Flagler Sheriff’s deputies finally got a 1 percent raise promised them since October but embargoed for disputed reasons as Sheriff Jim Manfre on Thursday said he’d move forward with a request for the first substantial raises in six years come budget season.
All Else
Ex-Felon Arrested in Palm Coast’s P-Section For Owning Assault Rifle and Selling Pot
Anthony DiBella, 55, of 23 Pilgrim Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested this morning for selling marijuana out of his garage and owning an assault rifle despite a felony conviction for robbery in 1980.
Experts Were Wrong on Oil Prices. They’re Just As Wrong to Deride Solar Energy’s Viability.
Researchers mistakenly said that solar and wind power wouldn’t be competitive with dirty-energy options by now, just as predictions of peak oil or high oil prices proved wrong, writes Emily Schwartz.
Hearing to Decide Fate of Salamander’s 198-Room Hotel in the Hammock Set for Monday
But the county administration has asked for a delay in a hearing, originally scheduled for the same day, on a proposed short-term ordinance that has also divided the Hammock community.
Without Evidence, Bondi Blames Governor’s Staff For FDLE Chief’s Firing as Scott Calls Bailey a Liar
Bondi acknowledged she had no proof to back her opinion and had not discussed the matter with Scott on a controversy that has inundated the governor’s administration as Scott begins his second term.
For Flagler and Palm Coast Officials, Mandatory Ethics Class Puts Primer on Common Sense
The session produced discussion, questions and derision that revealed the gulf between what the law requires and what officials tend to know, with lacking agreement on what even common sense might mean.
State Ethics Panel Ratifies $2,500 Fine on Flagler Commissioner Revels Over 2 Violations
The Florida Commission on Ethics Friday unanimously approved a $2,500 fine on Flagler County Commissioner Barbara Revels over two violations of the state ethics law, stemming from Revels’s role in the county’s purchase of the old Memorial hospital in Bunnell.
GOP Primary: Paul Renner Wins For House, Travis Hutson Wins For Senate
Paul Renner beat REonald Sanchez and Danielle Anderson in the House race, Hutson beat Ronald Doc Renuart and Dennis McDonald in the Senate race.
Flagler’s 911 System Goes Dark For 24 Minutes Tuesday as Back-Up Also Fails, Missing 10 Calls
Flagler County’s 911 system failed at 11:30 Tuesday morning and the back-up didn’t kick-in as technicians were working on a major upgrade of the system at the county’s Emergency Operations Center.
Ray Peter Takes Over for Joe Roy at Palm Coast’s Business Assistance Center
Raymond Peter, 68, a consultant and certified business analyst at the Palm Coast office, takes over region’s management of the Florida Small Business Development Center at UCF. Roy remains in a diminished capacity.
An Election For Republicans Only That Will Likely Decide Flagler’s House and Senate Seats
The election is nevertheless likely to decide Flagler’s representation in both chambers of the Legislature, as the winners are facing relatively weak candidates in the April 7 general election.
Florida Republican Files Bill to Extend Medical Pot Access to AIDS, Cancer and Other Ills
The proposal (SB 528), filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, includes a detailed regulatory structure that would place requirements on patients, doctors, growers and retail stores. Patients could only get “medical-grade” marijuana if their physicians sign off on the need.
Palm Coast’s Holland Park Closing For Rest of the Year For Major Reconstruction
the $4.28 million project will take 15 months and will result in better lit courts, a bigger playground, new restrooms, a refurbished dog park, a new loop road to exit the park and a perimeter trail, among other improvements.
Heroin Overdoses Spike After Florida
Cracks Down on Prescription Pill Abuse
Five years ago, Florida was the prescription drug capital of the U.S. Seven people died every day from overdoses. The state cracked down, but this year, heroin overdose deaths are expected to be double those number four years before.
FBI Agents Interview 2 Palm Coast Employees In Inquiry Over Tony Capela Issues
Palm Coast officials downplayed a 90-minute interview by two FBI agents of a public works division manager Wednesday and a briefer interview with the public works director, saying it’s related to settled matters in connection with ex-streets superintendent Tony Capela.
11 Deputies, Several of Them Military Veterans, Join Flagler Sheriff’s Office
The 10 men and one woman, all starting at $33,012 a year, include a retired police chief, four veterans of the U.S. military, and several deputies with college degrees.
Isolating Scott, Florida Cabinet May Seek Investigation of FDLE Chief’s Abrupt Exit
Longtime Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey left his job abruptly in December. The departure touched off a controversy this month after Bailey disclosed that he was forced out of the job and made potentially damaging allegations about the actions of Scott and the governor’s aides.
Publix at Palm Coast’s Town Center Is Target of an Armed Robbery Wednesday Evening
The Publix store at Palm Coast’s Town Center was robbed late Wednesday evening by a man claiming to be dying of AIDS and feared to be armed. No one was injured, but the robber got away and has not been located.
Rick Scott’s Firing of FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey Unravels Political Motives
The firing of a police commissioner because he would not allow his agency to be politicized sends the worst possible message to FDLE and the entire law enforcement community, writes Dan Gelber.
Spirited Proposal to Relax Dress Code in Flagler Schools Meets More Resistance Than Reason From Board
Michael Manning, the student representative on the school board, is proposing to extend Friday’s more relaxed dress code to all days of the week, and he doesn’t fear challenging board members’ claims along the way.
Supreme Court May Invalidate Fair Housing Provision Cities Use to Combat Segregation
The Supreme Court has been weakening many civil rights protections for decades. It appears on the verge of gutting the Fair Housing Act. It hears arguments in a case today that will be decided by the end of June.
Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka, 17, Picked as Wild Card For Main Draw of Men’s Futures Tourney
Reilly Opelka’s pick marks the first time in at least four years that a Palm Coast resident was selected by USTA as the Main Draw Wild Card for the tournament played in the city.
Candles and Prayers Flicker in Memorial For Elisa Homen, Victim of Jan. 9 School Bus Crash
Some 50 people, including her nearly 4-year-old son and her fiancee, gathered for a memorial to Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old recent Palm Coast resident who was fatally injured in a collision with a school bus on Whiteview Parkway on Jan. 9.
Flagler Schools’ Classroom to Careers Symposium Showcases Business’ Growing Presence on Campuses
The first Flagler County education symposium featured the spread of flagship programs that merge private or non-profit businesses with classroom projects, from banking to journalism to medicine.
Florida Prison Ban on Beards Violates Muslim Inmates’ Religious Rights, Supreme Court Rules
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Florida and six other states could not ban inmates from growing beards for religious reasons. The case originated in Arkansas.
Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run Raises $13,152 for Florida Hospital Flagler’s Breast Cancer Fund
After an event that drew upwards of 1,000 runners, a record, Palm Coast’s Pink Army Run last October netted $13,152, money that will help defray the cost of mammograms and other breast-cancer diagnoses or treatments.
Missing From Salamander Hotel Proposal: Community Consensus and Respect for Past Agreements
Chris Goodfellow, a resident of the Hammock, argues that Salamander Hotels’ proposed 198-room re-development requires a precedent-setting change the county commission should avoid absent clearer consensus from the Hammock community.
Palm Coast Fire Department Unveils New $360,000 Truck and Logo on Jan. 27
The public can see Palm Coast’s new fire truck and its new logo on Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Marketplace parking lot.
Tuesday Evening Memorial Set for Elisa Homen, Victim of School Bus Crash on Whiteview
A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old Palm Coast resident who succumbed to her injuries four days after a collision with a school bus on Whiteview Parkway on Jan. 9.
When Bigots Hide Behind Religious Freedom
Kelvin Cochran, the former Atlanta fire chief, and his supporters, are using the veil of religious freedom to justify homophobic and bigoted views that have no place in the workplace.
At Salvo Art Project:
Jan Geyer, Artist of the Year
In Palm Coast less than three years, artist Jan Geyer has made her impact on the local arts community through her own studio at City Marketplace and her associations with Hollingsworth-Salvo Art Project and the Flagler County Art League.
Death Becomes Them: In CRT’s “Grace and Glorie,” An Odd Couple Does Hospice (and Velveeta)
In Tom Ziegler’s “Grace and Glorie,” opening at Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Friday, two women are brought together in an unlikely friendship as one prepares the other for death.
Florida Ban on Judges’ Campaign Cash Teeters as Supreme Court Takes On The Case
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ultimate decision in the Florida case could have far-reaching ramifications, as 30 of the 39 states that elect judges have some kind of restriction on judicial candidates making personal pitches for campaign money.
Flagler Humane Society Ends Year With 50% Fewer Euthanized Animals, Among Other Milestones
The Flagler Humane Society saw a 25 percent increase in adoptions and a 12 percent increase in lost animals being returned to their owners in 2014, netting an 88 percent save rate for all animals entering the shelter.
