Wednesday Briefing: iFlagler Honored, Flagler Beach Business Town Hall, Facing Grief Together, Florida Bar, Democratic Debate

Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Today’s document from the National Archives and the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Drought Index: 119
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: gritty.
The Live Community Calendar
Today’s jail bookings.

Today’s Briefing: Quick Links

First Light
In Flagler and Palm Coast
Flagler Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours of Incident Reports
Flagler Beach A1A Construction Updates
US 1-Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates
Announcements
In State Government
In Coming Days in Flagler, Palm Coast and Beyond
Fact-Checking the Knaves
Palm Coast Construction and Development
Cultural Coda

“Older fables, too, will be remade: the story of Atlantis, having endured and enchanted for several millennia, will compete with the real-time sagas of the Marshall Islands and Miami Beach, each sinking over time into snorkelers’ paradises; the strange fantasy of Santa and his polar workshop will grow eerier still in an Arctic of ice-free summers; and there is a terrible poignancy in contemplating how desertification of the entire Mediterranean Basin will change our reading of the Odyssey, or how it will discolor the shine of Greek islands for dust from the Sahara to permanently blanket their skies, or how it will recast the meaning of the Pyramids for the Nile to be dramatically drained. We will think of the border with Mexico differently, presumably, when the Rio Grande is a line traced through a dry riverbed—the Rio Sand, it’s already been called. The imperious West has spent five centuries looking down its nose at the plight of those living within the pale of tropical disease, and one wonders how that will change when mosquitoes carrying malaria and dengue are flying through the streets of Copenhagen and Chicago, too.”

–From David Wallace-Wells’s “The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming” (2018).

Previously:

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.

The Sheriff’s daily incident reports and jail bookings are posted here.

Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins hosts a “business town hall” meeting for Flagler Beach businesses to, in his words, “unify businesses to have a strong voice” and “combine marketing efforts.” The meeting is at 3 p.m. at Key West Eats, 1112 South Oceanshore Boulevard, Flagler Beach.

A meeting of Facing Grief Together, formerly known as Compassionate Friends, is scheduled at the Vitas Office at 4 North Old Kings Road (across from Kentucky Fried Chicken) in Palm Coast. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Facing Grief Together, a nonprofit self-help bereavement support organization for families that have experienced the death of a child. The meeting is open to all parents, grandparents, and siblings over age 18 who has suffered the loss of a child of any age. For more information, call John Brady at 610-428-3139. To learn more about Facing Grief Together, visit their national website at www.compassionatefriends.org.

Birthdays: Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland is 48 today.

Blood Donations: The Big Red Bus will be at the following locations this week (schedule your donation by going to the website and entering a Palm Coast zip code, then locating one of the venues below):

Tuesday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 4600 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Flagler Technical Institute: 5400 State Road 100, Palm Coast, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jail Bookings and Last 24 Hours' Incidents in Flagler, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell


Jail Bookings, June 19-22 Sheriff's night shift incident reports, June 21 Sheriff's day shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's night shift incident reports, June 21 Flagler Beach's day shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's night shift incident reports, June 21 Bunnell police's day shift incident reports, June 21
Previous and archived reports

Sources: Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Flagler Beach Police Department, Bunnell Police Department. This is Flagler County's only comprehensive, one-stop compilation of all local law enforcement's daily day and night shift commanders' reports.

Flagler Beach Is Open For Business: A1A Construction Update:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to year-long construction on and near State Road A1A in Flagler Beach as the Florida Department of Transportation rebuilds a 1.5-mile segment from South 9th Street to South 22nd Street, and builds a sea wall at the north end of town. These updates are provided through DOT or local officials. If you have any relevant information or images, you’re welcome to email them to the editor here.

Last Updated: June 16

Protecting Turtles

Now that turtle nesting season has started in the Flagler Beach area, local Turtle Patrol volunteers are checking the beach within the project limits every day to locate any new nests. In Segment 3, north of North 18th Street, work cannot begin until the beach is checked. If a nest is discovered, the nest will be marked, and work will not be allowed within 10 feet of the nest, as specified in the environmental permits issued for this project.

