The questioning was another example of of the TDC’s more inquisitorial attitude toward local projects as opposed to a less rigorous or accountable approach when the applicant is an out-of-town organization, including for-profits.
All Else
FPL Bills Customers for Unbuilt Nuclear Plants But Wants Out of Justifying Need
Attorneys for consumers and business and environmental groups are fighting FPL’s request for a waiver from filing an annual analysis about the feasibility of adding two nuclear reactors in South Florida.
Wednesday Briefing: Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Surprise Soloist, Seniors’ Baccalaureate, Landon Talks
The Flagler Youth Orchestra performs the final concert of the season at the Flagler Auditorium this evening, Palm Coast City Manager talks of the city’s future, the poor can’t win in the court system.
Flagler’s Pot De-Criminalization Proposal Wilts, But Narrower Version Still Possible
A work group meeting Tuesday to craft an ordinance raised more questions and objections than showed agreement, though the proposal is still moving forward in a much narrower version, and has many hurdles yet to cross.
Flagler Commissioners Press Case to Recover Fees from 5 More Frivolous Ethics Complainants
It’s the Flagler commission’s latest attempt to strike back against almost 30 ethics, elections, Florida bar and other complaints filed against commissioners and the administration since 2014, but a previous attempt to recover fees has been unsuccessful so far.
Hundreds Of Thousands Lose Food Stamps In Florida as Work Requirements Kick In
In Florida if you can’t show that you’re working or meet the work requirements some other way, you get penalized and lose your food stamps for the following month. If you fail to meet the requirements again, it’s a three-month sanction and then six months.
Tuesday Briefing: Working-Group Pot, Food Truck Postponed, School Lunch Cost, Brown v. Board of Ed at 62
A committee of local law enforcement, judicial and other government officials meets to develop a proposed pot-decriminalization ordinance, the Palm Coast City Council discusses a European Village revamp, the school board discusses raising school lunches by 25 cents.
My Food Is My Business
I don’t feel comfortable walking into friends’ or families’ homes and berating them for their unhealthy, albeit traditional and quite common, lifestyle choices. Why then do friends and family members feel comfortable walking into my home and berating me for my healthy lifestyle choices, sometimes primarily because they aren’t the norm?
Opponents of Medical Pot Legalization Awaken from Slumber With Warning Video
The video, posted online by the “Vote No on 2 Campaign” alleges the measure would lead to a plethora of “pot shops” similar to the marijuana industry in California.
Flagler Emergency Management Presents at Hurricane Preparedness Breakfast June 1
The breakfast will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. June 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn.
St. Johns County Commissioner Bill McClure Will Run For Crenshaw Seat in Congress
St. Johns County Commissioner Bill McClure formally announced Monday that he will run to succeed retiring Republican Congressman Ander Crenshaw in a Northeast Florida district.
Officials Monitoring 235-Acre Fire in Putnam at Etionah Creek
The Florida Highway Patrol continues to monitor a 235 acre prescribed burn at Etoniah Creek State Forest in the Florahome, Putnam County, which may affect local roadways. Motorists are encouraged to use caution when traveling in these areas. Visibility may deteriorate quickly due to smoke/fog type conditions, especially during the night time and early morning […]
A Director’s Impassioned Plea for “Have-Nots” Wins Out: New Library Would Rise in Bunnell, Not Palm Coast
Flagler Public Library Director Holly Albanese insisted–in diametric disagreement from her boss–that a proposed new library branch should remain in Bunnell, and the county commission on Monday agreed.
Separate But Equal: Palm Coast Sidesteps Transgender Bathroom Bind With Private Facilities
Palm Coast hopes to avoid the transgender-bathroom controversy by including private bathrooms in its $525,000 project for new facilities in Town Center and Indian Trails Sports Complex.
Ormond Beach’s Robert Harris, 18, Killed in Train Collision on a Trestle Off U.S. 1
Robert M. Harris, a resident of Ormond Beach, who turned 18 two weeks ago, was killed in a collision with a Florida East Coast train on a trestle behind the River Grille restaurant near U.S. Highway 1 Sunday evening.
Monday Briefing: Public Library’s Expansion Plans, Manatee Protection, Romney’s 3rd Party
The county commission examines prospects and timelines for a library addition, and some financing options, and holds a hearing on its manatee-protection plan, Romney may be testing a third-party run with GOP leaders.
