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Backgrounders

Fernando Melendez, Flagler County Commission Candidate District 1: The Live Interview

July 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Fernando Melendez. (© FlaglerLive)

Fernando Melendez is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. He is challenging incumbent Andy Dance in the Aug. 20 primary. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20.

Flagler School District Will Negotiate Lease of Old Courthouse With the County, Eying Room for Historical Society

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

The old county courthouse may soon get its third tenant in its century history. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County school district’s plan to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to shift half a dozen programs there would cost $632,000 in up-front renovations and $202,000 a year in rent and utilities. The Flagler County Historical Society had plans of its own for the old courthouse. The district will negotiate with both the county and the historical society in hopes of reaching mutually agreeable accommodations.

Andy Dance, Flagler County Commission Candidate, District 1: The Live Interview

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

County Commissioner Andy Dance. (© FlaglerLive)

Andy Dance is the incumbent candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. Fernando Melendez is challenging him in the Aug. 20 primary. Both candidates are Republicans. Since no non-Republicans filed to run, it will be an open primary: all registered Flagler County voters from all parties or no-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this race, which will be decided on Aug. 20. There is no run-off.

Alan Lowe, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

July 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Alan Lowe. (© FlaglerLive)

Alan Lowe is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.

Behind the Smear of Palm Coast Mayoral Candidate Peter Johnson

July 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 38 Comments

Peter Johnson in a screen capture from a Sheriff's Office body cam video during a June 2023 incident over a feral cat feeding station.

Peter Johnson, a candidate for Palm Coast mayor, has been the target of the most vicious slander in Flagler County in this year’s election. The claim has been spread through an alleged screenshot of an alleged slur he used, but all the evidence gathered so far points to a fabrication intended to defame Johnson and peddled by discreditable operatives, among them one of Johnson’s opponents in the mayoral race.

Mike Norris, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

July 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Mike Norris palm coast mayor candidate interview

Mike Norris is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.

Peter Johnson, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

July 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 36 Comments

Peter Johnson. (© FlaglerLive)

Peter Johnson is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.

Cornelia Downing Downing Manfre, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

July 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Cornelia Downing Manfre. (© FlaglerLive)

Cornelia Downing Manfre is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.

David Alfin, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

July 1, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin. (© FlaglerLive)

David Alfin is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.

DeSantis Veto of Vacation-Rental Bill Opens the Way for Palm Coast Regulations with Flagler’s as Model

June 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

Some of Airbnb's current listings in Palm Coast, from an online screenshot.

Facing pressure, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure a bill that deregulated local control of vacation rentals, saying the proposal would create “bureaucratic red tape” for local officials. Now, Palm Coast has another chance to write its own vacation-rental ordinance, or at least craft some city-specific regulations. City Council member Theresa Pontieri said this morning she intends to open the way for just such a proposal, with caution, as residents increasingly complain of rentals.

Secretive Data Company Getting Stiff Resistance from Flagler Beach Over Perpetual Easement at Veterans Park

June 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

DC Blox, a company planning to build a data center in Palm Coast, wants an easement over the northern segment of Veterans Park in Flagler Beach, beneath which it would "land" undersea internet cables. The city has issues both with the company's terms and its opaque methods. (© FlaglerLive)

DC Blox, the Atlanta-based data company working with Palm Coast to open a data center there, is about to face stiff resistance from some Flagler Beach City Commissioners as it seeks a permanent easement through Veterans Park, one of the city’s iconic treasures. Officials are not happy with the choice they’re being given at Veterans Park, the paltry, one-time compensation the city is being offered–$100,000 per cable landing–or the way DC Blox has attempted to keep negotiations out of the public eye, especially about money.

Palm Coast Reels Back Talk of Firing Its Lobbyists as Southern Group’s Emissaries Deliver Veto-Proof Defense

June 25, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Laura Boehmer and Oscar Anderson of Southern Group, Palm Coast's lobbying firm, in a screen capture from one of the firm's videos. Boehmer and Anderson appeared before the Palm Coast City Council this morning.

A presentation to the Palm Coast City Council today by its Southern Group lobbyists was a response to an inquisition, albeit an inquisition that, by the time the pair of lobbyists had sat down in person in front of the council, had already been sharply dialed down to a sort of Marriage Encounter session. The council critics’ aim was no longer to criticize or threaten dissolution but to learn, recalibrate and grow, especially as the lobbyists twice reminded them of Palm Coast’s record appropriation hauls of the last two years.

