The Florida GOP is using the Parents’ Bill of Rights to weaponize a minority of insurrectionist parents against schools, giving parents the right to violate privacy and autonomy where it counts most at school: between students and teacher. No wonder there’s a teacher exodus. It’s just what the GOP wants. Destruction from within.
Backgrounders
Another Self -Storage Facility for Old Kings Road, a Car Wash Near Starbucks and Taco Bell on SR100
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for the third self-storage facility approved for Old Kings Road in the past four weeks, and a car wash near Aldi and Taco Bell on State Road 100. The self-storage facility was not permitted to have boats and RVs.
New Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon Steps In as Interim Snead Offers Valentine of Firsts to City
Dave Brannon, for 26 years a member of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the commander of the DeLand and Deltona districts, will take-over as Bunnell Police Chief on Feb. 28 as Interim Chief Brannon Snead neared the end of his three-month tenure by presenting the commission with a series of firsts, including the department’s first-ever strategic plan.
Father Is Jailed Over Whipping 7-Year-Old Girl, 3rd Palm Coast Case of Parental Child Abuse in 10 Days
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Charles Nazworth, 69, of Palm Coast’s W Section on a charge of child abuse Tuesday after he was accused of whipping his 7-year-old daughter with a belt and causing her to run away from home. The girl was found bruised, shoeless and coatless on Pine Lakes Parkway Tuesday afternoon.
Palm Coast Council Sharply Reverses Course on Green Lion After Crush of Unanimity Against Severing Lease
Faced with a rare, unanimous backlash against its arbitrary decision to end the city’s lease with the Green Lion restaurant at Palm Harbor Golf Club last week, the Palm Coast City Council executed a 179-degree turn Tuesday morning, dropping its order to sever the lease and opting instead to reopen negotiations with the restaurant, toward a five-year extension of the current lease.
Flagler County Tries to Buy More Time in Dunes Easement Dispute in Face of Army Corps’ Eroding Patience
Faced with an ultimatum from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Flagler County government has outlined a timeline to the federal agency that it hopes will buy it more time before the Corps redirects $17 million earmarked for dune reconstruction in Flagler Beach.
Tom Gargiulo, Palm Coast’s ‘Unwavering, Steadfast Champion’ of the Arts for 25 Years, Dies at 83
Tom Gargiulo, co-founder of the Gargiulo Arts Foundations and the Flagler County Artist of the Year award, prolific artist and patron to innumerable shows and artists, and the conceptual energy and fund-raiser behind Palm Coast’s Sculpture Garden in Town Center, died after complications from surgery Sunday in Palm Coast.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 13, 2022
The cold weather shelter opens tonight as temperatures go back into the 30s, “Calendar Girls” at the Daytona Playhouse, Teddy Roosevelt’s dead Indians, the firebombing of Dresden, one of the great war crimes of World War II.
Patriotism, Dissent, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ and the NFL
Playing the national anthem at every game became a flashpoint in the 1960s. Today, the NFL’s promise to play the anthem at every game cuts both ways. For Super Bowl LVI, three songs performed by four Black American female vocalists will offer a musical suite of unity in the face of division.
Life After the Covid Pandemic
There will not be a single moment when social life suddenly goes back to normal. Instead, gradually, over time, most people will view Covid-19 as a background risk and abandon the trappings of pandemic caution. There are major caveats to when the pandemic will wane, and trust in public health agencies has declined significantly.
Your Garbage Rates Are Going Up 47% in June, Services Cut Sooner, as Bid Flub Forces Waste Pro Contract Extension
Waste Pro garbage rates for Palm Coast residents and businesses will go up nearly $10 a month starting June 1, some services will be reduced, and fines levied on Waste Pro when it fails on the job will be cut in half according to a one-year extension of the city’s contract with the hauler, required because a bidding process for a new contract went awry last year.
Palm Coast Turns Nasty Against Green Lion Café Lease After 5 Successful Years and Turnaround at Palm Harbor Golf
The Palm Coast City Council’s distempers have not been unusual, but council members’ attacks on the Green Lion Cafe’s proposed lease renewal at the city-owned Palm Harbor golf club was especially mean-spirited despite a proposed rent increase of over 300 percent over the next five years, and the restaurant’s key role in turning the golf club around since 2017.
‘Normal Life’ Likely a Month Away in Flagler as Omicron Surge and Covid Risks Recede
Flagler Health Department Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel expects a measure of normalcy to return to Flagler County in about a month as the covid pandemic’s latest surge tapers off. Hospitalizations have persisted even as new cases have fallen off, but hospitalizations always lag new cases by a few weeks.
Palm Coast Boy’s Father Brutalizes His Son for Wearing Make-Up; 2 Felony Counts, But No Hate Crime Charge
Lomack J. Bennett, 33, was allegedly angered by his high school son wearing make-up and proceeded to slap him repeatedly, choke him, throw him to the ground and bust his lip, according to the boy’s account. He faces a child abuse “without great bodily harm” charge and a battery charge, but no hate crime charge.
Florida Lawmakers Applaud Local School Board members Even as They Consider Cutting Their Salaries
Republican members of the Florida House and Senate have been pushing legislation to limit school board pay. At first, a House bill proposed zero salary for local school board members. Then, the Senate proposed a small salary of $29,697 — the same as Florida lawmakers, which would dramatically cut most school board member salaries.
Cost to Save Beaches and Properties in Flagler from Rising Seas: $6.3 Million a Year, Year After Year
Flagler County commissioners and other local officials heard the sobering conclusions of a seminal beach management study today, and the large costs ahead that will fall on all local governments and residents if the beaches are to be preserved. That money is nowhere in place for now, nor is a management plan.
Florida’s Black Snow: How the Sugar Industry Makes Political Friends and Influences Elections
Florida produces more than half of America’s cane sugar and relies heavily on cane burning, a harvesting method in which the sugar industry burns crops to rid the plants of their outer leaves, producing pollution. Residents in the largely Black and Hispanic communities nearby claim the resulting smoke and ash harms their health. A city commissioner race provides a window into how the industry cultivates political allies, who help protect its interests.
City Panel Votes to Name Sports Complex Baseball Field After Doug Berryhill, Palm Coast Little League Champion
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee voted 5-0 to rename Field 6 at the Indian Trails Sports Complex after Doug Berryhill, for more than a decade a legendary Palm Coast Little League vice president and coach who grew the organization and was beloved by thousands of families.
It’s Fireworks as Usual in 2022 as Cities’ July 4 Grab Is Ticking Burst for Another Year
Flagler Beach and Palm Coast agreed to leave well enough alone this year, with July 4 fireworks in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast’s July 3 fireworks moved to the county airport. Palm Coast’s wish to have a some July 4’s of its own will be hashed out in future years.
Florida Judge Attacks Landmark 1st Amendment Decision Protecting Press as ‘Wrongfully Decided’
Judge Brad Thomas of the 1st District Court of Appeal wrote an 11-page concurring opinion that took aim at the Supreme Court’s 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan ruling, which, in part, required that public officials prove “actual malice” to prevail in defamation lawsuits. But the concurrence’s reasoning and citations lack context.
Florida House Completes Work on Its Own Voting Districts as Litigation Looms
The Florida House voted along party lines to approve a redistricting plan for itself and asked the state Senate to go along amid lingering uncertainty over the fate of congressional redistricting generated when Gov. Ron DeSantis got involved.
Shirley Chisholm Trail: Palm Coast Committee Votes 5-0 to Rename Pine Lakes Path After Maverick Black Leader
The Palm Coast Beautification Committee, an advisory panel of the Palm Coast City Council, is recommending the renaming of the Pine Lakes Trail along Pine Lakes Parkway to the Shirley Chisholm Trail to honor the first Black woman elected to Congress and run for president, before she moved to Palm Coast in 1991. The recommendation requires the council’s ratification, however.
$2,000 Reward for Return of Stolen “Quilty” Sculpture, One of 16 in Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Turtle Trail
One or more thief stole “Quilty,” the sixth of 16 turtles in the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Turtle Trail, an $8,000 work installed in October 2019 at at the Grand Haven Condo Association’s Creekside Park, at Waterfront Park and Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
For Second Time in 3 Weeks, Flagler School Board Members Reject Declaration Against Hate
An attempt by Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin to revisit a proclamation denouncing hate speech failed today, with School Board member Jill Woolbright calling the debate a “waste of time” and Janet McDonald calling hate speech subjective.
Dear Chairman Tucker: Don’t Appease School Board’s Crackpots
School Board members Janet McDonald and Jill Woolbright are directly and exclusively responsible for the board’s degradation into binges of deceit and zealotry. Until they have their third vote, it’s in Chairman Trevor Tucker’s power to re-assert the reality-based majority he speaks for. Anything less is appeasement–or complicity.
