000 exemptions will increase according to the previous year’s inflation rate. The indexing is not only unnecessary–the Save Our Homes cap on taxes already does that–but it’s another pander that will deepen disparities at the expense of local governments, businesses, renters and agricultural properties, all of whom will have to make up for lost revenue. 

Sidestepping Executive Privilege, Appeal Court Sides with DeSantis on Records Denial, Calling Request ‘Overly Broad’

June 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Government in the Sunshine by Bill Day, FloridaPolitics.com

The appeal stemmed from a public-records request, filed by a person identified in court documents as J. Doe, seeking information from DeSantis’ office about influential conservatives involved in discussions about appointing Florida Supreme Court justices. In a subsequent lawsuit, Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey rejected the public-records request on a series of grounds, including that the governor had “executive privilege” that could be used to prevent release of certain documents.

Humbling Flagler, DeSantis Vetoes Almost a Third of Local Projects, Including YMCA, Tourist Center, and All Bunnell’s Asks

June 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis with local county and city officials during a visit to Flagler Beach in late 2022, along with Reps. Paul Renner and Tom Leek. DeSantis vetoed almost a third of the appropriations Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson had secured for the county and its cities. (© FlaglerLive)

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a $116.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, after vetoing close to $950 million in spending approved by lawmakers in March. The vetoes include $46.52 million from what had been a record $151 million in appropriations for Flagler County, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach, a heavy loss that dampens earlier hopes for a big haul.

Federal Judge Stops Florida’s Law Banning or Restricting Transgender Care, Calling It Discriminatory

June 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

For now. But the ruling is unlikely to survive an appeal to the right-leaning 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. (© FlaglerLive)

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that a 2023 Florida law and regulations prohibiting the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat children for gender dysphoria and making it harder for trans adults to access care are unconstitutionally discriminatory and were motivated by “animus” toward transgender people.

DeSantis Is Right: Even As a Convicted Felon, Trump Would Be Eligible to Vote in Florida

June 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Trump ponders the meaning of bars. (White House)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 7 suggested on X that former President Donald Trump is still eligible to vote in Florida, his home state, even though he is now a convicted felon 34 times over. DeSantis is correct, though not necessarily for all the reason he stated on X.

Judge Blocks Florida Law Requiring Cities’ Elected to Disclose Same Financial Details as County and State Officials

June 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

personal finances municipal officials

A federal judge has blocked a 2023 Florida law that required municipal elected officials to disclose detailed information about their personal finances, ruling that the law likely violated First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian on Monday issued a preliminary injunction, siding with municipal officials throughout the state who challenged the law. The decision came three weeks before a July 1 deadline for filing the information.

In Florida and Elsewhere, New GOP Rules Hostile to Voter Registration Threaten Fines and Criminal Penalties

June 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 50 Comments

Roxanne Perret, an organizer with People Power for Florida, registers Mark Wendell to vote at a May festival in Orlando. Third-party voter registration groups have been threatened with fines and workers with jail time if they violate new state laws.

Republican lawmakers in Florida , Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and Texas have enacted a variety of voter registration laws over the past four years. The measures add new requirements around registering and communicating with voters and threaten hefty penalties for violations. The stated goal of the new laws is to prevent fraud, but in the absence of any evidence of more than very rare fraud some voting rights groups contend their real purpose is to dampen participation by likely Democratic voters.

Parents Sue Florida Board of Education Over Policy Denying Them Right to Challenge Book Bans

June 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

The Flagler Palm Coast High School library a year ago. (© FlaglerLive)

Three parents of children attending Florida public schools filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Florida Board of Education on Thursday, claiming that a 2023 education law discriminates against parents who oppose book bans and censorship.

Sprawling Vacation Rentals Becoming a Nuisance to Palm Coast Residents. City’s Answer: ‘Our Hands Are Tied.’

June 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

A property on Fircrest Lane in Palm COast advertised as a short-term rental that can sleep 12 people. (Google)

As resident after resident complained about short-term renters next door–the noise, the partying, the traffic, the garbage, the unexpected–the Palm Coast City Council chambers Tuesday evening sounded more like a scene transplanted from the County Commission a decade ago, or legislative committees in Tallahassee every year since. But the legislature just passed a new law that forbids cities like Palm Coast from imposing stricter regulations on vacation rentals than they would on permanent residents.

Florida’s High School Athletes Cleared to Get Paid by Sponsors Starting in Fall

June 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

high school athletes money

The FHSAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws to allow athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness, or NIL. The changes will be in effect for the upcoming school year.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 102
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on Federal Judge Refuses to Pause Order to Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
  • JimboXYZ on DeSantis Signs 13th Death Warrant of the Year, for Victor Jones, Murderer of 2 in 1990
  • Suspicious on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Deborah Coffey on DeSantis Signs 13th Death Warrant of the Year, for Victor Jones, Murderer of 2 in 1990
  • Deborah Coffey on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Big Mike on Federal Judge Refuses to Pause Order to Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Would You Favor a Half-Cent Sales Tax Referendum for Beach Protection? Local Governments Consider It.
  • Mike P on Council Kills Talk of Selling Palm Harbor Golf Course But Sets Ultimatum to City Management If It Doesn’t Break Even
  • No robo entry way.. employ a person pleSe on Palm Coast’s Epic Theatres Marks Reopening After $1 Million Renovation as Industry Battles Slump
  • Trust the government on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • FederalizePalmCoast on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Laurel on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Pogo on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Dan Leonard on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Thomas Hutson on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
  • Jim on Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism

Log in