The Flagler Woman’s Club on Tuesday hosted a forum for the three candidates running for Flagler Beach City Commission–incumbents Jane Mealy and Rick Belhumeur, and newcomer James Sherman. Here’s a complete report and analysis of the evening.
Backgrounders
Court Says City-Owned Golf Course Managed By a Private Company Can Be Required to Pay Property Taxes
The court decision could potentially have ramifications in Flagler Beach, where the city owns Ocean Palms Golf Club, a nine-hole golf course, but has been leasing it to a private company since 2015, tax-free. The decision this week suggests local property appraisers may legally deny a local government’s exemption for such privately run amenities.
‘Say Gay! Say Gay! Say Gay!’ FPC Students Chant in Walkout Protesting Bills; Organizer Jack Petocz Is Suspended
Hundreds of students at Flagler Palm Coast High School staged a 12-minute walkout this morning to protest bills nearing passage in the Legislature that would silence educators’ freedom to discuss certain topics, including gender identity, sexual orientation and certain anti-racism themes. Jack Petocz, the organizer of the protest, was suspended after the event.
Walmart Voids Trespass Warning Against Ex-Councilman Victor Barbosa
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has voided the Feb. 27 trespass warning against ex-Palm Coast City Council member Victor Barbosa after receiving a request to do so from a Walmart employee.
With Average Gas Price in Florida at $3.57 a Gallon, Some Begin to Change Driving Habits
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine caused oil prices to surge above $110 a barrel for the first time in a decade. Oil is now $19 a barrel more than Friday’s settlement. An increase of that magnitude could signal a 40-50 cent jump at the pump.
Ultimatum from Flagler Beach, Husband in Prison: Ocean Palm Golf’s Unintended Owner Tells Her Story
Belle McManus had to take over the city-owned, privately managed Ocean Palms Golf Club in Flagler Beach after her husband was imprisoned on a DUI conviction. The city and the golf course already had rocky relations, and now the golf course faces a lease termination ultimatum. McManus describes her attempts to save the business in her new, unexpected role.
Signal Shift: Flagler Health Department Ends Covid Testing As Cases Fade; Deaths Increase by 15 in 2 Weeks
The end of operations at the airport–or at the department itself–signal the Health Department’s shift back to what it is calling “normal,” pre-pandemic operations, exactly two years after mobilizing for the first covid surge.
Think Twice Before Scanning That QR Code
Scanning a Quick Response, or QR code, is convenient and easy. And it is contactless, which can make people feel safer. But cybersecurity experts say QR codes also created new opportunities for fraudsters, who can tamper with them and direct victims to malicious websites to steal their personal and financial information.
Cost and Location Questions Arise Over County’s Push for Visitor Center on A1A and South 9th Street
The chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and the chairman of the county’s tourism council, who also sits on the County Commission, both have questions about the location and the cost of building a potential visitor center the county’s tourism division is eying for South 9th Street and State Road A1A in Flagler Beach.
Residents of Hidden Lakes and Toscana Appeal Palm Coast Approvals of 2 Self-Storage Lots on Old Kings
A group of Palm Coast residents in the Toscana and Hidden Lakes subdivisions off Old Kings Road have filed an appeal of a decision by the Palm Coast Planning Board clearing the way for a self-storage facility on Old Kings Road. The same group is preparing to file a civil suit in circuit court seeking to quash decisions by the planning board and the Palm Coast City Council clearing the way for both that facility and another like it nearby.