Today: high of 88, low 71 Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 401.
The weather in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia: high 106, low 80. Details.
The OED’s Word of the Day: aggravator, n.2.
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.
Today’s Briefing: Quick Links
- In Flagler and Palm Coast
- Local News Recap
- In Court
- In State Government
- Beyond
- PR Releases
- Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
- Local Road and Interstate Construction
- In the Press
- In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
- Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section)
- Cultural Coda
Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. Two items of note: a measure enabling the commission to borrow $2.4 million to pay off a stormwater revenue note, and discussion and possible approval, on first reading, of new regulations regarding farmers’ markets in town. The full agenda and background materials, including a copy of the proposed ordinance on farmers’ markets, are available here. The material is voluminous, so it’s broken up in four parts: agenda and items 1-6, item 7, items 8-9, items 10-14, including farmer’s market ordinance.
Flagler Youth Orchestra Director Cheryl Tristam is the featured speaker at the Flagler Beach Rotary’s breakfast meeting at Santa Maria del Mar Church in Flagler Beach. (8:30 a.m.)
Belly Dancing Workshop, for teens 11 years old and over, and for adults, will feature dance demonstrations and the opportunity for participants to learn how to belly dance. At the Flagler County Public Library meeting room, 1:30 p.m. No cost, as this is funded by Friends of the Library.
Smartphone Workshop: Cricket Wireless is holding a free workshop for people who want to better understand how to use their smartphone. 5 to 7 p.m., 1499 Palm Coast Pkwy NW.
Flagler Chamber Seeks Applicants for Leadership Flagler’s 23rd Class. Click for details.
Taking Harder Line Against Sheriff Manfre, Florida Ethics Commission Finds Probable Violations on 3 Counts: Manfre disputes the charges. “The sheriff takes full responsibility for his actions and does acknowledge that he could have made better decisions,” a sheriff’s office news release states. “However, none of his actions constituted an ethical violation. In fact, the report does not cite any policies, procedures, practices or laws that were in place at that time that were not properly followed. A 1974 Florida Attorney General’s Office opinion supports the sheriff and his position. The ethics report is a rehash of the same report issued several months ago with little additional information.”
Man Found Dead Behind Walmart Is Identified as Mathew Talacko, 25, Victim of Inhalants: Talacko’s Facebook page in stretches reads like the journal of a self-searching man on the run from anguish and on the lookout for any kind of radiance, whether the glow of a campfire (which he preferred to a nightclub) or the flickering hope of a reassuring saying.
After Months of Hedging, Palm Coast Approves New Rules on Yard Fences, Walls (and Bars): The council last year brought the matter to the administration’s attention regarding outdated language and practices regarding fences and bars. The new rules are more permissive.
Palm Coast to contract with retail recruiting company: The agreement with the Fort Worth, Texas-based Buxton company, reports the Observer, “requires the city to pay $45,000 per year for three years, and tasks Buxton with strategic planning and with recruiting retail businesses for Palm Coast and proving support to those already here.”
Long-Planned Shoppes at Grand Haven on Colbert Lane Finally See Bulldozer Activity: First to go up is the 4,800-square-foot building that will replace the Grand Haven Information Center inside the main entry gate. That may be the only building to go up for now, as Grand Haven works toward luring tenants into the planned additional space.
As South Carolina Folds the Confederate Flag, Florida County Votes to Raise It Back Up: The House vote overcame 25 amendments that attempted to dilute, change or delay the bill and finally mustered the two-thirds majority required since a 2000 law had made that margin necessary, if the Legislature were to alter the racist flag’s placement. It did so as numerous legislators warned of a mounting backlash against the state that would have severe consequences for economic development and tourism. But just as South Carolina was taking a decisive step toward conciliation, the Marion County Commission in Florida voted unanimously to reverse a decision that had removed the Confederate flag from county government grounds last week, where it had flown for two decades.
Circuit Judge J. David Walsh holds drug court starting at 8:30 this morning in Courtroom 401. In the afternoon, Walsh holds probation violation hearings and bond hearings. County Judge Melissa Moore Stens and Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger are in various hearings throughout the day.
The Florida Supreme Court releases opinions at 11 a.m.
Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.
The Revenue Estimating Conference will discuss a series of issues after the legislative session, including general revenue.
The Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Council will meet and vote on nominees for the 2015 class of the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame. (10 a.m., 28 House Office Building, the Capitol.)
Florida population: The Demographic Estimating Conference will take up Florida population numbers. (1:30 p.m.)
State Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach, is scheduled to continue a series of town-hall meetings. (6:30 p.m., Daytona Beach Shores City Hall, 3048 South Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores.)
