The Flagler School Board discusses a new flagship program for Matanzas High, last Constitution Revision Commission hearing within commuting distance, Bunnell Planning talks variance v. special exception.
All Else
Gun Control Could Become a Key Issue in Florida’s Elections
Major political donors on both sides plan to use support for “common-sense” legislation as a litmus test for candidates during the 2018 midterm elections.
Witness Describes Disturbing Near-Miss Immediately Before Friday’s Crash That Killed 2 on SR100
Patrick Spurgeon, a trucker, said the woman who slammed into a pick-up, triggering the fatal wreck Friday, had moments earlier passed him while a motorcyclist was passing from the other direction.
Flagler Sheriff and County Officials Worry That Prison Reforms Could Shift Inmates,
and Costs, to County
A spate of criminal-justice reform bills in the Florida Senate has Flagler’s sheriff and a county commissioner worried about what that could mean for the local jail population and budgets.
Claiming “Nothing Will Be Done” On Guns Lets NRA Off the Hook, Overstating Its Strength
NRA influence has limits, and there’s evidence it’s on the wane, but fatalism spares opponents of gun reform from even having to make their arguments for protecting the gun lobby.
Monday Briefing: Heat Again, Constitution Revision Commission Hearing, Commission Triple-Header
This afternoon may be your only chance to address the Constitutional Revision Commission in person, in a 5-hour Jacksonville hearing, the Flagler County Commission has three meetings, more dune walkovers open up in Flagler Beach.
2 Dead, 4 Injured, 3 Seriously in 3-Vehicle Crash on SR 100, West of CR 305
A three-vehicle crash on State Road 100 west of Bunnell Friday evening resulted in the death of Ralph Pellicer, 43, of Bunnell and of Jobe Podach, 35, of Holly Hill.
Thoughts and Prayers, As Pointless as Outrage
The ultimate, most pointless outrage is at lawmakers and gun freaks, one and the same, who stand in pools of blood as they tell us our gun epidemic has nothing to do with it.
Deal Could End Wrangling Over Trauma Centers Around Florida
The Legislature has wrangled with whether to continue with current regulations or to allow a more competitive environment that would increase the number of trauma facilities.
Qualifications Commission Recommends Judge DuPont Removed, Calling Him “Reckless,” Untruthful and “Heavy Handed”
Judge Scott DuPont serves on Flagler’s and Putnam’s civil benches, and was facing a series of accusations that he’d acted wrongfully and recklessly as a judge and a candidate.
Weekend Briefing: Afro-American Heritage, Race the Runways, Dance Party, Nouvelle Trio, Sweetwater Birds
Flagler Beach Rotary’s runway run at the airport, the Annual Black Heritage Day Festival, birding at Sweetwater, Willie Nelson postpones to Feb 27, and a lot more.
Flagler Airport Chief Roy Sieger Calls Fuel Tax Cut Proposed By Renner Committee “Ridiculous,” and Loses
Airport Director Sieger spoke before Paul Renner’s Ways and Means Committee, but Renner, the Palm Coast Republican, voted with the committee to approve the tax cut.
Fugitive Who Taunted Sheriff on Facebook Is Arrested; Deputy Injured in Violent Struggle
Leslie Pitter faces a first-degree felony after dislocating a deputy’s shoulder in an encounter that included his being tased, and fugitive Francisco Valdez was caught and jailed after taunting the sheriff’s Fugitive Frriday Bingo.
Thursday Briefing: Farm Swap at Ag Museum, Stayin’ Alive at Auditorium, FHF Auxiliary, Galileo
It is Galileo’s birthday, disco fever at the Flagler Auditorium, a new weekly gig at the Florida Agriculture Museum, the African Diaspora, an evening of chamber music.
Florida Democrats Speak of Margaret Good’s Victory as a Sign of a Coming “Blue Wave”
Margaret Good’s victory on Tuesday, winning a Florida House seat in Sarasota County, represents the 36th time a Republican seat has flipped Democratic since the 2016 election.
In a Flagler First, 16 Couples Marry, 5 Renew Vows in Mass Ceremony on Courthouse Steps
A couple together 60 years were among those renewing vows in a ceremony led by Clerk of Court Tom Bexley and coinciding with Valentine’s Day.
Facing Deportation, an Undocumented Immigrant Held at Flagler Jail Changes His Plea at Last Minute
The case of Palm Coast resident Filipino Francisco Justo underscores how the potential for deportation increases rather than decreases burdens on the judicial and penal systems.
