Yosvel Basart, 35, a fugitive felon, is accused of defrauding a Palm Coast woman of $3,600 after passing himself off as a contractor ready to rebuild her driveway.
All Else
Weekend Briefing: Linda Cole, Sweeney Todd, Jim Canfield Farewell, Longineu Parsons Jazz
Linda Cole’s jazz ensemble at Cue Note, Flagler Playhouse’s “Sweeney Todd,” Arts Foundation presents Longineu Parsons, Palm Coast says farewell to ex-Mayor Jim Canfield.
Flagler County ‘Re-Hires’ Deputy Administrator Sally Sherman, Who Never Left: She Cost $99,000 in 7 Months as a ‘Consultant’
Sally Sherman “retired” and returned the next day with a $12,500 raise as a “consultant” so she could skirt the law requiring retirees to stay out of Flagler government work for half a year.
Sheriff Files Criminal Charges Against Dr. Florence Fruehan, Alleging Pattern of Inappropriate Touching
At least five women have now come forward with allegations of inappropriate touching by Florence Fruehan, the Palm Coast physician who agreed to surrender his license last month.
Thursday Briefing: Inspiring Bathrooms at Imagine School, Uninspiring Flagler Taxes, DCF Refugees
Imagine School students brighten up bathroom stalls with positive quotes, Flagler County passes its budget, DCF has refugee services, Anita Hill speaks.
Attorney Calls For Gag Order on Sheriff Staly in Eric Cooley Case, Claiming Prejudicial Words
Palm Coast Attorney Josh Davis wants a court to muzzle Sheriff Rick Staly in the case of alleged domestic violence involving Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley. The sheriff is having none of it.
Palm Coast Data Adds New York Magazine and National Wildlife Amid Stable Revenue
Palm Coast Data’s revenue has been solid, with continued addition of clients, and its parent company has been reporting modest but consistent profits, in contrast with earlier years.
Gillum Wants $50,000 Minimum Teacher Salary. DeSantis Proposes 80% Formula.
In competing proposals, Democrat Andrew Gillum would provide teachers with a minimum $50,000 starting salary by raising the corporate tax, Ron DeSantis would require 80 percent of school funding to be spent in classrooms.
Wednesday Briefing: Ocean Palm Golf, Heat Index to 103, Free Wellness Screenings, DSC Job Fair, Genealogy Society
Daytona State hosts its fall job fair, Florida Hospital Flagler offers free health screenings, Flagler Beach’s Ocean Palm Golf Club lifts its profile, a free legal clinic on landlord and tenant law.
Flagler Ready to Pay $1 Million To Fix Sheriff’s Building? Bogus Claim, County Says
County Commission Candidate Dennis McDonald says Commissioner Dave Sullivan told him it would take $1 million to fix the Operations Center, a claim Sullivan says is false.
Palm Coast Council Fires City Manager Jim Landon, Ending 11-Year Tenure
The Palm Coast City Council this morning voted 4-0 to fire City Manager Jim Landon, ending his 11-year tenure after weeks of mounting tension and clashes with the council.
Three Suicides Averted in 2 Days As 911 Dispatchers and Deputies Defuse Chilling Situations
Over the weekend, authorities converged on three suicide attempts–by gun in Flagler Beach, by hanging and by cop off a county road in western Flagler, and by knife in Palm Coast’s K-Section.
Tuesday Briefing: Heat Index to 105, Palm Coast Rezoning, School Board Talks Security, Bunnell Containers
Another scorcher, the school board hears from a school-security group that emerged out of the Connecticut school shooting, Palm Coast talks rezoning.
Florida Charter Schools Have ‘Largely Failed to Deliver’ Promised Innovation, Report Finds
A new report from a Tallahassee-based research group raises questions about the growing role of charter schools in Florida, including citing the closure of 373 charter schools since 1998.
Escaped Pit Bull Attacks and Kills Chihuahua on Palm Coast’s Fortune Lane
The chihuahua was on a leash when the pit bull attacked and mauled it Sunday evening. The pit bull does not appear to be at risk of being declared a dangerous dog. At least not yet.
County Commission Candidate Dennis McDonald Must Pay $59,000 as Court Dismisses His Appeal
County Commission Candidate Dennis McDonald’s appeal of an order to pay $59,000 in attorneys’ fees was dismissed because he didn’t follow court rules. The order is related to a frivolous suit McDonald had filed against ex-Commissioner George Hanns.
