• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Hurricane Milton Damage Forces Flagler Beach Public Library, a City Treasure, to Close Until Further Notice

October 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

One of Flagler Beach's treasures. (© FlaglerLive)
One of Flagler Beach’s treasures. (© FlaglerLive)

Hurricane Milton’s rains caused some damage at the Flagler Beach Library, requiring services to be limited to curbsides, with even those services now suspended. A reopening date is not yet certain, but is probable later this month.

“We had water intrusion on the floors along the East and North walls of the Library.  It didn’t rise enough to damage any materials,” Melissa Parish wrote in an email. “The remediation company treated the carpet and set up equipment to dry it all out.  They also removed some pieces of moulding to take a look at the drywall.”

That was on Thursday. The workers returned on Friday to move shelves and assess walls behind them and judge whether drywall has to be replaced. Today, it appeared conditions of the walls were better than feared. But the repairs required tenting portions of the library, which made continuing curbside, copy and scan service iffy.




“The contents of the shelves have been boxed and moved to our Reading Room, and at this time I’m not sure how much access we’ll have to the collection while they’re working,” Parish said. “I thought it advisable to suspend operations temporarily while the [construction] company is in the building.  That said, we’ve been able to get some books checked out for folks who call or come by while we’re awaiting the company’s arrival and will continue to do so as we’re able.”

Curbside pick-up was suspended today to avoid being in the way of workers.

The library will update work progress on the city’s website.  “As we learn more, we should have an idea of how long the closure may last, and what services we’ll be able to provide as the work is going on,” Parish said. “We will be updating the City website and Facebook pages as well as the voicemail at the Library as we go along.  We plan to reopen as soon as we possibly can.

The Flagler Beach library, which operates with complete independence from the Flagler County library system, suffered significant damage after Hurricane Irma in 2017, and has had water intrusion–or flooding, to not use a euphemism–along the north and east walls before, but never enough to threaten the collection.





The library is a unique city treasure, “a unique representation of libraries of old and of old Flagler Beach itself,” in Parish’s words, having begun as a set of shelves in the corner of the  still-very-active Flagler Woman’s Club. The books outgrew the corner and the club, and eventually demanded their own library, which these days sits at 315 South 7th Street. “It’s a cool place. We love our community, and strive to take care of them, so we’ll do as much as we can as we’re able,” Parish said.

Support FlaglerLive's End of Year Fundraiser
Thank you readers for getting us to--and past--our year-end fund-raising goal yet again. It’s a bracing way to mark our 15th year at FlaglerLive. Our donors are just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who seek us out for the best-reported, most timely, trustworthy, and independent local news site anywhere, without paywall. FlaglerLive is free. Fighting misinformation and keeping democracy in the sunshine 365/7/24 isn’t free. Take a brief moment, become a champion of fearless, enlightening journalism. Any amount helps. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible.  
You may donate openly or anonymously.
We like Zeffy (no fees), but if you prefer to use PayPal, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Join the county library says

    October 19, 2024 at 6:58 am

    Time for Flagler Beach Library to join with the county. Holly Albanese, the head librarian for Flagler County Library has offered to help over and over and over. She has offered resources to dry out books. She has offered to let patrons return county books to the city library. The county has way more dollars and many assets in place which can be shared with Flagler Beach. Flagler Beach keeps pushing away help that is available. This building floods repeatedly…..every single year.

    4
  2. The Villa Beach Walker says

    October 19, 2024 at 1:35 pm

    The Flagler Beach Library is a small local treasure that I gladly support. It’s a place that residents can go to in order to forget about the rest of the world for a little while. It’s always comfortable. I love the chalk board beside the counter that lists out weekly community events. The library staff are always accommodating and friendly. If they don’t have a book on a topic they happily refer you to the County Library. The Flagler County Library is great too but serves many more patrons and a much more diverse audience with rooms for small children and teens.

    4
  3. Shark says

    October 19, 2024 at 5:12 pm

    Just move it for another $20 million in taxpayer dollars. It/s in a swamp that will continually flood !!!

    1

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Conner Bosch law attorneys lawyers offices palm coast flagler county
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Joe D on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 6, 2025
  • Jf on Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
  • Skibum on Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
  • Joe D on Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
  • Pierre Tristam on David Jolly Makes It Official: He’s Running for Governor as Newly-Minted Centrist Democrat
  • Pierre Tristam on Why Some Towns Lose Their Local News and Others Don’t
  • Me on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Bo Peep on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Penny for your thoughts on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Steve on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Bo Peep on Why Some Towns Lose Their Local News and Others Don’t
  • Samuel L. Bronkowitz on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 6, 2025
  • Robjr on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Billy on Palm Coast Will Not Charge Residents ACH Autopay Check Fees in Utility Payments After All
  • Wally on Judge Dresses Down Ex-Palm Coast Physician John Cascone Over Probation Violation

Log in