Twenty-one counties have a burn ban in effect, though for now that has not been declared in Flagler, where firefighters are on stand-by to assist battling forest fires in Southwest Florida if necessary.
All Else
Not Dead Yet: Vacation-Rental Bill Flagler Opposes Clears Last House Committee , 17-11
A bill that would end Flagler County’s authority to regulate short-term rentals cleared its last House committee and appears headed for a clash with its Senate version, which is very different. If differences aren’t resolved, the bills die.
Embattled State Attorney Ayala Gets Big-Name Backers In Fight With Scott Over Death Penalty
Ex-prosecutors, former state Supreme Court justices, civil-rights organizations and families of homicide victims from across the country have filed briefs supporting Ayala in her legal battle with Gov. Rick Scott.
4 Hurt in Head-On Crash Between SUV and School, Bus at Royal Palms and Rymfire
Four people were hurt including two children in a crash involving a school bus and an SUV at the intersection of Royal Palms Parkway and Rymfire Drive in Palm Coast this morning just before sunup.
Monday Briefing: Pier Cheers Again, France’s Trumpette, Bunnell’s State of the City, Carver Auction
Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson delivers the annual State of the City Address, and the city commission awards a medal to one of its cops, the pier hops again, Marine Le Pen’s win in France.
Vernell Dixon of Palm Coast, 45, Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash on State Road 11
Vernell E. Dixon, a 45-year old resident of Palm Coast, was killed late this morning when he crashed his car into a tree on State Road 11, south of Bunnell.
Trump, You Bombed Syria Because You Care. Now Get Rid of the Muslim Ban in Any Form.
Both versions of that order, now held up in the courts, would have indefinitely banned all migration from Syria — and suspended refugee resettlement from everywhere.
Secret Hospital Inspections Revealing Errors and Mishaps and May Become Public at Last
The federal government has proposed requiring that accreditors release reports on the problems they find during hospital inspections. Right now, the reports are secret.
Sen. Artiles Resigns as Senate Investigates Racist Insults to Black Colleagues and Others
Sen. Frank Artiles called his presence a “distraction” days after apologizing for a public tirade that included racially charged and vulgar expletives directed at Sen. Audrey Gibson and others.
Badcock Furniture Will Fill Old Food Lion Space in Flagler Beach, Ending 8-Year Drought
Badcock Furniture will open in mid-summer in Flagler Square, as will a sweet shop, completing a remarkable revival of that commercial strip eight years after it had become a gaping hole for business.
Hitting New Post-Recession Low of 4.8%, Flagler’s Unemployment Now Matches Florida’s
The number of unemployed in Flagler county fell sharply in March, from 2,482 to 2,214, a drop of 268, an impressive 11 percent decline, with work activity especially pronounced in construction.
Weekend Briefing: Funny Thing at Flagler Playhouse, More Superintendent Interviews, Cheer at the Pier
The Flagler Playhouse opens “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Cheer at the Pier celebrates the Centennial, the Chamber Players are in concert Sunday, and more.
Lawmakers Set to Enact Long-Sought Solar Energy Tax Break, But Concerns Remain
The House and Senate are working on the proposals to carry out a renewable-energy constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 4, that voters approved during August’s primary election.
Flagler Schools Superintendent Interviews: James Tager
James Tager, the closest thing to a home-grown candidate for the Flagler County School Superintendent job, projected confidence, fluent knowledge of local and state issues and quite a bit of familiarity with Flagler schools.
Flagler Schools Superintendent Interviews: Gerald Wilson
In approach and demeanor, Gerald Wilson echoed Janet Valentine, the superintendent who preceded Jacob Oliva: not much excitability or charisma, but solid knowledge and deference to process.
Flagler Schools Superintendent Interviews: Jeff Umbaugh
Jeff Umbaugh was energetic, congenial, discursive, fast-talking, quick to take verbal tangents or make the occasional humorous aside, but mostly, he spoke in generalities and clichés.
Thursday Briefing: Superintendent Interviews, Senior Scholarships, Bill O’Reilly’s Karma
The last three candidates for school superintendent still standing interview with the school board in successive slots, then attend the annual senior scholarship awards at the Flagler Auditorium.
Life in Prison for Palm Coast Man as Jury Finds Him Guilty of Molesting 11-Year-Old
A two-second feel over the clothes of an 11-year-old in a Palm Coast home by her guardian four years ago will result in a life sentence for James Taylor, a previously convicted sex offender.
