Operators of Orlando restaurant Hamburger Mary’s, which has run “family friendly” drag shows for 15 years, filed a legal challenge shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law restricting children from attending “adult live performances.”
All Else
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 24, 2023
Reflections on Orhan Pamuk’s “Nights of Plague,” and more Pamuk, Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market.
Can AI Make Art?
When photography started to become popular, there was a debate about whether photography was a form of art. It came down to a court case in France in 1861 to decide whether photography could be copyrighted as an art form. Those same questions emerge when considering AI systems that are taught with the internet’s existing images.
Investigation of Ex-Wadsworth Principal Peacock Finds ‘Pattern of Misrepresenting Facts and Disregard Truth’
An independent investigation found former Wadsworth Elementary Principal Paul Peacock in violation of the district’s policy forbidding bullying and harassment and its ethics policy, as well as in violation of various sections of the state’s Principles of Professional Conduct and the Florida Educational Leadership Standards.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 23, 2023
Incoming Superintendent LaShakia Moore on Free For All, John Updike on his dancing days, going Kwak, John Mulaney on his addiction, Scenic A1A Pride.
A Year After Roe v. Wade’s Fall, Abortion Care Is Confusing and Unequal
While there is no law in the U.S. that regulates what a man can do with his body, the reproductive health of women is now more regulated than it has been in 50 years. And the scope of reproductive health care that women can receive is highly dependent on where they live.
Supreme Court Kills Lawsuit by State Attorney Andrew Warren, Whom DeSantis Suspended
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an attempt by suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren to get his job back, ruling that the twice-elected Democrat waited too long to bring the case. Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Warren on Aug. 4, accusing the prosecutor of “incompetence” and “neglect of duty.”
Flagler County and Cities Receive Nearly $100 Million in State Appropriations
Between the $24.76 million Flagler County will receive from the Legislative Priorities list to support four projects and another $64.42 million combined that the cities will receive, the State of Florida will be allocating nearly $89.18 million countywide as the result of the Legislative Session and the budget recently approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Settling Lawsuit with Flagler Beach, Ocean Palms Golf Company Has 9 Months to Find A Buyer
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening voted 4-1 to approve a settlement with Flagler Golf Management, the company that took over management of the nine-hole Ocean Palms golf club at the south end of town in 2015 after years of disuse. The city filed suit to evict the company last year, and the company also sued the city.
Strip Mall Will End Matanzas Shores’ Shop-Free Days, and There’s Nothing Residents Can Do About It
Matanzas Shores will soon lose its distinction as an upscale community free of shops, restaurants and the traffic that goes with it all as a developer is about to build a strip mall on 2.25 acres at the southwest corner of State Road A1A and San Carlos Drive.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 22, 2023
The Flagler Beach City Commission holds a pair of meetings, one of them in the “shade,” to discuss legal strategy, history of the Pledge, Cormac McCarthy.
Flagler Beach Achieves One Goal in Meeting With Other Governments: Agreement that the City Needs Help
Flagler Beach convinced other cities and the county in a joint meeting this evening that it cannot contend with the ongoing onslaught of visitors alone, and only in Flagler Beach, when the county has plenty of unused beaches and cities can contribute other strategies.
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court
In the years after the undisclosed trip to Alaska, Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. Alito has never recused himself.
At Tiger Bay, a Triumphal Paul Renner Reaps Adulation and Delivers a Few Inaccurate Jabs
House Speaker Paul Renner today exulted in considerable adoration and a standing ovation at Flagler Tiger Bay like no bringer of bacon before him, tempered though both Renner and the audience were by the club’s disfavor with uncivil partisanship.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Flagler Beach’s joint-government meeting on the future of the city’s tourism management, Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner at Flagler Tiger Bay, St. Augustine’s inglorious racial history.
Southern Baptists’ Renewed War on Women and LGBTQ
The Southern Baptist Conference’s stance on issues of gender and sexuality have not always been just about fidelity to their interpretation of scripture. Rather, the SBC uses these issues to differentiate itself from other, more progressive denominations.