Pope Francis gives an open-air Mass in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Tour de France: Today’s stage 6 is 191.5 km, from Abbeville to Le Havre on the English Channel, or La Manche. The live feed here.
City of Palm Coast’s annual street resurfacing program will begin July 9: The City of Palm Coast’s 2015 street resurfacing program will begin Thursday, July 9, starting in the C Section. Approximately 11 miles of roadways will be resurfaced over the next three months. The street resurfacing program is done annually to maintain the City’s roadway system. Thirty-four Palm Coast streets will be resurfaced this summer. P&S Paving will be the contractor, and the City has an assigned project inspector to monitor the project. Residents on the affected streets will be notified via door tags in advance of the work on their street. The streets will not be closed during resurfacing, but there could be some lane shifts or minor delays. The streets will be resurfaced in this order: Classic Court South, Clinton Court North, Cherry Court, Chadwick Court, Chilham Court, Cree Court, Caribe Court, Carollo Court, Fernmill Lane, Fieldstone Lane, Flaxton Lane, Black Alder Drive, Langdon Drive, Lansdowne Lane, Weber Lane, Peppercorn Lane, Pepperdine Drive, Prince Patric Lane, Princess Dolores Lane, Pickering Drive, Piccadilly Place, Radcliffe Drive, Renfro Lane, Renworth Lane, Renmont Court, Ridley Lane, Ripplet Place, Rippling Brook Drive, Emerson Drive, Empire Lane, Edwin Lane, Zither Court, Sea Garden Path and Smollet Place. The City of Palm Coast strives for safe construction zones. Travelers need to be aware of this construction and take extra care in these areas. The City asks for the cooperation and patience of residents as this important road improvement project is completed. Questions may be directed to Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360.
Nominate a favorite for Veteran of the Year: Flagler County is looking for nominations for Veteran of the Year. The award will be presented to a living Flagler County veteran who has not only served his or her country with honor, but has used the leadership skills and abilities learned in the military to improve the Flagler County community through selfless volunteer service. “There are a number of veterans who continue to serve their fellow veterans and the community, said Sal Rutigliano, Flagler County Veterans Services Officer. “They deserve to be recognized.” Nominations will be accepted from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30, so the time is right to make preparations to show your appreciation to your favorite veteran. The Veteran of the Year Committee – a subcommittee of the Flagler County Veteran’s Appreciation Day Committee – will review all nominations and select the Veteran of the Year. The award will be presented at an expanded Veteran’s Day Ceremony, held at the Government Services Building. The nominee must: be resident of Flagler County; be a living veteran of one of the five Armed Forces of the United States, including Reserve or National Guard, or a United States Merchant Marine; have demonstrated outstanding patriotism, leadership, and service as a veteran and a volunteer in the community or civic service; and, be awarded for a single act or for continuous service. Previous recipients of the award will not be considered. Nominations must be postmarked no later than Sept. 30, and may not exceed three typewritten pages. The nomination must include a resume of no more than two pages with a minimum font size of 11 points that includes: periods of military service and branch of one of the five Armed Services or USMM; military awards and decoration; membership in nationally recognized veteran’s organizations; membership in community or civic organizations; community or civic organization awards or special recognition; and, the nominees address, telephone number and email if available. A one-page typewritten nomination statement, maximum 250 words, that describes why the individual being nominated should be selected as the Flagler County Veteran of the Year should be provided along with the resume. Proof of military services is also required through either a DD214 or verification by a nationally recognized veteran’s organization. “It’s an honor for us to be able recognize the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve our community,” County Administrator Craig Coffey said. Mail nominations to: Flagler County Veteran’s Service Office, Attn: Veteran of the Year, 1769 E. Moody Blvd. – Building 2, Bunnell, FL 32110.
Public Art Inspires Palm Coast Artists and Poets In City-Wide Cultural Event: A panther, six blue herons, turtles and a manatee, along with many other art works permanently placed in open areas throughout Palm Coast, are the inspiration for ”Public Art and Sculpture,” an art exhibit and poetry competition coming to the Flagler County Art League Gallery on Saturday July 11. The Gargiulo Art Foundation (GAF), who sponsors the Palm Coast Public Art project and places the art throughout the community, is dedicated to promoting Palm Coast as a cultural haven and a great place to live. The “Public Art and Sculpture” art exhibit and poetry competition, a collaboration by GAF and the Flagler County Art League (FCAL), celebrates this objective. Five other galleries in Palm Coast will also participate. Our best-known sculpture — the Florida panther — greets us as we enter Palm Coast from the Hammock Dunes bridge. Called “Lion Around,” it’s by local sculptor Paul Baliker. If you’ve been to Waterfront Park, you’ve seen the six bronze Great Blue Herons, their wings spread, on the banks of the Intracoastal. At the Library, a ten-foot Kinetic sculpture, “Wind Sail II,” beckons us to let our minds soar with literary adventures in books. And have you seen the “Manatee and Calf” on the corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive. How about the “Tortugas del Mar” on Daytona State College’s Palm Coast campus. These are a few of the pieces of amazing public art you can see around the city. Artists, photographers and poets have been invited to be inspired by the art and create their own works to demonstrate a new perspective and show how people or animals interact as they encounter these wonderful public-place pieces of art. As a city-wide cultural event, residents of Palm Coast and Flagler County are invited to participate by viewing the art and sculptures situated around the City, then visiting the Gallery to see how area painters and sculptors create their own perspective on the art, and hear how the poets use words to describe their reactions to these public installations. Winners of the art and poetry competitions will be announced at the exhibit’s opening reception, Saturday evening July 11, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Flagler County Art League Gallery in City Marketplace. The opening reception is free and open to the public. The complete list of public installations eligible for this show’s art exhibit and poetry competition are on FCAL’s website, show schedule page, at flaglercountyartleague.com.
