Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin is objecting to the way the district is accounting for the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s revenue numbers and pointing to a shell game that has made the club’s balance sheet look much worse than it is.
Outdoors
Complex 4-Week Trial Over Splash Pad Set for Late 2024 as Parties Duel and Pad Remains Barren
The length of the civil trial is a reflection of the immense technical and legal complexities of the case and the number of parties involved. Each named party has responded to the suit, rejecting the city’s allegations and pointing fingers either back at the city or at other contractors.
Florida Cracker Ranch and Flagler Broadcasting Team Up for Red White and Boom Weekend
Flagler Broadcasting and Florida Cracker Ranch are collaborating in the production of Red White and Boom, a three-day weekend from June 30 to July 1 in the run-up to Independence Day, with camping, off-roading, entertainment and fireworks.
The Colorado River Wins a Reprieve. Now the Hard Part.
Arizona, California and Nevada have narrowly averted a regional water crisis by agreeing to reduce their use of Colorado River water over the next three years. This deal represents a temporary solution to a long-term crisis. Nonetheless, it’s an important win for the region.
The Supreme Court Just Plundered Wetlands Protection
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in Sackett v. EPA that federal protection of wetlands encompasses only those wetlands that directly adjoin rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. This is an extremely narrow interpretation of the Clean Water Act that could expose many wetlands across the U.S. to filling and development.
Flagler Beach Re-Launching Limited Plastic Recycling Starting May 15
Beginning on May 15, Flagler Beach residents and businesses may recycle plastic bags and plastic film into several receptacles that will be placed around Flagler Beach. It’s not curbside recycling just yet. But it is City Sanitation Director Rob Smith’s latest effort gradually to bring back recycling of most materials the city had suspended in 2021.
Reclusive, 15-ft Beaked Whale, Likely Sick, Strands in Flagler Beach Near Water Tower
For the second time in only 10 weeks, a rarely seen whale beached on Flagler County’s sands and was put down hours later before it was to be removed from the surf and transported by truck to Orlando’s SeaWorld for a necropsy.
A1A Protection Plan in Flagler Will Rely on Beach Renourishment, and a Sea Wall at South End
The state Department of Transportation’s much-anticipated plan to protect State Road A1A will mostly rely on existing plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild 2.6 miles of beach and dunes south of the pier, plans by Flagler County to rebuild beaches north and south of that stretch, and a DOT secant wall along the shore straddling the Flagler-Volusia county line.
County Approves Spending Extra $500,000 for ‘Gem of a Site’ as Future Visitor Center on SR100
Flagler County’s future visitor center got its biggest boost today on two grounds: The County Commission all but approved locating the center on State Road 100, next to the future pedestrian bridge and heritage trail. And it approved contributing an additional $500,000 as a local match for a hoped-for $8 million federal grant to build the center.
Varn Park Will Close for 3 Months as It Turns Into Latest Dune-Rebuilding Staging Area
Varn Park will be closed beginning March 27 for about three months as Flagler County undertakes two emergency sand operations – the first in Painters Hill and Beverly Beach, and the second north through the park into the Hammock Dunes Homeowners Association property.
No Evidence Links Wind Turbines to Whale Deaths, But Ship Strikes May
A string of articles from local and national outlets have linked wind development and dead whales over the past several months, but there is no evidence linking the two. On the other hand, there has been an increase in whale deaths linked to shipping strikes.
Palm Coast and Flagler Want to Hear From You About Future Parks Plans Countywide
The City of Palm Coast and Flagler County Government have partnered to develop a Parks and Recreation Master Plan for the entire community. The goal is to hear from residents, business owners, special interest groups, and any other interested parties on what they would like to see included in future planning for Flagler County.
Lawyers to the Rescue: County Ratifies Agreement Clearing Historic Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
The Flagler County Commission this morning ratified the final agreement clearing the way for a historic dune-rebuilding project on 2.6 miles of shoreline in Flagler Beach, starting in April 2024–almost a quarter century after the federal government started considering the stretch for long-term safeguarding from erosion and rising seas.
Florida Crock: Say ‘Resiliency.’ Don’t Say ‘Climate Change.’
