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Florida

Florida Law Restricting Property Ownership By Nationals of 7 Countries Draws 2nd Discrimination Lawsuit

May 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

A Florida law forbidding certain property ownership by nationals of seven countries harkens back to the days of housing discrimination. (Florida Memory)

Almost exactly a year after Florida lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a measure to restrict property ownership by people from China and six other countries, housing and real-estate groups Monday filed a federal lawsuit alleging it is discriminatory. The lawsuit, filed in Miami, contends that the law violates the federal Fair Housing Act and part of the Florida Constitution.

The Fear and Loathing Behind GOP’s Christian White Nationalism

May 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Joseph Mallord William Turner's "The Deluge" (1805)

MAGA adherents to Aryan tough-guy Jesus see America becoming less white and less Christian, so they’re freaking out, flailing around, breaking things — such as your right to control your own body, your right to read what you want, identify however you want, and love who you want.

Unquiet Silence: Inside a Jacksonville Abortion Clinic After Ban Kicks In

May 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

abortion limit florida

On Monday, almost 60 people came to A Woman’s Choice, a clinic in Jacksonville that offers abortion services. Half did so for their abortions, and half for the preliminary consults. A third were from somewhere other than Florida. The vast majority were past six weeks of pregnancy. By Wednesday morning, it was all over. Outside, half a dozen abortion opponents chanted prayers. Inside the clinic was quieter. The six-week ban had kicked in.

DeSantis Signs Bill Censoring Teacher Training Programs, Saying It Will Prohibit Their ‘Indoctrination’

May 3, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

teachers classroom

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed bills that include seeking to prevent “indoctrination” in teacher-training programs and beginning to allow credit unions to hold state money. The teacher-training bill (HB 1291) was one of the most-controversial education issues of this year’s legislative session, which ended March 8. It seeks to prevent “identity politics” from being included in teacher-preparation programs at colleges and universities.

Florida Joins GOP Lawsuit to Kill Federal Protections for Transgender Students

May 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

anti lgbtq lawsuit florida

Republican State Attorney General Ashley Moody has enlisted Florida in multi-state litigation challenging new Biden administration regulations protecting transgender people from discrimination in schools, colleges, and universities.

Arrests and Threats of Expulsions of Students Protesting Gaza War Increase at Florida University Campuses

April 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

An image posted on social media by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society.

Arrests of protesters on Florida university campuses increased this week, after tensions ratcheted up at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida during demonstrations about the war between Israel and Hamas. The arrests Monday of a dozen people at the two Florida universities came as pro-Palestinian campus protests draw attention across the country. The ACLU of Florida denounced the threats of expulsions, calling protest a fundamental right.

Florida’s 6-Week Abortion ban Goes in Effect Wednesday. Here’s What It Means for Patients and the South.

April 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

More than 25,000 women traveled to Florida for an abortion over the past five years, most from states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi with little or no access to abortion. Hundreds traveled from as far as Texas. Starting on May 1, Florida’s 6-week ban goes in effect. The ban could be short-lived if 60% of Florida voters in November approve a constitutional amendment adding the right to an abortion.

1st Amendment Lawsuit Over Florida School District’s Ban of Children’s Book Cleared to Proceed

April 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

and tango makes three

A federal judge has ruled that two authors and a student can pursue First Amendment claims against the Escambia County School Board over the removal of the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” from library shelves. But U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, in a 27-page decision Thursday, dismissed allegations against state education officials and leaders of the Lake County school district.

With Zero Evidence, Florida Surgeon General Says Mask Wearers ‘Just Like to Hide Their Faces’

April 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 29 Comments

Florida’s Surgeon General is continuing to evangelize against mask wearing like it’s 2022. His latest theory? People wearing protective coverings over their faces simply don’t want to be seen, said the state’s Chief Health Officer and doctor of medicine at the University of Florida.

Biden, in Florida, Highlights Abortion and Hopes the State Is Not Out of Reach

April 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

President Joe Biden and Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy two years ago in Fort Myers. (White House)

In a conference call with reporters, the communications director for the Biden campaign, shrugged off suggestions that former President Donald Trump “has the state in the bag.” National Democrats are seizing on abortion restrictions imposed in states such as Florida, where the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The six-week restriction is set to go into effect May 1.

Florida High School Athletic Association May Recognize Video Gaming as an Official Sport

April 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Players competing in a League of Legends tournament. Esports FHSAA

The Florida High School Athletic Association could potentially sanction competitive video gaming, or esports, as an official sport, amid growing interest from member schools. Many schools already have video gaming teams or programs, but none are recognized as a sport.

