Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C., last year passed a variety of legislation that addresses the housing affordability problem, from tax credits for developers to rental assistance and eviction protections for residents.
Backgrounders
Rubio Derides as ‘Publicity Stunt’ Banks’ Funding Halt to Vouchers Underwriting Anti-Gay Schools
An investigation found at least 156 Florida private schools that took state-funded scholarships had anti-gay views or policies, and 83 of the schools refused to admit LGBTQ students or could expel them if their sexual orientations or gender identities were disclosed.
Catholic Leaders Promised Transparency About Child Abuse. In Florida and Elsewhere, They Haven’t Delivered.
After decades of shielding the identities of accused child abusers from the public, many Catholic leaders are now releasing lists of their names. But the lists are inconsistent, incomplete and omit key details.
Weekend Briefing: Mr. Pro Bono, Bunnell Retreat, Race of the Runways, Capitol Steps at the Auditorium, Linda Cole
Attorney Vincent Sullivan honored for pro bono work, the Bunnell City Commission takes a retreat for goal-setting, The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach hosts the annual Race of the Runways for Rotary, Linda Cole Sunday Jazz Rendezvous at Cue Note.
Colleen Conklin Applies for Flagler Superintendent in Bold But Risky Move After 20 Years as School Board Member
Colleen Conklin, at 20 years the longest-serving member of the Flagler County School Board, this afternoon applied to be the next superintendent, a move that triggers a series of ramifications and places her four colleagues in the odd position of deciding whether to be her boss.
Flagler Beach Citizens Academy Taking Enrollment for March Session
The latest session of the Flagler Beach Citizens Academy is scheduled for eight consecutive Wednesdays beginning on March 4, 2020, running through April 22, 2020, from 2:00—5:00 PM.
2020 Flagler Elections Guide Mailed to 54,000 Households Ahead of Busy Season
A very long list of offices and seats are up for election in Flagler County, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell this year, with three major election days ahead plus municipal elections in March.
When a Local Government Trespasses a Citizen from Public Property: Palm Coast Is Adopting New Rules
The Palm Coast City Council will approve a new ordinance codifying trespassing procedures and the due-process appeals process as it applies to members of the public who may be barred from public property, including city parks.
Logan Goodman, 14, Killed, Joey Renn, 20, Critical in Motorcycle Crash in Palm Coast’s Woodlands
Logan Goodman, 14, was killed and Joey Renn, 20, is in critical condition following a single motorcycle crash this evening on Blare Castle Drive in Palm Coast’s Woodlands.
Beyond Transgender Student’s Transfer Out of Matanzas, Calls on School Board to Take LGBTQ Safety Seriously
A throng of students, faculty members and parents asked the Flagler County School Board Tuesday to support more explicit procedures protecting LGBTQ students as Charlene Cothran, a Palm Coast pastor, again attacked the a transgender student and ridiculed LGBTQ rights.
Florida Senate Panel Backs Reparations for Descendants of Ocoee Massacre Victims at White Mob’s Hands
Some 60 to 70 black residents of Ocoee were murdered during the massacre in the Central Florida town. The reparation funding levels were modeled, in part, on a 1994 decision by the Legislature to compensate African-American families up to $150,000 for damages in the Rosewood Massacre of 1923.
2020 Flagler Jail Bookings, Sheriff’s, Bunnell and Flagler Beach Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2020 Flagler County jail bookings, commanders’ crime and incident reports, Flagler Beach and Bunnell police shift reports and archive.
Flawed Marijuana-Impaired DUI Testing Means Wrongful Prosecutions and Lax Enforcement
DUI-testing for marijuana impairment is inaccurate, easily disputed and defeated. The result is uneven prosecution. Innocent drivers are being wrongly convicted. Impaired drivers are remaining undetected, posing a potential safety risk to everyone on the road.
Death Row’s Cornelius Baker a No-Show at His Own Pre-Trial Ahead of Potential Reprieve
Lawyers and the judge in the re-sentencing case of convicted murderer Cornelius Baker focused on a lengthy questionnaire about the death penalty the defense planned to submit to potential jurors. The judge ordered the questionnaire significantly shortened.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s State of the State Address
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday gave his State of the State address to formally start the 2020 legislative session. Here’s the full text as prepared for delivery.
A Day After a Teacher Is Arrested for Battering a Student, a 15-Year-Old Is Arrested for Battering FPC Dean
A 15-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student was arrested and charged with battery against FPC Dean Erin Davis, the student’s second such charge involving a faculty member since August.
Maturing, Soaring Opelka Roars Into 2020 With Top American Ranking in His Sights
In an exclusive interview with FlaglerLive, Opelka reveals himself as young man who thinks before he speaks, is comfortable in his own skin, and understands that as his fame grows, his responsibility of handling that fame increases.