Flagler School Board Rejects Arming Employees in 3-2 Vote, Citing Too Many Doubts for Now
The Flagler County School Board this evening rejected on a 3-2 vote a proposal to arm some school employees on the unfounded assumption that it would improve security. The vote ends a year-long discussion about the so-called “guardian program,” as a majority of board members still had too many questions, doubts, and lacking buy-in from school staff.
In Palm Coast, a Pitbull Attack, a Dead Dog, and Disputed Accusations of City ‘Gestapo’ Tactics
Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko compared employees to “Gestapo agents” in reference to an animal control case involving a pit bull attack and a dog’s death earlier this month. Danko later walked back the statement, but remained “infuriated’ with the way an animal control officer had allegedly handled the case.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 20, 2023
The school board and the Palm Coast City Council have meetings, Career Shadowing for Flagler County students at FPC, debating the spread of tipping, Food Truck Tuesday.
Juneteenth as Antidote to Erasing Black History
Many Juneteeth celebrations not only commemorate the end of slavery, but they also honor the generations of Black men and women who have fought to end slavery and for racial justice.
Florida Union Leader Mike Williams Dies in Water Accident
Mike Williams, the longtime president of the Florida AFL-CIO and a giant in the labor movement, died Saturday, June 17.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 19, 2023
The Flagler County Commission meets, the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s salvo against zealotry in our governments, an opening shot from Charles Portis.
The Fearless Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy’s unique and varying writing style has been compared with that of many of the greatest authors of American letters, with scholars highlighting connections to the writings of Herman Melville, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Toni Morrison, Thomas Pynchon, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner.
Tampa Is Latest City to Unveil Climate Action Plan, Tapping Tax Credits
Tampa’s plan comes just days after two federal agencies released guidance that will for the first time allow local and state governments and nonprofit organizations to access clean energy tax credits that come from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, which contained nearly $370 billion in climate provisions.
Flagler Jail’s Inmate Medical Savings Program Posts Results
This fiscal year to date, using Prime Corrections to review and adjudicate offsite inmate medical bills, Prime has processed a total billed amount of $1,413,133.02. Prime retains a portion of the savings: $719,906.02, or 51% of the total costs this fiscal year.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 18, 2023
Suicide and homicide rates among young Americans at decade high, Gavin Newsom on Hannity, more guns means more violence.
The George Soros Legacy
Baseless conspiracy theories have at times clouded George Soros’s legacy as one of the world’s biggest donors to causes like higher education, human rights and the democratization of Europe’s formerly communist countries.
Surveying Why Visitors Choose Florida
A University of Florida survey examined the various factors involved in visitor decision-making and found that social media plays a huge role in why people visit Florida.
Flagler School Board Cocks Its Next Folly: Arming Employees
Next Tuesday, the Flagler County School Board will vote on whether to arm some school employees. The board will vote yes, on zero evidence and without asking any of the right questions, because as is becoming routine with this board, when it is offered a chance between right and wrong, it chooses wrong.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 17, 2023
Rat Pack Universe, a fund-raising concert for arts in education at the Flagler Auditorium, John Wayne speaks to Americans of tomorrow, Francis Parkman speaks of pre-Americans of yesteryear.
The Courage of Daniel Ellsberg
How a young war planner became a peace activist is one of the most striking conversion stories in American history. But Ellsberg’s political and moral transformation did not happen in a vacuum. It reflected a titanic shift in public attitudes about the Vietnam War.
Large Dog Park at Holland Park Set to Reopen on June 26
The repairs to the large dog park at James F. Holland Memorial Park are nearing completion, and it is scheduled to reopen on Monday, June 26, 2023.
Despite Severe Autism, Judge Finds Depa, Ex-Matanzas High Student, Competent to Be Tried for Assault on Aide
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins today found Brendan Depa, the 17-year-old former Matanzas High School student accused of assaulting a teacher aide in February, competent to stand trial.
Indian Trails Middle School Teacher Suing District Has a New Attorney, and Seeks Trial
Indian Trails Middle School teacher JaWanda Dove’s employment discrimination case against the Flagler County school district is back on track toward a trial date as both sides also continue to seek an out-of-court settlement.
