The City of Palm Coast announce today that Mayor David Alfin has been unanimously elected as the 1st Vice-Chair/Treasurer of the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning on July 1, 2024. The position marks a significant step in regional transportation leadership and planning.
All Else
Among Florida Politicians, Trump Verdict Draws Predictable Outrage from GOP, Praise from Democrats
Florida Republicans on Thursday quickly attacked the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records, while Democrats said the verdict showed nobody is above the law. A 12-member jury returned the verdict more than a month after the criminal hush-money trial began in New York and after just one day of deliberations. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime after leaving office.
Nearly $1 Billion in New Construction Raises Flagler County Taxable Values 12% Over Last Year, a Salve to Budgets
“Humming along” is how Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner describes the year’s property values: powered by nearly $1 billion in new construction alone, $631 million of it in Palm Coast, taxable property values in Flagler County rose around 12 percent this year, and 13 percent in Palm Coast, about the same as last year. The estimates being finalized this week play a central role in local governments’ budgeting and taxing decisions.
Developer of Proposed 204-Boat Storage Facility in Hammock on Collision Course with County and Residents
Flagler County government, the Hammock Community Association and Hammock Barbour, the proposed development of a 204-boat storage facility and restaurant on A1A in the Hammock, are heading for another likely collision in court. A nearly four-hour mediation session that started this morning and stretched into afternoon, involving the three parties, failed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, May 30, 2024
Drug court convenes, when Esquire Magazine memorialized 1991 from Darryl Strawberry to Imelda Marcos to… Donald Trump, and how “the truest of all men was the Man of Sorrows.”
Obscure Provision Could Keep Biden Off the Ohio Ballot in November
President Joe Biden might not appear on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Ohio because the Democratic National Convention that will formally nominate Biden won’t open until nearly two weeks after Ohio’s Aug. 7 certification deadline.
No Tuition Increases at DSC for 14th Year, But Some Fees Will Increase
As part of its regularly scheduled June 20 meeting, the Daytona State College District Board of Trustees will discuss three proposed direct cost pass through fee adjustments that would take place in Fall 2024.
Judge Rules Luke Ingram, 21, Legally Insane at Time of Brutal Killing of His Grandfather; Family’s Pain Unravels
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins in a short bench trial this morning found Luke Ingram not guilty by reason of insanity in the brutal killing, mutilation and raping of his grandfather Darwin Graham, 85, on Clermont Court in Palm Coast in November 2022. The short trial was also an occasion for family members to fill in, publicly for the first time, the distinguished life that Darwin Ingram had lived, and include for the court record some of the atrocities Luke Ingram committed that morning.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Luke Ingram’s lawyers will argue before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins their intent to rely on the insanity defense in the killing of his grandfather, Flagler County government argues a motion for partial summary judgment in the Old Dixie Motel case.
Term Limits Aren’t the Answer
There’s no denying that the current Congress has been one of the most chaotic in recent memory. But would term limits make a difference? The evidence suggests that term limits create more problems than they solve and could even accelerate the polarization that’s been hobbling Congress for over a decade.
Spectrum Launches Long-Awaited High-Speed Fiber Option for Western Flagler County
Charter Communications’ Spectrum, the internet, phone, cable television and wireless service company, last week launched high-speed internet and other services to more than 900 homes and small businesses in rural, western Flagler County. The fiber-optic network is now available in Andalusia, Bimini and Daytona North, also known as the Mondex, reaching into areas of the county that had been chronically underserved but for satellite connections.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council holds a special budget workshop, Book Dragons, the kids’ book club at the Flagler Beach Public Library, meets, the NAACP’s general membership meeting, press freedom.
New Space Mission May Crack Some Black Hole Mysteries
Physicists consider black holes one of the most mysterious objects that exist. Ironically, they’re also considered one of the simplest. For years, physicists have been looking to prove that black holes are more complex than they seem. And a newly approved European space mission called LISA will help with this hunt.
Bluelining: How Home Insurers Are Spurning Entire Communities
Bluelining is an insidious practice with similarities to redlining — the notorious government-sanctioned practice of financial institutions denying mortgages and credit to Black and brown communities, which were often marked by red lines on map. These days, financial institutions are now drawing “blue lines” around many of these same communities, restricting services like insurance based on environmental risks.