The Write-In Fraud

June 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 53 Comments

"What District am I running for?" Jose Fabiani asked as he was filling paperwork to run as a write-in in a County Commission race on June 13, with his handler, Dennis McDonald, standing by to the right, and Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart looking on. Fabiani had to redo the paperwork. (© FlaglerLive)

Two people who have zero intention to run campaigns have filed to run as write-ins, closing two Flagler County Commission races to 51 percent of the electorate in cynical maneuvers to benefit Ed Danko and Kim Carney in their respective races, against Pam Richardson in one and Nick Klufas and Bill Clark in the other. The write-in fraud takes advantage of a loophole in the law that enables anyone, without paying a dime or showing any intention to campaign, to be a write-in, thus closing otherwise open primaries.

Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Parting Legacy: a $69,000 Gift to City Repertory Theatre

June 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Ending its 20-year-run, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation today handed over a $69,000 gift to City Repertory Theatre, the largest gift the theater troupe has ever received and one of the largest cultural gifts ever recorded from a non-governmental organization to another in Flagler. PCAF was required to disburse its remaining funds to a kindred non-profit before closing its books.

Flagler Beach Demolishes Any County Plan To Make Barrier Island Pay Higher Tax for Beach Protection

June 20, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 29 Comments

The rest of the county may love Flagler Beach a bit too much. (© FlaglerLive)

If the county plans any taxing method to pay for beach protection that taxes the barrier island more than it does the rest of the county, Flagler Beach will not sign off.  Four of the five city commissioners are opposed to any such plan, and the fifth is skeptical of the county’s approach. Flagler Beach is especially resentful of the county for even discussing various proposals, however preliminary, without having included Flagler Beach  in the discussions from the start. 

For 17th Straight Year, Flagler Schools’ Enrollment Fails To Grow Despite Continuing Population Surge

June 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

Flagler County's nine traditional public schools' enrollment ended the year pretty much where they started. (© FlaglerLive)

In spite of growth that added 16,000 new residents to the county in three years, in spite of Palm Coast, the county and Flagler Beach issuing certificates of occupancy for some 3,200 housing units in 2023 alone, and in spite of similar growth trends in 2024, Flagler County schools are simply not attracting enough students to reflect that growth. 

Biden Is Right: Over 100 Million Americans Would Lose Protection for Preexisting Conditions if ACA Is Repealed

June 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

A previous fact-check ruled Biden’s claim that 100 million Americans have preexisting conditions as in the ballpark, and nothing suggests that’s changed. Depending on the definition, the number could be smaller, but it also could be even greater and is likely to have increased since 2014.

Historic Sweep: Flagler’s 5 Constitutionals Elected Without Opposition as Shelly Edmonson Wins Tax Collector’s Seat

June 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

flagler constitutionals reelected

Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Tax Collector-Elect Edmonson, Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Sheriff Rick Staly were elected without opposition today, the first time an entire slate of constitutionals managed the feat in memory. Edmonson will take over for Suzanne Johnston, who decided to retire after 20 years as the tax collector.

Lowering Speed Limits to 25 in Palm Coast Too Expensive, But City Considers Traffic ‘Humps’ in Neighborhoods

June 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 47 Comments

Mind your speed. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council is not interested in spending $1.6 million to lower speed limits citywide from 30 to 25 mph–it would cost that much to change all the signs–and is leery about certain “traffic-calming” devices, whether speed “humps” or traffic islands. But it will consider a plan that would leave it in residents’ hands to decide whether they want speed humps in their neighborhoods.

Amendment 5: I’m Homesteaded. I Don’t Need Another Perk To Deepen Inequalities and Hurt Local Governments.

June 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 27 Comments

amendment 5 homestead inflation florida

A yes vote on Florida’s Amendment 5 on this November’s ballot means that every year, the second of two $25,000 exemptions will increase according to the previous year’s inflation rate. The indexing is not only unnecessary–the Save Our Homes cap on taxes already does that–but it’s another pander that will deepen disparities at the expense of local governments, businesses, renters and agricultural properties, all of whom will have to make up for lost revenue. 