Sen. Artiles Apologizes to Sen. Gibson After Cursing Her Out In Racist and Sexist Language
Florida Sen. Artiles unleashed racial and sexist slurs at Sen. Audrey Gibson, who at one time represented parts of Flagler County, in a tirade at the Governors Club near the Capitol Monday night.
Wednesday Briefing: Bernie Sanders in Miami, Tourist Development, Matanzas Rezoning | FlaglerLive
Some 23 acres look to be rezoned for single family homes in Matanzas area, the Tourist Development Council meets for the first time in two months, Bernie Sanders in the “Come Together and Fight Back” tour in Miami.
No Bong Hits or Joints as Florida Lawmakers Roll Up Medical Pot “Compromise”
House and Senate refuse to allow marijuana products to be smoked despite repeated demands from patients, caregivers and others who insist that smoking provides some with the best type of treatment.
Palm Coast’s Thames Envy Holds Weir-dest Ribbon-Cutting You’ve Ever Heard Of
There’s a ribbon-cutting for every imaginable non-event these days, and today Palm Coast cut the ribbon at a water-control structure called a “weir,” in the B-Section.
At Man’s Trial, Weighing the Line Between A Parent’s Touch and Outright Molestation
Defense attorneys for James A. Taylor, the man on trial for allegedly molesting his ex’s 11-year-old daughter in Palm Coast, effectively plundered his accuser’s and her sisters’ credibility in four hours of testimony today.
Rocky Superintendent Search Jarred Again as Phyllis Edwards Withdraws Candidacy
With the latest top candidate to drop out, the Flagler County School Board’s search for a new superintendent is turning into a poorly scripted season of Survivor.
Tuesday Briefing: Frieda Zamba, Food Truck Tuesday, Spring Band Concert, Taxes, Job Fair, Pool Opening
The public pool in Palm Coast opens for the summer season, Food Truck Tuesday in Central Park, FPC’s band is in concert at the auditorium, the School Board and Palm Coast’s City Council meet.
In Big Victory for Flagler Government, Feared Vacation-Rental Bill Suddenly in Retreat in Legislature
Flagler County’s vacation-rental regulations currently in place would be preserved according to a new version of a Senate bill the county had been fighting before. And a House bill may be dead.
James Taylor Trial: A History of Violence and Rapes of Women and Children, But Jury Won’t Hear It
The single charge of molestation James A. Taylor faces as he went on trial in Flagler County today is deceptive: the sex offender has a history of brutality, rapes and assaults involving women and children, but it’s all off limits.
Governments Mull Way To Fight Prescription-Drug Crisis That Worked With Tobacco: Taxes
California, Alaska and the US Congress are considering taxing prescription drugs to raise money for treatment and discourage their use, but the amounts of the taxes would be relatively small.
Monday Briefing: Retiring K-9s, James Taylor Trial, Legal Clinics, Flagler History on TV
James Taylor, a sexual offender again accused of molesting children, goes on trial after a mistrial earlier this month, Sheriff Staly recognizes two retiring K-9s, Flagler history on television: a preview.
Two Killed, One Critical in Single-Vehicle Crash On Hammock Dunes Parkway
An elderly couple was killed and a man, Arthur Thornton, was in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash on Hammock Dunes Parkway just after 6 p.m. Easter Sunday evening.
Google’s Links to Flagler Sheriff’s Office Hacked By Malware, Porn and Clickbait
Users trying to reach the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office through Google are being redirected to pornographic websites, malware and dangerously infected links. Other search engines are not affected, nor is the sheriff’s site itself.
A Suicide By Gunshot Jolts 911 Call as Sheriff Observes Flagler’s Dispatch Center in Action
A gunshot suicide took place live as a 911 dispatcher was on the phone Wednesday, while Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly sat in as a “trainee” to mark National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
Carrabba’s on Palm Coast’s Cypress Edge Drive Is Target of a Bomb Threat
A bomb threat was called into Carrabba’s restaurant on Cypress Edge in Palm Coast late this afternoon with a “pretty straight-forward” threat by the caller, according to the sheriff’s office.
UPS Truck Driver Trapped 4 Hours in Crashed Cab On I-95; Brittany Fortner, 24, Killed 30 Miles North
Two separate, serious crashes involving three tractor trailers and a car, injuring a driver and killing Brittany Fortner, 24, of St. Augustine, unfolded in Flagler and St. John’s portions of I-95, within 14 minutes and 30 miles of each other Thursday night.