New Flood Maps Show US Damage Rising 26% in Next 30 Years
Despite recent devastating floods, people are still building in high-risk areas. With population growth factored in, the increase in U.S. flood losses will be four times higher than the climate-only effect. Deep inequities define who has to endure America’s crippling flood problem.
Hacked: How the Technician Helping Me Fix a Problem Was Scamming–and Hacking–Me
How a simple problem with a printer turned into a two-month nightmare after a tech call involving a supposed Hewlett-Packard pro turned out to be an artful hack job that planted spyware and weeks of anxiety and clean-ups. A cautionary tale by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lucy Morgan.
Should Supreme Court Justices Have Term Limits?
Extensive research on the Supreme Court shows life tenure, while well-intended, has had unforeseen consequences. It skews how the confirmation process and judicial decision-making work, and causes justices who want to retire to behave like political operatives.
Belle Terre Parkway Resurfacing Begins Monday from Royal Palm Parkway to SR100
On Monday (Jan. 31), a contractor will begin milling and repaving the segment of Belle Terre Parkway between Royal Palms Parkway and State Road 100 as part of the city’s annual repaving program. The segment is among the most heavily traveled in the city. The project will take four to six weeks.
County in Talks with Coastal Cloud to Buy $1.5 Million Parcel on A1A for Future Visitor Center
Flagler County’s tourism bureau is in discussions to buy a corner lot on State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach for a future visitor center. The 0.37-acre lot, owned by Coastal Cloud (the Hammock-based tech company), is listed at $1.5 million.
Breaking 8 Years’ Standstill, Flagler County Will Move Ahead with $16 Million South Side Library
The Flagler County Commission gave the go-ahead today for a $16 million south side library on Commerce Parkway in Bunnell, opposite the future Sheriff’s Operations Center, ending eight years of prevarications. But while several funding options are available, it is still not at all clear how the commission will pay for the 32,000 square foot facility, now slated to open in late 2024.
Except in Schools, Omicron Wave Crests in Flagler and Florida as Officials See End to Emergency
An end to the pandemic has been predicted before, especially after vaccines began rolling out, only for delta to obliterated those premature hopes. But several factors are converging in an indication that this time the crisis stage may well be on the wane, to be replaced by more routine infectious-disease management strategies.
Patient, Beware: Florida Among States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments
Unethically and deceptively–since it gives patients a false sense of security–several states, Florida among them, are still pushing the costly monoclonal treatments — often charging hundreds of dollars a session — that public health officials now say are almost certainly useless.
Jacob Oliva, Still a Flagler Resident, Is One of Three Finalists for Miami-Dade Superintendent
Jacob Oliva, senior chancellor of education and a former superintendent of Flagler County schools, is one of three finalists for superintendent in Miami-Dade, the nation’s fourth-largest district. The nine-member Miami-Dade school board will interview him for the job, along with two other candidates, on Monday.
Opelka Falls to Canadian Star Shapovalov in Australian Open 3rd Round
The No. 23 seed Opelka and the Canadian Shapovalov, seeded 14th, both looking to make the Round of 16 there for the first time in their careers, split the first two sets before the younger Shapovalov pulled away. He broke Opelka’s serve once each in the last two sets to snatch a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.
GOP Lawmakers Back Prohibition on Innumerable Ballot Initiatives
Florida voters in recent years have approved high-profile initiatives about issues such as raising the minimum wage and broadly legalizing medical marijuana. Such initiatives would be barred in the future if the House proposal is ultimately approved.
Why the Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Was So Violent, and What to Expect Next
The Kingdom of Tonga doesn’t often attract global attention, but a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half the world.
Sheriff Staly on Simultaneous July 4 Fireworks in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach: ‘It Will Certainly Strain Our Resources’
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is cautioning the two cities that simultaneous July 4 fireworks will mean his agency might not be able to support Flagler Beach as it has before on that day. But a Palm Coast City Council member has now shifted position, and favors continuing July 4 and July 3 shows, giving each city July 4 in alternate years. But would Flagler Beach agree to hold its shows on July 3 every other year?