Beach Dredging and Rebuilding Project Will Take 4 Months, Not 9, and Flagler Beach Will Be Spared Detours

June 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Get used to the sight, the noise, the vibrations and the disturbances as the Army Corps of Engineering contractor begins work on rebuilding 3.4 miles of beach in Flagler Beach. But the result will be an unrecognizably expanded beach. (Army Corps of Engineers)

In a boon for a city besieged by construction, the contractor starting work on Flagler County’s first-ever beach-renourishment project within days informed Flagler Beach officials that the dredging will start at the south end of town and move north, will not use Veterans Park as an equipment staging area, and will not require traffic detours downtown, as had been previously planned. 

Did Palm Coast Council Agree To Condition Any Future Electric Franchise Tax Proposal on a Referendum? Yes.

June 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko, who participated by phone today, insisted that the council had agreed by consensus not to consider an electric franchise tax in the future without putting the proposal to a referendum first. Some of his colleagues weren't so sure. But Danko was right. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko insisted during a discussion on the budget and revenue sources today that the council had agreed by consensus last year not to consider an electric franchise tax in the future without putting the proposal to a referendum first. Some of his colleagues weren’t so sure. But Danko was right.

DeSantis Is Right: Even As a Convicted Felon, Trump Would Be Eligible to Vote in Florida

June 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Trump ponders the meaning of bars. (White House)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 7 suggested on X that former President Donald Trump is still eligible to vote in Florida, his home state, even though he is now a convicted felon 34 times over. DeSantis is correct, though not necessarily for all the reason he stated on X.

In Sharp Retreat, Flagler Rejects Countywide Beach Tax to Focus on Barrier Island Only, and on Informing Public

June 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

Shortly after sunrise today, the contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's barges were getting in position ahead of starting to dredge sand from offshore and rebuild the beach in the city, a project more than 20 years in the making. Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur was on the shore, taking in the sight, and the picture above.

A week after approving a plan in principle that would have imposed a new tax on almost all residents countywide to raise $7 million a year for beach protection, the Flagler County Commission today stepped back sharply from that plan, acknowledging that it had not done the necessary “outreach” to the public or to other local governments to ensure its success.

Sheriff: Increase School Board’s Cost Share of Campus Deputies to 60%, Lower County’s Share to 40%

June 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Sheriff Rick Staly with Superintendent LaShakia Moore last month during a press conference about recurring threats to schools. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Sheriff is recommending to the County Commission that the 50-50 cost share for school resource deputies, or SRDs, between the School Board and the County Commission be changed. Staly is recommending that the School Board shoulder 60 percent of the cost, adding $300,000 to the district’s budget, while lowering the county’s responsibility an equal amount. 

Charter Review Committee Field Grows to 10, With Notably Experienced Additions (Redirected)

June 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

It's not Constitution Hall, but still" Palm Coast is having trouble attracting qualified candidates to serve on its Charter Review Committee. (© FlaglerLive)

The list of applicants to serve on the five-member Palm Coast Charter Review Committee has grown to 10, with a little over a week left before the application window closes. The four new applicants since last week bring distinct and varied experience, including Donald O’Brien, who just ended an eight-year tenure as county commissioner, two of them as chair, Jake Scully, the data architect, former member of the Palm Coast Planning Board and former long-time owner of PC Bike, and Karen Sousa, a 10-year employee of the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office.

In Florida and Elsewhere, New GOP Rules Hostile to Voter Registration Threaten Fines and Criminal Penalties

June 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 50 Comments

Roxanne Perret, an organizer with People Power for Florida, registers Mark Wendell to vote at a May festival in Orlando. Third-party voter registration groups have been threatened with fines and workers with jail time if they violate new state laws.

Republican lawmakers in Florida , Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and Texas have enacted a variety of voter registration laws over the past four years. The measures add new requirements around registering and communicating with voters and threaten hefty penalties for violations. The stated goal of the new laws is to prevent fraud, but in the absence of any evidence of more than very rare fraud some voting rights groups contend their real purpose is to dampen participation by likely Democratic voters.

Sprawling Vacation Rentals Becoming a Nuisance to Palm Coast Residents. City’s Answer: ‘Our Hands Are Tied.’

