State health officials urged the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeal that said a key part of the law conflicted with the 2016 constitutional amendment, approved by 71 percent of Florida voters.
All Else
Weekend Briefing: FYO Concert, Sensational 60s, Palm Coast Open, Hot ‘n Spicy Festival, Eagles, Humane Society
The Flagler Youth Orchestra’s top performers in concert, the Hot ‘n Spicy music and food fest at the Ag Museum, the Palm Coast Tennis Open’s final rounds, Eagles Tribute at DSC in Palm Coast, AAUW meeting, plenty more.
Bill Allowing Guns in Churches and Other Religious Institutions on School Grounds Gains
A controversial effort to allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns to religious institutions that share property with schools advanced through the House Education Committee Thursday.
Tommy Cannon, Obituary
Tommy Cannon passed away Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. Tommy was a Veteran in the United States Marine Corps and received two Bronze Medals and a Purple Heart for his service
The School Board’s Proposed Decorum Rules Are a Pretext to Silence Critical Information
The Flagler County School Board is considering speech restrictions at its meetings that include comment cards before a person can speak and prohibiting references to staff, students or anyone in the district.
Possible Severe Storms, Winds and ‘Isolated Tornadoes’ Late Tonight
Flagler and Palm Coast areas will be exposed to potentially severe storms, strong winds and “isolated” tornadoes between 10 p.m. tonight and 2 a.m. Friday. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph.
Thursday Briefing: Ultimate Abba at the Auditorium, Missing Information, Palm Coast Open, Coronavirus
The ultimate Abba tribute band is at the Flagler Auditorium, where Coronavirus cases have been confirmed, the Flagler Beach Citizens Academy is enrolling.
Colleen Conklin’s Name and Harsh Charge Overlay Superintendent Search Advisory Panel’s First Meeting
School Board member Colleen Conklin’s decision to run for superintendent on at least seven occasions dominated discussions and concerns at the first meeting of the board-appointed Citizens Advisory Committee charged with drawing up a selection of top candidates from a list of 35.
School Board’s Trevor Tucker Asks For Expedited Attorney General Opinion on Conklin’s Superintendent Application
School Board member Trevor Tucker wants Attorney General Ashley Moody to shed clarity on the legal and ethical implications of Colleen Conklin’s “unprecedented” decision to apply for the superintendent’s post from her seat as a school board member.
Wednesday Briefing: Buddy Taylor’s Thespians, ‘The Sensational 60s’ at the Playhouse, Palm Coast Open
Buddy Taylor Middle School’s 22 winning thespians present a free performance, the Flagler Plahouse stages “The Fabulous 60s,” the Palm Coast Open continues.
Supreme Court Justices Skeptical of Recreational Pot and Assault Weapon Ban Proposals
Florida Supreme Court justices appeared critical Tuesday of proposed constitutional amendments aimed at preventing possession of assault-style weapons and allowing people to use recreational marijuana.
Colleen Conklin, Candidate for Superintendent, Takes Leave From School Board to Avoid Conflicts
School Board member Colleen Conklin said to avoid any appearance of conflict and reduce difficulties for her colleagues, she would step back from board duties until the appointment of the new superintendent on March 17.
Not Waiting on State Law, Palm Coast Will Ban Vaping Sales to Under-21 and Regulate Marketing
Palm Coast’s e-cigarettes and vaping regulation ordinance mirrors a proposal in the Legislature to ban vaping products to anyone younger than 21 and limit its visible marketing, but the city is not interested in waiting for legislative vagaries to sort themselves out.
County’s Own Advisory Board Members Slam Flagler Airport Director Roy Sieger at Meeting on Noise Problems
Airport Director Roy Sieger was strongly criticized by the head of the county’s own Airport Advisory Board at a workshop where commissioners learned that county government’s authority is severely limited when it comes to controlling noise at the Flagler Executive Airport.
Tuesday Briefing: Morley’s Litter Gitter, Superintendent Search, Vacation Rentals, Palm Coast Open
Adam Morley speaks about environmental stewardship at the Hammock Community Association, the Palm Coast Open tennis tourney continues, the superintendent search’s citizens advisory committee holds its first meeting.
