Florida is the second most distressed state in the union in terms of its residents’ debt obligations. The state saw a 23% increase in the share of people with distressed bank accounts between 2024 and 2025, the data show. In addition, Florida holds the sixth-highest overall share of people with accounts in distress, at 7.3%. In human terms, this financial distress looks like a sharp increase in bankruptcy filings; residents with accounts in forbearance or deferred payments; America’s lowest average credit scores; and higher prices for groceries, rent, mortgages, gasoline, and health care.
Health & Society
Flagler OARS Hosts Peer-Based Recovery Support Training
Flagler OARS (Open Arms Recovery Services) will host a comprehensive two-day training focused on supervision of peer-based recovery support services Feb. 11-12, 2026, at SMA Healthcare in Bunnell.
Flagler Cares Offers One-Stop Help Night on Range of Social, Medical and Legal Services
Flagler Cares will host its next quarterly Help Night on Wednesday, October 29 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Flagler County Village Community Room, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite B304, Palm Coast. Help Night, organized by Flagler Cares in partnership with several community organizations, is a one-stop help event designed to connect residents with essential services and resources.
Millions Protest Trump Authoritarianism: A Roundup from Around the Country
Millions of Americans packed streets, parks and town squares across the United States Saturday for No Kings day, according to the organizers of the massive day of demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump’s administration — from his deployment of troops to cities to his targeting of political opponents. They showed up at more than 2,600 events for the second organized No Kings day in America’s largest cities like Atlanta, New York City and Chicago, to smaller metro areas and towns including Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Bismarck, North Dakota; Palm Coast, Florida; and Hammond, Louisiana.
Food Stamps May Run Out in 2 Weeks if Shutdown Persists
As the federal government shutdown extends to day 17, and with congressional leaders nowhere near negotiating, state officials are beginning to raise concerns of potential cuts to nutrition assistance benefits that feed millions if the government isn’t reopened.
Let Us Now Bow to the Quackery of Conversion Therapy
Conversion therapy is the non-medical and debunked theory that if you hector gays, lesbians and trans long enough, they’ll convert back to heterosexuality. The approach is premised on self-loathing. It’s abusive. It has nothing to do with science. It has everything to do with a perverted interpretation of Christianity’s vilification of anything non-heterodox. yet after hearing the case this week, the U.S. Supreme Court, continuing its upending of First Amendment interpretations, appears inclined to open the door to conversion therapy to those under 18 as a legitimate professional practice.
DSC Offering Full EMT Certificate Program at Flagler/Palm Coast Campus Starting in January
Daytona State College will begin offering the full Emergency Medical Technician Certificate program at its Flagler/Palm Coast Campus beginning in January 2026 and is now taking applications for the program.
Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ Bill Cuts $3.8 Billion from Florida’s Healthcare System, Hurting Hospitals and the Poor
President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will cut $3.8 billion from Florida’s health care system, with that money primarily affecting Florida hospitals. Five Florida programs are over a certain cap and currently receive $9 billion. That total will drop to $5.2 billion in state-directed payments by 2034-2035, Meyer told the group of lawmakers after facing earlier questions in the week about how children are being disenrolled from the Florida KidCare program for not paying their premiums.
With Shutdown, Democrats Finally Take a Clear and Critical Stand
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will add $4 trillion to the national debt and throw 20 million people off Obamacare over the life of the bill, which lets supplemental premium subsidies enacted during the Biden administration expire. It would more than double premium costs for Obamacare recipients. The cost of extending the subsidies over the next 10 years is $350 billion, or 8 percent of the Trump tax cuts. This is what the Democrats have been willing to shut the government over. It’s about time.
St. Johns County Launches Children’s Advocacy Group
St. Johns County has helped launch IMPACT: Advocating for Children Today, Inc., with community partners to identify the needs, resources, and partnerships to improve the lives of St. Johns County children and their families by advocating for a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. A community workshop was held in August to proceed forward with program priorities, funding opportunities, and the formation of a board of directors.
