St. Johns River Water Management District officials were largely self-congratulatory today as they discussed a wetlands restoration project that has drawn fierce opposition in Flagler Beach.
Outdoors
In Flagler Beach, Leery Opposition to St. Johns District’s Wetlands Restoration Is Unabated
Public opposition remains strong to a planned wetlands “restoration” project along the Intracoastal in south Flagler Beach, forcing the St. Johns Water Management District to decide whether to forego it or plow through.
Save Our Home: We Have 12 Years
There’s an urgent message of hope amid the latest climate report’s dire warning: We’ve got a little bit of time to save the only home planet we’ve got. And it’s going to take all of us to do it.
As Palm Coast Looks to Rewrite Feral Cat Rules, Advocates Plead For More Accommodation
The Palm Coast council is again wrestling with the often divisive matter of feral cats, with advocates asking for tolerance and opponents asking for more containment of what they consider nuisances.
Creekside Festival at Princess Place This Weekend, In Its 14th Year, Stages Rich Varieties
From live music to art shows, free kid zones, varieties of food and innumerable art and crafts vendors, the Creekside Music and Arts Festival is a tradition made of traditions.
Fruehan Is No-Show as Mosquito Control District Raises Tax Rate 10% Above Rollback (Don’t Panic)
Florence Fruehan, the physician facing criminal charges and a member of the Flagler Mosquito Control District, was a no-show at today’s budget hearing of the district, as his mother was ailing.
Environmentalists Call Scott’s Call for Red-Tide Research a Campaign Stunt
The state has documented 115 manatee and 318 sea turtle deaths this year in regions suspected to be related to red tide, which stretches 145 miles.
Hurricane Florence to Have Only Minor Effects in Flagler; Local Strike Team Heads North
With Hurricane Florence’s effects causing possible erosion locally, Flagler County officials are on the alert for any breaches along the coast, where the year-long dune-rebuilding project is still ongoing.
Days After Criticism From Sen. Nelson, Governor Declares Emergency Over Algae Outbreak
On Friday and over the weekend Democrats and Bill Nelson accused Scott of “going through the motions” in dealing with the algae blooms.
In Big Win For Flagler Beach, U.S. Army Corps Awards $17.5 Million, Reviving Dunes Project
The unexpected infusion of $17.5 million into Flagler’s beach-rebuilding projects revives a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan that appeared dead in 2017.
Flagler Will Build $7.5 Million Bike and Foot Trail East of Old Kings Rd., and Bridge Over SR 100
The 1.6-mile, 12-foot-wide walking and biking trail through the forested greenery east of Old Kings Road will connect Graham Swamp and Lehigh Trail.
Black Bear Roaming Around Seminole Woods Catches Attention of Residents and FWC
The bear has been linked to areas around Ulaturn Trail, Ullian Trail and Selma Trail. FWC is canvassing the neighborhood and urging residents to eliminate outdoor food sources.
To Protect Public Use of Private Beachfronts, Flagler Calls on Memories of
Long-Timers’ Customs
To ward off a new state law potentially allowing private property owners to fence off beach sands, the Flagler County Commission is enacting an ordinance to preserve public use and forbid fencing.
Florida Angling Closer to More Restrictions On Shark-Fishing From Beaches and Piers
Calls to restrict or ban shark fishing from beaches, piers and bridges led the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to direct staff to craft new rules.
Court Rejects Curbs on “Deer Dog Hunting” in Florida Wildlife Management Area
Property owners sued the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for not properly keeping hunters’ dogs away from their lands. They won, only for an appeals court to reverse the decision.
Three Flagler County Rotary Clubs Join to Plant 220 Long Leaf Pine Trees Together
The project is in response to a call by Rotary International President Ian Risley for the organization to plant 1.2 million trees, one for each member of the international organization.
New Law Gives Property Owners Right to Restrict Beach Access. Flagler Working On Protecting Public’s “Customary Use”
The new and unusual Florida law allows beachfront property owners the right to wall off or restrict dry-sand areas from public use, but Flagler government intends to protect that “customary use” despite the law.
