Color Vibe 5K, Lady Dawgs District Champions

Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Clear. Lows in the lower 40s. West winds 5 mph. Saturday high in the 60s, lows in upper 40s, Sunday highs in the 70s, lows in mid-50s. Details here.
Today’s fire danger is moderate. Flagler County’s Drought Index is at 80.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Today’s document from the National Archives.
The OED’s Word of the Day: muckender, n..
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

In Flagler and Palm Coast
Local News Recap
Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime Reports
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler and Palm Coast
PR Releases
In the Press, In the News
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports
Local Road and Interstate Construction
Cultural Coda

In Flagler and Palm Coast:

Note: all government meetings noticed below are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Many can be heard or seen live through each agency’s website.

Friday: Live From Nashville, at the Flagler Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.: Twelve musicians, singers, and dancers will take you on an extraordinary trip through America’s greatest music – from the roots of the Country genre all the way to the hits of the present, including Bluegrass, Gospel, and Country Rock. Click here for tickets or call the box office at 386-437-7547.

Saturday: The City of Palm Coast’s Town Center Park will host the Color Vibe 5K: The first-ever “colorful” walk-run in Palm Coast. The Palm Coast Color Vibe 5K will be held Saturday, Jan. 30, at Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave.

Saturday-Sunday: Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Sunday: “Scotch, Soul and Rock ‘n Roll at the Flagler Auditorium, 3 p.m. All of the great music genres from Big Band to Bandstand in one exciting Vegas-style starring Ron Gartner, an exciting, high energy showman who may be the only performer in America who can go from Sinatra and Sammy to Perry Como and Tony Bennett, from Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka and Chubby Checker to The Temptations, The Four Tops and James Brown – all in the same show.

Local News Recap:

Updated jail bookings and day and night shift incident summary reports are available here.

Controversy Long Over, Flagler Beach Finally Gets Its $568,000 “Quint” Fire Truck: The final price of $568,000 was about $40,000 less than the city had budgeted when it voted 4-1 for the purchase 15 months ago. It is the only truck of its kind in Flagler County.

Rookie Deputy’s Discipline for Latest Crash: 30 Days Without a Patrol Car and Reprimand: Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Jeff Stuart issued the disciplinary decision on Jan. 28, following an internal investigation of Kuleski’s crash–his second internal investigation in six months–that concluded on the last day of last year. The investigation found that Kukleski was at fault for the crash and had been speeding on White View Parkway, violating department policy, as he was responding to a call in the area.

FPL Reports Profits of $1.65 Billion for 2015 But Still Seeks 15% Rate Increase by 2019: For all that good news for FPL’s shareholders, the company’s 4.8 million customers in Florida won’t see a direct effect on their bottom line. Rather, FPL has filed a request with the Florida Public Service Commission for a rate increase of 15 percent by 2020 for the average residential power user.

Florida Lawmakers Urged to Require Unanimous Verdicts in Death Penalty Cases: The Senate Criminal Justice Committee workshop focused on the impact of the decision, known as Hurst v. Florida, which found the state’s system of allowing judges — not juries — to impose the death penalty is unconstitutional.

https://twitter.com/PCOsports/status/692916108383391744

palm coast city council elections 2016 — Jason DeLorenzo, standing, was elected to the Palm Coast City Council with Bill McGuire in 2011. Both will be off the council by the end of the year, heralding what Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, who will also leave, a ‘sea change.’ (© FlaglerLive)

Radical Change Ahead for Palm Coast Council as McGuire Won’t Run, DeLorenzo Opts for County and Netts Is Term-Limited: DeLorenzo’s decision will have two significant consequences: on the commission side, it sets up a serious challenge to Ericksen and opens the possibility of a return of a Democratic majority to the county commission, though Democratic incumbents George Hanns and Barbara Revels also face Republican opposition. The more significant–because certain–consequence of DeLorenzo’s decision is on the council side: his departure means that three (that is, a majority) of council seats will be open seats and will turn over to new members, resulting in a complete turn-over of the council in two years. That has never happened before. Just as strangely: Heidi Shipley and Steven Nobile, elected in 2014 and still the council’s rookies, will essentially become its senior members.