IBM Discloses Working Version of a Much Higher-Capacity Chip: “IBM said on Thursday that it had made working versions of ultradense computer chips, with roughly four times the capacity of today’s most powerful chips. […] The development lifts a bit of the cloud that has fallen over the semiconductor industry, which has struggled to maintain its legendary pace of doubling transistor density every two years. Intel, which for decades has been the industry leader, has faced technical challenges in recent years. Moreover, technologists have begun to question whether the longstanding pace of chip improvement, known as Moore’s Law, would continue past the current 14-nanometer generation of chips. […] As points of comparison to the size of the seven-nanometer transistors, a strand of DNA is about 2.5 nanometers in diameter and a red blood cell is roughly 7,500 nanometers in diameter. IBM said that would make it possible to build microprocessors with more than 20 billion transistors.” From The Times.
History of Abuse Seen in Many Girls in Juvenile System: “As many as 80 percent of the girls in some states’ juvenile justice systems have a history of sexual or physical abuse, according to a report released Thursday. The report, a rare examination of their plight, recommends that girls who have been sexually trafficked no longer be arrested on prostitution charges. The study, “The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story,” found that sexual abuse was among the primary predictors of girls’ involvement with juvenile justice systems, but that the systems were ill-equipped to identify or treat the problem.” From The Times.
“The dark side of book collecting: Delight in book collecting, and in showing off one’s book collection, is common, if not universal, among readers and would-be-readers. The biggest reason we spend money on books is because we want to read them (eventually), but that isn’t the only reason: we also like to look at them, and to look at other people looking at them. While moving into my new apartment this month I found myself casting long, admiring glances at my full bookshelves, straightening out folded pages and making sure the spines were perfectly lined up. I have devoted most of my moving time to arranging these shelves; books accounted for probably 90 percent of the weight I had to lift up three flights of stairs into my apartment. When I move out in two years, I will have to do it all again. Why do I—why do we—devote so much time, energy, space and money to these $15 hunks of paper? Why do I risk compressed discs every time I move into a new apartment? Or, to put it another way: Why don’t I just buy a Kindle?” From The Point.
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports:
The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through July 3:
Heartland Dental Clinic Development Order: A Development Order has been issued for application number 2871 for Heartland Dental Clinic in Town Center, which proposes to construct a 5,091 square foot office building with supporting parking, landscaping and utilities as required on an outparcel within the Publix Shopping Center on the south side of Central Avenue, and on the east side of Belle Terre. The building is a two-unit building, and Heartland Dental will occupy one unit. A second tenant has not yet been identified.
Palm Coast Parkway Six-Laning is 81 percent done: Widening on the north side of the parkway continues. Landscape irrigation work continues. Utility connection tie-ins continues. FPL began installation of street lights along the south side of the roadway.
Royal Palms Parkway Improvements, 98 percent done: Punchlist items continue,
Holland Park, 21 percent done: Installation of storm water pipe continues.
Palm Coast City Hall at Town Center, 62 percent done: Installation of drywall on interior walls, mechanical duct work & VAV damper installation, electrical conduit rough-in and fire sprinkler piping continues. Installation of exterior windows
and exterior wall trim continues. Grading and layout for parking area continues. Painting of exterior walls continues. Mechanical System Chiller and Air Handlers have been
delivered and installed. See ongoing images of construction here.
Colechester at College Waterway Bridge Rehabilitation Construction, 16 percent done: Inside bents and pilings have been painted. Sheet piles were delivered. Demolition on seawall has begun.
County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 20 percent done: A storm structure crossing the road was completed on the east
side of I-95. Fill dirt continues being hauled in to raise the overpass and ramp areas. The city’s portion of the project is also 20 percent done.
Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 5 percent done: Preconstruction Meeting on 6-26-15. Construction operations to begin the week of 7-6-15.
Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 1, 90 percent done: Developer and City Personnel met to discuss requirements needed for final of 1st Phase.
Shops at Pine Lakes Convenience Store, 88 percent done: Work on parking and drive thru areas continues. Water meters and backflows have been installed.
Walmart Addition, 30 percent done: A new Grease Interceptor has been installed replacing the old one outside the new building addition.
Old Kings Road Utilities Work, 85 percent done: Pressure testing of new water main has passed.
Road and Interstate Construction:
Palm Coast:
Matanzas Woods Parkway closed: Matanzas Woods Parkway is closed until early August for construction of the Interstate 95 interchange. The portion of Matanzas Woods Parkway that spans I-95 will be reconstructed to accommodate four single-lane ramps for on and off access to the interstate. Other improvements include the widening of the interstate to accommodate new acceleration and deceleration lanes, wet detention ponds adjacent to the roadway, sidewalks, lighting, overhead signs and landscaping. Project details are available and regularly updated at http://www.matanzas95interchange.com. The detour map is available here.
Palm Coast Parkway between Cypress Point Parkway and Florida Park Drive. IMPACTS: Lane shifts and closures will occur and this may cause traffic congestion on this already busy roadway. Most construction work will occur between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. though weather and unforeseen issues may adjust the schedules. This project will be complete by December 2015.”
Flagler County Road 302 is Closed to all but local traffic as repaving began on June 7 and the roadway will be closed to all but local traffic. Others will be required to detour around County Road 302 using State Road 100. The roadway will be closed for 90 days, or until early September.
Palm Coast’s Colechester Lane bridge to be closed July 7 through Sept. 4: Palm Coast – Motorists and other travelers are advised that the Colechester Lane bridge will be closed to all traffic from July 7 through Sept. 4 while the bridge is rebuilt. A detour will be established taking travelers over the Colorado Drive bridge instead. Signs will be posted directing motorists to the Colorado Drive bridge. The City of Palm Coast strives for safe construction zones. The City asks for the cooperation and patience of residents as this important bridge improvement project is completed. For more information, contact Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360.
Volusia: I-4 Widening from SR 44 to east of I-95, Monday and Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Eastbound/Westbound shoulder closing. Sunday through Thursday, Eastbound and Westbound lane closures as needed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, 9:00 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. EB road closure between Canal St./SR 44 and I-95 with detour at US 92 exit ramp.Motorists should be aware of traffic shifts near Canal St./SR 44.
- Palm Coast Parkway Project Website
- Florida Department of Transportation Road Project List
- County Road 304 Project Map and Description
Click on the links for more details:
- All Summer: Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Flagler County Children Through Seamless Summer Freeding
- All Summer: Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) Offers Free Summer Activities for Youth .
- All Summer: Swimming lessons and lifeguard classes available at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool.
- Registration opens for 2015 Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games.
- July 10: “Back to the Future” is the Movie in the Park, scheduled for 8:40 p.m. at Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave.
- July 15: Ribbon-cutting to mark the opening of new camp sites at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach, 10 a.m.
- Sept. 28: Bunnell’s State of the Art Water Treatment Facility Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting at 100 Utility Drive (directly across the street from the Flagler County Government Services Building), from 4 to 6 p.m.
Comment of the Day (From the Comment Section):
From liz, in “Man Found Dead Behind Walmart Is Identified as Mathew Talacko, 25, Victim of Inhalants“: “I am so sorry to hear about this young man. I want to let the family know that I know the pain and struggles you must have encountered during his troubled time as a addict. My daughter almost lost her like the same way with this horrible choice of drug. The burns on her body, the paramedics called so many times to revive her..finding dozens of can in her car and rooms…the soiled clothes…she lost so much only to take away her pain. She was put in rehabs so many times and they just didn’t know how to handle this dirty addiction…she has been clean for three years now or rather believe she has. She got her cans from Walmart and Walgreens but after spending days at target in the parking lot as a missing person..she asked for help there…she did the same thing and did not pay for most of them…she also would do them alone….my heart was breaking the whole time and I am sure yours was too…I think he just wanted to feel nothing and God must have said enough and took him home. At least I would like to believe that..I tried to get Walmart and target to pull them off there end caps or make them sign a paper…they would only sell them for 5 bucks, but as you can see that never happened. I also wrote to my congressman and nothing…how many have die for them to open there eyes and see there is a problem…..sad so sad ans so sorry for your loss…God bless.” Reply to liz here.
Cultural Coda:
Ricardo Muti directs, Maurizio Pollini at the piano for Mozart’s Piano concerto n. No. 21 in C major, K.467:
