Halifax Paving is set to reopen State Road A1A in Flagler Beach next week, some 30 days ahead of schedule, earning itself a $1 million bonus on top of the original $4 million emergency contract. Businesses and others are cheering.
All Else
Clinton Holds Narrow Lead Over Trump in Florida, But Larger Leads in Early Votes
In Florida, Quinnipiac found that she is ahead by a substantial 48-42 lead among voters who have already cast ballots. That lead grows to double digits among Ohio and North Carolina early voters.
Thomas Dougherty, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Thomas Dougherty is a non-party affiliated candidate for Flagler County Sheriff in the Nov. 8th general elections. He’s facing Republican Rick Staly and Democrat Larry Jones.
Wednesday Briefing: Live Bombing, Stagg Hearing II, Stetson Guitar Ensemble, Hulu on the Horizon, Palestrina Mass
Some live bombing is scheduled he Pinecastle Range Complex in the Ocala National Forest from 8 a.m. to noon, the second part of Emergency Mnagement’s Jennifer Stagg’s firing hearing takes place this morning, Hulu is coming for your TV.
Palm Coast Mayor Netts To Be Recognized For “2,459 Years” Of Service Thursday at City Hall
Term-limited, Netts will end his 16 years of service for Palm Coast and cede his throne to Mayor-Elect and long-time protegee Milissa Holland on Nov. 15, when the new city council is sworn in.
Tuesday Briefing: Mayors Fête Netts, Mock Election in Schools, Palm Coast’s Garbage, Trump’s Tax Evasions
Mock elections are held in Flagler schools in grades 4-8, the Palm Coast council adopts a new contract with Waste Pro for garbage disposal, the school board talks legislative priorities, Trump’s tax dodging.
At Flagler’s Emergency Operations, Key Employee’s Firing Exposes Broader Turmoil
The firing of Jennifer Stagg, for more than six years a senior preparedness planner at Flagler County Emergency Services, caused Kevin Guthrie, her former boss, to launch a campaign on her behalf, causing 31 people to turn up at her termination hearing this morning. The hearing will resume Wednesday.
In a Surprise Visit, Gov. Scott Tells Flagler Officials He’ll Expedite Regulatory Hold-Ups on Shore Repairs
Gov. Rick Scott held a 25-minute closed-door meeting with county and city officials in Bunnell today to assess the response to Hurricane Matthew and assure officials that he’ll help them through regulatory hurdles in continuing recovery efforts, especially on the barrier island.
Facebook Profiling: Its System Lets Advertisers Exclude Black, Hispanic, and Other “Ethnic Affinities” From Seeing Ads
Imagine if, during the Jim Crow era, a newspaper offered advertisers the option of placing ads only in copies that went to white readers. That’s basically what Facebook is doing nowadays.
Monday Briefing: Hall of Terror, Cheers for Mim Lique, Early Voting Week 2, Divided America In Pictures, Atheists and Elections
Mim Lique, 81, oldest competitor in Sunday’s Pink Army 5K, won her age division, the Hall of Terror culminates on Halloween Night, Early Voting begins Week 2 through Saturday, and a D.H. Lawrence poem.
Hillary Clinton May or May Not Have Raped a Child
The FBI director’s McCarthyist revelations of more Clinton emails will change the trajectory of the presidential race some even as it underscores the emptiness at the core of a manufactured scandal.
Democratic Party Chairman Accuses Judge Moore-Stens of Short-Changing Canvassing Board Responsibility
Flagler DNC Chairman Ralph Lightfoot, in a stunning charge against Judge Mellissa Moore-Stens, told her she should “find somebody else” on the canvassing board if she can’t devote her full attention to it, a criticism the judge rejected and countered with equal force.
Weekend Briefing: 2 Beach Clean-Ups, Hall of Terror, Pink Army Run and Walk, Public Option Solution
A weekend of beach cleanings in Flagler Beach and near Varn Park, of ghoulish Halloween terrors in Palm Coast, and more early voting, along with the wonderful S.L. Weiss and his lute.
Ballot Error Missing Mosquito Race Grows to 2,200 Voters in 6 Precincts; Board’s Solution Breaks With State Elections Recommendation
The Flagler Canvassing Board voted to provide a “supplemental ballot” to each of the 658 early voters and 1,548 mail-in voters affected by the error, countering a state recommendation to ignore the lost votes and issue a completely new and separate ballot to the voters by mail.
Pam Richardson, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Pam Richardson is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. She faces Nick Klufas in the non-partisan runoff election culminating on Nov. 8. All registered voters may cast a ballot in that election regardless of party affiliation.
Rubio-Murphy’s 2nd Bout All About Trump, Kurdish Militias and Showing Up (Or Not)
The debate marked one of Murphy’s highest-profile chances to take on Rubio. Most polls have shown the incumbent with a modest edge, usually inside the margin of error, though one released Wednesday by Bloomberg Politics showed Rubio with a hefty 10-point lead.