A Right To Die, Even For 20-Somethings
The revelation that a 20-something woman chose to die from PTSD related so 10 years of sexual abuse tests the boundaries of assisted suicide, but not if context and compassion replace armchair judgments.
Prince’s Reminder: Opioid Epidemic Intensifies But Steps to Curb It Face Challenges
There is broad consensus on the need for more treatment options, more education, more careful prescribing by doctors. But there’s still much debate about the details—and funding–for each of those steps.
Brittany Pitt, 26, Is 6th Person Killed on Flagler Roads in a Week, 2nd in Motorcycle Wreck
Brittany Lee Pitt, 26, fell off the motorcycle she was riding on Old Dixie Highway as Allen David Adams attempted to steer the bike away from traffic after violating a car’s right of way early Saturday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
At Florida GOP Gathering, Opposition To Clinton Congeals Support for Trump
Florida Republican leaders are girding themselves for a must-win battle this fall as opposition to Clinton proves more unifying than Donald Trump.
Armed Woman Detained After Tense Encounter With Cops at European Village Bar
A woman who threatened to kill herself at Cork and Pint Bar had a .38-caliber gun loaded with hollow-point ammunition, which she had shown two people. She was Baker Acted.
Weekend Briefing: FPC’s Beauty and the Beast, Movie in the Park, Middle Class As a Minority, Richard Avedon
Flagler Palm Coast High’s Thespian troupe ends its season with “Beauty and the Beast” Friday and Saturday, “Ant Man” is the free movie in the park, and all weekend on this page, a feature-length movie on the great Richard Avedon.
No Arrests, But Sheriff Seeks to Cash In On 2 Tractors and Trailer Seized in Chop-Shop Raid
Charges have yet to be filed in the March chop-shop raid on Sawgrass Road, but the sheriff is moving forward with forfeiture of several big vehicles and a stash of equipment seized from the search.
Gov. Scott Seeks Congressional Hearing On Zika as Florida Cases Pass 100
Scott, who traveled to Washington on Wednesday, is seeking federal money for such things as Zika “preparedness” kits and additional staffing at mosquito control districts, his office said.
Florida School of Art Exhibit Opens at Hand Art Center May 13
The paintings date from approximately 1825 to 1925, and include work by renowned landscape artist George Inness, Ash Can School realist painter Robert Henri and Highwaymen painter Harold Newton.
George Zimmerman’s Auction Of Gun He Used to Kill Trayvon Martin Misfires
Zimmerman described the gun as “a piece of American history” and said he’d send “portions” of the proceeds to “fight [Black Lives Matter] violence and fight “Hillary Clinton’s anti-firearm rhetoric.”
Buddy Taylor Student Suspended 10 Days For Burning Another’s Hair In SnapChat Stint
The 14-year-old student wanted to see the younger student’s reaction so it could be filmed and texted on SnapChat, and later punched his victim to the ground for snitching on him.
Thursday Briefing: Right Whale Season Sum-Up, Josh Crews Writing Project, Sister Helen Prejean Honored
Frank Gromling, the Right Whale Guy, gives a State of the Whales talk at the end of the 2015-16 season, Flagler Beach talks bait shop, four schools celebrate the end of the year with various events, Schumann’s Papillion.
Palm Coast Finally Adopts Trap, Neuter and Return Approach to Lower Feral Cat Population
Three years in the begging, the city has finally agreed to a program designed to lower the feral cat population by neutering rather than killing cats, an approach that worked with great success in Flagler Beach and elsewhere.
Flagler Takes 1st Step To Pot Decriminalization With Broad Agreement on Principle, Less So on Details
All of Flagler’s major law enforcement and government agencies agree that marijuana decriminalization for first-time offenders is a good idea. The county next will develop an ordinance all can agree on. That step may be more difficult.
Danielle Basciano, Formerly of Tomoka Correctional, Joins Flagler Jail Staff
With the swearing-in of Basciano, the inmate facility has 48 sworn deputies and three vacant positions, for a total of 51 sworn positions.
Critical Care Physician Muneeruddin Q. Mohammed Joins Florida Hospital Flagler
As an intensivist, Mohammed will work with the hospital’s critical care team in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Group Backing Controversial Solar Amendment Raises $5.8 Million in April
Fueled by major electric utilities, the group backing a controversial solar-energy initiative on the November ballot raised $8.52 million during April.
