The GOP approach is called a “continuous coverage” penalty. It increases premiums for people who buy insurance if they have gone 63 consecutive days without a policy during the past 12 months.
All Else
After 11 Years, Flagler Beach’s First Fridays Events Get Their First Written Policy
The proposed four-page policy formalizes what had been verbally agreed to, or assumed, over the years, but doesn’t change the focus on favoring local businesses while outlining documentation requirements.
Thursday Briefing: New First Friday Policy, AAUW’s Successful Women, The Pencil
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and County Engineer Faith al-Khatib are among the panelists at an AAUW event at DSC, Flagler Beach codifies First Friday.
David Dalecki, 47, Dies In 2-Vehicle Crash On I-95 Near Palm Coast’s Weigh Station
Dalecki is the husband of Cindy Dalecki, the owner of Marketing 2 Go in Palm Coast, the president of the Flagler Beach Rotary, and one of Flagler County’s most prominent and dynamic personalities.
No, Attorney General Sessions, Pot Is Not “Only Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin
Pot is a relatively mild and harmless drug compared to deadly, addictive heroin. Treating users like criminals is a threat to their safety — and so is perpetuating the lie that some drugs are no less harmful than others, writes Jill Richardson.
Lawmakers’ Letters to Constituents on Health Care Are Full of Lies and Misinformation
As the GOP tries to rewrite–or “repeal and replace–the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers in both parties are incorrectly citing statistics, making false claims and leaving out important context in letters to constituents.
In Courthouse Parking Lot, Sheriff’s Deputies Peacefully End Another Suicide-By-Cop Crisis
For the second time in 18 months, Flagler sheriff’s deputies peacefully defused a suicide-by-cop confrontation, this one involving 21-year-old Darnell Hyppolite at the Flagler County courthouse parking lot.
Wednesday Briefing: Bob Cuff, Scout’s Hero, Guns in the Courthouse, Kasparov on Trump, McCarthyism
Palm Coast City Councilman Bob Cuff is honored by the Boy Scout Council, the Legislature takes up a bill that would allow carrying guns in courthouses, McCarthyism explained.
Flagler Increases Tourism Tax to 5%, Benefiting Beach Fix, Then More Promotions
The first two years of new revenue will swell the beach-repair fund by $2.5 million, settling back down to $500,000 thereafter, when the promotions revenue will rise to $1.5 million a year.
Ousted In Cop Case, Prosecutor Who Won’t Seek Death Penalty Challenges Scott
State Attorney Aramis Ayala is accusing Gov. Scott of abusing his authority by ousting her as prosecutor in the case of alleged cop-killer Markeith Loyd.
Tuesday Briefing: Vacation Rentals, Superintendent Search, Food Truck Tuesday, Patriot Award, Philip Roth
Palm Coast Fire Chief Mike Beadle, Deputy Chief Jerry Forte, and Battalion Chief Ron Petrillo get a Patriot Award, the school board looks over applicants for superintendent, vacation rentals are up for another Senate hearing.
Jeanmarie Baker, 61, Is Killed By FEC Train Just South of White Eagle Off U.S. 1 in Suicide
Jeanmarie Baker, 61, was struck and killed by a southbound train on the Florida East Coast Railway early this evening in Korona, near the White Eagle Lounge just south of Palm Coast.
O’Brien Beach-Funding Proposal Prevails, And Flagler Beach Gets $2 Million Pledge
County Commissioner Donald O’Brien’s proposal to shift more money toward beach restoration prevailed today in a joint meeting of the County Commission and the county’s tourism board, and the county administrator pledged to allocate $2 million to Flagler Beach’s needs.
Superintendent’s Job Draws Just 41 Applicants, And A Few Stand-Outs After All
The district’s Vernon Orndorff is the only local applicant. He faces definite competition from Phyllis Edwards, a former assistant superintendent in Flagler, and Todd Sprager, the principal at Spruce Creek High School in Volusia.
Thousand-Acre Wildfire Started As Controlled Burn in Putnam, Spread To Flagler, Now 75% Contained
Residents in Northwest Flagler County breathed the effects of the fire all weekend, and residents in Palm Coast and the rest of the county could see the large columns of smoke rising over the western horizon Saturday and Sunday.
Flagler Tourism “Promotions” Slush Fund Jumps 76% in 3 Years, And We’re Counting Pennies For Beach Repairs?
Paying for critical repairs to Flagler County’s beaches is hostages to a tourism budget’s scandalous and unaccountable promotions spending, which the county administration wants to increase despite the emergency.