Council member’s wife dies: Sandy McGuire, wife of Palm Coast City Council member Bill McGuire, died Wednesday after a severe illness.

In State Government:

Note: Most proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel.

The Enterprise Florida Board of Directors will meet. Among the expected speakers are Gov. Rick Scott and Cissy Proctor, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. (Friday, 8:15 a.m.)

The Drug Policy Advisory Council, which works on substance-abuse issues, will meet. (Friday, 9 a.m.)

The Central Florida Water Initiative Steering Committee will meet. The committee includes representatives of the St. Johns River Water Management District, the South Florida Water Management District, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Tohopekaliga Water Authority. (Friday, 9:30 a.m., TOHO Water Authority, 951 Martin Luther King Blvd., Kissimmee.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast and Flagler:

Click on the links for more details:

Feb. 13: Winter Scholastic Series Chess Tournament (K-12) and Winter Open (G/45;d5), Jacksonville Chess Club, at San Jose Church of Christ, 6233 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, registration onsite starts at 9 a.m. Click on the link for more details.
April 2: Cheer at the Pier, a fund-raiser for the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, from 3 to 6 p.m. Call Virginia Giaramita for information at 386/299-8892.

PR Releases:

Click on the link for more details.

Plenty of ‘birding’ fun for beginners, families at Birds of a Feather Fest: Do you love wildlife and being outdoors? Have you considered taking up birding as a hobby? The City of Palm Coast’s Birds of a Feather Fest, coming up Feb. 5-7, is a great place to get started for beginners and families with children.
Birds of a Feather is set up like a conference with a buffet of birding field trips, classes and a keynote dinner from which to choose. Saturday, Feb. 6, has the most to offer beginners and families, and many of the activities are free.
Beginner Bird Walks (free) – Offered hourly from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 6, the Beginner Bird Walks offer delightful birding with knowledgeable guides in an urban oasis! Meet at the front entrance of the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy. NE, and the guides will take you birding on the shady, paved trails near Linear Park/St. Joe’s Walkway. There is no need to register in advance – so just show up.
Wild About Birds presentation (free) – 1 p.m. Feb. 6, at the Community Center. Gina Holt of Wild About Birds will provide an educational and entertaining presentation about birds of prey, teaching about habitat, the food chain and conservation. She will bring a couple of her live birds of prey, who are non-releasable, to show off! Again, no need to register in advance.
Exhibit Hall (free) – open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Community Center. Spend some time exploring the festival exhibits offering everything from birdhouses for sale to information on nature vacations to a sampling of the binoculars and other tools that make birding even more enjoyable. Both the Flagler and Halifax Audubon Societies will have booths this year with representatives who can help you get started in the wonderful family-friendly hobby of birding. Enjoy the photo booth featuring Birds of a Feather Fest mascot PeaCee.
“Being outdoors with your family is always fun, and birding can add a new level of exploration and learning,” said festival Founder Jason Giraulo, the City’s Digital Communications Coordinator. “Our event has great bird walks, classes and speakers for serious birders, but we also wanted to introduce people of all ages to the joy of birding.” A complete schedule for the Birds of a Feather Fest is at www.birdingfest.com, and registration is now open for the activities that require pre-registration. This year’s sponsors include Florida Hospital Flagler, Florida Power & Light, the Palm Coast Observer, Top Birding Tours, the Home Depot and Bright House Networks. Please join us and our mascot, PeaCee, for the second annual Birds of a Feather Fest – Fun for the Whole Flock. For more information, visit www.birdingfest.com or contact Giraulo at 386-986-2484 or [email protected].