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.
Public Health Officials Offer Scant Details On U.S. Coronavirus Patients
Unlike the more detailed accounting of patients’ movements released during measles outbreaks, public health departments are not sharing precise timelines of people’s activities and locations in the days before they were diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
Girl Who Threatened to Kill FPC Teacher in Racist Screed Gets Probation, and Must Write Essay on Hate Speech
The 17-year-old former Flagler Palm Coast High School girl last December was found guilty of terrorist threats to kill her English teacher through racist-laced electronic messages with another student in December 2018.
Joe Mullins Again Blistered for Divisive Attacks, and Commission Again Refuses to Intervene
Flagler County Commissioner was again harshly criticized by residents at a County Commission meeting for claiming not to represent those who don’t support President Trump and bullying liberals on his social media account, but the commission refused to intervene.
County Opts to Sell Sheriff’s Plagued Operations Center, or Demolish It Absent a Buyer
Sell it as is, presumably in the next 90 days: that’s the consensus of the Flagler County Commission for the Sheriff’s Operations Center off of State Road 100 in Bunnell, the 27,000 square foot building evacuated a year and a half ago and swamped before and since in an environmental and political tangle that keeps blighting county government.
Monday Briefing: Palm Coast Open, Iowa Democratic Open, Sheriff’s Operations Center, Airport Noise, Cornelius Baker
The Palm Coast Open tennis tournament begins, the county commission discusses the future sheriff’s district office in Palm Coast and noise around the Flagler County airport, Cornelius Baker is in court on his death penalty phase trial, which is in question.
The Senate’s Make-Believe Trial of Donald Trump
In his 40 years as a lawyer, the author has never seen a trial flout the basic requirements for fairness so brazenly. In a real trial, any juror who admitted conspiring with the defendant would be unceremoniously ejected from the jury, for starters.
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.
AdventHealth Names Brent Davis Chief Financial Officer for the Central Florida Division – North Region
AdventHealth has selected Brent Davis to serve as vice president and chief financial officer for the company’s Central Florida Division – North Region, effective Feb. 3.
Flagler County Expands Opportunities for Pickleballers
The tennis court at Old Dixie Park were out of commission until the end of last month as the surface was prepared and repainted with additional markings to accommodate two regulation pickleball courts. This brings the number of Flagler County pickleball courts up to 11. “This will make the court a multiuse court – tennis […]
Friends of A1A Honor Bill McClure and Name Marge Rooyakkers President
Outgoing president of the organization, Bill McClure, was recognized for a decade of service to the Friends of A1A and presented with the annual volunteer service award.
School Board: Don’t Boot Out 4 Advisory Panel Citizens in Superintendent Search Because of Conklin’s Application
Stephen Furnari is one of the Conklin appointees to the Citizens Advisory Committee, and a representative of the ESE community. But he and three other Conklin appointees are being excluded from the committee now that Conklin is applying for superintendent.
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.
Two Men Save Driver’s Life From Flames After Truck Crashes Through Wall at Marina Del Cove
A man at the wheel of a truck trailing a trailer and a Bobcat lost control on Palm Harbor Parkway by Marina Cove, struck another truck and crashed through a Marina Cove wall. The vehicle caught fire. The driver was saved.
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.
Critical Lack of Exhibit Space Hobbling Palm Coast Art Scene Even as Organizations Thrive
For the first time in 20 years, the Flagler County Artist of the Year will not have a show, for lack of space. The critical lack of exhibit space is on the radar of the Flagler County Art League, the fledgling Palm Coast Arts Foundation and the Grand Gallery at Grand Living Realty.
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.
Thomas LeGault Withdraws Candidacy for Flagler County Commission Amid Debt Claims
Thomas LeGault, owner of a discount-card business called Savor Flagler, withdrew his candidacy for Flagler County Commission a week after revelations that he was being sued by a radio station for unpaid bills and pursued by Flagler Palm Coast High School for a debt he owned the school’s cheerleading team.