Monday Briefing: County Commission Triple-Header on Land-Swap and Tourism Tax, Unspoken STDs, Kolyma
The Flagler County Commission meets three times to discuss an increase in the tourism sales tax, a land swap to benefit building a new library, and numerous other issues, the trial of James Taylor, accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl, Henrik Ibsen’s birthday.
As 1st Brick In Wall Goes Up, An Accounting of the Cost of a Single Installment ($2.8 Billion) to U.S. Taxpayers
That first $2.6 billion will not go toward the permanent wall Trump has committed to (that’s forecast to be around 10 times the $2.6 billion) but to a bunch of smaller walls and patch holes in the assortment of fences that now exist.
In Palm Coast Survey of Residents, More Nuanced Views Past Happy-Faced Powerpoint
The city’s powerpoint summary of its 2017 survey presents a brighter if narrower picture of residents’ concerns, who, freed from multiple-choice questions, tell a different story of concerns and lacking services from streetlights to sidewalks to safety.
Weekend Briefing: Down Syndrome’s Buddy Walk, NCAA Sports Clinic, Art Show At Veterans Park, Judi Wormeck
It’s Down Syndrome Buddy Walk time, an NCAA Youth Sports Clinic at Indian Trails Sports Complex, Artist of the Year Judi Wormeck’s show opens in Flagler Beach, remembering John Updike and Rabbit Angstrom.
In Stunning Move, State Attorney Ayala Won’t Pursue Death Sentences in Orange and Osceola
Ayala’s decision infuriated Gov. Scott, Attorney General Bondi and police organizations, but drew praise from others who see the position more in line with a growing national trend by courts, some governors and legislatures.
Flagler’s Hutson Files Amendment to Vacation-Rental Bill That Would “Eviscerate” Regulations
Sen. Travis Hutson had supported the 2014 law enabling Flagler County to regulate vacation rentals. His amendment, which he calls a “compromise,” would scale that back even though he sees no problems with local regulations or short-term rentals.
Flagler Beach’s Mary Ann Dominessy Reese, Who’d Made Her Battle With ALS Unsparingly Public, Dies at 63
For more than two years Mary Ann Dominessy Reese, a retired teacher, had painstakingly chronicled her decline through ALS on a widely read Facebook page, organizing campaigns and fund-raisers, along the way.
Palm Coast’s Jerald Medders, 51, Held on $300,000 Bond Over Child Rape Charges
Jerald D. Medders, 51, of 6 Zelda Place in Palm Coast, faces three 1st-degree felony counts of raping a girl over three months. Medders blamed the girl, who was 15 when the alleged assaults began, for “provoking” him.
Thursday Briefing: St. Patrick’s Day, Cynical Lawyers, Picnics and Pops Tickets, the Great Yale Snowball Fight
A relatively quiet official day locally but not a quiet St. Patrick’s drinking day, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s tickets for the Picnics and Pops concert on sale, the story of the great Yale snowball fight.
At Ocean Art Gallery:
Judi Wormeck, Artist of the Year
Judi Wormeck, a retired art teacher and member of the Flagler County Art League, is the Gargiulo Art Foundation’s 2016 Flagler County Artist of the Year, with her first Florida exhibit opening Friday at Ocean Art Gallery in Flagler Beach.
Senate Approves Stand Your Ground Change To Make It Easier For Shooters To Use Defense
The bill would shift the burden from defendants to prosecutors in the pre-trial hearings, vastly strengthening defendants’ ability to use the defense, but at significant cost to prosecutors.
A Jazz Centennial Celebration: Linda Cole and Orlando Jazz Orchestra at Flagler Auditorium
The great jazz vocalist Linda Cole will celebrate the centennial of Ella Fitzgerald’s birth (and that of many other jazz greats) in a double-bill concert scheduled for April 2 at 3 p.m. at the Flagler Auditorium.
Stetson University Hosting Immigration Forum on April 1
In light of many recent convulsions in immigration law, Stetson University is hosting an open forum discussion with St. Petersburg immigration attorney Arturo R. Rios on recent changes in immigration actions and law.
Wednesday Briefing: Cue Democratic Social, Changing State Colleges, Islamophobes in Europe
Flagler Democrats gather for ma social with new leader Mike Cocchiola at Cue Note Billiards, pushing financial literacy in Tallahassee, Islamophobia’s comebacks, Beethoven’s genius through deafness.
Setback For Flagler as Bill Scrapping Vacation-Rental Regulations Advances on 9-6 Vote
A divided House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee was not swayed by a presentation from Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed as it voted to scrap county authority to regulate short-term, vacation rentals. The bill has several additional hurdles to clear.
A Country Unbecoming In the Age of Trump
Immigrants targeted for prosecution or removal could be the people who built your house, picked the fruit for your breakfast, and tidied up the hotel room where you last stayed.