Florida Could Face Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Food Stamp Costs Under Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ Bill
Currently, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits — commonly known as food stamps — distributed by the state are fully funded by the federal government. But under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed this summer by President Donald Trump, that could change on Oct. 1, 2027, when states could be required to contribute money based on payment error rates. The error rate isn’t based on fraud but overpayments and underpayments. Benefits are calculated based on household sizes and net monthly incomes, which can change and might not be immediately reported.
Flagler Cares’ Carrie Baird Is Among ‘Women Shaping Florida’s Future’ at State Awards, a First for Flagler County
Close to 200 people gathered at Tallahassee’s DoubleTree Hotel Wednesday evening to honor “women who are shaping Florida’s future, who are leading, innovating and lifting others up as they rise,” as Shevaun Harris, Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration, a keynote speaker and one of the honorees, told the audience. One of the women was Carrie Baird, Chief Executive Officer of Flagler Cares, the 10-year-old, Palm Coast-based nonprofit. It was the first time that the leader of an organization in Flagler County was the recipient of the News Service of Florida’s annual Above and Beyond Award.
Palm Coast Man Neglects to Take Infant Daughter to Hospital After She Ingested Edibles, Attending Football Game Instead
Kajuan Arthur Harris, a 29-year-old resident of Wheatfield Drive in Palm Coast, faces a charge of child neglect with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony, following the second hospitalization of his 5-year-old autistic daughter after she ingested a large quantity of marijuana edibles while she was in Harris’s care. He refused to take the child to the hospital, going to a football game instead and urging the child’s mother to let the child “sleep it off.”
Florida Has No Clue How Many Kids Have Lost Health Coverage Since DeSantis Refusal to Comply with Eligibility Rule
In 2023. the Legislature ordered that children in families making up to 300 percent of the poverty level be eligible for KidCare, not 200 percent. The DeSantis administration has refused to comply, sticking with 200 percent, and causing enrollment to fall. But Brian Meyer, the state’s top Medicaid official, couldn’t answer a simple question: How many children have been disenrolled from the program because their families haven’t paid the premiums.
Florida Attorney General Leads 21 States Backing ‘Parental Rights’ Over Child’s Gender Privacy in Court Case
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier led 21 states in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday supporting a Tallahassee mother who claimed her rights were violated when a local middle school created a secret plan supporting her child switching genders.
Sirius Healthcare, Specializing in HIV and Hepatitis C, Joins Flagler Care’s Village at City Marketplace
Sirius Healthcare, established 15 months ago and headquartered in Orange City, is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals impacted by HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as mental health and primary care services. Founded on principles of compassion and excellence, Sirius Healthcare focuses on improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations by empowering patients through education, support, and comprehensive care tailored to their unique needs.
Do ‘Conversion Therapy’ Bans Violate Free Speech?
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday in a challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” – treatment intended to change a client’s sexual orientation or gender identity – for young people. Kaley Chiles, a therapist in Colorado Springs and a practicing Christian, argues that the ban violates her right to free speech because it imposes “a gag order on counselors.” Colorado counters that the ban merely regulates the treatments that mental health professionals can provide because conversion therapy has been found to be “unsafe and ineffective.”
The Shutdown and the Battle Over Obamacare Subsidies
In the lead-up to the current shutdown, Republicans needed Democratic votes in the Senate to pass a bill that would keep funding the government at existing levels at least until November. In return for their support, Democrats sought several concessions. A major one was to extend subsidies for ACA insurance policy premiums, which were established during the COVID-19 pandemic. These subsidies addressed a shortcoming in the ACA by decreasing premiums for millions of Americans – and they played a crucial role in more than doubling enrollment in the ACA marketplaces.
Privatizing the VA Is a Disaster in the Making for Veterans
The VA MISSION Act of 2018, passed under President Trump’s first term, established a parallel private network, the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The VCCP now sees 60 percent of VA patients and eats up over $30 billion a year that could go to hiring more staff and improving the VA’s aging infrastructure. This year, VA Secretary Doug Collins asked Congress for a 50 percent increase in VCCP funding and — in an unprecedented move — a reduction in VA funding.
Cops May No Longer Search Your Car Based on Pot Smell Alone, Court Rules
Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal’s main opinion said that for “generations, cannabis was illegal in all forms — thereby rendering its distinct odor immediately indicative of criminal activity.” But the opinion said legislative changes have “fundamentally changed its definition and regulation” and made cannabis legal to possess in multiple forms.