Wednesday Briefing: Mass Marriage On Courthouse Steps, Linda Cole’s Valentine, Lincoln on Foreigners
Clerk of Court Tom Bexley presides over a mass wedding on the courthouse steps, the Public Safety Coordinating Council meets, Linda Cole performs at the library, Lincoln speaks to and of foreigners.
The Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Homeless Shelter, Holds Fundraiser March 4
The “Have a Heart for the Homeless” dinner and dance will raise money for the shelter assisting new, near, or chronically homeless, and the all-volunteer effort needs your help.
Reducing Traffic Fines Part of Renner’s Tax Cut Push, But Local Revenue Would Fall
Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, chairs the committee introducing a bill that would cut some traffic fines by 18 percent and provide a $332 million tax cut, but local government revenue would fall by $38 million.
Man at Flagler Jail Tries to Hang Himself, Fellow-Inmates and Deputies Rush To Save Him
An inmate at the Flagler jail tied a bed sheet around a railing, then around his neck, and attempted suicide before inmates and deputies rushed to his rescue Tuesday.
Tuesday Briefing: Nathaniel Shimmel Pre-Trial, O’Brien Town Hall, Vacation Rentals, Mary Kelly Performs
County Commissioner Don O’Brien holds a town hall meeting on the county’s future, Nathaniel Shimmel, accused of murdering his mother, is in court, a House committee takes up vacation rentals, Mary Kelly performs at the library.
Bill To Keep Florida On Year-Round Daylight-Saving Time Advances Easily
A proposal to shift the Panhandle to Florida’s eastern time failed, but that of keeping the state on daylight saving keeps clearing committees with unanimity.
Palm Coast Residents Say They Like Their City But Less So Their Municipal Government
In the latest survey of residents’ satisfaction, Palm Coast government and the direction of the city takes a significant hit, while services such as police and fire see great satisfaction.
For All The Talk Of Obamacare Imploding, ACA Enrollment Is “Remarkably Stable”
ACA plan enrollment ticked downward this year but states running their own marketplaces saw slight gains and did better than those relying on the federal exchange.
Monday Briefing: Flagler Youth Orchestra In Full Concert, Police v. Door-To-Door in Bunnell, Walkovers
The Flagler Youth Orchestra holds its Strings Around the World Concert at the Flagler Auditorium, Bunnell wants its police department to permit or deny door-to-door salespeople, el Bacha’s Chopin.
Military Inferiority Complex:
Dear Leader Wants A Parade
The military doesn’t need parades. It needs to come home. Worshipping it in time of endlessly losing wars only locks and loads more cannon fodder.
Palm Coast Vacation Rental Agency Ransacked, Hammock Unit Used To Print Counterfeit Cash
The Vacation Rental Pros office on Palm Coast’s Utility Drive was ransacked and keys to units stolen apparently by a tenant who used his unit possibly to print counterfeit currency.
At the Flagler County Art League:
Diana Gilson, Artist of the Year
Abstratct-expressionist painter Diana Gilson–sailor, pianist, amateur linguist–is the Gariuolo Foundation’s 2017 Flagler CountyArtist of the Year, with an exhibit opening Saturday at the Flagler County Art League.
Weekend Briefing: Birds of a Feather Fest, Food Fest, 2 Operas, Sarah Hartley, Artist of the Year
Palm Coast’s popular birding festival, lots of music , dance and art, wildlife photographer Moose Peterson, two operas, the annual Artist of the Year celebration, and plenty more.
Flagler Loses Hutson and Lopsided Vote as Vacation Rental Deregulation Advances
Sen. Travis Hutson voted with the 9-1 majority of his Senate committee today to advance a bill that would strip local governments of regulatory authority of vacation-rental homes.
Dunes Restoration Project Update At Week 3, With Video
Some 2,800 linear feet of dunes have been restored as of February 7, with the county’s goal being a mile a month. Chris Goodfellow’s videos have been documenting progress.
Thursday Briefing: Flagler Beach Library Reopening, George Wood Sentencing, Dr. Carter Wing, Vacation Rentals
Palm Coast’s George Wood faces a stiff sentence following convictions for the 12th time on felonies, Sheriff Staly renames a jail wing in honor of Dr. Morris Carter, who’s been the jail’s doctor for four decades, G.K. Chesterton on public opinion.
