Many of Tuesday’s 176 popular referendum that passed speak of a more tolerant, more freedom-loving nation. Except in Florida, where the Legislature’s 11 proposals put the state at odds with national trenbds–and the Florida Legislature at odds with the people it claims to represent.
Backgrounders
Criticism Mounts as Florida’s Voting Process Shames and Embarrasses Again
Most of the state experienced problem-free voting. But in Miami-Dade County, many voters remained in line long after the race was called, with some voters reportedly waiting for more than six hours to cast a ballot on Election Day. The delay was despite the fact that half the state’s voters had already voted before Tuesday.
Florida Elections Roundup: Celebrations and Surprises for Democrats, Glumness for GOP
Florida Democrats hadn’t celebrated much since, well, President Obama won the state in 2008. But that changed Tuesday. Obama carried Florida again on the way to a second term in the White House, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson easily won re-election, and Democratic candidates picked up legislative and congressional seats.
Palm Coast Responds With Open Hearts as Hurricane Sandy Relief Trucks Fill Up Fast
Susan and Alan Wheeler wanted Palm Coast and Flagler residents to help fill a 20-foot box truck with emergency goods and drive it to Keansburg, N.J. By Friday, they’d filled up two trucks and were likely going to need a third, as Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts challenged the city and the county to fill it up, too, by evening, while Wheeler said overflows might go to Feed Flagler.
No Close Call: Obama Wins; Weeks, Meeker, Nelson, DeSantis, Thrasher, Hanns, Moore-Stens, Manfre and Hutson Win
Flagler County election results will be posted here as soon as they are available, along with results of presidential, federal and state races, and updated as long as results are generated. All results for all Flagler County and related elections will be on this page.
With Fewer Days and Places to Vote, Early Voting Falls Significantly in Flagler
On-person early voting was down in Flagler County from 36.6 percent in 2008 to 29.1 percent this year, for several reasons: a shorter early-voting window, two early voting locations instead of three (Flagler Beach was eliminated), and less enthusiasm than the 2008 election, which drew the highest turnout in a presidential election in 40 years.
Dirty Harry’s Man: Obama Approved The Fewest Clemencies of Any President
Obama has parceled out forgiveness far more rarely than his recent predecessors, pardoning just 22 individuals while denying 1,019. At this point in his presidency, Ronald Reagan had pardoned 1 of every 3, George H.W. Bush 1 in 16, Bill Clinton 1 in 8 and George W. Bush 1 in 33.
Trey Corbett: The Live Interview
Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Race
Trey Corbett is the Republican candidate for Flagler County Supervisor of Elections in the Nov. 6 election, facing one-term incumbent Supervisor Kimberle Weeks, a Democrat. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Kimberle Weeks: The Live Interview | Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Race
Kimberle Weeks, the incumbent Democrat, is a candidate for Flagler County Supervisor of Elections in the Nov. 6 election, facing Trey Corbett, a Republican. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Flagler Schools’ Overall Enrollment Flat For 4th Straight Year as Charters Keep Growing
Flagler County’s three charter schools’ enrollment exceeds 1,000, or 8 percent of the district, which saw its traditional schools’ enrollment fall to the lowest level since the 2005-06 school year.
Crime in Flagler County Declines Again, Adding Another Wrinkle to Sheriff’s Race
Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming was quick to tout the 6.2 percent crime rate decline in the first six months of 2012 as vindication of his policies, while his opponent, Jim Manfre, a former sheriff, pointed out that crime was lower during his tenure.
Van Carrying 75 Car Batteries Overturns on 95 Near SR100, Spilling Acid and Causing Delays
A van transporting some 75 vehicle batteries and traveling north on I-95, just north of State Road 100 in Palm Coast, lost control from a tire blow-out and overturned into the southbound lanes, spilling batteries, acid and candy. The driver was evacuated to Halifax with traumatic injuries.
Palm Coast Water and Sewer Rates Set to Rise Up to 22% Over the Next Three Years
The Palm Coast City Council prides itself on keeping property taxes low, but its array of fees continue to increase steeply, as will utility rates if the council approves a debt refinancing plan that would let the city borrow another $15 million for utility improvements, even though growth in the city has slowed to a drip.
Obama Clings to Smallest Lead in Florida, But His Ohio Margin May Make Florida Irrelevant
The latest Quinnipiac/New York Times/CBS News poll–one of the more reliable polls tracking the swing-state electorate–shows President Obama again in the lead in Florida. A larger lead in Ohio may make Florida irrelevant to Obama’s path to 270 electoral votes.
Crossing Out Amendment 8: Public Money Does Not Belong in Religious Schools
Religious groups have no rights to public money when it comes to funding private schools, precisely because religious indoctrination is part and parcel of the mission of those schools, and taxpayers should not have to pay for that, argues Cary McMullen.
William Merrill, Who Shot and Killed His Wife With an AK-47, Is Sentenced to 25 Years
William Carson Merrill, who shot his wife with an AK-47 in their Palm Coast home in February as she gave their daughter a bath and he played with the assault rifle, faced a maximum of 30 years for manslaughter–almost what Judge Raul Zambrano handed down in a full courtroom Monday afternoon.
