After the concealed-weapons permitting processed revealed serious flaws under Adam Putnam, attempts are afoot to move the process to state police, out of the agriculture commissioner’s purview.
All Else
Judge Orders Sheriff’s Operations Center Tested for Toxins Again, On Behalf of Employees
Sheriff’s employees have been seeking for months to have an independent round of testing for toxins inside the troubled, evacuated Sheriff’s Operations Center. That will take place on Dec. 13.
Many Questions Remain as County and City Approve $100 Million, 50-Year Beach-Protection Plan in Flagler Beach
Flagler County will be on the hook for nearly half the almost $100-million cost of the project over its 50-year span, with the federal government responsible for the rest.
Darryl Fultz, 51, Harvey Perly, 83:
Two Suicides in 3 Days in Palm Coast
Darryl L. Fultz, 51, of 69 Eric Drive, took his life using a gun on Dec. 2, Harvey Perly, 83, did so on Dec. 4 in his front yard at 55 Christopher Court South in Palm Coast.
Wednesday Briefing: Bunnell Retreats, Black Violin, African-American Entrepreneurs, FPC Band and Chorus
The FPC Band and Chorus present their winter concert, the Bunnell commission retreats to Princess Place for goal-setting, the African American Entrepreneurs Association hosts a ribbon-cutting.
Supervisors of Election Seek Answer on Amendment Restoring Felons’ Right to Vote
Florida officials don’t have a plan for how to carry out a constitutional amendment that restores the right to vote to more than a million Floridians convicted of felonies.
Stephen Bickel, Tireless Physician for the Poor, is FHF Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year
Flagler Physician Stephen Bickel is a moving force behind Flagler Cares, the Flagler Free Clinic and numerous other local initiatives focused on the under-insured and such needs as diabetes and HIV prevention.
Sheriff Staly: County Administrator ‘Destroyed Our Working Relationship and It Is
Not Recoverable’
Sheriff Rick Staly stopped just short of explicitly asking for the resignation of County Administrator Craig Coffey in an address to the County Commission, but in effect, he was calling for nothing less.
The Story Behind A 28-Year-Old Flagler Veteran’s Suicide: Strife, Depression, And a Father’s Questions
Abdul Ganiyu Ayanwale, a 28-year-old Army National Guard veteran, killed himself by gunshot at his Bunnell apartment on Nov. 16 after a series of personal and legal difficulties.
Tuesday Briefing: Beach Renourishment in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast Manager Search, Thespian Showcase
The Palm Coast City Council takes a further step in its search for a new manager, Flagler Beach and county government hold a joint meeting on beach repair, thespians from three Flagler schools are showcased at the Auditorium.
Calling Loss of Life a ‘Catastrophe,’ Judge Backs Revoking Nursing Home’s License
The deaths and evacuation of the Broward nursing home drew national attention in the days after Hurricane Irma, which made landfall Sept. 10, 2017 .
Craig Coffey Isn’t Fired, But Meeting Is Set to Decide His Fate As Sheriff and Others
Blister His Management
Though Commissioner Joe Mullins’s motion to fire Craig Coffey failed, the commission unanimously approved setting a Jan. 14 meeting to discuss his possible firing.
In Big Victory for Bing’s Proponents, Commission Votes 4-0 To “Sidetrack” Lease With Captain’s BBQ
The commission, led by Dave Sullivan, who switched sides, agreed to reconsider the lease with Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing through more vetting and analysis.
Monday Briefing: Joe Mullins v. Craig Coffey, Black Violin, One Ocean One Health, Erik Bosgraaf
Newly-elected County Commissioner Joe Mullins may try to dismiss County Administrator Craig Coffey, the commission hears of an extensive project at Marineland Dolphin Adventure, Black Violin in concert at the Auditorium.
Leery of All-White Supreme Court, NAACP Demands Nomination Process Be Reopened
The call to Ron DeSantis came after revelations that the Supreme Court will not have a black justice for the first time in 36 years when Justice Peggy Quince leaves the bench on Jan. 8.
Hurricane Season Shakes Up Florida
For the Third Year In a Row
Michael didn’t affect as large of an area in Florida as Hurricane Matthew, which ran up the East Coast in 2016, or Irma, which traveled the state from the Keys to Jacksonville in 2017.