St. Johns County Among 3 Finalists for Site of Florida Museum of Black History

April 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

confrontation st augustine

A committee on Friday narrowed down options for the site of a Florida Museum of Black History, selecting as finalists St. Johns County, Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade County.

Bob Graham Was Among the Rare Dissenters to Dare Resist Bush’s Iraq War Lies and Follies

April 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Bob Graham speaking at an Obama campaign rally at the Tallahassee Senior Center in September 2008. (Florida Memory)

War fever was rampant in October of 2002 – 9/11 was still raw – and Team Bush was busy smearing anyone who voiced any qualms about kicking butt. Dissent was deemed “unpatriotic.” But Bob Graham had qualms and refused to knuckle under.

Flagler Unemployment Holds at 4.1% as Local Home Sales Near 4-Year Low and Time to Contract Hits 8-Year High

April 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

florida flagler county unemployment march 2024

Flagler County’s March unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent for the third straight month, remaining above 4 percent for six of the last eight months even as county residents netted 134 new jobs and the number of the unemployed remained flat. The slowing pace of new workforce residents is reflected in the slowing pace of home sales, which are near a four-year low. That is one of several local economic indicators that, should they persist, may be of concern to those in the housing industry.

Five Questions for Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s Emergency Management Director

April 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Kevin Guthrie. (© FlaglerLive)

As director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management since April 2021, Kevin Guthrie–who was Flagler County’s emergency management director between 2013 and 2016–has run point on disasters from Category 4 hurricanes to a deadly condominium-building collapse in Surfside. Guthrie also has been charged with overseeing the evacuation of Floridians from strife-torn Haiti, along with a controversial program to transport migrants to “sanctuary” areas of the country.

Signing Bill Inviting Chaplains Into Public Schools as Counselors, DeSantis Scoffs at Challenges and Church State Wall

April 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

ron desantis chaplains

The state won’t allow satanists to take advantage of a new law allowing religious chaplains to serve as counselors in public schools for students whose parents approve, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday while signing the legislation. The governor also predicted the state would prevail if the new law draws a legal challenge over separation of church and state concerns.

Former Governor and Senator Bob Graham, Among Most Popular Floridians of Last 50 Years, Dies at 87

April 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Democratic Gov. Bob Graham and Mickey Mouse looking at a model of Disney Studios on July 9, 1985, back when Florida governors did not abuse mice. (Florida Memory)

Bob Graham, a two-term Florida governor who went on to serve in the U.S. Senate and was known for his work days across the state, died Tuesday at age 87, his family announced. Graham was one of the most-popular figures in Florida politics over the past half-century. After representing part of Miami-Dade County in the state Senate, Graham was elected governor in 1978, winning a Democratic runoff and then easily defeating Republican Jack Eckerd in the general election.

DeSantis Signs Education Bill Controlling Book Challenges and Broadening Charter School Takeovers

April 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

John Green's "Looking for Alaska" was challenged in Flagler County schools last year. It survived at the time. It may not have survived since. (© FlaglerLive)

After more than 1,200 objections were filed to school-library books and other materials last school year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that will limit challenges by some people. The wide-ranging bill (HB 1285) also includes making changes designed to ease the process of charter schools taking over operations at traditional public schools that lag in performance.

Civilian Oversight Boards Are Now Prohibited from Investigating Police Misconduct in Florida

April 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

desantis ban civilian oversight boards

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills last week that would prohibit civilian oversight boards from investigating police misconduct and stop people from getting too close to first responders doing their jobs.

Rest Easy: Florida Law Erases and Bans All References to Climate Change

April 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 53 Comments

climate change sunsets in florida

You probably think Ron DeSantis and the yahoos, grifters, simps, dolts, and dunderheads who populate the Florida Legislature are collectively incapable of solving even one of the bazillion issues facing this state. But the Legislature has figured out how to fix climate change. Your bought-and-paid-for Legislature has delivered a bill that amends Florida statutes to delete all references to climate change. Thanks to them, climate change is gone. Erased. Kaputt. Ya no es. C’est fini.

Evading Usual Bill-Signing Spectacle, DeSantis Kills Local Efforts to Protect Workers from Florida’s Brutal Heat

April 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 54 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis has quietly signed into law a measure barring local governments from requiring employers to provide workers with basic protections like shade, accessible water, and breaks from the Florida’s scorching heat and humidity.

Yes, Efforts to Eliminate DEI Programs Are Rooted in Racism

April 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

new college dei florida racism

In the past year, a number of states have begun to dismantle their DEI programs. Alabama, Utah, Texas and Florida have all passed and signed into law anti-DEI legislation ranging from prohibiting diversity training to terminating all positions associated with DEI efforts. Florida lawmakers have restricted the teaching of what they call racially “divisive” subject matter in public schools, colleges and universities. Legislatures in more than two dozen additional states are considering similar measures.

Richard Corcoran Gets $200,000 Bonus On Top of $700,000 Salary After Single Year as New College President

April 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

richard corcoran new college

New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran will receive $200,000 in incentive pay after the school’s Board of Trustees on Thursday signed off on a performance evaluation and releasing the money. Corcoran has led New College since February 2023, initially on an interim basis amid a leadership shakeup at the school that garnered national attention. Trustees named him president on a permanent basis in October.

DeSantis and Surgeon General Turn Fentanyl Bill-Signing Into Attack on Transgender Athletes

April 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

ladapo and desantis

Just moments after the governor said that he would sign two bills, one promoting opioid antagonists to prevent deaths from overdose and another boosting penalties for recklessly exposing first responders to fentanyl, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo opened fire on athletic competitions that pit transgender women and girls against those who are biologically female.

Eclipse Will Peak at 61% of Sun Cover Around 3 PM In Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell

April 7, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

2017 eclipse

Locally not as dramatic as the eclipse of 2017, which obscured almost 90 percent of the sun in Flagler County and its cities, Monday’s solar eclipse will obscure 60 to 61 percent of it at peak, just past 3 p.m., in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell. The National Weather Service in Jacksonville predicts only partly sunny and somewhat windy conditions in the Flagler County area. Flagler County and its cities will see a partial eclipse for 2 hours 31 minutes.

DeSantis Lashes Out at Pot Freedom and Abortion-Rights Amendments

April 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the public record law. (© FlaglerLive)

Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at two proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the November ballot, three days after the Florida Supreme Court signed off on the measures.

To Win in November, Recreational Pot in Florida Must First Defeat Reefer Madness

April 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

A detail from one of the posters for "Reefer Madness," the 1936 American propaganda film that attempted to link marijuana to degeneracy. (Wikimedia Commons)

Now that the Florida Supreme Court has cleared the proposal to legalize recreational pot for the November ballot, the drug of choice among those who want to defeat the proposal is going to be disinformation. So it’s worth having a look at what we’ve learned from other states that have inhaled.

Forecasters Warn of ‘Very, Very Busy Hurricane Season’ With 23 Named Storms, Most-Ever Predicted in April

April 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

A severely eroded beach in the Hammock in late September 2022, where an exposed root as if pointed in the direction of the seaborne culprit. The Atlantic is warmer today than it was at this point in recent years. (© FlaglerLive)

Colorado State University researchers projected 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes, with five reaching major hurricanes status. The estimates represent the highest April forecast numbers the university has produced. By comparison, the Atlantic season from 1991 to 2020 averaged 14.4 storms a year, with an average of 7.2 reaching hurricane strength. Models anticipate a well-above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the U.S. coastline and in the Caribbean.

6-Week Ban and Abortion-Rights Measure on November Ballot Could Boost Florida Democrats

April 3, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

abortion rights sign

Following a pair of blockbuster decisions by the Florida Supreme Court, Democrats are galvanizing around abortion as a “front and center” issue that they say could affect races up and down the ballot in November. Focus on the abortion issue exploded shortly after the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent and triggered a 2023 law preventing abortions after six weeks. Critics maintain that the six-week restriction, which will take effect next month, amounts to a virtual ban on abortions.

You May Not Have An Abortion Past 6 Weeks in Florida. You May Vote To Restore Abortion Rights in November.

April 2, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

abortion waiting period

The Florida Supreme Court released two blockbuster rulings on abortion rights on Monday — one that within a few weeks will allow a ban on the procedure after six weeks’ gestation to take effect, and another allowing the voters to decide in November whether to amend the Florida Constitution to protect access to the procedure.

Recreational Pot Amendment Cleared for November Ballot, Florida Supreme Court Rules

April 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 37 Comments

marijuana recreational

Florida Supreme Court justices on Monday approved ballot language for a constitutional amendment that will ask Floridians in November whether they want to legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 years or older. The measure must get 60 percent approval to become law, which is the highest threshold for any ballot measure to be passed in the nation.

Florida Is Blatantly Mixing Church and State in So-Called ‘Pregnancy Crisis Centers’

March 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Detail from the original cover of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" (1985).

