Some 150 people, including numerous Flagler Beach and county officials, turned out to see the state Department of Transportation’s four options to more permanently strengthen State Road A1A, with sea walls taking precedence over dune rebuilding. But a combination of the four options is likely ahead.
Backgrounders
Leading Palm Coast Family of Philanthropists Mourning Loss of Eric Garvin, 38, to a Murder in Chile
Eric and Anna Garvin, long-time residents and philanthropists in Palm Coast, learned of the murder of their son, Eric Eugene Garvin, earlier this month in Santiago, Chile, during a robbery. The news has reverberated through the community.
‘D.O.A.’ and Its Local Cast Come Alive as Top Winners at Resurrected Flagler Film Festival
The Flagler Film Festival returned to Palm Coast after a five-year hiatus, with 44 independent, mostly short and mostly small-budget films, with the top honor going to “D.O.A.,” directed by Kurt St. Thomas, with Flagler County’s own Annie Gaybis and John Byner.
Flagler School District Will Ask Its Employees: Do You Want to Be Armed on Campus?
The Flagler County school district will survey its 1,600 employees to gauge whether there’s interest among them to be armed in the district’s nine campuses. The survey will not ask whether employees support or oppose such a program–only whether the individual taking the survey is himself or herself interested in being armed on campus, and providing security in case of an emergency.
Child Vaccination Rates, Already Down Because of Pandemic, Fall Again
Instead of recovering after schools reopened in 2021, historically low rates of child vaccination worsened, according to new data from the CDC. Experts fear that the skepticism of science and distrust of government that flared up during the pandemic are contributing to the decrease.
Storied Ukrainian Orchestra Picks Flagler Auditorium as Rehearsal Venue Ahead of 37-City Tour, to FYO Thrills
The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and its conductor, Theodore Kuchar, a frequent visitor to Palm Coast, chose the Flagler Auditorium to rehearse Thursday ahead of a 37-concert, 20-state tour that begins this evening, and opened their doors to Flagler Youth Orchestra students for the unique experience of watching a professional orchestra at work.
Army Corps Must Redesign Entire Flagler Beach Dunes Project, ‘Substantially’ Delaying It Again
Because of years of delays and further erosion, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must redesign the entire project to rebuild 2.6 miles of dunes on the critically eroded shoreline south of the Flagler Beach pier, now that the current design is out of date. That will further delay for at least a year or more a project 20 years in the works. Meanwhile, the coast continues to erode, threatening or damaging A1A.
Jacob Perry, Who Shot Up His Grandfather’s House, Invokes Scriptures and Being ‘Chosen’
Jacob Perry, 24, faces five felony charges following his admitted shooting at his grandfather’s car and house on Tuesday in Palm Coast. He cited a chapter from Isaiah in the Old Testament, telling deputies they could understand a lot about him from it. That may raising questions about his competency.
In ‘Extremely Rare’ Event, Killer Whale Beaches and Dies in Surf Near Hammock Dunes Club
A killer whale was found beached at dawn this morning in the surf opposite Hammock Dunes Club. The female orca was dead. It was being transferred to SeaWorld in Orlando for a necropsy.
On Rosewood Massacre Anniversary, Sad to See DeSantis Embrace Florida’s Old South Legacy
It’s sad to see Ron DeSantis embrace our Old South legacy rather than trying to lead us to a more inclusive New South future. Instead of demanding equal treatment under the law, open-eyed education and zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism and racism, he runs the other way.
Palm Coast Surveys Cost of Dredging Saltwater Canals, But Who Will Pay Is Big Question
The saltwater canals in Palm Coast’s C-Section and a sliver of the F-Section have been an attractive amenity since the city’s origins in the 1960s and 70s, when ITT Levitt dug them out. But they’ve never been dredged since. Who should pay for the job–residents of the C Section, or all of Palm Coast’s residents?
One Term In, Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan Decides to Pull Out of Re-Election Run After All
Ken Bryan, a one term Flagler Beach city commissioner and currently the chairman of the panel, has decided not to seek re-election after all. His decision still leaves five candidates, including incumbent Deborah Phillips, running for the two seats in the March 7 election.
Arkansas Takes Stock of Jacob Oliva, Its New Education Chief: Goal-Driven, Ambitious, Puzzling
The Arkansas Advocate reports on the varied reactions and impressions of former Flagler Superintendent and Florida Education Chancellor Jacob Oliva, who is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s nominee to head the state’s Department of Education.