The New Palm Coast Community Center: A Bounty of Spaces Welcoming Uses and Nature
The $8 million renovation more than triples the size of the old building to 18,000 square feet, with ample and handsome spaces inside and out, including a renovated public park.
Opponents of Drilling Not Convinced Florida Is Off the Table. Nor Proponents.
Participants in competing press conferences after an open house on off-shore drilling agreed on one thing: the federal government’s claimed stance on a Florida exemption isn’t final.
Dog Parks at Palm Coast’s Holland Park Closed Over Fears of Hookworm
A dog that recently used the parks was diagnosed with hookworm, which can affect pets and humans, prompting closure of the two dog parks and intervention by the health department.
Among Slew of Legislative Rules, A Proposal To Limit Local Authority on Environment
From fracking to tree-trimming to using close to $900 million from a voter-approved conservation fund, Florida lawmakers are lining up their wishes ahead of the 2018 session.
FPL Customers Will be Billed $176 Million For Pollution Cleanup Following Leak at Utility
All electricity customers in Flagler County are serviced by FPL and will see the cost, albeit modest, reflected in their bills even though the leak took place in South Florida.
A Bit Soggy Still, Princess Place Re-Opens Segments In Time For Creekside Festival
The majority of the trails will remain closed until further notice due to flooding, but the two-day Creekside Festival is on with live music, food, crafts and play zones.
How 2nd Grader at Old Kings Got Whole School District and 2 Other Counties To Go Green
Students boycotted the use of plastic trays on the way to convincing the administration to adopt more eco-friendly, biodegradable paperboard lunch trays that don’t harm oceans, as plastics do.
Soggy Princess Place Forces Popular Creekside Festival To Be Rescheduled To November
There are two to three feet of standing water in what would have been the main festival area at the Princess Place Preserve, forcing the postponement.
Doubling Down on Scott, GOP Senator
Asks for $100 Million For Florida Forever
Florida Forever in the past received as much as $300 million a year but for nearly a decade has fallen out of favor among lawmakers and been almost ignored by Gov. Scott.
Engineer Likens Flagler Beach Pier to “Congestive Heart Failure” As Reopening Is Again Uncertain
Though it looks structurally sound, the Flagler Beach pier suffered multiple forms of damages not visible to the naked during Hurricane Irma and must again undergo repairs before re-opening.
Development and Disasters: A Deadly Combination Well Beyond Houston
Scientists warn of more and expanding “bull’s-eyes” as Americans build in parts of the country at ever greater risk because of climate change and severe weather.
Graham Swamp, Magnet For Self-Abuse, Nets Two Arrests In Sting For Onanists
A Palm Coast man and a Tennessee man were the latest arrested for allegedly masturbating at Graham Swamp, in front of an undercover cop, the first such arrests there since 2013.
A Centenarian Eclipse Winks at Flagler’s Centennial in Hour of Luminous Awe
Flagler County couldn’t have asked for a more apt coda to its centennial, a centenary gift from moon and sun under a radiant sky witnessed to the delight of many in Flagler Beach this afternoon.
Between Umbras and Penumbras, Flagler Schools and Others Ready For Great Eclipse
The greatest solar eclipse to cross the United States since 1918 on Aug. 21 has the Flagler school district and others talking safety, best viewing practices and Palm Coast time checks.
12-Year Effort to “Renourish” Beaches All But Washes Out as County Urges Wall of Dunes Instead
Flagler County is urging Flagler Beach to sign on to a $20 million plan to rebuild dunes on top of a wall of rock, though most of that money has yet to be secured.
Water Management District Offers $2,000 Grants to Teachers Promoting Water Protection
The St. Johns River Water Management District is accepting applications for its Blue School Grant Program of grants of up to $2,000 per teacher per school.
Coming to Flagler Beach: No-Parking Barriers and Silt Mounds to Stop A1A Washouts
The city and the state transportation department will block off portions of A1A to parking and build silt mounds to soak up water, though some commissioners are skeptical of silt’s effectiveness.