Planned Parenthood says Crisis Pregnancy Centers are “run by anti-abortion activists who have a shady, harmful agenda: to scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion, and to tell lies about abortion, birth control, and sexual health.”

They/Them vs. Him/Her: A Federal Judge Will Decide Legality of Florida’s Ban on Pronoun Freedom

March 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

pronouns freedom

A federal judge on Friday heard arguments in a court battle over a law restricting educators’ use of personal pronouns and titles in schools, in one of a series of challenges to Florida policies targeting LGBTQ people. The challenge alleges the law violates the teachers’ First Amendment rights and runs afoul of a federal civil-rights law.

DeSantis Signs Off and Drinks Up: You Can Now Buy a 4-Gallon Bottle of Wine in Florida

March 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis at a bill signing ceremony at Wine Watch in Fort Lauderdale on March 28. (Screenshot from the Florida Channel)

Under current state law, wine distributors and manufacturers are allowed to sell wine to other distributors and manufacturers in containers of any size, but regular Floridians are prohibited from purchasing wine in containers larger than one gallon. Under the new law (HB 583), wine will be allowed for purchase up to 15 liters, which is 3.963 gallons, according to the legislation.

Disney and Oversight District Settle Lawsuit, Not Quite Ending Company’s Dispute With DeSantis

March 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Maybe DeSantis will take on Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army next. (© FlaglerLive)

The deal ends an Orange County circuit-court lawsuit that came amid a feud between DeSantis and Disney over the company’s opposition to a 2022 state law that restricted instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Disney filed a separate federal lawsuit and appealed after a U.S. district judge in January dismissed that case. The appeal remains pending.

Lawsuit Challenges Constitutionality of Florida Law Restricting Employment for Chinese and Some Others

March 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Two graduate students and a professor on Monday challenged the constitutionality of a 2023 state law that restricts employment of people from China and six other nations at Florida public universities and colleges. The challenge alleges, in part, that the law is unconstitutional because it is trumped by federal immigration laws.

DeSantis Signs Bill Restricting Children’s Social Media Accounts and Inviting Yet Another Lawsuit

March 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

House Speaker Paul Renner expressed confidence that a new social-media law will withstand a First Amendment challenge. Colin Hackley/File

With the state preparing for a legal challenge from the tech industry, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a high-profile bill aimed at keeping children off social-media platforms. Paul Renner and other key supporters argue that social-media companies have created addictive platforms that harm children’s mental health and can lead to sexual predators communicating with minors. But critics, including tech-industry groups, argue the bill is unconstitutional and point to courts blocking similar legislation in other states.

Pressure Mounts on DeSantis to Veto Vacation Rental Bill as Flagler County’s Exception Draws Sneers

March 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

A sign captured in front of a home on Harbor Drive in Indian Rocks Beach on Jan 14, 2023 (credit: Mitch Perry)

A growing list of opponents have been inundating Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office with emails and phone calls to veto the vacation-rental bill that, after 10 years’ tries, succeeded in scaling back local regulation of the short-term rental industry–except in Flagler County, which got the favor of an exception thanks to Paul Renner, the house speaker and Palm Coast representative.

DeSantis Signs ‘Live Healthy’ Package Spending $1.5 billion to Bolster Health Care Programs

March 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

A radiation beamer at UF Shands hospital in Gainesville. (© FlaglerLive)

The plan focuses on retaining and attracting health care workers to the state, creating a loan program for innovative health care projects, establishing behavioral health teaching hospitals, and providing at-home and community-based services to Floridians with disabilities.

Opponents Seeking to Redefine Constitutional Language on ‘Persons’ to Keep Abortion Rights Proposal Off Ballot

March 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

personhood justices

With the Florida Supreme Court deciding whether an abortion-rights constitutional amendment should go on the November ballot, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office and abortion opponents are urging justices to consider another part of the state Constitution that they say could apply to “unborn children.” Moody’s office Monday raised the possibility of filing an additional brief about what is described as the “natural persons” provision of the state Constitution.

Florida Spring Break: Come for the Sunshine, Stay for the Measles.

March 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

Volusia County's tourism headquarters, combined with the local chamber of commerce, in DeLand, in 1937. (Florida Memory)

Too many dunderheads are buying what dangerous anti-vaxxers like Ron DeSantis and his pet quack Joseph Ladapo are selling, so the measles virus is roaring back in Florida as the governor basks in a series of retro-reactionary new laws, from the end of the DEI movement in state universities to the ban on local governments’ attempts to treat their workers humanely in the face of climate change–a pair of words disallowed in the governor’s administration.