2018 Flagler Jail Bookings, Sheriff’s, Bunnell and Flagler Beach Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2018 Flagler County jail bookings, commanders’ crime and incident reports, Flagler Beach and Bunnell police shift reports and archive.
Monday Briefing: Heat Index to 106, Tiger Bay’s 1st Lunch, Wetlands Restoration, Charter Schools
Another scorcher with temperatures well into the 90s, Integrity Florida releases a report on charter schools, Flagler’s new Tiger Bay Club hosts its first luncheon with guest Husein Cumber, a rail executive, the Flagler County Commission talks wetlands.
Nobody In the White House Is Part of ‘the Resistance’
Administration insiders admit Trump’s dangerous, but they’ll stick with him as long as he cuts billionaires’ taxes, deregulates corporations, and feeds the military-industrial complex.
State Education Board Wants a $200 Per-Student Increase and $100 Million More For Cops
The budget proposal, which was approved by the Board of Education at a meeting in Naples, drew support from education advocates.
Thefts, Hit-and-Run With Injury and Graham Swamp Search Lead to Arrest of Frequent Felon
Jonathan DeMartino, 37, faces four felony counts after a run of alleged property and other crimes, one of them injuring a woman in a Palm Coast Parkway hit-and-run.
13 Years in Prison For Matthew Nesbitt, Who’d Threatened Cops With a Knife in Z-Section Chase
The three-hour sentencing hearing devolved at times into a shouting match and disbelief over suggestions that cops should not be scared by a knife-wielding man.
At least 100 Pounds of Pot Wash Up on Hammock Shore, But No Finders Keepers as Man Is Arrested
A 61-year-old man was arrested in the Hammock Thursday for allegedly grabbing an 11-pound brick of pot that had washed up on shore.
Weekend Briefing: Nesbitt in Court, Bunnell Bonanza, Basketball Registration, Puppy Pub Crawl, Branford Marsalis
The first annual Bunnell Bonanza, the first Annual Flagler Redfish Tournament, coastal clean-up, Flagler Beach Pirate Invasion, 5K for the Flagler Auditorium, Branford Marsalis in Jacksonville.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley’s Victim of Alleged Battery Wants Case Dropped
The alleged victim in the battery case against Flagler Beach business owner and Commissioner Eric Cooley cites media and social media “stalking” among reasons she wants the case dropped.
Nicholas Urban, 18, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot; Matanzas High Community’s 6th Suicide in 5 Years
Nicholas D’Artagnan Urban, 18, was found at his home in Palm Coast’s Hammock Wednesday. He had graduated Matanzas High last December. His death is the 8th violent death involving the Matanzas High community since 2013.
Thursday Briefing: Heat Index to 103, Florence Strike Team, Sharks and Rays on the Brink
The Flagler Beach City Commission sets next year’s taxes, a Flagler Strike Team helps with the Hurricane Florence response, a lecture on “Sharks and Rays on the brink” at the Whitney Lab.
Palm Coast Residents’ Stormwater Cost Will Double Over Next 6 Years and Utility Bills Increase By $30 a Month
Palm Coast homeowners are in for big rate increases between the new water and sewer rates the council just approved and the steep new stormwater rates it is set to approve next week.
Palm Coast’s Sam Andolina, 39, Accused of Raping Fiancée’s 13-Year-Old Daughter
Sam Andolina, 39, faces rape and molestation charges following an incident he claims to authorities was initiated by the alleged victim. He’s being held on $150,000 bond.
Hurricane Florence to Have Only Minor Effects in Flagler; Local Strike Team Heads North
With Hurricane Florence’s effects causing possible erosion locally, Flagler County officials are on the alert for any breaches along the coast, where the year-long dune-rebuilding project is still ongoing.
UF Ranked 8th-Best Public University in Nation, 4 Other Florida Schools Crack Top 100
Florida universities continued their academic climb in the latest U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings, placing five schools in the country’s top 100 public universities for the first time.
Wednesday Briefing: Florida Beers Minifest at EuroVillage, Free Legal Clinic, Waste Pro’s Shea Drury
European Village features three Florida brewers in a mini beerfest, Waste Pro appoints a new manager in the Flagler-Palm Coast region, free legal clinics.
Stand Your Ground Vigilantes
Instead of allowing the police to perform their jobs, some gunslingers hiding behind stand-your-ground laws take the responsibility of pursuing criminals upon themselves.