Flagler’s First Day of Early Voting Brings Out 2,172, But Turnout May Be Lower Than in 2008
The voting line snaked around at the Flagler County Public Library for most of the first day of early voting, but with one fewer voting location, four fewer days and diminished enthusiasm, it’ll take a greater surge of voting to top the 2008 tallies.
Ghost Election: Obama, Romney and The Future of the U.S. Supreme Court
The next president could very well appoint one or two new justices. And who steps down among the justices first could also depend on who’s elected. Here’s a guide to the election and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Atack vs Moore-Stens: An Attorney’s Evaluation Of the County Judge Race, and a Response
In the Flagler County Court Judge election, Paul Guntharp, a Palm Coast attorney, evaluates the candidacies of Craig Atack and Melissa Moore-Stens, and Atack replies.
Hutson and DeSantis Are No-Shows as Holland and Beaven Stress Flagler’s Voice
Travis Hutson and Ron DeSantis did not attend Flagler’s broadest political forum of the season–it was broadcast live on WNZF–Wednesday, giving opponents Milissa Holland and Heather Beaven free rein to speak of the voice they’d give Flagler County if elected. County judge candidates Melissa Moore Stens and Craig Atack, and Senate candidates John Thrasher and Kathleen Trued, were also at the forum.
Florida Chamber, Countering GOP Allies, Opposing Ban on Cuba-Syria Contracting
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is asking a federal appeals court to continue blocking a new law that would prevent state and local governments from contracting with firms that have business links to Cuba or Syria. A a Miami federal judge ruled in June that the law likely violates the U.S. Constitution.
Abby Romaine: The Live Interview
Flagler County Commission, District 2
Abby Romaine is an Independent candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Nov. 6 election, facing Frank Meeker in the District 2 race. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Frank Meeker: the Live Interview
Flagler County Commission, District 2
Frank Meeker, a Republican, is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Nov. 6 election, facing Independent Abby Romaine in the District 2 race. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Herb Whitaker: The Live Interview
Flagler County Commission, District 5
Realtor Herb Whitaker, a Republican, is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Nov. 6 election, facing Democrat and five-term incumbent George Hanns in the District 5 race. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
George Hanns: The Live Interview
Flagler County Commission, District 5
Five-term incumbent Democrat George Hanns is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Nov. 6 election, facing Republican Herb Whitaker in the District 5 race. All registered Flagler County voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Amendment 3: A Fight Between Capping Taxes and Funding Government Responsibly
Amendment 3 before Florida voters on the November ballot would tighten the state’s rarely-used revenue cap, potentially giving it more teeth – something supporters say will restrain reckless spending but opponents say would gut vital services.
Yes Virginia, Government Does Create Jobs: Five Reads Tuesday
Government’s powerful and necessary job-creation engine, Romney tries to bail himself out of telling Detroit to drop dead, the joys of assisted suicide, Hef explains Playboy to William F. Buckley, young people’s reading and library habits, young adult slackers, and Flagler Jail bookings.
How Companies Track Your Politics And Assemble Profiles Through the Internet
If you’re a registered voter and surf the web, one of the sites you visit has almost certainly placed a tiny piece of data on your computer flagging your political preferences. That piece of data, called a cookie, marks you as a Democrat or Republican, when you last voted, and what contributions you’ve made. It also can include factors like your estimated income, what you do for a living, and what you’ve bought at the local mall.
Bike-vs-Car Wreck on A1A in Flagler Beach Is 2nd Trauma Airlift in 24 Hours
In another wreck involving a car cutting off the right-of-way of a motorcyclist, a motorcyclist ran into a Ford sedan on South A1A at the Ocean View condominiums after noon on Sunday, closing the highway for an hour. The rider was evacuated by air to Halifax hospital.
Amendment 6: Narrowing Down Florida’s Abortion and Privacy Rights
Sandwiched within a long list of issues on a crowded ballot, Amendment 6 is emerging as a multi-million dollar fight touching abortion, parental rights and privacy protections now guaranteed in the Florida Constitution.
For Flagler Beach Manager Bruce Campbell, An Evaluation Only a Few Stars Shy of Glowing
Bruce Campbell, who was at the center of an 18-month controversy that finally ended in October 2011 with his permanent appointment as manager, came through his first full job evaluation as “outstanding,” assuring him of solid job security even from his two strongest critics on the commission.
For Opponents of Amendment 8, “Religious Freedom” Has Never Been Under Threat
The so-called “religious freedom” proposal to amend the Florida constitution would create a government bureaucracy to channel tax dollars to religious organizations, its opponents say, jeopardizing the very religious freedoms it claims to be protecting.
A 75-Year-Old Man Is Tasered After a Car Crash, Break-Ins at Waterfront Park: Flagler 911
A 75-year-old man crashes his car at Plantation Bay only to get into an argument with another man and get Tasered before his arrest; Several cars are vandalized and burglarized at Waterfront Park, and one at Belle Terre Elementary just as the school day began, plus too many fights and battery arrests to mention.