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Taxing Satellite TV at Nearly Twice the Rate of Cable
Under state law, cable services are taxed at 4.92 percent, while satellite services are taxed at 9.07 percent, according to the Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the different rates.
Goons With Guns, Sheriff Edition
A Florida sheriff’s ISIS-like video warning to drug dealers and the brutalizing of Dr. David Dao on a United flight in the same week are no coincidence, but symptoms of a re-emerging authoritarianism.
2 Teens Face Felonies For Firing BB Gun at Full School Bus and Vehicles on Belle Terre
There were 40 students returning from Bunnell Elementary when the school bus was the target of boys allegedly firing a BB and an air soft gun at the vehicle on Belle Terre Boulevard Wednesday afternoon.
Thursday Briefing: Protesting Home Rule Violations, G.W. Carver Auction, Wetlands in Flagler Beach, Taxes
Hammock residents plan a protest of their own Senator (Travis Hutson’s) position on home rule, the Carver Center Foundation holds an arts auction at Hammock Dunes Creek Club.
In Unprecedented Flagler Beach Town Hall, Old Kings Elementary Students Become All Stars of Ideas
Mayor Linda Provencher’s Kids Town Hall drew a standing-room-only crowd, almost the entire city commission and the city’s top staff for a lively hour of ideas and suggestions from Old Kings Elementary students.
Charles Singer Was Murdered, Sheriff’s Office Says After ID of West Flagler Man Missing 2 Months
Nobody is in custody at the moment, though several individuals have been interviewed in connection with the discxovery. Singer was found buried in his backyard at 80 Pine Tree Lane in West Flagler last week.
With 3 Large Flagler Fires in 2 Months and 107 Burning in the State, Scott Declares Emergency
Gov. Scott’s declaration of a wildfire emergency comes in the wake of several large fires in Flagler County and more than 100 ongoing fires elsewhere. It will allow for swifter sharing of firefighting resources, including the use of the National Guard.
Wednesday Briefing: Matanzas Construction Tech Program, Kids’ Town Hall With Provencher, Staly as a 911 Dispatcher
The sheriff marks his 100 days in office by being a 911 dispatcher for four hours, Flagler Beach Mayor Linda Provencher holds a kids’ town hall, builders inaugurate a program at Matanzas.
As One More Name Drops Out, Board Settles On 4 Candidates For Superintendent Interviews
James Tager, the principal at Atlantic High School in Volusia County, is the front-runner, getting all five board members’ nod, in an otherwise more fractured field as yet another top candidate dropped out.
Joseph Bova, Accused Killer of Store Clerk, Again Declared Incompetent In Threatening Court Appearance
Joseph Bova, accused killer of store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado in Palm Coast in 2013, threatened that the judge and four others would die in “seconds” during an appearance before Judge Craig this afternoon.
Eyes on International Prizes, Flagler’s Problem Solvers Launch Flocking Fund-Raising Season
Two mayors, two county commissioners and a school board member gathered Monday for the launch of Flagler Schools’ Future Problem Solvers’ fund-raising season to help send 51 students to international competition in Wisconsin in June.
Another Bear Hunt? Florida Fish and Wildlife Readies to Look at Latest Numbers
Florida game officials are getting an update on the state’s growing black bear population, a discussion animal-rights supporters contend is a first step toward holding a hunt later this year.
Tuesday Briefing: Funnels Over Flagler, Bova Back in Court, Superintendent Search, Underground Railroad
The school board draws up the list of those to be interviewed for superintendent, Joseph Bova, accused of murdering a woman at the Mobil station on SR100 in 2013, is back in court, Colson Whitehead wins the Pulitzer for “Underground Railroad.”
Sowell Sworn-In as Bunnell Commission’s Latest Rookie; Rogers, Almost Forgotten, Begins 3rd Term
Newly elected City Commissioner John Sowell, a largely unknown entity, and third-term Commissioner John Rogers were sworn-in in a brief ceremony in Bunnell this evening.
Sheriff Will Ask Palm Coast to Pay for 5 More Cops, a 21% Increase of City’s Policing Budget
Sheriff Staly wants to double Palm Coast’s traffic unit, but five more cops would cost close to $600,000 on top of the city’s current $2.6 million budget. Mayor Milissa Holland signals some push-back.
As Washington Piddles, Liberal California Forges Ahead With Universal Health Care Ideas
Organized labor and two lawmakers are leading the charge for a single, government-financed program for everyone in the state. Another legislator wants to create a commission that would weigh the best options for a system to cover everyone.