Tuesday Briefing: Recovery Centers, A Night In The 30s, Palm Coast Survey Results, Willoughby Brothers
The Palm Coast City Council hears the results of its citizens’ survey, involving thousands, the Willoughby Brothers are at the Flagler Auditorium, it’ll be in the 30s again tonight.
Florida’s Lethal Injections Ready to Stab Again As Gov. Scott Signs Death Penalty Bill
Florida is again poised to begin executions and prosecute death penalty cases after Gov. Rick Scott signed a law Monday aimed at fixing flaws in the state’s capital sentencing procedure.
Flagler May Lose Vacation Rental Regulations Just 2 Years After Regaining Authority
After a three-year battle, Flagler County government regained the right to regulate short-term rentals in the Hammock, which had become disruptive to local residents. Now the state is poised to take that authority away–again.
Unemployment Spikes to 6% in Flagler, Highest in 15 Months, But Labor Force Also Grows
While Flagler County’s number of unemployed grew by 11 percent month-over-month, the county also saw a very large increase of 600 people in its workforce, pointing to optimism about the county’s climate.
Monday Briefing: Flagler Budget Crunch, Ron Bolser, Bunnell’s Fire Chief, Josh Crews Writing Project
The Flagler County Commission gathers to take stock of its Hurricane Matthew-whacked budget situation, Bunnell set to appoint Ron Bolser fire chief, Josh Crews Writing Project at Princess Place.
An Outbreak of Anti-Semitism in an Angry and Fearful America Since Trump’s Election
“Documenting Hate,” an attempt to document hate crimes and bigotry from a divided America, has recorded more than 330 reports of anti-Semitic incidents during a three-month span from early November to early February.
Biker Jeffery Coffman of Palm Coast, 59, Killed On U.S. 1’s Triple-A Curve South of Belle Terre
Jeffery Lynn Coffman, 59, of Clermont Court in Palm Coast, is the latest victim of a curving stretch of U.S. 1 that has claimed the lives of several people over the years.
Ron DeSantis’s First Principle: Do Harm
Obamacare repealer Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose congressional district includes Flagler, has a solution for cancer patients without insurance: the emergency room. A few corrections are in order.
Sheriff Settles Suit With Ex-Finance Director For $200,000, Causing Delays In Future Hires
Linda Bolante filed a whistle-blower suit against ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre in 2014 after she claimed to have been forced to resign over her raising questions about his ethical practices.
Lopsided House Votes To Abolish Enterprise Florida and Economic Development Limbs
The House also voted 80-35 to approve a separate measure (HB 9) that would overhaul the structure and contract-reporting requirements of Visit Florida.
“Insulted” By Chairman Tucker’s Grip On Information Flow, School Board’s Conklin Calls For Rethink Of Rules
Flagler School Board member Colleen Conklin wanted the board and staff to review a state report. Trevor Tucker objected, absent a majority of the board agreeing. That caused an unusual clash and rethink of etiquette on the board.
Marking Centennial, Flager Reads Its History Together As Jack Clegg’s Legends Creak Again
Flagler County Historical Society Curator Sisco Deen launched the annual Flagler Reads Together this month with a talk focused on Jack Clegg, author of the county’s only history to date.
U.S. Economy Adds 235,000 Jobs,
Continuing Long Pace of Robust Growth
The unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent, not quite the post-Great Recession low of 4.6 percent recorded last November, but close enough.
Weekend Briefing: Matanzas Band Plays On, Bike Week, Flagler Reads, Food Giveaway, Seafood Festival
The Matanzas High School Band takes the stage again after the loss of one of its own, the Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, the Seafood Festival returns to Central Park, Ron DeSantis town halls.
30-Year-Old Biker Travis Staub Critical In Head-On Collision With Car on Rymfire in Palm Coast
A 30-year-old man on a motorcycle was critically injured in a head-on collision with a car on Rymfire Drive in Palm Coast.
Revealing Look at How Flagler Beach Commission, in Closed-Door Meeting, Settled Wrongful Arrest Claim
Vassili Mironov had sued the Flagler Beach Police Department for $89,000 after his arrest at Finns for a fight he says he did not start. He got $6,000 in a settlement that revealed how divided city commissioners arrived at their 3-2 vote.
Lawmakers Back Secrecy for Murder Witnesses
Witnesses’ identifying information would remain secret for two years after the date of the incidents, except to prosecutors and police.
In Unusual Reversal of Roles, 2 Cyclists Hurt as They Rear-End Van on Colbert Lane
Two cyclists rear-ended a Town and Country van that had pulled over on Colbert Lane, near Lakeview Drive, to make a phone call. Both cyclists were taken to Floirida Hospital Flagler.