June 6, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

A property on Fircrest Lane in Palm COast advertised as a short-term rental that can sleep 12 people. (Google)

As resident after resident complained about short-term renters next door–the noise, the partying, the traffic, the garbage, the unexpected–the Palm Coast City Council chambers Tuesday evening sounded more like a scene transplanted from the County Commission a decade ago, or legislative committees in Tallahassee every year since. But the legislature just passed a new law that forbids cities like Palm Coast from imposing stricter regulations on vacation rentals than they would on permanent residents.

For Flagler County, New Tax to Raise $7 Million a Year to Preserve Beaches Concedes Realities of Climate Change

June 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

flagler beach management plan

Monday’s milestone by the Flagler County Commission–seeking a new funding mechanism to rebuild and maintain the county’s 18 miles of beaches–was the culmination of a four-year process. It would put in place a method to pay for expected beach maintenance for decades as the county faces a new reality of rising seas and relentless erosion. Here’s how consultants arrived at the proposal, and what it would pay for.

Sea Level Rise Make Florida’s ‘Beach Renourishments’ More Frequent, Expensive and Vain

June 2, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

The stormy months ahead may not be kind of Flagler County's shore even as the Army Corps of Engineers begins the most ambitious and expensive beach-reconstruction project in the county's history. (© FlaglerLive)

The barrier islands keep moving, which foolish humans label “beach erosion” as they keep trying to bend nature to their will by trucking or dredging in lots of sand from somewhere else for millions of dollars. The Corps of Engineers, the government agency in charge of playing in such big sandboxes, always claims they’re “saving” the beach from disappearing. They aren’t. They’re just saving a lot of people’s investments as “fiscal conservatives” spend tax money on beaches sure washed away in the next storm.

Lured by State’s $3,000 ‘Civics’ Bonus, Thousands of Florida Teachers Train in Christian Nationalist Tenets

May 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis with some of the 4,500 Florida teachers who last year completed the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course and receive a $3,000 bonus, according to a release issued by the governor's office.

Training materials produced by the Florida Department of Education direct middle and high school teachers to indoctrinate students in the tenets of Christian nationalism, a right-wing effort to merge Christian and American identities. Thousands of Florida teachers, lured by cash stipends, have attended trainings featuring these materials.  

Think Your Land Can’t Be Sold Without Your Knowledge? Palm Coast Lot Owner Found Out Differently.

May 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 28 Comments

The owner for eight years of a vacant lot in Palm Coast discovered recently that someone had put his lot up for sale without his knowledge--and the sale almost went through. It's a recurring scam most property owners are not aware of. (© FlaglerLive)

A Palm Coast property owner was shocked to fine that a lot he owns in the L Section had been put up for sale without his knowledge. It is now a common fraud that’s catching many property owners by surprise, that title companies are battling, and that the Florida Legislature attempted to address, but a bill doing so died in the last session.

Nearly $1 Billion in New Construction Raises Flagler County Taxable Values 12% Over Last Year, a Salve to Budgets

May 30, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

The percentage for 2024 is still a working number, which may increase or decrease slightly. It reflects values that apply to county government's calculations. Values in the cities and for the school board may be different. (© FlaglerLive)

“Humming along” is how Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner describes the year’s property values: powered by nearly $1 billion in new construction alone, $631 million of it in Palm Coast, taxable property values in Flagler County rose around 12 percent this year, and 13 percent in Palm Coast, about the same as last year. The estimates being finalized this week play a central role in local governments’ budgeting and taxing decisions.

Voices From the Grave:
Admiral Rickover’s Nukes Warning: ‘We’ll Probably Destroy Ourselves’

May 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

President Lyndon Johnson awarded Admiral Hyman Rickover, center, the Enrico Fermi Award (named for the Italian-American physicist and member of the Manhattan Project whose team at the University of Chicago created the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, a key step in the making the atomic bomb).

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who died in 1986, was among the more outspoken, abrasive, often controversial and at times innovative military leaders in the nation’s history. In his last congressional hearing in 1982 he warned of the danger posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear power, predicted that the human race was on its way to extinction by nuclear conflagration, and deemed “silly” any talk of multiplying the Navy’s fleet, or even its aircraft carriers, which he said would last two days in a nuclear confrontation.

Governor Ron Wants to Pay High School Athletes. But Not At Your School.