In 1st Forum of Season, School Board Candidates Discourse Rather Than Debate
Four of the five candidates running for Flagler County School Board have served 24 years between them and want to serve more. The fifth has never been in office.
Dog Parks at Palm Coast’s Holland Park Closed Over Fears of Hookworm
A dog that recently used the parks was diagnosed with hookworm, which can affect pets and humans, prompting closure of the two dog parks and intervention by the health department.
Pianist George Winston, a Stetson Alumni, Returns For a Benefit Concert Feb. 25
The intimate evening of music with George Winston supports Stetson’s School of Music Scholarship Fund. Stetson dropped out of studying sociology at Stetson in the 1960s, but got an honorary doctorate in 2004.
Urging Opposition, Flagler Beach’s Jane Mealy Says Vacation-Rental Proposals Could Change City’s Look
In an open plea to residents circulated by letter, Flagler Beach Commission Chair Jane Mealy warns of vacation-rental proposals that could change the make-up of the city, eliminating distinctions between residential and commercial zones.
Wednesday Briefing: Meet School Board Candidates, Record Skywarn Class, Opioids and Hazing
The year’s first election forum features school board candidates at a Republican committee meeting, the Supreme Court hears a hazing case, legislators talk opioids.
What Trump Wants on Immigration Is Ethnic Cleansing
Trump’s offering a fig leaf of legal status for a relatively small slice of the undocumented population in return for a drastic cut of all immigration to the U.S.
Congregate Meals Program For Seniors at Wickline in Flagler Beach Hits Milestones
The need for congregate meals for seniors has grown in Flagler over the years, but federal and local funding has not, declining somewhat in the past 10 years.
County Agrees To Settling Dangerous Dog Case With Broader Implications on Authority
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed argues Circuit Judge Scott DuPont misconstrued and misapplied the law in a dangerous-dog decision the county is appealing to the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Tuesday Briefing: Blood Moon Odyssey, Palm Coast Cell Tower, Hammock History, Knausgaard’s Autumn
The Palm Coast Council may approve the first lease for a new cell tower under new, looser wireless rules, Al Hadeed talks Hammock history at the Hammock Community Center, the story of a Blood Moon shot.
County Eliminates 15 Jobs, Outsourcing Janitorial Contract Commissioners Had Saved in 2015
Three years ago then-Flagler Commissioner Barbara Revels saved the jobs, arguing they were more important than outsourcing’s modest savings. This time, the commission voted 5-0 to outsource.
Woman, 42, Stops Her Car Off U.S. 1 and Ends Her Life With Gunshot as Helicopter Hovers
Maggie Olivera, 42, was found in her Toyota 4 Runner by the side of the road at Old Dixie Highway off U.S. 1 in Flagler after St. Johns County’s emergency helicopter had followed her from St. Johns.
Monday Briefing: Repaving Colbert Lane and Bunnell, Strategic Planning, Operation Pedro Pan, CareerSource Grant
Road paving in Bunnell this week, Flagler gets ready to repave Colbert, the county settles a long-running dangerous-dog case, CareerSource Flagler Volusia receives training grant for hurricane evacuees.
Betting On That Super Bowl: States Moving To Legalize Sports Gambling Ahead of Court
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case that may open the way for states to authorize sports betting. Bills have been filed in 20 states in anticipation of the ruling.
At Coastal Cloud in the Hammock, a Culture More Cutting Edge Than Cutthroat Breeds Startling Success at 5-Year Mark
Palm Coast’s Coastal Cloud marked its 5-year anniversary with startling successes, including 40 percent annual growth, 140 employees and near-parity between men and women in the ranks.
Daytona State College Awarded 7th Grant To Benefit Students of Mexican Descent
Since 2011, Daytona State has received more than $90,000 in related grant awards, including matching cash and in-kind services.
Belle Terre Elementary’s African American Read-In on Feb. 22 Seeking Volunteers
The goal is to make literacy a significant and exciting part of African American History Month. The school is seeking many volunteers to read to all classes from kindergarten through 6th grade.
Weekend Briefing: Polar Plunge, A1A Clean-Up, DSC Financial Aid, Youth Orchestra, IKEA
An incredibly busy weekend in the area with First Friday in Flagler Beach, the Youth Orchestra in concert, shows at the Flagler Auditorium and Flagler Playhouse, Polar Plunge, and too much more.