A Radio Voice of America from Palm Coast: Mario Jr. Alive and Green, and National
Palm Coast’s 14-year-old Mario Ridgley has been hosting “Mario Jr. Alive and Green,” a radio show on Voice of America Kids, since he was 10. Columnist Frank Gromling was a guest on his show, and relates the tale.
Big Bird Debate: How Much Does
Federal Funding Matter to PBS Anyway?
The amount of tax dollars PBS receives is roughly .012 percent of the $3.8 trillion federal budget – or about $1.35 per person per year, compared to $22.48 in Canada and $80.36 in Britain. Public broadcasting is a popular target among conservatives, who’ve long portrayed it as an example of wasteful government spending.
Seniors Are Overspending on Medicare’s Prescription Drug Plan
Seniors spent on average $368 more than they needed to on drug coverage through Medicare Part D plans, their decisions complicated by the sheer volume of plans available–1,736 in all–and difficulties involved in determining what makes a plan a good choice, a Health Affairs study finds.
Ballot Up: Today Is Your Last Chance To Register to Vote in the Nov. 6 Election
Beyond registering, voters this election cycle are urged to know their sample ballot and fill it out ahead of time, because it’s the longest in memory. Early voting, beginning on Oct. 27, or absentee voting, is encouraged.
Drugging Kids for Performance, “No Religion”‘s Gains: Five Reads Tuesday
Romney is now up by 4 in one poll, Protestants are no longer the majority in the United States, fewer people ascribe to religion, drugging elementary school kids for better school performance, a Floridian dies from eating roaches, and the physics Nobel goes to Serge Haroche of France and David J. Wineland of the United States, with the Flagler jail bookings.
Holland-Hutson Money Race Still Lopsided; Manfre Doubles Take, Closing Fleming Gap
The last two weeks of September saw Travis Hutson add almost as much money to his treasure chest–$13,000–as Milissa Holland raised in the entire election cycle ($15,502). Sheriff Candidate Jim Manfre has raised $19,000 to incumbent Don Fleming’s $24,000.
A Teacher Down to Her Last Cells, a Cancer Patient Hands Her Case to UF’s Med Students
Always the teacher, cancer patient Jo Ann Nahirny–now with 26 of her 42 radiation sessions out of the way–takes satisfaction from knowing that even though she’s unable to stand in front of her students at Matanzas High School, she’s still doing my part as in educator as medical students learn from her case at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.
Proposed Conservation Amendment: $5 Billion Over 10 Years, Without Raising Taxes
The proposed 2014 constitutional amendment, dubbed the Florida Water and Land Legacy Amendment, would set aside 33 percent of documentary tax collections for 20 years for land and water purchases, leases and restoration efforts. The taxes are collected on real estate and other legal transactions.
Flagler School Board Members Forego $91 Raise and Stick With $30,442 Annual Salary
For the second year in a row, Flagler County School Board members have decided to take neither a raise nor a pay-cut. They were in line for a $91 raise as set by Florida law, though they could have chosen to reduce their salaries.
Anti-Terror “Fusion Centers” Like Central Florida’s Slammed as Ineffective and Intrusive
A two-year Senate investigation finds that Department of Homeland Security efforts to engage state and local intelligence “fusion centers”–six of which are set up in Florida, including one in central Florida–has not yielded significant useful information to support federal counterterrorism intelligence efforts.
News-Journal Puts Up $120 Barrier to Online Access in Hopes of Improving Bottom Line
The News-Journal’s $120-a-year paywall for online readers follows the lead of more than 160 newspapers that have ended unlimited free access to websites to stop hemorrhaging print readers, where, most of the advertising revenue remains.
Why CEOs Make Lousy Presidents, Rudeness Online: Five Reads Tuesday
CEOs are not cut out to be president, what rude dogs would be like online, the death of the Great Barrier Reef, of Eric Hobsbawm and of Baathism, an interview with Salman Rushdie, and Flagler’s jail bookings.
Amendment 5 and the Battle to Remake, And Subdue, the Florida Supreme Court
Amendment 5 would subject all Supreme Court nominations to confirmation by the Florida Senate and lower the bar for the Legislature to overturn court rules and would give lawmakers access to the records of judicial investigations.
Flagler Sheriff Tallies DUI Catch as Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Blood-Test Case
Flagler County deputies arrested 11 drunk drivers and many others on charges unrelated to DUI. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether forcing a DUI suspect to submit to a blood test is constitutional.
Bill Nye the Anti-Creationism Guy: Five Reads Thursday
Bill Nye finally calls creationism inappropriate for children, suicides now exceed auto fatalities as leading cause of injury deaths, a Texas school board lets men spank girls, Obama’s immorality, the F-22’s many disasters, Florida’s new 600-lever voting machines, and Flagler jail bookings.
Editorial Notebook: September
Vagrant scratches and notes from FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam on issues of the day, fugitive quotes, hit-and-run readings, insurgent observations and reflections picked up from the cutting room floor.
Those 11 Constitutional Amendments on November’s Ballot: Women League Says Just Vote No
Florida voters will see 11 of the most confusing, complex and sometimes misleading state ballot amendments ever proposed, and voters will need to decide: Do I want this in our state constitution? Deirdre Macnab, state president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, says No.