SMA Healthcare Foundation Raises Record $480,000 for Outpatient Center
The SMA Healthcare Foundation celebrated a landmark evening at its Annual Dinner Celebration & Auction, themed “Photo Finish”, where the community came together to hit the funding goal for its new, state‑of‑the‑art West Volusia Outpatient Center. Held at the prestigious Daytona 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway, a record $480,000 was raised during the sold-out event.
Looking Beyond the Turning Point of Charlie Kirk’s Death to the Soil We’re Tilling for the Next Generation
Charlie Kirk’s assassination feels like more than another entry in America’s long and tragic list of political violence. It feels like a hinge point, writes former School Board member Colleen Conklin. But history suggests scars can be the beginning of strength. If the pattern holds, today’s youth may yet rise to become the next Greatest Generation. Now is the time to cultivate compassion stronger than ideology, courage rooted in empathy, the ability to separate people from their ideas. What then grows could astonish us.
Florida Is Misleadingly Invoking Slavery as It Readies to Kill All Vaccine Mandates in Schools
On Sept. 3, 2025, Florida announced its plans to be the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates for its citizens, including those for children to attend school. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general and a professor of medicine at the University of Florida, has stated that “every last one” of these decades-old vaccine requirements “is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He is wrong.
Commissioners Dismayed Over County’s Impotence as They Write Off $10 Million in Seemingly Unpaid Ambulance Bills
Since 2018, the county has accrued on average $1.7 million a year in what the county considers to be uncollected bills, or $10.3 million through February 2024. It’s happened for years, if not quite by those amounts. For years, the County Commission has periodically written off the loss. But it’s not all unpaid bills: the majority of that “loss” is the difference between what Medicaid and Medicare reimburse, as opposed to what the county bills.
Flagler Beach Kills Backyard Chickens Proposal as Commissioner Who Suggested It Joins Opposition
Flagler Beach will not allow backyard chickens after all. Commissioner Rick Belhumeur proposed the idea in July at a constituent’s suggestion, causing the city attorney to draft an ordinance. Belhumeur wasn’t alone in killing the proposal last week (it was unanimous), but he gave it the coup de grâce.
Palm Coast Attorney Marc Dwyer on the End of Open Carry Ban: Correct Decision, Not Without Street Consequences
Palm Coast attorney Marc Dwyer is of two minds about last week’s decision by a Florida appeals court invalidating the ban on openly carrying firearms. On one hand, he found the ruling legally right and in line with history and current law since 2008. On the other hand, he says there’s “going to be an uptick in crime” as a result. Sheriff Rick Staly disagrees, seeing not much change ahead as a consequence of the decision.
Family of 4 In Flagler County Set to See 75% Premium Increase for Obamacare; 4 Million Floridians Will See Sharp Jump
Health insurance rates will increase sharply for the 4 million-plus Floridians who rely on so-called Obamacare plans or small employer health insurance coverage in the coming weeks, according to data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. For a family of four with a household income of $85,000 in Flagler County, the monthly premium for an average silver plan will rise to 1,192, from $680, a 75 percent increase.
Appeals Court Ruling Against Transgender Deputy May Buttress Florida’s Restrictions on Pronouns Use
Florida’s defense of a 2023 law restricting pronouns that transgender teachers can use to identify themselves could be aided by an appeals-court ruling Tuesday in a Georgia case. A transgender Houston County, Ga., sheriff’s deputy filed that lawsuit after she was denied coverage under a county health-insurance policy for surgery related to gender dysphoria. The sharply divided appeals court ruled against the Georgia deputy, Anna Lange. Judge Nancy Abudu, in a dissenting opinion, pointed to potentially far-reaching effects of the majority ruling, calling it discrimination against transgender people.”
“The majority opinion effectively sanctions employment discrimination against transgender people,” Abudu’s dissent said.
Florida Medical Association Unequivocally Backs Vaccine Mandates in Schools as DeSantis Prepares to End Them
The Florida Medical Association, the state’s largest physicians’ organization, strongly backed childhood vaccinations Thursday, a day after state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo vowed to end vaccine mandates.