May 24, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Caesar Campana in his coaching days, furing a Flagler Palm Coast High School-Matanzas High School match in 2010. (© FlaglerLive)

Former Flagler Palm Coast High School Head Football Coach Caesar Campana takes on a proposal by the Florida High School Athletic Association to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness under what is commonly known as an NIL policy. But while the policy has a place in college sports, it will further divide high school sports between the haves and the have-nots, particularly favoring private schools and leaving public schools behind.

Flagler School Board Supportive of Leasing Old Courthouse in Bunnell as Christian School Exits

May 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The old courthouse is a cherished landmark in Bunnell and the county. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County school district is likely to take over the lease of the old Flagler County courthouse in Bunnell, which since August 2015 has been the home of First Baptist Academy, a Christian school. The school is leaving in August. The county has been looking for a new tenant. The school district has been looking to consolidate a half dozen programs under one roof. It would do so at the courthouse t a cost of at least $212,000 a year, not including the cost of reconstructing the building according to district needs.

Daytona North/Mondex Residents Have Been Paying a Special Tax Since the 1980s. Is It Fair, ‘Wise’ and Worth It?

May 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

A fine community, but whose responsibility? (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington is hoping county government will rethink the special tax Daytona North–also known as the Mondex–residents have been paying since the 1980s for road maintenance, either to scrap it altogether or to better define its purpose, and lay out specifically what benefits residents get out of it.

Democrats Condemn Rep. Matt Gaetz’s Homage to Proud Boys

May 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Matt Gaetz, R-Lolita Shores. (Gaetz office)

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz described himself as “standing back and standing by” while attending former President Donald Trump’s New York City trial. That’s a reference to Trump telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” in a 2020 debate with Joe Biden, in a response to a question urging Trump to condemn White supremacy.

Ballot Proposal to Adjust Homestead Exempting to Inflation Would Hurt Renters, Businesses and Local Governments

May 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

The proposal would only shift more of the tax burden toward renters and businesses. (© FlaglerLive)

Florida voters will get to decide in the November election whether to shield more of the value of their homes from property taxes under a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution, but the measure might mean higher taxes for renters, landlords, and other commercial property owners.

Affordable Housing in Palm Coast-Flagler: Plenty of Ideas, Not Enough Political Follow-Through

May 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Annamaria Long, executive officer of the Flagler Home Builders Association, speaking at the forum today at the Palm Coast Community Center. Other panelists included, from left, Maeven Rogers, Palm Coast administration coordinator, Bill Lazar, executive director of the St. Johns Housing Partnership, a non-profit, and Scott Culp, a principal at Atlantic Housing partnership, builder of affordable apartment complexes in 10 states. Ali Ankudowich, a technical advisor with the Florida Housing Coalition, joined the forum by zoom. The forum was hosted by Valerie Clymer, a mortgage loan officer who also sits on the joint Flagler-Palm Coast Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast Community Center was not the place to be this afternoon if you wanted to hear cheery answers and simple solutions to increasing the dismal stock of affordable housing in the city and the county. But it was the only place and one of the rare times in recent years where local governments–the county and Palm Coast–devoted a serious forum to explore difficult questions and realistic possibilities to bring more affordable housing to the region.

Emergency Order Will Criminalize Walking on Dunes in Flagler County; Flagler Beach’s Experience: Education Works

May 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

Flagler Beach has done a good job of keeping people off its dunes, Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed says, but the northern part of the county needs more enforcement. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Commission on Monday is expected to approve an emergency order that criminalizes walking on dunes anywhere along the county’s 18 miles of shoreline. The penalty may be a $500 fine and 60 days in jail. The order reflects several pulses of urgency as dunes are being rebuilt with fragile vegetation taking root, and as erosion continues its relentless work. Flagler Beach criminalized walking on dunes years ago, but has never arrested anyone for it: education is key, its police chief says.

Flagler Pride Fest Cancelled Amid Turmoil as Organization’s Founder Resigns, Board Frays and Wagons Circle

May 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The heart has gone out of Flagler Pride for now, the five-year-old LGBTQ non-profit that had brought the annual Flagler Pride Fest to Palm Coast's Central Park. (© FlaglerLive)

To the dismay of a following that had grown substantially over the years, what was to be the fifth annual Flagler Pride Fest at Palm Coast’s Central Park in a month was abruptly cancelled last week through a cryptic, short-lived Facebook post that was scarcely cleared up when what remained of the organization’s officials posted a not-entirely accurate statement attempting to explain the decision on Tuesday, and betraying infighting.