Prosecution Asks for Temporary Halt in Cornelius Baker Death Penalty Re-Sentencing
The prosecution is arguing that a Supreme Court decision last week may make the re-sentencing of convicted murderer Cornelius Baker, scheduled to start in four weeks in Bunnell, if unnecessary.
Thursday Briefing: FPC Cheerleaders Honor Kobe, Widows’ and Widowers’ Support, Knausgaard
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s cheerleaders honor Kobe Bryant and the eight victims of the crash, the widows and widowers’ support group meets.
City Tells Anxious Matanzas Woods Golf Course Community ‘The Fix’ Is Not In, Nor Is a Proposal
Residents surrounding the Matanzas Woods golf course have been critical of the city’s silence on a proposed development of 300 homes there, but city officials say their hands are tied as long as they don;t have a concrete proposal to discuss–and none has been submitted yet.
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.
Florida House Panel Backs Bills Allowing Local Politicians to Arm Themselves at Public Meetings
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee also approved a measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons at religious institutions that share properties with schools.
Wednesday Briefing: FPC Cheer Fund-Raiser, Boulder Rock Drive Road Closure, Paws to Read, Chekhov at 160
Palm Coast donates $20,000 to AdventHealth Foundation to fight breast cancer, Paws to Read at the county public library, a temporary road closure at Boulder Rock Drive.
Anna May Kalin (Huntley) July 4, 1954 – January 22, 2020
Anna May Kalin was an amazing, loving, and caring woman. She was currently an Infant Teacher at Sunshine Academy in Flagler Beach. She loved all of her babies, their families, and her co workers.
Six Months In, Michael Schottey Resigns as Head of Palm Coast’s Communications Division
Michael Schottey had been part of City Manager Matt Morton’s sweeping revamp of the city’s top administrative posts, and is the first high-profile hire from that class to resign.
FPC Principal Cautions of Anonymous Threat With ‘Some Specificity’ as Campus Security Heightens
An anonymous threat was reported by way of a tip to Flagler Palm Coast High School officials, who are taking precautions this morning, heightening security sweeps.
Tuesday Briefing: Trespassing at City Hall, Our Poor Social Mobility, Armed Local Politicians, FPC Jazz Band
The Palm Coast council discusses trespassing procedures that would apply to members of the public, the Flagler Palm Coast Jazz Band is in concert, upward mobility isn’t what it used to be.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Repayments as Condition to Restoring Florida Felons’ Voting Rights
The fight is rooted in the wording of the 2018 constitutional amendment, which restored voting rights to felons “who have completed all terms of their sentence, including parole or probation,” excluding people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
Marcus Foundation Pledges $5 Million For Civics Education and Debate in Florida Schools
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative with The Marcus Foundation for elevating civic knowledge, civic skills and civic disposition for middle and high school students.
Just 21 Apply for Flagler Superintendent With 4 Days to Go, Among Them Vernon Orndorff
Cathy Mittelstadt, the deputy superintendent in St. Johns County Schools, and Vernon Orndorff, previously Jacob Oliva’s right-hand man in the Flagler district, are among the applicants. The window closes Jan. 31.
Citizens United, the Court Ruling That Sold Our Democracy
With Citizens United, the Supreme Court essentially married the terrible idea that “money is speech” to the terrible idea that “corporations are people.” There’s a way out.
NCAA Looking at Florida and Other States as Athletes’ Pay Is Debated
NCAA leaders reaffirmed they won’t support a system that makes students paid employees of schools, something Florida isn’t looking to do.
3 Killed in Two I-95 Crashes Within 2 Miles of Palm Coast Parkway, Capping Deadly 4 Days on Roads
Three people were killed–Yvette Mosquera, 49, John Mosquera, 55, and Melody Roberts, 42–in two separate crashes within two miles and two hours of each other on I-95, on either side of Palm Coast Parkway. A Palm Coast teen was killed Thursday evening in the Woodlands, and a Bunnell resident was killed in Volusia Saturday.