Guns and Ammo Will be Tax-Free in Florida Until the End of the Year
Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition. The tax holiday starting Monday also will allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on camping and fishing equipment through the end of the year. It was part of a broad tax package (HB 7031) that lawmakers passed in June.
Trump’s Invasion of DC Costs Over $1 Million a Day. Here’s What That Could Pay for Instead.
Deploying the National Guard against D.C.’s unhoused population costs four times more than simply housing them. That’s true across the country.
The Most Alarming Price Increase of All: Your Health Insurance Premiums
Since 1999, health insurance premiums for people with employer-provided coverage have more than quadrupled. According to Business Group on Health, a consortium of major employers, “actual health care costs have grown a cumulative 50% since 2017.” In a separate survey published in 2021, 87% of companies said that in the next five to 10 years, the cost of providing health insurance for their workers would become “unsustainable.”
Flagler Cares CEO Carrie Baird To Be Honored with News Service of Florida’s 2025 Above & Beyond Award
Carrie Baird, chief executive officer of Flagler Cares, is among this year’s honorees of the News Service of Florida Above & Beyond Award. The awards honor the “most influential and thought-provoking women in Florida who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their field, combined with having made significant contributions to society.” Flagler Cares, a Palm Coast-based non-profit that just marked its 10th anniversary, connects people to benefits, direct services or resources through a “no-wrong-door” approach.
State Leaders Claim Farmers Feeding Florida Program Will Stave Off Hunger
Farmers Feeding Florida expands Florida food bank infrastructure so that fresh produce, meat and other products from the Sunshine State can end up in food banks and help feed The state’s $38 million investment with the Farmers Feeding Florida initiative that began July 1 expands Florida food bank infrastructure so that fresh produce, meat and other products from the Sunshine State can end up in food banks and help feed hungry people, they said.
Flagler Beach Rotary’s Awareness Walk to Promote 988 Crisis Lifeline Set for Sept. 25 Over SR100 Bridge
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach will host an Awareness Walk to promote the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 5:30 pm on Thursday, September 25, 2025. All are invited and participants will walk from Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach, over the SR 100 bridge to Veterans Park where they will gather for a brief ceremony.
Judge Rules Illegal a Florida Law Banning Trans Teachers’ Choice of Pronouns
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker sided with Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood and a Lee County teacher, identified as Jane Doe, in finding that the state law discriminates in violation of what is known as Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That section bars employment discrimination because of a person’s “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” But the outcome of the issue might ultimately hinge on an appeals-court ruling in a Georgia case.
Jeani Duarte, a Council Candidate, Says Palm Coast’s Utility Plants Will Make Cannibals of Residents
Jeani Duarte, a candidate for the Palm Coast City Council in the 2026 election, on Tuesday evening accused the city of planning a sewer infrastructure that will turn residents into cannibals. Duarte often addresses the council at its workshops and meetings, often several times a meeting, often to make statements that are either inaccurate or “nonsensical,” as Circuit Judge Chris France twice termed a civil action she attempted against the city, before France tossed it.
The Eugenics of the Big Beautiful Bill
Withdrawing or making Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage more restrictive will cost 51,000 lives a year by 2034. It’s one way to reduce the government’s liability for lives on the dole. It is eugenics by other means.
Veteran Who Robbed and Killed a Man at Graham Swamp in 2006 Seeks Full Release from Supervision
Brian Wothers, the 43-year-old military veteran who robbed and killed 26-year-old Jeffrey David Maxwell at Graham Swamp after partying with him earlier that night in 2006, is seeking release from all state supervision 17 years after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and committed to a state hospital. A circuit judge is not ready to grant that step just yet.
At Flagler Cares, A Play Therapy Room That Allows Children to Express the Unspeakable
Imagine a 5 or 6-year-old child, maybe an abused child or one who’s just endured unspeakable trauma. The child has been incapable of expressing feelings as other children might. The child’s parents have been unable to connect. Play therapy enables the child to express those feelings as nothing else might. That’s the purpose of the play therapy room at Flagler Cares, “a place to play, a place to heal,” as the plaque outside the room put it.