As Florida Floods Private Schools with Public Money, Schools Raise Tuition to Capitalize
The Florida allocation of public money per private school student is expected to be about $8,000 a year — more than some private schools were charging for annual tuition. As a result, some private schools raised their prices.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, May 16, 2023
Brendan Depa in court for a competency hearing, David Ayres discusses growth in Flagler, Rebuke to a Dog Poisoner, Ferris Bueller’s day at the museum.
96.4% of Americans Had Covid-19 Antibodies in their Blood by Last Fall
Antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19 were present in the blood of 96.4% of Americans over the age of 16 by September 2022. That’s according to a serosurvey – an analysis testing for the presence of these immune defense molecules – conducted on samples from blood donors.
City of Palm Coast Budget Procurement Office Wins FAPPO Excellence Award
The City of Palm Coast Financial Services Department’s Budget Procurement Office was awarded the Excellence in Public Procurement Award by the Florida Association of Budget Procurement Officials (FAPPO).
Sheriff Negotiates $10 Million Joint Training Facility for Local Police, Fire and State Guard HQ
The Flagler County Commission and the Florida State Guard are preparing to sign a lease agreement conceived by Sheriff Rick Staly that would have the Guard build a $10 million headquarters and training facility in Bunnell that would also be a training ground for all local law enforcement and firefighting agencies.
Crumbl Cookies Set to Open in Palm Coast With Its Giant Repertoire of Sweet-Spot Marketing
As Crumbl Cookies opens its first store in Palm Coast Friday, and the first in the Flagler-Putnam-St. Johns market, the marketing machine that has made the dessert chain the fastest-growing in the nation–800 stores and growing–will be on full display, along with its rotating cast of 250 cookie flavors.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 15, 2023
Drug court, Magna Carta’s anniversary, Franz Liszt’s Consolations, Matthew Yglesias on how politics at its best just isn’t necessarily all that entertaining.
Inside the Black Box of Amazon Returns
In 2022, Amazon returns cost retailers about US$816 billion in lost sales. That’s nearly as much as the U.S. spent on public schools and almost twice the cost of returns in 2020.
Once a Model of Independence, Florida’s Judicial Nominating Process Is Now an Irrelevant Farce
Veteran prosecutor Victoria Avalon, a Florida Supreme Court candidate, warned that the judicial nominating process that once was a model of independence under Gov. Reubin Askew has been politicized to the point of irrelevance by Republican governors since Jeb Bush, with all picks pre-ordained.
So You Want to Recall a Council Member or Write an Ordinance? Palm Coast Codifies Process After 24 Years.
The Palm Coast City Council in its 24th year is codifying its own referendum and recall process–the method by which residents may pitch or force the reconsideration of an ordinance, amend the city charter, or initiate a recall of a sitting council member.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Marc C. Gordon in court, Separation Chat’s open discussion, weekly chess club, a farewell to Cormac McCarthy, with a few dissenting words.
Guns and Drugs: Life Expectancy in the U.S. Keeps Falling
People in the U.S. are dying at higher rates than in other similar high-income countries, and that difference is only growing. It goes well beyond Covid, to an epidemic of gun deaths and drug deaths.
Anti-Trans Politicians Take Pages from Nazi Playbook
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other GOP leaders are following the Nazi playbook, substituting transgender youth for the Jews. They industriously promote hatred, fear, and physical revulsion of this small group — also barely 1 percent of the population — and pretend it’s out of concern for children.
Palm Coast Encourages Involvement in Budget Process
The City of Palm Coast is excited to announce the release of an informative budget video designed to provide residents with a comprehensive understanding of the city’s annual financial plans.
Should Palm Coast Allow Backyard Chickens? Council Balks, But Limited Pilot Program Is Possible
The Palm Coast City Council is not excited about allowing chickens in city backyards. But it may enact a strictly limited pilot program involving a few households, or set aside some public land for a community garden where residents could tend their chickens. Backyard chickens could also be on the 2024 ballot as a referendum.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Nysean Giddens in court, the Palm Coast City Council talks referendum and recall procedures, St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church in St. Augustine, Bruce Catton’s Civil War.