Palm Coast and Flagler County governments are trading accusations of violating a 2009 agreement over the critical 800 mhz system as Palm Coast quit contributing its share of dollars to it and the county charges that the city is inventing an issue without a problem.
Palm Coast
Palm Coast Moves to Restrict Bottle Clubs, Speakeasies that Skirt Booze Regulations
There are no bottle clubs in Palm Coast or Flagler County. Palm Coast wants to keep it that way after businesses complained of a place possibly opening at City Market Place.
Palm Coast Resident and TSA Employee Sentenced to 15 Years For Raping Wife’s Minor Sister
Esteban Alejandro Rodriguez, a 30-year-old resident of Palm Coast, had been raping and sexually abusing the girl since she was in 6th grade. Two other minors lived in the household at the time of his arrest.
Steven Nobile, Professed Conservative, Wants a 324% Pay Increase for Palm Coast Council
Steven Nobile’s proposal dovetails fellow-council member Heidi Shipley’s request for health benefits and some higher pay, but they may face opposition from two members facing elections next year.
Palm Coast Will Study Raising Town Center’s Crawl-Paced Speed Limits On Some Streets
Palm Coast drivers have been complaining of Town Center’s low speed limits for years. It took council members eight days of actually having to drive those streets to ask for a more “rational” change.
17-Year-Old Girl Faces Felony Assault Charge For Pointing Toy Rifle at Belle Terre Drivers
Matanzas High School student Noelle Tirado told cops she knew she and her friends would be pulled over. The toy rifle’s orange tip had been blacked out.
For 4th Time in 7 Weeks, a Student is Struck by Vehicle in Palm Coast; Safety Panel Meets
Buddy Taylor Middle School student Maxim Bystrov, 13, was on his bicycle when an elderly driver violated his right of way at Belle Terre and Pritchard Tuesday, injuring the boy. Wednesday, the new traffic safety committee met.
Palm Coast City Hall Journey Ends With Inauguration of a New Day on Lake Avenue
Ex-Mayor Jim Canfield and current Mayor Jon Netts bookended the story of Palm Coast’s 15-year journey to a City Hall of its own in a grand opening ceremony that drew throngs of residents and plenty of cheers.
In Flagler Cigar Company, Palm Coast’s Humidor Lights Up Bouquet of Ambitions
Flagler County as an East Coast Ybor City? Humidor owners Ky Ekinci, Mark Woods, Sim Taing and Neil Paisani marked the 10th year of their European Village store by rolling out a line of half a dozen cigars with their own imprint, and their eyes set on national distribution.
For Flagler’s NAACP, More Trust Than Fear of Local Police as Body Cams Clip On
Flagler NAACP members were mostly reassured by use-of-force evidence that, according to the Sheriff’s Office, has declined in Palm Coast, thanks in large part to police body cameras.
Accused Wells Fargo Robbers Caught in Philadelphia After String of 4 East Coast Robberies
Joseph E. Carrier and his wife Jennifer, accused of robbing Palm Coast’s Wells Fargo on Oct. 12, were caught in Philadelphia after allegedly robbing their fourth bank in four weeks.
A Syrian Family Just Landed in Palm Coast Starts Life Over From “Less Than Zero”
Mania and Amir Saman and their four young children once lived like kings, but they can’t go home to Syria and have been reduced to bare survival as they rebuild a life in Palm Coast.
Long Creek Preserve: For Palm Coast, a Chance to Restore a Vast, Lucrative History
Beyond the Long Creek Nature Preserve, Palm Coast has an opportunity to revive the state and national importance the area of the preserve played in the plantation system of the 18th and 19th centuries, says County Attorney Al Hadeed.
AJ Fernandez, Felled by Schizophrenia, Is Celebrated With a Skateboard Competition at Wadsworth Park
24-year-old AJ Fernandez of Palm Coast, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2010, took his life on Aug. 26. The Nov. 8 skate competition is a memorial benefit event for the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center in Baltimore.
Palm Coast’s Years in Sinai End as It Moves Into Long-Sought City Hall in Town Center
Sixteen years after the city was born, Palm Coast moved into its own roomy, $9.1 million, 40,000-square-foot City Hall at Town Center this week, with a grand opening set for Nov. 3.
Charter Review Proposal Finally Dies Amid Accusations of “Political Ploy” and Straw Men
Palm Coast Council member’s proposal for a charter review got no support as fellow-council member Jason DeLorenzo called the move a “political ploy” and Council member Heidi Shipley’s attempt to have the council itself lead a review also failed.
Palm Coast Utility Billing Switches to Paymentus
At the same time as Palm Coast’s switch to the new utility billing system, the city also established a new online application option for utility service.
Fish and Wildlife Escorts 2 Teens Out of Seminole Woods Area Over Illegal Hunting
Officers searched the woods with weapons drawn for hunters yesterday evening between Seward Trail East and Sea Breeze Trail in Palm Coast. Two teen hunters were found and issued a warning for hunting on private property.
Palm Coast Government’s Arrogance
Proves It: Charter Review Is Overdue
The Palm Coast City Council has responded to calls for a charter review with smugness, contempt and disrespect toward a council member elected by more people than three other council members combined. Enough of the charade.
Palm Coast Warily Explores Buying $1 Million Yacht Club for Nature and Senior Center
Buying the Palm Coast Yacht Club would help the city avoid building a required nature center near Long Creek Preserve, but council members are skeptical about creating what would amount to a second community center so close to the first.
Palm Coast Readies to Give Its City Attorneys a 15% Raise as Councilman Objects to Method
The contract will bring Palm Coast’s legal costs to close to half a million dollars a year. Councilman Steven Nobile objected to the the absence of some accountability process before ratifying the new contract amendment, but had no support from fellow-council members.
Palm Coast Joins Local Governments in Opposition to Utilities’ Proposed Cost-Shifting
Upending a century-long arrangement, utilities want local governments to pay for moving utility lines in public construction projects even though the lines use public right of ways at no cost to utilities.
Child’s Death at Bus Stop Prompts Creation of Joint School-City Safety Committee
Palm Coast City Council member Andy Dance and School Board member Andy Dance formed the joint committee with administrators from both agencies to explore safety improvements at bus stops.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Stabbing, Strangling and Throwing His Daughter
In the latest in a series of alleged incidents, Charles Scott, 64, a resident of Roxton Lane in Palm Coast, is accused of strangling his daughter for having him take his grandchild to school the previous day, and stabbing her four times the previous week.
Kymora Christian, 7, Killed After Being Struck By Vehicle at White Star Drive Bus Stop
Kymora Christian, a 7-year-old student at Wadsworth Elementary in Palm Coast, was killed after being struck by a vehicle in front of 2 White Star Drive, a corner lot that fronts on Whippoorhill Drive in Palm Coast this morning at 8:14 a.m.
Belle Terre Swim Club Pulled From Brink as School Board Turns to Community Group
In a remarkable turn-around for club supporters, the Flagler school board agreed to extend the life of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club by turning over membership responsibilities to a community group and shortening hours of operation.
Standoff With Armed, Ex-Flagler Beach Cop at Heroes Park in Palm Coast Ends Peacefully
Flagler County Sheriff’s units converged on Heroes Park in Palm Coast just before 8:30 p.m. after a report of shots fired there, and have since been in a standoff with an armed man there.
City Manager Jim Landon as Control Freak: Two Council Members Fret Over His Grip
Palm Coast Council members Heidi Shipley and Steven Nobile described a Landon regime of control and cold shoulders in the latest discussion on charter review, while the manager was away at a conference.
Anna Pehota, 75, Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder for Shooting Husband in Hammock
The woman–Anna Pehota, who has owned the trailer with her husband John since 1993–called 911 just after 4:30 p.m. to say that she thought she’d killed her husband, and that she’d shot him three times.
At Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Fundraiser, It Felt Like the 1980s Again. That’s The Problem.
Even though a sizable crowd turned up for the fundraiser Sunday, the effort still falls significantly short of keeping the club going or convincing the school board that the group leading the effort can lease the property and make it work as a club again.
Palm Coast Parkway Pizza Hut Employees Robbed at Gunpoint and Penned in Cooler
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery late Saturday night at the Pizza Hut on Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway. No one was hurt.
Home in Palm Coast, Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Is Celebrated, With Craned Necks
Reilly Opelka, who won Wimbledon’s junior crown earlier this summer and starts a 20-tournament professional tour next year, accepted a congratulatory sign at the Palm Coast Tennis Center this morning.
Two Women Threaten To Shoot Boys, 13 and 15, Over Knock at the Door at Integra Woods
Candance Ashley McCall, 28, and Letita Crimes, 33, confronted the boys while allegedly brandishing guns after a boy knocked on their door by mistake, then sough to confront them again at the boys’ apartment.
Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Republicans: Don’t Associate Us With Palm Coast Charter Review
Mike McElroy, president of the Ronald Reagan Republican Assemblies, says Palm Coast Councilman Steven Nobile’s push for a charter review–while not a bad idea–is entirely his own rather than an agenda of the RRRs.
U.S. 1-Palm Coast Parkway Wreck: Man and Passenger Crash Through 200 Feet of Woods, and Walk Away
The Chevy Impala traveled from Pine Lakes Parkway through the intersection and into the woods after what appeared to have been its driver’s medical episode.
17-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder in July’s L-Section Shooting of Phillip Haire
Zaire Roberts of 46 Pine Hill Lane in Palm Coast faces a 1st-degree attempted murder charge for the alleged shooting of Phillip J. Haire, 18 on Lewisdale Lane in late July.
Palm Coast Manager Apologizes for Ordering Work Without School Board Approval First
City Manager Jim Landon ordered utility work to proceed without securing an easement from the Flagler County School Board, though he’s been critical of the county over a similar issue.
Palm Coast Council Rebuffs Steven Nobile’s Latest Call for Charter Review Process
Palm Coast Council member Steven Nobile today again pressed for a citizen-led charter review only to again be blunted by a silent majority and a disagreeing Mayor Netts.
Publix Wins as Jury Verdict Concludes Sex Harassment Claim at Palm Coast Store Was Fabrication
A jury decided swiftly that not only had sex harassment taken place, but Robert Barry’s claims of wrongful termination didn’t need to be considered at all in light of the fabrication.
Wimbledon Champ Reilly Opelka Coming Home to Palm Coast Tennis Center Friday
The public is invited to the Palm Coast Tennis Center this Friday (Sept. 18), from 11 a.m. to noon, to welcome home 2015 Wimbledon Junior tennis champion Reilly Opelka. The Tennis Center is located at 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy.
In Publix Trial, Jury Must Now Weigh Plaintiff’s History of Dishonesty Against Claim of Wrongful Termination
The witness phase in the trial against Publix ended Friday in Flagler Circuit Court, leaving it to a jury Monday to decide the claim of ex-employee Robert Barry that he was fired because he reported a case of sexual harassment that may never have happened.
Palm Coast’s William Pedersen, 63, Pleads Child-Rape Charge Down to Molestation, Will Serve 2 Years in Prison
William Pedersen, a 63-year-old resident of 9 Wheaton Lane, had been accused of raping and molesting a close relative when she was between 5 and 12.
Opelka’s Pro Career Begins as Junior Circuit Days End With Loss in 3rd Round of U.S. Open
For Opelka, the Wimbledon boys champion, it was a disappointing end to his junior tennis career, but he now starts on the pro tour full time.
Men v. Women: Three Domestic Violence Incidents Land Three Men in Jail on Felonies
Three Palm Coast men ended up at the Flagler County jail in a 48-hour span following unrelated incidents that entailed allegations of substantial violence against women and girls–two of the men’s spouses, a girlfriend, and one of them men’s two teen-age daughters. All three incidents resulted in felony charges.
The New World of Wimbledon Junior Champ Reilly Opelka: Autographs, Pressure and a Rising Ranking
Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka turned 18 today as he prepared for the U.S. Open, where he qualified for the doubles draw and will play in the Juniors tournament next week, but fell in qualifiers for the men’s draw.
Portuguese Secretary of State José Cesário Marks Palm Coast Opening of Honorary Consulate
Thanks to its huge Portuguese community, Palm Coast now has the distinction of having one of just two such honorary consulates with full administrative powers.
No Pollution Problem Along Florida Park Drive, Council Concludes, Ending Further Debate
After ruling out traffic as a problem, the Palm Coast council Tuesday ruled out pollution and appeared to end its response to recurring complaints from residents along Florida Park Drive.
A Man Can’t Remember Who Shot Him or How, Another Insists On Being Arrested
Florida Hospital Flagler’s emergency room was the scene of two odd and unrelated incidents that resulted in the arrest of one man and the investigation of a suspicious shooting that injured a man’s foot but that led to no arrests.
Another Wave of Break-Ins and Car Thefts in Palm Coast Targets Mostly Unlocked Vehicles
Some of the break-ins could not be properly investigated because the vehicle owners had disturbed the vehicles before the arrival of police. None of the break-ins yielded any arrests.
Citing High Costs and an Arrest, Council Says No to a Fence Around Ralph Carter Park
An arrest in spring and the $70,000 to $160,000 cost of a fence dissuaded council members from giving in to Richardson Drive residents demanding a fence around Ralph Carter Park.