Renner Out-raising Morley 32-1, Ceballos Yet to Take In First $1,000 Against Hutson
Democrats Adam Morley and Curtis Ceballos face enormous financial hurdles in their campaigns challenging Republicans Paul Renner and Travis Hutson in November’s legislative elections.
Biker Thomas Dolan of Palm Coast Is Killed in Collision Near White Eagle Lounge on US1
Thomas Dolan, a 59-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was killed Tuesday afternoon when he was struck by a driver pulling out of the White Eagle Lounge on U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway.
Wednesday Briefing: Cops and Managers Talk Pot Decriminalization, Senior Awards, Susan Rice at FIU
A much-anticipated meeting of local officials to discuss decriminalization of pot, National Security Adviser Susan Rice is at Florida International University, Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
City Will Spend $100,000 to Renovate Fire Station 22, Its Oldest, on Palm Coast Parkway
The city considered demolishing and rebuilding the station in the past, or closing and moving it, but for it says renovation is the best option, keeping open the possibility of a new station on Colbert Lane in the future.
What Blowout? Trump Even With Clinton in Florida and Pennsylvania, Ahead in Ohio
The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton barely ahead, 43-42 in Florida and Pennsylvania, and Trump somewhat ahead in Ohio, 43-39, though results may be slightly affected by still-ongoing Democratic primary contests.
Construction on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 Million Expansion Advances
Construction continues to progress on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 million expansion project to add 32 new beds on the second and third floors over the hospital’s emergency department.
Beethoven’s 9th Closes Jacksonville Symphony’s 2016 Season May 20-21
The Jacksonville Symphony will conclude its 2015-16 season with the music of Beethoven and Thomas Adès, in a special presentation that features the orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus conducted by Music Director Courtney Lewis.
Tuesday Briefing: Seminole Path, Flagler Budget Kick-Off, Fearless Women, The US’ Too-Low Taxes, Rubio Again
Seminole Woods Parkway gets its next-phase foot and bike path, Flagler government starts talking budget for next year, Marco Rubio comes out of retirement for a chat on the Middle East.
Florida’s Tortured Medical Pot Law Regulating Nurseries Keeps Drawing New Legal Challenges
The state has spent nearly $500,000 on private lawyers to represent the Department of Health in legal challenges that have delayed implementation of a 2014 law that first opened the door for medical marijuana in Florida.
South Florida Judge Declares State’s New Death Penalty Law Unconstitutional
While the decision is not necessarily controlling in Flagler County and the rest of Florida, it again muddies the fate of a law barely eight weeks old, and further sheds a harsh light on Florida’s outlier system of executions.
Palm Coast’s Patricia Darvish, 50, Is Found in Flagler Beach Surf, an Apparent Suicide
Early Sunday morning a Turtle Patrol making its rounds in Flagler Beach located Patricia Darvish, 50, in the water, still clothed. She was pulled from the surf and was pronounced dead at the scene.
For Flagler’s Gun Shops, New Residents Spur Brisk Business But Laws Conceal Debate
Flagler County’s gun shop owners say fear and a need for protection rather than hunting still drives much of their business, but they have differing views on gun regulations and the need for additional laws.
Monday Briefing: A Slew of Sentences, Obama on Students Who Silence Speech, Bunnell Parking Regulations
James Russell Brink had his statutory rape charge reduced to felony child abuse and his adjudication withheld by a judge. He’s back in court. Obama decries students who censor speech. Mozart at his most Bach-like. Bunnell changes parking regulations.
The Republican Responsibility to Reject Trump
Derision, racism, default and brutality are strange ways to go about making America great again. Let’s hope for the GOP’s sake and everyone else’s that Republicans have the clarity not to fall for Trump’s latest reality show.
2 Teens Among Four Killed, 3 Injured, “Multiple Ejections” in I-95 Wreck Just South of Flagler-St. Johns County Line
The year’s deadliest crash in Flagler County killed four people and injured several just after 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-95.
Housing Restrictions on Sex Offenders Spread Even as Evidence Shows They Don’t Work
The restrictions can make offenders’ lives less stable by severely limiting their housing options, and can push them away from family, jobs and social support — all of which make it more likely they will abuse again.
Behind Palm Coast’s Inspired Mic, A King With Nine Lives Defies Dreads, Death and Taboos
After a hiatus The Inspired Mic, Palm Coast’s most daring and unpredictable open mic event, returned to the New Europa under the direction of Michael Ray King, who organizes the monthly event with a light touch, himself inspired by a personal history of harrowing survival.