Two Tornado Warnings Overnight in Flagler, No Touchdowns

May 15, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

The view from the National Weather Service radar as the tornado warnings were issued, with areas under warning outlined in red, around 2:50 a.m. today. (© FlaglerLive via NWS)

Tornado warnings woke up Flagler County residents in two locations Wednesday morning, at 2:45 a.m. and shortly afterward, but “there was no sign of touchdown anywhere in Flagler County reported to us,” Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said. The county remains under a tornado watch until early afternoon.

Bunnell Approves Plan That Would Add 6,000 Homes, a Town Center, and Increase City’s Population Fivefold

May 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 63 Comments

The proposed development currently called Preserve at Haw Creek would sprawl form the existing Bunnell's urban core west and southwest, within the estimated boundaries in red. (© FlaglerLive via Goggle Earth)

The Reserve at Haw Creek would be Bunnell’s largest development yet, and one of the largest in the county’s history. It would sprawl over nearly 3,000 acres west and south of the city. It would add nearly 6,000 homes, mostly single family and some apartments, plus commercial and industrial acreage. It would result in a potential population increase of 15,000 in a city with a current population of 3,500. Bunnell would be unrecognizable.

Bacardi Jackson , New Florida ACLU Leader, Points to ‘Urgency of Now’ at ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Juncture

May 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Bacardi Jackson by "The Embrace," the Hank Willis Thomas sculpture on Boston Common in Boston. (Instagram)

Bacardi Jackson, a veteran litigator seeped in civil-rights advocacy, took the leadership of of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida on Monday amid a growing number of challenges to laws passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Jackson views her new position as an opening to spur action at a critical juncture in the history of the state and the nation.

23 Million Americans Are Losing Federal Help to Pay for Internet, Reopening Digital Divide

May 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

internet access aid

The federal Affordable Connectivity Program, launched at the end of 2021, has provided a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible low-income households and up to $75 for households on qualifying tribal lands. Now, without additional funding from Congress, more than 23 million households across the country have begun to lose the aid. April was the last fully funded month, with some households receiving partial benefits from their internet service provider through May.

2-Year Investigation Leads to Arrest of P-Section Bomber Who’d Left Trail of Violent and Disturbing Letters

May 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

The pipe bomb after the explosion. (FCSO)

Late Thursday, Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jason Robert Burns, a 49-year-old resident of 9 Bronson Lane, on a first-degree arson charge and a charge of possessing explosives, both first-degree felonies, each with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. He is accused of setting off a pipe bomb outside a house in Palm Coast’s P Section in 2022, and had left a trail of handwritten letters filled with grievances and veiled threats and slanders against his ex-wife.

That Color in Your Water Is Due to Low Rainfall and Palm Coast’s Use of Certain Wells

May 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 31 Comments

The City of Palm Coast is actively responding to the challenges posed by the current dry conditions, which have led to significantly increased water usage and heightened demands on our water supply. As a result, residents may notice a change in the color of their water, particularly throughout the summer months.

Brendan Depa’s Sentencing Will Not Resume Until Aug. 6, Giving Defense Time to Recover from Bad Day

May 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

Brendan Depa, center, with his attorney, Kurt Teifke, right, in court on May 1. (© FlaglerLive)

The defense for Brendan Depa, the 18-year-old former Matanzas High School autistic student to be sentenced in the beating of his teacher’s aide, faces a steep climb back from a prosecution case that portrayed Depa as a willful, intelligent, chronically violent man who knows right from wrong and who knew what he was doing that day at Matanzas. The prosecution is developing an argument that sidelines Depa’s autism as irrelevant, and calls prison time essential. The defense has yet to make its case.

Flagler School Board Will Send Letter of Support for Locating Museum of Black History in St. Johns

May 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

st. johns county

Following the recommendation of Will Furry, its chair, the Flagler County School Board will send a letter of support to a state task force in hopes of luring the future Museum of Black History to St. Johns County. St. Johns was ranked first among three finalists for the location. Its competitors are Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade County.

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