Barbecuing Bing’s
With even Captain’s BBQ owners willing to get “back to the drawing board,” there’s plenty of room for Flagler government to fix what remains a dirty deal that hurts all sides.
Man Who Tried to Get Into Wadsworth Elementary and Referred to a School Shooting Is Identified
The man walked up to the front desk at Wadsworth Elementary Thursday morning and asked where the school’s book fair was, but also asked when the school was last shot up.
James Colley Jr. Sentenced to Death in Murders of Ex-Wife Amanda Colley and Lindy Dobbins
James Terry Colley Jr., 38, of St. Augustine, murdered his estranged wife Amanda Colley and her friend Lindy Dobbins in 2015 in St. Augustine after stalking and harassing Amanda for weeks.
$22.4 Million A1A Rebuilding and Sea Wall Construction in Flagler Beach Starts in January
The Florida Department of Transportation just awarded a $22.4 million contract to a Jacksonville contractor to start construction, sea wall and dune repairs on three segments of A1A in Flagler Beach.
Florida Supreme Court Will have No
Black Justice For First Time in 36 Years
None of the nine candidates from whom Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis will select three justices is black, although six of the original 59 applicants were African-Americans.
Weekend Briefing: Holiday Beach Parade, ‘Charlie Brown,’ DSC Enrollment, Community Chorus, Tree Lighting
It’s enrollment Saturday at Daytona State College, a tree-lighting and kick-off of Fantasy Lights in Palm Coast’s Town Center, the Holiday Parade in Flagler Beach, ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ by Matanzas’s thespians.
Rejecting Lesser Term, Judge Sentences Jonathan Canales to Life in Prison in Attempted Murder of Ex-Girlfriend
Jonathan Canales, 31, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Norman in their Mondex home in 2014. The judge declined to exercise his discretion, which would have allowed him to sentence him to anywhere from 25 years to life.
Roundabout Construction at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Begins in Weeks; Expect Detours
The $4.1 million project at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway will bring the first roundabout to a major road in Flagler, re-engineering one of the most dangerous intersections in the county.
Thursday Briefing: Aviation Days at Flagler Beach Museum, Canales Sentencing, Charlie Brown Christmas
Aviation Days continue at Flagler Beach Museum, Matanzas’s thespians put on “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Jonathan Canales, convicted of attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend, is sentenced to life in prison today.
Is Craig Coffey Getting Fired?
Word of His Demise May Be Premature.
Newly-elected Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins has pledged to fire Administrator Craig Coffey, and may try to do so at Monday’s meeting, but the outcome is anything but certain.
Shortlist of 11 Young Ultra-Conservatives Lined Up for 3 Florida Supreme Court Seats
Ron DeSantis will pick from the list to replace liberal justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who have reached retirement age. All nominees were GOP appointees.
Flagler College and China’s Foreign Affairs University Sign Exchange Agreement
CFAU is China’s leading university for future diplomats and foreign affairs and policy specialists and will exchange faculty and student with Flagler College.
Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Is Taking Requests: Hutson and Renner Hear Wish Lists Dec. 7
House Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson, who represent Flagler in Tallahassee, are holding their annual legislative meeting for Flagler governments and residents on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in Bunnell.
Mondex Man Accused of Raping an Unconscious 31-Year-Old Woman
Kenneth Steele, a 62-year-old resident of Daytona North, or the Mondex, is at the Flagler County jail following an arrest on a rape charge involving a 31-year-old woman, who was unconscious at the time of the alleged assault.
Wednesday Briefing: Nate Joe Mullins, Aviation Days, Sunshine Law Seminars, Chanticleer
It’s the first of three Aviation Days at the Flagler Beach Museum, Chanticleer performs at the Peabody, the Florida Association of Counties holds its annual legislative conference.
Court Sides With Two Central Florida Counties on Juvenile Justice Costs Owed By State
The case — and earlier litigation involving counties and the department — is rooted in a law that involves counties and the state sharing juvenile-detention costs.
In a Surprise, Bunnell Commissioner John Sowell Is Resigning, With Eye on County Seat
Bunnell City Commissioner John Sowell is resigning Friday and moving to a different part of the county, and is considering a run for the county commission seat held by Dave Sullivan.