DeSantis Says Undocumented Immigrants Will ‘Regret’ Coming to Florida as He Signs Harsher Penalties Into Law

March 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis stages a press conference in Winter Haven on March 15, 2024. Source: Screenshot/DeSantis Facebook

One bill doesn’t mention migrants specifically but imposes a mandatory 10-day jail sentence for a third or subsequent conviction for driving without a license or with a license that has been suspended, cancelled, or revoked. Another bumps criminal penalties for people who commit felonies after having been deported and returning to the United States.

Paul Renner Vaunts His Tenure as Speaker and the Millions He Steered to Flagler, But Evades Saying What’s Next

March 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

House Speaker Paul Renner, who has represented Flagler County for the past eeight years but is term-limited this year, at a Humane Society fund-raising event in Flagler in October 2022. (© FlaglerLive)

House Speaker Paul Renner, the Republican who has represented Palm Coast at the Legislature for the last eight years, spoke for the first time at length about the record $150 million in appropriations he helped steer toward Flagler County while boasting of a successful session that increased money “across the board” for roads, schools, health care and green spaces. But he remained mum about his future as his term-limited tenure ends this year.

Watchdog Groups Call on Gov. DeSantis to Veto Ethics Bill Restricting Investigations of Corruption

March 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

"Bosses of the Senate," Joseph Keppler's 1889 cartoon first published in Puck. (Wikimedia Commons)

A coalition of state watchdog groups have sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling on him to veto an ethics bill that prohibits ethics commissions from pursuing any investigation of public officials or candidates for public office unless it comes from an individual “based on personal knowledge or information other than hearsay.”

Census Bureau: Flagler County’s Population Was 131,500 Last July, an Increase of 16,000 in Three Years

March 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Clearing the way for more housing in Palm Coast's P Section. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County is again among the faster-growing counties in the nation, but not among the fastest. The county added 16,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, a 14 percent increase beginning to resemble the population surge of the early 2000s that was halted by the housing crash. Put another way: the county has grown by a population equivalent to more than three times the size of Flagler Beach in that brief span. Just since 2010, the county has grown by 40,000 people.

As DeSantis Crows, Opponents of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Say Settlement Rectifies Some of the Damage

March 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

anti lgbtq cheap shots

Gov. Ron DeSantis was quick out the door with a claim that a settlement in a legal challenge to his Parental Rights in Education Act— or Don’t Say Gay — vindicated his efforts “to keep radical gender and sexual ideology out of the classrooms of public-school children.” In fact, the settlement agreement’s terms also limit enforcement of that law which the governor pushed through the Legislature two years ago to bar public school instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity.

Vice President Kamala Harris Will Visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on March 23

March 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

The names of the Parkland victims appeared on individual memorial signs. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

The White House announced Monday that Harris will visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Saturday, March 23, to meet with family members who lost loved ones in the 2018 mass shooting at the Parkland school, where 17 people were killed.

Defamation Revamp, Flag Bans, Limits on Local Tax Authority, ‘Unborn Child’ Bill All Dead Issues for Now

March 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

dead issues of 2024 florida legislative session

When Florida lawmakers went home after ending the 2024 legislative session Friday, they left behind hundreds of bills that did not pass, including a bill that would have allowed public figures easily to sue journalists, one that would have banned the flying of certain flags on public property, a proposal to lower the minimum age to buy rifles, and one that would have made it harder for local governments to raise property taxes.

Flagler County’s Unemployment, at 4.1%, Registers Second-Highest Total of Unemployed in Over 2 Years

March 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Flagler County's unemployment rate is a little less healthy than Florida's or the country's. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County’s unemployment rate again crossed the 4 percent threshold, for the fourth time in six months, registering at a not-seasonally adjusted 4.1 percent in January, up from 3.7 percent in December and 3.6 percent a year ago. The more telling average of the last 12 months was 3.7 percent, compared to 3.3 percent for the previous 12 months, underscoring a small but perceptive trend upward.

To An Increasingly Hysterical Right, Women and Their Bodies Are a Danger To the Republic

March 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

women's rights in regression

What’s America’s biggest problem? Not catastrophic climate change; not income inequality; not systemic racism. It’s women. OK, also communists. They’re everywhere, but the Florida Legislature means to nip that in the bud. But even the threat of a worker’s revolt pales in comparison to the Woman Problem. To the increasingly hysterical Right, women — and their unruly bodies — are a danger to the Republic.

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