Palm Coast firefighters and the city administration reached an impasse in December after more than three years of negotiations over a contract, leaving it to the city council on Friday to settle the dispute in an unusual hearing.
All Else
Do the Math: You Couldn’t Live On Minimum Wage
Imagine living on $290 a week before taxes. It’s not a wage you can live on, Mark O’Brien, a minimum wage earner for a time recently, argues, challenging opponents of raising the minimum wage to try it for themselves.
Andy Dance Wins, McLaughlin, Meeker and Tucker Survive, Fischer and Both Palm Coast Races Headed for November Run-Offs
Full results for the 2014 primary election in Flagler County and in statewide races relevant to the county, with the latest updates.
Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon Handed Wrong Ballot in Early Voting, Raising Questions About Election’s Integrity
Two of the three ballots handed City Manager Jim Landon, his stepdaughter and his wife Friday did not include Palm Coast City Council races, echoing a similar report by another voter, prompting discussions by the county Canvassing Board about better ensuring the integrity of the vote. But Supervisor Weeks put that responsibility squarely on voters.
Flagler Leads 20 North and Central Florida Counties in Early Voting Turnout With Double Average Rate
Flagler County’s comparatively high turnout took place despite the county’s and city’s prohibition on campaign signs, suggesting that the election supervisor’s claim that the prohibition would discourage voters was not accurate.
Lynnette Callender, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Lynnette Callender is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Janet McDonald, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Janet McDonald is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Toni Baker, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Toni Baker is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Michael McElroy, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Michael McElroy is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Trevor Tucker, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview (2014)
Trevor Tucker is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Andy Dance, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Andy Dance is running in District 1 for Flagler County School Board and facing Maria Barbosa in the Aug. 26 primary election. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
John Fischer, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview (2014)
John Fischer, the incumbent in District 2 of the Flagler County School Board, faces three challengers. He has refused to amnswer any questions about his candidacy.
Maria Barbosa, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Maria Barbosa is challenging incumbent Andy Dance in District 1 for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 26 primary election. She is one of eight candidates in three races for the school board. All Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Frank Meeker, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Frank Meeker is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Aug. 26 Republican primary, in which only registered Republicans may cast a ballot.
Dennis McDonald, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Dennis McDonald is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Aug. 26 Republican primary, in which only registered Republicans may cast a ballot.
Nate McLaughlin, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Nate McLaughlin is the District 4 incumbent candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Nov. 4 election, running against Independent Denise Calderwood. All registered voters get to cast a ballot in this race.
Mark Richter, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Mark Richter is a candidate for the Flagler County Commission in the Aug. 26 Republican primary, in which only registered Republicans may cast a ballot. He is challenging first-term incumbent Nate McLaughlin.
Heidi Shipley, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Heidi Shipley is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Anne-Marie Shaffer, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Anne-Marie Shaffer is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Joel Rosen, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Joel Rosen is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Steven Nobile, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Steven Nobile is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races, one of three challenging incumbent Bill Lewis. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Bill Lewis, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Bill Lewis is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races, and the incumbent in District 4. He faces three challengers. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Woody Douge, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Woody Douge is running for Palm Coast City Council, one of seven candidates in two races. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Norman Weiskopf, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Norman Weiskopf is running for Palm Coast City Council, but has not taken his race, or his interview, very seriously. He faces three opponents, including incumbents. All registered voters in Palm Coast may cast a ballot regardless of party registration or district.
Law Be Damned: Some Insurers Still Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraceptives
There’s not much leeway for employers and insurers in deciding whether they’ll cover contraceptives without charge and in determining which methods make the cut, yet that hasn’t stopped some from trying.
Federal Judge Rules Florida’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional, But Stays Decision
It is the fifth court decision in the state finding against Florida’s ban, but the first federal-court decision, and the first that applies state-wide. Nevertheless, as in previous cases, the judge stayed the decision, granting time for this and other decisions to be appealed.
“Derelict” Sheriff! Call In a Judge! Accuse Palm Coast of Larceny! Elections Supervisor Weeks Goes Unhinged.
Though there’s been no issues with voting other than a very low turnout, Supervisor Kimberle Weeks has again fomented a major dispute out of minor, if any, problems, and frustrated the highest officials in a half dozen local government agencies and boards, going as far as implying that Sheriff Manfre should be arrested.
Visit Florida: Ferguson’s Seethe Is a Matter of Time for the Sunshine State
Rose-colored Florida is a cynical myth, the stuff of marketing brochures, a developers’ conspiracy of enticing fiction to make their cash registers ring. The real Florida is a bitter, brooding reality beyond sugarcoating, argues Stephen Goldstein.
Flagler Emergency Official Cautions of Heat Indices Reaching 108 Through Friday
Today through Friday the heat index is hitting unusually high levels and will range from 102 to 108 in Flagler County, especially inland, prompting weather and emergency officials to caution residents and vacationers to stay out of the heat if possible, or take safety measures when in the heat.
When a County Commissioner Calls The Supervisor of Elections A “Bitch”
In a conversation with a reporter Monday, Flagler County Commissioner Frank Meeker referred to Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks as a “bitch” in what he termed a slip of the tongue, quickly apologizing afterward.
Flagler Rotary Club’s Labor Day Celebration in Town Center Aug. 30: Craft Beer, Fireworks and Music
The Rotary Club of Flagler County is hosting an all-day Labor Day Celebration at Palm Coast’s Town Center on Saturday, Aug. 30, from 2 to 10 p.m. Admission is free. The event features entertainment, food and play for all ages, and live music.