Flagler Deputies Arrest Suspected Bank Robber and Fugitive Wanted in 3 Counties
Mark Wardell, 47, spent most of the past 25 years in state prison. He was released from a 12-year sentence just last May, and was wanted on four warrants.
Tuesday Briefing: Mid-30s Tonight, Long Creek Preserve Input, NAACP, Entrepreneur Night
The Palm Coast council discusses a series of new joint agreements with the county, Entrepreneur Night is at Tortugas in Flagler Beach, the NAACP meets.
Now That Voters Have Restored Felons’ Voting Rights, Is Case Against Florida Ban Moot?
A federal appeals court is questioning whether it needs to rule in a high-profile case about how Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet have handled requests to restore felons’ voting rights.
Protesters Gather at Bing’s Landing, But Captain’s BBQ Owner Willing To ‘Hit the Drawing Board Again’
The hastily-arranged protest outside Bing’s Landing Sunday drew between two and three dozen people looking to challenge Flagler County government’s new lease with Captain’s BBQ.
Car Veers Off the Road and Into a Pond at I-95 and SR100
A car veered off the road and into a pond at the intersection of I-95 and State Road 100 just before 5 p.m. today. No one was hurt.
18-Year-Old Woman Accuses Former Bunnell City Commissioner’s Son, 20, of Rape
Stephen Connor Brady, 20, faces the second-degree felony charge after a Palm Coast woman said he sexually assaulted her after she went to his house to comfort him over a break-up.
Monday Briefing: McDonald, School Board Chair, Bunnell Charter Amendments, Last Call for Flagler Beach Holiday Parade
Janet McDonald is the School Board’s new chairperson, last call for entries into next Saturday’s parade in Flagler Beach, Bunnell talks charter amendments for the March ballot.
In Health Insurance Wastelands, Rosier Options Crop Up For 2019
Across all 50 states, premiums for the average “benchmark” silver plan, which the government uses to set subsidies, are dropping nearly 1 percent.
I’m Making It My Business To Stand Up For Immigrants
A new immigrant wealth test is a cruel maneuver to diminish instead of making the country stronger. We shouldn’t take food and health from people and denies them citizenship because they aren’t rich.
Undersheriff Jack Bisland Will Retire After 41 Years in Local, Regional and State Law Enforcement
Jack Bisland, the steady, no-drama second-in-command at the Flagler County Sheriff and a consummate cop’s cop will hang up his badge and retire as Sheriff Rick Staly’s undersheriff come February
Waste Pro Garbage Truck Overturns, Killing Demont’e Harris, 21, in Palm Coast’s Woodlands
Demont’e Harris, 21, was killed when his Waste Pro garbage truck on its run through the Woodlands this morning overturned flipped on its side in front of 1, Bay Spring Place, killing him.
Thanksgiving Weekend Briefing: Domestic Violence Task Force, Feet to Feast, Thrift Store, Be Local Buy Local
Feat to Feast 5k on Thanksgiving morning, Palm Coast is encouraging shoppers to shop locally the Saturday after Thanksgiving, fund-raiser for the Nearly New Thrift Store.
Florida Hospital Flagler Will Open Stand-Alone ER Near Matanzas High School and I-95
The future AdventHealth’s 12-bed stand-alone ER represents a $25 million investment in north palm Coast and the addition of some 40 jobs near Matanzas High School as that part of town grows.
Ambition and Pledges of Openness Frame Swearings-In at County Commission and Palm Coast Council
Joe Mullins was sworn-in as a county commissioner and Donald O’Brien elected chairman while Jack Howell and Eddie Branquinho took their seats on the Palm Coast council today.
It Won’t Be Like Medical Pot: Senate President Pledges Not to ‘Slow-Walk’ Amendments
Galvano said of amendments from restoring felon rights to limiting gambling that the “people have spoken,” and “I want to make sure we are being true to the intent of the voters.”
Tuesday Briefing: Swearing In at Palm Coast Council, County Commission and School Board
Seven elected officials, three of them elected for the first time, are sworn in at the County Commission, palm Coast Council and the School Board.
Divided County Commission Approves Captain’s BBQ Lease That Will Reshape Bing’s Landing
The vote followed more than three hours from 41 people, almost split between supporters and opponents of a lease that would reshape Bing’s Landing.