Rob Smith and Flagler Beach Take an Environmental Stewardship Award for ‘Big Blue,’ the Glass Recycling Crusher
Flagler Beach’s “Big Blue” recycling program, created by Sanitation Director Rob Smith, won the stewardship award from the Northeast Florida Regional Council.
Ex-Palm Coast Doctor Facing Rape and Deceit Allegations Says He Was Never Served
A year and a half after a civil lawsuit was filed against him, claiming he deceived, drugged and raped a woman at a condo in Palm Coast, Dr. Gerard Abate says he was never served. A judge will decide whether Abate or a process server are telling the truth at a hearing next week.
American Impressions 7 | Montana: Ghost of the Prairie
It rises from wild grasses in Montana’s Golden Triangle, at the western extremity of the Great Plains, a massive hulk of concrete that makes no sense, that is as out of place as could be, and that will be there for thousands of years. It is a ghostly monument to the follies of the nuclear age.
American Impressions 3 | The Road
The Colorado National Monument, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City and Wyoming frame reflections on the romance of the road, that essentially American love affair made of myths and wanderlust, and those insufferable RVs.
American Impressions 1 | The Day Before America
In the first of nine installments of his American Impressions series–a reporter’s journey across the 50 states–Pierre Tristam fills in details that marked his youth in war-torn Lebanon and defined his outlook before migrating to the United States and beginning a process of discovery that continues to this day.
Based in Palm Coast, Global Support Group for Rare Disease Gets Awareness Boost from Celine Dion Diagnosis
Palm Coast resident Mike West started the Stiff Person Syndrome support group almost 20 years ago. It now has 1,700 members in 34 countries, and on Dec. 7, with Celine Dion announcement that she has SPS, the disease got the broader awareness people like West have been seeking.
Should There Be Armed Civilians in Schools? Flagler District Will Survey Employees and Residents
With numerous questions still unanswered–and some unanswerable questions–the Flagler County School Board is moving forward with gauging interest from school employees and residents in arming civilians in schools as a presumed addition to the security provided by the Sheriff’s Office’s school resource deputies.
Two Inmates at Flagler Jail Who Attempted Suicide Within 24 Hours Each Had a Disturbing Backstory
On Dec. 8 and 9, in the span of 24 hours, detention deputies–and an inmate in the first case–intervened and halted the attempted suicides of two inmates, a man and a woman, in unrelated incidents. Each had a harrowing back-story, suggesting that the individuals’ attempts may not be their last.
Ten Big Issues in Florida’s Just-Enacted Insurance Overhaul
Florida lawmakers this week held a special session and passed a 105-page bill aimed at stabilizing the state’s troubled property-insurance system. The bill (SB 2-A) deals with numerous issues, including lawsuits, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and critical reinsurance coverage. Here are 10 key issues that lawmakers addressed.
Lawsuit Cites Splash Pad Contractors’ ‘Collective Negligence’ and Bond Company’s Refusal to Pick Up Pieces
The lawsuit Palm Coast government filed to recover damages from the broken splash pad at Holland Park names three contractor, accusing them of negligence, breach of contract and warranties, and violations of Florida’s building code. The lawsuit also names the bonding company, revealing that the company has allegedly refused to comply by the bond’s terms.
Florida GOP and Insurance Companies Won Big ‘Bailout’ in This Week’s Special Session
The Florida Legislature’s special session on insurance reform ended Thursday with final passage to a bill extending a $1 billion subsidy to insurance companies but doing little to decrease premiums any time soon or provide relief for ordinary homeowners.
Florida Senate Approves $100 Million in Beach Erosion Aid, Part of $750 Million Disaster Relief Bill
The bill includes $100 million for beach-erosion recovery, an amount certain to help boost Flagler County’s prospects for tapping many of those millions as it faces vast challenges on 18 miles of its eroded coast.
County Commissioner Dave Sullivan Is Recovering from a Stroke, Hoping to Be Home By Christmas
Days after suffering a smaller episode, Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan on Dec. 7 suffered a stroke that numbed his left side and required his hospitalization since, first in Palm Coast, now in AdventHealth’s rehab facility in Ormond Beach.