Resiliency in Florida is at best an illusion, and at worst a suicide pact between state and local governments. It’s wasted money and a scam on a catastrophic scale, because the state is in denial about global warming, refusing to do its part as one of the world’s leading polluters.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Will Be Torn Down Against Lease-Holder’s Wishes, With No Plans for Rebuild
To the dismay of the current lease holder, County Administrator Heidi Petito said the 2,500 square foot restaurant building at Bull Creek Fish Camp will be torn down next month, after suffering what the county describes as irreparable damage from hurricane-related floods.
Prescribed Fire Will Limit Access to Princess Place Preserve Thursday Through Sunday
Park visitors to Princess Place Preserve may experience limited access Thursday through Sunday as Flagler County Land Management will be conducting prescribed-fire operations over four days – January 26 through 29.
Sea Walls, Granite, Dunes: FDOT Options to Strengthen A1A Are Nothing Flagler Hasn’t Seen Before
Some 150 people, including numerous Flagler Beach and county officials, turned out to see the state Department of Transportation’s four options to more permanently strengthen State Road A1A, with sea walls taking precedence over dune rebuilding. But a combination of the four options is likely ahead.
Florida Senate Approves $100 Million in Beach Erosion Aid, Part of $750 Million Disaster Relief Bill
The bill includes $100 million for beach-erosion recovery, an amount certain to help boost Flagler County’s prospects for tapping many of those millions as it faces vast challenges on 18 miles of its eroded coast.
Palm Coast and County Launch Joint $200,000 Plan to Map Out Parks and Rec Blueprint for Future
Palm Coast government and the county are starting a nearly $200,000, eight-month process to determine how the city’s parks should grow, what they should offer and how they should be marketed to users, including city and county residents and beyond. The city is looking to add to the broader regional appeal of park facilities like the Indian Trails Sports Complex and–assuming it can recover some of its broken amenities–Holland Park.
State Wildlife Crews Will Again Feed Lettuce to Manatees as Pollution and Algae Blooms Deplete Seagrass
During the 2021-2022 winter, 202,000 pounds of lettuce were fed to manatees, with nearly $117,000 spent on the project. Wildlife officials say the public should not feed manatees.
At Waterfront Park, a Favorite Trailhead Will Soon Become Accessible By Boat, Or Launch Them
Palm Coast officials and others today ceremonially broke ground on a two-phase, $1.8 million expansion of Waterfront Park, starting with a $1.3 million boat and kayak launch that will provide direct water access from the park for the first time when it opens next summer.
Florida Voters Are Willing to Save Environmental Lands. Politicians? Not So Much.
In Florida, our politicians are constantly promising more tax cuts. Yet these voters opted to tax themselves more. And they did it because they wanted to save some greenery in an ever-increasing sea of gray asphalt. Politicians aren’t getting the message.
As Hurricane Season Ends, Sort of, an Unfond Look Back at Ian and Nicole, and a Special Committee
Rep. Paul Renner set up a special committee to study lessons learned from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, and Kevin Guthrie, director of state emergency management, says a second cone of probability should be added to the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts, this one focusing on storm surge.
Sea Turtles Hatching on Florida Beaches Are Feeling the Heat from Warming Climate
Florida plays an outsize role in the reproduction of loggerheads. Scientists estimate 90 percent of all the Atlantic Ocean’s loggerheads lay their eggs on Florida beaches. Then the ones that hatch here come back years later to lay their own eggs. But something funky is happening on those beaches: male turtles are disappearing.
$1.8 Million Waterfront Park Construction Begins, Closing Some Access Points
Detours go in effect at Palm Coast’s popular Waterfront park on Thursday (Nov. 17), closing some access points, as a two-phase, $1.8 million construction project to enhance various parts of the park begins.
State Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie Calls for ‘Holistic’ Re-Engineering of Florida Coast
Speaking at Flagler Tiger Bay Club, Kevin Guthrie, the state emergency management director, never used the words “climate change,” but nevertheless addressed needed changes in how Florida manages and re-engineers its coastline in words that would intrigue even Greenpeace activists.