Those Double-Digit Health Insurance Rate Hikes in Florida? Blame State GOP.
Sen. Bill Nelson, once Florida’s insurance commissioner, reminds residents that it was the Republican state Legislature that stripped the office of insurance regulation of the authority to approve, modify or reject rate hikes by health insurance companies, thus leading to current, unacceptable rate hikes.
Thursday Briefing: McLaughlin-Dance Town Hall, Meet the Managers, Crack’s Hold, Is the Race Tightening?
Commissioner Nate McLaughlin and School Board member Andy Dance hold a town hall, the county’s city managers talk at the Hilton Garden Inn, Leary Brock describes cocaine’s hold, fall festival at Rymfire.
Nick Klufas, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Nick Klufas is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. He faces Pam Richardson in the non-partisan run-off election culminating on Nov. 8, in which all registered voters may cast a ballot.
Wednesday Briefing: State Road A1A Open House, Early Voting, Rubio-Murphy Debate, Trump and Marx
The open house at Flagler Beach’s City Hall will give the public a closer look at the A1A reconstruction project, Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy have another televised debate, what Trump and Marx have in common.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Talks Garbage, Suppressing a DUI Test, Entrepreneur Night at Channel Side, Commission Forum
Palm Coast prepares to approve the next five-year contract with Waste Pro, its garbage hauler, the man charged with killing Michelle Hunter Roberts on Belle Terre Parkway and Pine Grove wants his DUI test thrown out, pot legalization in California could blow open the door to more legalization.
Donald O’Brien, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Donald O’Brien is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. His opponents in the Nov. 8 election is six-term incumbent George Hanns, a Democrat.
Your Election Will Not Be “Rigged”
Flagler Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart Explains
Flagler County Elections Supervisor puts to rest any fear or claim that the Nov. 8 election may be rigged, that fraudulent votes may be cast, or that dead people will be voting locally.
Monday Briefing: Early Voting Begins, Judy Wormeck, 2016 Artist of the Year, Slow Death for Impact Fees in Bunnell
Early voting begins in Flagler and across Florida, at three locations locally, the Bunnell Commission considers indefinitely extending a moratorium on Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Transportation Impact Fees, Trump is in Tampa.
Before You Celebrate Clinton’s Win: The Democrats’ Bad Downballot Map
Hillary Clinton looks increasingly likely to win the White House, but her party faces a big obstacle to success in congressional races — Democrats are sorting themselves into geographic clusters where many of their votes have been rendered all but superfluous.
George Hanns, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Six-term incumbent George Hanns is the Democratic candidate for the Flagler County Commission, District 5 seat, facing Republican Donald O’Brien in the Nov. 8 election.
The Best and Worst Presidents on Taxes
Ronald Reagan was among the worst–and the best–when it came to tax fairness, Teddy Roosevelt isn’t given enough credit, but a majority of American presidents did little by way of making the tax code fairer. It’s often been the opposite, argues Sarah Anderson.
Citing Secular Protocol, Florida Athletic Association Rejects Schools’ Claim That Prayer Was Muzzled
Florida law does not require, and for good and valid reason does not permit, the FHSAA to promote prayer through state-run public address systems, the athletic association argues.
Fully-Loaded Car Carrier Overturns on Old Kings Road, 3 People Involved, None Hurt
Palm Coast physician Lydia Kefalidou narrowly missed getting crushed by the trailer as she managed to veer off the road, crashing her car against a guard rail to avoid colliding with the auto transport.
Myra Middleton-Valentine, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Myra Middleton-Valentine is a candidate for the Flagler County School Board, running against Paul Anderson, Maria Barbosa, and Sharon Demers. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the Aug. 30 primary in this non-partisan race regardless of party affiliation. The winner will be decided on Aug. 30.
Flagler County Agrees to Bail Out Ag Museum Despite $150,000 Deficit and Barnful of Unanswered Questions
After a vote failed to take-over the failing museum entirely, Flagler County commissioners agreed to a generous 90-day bailout, pending a more detailed agreement that would enable the county to absorb the 460-acre property yet leave the museum board at least nominally in place.
Maria Barbosa, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Maria Barbosa is a candidate for the Flagler County School Board, running against Myra Middleton Valentine in the Nov. 8 runoff. Barbosa’s largely plagiarized answers to her first interview, when she unsuccessfully ran in 2014, are reproduced here, as she declined to be interviewed for the current election.
Flagler Job Holders and Workforce Surge By 400 in September as Unemployment Flattens
This is one of those unemployment report where the uptick in the unemployment rate is almost meaningless, compared to other numbers, at least as far as Flagler County’s economy is concerned.
Sheriff Marks First Year in Operations Center, Citing Savings and Convenience
By moving from the old building, which was built when Flagler County had just 25,000 residents, the office save $100,000 a year in lease payments. And the new operations center came in $200,000 under budget at $4.7 million. The facility was designed to actually add 9,000 square feet – from 25,000 to 34,000 square feet.