2,000 Articles, 2 Million Words, Countless Revelations in ’22: Help FlaglerLive Keep You Richly Informed in ’23
If you are reading these words right now, consider yourself very fortunate: You are NOT a resident of one of the hundreds of U.S. cities, towns and counties that have no local, reliable print or online source of news. But it takes your help to keep your community from becoming a news desert.
Drag Shows Are Now A Right-Wing Target Amid Rising Extremism
Propagating hate and violence against queer people, lawmakers and right-wing figures are misrepresenting what happens at all-ages drag performances, including literacy events. This is occurring in the wake of a spate of legislative bills targeting LGBTQ people.
Belle Terre Parkway Road Work Near Indian Trails Middle School Will Cause Headaches Through March
Belle Terre Parkway construction near Indian Trails Middle and Belle Terre Elementary will run from Dec. 12 to March 30. The stormwater culvert pipes that run parallel to and under the southbound lane of Belle Terre Parkway must be repaired to stabilize the road and prevent more dips from forming.
Ending Green Lion Era, Palm Coast Readies to Sign 5-Year Lease With Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Course
The Palm Coast City Council at a meeting Tuesday is set to approve a five-year lease with Loopers at Palm Harbor Golf Club, replacing the Green Lion after five years. Loopers is owned by Jamie Bourdeau, who has owned Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach since 2014.
Flagler County Accuses Dune Hold-Out of ‘Bad Faith’ and ‘Abomination,’ and Wants Property Seized
Flagler County government is accusing the lone hold-out in a planned dune-rebuilding project along State Road A1A in Flagler Beach of “bad faith,” “fraud” and deception, and is asking a federal court to revoke her discharge from bankruptcy and enable the government to seize all but her homesteaded assets. Cynthia d’Angiolini, the 71-year-old property owner, today countered that “Flagler County is not a creditor in this case and has no standing.”
18 Arrested Out of 35 Sought in Sheriff’s Latest Round-Up of Suspected ‘Poison Peddlers’
The 11-month undercover operation started in January, culminating today with 24 search warrants and the seizure of drugs with a street value of $5.7 million. The round-up netted 18 arrests at the time of the sheriff’s announcement, out of 35 people sought. Heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, morphine, methamphetamines, marijuana and other drugs were among those seized, along with 13 firearms–seven of them rifles.
Wawa Will Rise in Place of Paul Katz Building on Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive
A second Wawa is coming to Palm Coast. It’ll be built in place of the Paul Katz Professional Building at 1 Florida Park Drive South, on Palm Coast Parkway, next year. The three-level, 35,000-square-foot Katz office building, one of the oldest and more architecturally eye-catching structures in the city will be demolished.
Supreme Court Seems Unwilling to Embrace Broad Version of ‘Independent State Legislature’ Theory
The Supreme Court on Wednesday signaled that it may not be ready to adopt a sweeping interpretation of the Constitution, known as the “independent state legislature” theory, that would give state legislatures broad power to regulate federal elections without interference from state courts.
Surging Private and Home School Enrollment Shelves One of Flagler District’s 2 Planned New Schools for Now
The Flagler County school district will start planning for a third high school during the 2024-25 school year. But plans for a new middle school, originally projected for the end of the decade, have been pushed out beyond that horizon for now as enrollment is not meeting expectations.
Flagler School Board’s Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro Will Not Run for Re-Election in 2024
Colleen Conklin’s and Cheryl Massaro’s decision will have far-reaching consequences, ensuring that the new board in 2024 will have the shortest combined experience on the board in at least two decades and a half and giving the culture-war hard-right another opening to win a majority.
Billing Herself as ‘Fiercely Independent,’ Dr. Wendolyn Sneed Will Be District’s Next Medical Examiner
A panel of powerful law enforcement, judicial and medical officials today unanimously chose Dr. Wendolyn Sneed, the chief medical examiner in Palm Beach county, as the next chief medical examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties, one of the most powerful, least visible jobs in the judicial system. The job pays $320,000 a year.
Shirley Chisholm Trail, Marking Giant National Legacy, Is Dedicated Along Palm Coast’s Pine Lakes Parkway
The Shirley Chisholm Trail, the work of the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County, connects Chisholm’s retirement years in Palm Coast to her historic achievements as the first Black member of Congress and the first woman to run for president from a major party, among many firsts. She died in 2005.