In the Press, In the News:

How Congress and the Supreme Court blew up the natural gas ‘bridge’ to renewables https://t.co/lBbfQKMKEr pic.twitter.com/8osTJbzqSP

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) January 29, 2016

23 states and Washington, DC keep police disciplinary records confidential. https://t.co/vQgQnVVZMG pic.twitter.com/gArbIh5oiP

— Vox (@voxdotcom) January 29, 2016

Some have said this was one of @RandPaul's best moments from last night's #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/uuwZdj8fHi

— National Review (@NRO) January 29, 2016

Where are taxi fares the highest? Surprisingly, not here https://t.co/4dAR10DLuJ pic.twitter.com/vL3uVaAfyp

— City Monitor (@CityMonitorAI) January 29, 2016

At the University of Oregon, athletes get tutored in a $42 million building. The honors program is in a basement. https://t.co/QiPBIM9OU3

— The New York Review of Books (@nybooks) January 28, 2016

Who’s afraid of gender-neutral bathrooms? https://t.co/RwbRd0E2CC pic.twitter.com/FFhnuFdQnx

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) January 29, 2016

Fact-Checking the Knaves:

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

The following is an update of ongoing construction and development projects in Palm Coast, through Jan. 15:

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, 1 percent done: Located at 5625 North US Highway 1, the school received a Development Order for a new 13,794 sq. ft. early learning center to be located on the south side of their 8.6-acre site. The architecture of the new one-story building will be very similar to the existing church and school facilities that are located just north of the proposed new building.

Holland Park, 49 percent done: Grading and installation of sidewalks continues. Restroom permit issued. Plumbing and Electrical underground inspections. Electrical conduit installation continues. Pavilion lighting being installed. Stormwater installation begun in Playground area.

County’s I-95 Interchange Matanzas Woods Reclaim Water, 76 percent done: Retention ponds are being excavated and fill continues for the ramps. (Not in the Dec. 15 update.)

Palm Harbor Parkway Roadway Extension, 38 percent done: The headwall for the double barrel stormwater pipe has been installed and tied in. The water main and reuse main have been extended towards Forest Grove Drive waiting on the
closure of the road next week to make the road crossing.

Colechester Bridge, 94 percent done: Sea walls have been completed and forming of the western abutment almost complete.

Palm Harbor Extension, 45 percent done: Met on site with contractor to discuss water and sewer testing and construction meter placement.

North Old Kings Road Extension to Matanzas Woods Parkway, 19 percent done: Asphalt was installed on the new section of roadway adjacent to the old roadway at the intersection of Old Kings Road and Forest Grove. (Not in the Dec. 4 update.)

Old Kings Road Force Main 90 percent done:: The contractor has tied the 8″ force main to the 16″ force main in front of the new Master Pump Station on South Old Kings Road. On January 13, 2016 the contractor installed a 16″ X 8″ wye and an 8″ valve in front of the existing lift station on Old Kings Road South. An 8″ wye and an 8″ 45 elbow fitting was installed to complete the connection from the existing 8″ force main to the new 16″ future force main.

Heartland Dental at 782 Belle Terre Pkwy, 99 percent done: Project nearing completion a utility substantial was scheduled for January 14.

Island Walk Shopping Center Phase 2, 11 percent done: Stormwater piping being placed and pond excavations
continue. Pressure test on new 8″ water main was completed January 12.

Road and Interstate Construction:

Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway to be closed starting Dec. 18: Effective Friday, Dec. 18, the City of Palm Coast will be closing the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway. This road closure is required as part of construction operations for the Palm Harbor Parkway extension, which is currently under construction. Palm Harbor is being realigned and extended to connect directly with Matanzas Woods Parkway where it intersects with Old Kings Road. Message boards will be placed to advise motorists and other travelers of the upcoming change, and a public meeting has already been held for residents living in that area. Both the Palm Harbor extension and a separate extension of Old Kings Road are being built in preparation for the new Interstate 95 interchange to open next June at Matanzas Woods Parkway. As part of the projects, traffic patterns around Matanzas High School will be changing. One goal is to turn Forest Grove Drive back into a residential street as it was originally intended to be. The upcoming road closure of the Forest Grove Drive connection to Palm Harbor Parkway is part of that project. Forest Grove will be turned into a cul de sac on that end. Once the separate Old Kings Road extension is completed, in June 2016, the Forest Grove Drive access to the high school will be closed because it will no longer be needed. Instead, motorists and other travelers will get to Matanzas High School via the new signalized intersection at Matanzas Woods, Palm Harbor and Old Kings. For more information, please contact Palm Coast Communications Manager Cindi Lane at 386-986-3708 or [email protected].