What Should Bing’s Landing Look Like When Captain’s BBQ Expands? Public Invited to Weigh In Tuesday.
Flagler County government hosts a 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday at the Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra Rd, Palm Coast, to get input on how Bings Landing should look with the upcoming relocation and expansion of Captain’s BBQ, following the county’s settlement of a breach-of-contract lawsuit Captains filed.
Is the Armadillo Spreading Leprosy in Central Florida?
Leprosy remains rare in the United States. But Florida, which often reports the most cases of any state, has seen an uptick in patients. The epicenter is east of Orlando. Brevard County reported a staggering 13% of the nation’s 159 leprosy cases in 2020. Leprosy experts believe armadillos play a role in spreading the illness to people.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 27, 2024
It’s Memorial Day ceremonies, 8 a.m. in Palm Coast, 10 a.m. in Bunnell (Flagler County), 3 p.m. in Flagler Beach, a few memories from Vietnam, a few thoughts on war remembrance.
Relics of Omaha Beach
Eighty years ago, on a day now known as D-Day, thousands of Allied soldiers crossed the choppy waters of the English Channel by air and sea to land on beaches and coastal areas of Normandy, France, to destroy the Nazi invaders and defeat Hitler’s regime. Within the military collections of the National Museum of American History, several artifacts collected over the decades help tell the story of Omaha Beach and the invasion landings on D-Day.
Voices From the Grave:
Admiral Rickover’s Nukes Warning: ‘We’ll Probably Destroy Ourselves’
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who died in 1986, was among the more outspoken, abrasive, often controversial and at times innovative military leaders in the nation’s history. In his last congressional hearing in 1982 he warned of the danger posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear power, predicted that the human race was on its way to extinction by nuclear conflagration, and deemed “silly” any talk of multiplying the Navy’s fleet, or even its aircraft carriers, which he said would last two days in a nuclear confrontation.
Florida’s Attorney General Calls Starbucks’ Diverse Hiring ‘Illegal’
Florida’s Attorney General took to a national radio show hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis–he was sitting in for Sean Hannity–to charge that Starbucks’s pledge to hire people of color in 30 to 40 percent of its positions violates the law.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 26, 2024
‘Sense and Sensibility,’ at Daytona Playhouse, the creative ravages of artificial intelligence, disappearing jobs from living alarm clocks to customer service representatives, with a few words from Joseph Heller.
Meet Paris’s Black Dandies: Les Sapeurs
You can spot them in the streets of Paris or at fashion events in London, Milan, Brussels or Dubai. Most are black African men with sharp outfits designed and chosen to get them noticed. Known as “Sapeurs” – the name comes from the Society for Ambience and Elegance (Sape) and from French slang “se saper”, “to dress up” – these figures stand out with their offbeat and baroque sartorial style.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, May 25, 2024
Coffee With Commissioner Scott Spradley, Gamble Jam, Peps Art Walk, noon to 5 p.m. next to JT’s Seafood Shack, ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ at Daytona Playhouse, Raymond Carver at 86.
Wars’ Other Collateral Damage: Pollution
Colombia’s is seen as the most comprehensive peace accord that has been signed to date. It considers issues ranging from security to social justice and political participation, in great detail. The accord acknowledges that a peaceful postwar society requires not only respect for human rights but also “protection of the environment, respect for nature and its renewable and nonrenewable resources and biodiversity.”
Governor Ron Wants to Pay High School Athletes. But Not At Your School.
Former Flagler Palm Coast High School Head Football Coach Caesar Campana takes on a proposal by the Florida High School Athletic Association to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness under what is commonly known as an NIL policy. But while the policy has a place in college sports, it will further divide high school sports between the haves and the have-nots, particularly favoring private schools and leaving public schools behind.