Thirty Months Later, Holland Park Re-Opens To Cheers, and Echoes of a Brooklyn Basketball
The $4.3 million reconstruction project at the 27-acre park became a $4.7 million project and took exactly twice as long to complete as projected, but its re-dedication drew scores of children who could care less: they just wanted to play.
Flagler’s Mosquito Control District’s Operations Move Into New Home at County Airport
Just as Flagler got drenched with mosquito-spawning rains, the agency responsible for monitoring and killing mosquitoes moved into a new, ample headquarters with its own helipad.
Drought Relief: Rains Drench Flagler and Surrounding Counties, Reducing Parched Conditions
Three days of recurring rains ended, or at least significantly reduced, drought conditions that have been taxing the region, leading to water restrictions, brown lawns and heightened fire dangers.
The Coming Assault on America’s National Monuments
President Trump is on track to throw away part of our national heritage, remove some national monument protections to make way for mining corporations and other extractive industries to operate there.
No Coal Resurgence Here: FPL Seeks to Shut Down Dirty-Energy Plant in Jacksonville
FPL says shutting down the coal-fired plant will save customers money and have environmental benefits, including a reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions.
Rare Black Bear Sighting, at Flagler County’s Emergency Operations, Occasions Cautions
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy happened on a black bear prowling around the county’s Emergency Operations Center Sunday night and spooked it off.
Holland Park Redemption: Palm Coast’s Storied Playground Readies to Re-Open
A year behind schedule, the reopening of Holland Park, now scheduled for June, will also mark the transformation of an eyesore into a crown jewel, as a visit to the park today suggests.
No New Street Lights in Palm Coast, But $547,000 For Field Lights and $1 Million For Toilets
Six new field lights at Indian Trails Complex will cost $547,000, not including operating costs, where current lights cost the city $108,000 a year in light bills. The bathrooms are paid for from a less flexible pot.
Palm Coast Approves $425,000 Parasols at 4 City Parks, But Council Members Grumble
Council members Nick Klufas and Steve Nobile, who are seeking more oversight of the city administration, had serious misgivings about cost and a bidding process that left them with little choice.
Palm Coast’s Thames Envy Holds Weir-dest Ribbon-Cutting You’ve Ever Heard Of
There’s a ribbon-cutting for every imaginable non-event these days, and today Palm Coast cut the ribbon at a water-control structure called a “weir,” in the B-Section.
In Unprecedented Flagler Beach Town Hall, Old Kings Elementary Students Become All Stars of Ideas
Mayor Linda Provencher’s Kids Town Hall drew a standing-room-only crowd, almost the entire city commission and the city’s top staff for a lively hour of ideas and suggestions from Old Kings Elementary students.
With 3 Large Flagler Fires in 2 Months and 107 Burning in the State, Scott Declares Emergency
Gov. Scott’s declaration of a wildfire emergency comes in the wake of several large fires in Flagler County and more than 100 ongoing fires elsewhere. It will allow for swifter sharing of firefighting resources, including the use of the National Guard.
Another Bear Hunt? Florida Fish and Wildlife Readies to Look at Latest Numbers
Florida game officials are getting an update on the state’s growing black bear population, a discussion animal-rights supporters contend is a first step toward holding a hunt later this year.
Abnormally Dry Conditions Prompt Call for More Water Conservation in Palm Coast and Flagler
Because of the new Water Shortage Warning Order, the city reminds citizens of some water restrictions, as well as offer tips for reducing water use during this time of potential prolonged drought.
Remembering John Hankinson Jr., Towering Force in Environmental Protection in Flagler and Elsewhere
John Hankinson Jr., a long-time resident of Summer Haven just north of Marineland, had been an EPA Regional administrator and had headed a post-Deepwater Horizon spill task force. He was a frequent performer in the local musical scene as Johnny Matanzas.
Heads Scratch as Mysterious Lift-Boat Appears Near Shore in Flagler Beach
An oil-rig like platform that’s actually a “liftboat” appeared near shore, traveling south, in Flagler Beach tonight, and stopped, raising pylons and more questions than answers.