Palm Coast Sues Holland Park’s Splash Pad Contractors as Losses Reach $1.4 Million and Rising
The Palm Coast City Council today cleared the way for a civil lawsuit against several contractors involved in the construction of the splash pad at Holland Park that opened only for a few months before it shut down. The splash pad went from a $6.28 million crown jewel in the city’s park system to a an embarrassing and costly boondoggle, with estimated losses and repair costs so far of $1.4 million.
Devastation on Flagler’s Coastline: Houses and Roadbeds Hanging on Sand Cliffs, Vanished Dunes, Yards Turned Beach
Flagler County generally survived Tropical Storm Nicole well. The coastline did not. Out of sight, it has been devastated even more than by Hurricane Ian, with houses left teetering on cliffs of sand, A1A’s roadbed left defenseless for most of its length, a dune system now entirely vanished the length of the county, and coastal residents left wondering why officials are not reacting. A documentation of the damage in photographs and video.
Dangerous Flagler Beach Pier Is Condemned, Demolition Moved Up As Hazards Worry City Officials
With repair costs pegged at $2 million over 14 months and dangerous collapses possible, the Flagler Beach City Commission agreed to condemn the rickety pier and wall it off, accelerating a demolition schedule in preparation for the construction of a $15 to $18 million, 800-foot concrete pier that could be completed in late 2025.
Development on Florida’s Barrier Islands Made Ian Evacuation Virtually Impossible
Builders trying to exploit a hot housing market for big profits ran roughshod over common-sense regulations intended to protect the public. Meanwhile, our elected officials went along with whatever the developers wanted. Hurricane Ian did the rest.
What To Do With Flagler Beach Pier? City Caught Between Costly Repairs and Demolition
The Flagler Beach City Commission is wrestling with whether to repair the pier at a potential cost of $650,000 and reopen it for well short of a year or keep it closed until it is demolished next year, ahead of the construction of a new, concrete pier. More data and public input may sway the commission.
Gopher Tortoises Are ‘Not in Danger of Extinction,’ and U.S. Denies Increased Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a 113-page decision that said gopher tortoises would continue to be considered a threatened species in parts of southwest Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana under the Endangered Species Act, but not in Florida and elsewhere.
Creekside Festival and Chili Challenge Are On, With Venue Change to Agricultural Museum
Rather than cancel or postpone the annual Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve, which is waterlogged, it’s been moved to the Florida Agricultural Museum, where it is expected to generate thousands of dollars for charity over the weekend.
Catastrophic Loss: Dunes All But Gone Along Flagler’s 18-Mile Shore, Leaving A1A and Properties Dangerously Exposed
While Flagler County was spared the brunt of Hurricane Ian’s fury, its shoreline was ravaged, and what remained of its already battered dunes and rock revetments sacrificed themselves to protect A1A and properties. There is no more protection should another storm strike. The disappearance of the dunes is stunning in Flagler Beach north of the pier, and in many other places along the 18 miles of beach.
A Non-Existent Eagle’s Nest in Palm Coast Plantation Leads County to Improvise Risky Rule-Making
A couple wants to build a home in Palm Coast Plantation that would partly violate an existing eagle-protection zone. The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday gave it the go-ahead, reasoning that the eagles haven’t been seen in the area for years, and that the protection zone should be scrapped anyway. But that’s not the planning board’s call.
The Tragedy of Turning Florida’s Rural Lands Into Urban Sprawl
Lately, it seems Florida’s big-money developers, aided by politicians from the governor on down, have put a target on every rural spot that’s left on the map of Florida. From the Panhandle to the Keys, they want to change everything that’s now slow-paced and softly green to match the cookie-cutter concrete sprawl found everywhere else.
Wadsworth Park Employee’s Vigilance Leads to Veteran Felon and Bleacher Stealer’s Arrest in 2 Hours
Ronald Schmitt, 56, of Flagler Beach, was stealing bleachers used by children at Wadsworth park when County park employee Ryan Belhumeur confronted him and relayed all the necessary information to law enforcement that led to Schmitt getting apprehended at a scrap yard south of Bunnell two hours later.