Previously Disgraced Scott DuPont, Running Again for Judge, Offers Orwellian Explanation of His Bar Suspension
Former Circuit Judge Scott DuPont, who served in Flagler County and who is running against Judge Rose Marie Preddy, argues that while he was suspended from the Florida Bar as a result of inappropriate and scandalous conduct on and off the bench, he was still a member of the Bar during that suspension, therefore should still be eligible to run. Preddy’s lawyer argues the Florida Constitution says otherwise.
Florida Preparing for a Hurricane Season with Up to 25 Named Storms
Echoing earlier predictions about the season that will start June 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday pointed to warm ocean waters and forecast up to 25 named storms, with up to 13 reaching hurricane strength and four to seven packing Category 3 or stronger winds.
Sheriff Launches New Marine Unit Boat in Time for Memorial Day Weekend Patrols
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to fund a new patrol boat which will allow for enhanced patrol along the intracoastal waterway, marine search and rescue efforts, law enforcement operations, crime prevention and boater safety and education along the intercoastal waterway and saltwater canals.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, May 24, 2024
Acoustic Jam Circle at the Hammock Community Center, the Scenic A1A Pride Committee meets, the anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge, Simone de Beauvoir’s memory of the bridge.
How Marijuana and Psilocybin Might Help Millions in Chronic Pain
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency announced in late April 2024 that it plans to ease federal restrictions on cannabis, reclassifying it from a Schedule I drug to the less restricted Schedule III, which includes drugs such as Tylenol with codeine, testosterone and other anabolic steroids. Similarly, the FDA granted a breakthrough therapy designation to psilocybin to expedite drug development. Preliminary studies suggest it may have substantial therapeutic value for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder.
Palm Coast Residents Can Now Use an Improved City Government Customer Service Portal
The City of Palm Coast announced a new initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of interactions between citizens and city staff. In response to feedback from residents, the City is taking significant steps to ensure that every interaction meets the high standards of our mission: “Delivering exceptional service by making citizens our priority.”
Development Is Devouring the Tree Canopy. Palm Coast and Flagler Officials Say They’re Trying to Catch Up With Protection.
There was a bit of a disconnect today in a panel discussion by Flagler County’s five mayors and County Commission chair about how attractive Flagler County is to its residents and those who keep pouring in, and how quickly developments are razing swaths of tree canopy. They spoke of the importance of preserving the region’s quality of life, but also how the torrid growth rate is inevitably bringing congestion, and numerous developments, some of them–as with a 6,000-home plan in Bunnell–colossal.
Palm Coast Planning for YMCA on Central Avenue in Town Center, Raising Questions About Arts’ Place
Palm Coast government is getting ready to build a 30,000 square foot YMCA on a 12-acre city-owned parcel on Central Avenue in Town Center, next to what used to be the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s stage and a 5-acre parcel that had been dedicated to arts and culture. Plans at the moment do not include a pool. A director of United We Art, the organization overseeing arts development in Town center, fears picking that location for the Y may crowd out the city’s pledge for an arts center there.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, May 23, 2024
The Flagler County Association of Realtors hosts its 16th annual Meet the Mayors, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ at Daytona Playhouse, the grammar of texting’s kinship with Medieval scriptoriums.
California Will Add 11% Tax Guns and Ammo. That Could Diminish Violence.
Starting in July, California will be the first state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition–11% on each sale on top of federal excise taxes of 10% or 11% for firearms and California’s 6% sales tax. The National Rifle Association has characterized California’s Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act as an affront to the Constitution. But the reaction from the gun lobby and firearms manufactures may hint at something else: the impact that the measure, which is aimed at reducing gun violence, may have on sales.
Flagler School Board Supportive of Leasing Old Courthouse in Bunnell as Christian School Exits
The Flagler County school district is likely to take over the lease of the old Flagler County courthouse in Bunnell, which since August 2015 has been the home of First Baptist Academy, a Christian school. The school is leaving in August. The county has been looking for a new tenant. The school district has been looking to consolidate a half dozen programs under one roof. It would do so at the courthouse t a cost of at least $212,000 a year, not including the cost of reconstructing the building according to district needs.