The Phony War Over Campaign Signs
The problem isn’t the county’s ban on campaign signs at the public library, it’s the dismal slate of candidates on this year’s primary ballots, but Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Assembly candidates and Supervisor of Elections Weeks have teamed up to play up a bogus controversy.
Every Town a Ferguson:
Reflections of a Scary Black Kid from Brooklyn
Next time you feel intimidated by a black man, try to understand that it’s not about you, writes Jon Hardison, as much as it reflects remnants of a fear of what the average black American grew up with.
650 Names, or 13% of Flagler Beach Population, On Petition Opposing $600,000 Fire Truck
The 65-page petition, published here in full for public examination, has not been authenticated by the city, but would, if verified, pose a serious challenge to a majority of commissioners still intent on buying the fire truck.
Manatees No Longer Endangered? Not So Fast.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering downlisting manatees from endangered to threatened, reducing their protective status. Save the Manatee Club’s Katie Tripp argues the proposal rests on too scanty data.
County Commission Candidate Mark Richter’s Past: Felony Conviction, 7 Weeks in Navy, and Unanswered Questions
Flagler County Commission candidate Mark Richter refused to document claims about his recent past or answer questions about his background until records obtained by FlaglerLive compelled him to address a few issues. But he left many questions unanswered.
Far From Settled, Whistleblower Case Against Flagler Beach Fire Department Focuses on Captain’s Truthfulness
Flagler Beach Fire Captain Bobby Pace’s truthfulness on his job application and his handling of a probationer’s work hours at the station were the focus of a deposition in which Pace repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment’s right not to testify. An attorney is seeking to compel him to answer. The matter goes to court Wednesday.
Xena Carrion, 17, of Palm Coast, Missing a Week, Is Back Home, Safe
Xena Carrion had run away from home on Aug. 5 after her grandfather reprimanded her for sneaking out of the house. She was returned safely on Aug. 13.
Aug. 21 Seminar: The Lowdown on New Laws Regarding Homeowner and Condo Associations
Flagler Beach’s Preferred Management Services is presenting a seminar on new laws affecting homeowner and condo associations on Aug. 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. RSVP required.
Warts and All, Obamacare Saved Me From Bankruptcy
FlaglerLive Editor Pierre Tristam exposes his health care bills before and after Obamacare, and before and after cancer, to show how without the Affordable Care Act, he and his family would have face ruin.
Who Wants an Old Courthouse? County Opens Doors, and A Few Eyes
A county-hosted open house at the old Flagler County Courthouse drew dozens of people Friday, mostly local residents and perhaps three or four prospective businesses, as the county continues to study what to do with the old, 50,000-square-foot structure.
Tennessee Williams’s “Suddenly Last Summer” Gorges on Flagler Stage in Palm Coast Arts Foundation Fundraiser
“Suddenly Last Summer” will be staged for one performance only on Aug. 16, at Lohman Auditorium in Marineland, under the direction of City Repertory Theatre’s John Sbordone, starring Annie Gaybis and Ann Kraft.
Tom Gargiulo, Leading Patron of Palm Coast Arts, Is Seriously Injured in Bike Crash
Gargiulo, the founder of the Tom Gargiulo Foundation and creator Flagler’s Artist of the Year award, among numerous other supports of local arts, was bicycling on Pine Lakes Parkway when he was struck by a car as he crossed Wynnfield Drive Tuesday morning.
“Threatened” Commissioner Nate McLaughlin Gets Sheriff’s Escort After Confrontation With Opponent Mark Richter’s Son
A contentious handshake between McLaughlin and Kevin Richter, the 27-year-old son of candidate and McLaughlin opponent Mark Richter, led to an uncomfortable quarter hour at Monday’s candidate forum at the Hilton Garden Inn, with allegations and counterclaims from both sides.
On Medical Pot, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Governments Are Smoking the Wrong Stuff
Flagler Beach’s actual and Palm Coast’s planned zoning restrictions on medical marijuana are wrong-headed, needlessly antagonistic toward medical pot users, and based on more misinformation than public expectations on medical marijuana.
Extensive Plagiarism Detected in Flagler School Board Candidate Maria Barbosa’s Interview
Out of 15 questions Maria P. Barbosa answered, 14 instances of plagiarism were detected, including lines lifted from her opponent Andy Dance’s website, from School Board member Colleen Conklin’s interview, and from numerous other academic, journalism and political web sites.
Marylou Baiata, 1951-2014
At Nature Scapes, a New Generation Nurtures a Legacy
For 30 years Marylou Baiata, who died July 25, was the lush radiance behind Nature Scapes, the garden center in Bunnell, which her son will take over as it also becomes the home of the reincarnation of JJ Graham’s Hollingsworth Gallery as the Salvo Neoteric Art Project.
Misleading TV Report Raises Overblown Fears About “Flesh-Eating” Bacteria on Beaches
Flagler County Health Department Director Patrick Johnson and his staff have been fielding calls from tourists worried about reports of “flesh-eating” bacteria on local beaches. And they’ve been telling them to relax: the reports are misleading and outright false.
Economy Adds 209,000 Jobs But Unemployment Rate Ticks Up to 6.2%
Mediocre: it’s the The best that can be said about the unemployment report for July as the economy added 209,000 jobs, about 20,000 jobs short of expectations, and the unemployment rate edged up to 6.2 percent, from 6.1 percent the previous month.
Sen. Sobel Calls for All Child Deaths, Not Just Those From Abuse, To Be Reported
Florida just passed a law requiring the reporting of all child abuse deaths in an annual report. That’s not enough, Sen. Sobel says, proposing that all criminally-related child deaths, even in car wrecks, should be part of the report.