Cities, Including Flagler Beach, Looking Into Banning Smoking and Vaping on Beaches
Several communities in coming weeks and months could move forward under a new state law that allows cities and counties to ban smoking cigarettes and vaping at locally controlled beaches and parks.
10,000 Square Foot Splash Pad’s Surface at Holland Park Will be Torn Up In Search for Source of Flaws
Palm Coast is attempting to reverse-engineer the problem that led to the $5.1 million splash park’s fatal malfunction, forcing it to shut down a year ago after being opened only in late spring of 2021, and for a few weeks of that summer.
Exorbitant Costs to Save Beaches, and Doing Nothing is Not an Option, Flagler Commissioners Are Told
The county commission this morning heard the results of the $250,000 beach management study it commissioned last year, and was left with two certainties: doing nothing is not an option. Starting to do something is unaffordable for now, even with six options presented by Olsen Associates, the Tampa-based consultants the county hired for the study.
Study: Flagler’s Beaches Are Eroding Critically, and Will Cost County Alone $5 to $13 Million a Year to Slow
The most comprehensive study to date about Flagler County’s beaches paints a stark picture of the consequences of climate change and sea level rise, accelerating erosion, potentially crushing costs to local taxpayers to slow down the erosion with beach renourishment, and few sources of funding to do so.
Titanic Erosion in Flagler Beach Uncovers an Anchor from Another Century, and Mottle of Secrets
The anchor was discovered just north of the Flagler Beach pier, site of drastic erosion over the past few weeks. A team from the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program was alerted and has been analyzing the find for its historical value and age since.
Massive Erosion Strikes North and South of Pier; Flagler Beach Commission Calls Emergency Meeting
Erosion north of the Flagler Beach pier and around 13th Street South has left portions of the shore without beach, with sheer cliffs of sand instead, as was the case along much of the Flagler shore following Hurricane Matthew. Yet there’s been no major storms. County and Flagler Beach officials are concerned, and examining options.
Paul Renner’s Stunning Attack on Green Energy Is Bad News for Florida’s Climate Change Challenges
Sea level rise is just the most obvious manifestation of our climate change peril. Yet Speaker-designate Renner has barely even mentioned that when talking about Florida’s future as he keeps raking in campaign cash from power and coal companies.
In Silver Lining for Flagler Beach, $25,000 Not Spent on Fireworks Redirected to Dodge Dunes Campaign
At the behest of Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan, Flagler’s Tourist Development Council this morning agreed by consensus to award some or all of the $25,000 that the city did not spend on its ill-fated July 4 fireworks show back to efforts focused on the Dodge the Dunes campaign, primarily in Flagler Beach.
By Focusing Only on ‘Resilience,’ Florida’s Governor Ignores Climate Change’s Deadly Heat
“Resilience” is the word politicians use when they mean “climate change is an opportunity for me to hand out lots of big government contracts for construction work that will try to cope with rising sea levels.” But resiliency does nothing to reverse dangerous courses.
How Mud Muckers in West Flagler Bogged Down in Its Own Lawsuit and Wetlands Violations, and Lost
Mud Muckers for many years operated as a huge ATV park southwest of Bunnell, until it was found to be violating wetlands rules and required to move. Mud Muckers sued its landlord, and today lost its final appeal, four years after it said–inaccurately–that it had been unceremoniously shut down.
6,566 Permits Issued in Gator Hunt Lottery that Drew Record Applicants
A record number of applicants sought permits for alligator hunting this year, though they had to wait an extra day to find out if they won a lottery for the permits. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Thursday that 6,566 permits were issued from 19,358 applications submitted in a first round of permitting.
James Hirst Appointed Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Director
Hirst joined the City of Palm Coast in June of 2014 as an Aquatics Supervisor and has risen through the ranks, achieving Outdoor Recreation Manager in September of 2018.
Three Conservation Groups Sue EPA Over Water Quality and Manatee Deaths
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Orlando. The groups are seeking to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to re-engage in talks with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about water quality in the Indian River Lagoon, which has been the site of numerous manatee deaths in 2021 and this year.