St. Augustine/St. Johns County Win Nod for Museum of Black History; Getting It Built Is Next Challenge
A state task force assessing possible sites for a proposed Florida Museum of Black History voted 5-4 Tuesday in favor of St. Johns County, where Martin Luther King once rallied protests against segregation in the city of St. Augustine but where the site would require extensive development, including roadbuilding. The close vote followed intense lobbying by St. Augustine/St. Johns, which branched out to support from surrounding counties, including Flagler County, where Palm Coast and the School Board lent support.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Both Flagler County high schools hold their graduation ceremonies at the Ocean Center, stormwater community workshop for Flagler Beach residents, high-profile court cases, nuclear weapons’ neolithic shadow.
Implications of the Death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Concern in Tehran over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi may extend beyond the potential human tragedy of the crash. The change forced by it will have important implications for an Iranian state that is consumed by domestic chaos, and regional and international confrontation.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Rescue 1-Year-Old Child Locked in Car for 8 to 10 Minutes
On the afternoon of Monday, May 20, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies rescued a 1-year-old child that was locked inside a vehicle with the engine off and all windows closed.
264 Apartments Approved Across Imagine at Town Center, Near 300-Unit Complex, Raising Traffic Concerns
The Palm Coast City Council this morning approved plans for a 264-unit apartment complex on Town Center Boulevard, across from Imagine School at Town Center, and from a 300-unit high-end apartment complex the Planning Board greenlighted last August called The Legacy. The new units are expected to help reduce the shortage of apartments and possibly slow the rise in rental costs, which have been hurting working families and retirees who choose to move away from the burdens of home ownership.
Daytona North/Mondex Residents Have Been Paying a Special Tax Since the 1980s. Is It Fair, ‘Wise’ and Worth It?
Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington is hoping county government will rethink the special tax Daytona North–also known as the Mondex–residents have been paying since the 1980s for road maintenance, either to scrap it altogether or to better define its purpose, and lay out specifically what benefits residents get out of it.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council meets, Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast’s Central Park, the day Shirley Chisholm shook Congress with a speech on women’s equality.
Arrest Warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu and Hamas’s Sinwar Reflect ‘Crimes Against Humanity’
Karim A.A. Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, often known as the ICC, said in a statement that both the Israeli and Hamas leaders “bear criminal responsibility” for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”–Hamas’s extermination, murder, taking hostages, and committing rape and other acts of sexual violence, and Israel starving Palestinians in Gaza, “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population,” as well as persecution and “willful killing.”
Flagler Sheriff’s SWAT Snipers in Top 10 at National Competition
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) SWAT sniper team placed ninth out of 45 teams at the annual Snipercraft Challenge. This is the third year in a row that FCSO’s SWAT snipers have placed in the top 10.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, May 20, 2024
Jayden Jackson asks permission to drive, the Flagler County Commission talks roads and bridges in the Mondex, Robert Reich asks if we need billionaires, Louis Brandeis on how the rich encourage socialism.
Why America’s Offshore Wind Power Industry Is Struggling
America’s first large-scale offshore wind farms began sending power to the Northeast in early 2024, but a wave of wind farm project cancellations and rising costs have left many people with doubts about the industry’s future in the U.S. Altogether, projects that had been canceled by the end of 2023 were expected to total more than 12 gigawatts of power, representing more than half of the capacity in the project pipeline. So, what happened, and can the U.S. offshore wind industry recover?
How Dare These College Kids Protest for Humanity Toward Palestinians Instead of Getting Wasted?
Standing around on college lawns, protesting against genocide, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to arms shipments — what are they thinking? These students should be shopping, getting wasted at end-of-semester parties, and engaging in meaningless sex. Instead, they’re going around acting like citizens, engaging in civil disobedience, exercising their right to free speech, telling university administrations to get rid of all investments in Israel, and demanding humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
Democrats Condemn Rep. Matt Gaetz’s Homage to Proud Boys
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz described himself as “standing back and standing by” while attending former President Donald Trump’s New York City trial. That’s a reference to Trump telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” in a 2020 debate with Joe Biden, in a response to a question urging Trump to condemn White supremacy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Meet the artists at an art show presented by Expressions Art Gallery on Colbert, ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ at Daytona Playhouse, when the Olympics included an arts and literature competition.