Bunnell Signs Manager Alvin Jackson, Who Makes a Point of Not Holding Cities “Hostage” With Severance
Bunnell commissioners unanimously voted to hire Alvin Jackson as their next manager for $82,000 and a purposefully restrained severance package that contrasts with Palm Coast’s experience.
Keith Johansen, Accused of Murdering His Wife, May Not be Competent to Stand Trial
Keith Johansen is accused of murdering his wife, Brandi Cleneza, 25, at their F-Section home in April. Authorities have seized a notebook he kept that they say may be revealing.
Ron DeSantis Quits Congress to Focus on Governor’s Race Against Andrew Gillum
DeSantis had missed 4.2 percent of the roll call votes since January 2013, but the percentage has spiked to 53.8 percent since July.
Tuesday Briefing: 9/11 Ceremonies, Keith Johansen in Court, Stormwater Rates, Hammock Hansen
The Palm Coast council discusses stormwater rates, which are set to rise steeply, the Elks Lodge and other places host 9/11 ceremonies, a man accused of murdering his wife is in court for a pre-trial.
Palm Coast Council Would Rather Spare Dog Cooper’s Life. You Wouldn’t Know It
From Its Court Pleadings.
Palm Coast’s administration is is making its decision to kill Cooper the dog synonymous with the council’s preference. But it isn’t.
Pay Disparity: Many Flagler Government Employees Paid Less While Several “All Stars” Are Overpaid
A salary study found pay disparities between Flagler government and other governments, but also within Flagler government, where an “all stars” system is rewarding some employees far more than others.
Avoidable Sepsis Infections Send Thousands Of Nursing Home Seniors To Gruesome Deaths
No one tracks sepsis cases closely enough to know how often these severe infections turn fatal. But the toll — both human and financial — is enormous, an investigation finds.
Monday Briefing: Suicide Prevention Day, Women’s Self-Defense, Bunnell Manager, Mideast Primer
World Suicide Prevention Day takes place as Flagler stands as the county with the highest rate of suicides among Florida counties; Bunnell sets its tax rate, women’s self-defense class.
Getting a Section 8 Voucher Is Hard. Finding a Landlord Willing to Accept It Is Even Harder.
Most of the landlords whom researchers called said they didn’t take vouchers. Some of those who agreed to show their unit to a voucher holder stood the renter up.
For 2nd Time in 3 Weeks Man Pulls a Gun on Flagler Deputies, But No Arrest This Time
Flagler deputies were checking on a 33-year-old man who had been reported to be suicidal (possibly falsely). He came out of his house pointing a gun at the deputies.
Judge Orders Spanish-Language Sample Ballots in Flagler and 31 Other Counties
Making clear that only time restraints limited his decision, a federal judge ordered that sample ballots in Spanish be provided but stopped short of ordering actual Spanish-language ballots in Flagler and 31 other counties.
Weekend Briefing: First Friday, Intracoastal Cleanup, Gospel Show, KidCare Enrollment, Arts Festival, Senior Games
The annual Intracoastal Waterway cleanup on Saturday, the kick-off of the Palm Coast Senior Games, Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s two-day arts festival in Town Center, KidCare enrollment, “California Suite,” and a lot more.
Supreme Court Excoriates Ex-Flagler Judge DuPont, Citing Manufactured Facts, Disrespect and Blatant Disregard for Rules
The decision amounts to a brutal condemnation of Scott DuPont’s behavior by the state’s highest court and a signal to other prospective judges that zero tolerance applies with regards to violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Crashed Hydrant in Bunnell Cuts Off Water Citywide, Shutting Down Courthouse
A car crash against a hydrant caused the water pressure to fall and shut down service citywide in Bunnell in late morning. It was not expected to be restored until 5 p.m.
Sheriff Investigating Death of Samantha Brewer, 30, in R-Section as Overdose Claims Another Life
Samantha Brewer had called a friend over from the C-Section. He was in the bathroom 4 minutes, when he returned, Brewer was unresponsive from an overdose.
Justices Weigh Loading Charter Schools, Term Limits and Civics on One Amendment
Justices are only supposed to determine whether the ballot title and summary would provide an accurate description of the proposed constitutional amendment to voters.
Thursday Briefing: County Taxes, Canvassing Board, Flagler Beach Golf Course (Again), Massacre Commission
The Flagler Beach City Commission again tries to decide what to do with its troubled golf course, Flagler government sets next year’s taxes, an NRA-designed gun-safe program.