Accused of Killing His Grandfather, Luke Ingram Now Faces 1st Degree Murder and Rape Charges
Luke Ingram, 19, previously charged with second degree murder in the death of his grandfather, Darwin Ingram, at the Ingrams’ Palm Coast home, now faces a capital felony for the killing, exposing him to the death penalty, and a charge of rape, a life felony.
Health Harms of Mass Shootings Are Rippling Across Communities
A growing body of research reveals that the negative effects of mass shootings spread much farther than previously understood, harming the health of local residents who were not touched directly by the violence. Mental health experts say the recognition should prompt authorities to direct more attention and resources toward preventing such events — and helping a broader group of people after they occur.
Hidden Until Now, Audits Reveal Millions in Medicare Advantage Overcharges
Newly released federal audits reveal widespread overcharges and other errors in payments to Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors, with some plans overbilling the government more than $1,000 per patient a year on average. Medicare Advantage, a fast-growing alternative to original Medicare, is run primarily by major insurance companies.
FPC’s Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint Win MedNexus Innovation Challenge With Sleep App
Emerging out of a field of 25 teams, Flagler Palm Coast High School seniors Cameron Driggers and Roymara Louissaint won the second annual MedNexus Innovation Challenge Wednesday, and $1,000 each, by developing an experiment-based idea that uses technology against itself in an effort to reduce teens’ sleep deprivation.
State Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie Calls for ‘Holistic’ Re-Engineering of Florida Coast
Speaking at Flagler Tiger Bay Club, Kevin Guthrie, the state emergency management director, never used the words “climate change,” but nevertheless addressed needed changes in how Florida manages and re-engineers its coastline in words that would intrigue even Greenpeace activists.
Devastation on Flagler’s Coastline: Houses and Roadbeds Hanging on Sand Cliffs, Vanished Dunes, Yards Turned Beach
Flagler County generally survived Tropical Storm Nicole well. The coastline did not. Out of sight, it has been devastated even more than by Hurricane Ian, with houses left teetering on cliffs of sand, A1A’s roadbed left defenseless for most of its length, a dune system now entirely vanished the length of the county, and coastal residents left wondering why officials are not reacting. A documentation of the damage in photographs and video.
Nicole’s Damage to A1A ‘Much Worse’ Than Matthew, Over Longer Stretch; Parts of Flagler Beach Flood
An assessment of Tropical Storm Nicole’s damage of the shoreline from the north end of the county to South 25th Street in Flagler Beach left county officials disheartened at the flooding and the recurring destruction of State Road A1A, which is severe in many places and may require the road to be closed for weeks or months at least in one direction.
The Live Calendar: Palm Coast, Flagler and Nearbys’ Complete List of Events
Palm Coast Flagler and the region’s most comprehensive calendar of political, cultural, civic, social and entertainment events for coming days, near and far.
Barrier Island May Be Evacuated Wednesday Morning as Nicole’s Effects on Flagler Could Repeat Ian’s
Flagler County emergency management officials are cautioning residents of the barrier island, from Flagler Beach to Marineland, to be ready to evacuate as early as Wednesday as sub-tropical storm Nicole strengthens into a hurricane, making landfall in south Florida in the first hours of Thursday. Talks are ongoing possibly to stand up a shelter at the Palm Coast Community Center.
‘Chaos and Confusion’: The Campaign to Stamp Out Ballot Drop Boxes
Drop boxes have become a symbol of the attacks on voter access even though there’s been no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft involving drop boxes that could have affected election outcomes. Up to one-fourth of Florida drop-boxes had to be eliminated due to a new law restricting their use and locations.
Flagler Schools Have Been Quietly Banning or ‘Removing’ Many Books Since Summer in Bow to ‘Moms for Liberty’
The school district has been quietly and steadily banning books from library shelves at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High, and at Indian Trails and Buddy Taylor middle schools since summer, FlaglerLive has found, with every title part of a list of challenges from just three members of the group known as “Moms for Liberty.” There is no indication that the challengers are reading the books, but they have been asked to join the district’s review committee.
Barrier Island May Be Evacuated Wednesday Morning as Nicole’s Effects (Redirected)
Flagler County emergency management officials are cautioning residents of the barrier island, from Flagler Beach to Marineland, to be ready to evacuate as early as Wednesday as sub-tropical storm Nicole strengthens into a hurricane, making landfall in south Florida in the first hours of Thursday. Talks are ongoing possibly to stand up a shelter at the Palm Coast Community Center.