Weekend Briefing: Halloween Boo Bash, Haunted Trails, Ethics Commission, Toys for Tots, David Mamet
Toys for Tots registration begins this weekend, the Halloween Boo Bash is at Belle Terre Park, Haunted Trails at the Agriculture Museum, Ivanka Trump and the signing of the Louisiana Purchase.
Florida Justices Overturn 42-Year-Old Death Sentence in “Black Revolutionary Army” Killing
Jacob John Dougan, Jr., now 69, was convicted in the 1974 murder of Stephen Orlando, an 18-year-old white man, whose body was found in Jacksonville Beach accompanied by a note signed by the “Black Revolutionary Army.”
David Sullivan, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
David Sullivan is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. His opponent in the Aug. 30 Republican primary is Jason France. The winner will face Democrat Barbara Revels in the Nov. 8 general election.
Thursday Briefing: County Take-Over of Agriculture Museum, Costume Party at Beachfront Grill, Obama in South Florida
The County Commission considers taking over the Florida Agriculture Museum, which is out of money, Flagler Democrats hold happy hour, Beachfront Grill in Flagler Beach hosts a costume party, President Obama campaigns for Clinton in South Florida.
Sen. Bill Nelson, in Flagler Beach, Pledges to Kick “Posteriors” to Channel Repair Dollars for Road and Beach
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the latest in a string of state and federal officials to visit the damaged Barrier Island, stressed support for a re-nourished beach and a rebuilt A1A with federal dollars covering 75 to 90 percent of the cost.
Solar Amendment 1 Called a “Con Job” By Utilities as Tape Exposes Political “Jiu-Jitsu”
Solar-energy supporters fighting a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot expressed outrage Wednesday after a policy director for a Tallahassee-based think tank was caught on tape discussing utility-industry efforts to deceive voters.
Palm Coast’s Cracker Barrel Evacuated as Feared Sink Hole Sends Patrons Scurrying
Cracker Barrel off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast was evacuated at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday as diners ran out of the restaurant screaming from tile crackling beneath them, but the feared sink hole proved to be a structural issue.
Barbara Revels, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Barbara Revels is the two-term Democratic incumbent Flagler County Commissioner representing District 3. Currently chairing the commission, she faces Republican Dave Sullivan, a former local Republican Executive Committee chairman, in the Nov. 8 election.
Several New Leases Signed at City Marketplace as Occupancy Reaches a Third of Units
John C. Bills Properties, The owner of City Marketplace in Palm Coast, announced the signing of several new leases over the past four months, with new calls inquiring about space to rent coming in daily, a company release announced. Existing tenants are also renewing their leases.
Damaged State Road A1A in Flagler Beach Will Re-Open as 2-Lane Road in 3 to 4 Months
The two-lane road will be an emergency fix, with narrower lanes, a barrier wall on the ocean side, and a speed limit lowered to 25 mph, but it will be a boon to businesses that continue to be ravaged by its current closure.
Wednesday Briefing: Palm Coast Founders Day, Bill Nelson at the Pier, Caution on A1A’s Detours, Writers’ Tips
Palm Coast’s Founders’ Day gathers three city mayors, U.S. Sen. Bill nelson comes to see the damage from Hurricane Matthew and talk with officials, Hispanics in the 2016 election, a feature-length movie on Trum to the tune of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
School Board Scraps Part of Thanksgiving Week Off: 2 Make-Up Days Scheduled That Week
Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, November 21 and 22, were to have been part of the week off. Now they’ll be make-up days for students in all Flagler County schools, as will days in March and April.
Charlie Ericksen, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Charlie Ericksen is a Republican incumbent candidate for the Flagler County Commission in District 1, facing Democrat Jason DeLorenzo, the Palm Coast City Council member, in the Nov. 8 election.
FEMA Finally Broadens Emergency Declaration to Include Homeowners; Flagler Beach Re-Opens Beaches Wednesday
FEMA’s declaration will let homeowners claim up to $33,000 in repair or recovery expenses attributed to Hurricane Matthew. The beaches in Flagler Beach will reopen from North 4th Street to South 8th Street on Wednesday, and go further after the weekend.
Tuesday Briefing: Last Day for Voter Registration, Food Truck Tuesday, Palm Coast Trees, Trump’s Smearing Playbook
Last chance to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election, Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast’s Central Park benefits the Dolly Parton Library, the school board gets a Hurricane Matthew update, insights into Trump’s smear playbook.
Down to Three, Flagler Sheriff’s Candidates Differ on Style and Command in Last Forum Before Election
The forum featured the GOP’s Rick Staly, Democrat Larry Jones and Independent Thomas Dougherty. There were no fireworks, as at primary forums, but the differences between the three were sharp.