Wednesday Briefing: Palm Coast’s Popeyes, Snelgrove Trial Day 3, Paws to Read, Pirro at Tiger Bay
Popeyes is hiring and getting set to open on State Road 100 in Palm Coast, opening arguments in the David Snelgrove death penalty-phase trial, host Jeanine Pirro at Volusia’s Tiger Bay.
School Board’s New Suicide-Prevention Policy Would Require Training for All Faculty
With youth suicide rising sharply in the past decade, the Flagler County School Board will discuss adopting a proposed suicide-prevention policy, the district’s first, which calls for two hours of continuing education training for all faculty, including administrators.
Three Years of Documenting Hate
“Go back to your country” or “go back to X country” was one of the most common phrases encountered in both hate crimes and bias incidents, along with a large number of hate incidents in schools, particularly after the 2016 election. Latinos have been targeted based on the (often erroneous) belief that they are immigrants or for speaking Spanish.
Proposed 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention Number Could Lead to Surge in Calls
The FCC unanimously approved a proposal to set aside 9-8-8 as the replacement for the existing national suicide hotline number: 800-273-8255. The new number isn’t expected to go live for a year or more.
Palm Coast’s Starlight Parade Draws Record Number of Participants and 10,000 Spectators
Over 80 participants registered to either have a vehicle or walk in the parade—including multiple community groups, civic organizations, local schools and private local businesses.
Prosecution Seeks To Take Picture of Defendant’s Erect Penis. Judge Says No. Twice.
51-year-old Elijah Jackson’s trial began in Bunnell this morning. He faces accusations of transmitting an image of his penis to his 15-year-old cousin. The prosecution on two occasions sought to have Jackson’s penis photographed while erect, for comparative purposes.
Crime Rate in Flagler and Palm Coast Continues Steep Drop in 1st Half of 2019
The crime index in Flagler County and Palm Coast dropped in the first six months of 2019, continuing a steep decline of the last two years, falling 15.1 percent compared with the first six months of 2018. The declines were especially steep in Flagler Beach and Bunnell.
Monday Briefing: Bethune-Cookman’s Nurses, Elijah Jackson on Trial, Another World
Where the other world is, Elijah Jackson goes on trial on charges of using a computer to lure a child, the county commission and the East Flagler Mosquito Control District board meet.
DeSantis Orders All High School Seniors to Take Civics Exam Similar to Immigrants’ Citizenship Test
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday his administration will require all high school seniors in Florida to take a civics exam, similar to the one taken by people who want to become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Inside the Cell Where a Sick 16-Year-Old Boy Died in Border Patrol Care
Video obtained by ProPublica shows the Border Patrol held a sick teen in a concrete cell without proper medical attention and did not discover his body until his cellmate alerted guards. The video doesn’t match the Border Patrol’s account of his death.
First of Two Christmas With a Deputy Events Tonight as Cops Donate Record $19,000 for Kids
For the 12th year of the event, there will be two Christmas with a Deputy in Flagler County, thanks to a Walmart grant and a record fund-raising drive by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s employees.
Cordone and Kilgore ‘Swing in the Holidays’ in Jazzy, Witty Palm Coast Show Dec. 10
Natalie Cordone and Shawn Kilgore bring their jazzy blend of wit, pop and vocal standards to the Palm Coast Community Center for one show only on Dec. 10. They’ve been touring nationally and internationally for five years.
Young Pilot Makes Emergency Landing on CR205 Near Espanola, Averting Power Lines and Cars
Abdullah Khawja, 27, had to land his Cessna in an emergency non a straight stretch of County Road 305 outside Espanola in Flagler County this afternoon. No one was injured.
Judiciary Lets Down Its Robes as It Celebrates Flagler County Judge Totten’s Investiture
Flagler County Judge Andrea Totten’s investiture at Channel Side in Palm Coast drew more than a dozen judges and nearly as many ceremonial presentations and speeches advising the judge on her new course.
County Administrator Cameron Sells Land to Commissioner Joe Mullins’s Company for $405,000, then Pays Off Home Mortgage
Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron sold a parcel of land on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine to the Mullins Companies for $405,000 in August in what Cameron described as an “arms-length transaction” with Joe Mullins, the Flagler County county commissioner.
School Board Rules Out Prayers at Meetings, Ending Controversy Started by August ‘Invocation’
School Board members Colleen Conklin and Andy Dance argued against the “circus” and divisiveness that would be invited if the board abandoned its custom of the last four decades and resumed opening meetings with prayers, ending a controversy began in August when Board Chairman Janet McDonald unexpectedly invited a pastor to offer an invocation.
Fact Check: Surgeon General’s Marijuana Warning of ‘Gateway Effect’ Revives Controversial Claim
Whether marijuana can “prime your brain for addiction” elicits responses all over the map — reflecting just how contested this issue is and how difficult it is to speak definitively about marijuana’s impact.