County and Palm Coast ‘Task Force’ Will Explore Cost of Animal Shelter Separate from Flagler Humane Society
Even as they compulsively speak of “DOGE”-dictated government efficiency and stress over limited budgets, Flagler County and Palm Coast’s governments are setting up a joint task force to study the possibility of building or operating a multi-million animal shelter separate from the Flagler Humane Society, which since 1982 been the only full-service animal shelter in the county.
Pink Army 5K Early Bird Registration is Open
The City of Palm Coast in partnership with AdventHealth Palm Coast is happy to present the Pink Army 5K on October 5, 2025. This special event raises money for breast cancer awareness, education, and screening, which is used locally in our community.
Woman Who Posed as Nurse at AdventHealth Palm Coast for 18 Months, Seeing Almost 4,500 Patients, Is Arrested
Autumn Marie Bardisa, a 29-year-old resident of 7 Pinto Drive in Palm Coast who impersonated an emergency room nurse at AdventHealth Palm Coast’s two hospitals, was arrested on 14 felony charges on Tuesday and is being held at the Flagler County jail on $70,000 bond. Bardisa worked at the hospitals from July 3, 2023 to Jan. 22, 2025, when she was fired. During her employment, she had documented contact as a nurse with 4,486 patients, according to the investigation.
21 Infections Tied to Raw Milk in Florida
Florida Department of Health officials said Monday there have been 21 cases of Campylobacter and E. coli infections tied to raw milk consumption in the central and northeast portion of the state, and seven people have been hospitalized. The agency said the tainted milk was “linked to a particular farm” but did not disclose the name or location. In Florida, raw milk can only be sold for non-human consumption. The DOH, headed by Dr. Joseph Ladapo, did not recommend against drinking raw milk.
Keep Your ICE Raids Out of Our Schools
Immigration raids have escalated — often under questionable pretenses. This spring, immigration agents tried to enter two elementary schools in Los Angeles. At the door, agents said they wanted to determine students’ well-being and claimed to have authorization from the children’s caretakers. Administrators denied them entry — and when they spoke with caretakers later, they learned that agents had lied about receiving permission.
100 Cats Rescued from R-Section Home in Palm Coast Will Have Their Own Adoption Event
In a powerful show of compassion and teamwork, almost 100 cats were rescued this week from a single home in Palm Coast, thanks to a coordinated effort by city employees, local organizations, and dedicated animal lovers.
Trump Voters Wanted Relief From Medical Bills. For Millions, the Bills Are About To Get Bigger.
President Donald Trump rode to reelection last fall on voter concerns about prices. But as his administration pares back federal rules and programs designed to protect patients from the high cost of health care, Trump risks pushing more Americans into debt, further straining family budgets already stressed by medical bills. Millions of people are expected to lose health insurance in the coming years as a result of the tax cut legislation Trump signed this month, leaving them with fewer protections from large bills if they get sick or suffer an accident.
As Data Centers Hog Power, Regular Customers Foot the Bill
Regular energy consumers, not corporations, will bear the brunt of the increased costs of a boom in artificial intelligence that has contributed to a growth in data centers and a surge in power usage, recent research suggests. Between 2024 and 2025, data center power usage accounted for $9 billion, or 174%, of increased power costs in 13 states and Washington, D.C., where this spring, customers were told to expect roughly a $25 increase on their monthly electric bill starting June 1.
Palm Coast Couple Face Felony Child Neglect Charges After Leaving Infant in Car While Drinking at a Bar
Norman E. Finnegan Jr., 60, and Clarisse Finnegan, 28, both of Coral Reef Court in Palm Coast, were booked at the Flagler County jail shortly after midnight Saturday, each on a charge of felony child neglect after their infant child was left in the backseat of their car while the couple had drinks at a bar.
Minimally Invasive TenJet Procedure Ends Woman’s Years of Chronic Hip Pain
For years, Laura O’Brien lived with persistent pain in her hip. It made daily tasks like walking, standing, and sleeping difficult. Relief finally came from an unexpected source: a handheld device the size of an electric toothbrush. Dr. Joseph Chen performed the outpatient procedure at AdventHealth Palm Coast – as the only sports medicine physician in Flagler, St. Johns, and Volusia counties offering TenJet for joint and limb treatments.