Flagler Commissioner Revels Faces $2,500 Fine Over Ethics Violations as Investigation Points To Discrepancies
Though she was the swing vote, County Commissioner Barbara Revels now concedes that she should have abstained from voting to buy the old Memorial hospital in Bunnell in 2013, and that she should have filed a conflict-of-interest form.
Palm Coast Staples Store’s General Manager Is Arrested Over Refund Fraud Scheme
Robert M. Harper, the general manager of the Staples store on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, was arrested Tuesday after confessing to defrauding the store of at least $3,000 by creating fake refunds to himself since last April. Customers were not involved.
Flagler County Government’s Citizens Academy Taking Applications Before Jan. 30 Start
Seats are still available for Flagler County’s popular Citizens Academy program, a free nine week course designed to introduce participants to the day-to-day operations of Flagler County government.
Candidates In Special House and Senate Election Strain to Distinguish Themselves
Five Republican candidates in the Jan. 27 special primary for House and Senate fielded questions from three Flagler County business groups in an open forum with few surprises Tuesday evening at the Hilton Garden Inn.
A Muslim Cartoonist on the Charlie Hebdo Massacre: Shame, Fear, But Mostly Hope
Cartoonist Khalil Bendib, an American Muslim and native of Algeria who’s known his share of censorship and death threats, writes of grief and human solidarity in the wake of the attack.
Big Names, Big Numbers and Zombies Animate 2nd Flagler Film Festival at Hilton
Organizers of the three-day Flagler Film Festival, which concluded Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, say attendance was up about 25 percent despite inclement weather.
Rick Scott Proposing to Raise Per-Student Funding Back to Nominal High of 2007
The proposal would mark an increase of roughly $261 from the current budget year, which ends June 30. But it still has to survive a legislative process in which lawmakers will be eager to fulfill their own priorities.
Rain and Pair of Wrecks Snarl Traffic on I-95 in Both Directions From SR100
A pair of wrecks involving up to four vehicles but with relatively minor injuries snarled traffic on I-95 Monday afternoon as rain fell heavily in the area of State Road 100. Both wrecks took place around mile marker 284.
As Lenhart Replaces Weeks, A Canvassing Meeting Where The Biggest News Is No News
Gov. Rick Scott appointed Kaiti Lenhart Interim Flagler County Supervisor of Elections, and the county canvassing board met for the first time today in the post-Kimberle Weeks era, and in a radically different atmosphere.
Palm Coast Street Superintendent Tony Capela Resigns Abruptly After 8 Years
Tony Capela, the sometimes embattled, often lauded Palm Coast street superintendent, resigned unexpectedly late Friday, without giving a reason, after eight years with the city.
Light Up Again: John Morgan Files Medical Pot Amendment Language For 2016 Ballot
The revamped measure clarifies that doctors cannot order medical marijuana for children without their parents’ approval and clears up ambiguity about what diseases would make patients eligible for medical-marijuana treatment.
Florida Lawmakers Seek Secrecy For College and University Searches and Vetting of Candidates
Pointing to the possibility of a “chilling effect” if word gets out, a House bill filed Friday would allow information to be kept confidential about people applying to become presidents, provosts or deans of state universities or colleges.
As Showdown Looms Over Salamander’s Hammock Beach Hotel, County Asks For Delay
A hearing before the Flagler County Commission Monday evening was to decide the fate of a proposed 198-room hotel at Hammock Beach Resort. The county administration is asking for a delay until February.
Standing With Charlie Hebdo:
The Right and Duty to Offend
We should celebrate differences of opinion. We have no duty to embrace differences of principles, and in many cases—and this is one of them—we must oppose them, angrily and militantly if need be.
28 Killed on Flagler Roads Last Year, Most Since 2008; Total Crashes 2nd-Highest Ever
The spike in fatalities and 876 total crashes (only 2013 had more total crashes) has police and safety officials puzzled, though they say distracted driving is likely the leading cause.
Hearing Voters’ Demand for Conservation, Florida Senate Begins Money Game
Since the amendment was approved, concerns have been expressed about issues such as how lawmakers will define land-preservation or water-conservation projects, how the state will determine which of its “impaired” water bodies is most critical and how to approach the reduction of stormwater runoff and agriculture fertilizer use.