La Bonne Vieille Veuve Clicquot: History of Champagne’s Great Widow
As you get ready for New Year’s Eve, be sure to pick up the real stuff. Like Veuve Clicquot, the champagne served at Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca. Here’s a brief history of the Veuve Clicquot Champagne and its maker, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin.
Mary Ann Clark, Resolute Founder and Leader of Innumerable Flagler Institutions, Dies at 91
Mary Ann Clark’s eclectic leadership, tenacity, verve and love for her community founded, fostered or shaped many of Flagler County’s cornerstone civic and cultural organizations over the past four decades.
At Opponents’ Meeting on The Gardens Development Off John Anderson, More Vigilance Than Chest-Thumping
A community meeting by a group that opposes The Gardens development off John Anderson Highway drew some 100 people Thursday evening but kept the shrillness and triumphalism to a minimum, focusing instead on how to maintain “positive, respectful pressure,” in the group’s president’s words.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler Beach land Regulations, Pilsners for Polio, Stetson Guitar Ensemble
Flagler Beach holds the second citizen’s input session focusing on the city’s Land Development Regulations, the Rotary Club of Palm Coast hosts Pilsners for Polio and Karaoke for a Cause, the Stetson University Guitar Ensemble presents a program of various combinations of guitars.
As Local News Outlets Shutter, Rural America Suffers Most
Amid the steady decline in local news, some states are considering stepping in to support the Fourth Estate. But critics worry that doing so might undermine the press’s role as a government watchdog.
Rare Look at Minefield of Self-Representation as Judge Perkins Defends Decision to Deny Murder Suspect’s 6th Amendment Right
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins for the second time in five weeks on Tuesday defended his decision to deny Joseph Bova the right to represent himself during his trial on a first-degree murder charge at the end of September. Bova was found guilty and Perkins sentenced him to life in prison. The case is on appeal.
Appeals Court Upholds Attempted Murder Conviction of Jonathan Canales, Who’s Serving Life Term
Jonathan Canales, now 32, was convicted of shooting his live-in girlfriend and the mother of three young children in the neck in their Daytona North trailer in 2014. His appeal focused on his prior acts of domestic violence toward the victim, saying thay should not have been admitted at trial.
Obamacare Premiums Will Fall 4% and Number of Insurers Will Increase By a Third
The news comes despite the Trump administration’s persistent attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, which created the market with the goal of providing comprehensive health coverage at affordable prices and reducing the number of Americans without health insurance.
Teen Spirit and Lust Defy Conventions in City Rep’s “Spring Awakening,” the Tony Award Musical
“Spring Awakening,” a tale of adolescent sexual angst and libido-denial at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre starting this weekend, became a rock musical in 2006 by folkie rocker Duncan Sheik and won eight Tony Awards.
Flagler Beach Commission Set to Impose Steep Increase in Water and Sewer Rates for 5th Year in a Row
The city is proposing a 12.5 percent increase for water and sewer rates and a 12.8 percent increase in the stormwater fee. That’s after water and sewer rates went up 25 percent this year, 34 percent the previous year, 20 percent in 2017 and 13 percent in 2016.
Thursday Briefing: Judge Graham’s Power, Victor Williams Trial, Sea Rise, Utility Rates in Flagler Beach
The Flagler Beach City Commission again considers aggressive panhandling, the Volusia County Bar hosts cocktails and a dinner honoring Hon. Richard S. Graham, The Free Quit Smoking Now program meets.
Behind Collapse of Furniture Company Deal With Flagler Government, Disarray, Misrepresentations and Premature Boasts
The collapse of a deal between a furniture-assembling company and Flagler County government is the latest setback for an economic development department with a checkered eight-year history and signal failures.
Harold Rusty Bourgeois, 51, Is Found Dead by Suicide in the Hammock
Harold Rusty Bourgeois, 51, a long-time resident of Palm Coast and the Hammock, was found dead Sunday at his home, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Bourgeois had been living at 6024 North Oceanshore Boulevard in the Hammock.
Now 17, Boy Recalls From the Stand Night of Alleged Rape By 42-Year-Old Man Who Says It Was all Consensual
Victor Williams faces life in prison unless he convinces the jury that, while he concedes having had sex with a 16-year-old boy, the act was not non-consensual, and drugs did not impair the alleged victim. Williams will have difficulties overcoming the boy’s testimony.
In Public Survey, Flagler Schools, Teachers and Safety Get High Marks, the Board a Bit Lower Ones
A community survey by the Flagler County school district finds strong support for its teachers and programs and a strong sense of safety, though the survey drew around 400 responses and the questions were limited and leading.
Tobacco Use by Flagler and Florida Youth at All-Time Low, But Vaping Spikes to All-Time High
In Flagler, 15.1 percent of students in middle and high school reported using a vaping product in the past 30 days, up from 13.8 percent in 2016 and 7.8 percent in 2014.