Florida Legislators Are Stealing Money from Environmentally-Sensitive Lands Pot, Without Consequences
In 2014, 75 percent of Florida voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution that said the Legislature had to spend a certain amount of money buying environmentally sensitive land. Legislators have been illegally appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars away from the intended purpose of the amendment.
Flagler’s Covid Cases Near 1,500 in a Week, Shattering Record Even as Peak Is in Sight; 3 More Deaths Bring Total to 288
Like most communities across the country, Flagler County this week shattered its weekly covid-infection total, with 1,469, exceeding last week’s record of 1,166, though emergency-care clinics’ numbers suggest that the region is near or at its peak of this latest wave, driven mostly by the astonishingly infectious but less lethal omicron variant.
David Ayres Is Named President of Flagler Broadcasting and Its 6 Radio Stations
Jim Martin has named David Ayres president of Flagler Broadcasting. Ayres had been its vice president and general manager since 2008. He’ll fill a role previously filled by Martin, who is taking a step back from day to day operations at the network. Martin will be chairman of the company’s board.
Slow Way in Seminole Woods Will Not Close After All as Palm Coast Council Ends Long and Winding Slog
After voting to close Slow Way last year, the Palm Coast City Council has reversed course for good, opting to keep the tiny street open now that no-truck signs appear to have reduced traffic woes and a backlash from residents made council members reluctant to close the street.
Full Text: Gov. DeSantis State of the State Address
The prepared text of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s 2022 State of the State Address before the Florida Legislature as he opened the session. “We have 60 days to work together to build upon our rock of freedom,” he said.
‘You Had Me at 8-Inch Shells’: Palm Coast Would Shift Fireworks to Airport, But on July 4, Clashing With Flagler Beach
While the Palm Coast City Council is fine with moving Independence Day fireworks to the county airport, three council members want to see fireworks only on July 4, which would clash with Flagler Beach’s iconic show and create coordination problems that the city and the Sheriff’s Office may not have the resources to provide simultaneously.
I Saw Firsthand What It Takes to Keep Covid Out of Hong Kong. It Felt Like a Different Planet.
On a visit to Hong Kong, reporter Caroline Chen encountered a 21-day quarantine, a bevy of Covid tests, universal masking and, finally, a fear-free family holiday. Hong Kong’s quarantine procedures are among the strictest in the world. The city is committed to a “zero-Covid” policy, which means it will take every possible measure to prevent a single case.
Palm Coast Man Who ‘Tortured’ His Child Draws Character Letter from NFL’s Emmitt Smith, and 20 Years in Prison
Deviaun Toler, the 30-year-old former Palm Coast resident a jury found guilty of burning his infant son’s arm with boiling water, leaving him black and blue with marks from whippings and breaking his skull in brutal beatings over “weeks of abuse,” as the prosecutor described it, was sentenced to 20years in prison today, followed by 10 years on probation.
Jimaya Baker, Ringleader in Armed Robberies and Shooting that Left a Man Paralyzed, Is Sentenced to 15 Years
Jimaya Baker, 20, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the maximum prosecutors asked for, in her role as ringleader of two armed robberies in Palm Coast, in 2018 and 2019, one of them leaving an 18-year-old man half paralyzed and an invalid for the rest of his life. She was one of six co-conspirators in the two robberies. All have pleaded to prison time.
Incumbents a Crowd as Qualifying Soon Closes in Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach for March Elections
For an off-year, 2022 will not be short of elections in Flagler County, starting with elections in Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Beverly Beach on March 8. A combined seven incumbents in the three municipalities are making a play to keep their seats, and absent additional candidates filing to run, Bunnell and Beverly Beach could end up with uncontested elections.
Town of Beverly Beach Makes Unprecedented $10,000 Donation to Flagler County Health Department
Beverly Beach, which brands itself a “small town with a good heart,” donated $10,000, or 5 percent of its American Rescue Plan allocation, to the Flagler Health Department, with Bob Snyder at the commission meeting to accept the donation Monday evening. The money will be spent on diabetes and other public health initiatives.
Flagler’s Omicron-Led Covid Infections Surge Toward Record as DeSantis Sees Schools and Business as Usual
Infection numbers are surging across Florida, but in a 50-minute news conference this morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo not only projected a business-as-usual approach, but said testing protocols will be revised toward less testing, with testing and treatment focused on higher-risk patients, while schools are to remain open and operating under previously relaxed guidelines that de-emphasize quarantines, masking and distancing.