The Turtle Patrol also is monitoring the beach in the project limits of Segment 1, from South 25th Street to South 22nd Street, where plans call for dune revetment involving additional sand and plants.

Segment 1 South 25th Street to South 22nd Street):

We have received a lot of questions about the plants that are to be used on the project. A registered landscape architect developed the plans and the contractor is installing the plants per the plan. Seashore Paspalum, Sea Oats and Saltmeadow Cordgrass cover most of the area. There are also sections of Saw Palmetto and Railroad Vine.

About 60% of the plants have been installed. The contractor is awaiting receipt of the rest of the material.

We also have received questions about the area between South 23rd Street and South 22nd Street where no work is occurring. The department did not include this block in the revetment project for various reasons, including limitations regarding right of way. The dune in this area is being addressed as part of Flagler County’s project with the Army Corps of Engineers, which will be done after our project is finished. In the meantime, the department will continue to monitor the dunes and will take steps if the situation is impacting the roadway.

Segment 2 (South 22nd Street to South 9th Street):

The contractor has completed installation of the new water main, and will be switching over remaining customers to the new line over the next three weeks. Customers will experience a short interruption of service during the transfer. This is usually no more than 30 minutes. The contractor will attempt to notify customers prior to the interruption.

Work on the French drain installation is occurring to the north of South 13th Street. The contractor plans to install the French drain from South 19th Street to South 13th Streets once the utility work is complete, likely starting the week of June 24.

Also during the week of June 24, the contractor expects to begin constructing the new southbound side of the roadway from South 22nd Street up to South 19th Street. During this work, access from S.R. A1A will only be maintained for residences and businesses that have no other access available. Residents and businesses can expect this situation to remain in place for several weeks.

Roadway construction will follow installation of the French drain as it progresses north of South 19th Street.

The contractor also will be constructing new sidewalk between South 13th and South 19th streets over the next few weeks.

Segment 3 (North 18th Street to Osprey Drive) Project Update:

The contractor completed placing guide wall and is expecting to finish drilling the concrete piles for the secant wall in early July. Crews will continue working on forming and pouring the concrete cap that completes the wall construction. The first plants also have been installed.

See Also:

The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county's most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view. (DOT) — The proposed roundabout at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 is intended to drastically reduce the number of severe crashes at one of the county’s most dangerous intersections. Two other such roundabouts are proposed for other dangerous intersections in Flagler. Click on the image for larger view.
(DOT)

U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway Roundabout Construction Updates:

FlaglerLive is providing weekly updates to the planned 15-month, $4.1 million construction of a roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway. The project started in late January and is scheduled for completion by spring 2020.

The Florida Department of Transportation will be closing Old Dixie Highway and C.R. 325 at U.S. 1 on Monday night, March 4, from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The closure is needed to allow the contractor to make improvements to the crossover at the temporary intersection. U.S. 1 will remain open in both directions.

More details here.

See Also:

I-95 Construction, Repaving: Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., single lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line. Monday – Friday, 9 p.m. – 7 a.m., double lane closures on NB I-95 from north of Palm Coast Parkway to the St. Johns County line.

See this week’s full Interstate Construction Report for Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns here.

Announcements/Press Releases:

None.

In Florida and in State Government:

Note: Some proceedings below can be followed live on the Florida Channel. Most legislative proceedings can be followed through the Senate or House websites.

LAGOA SPEAKS AT BAR CONVENTION: The Florida Bar will start its annual convention, with sessions including a panel of prominent women lawyers and judges. Supreme Court Justice Barbara Lagoa is expected to be part of the panel. (Wednesday, events start at 8 a.m., with panel of women lawyers and judges at 1 p.m., Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton.)

RIGHTS RESTORATION AT ISSUE: The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which led efforts to pass a November constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to felons, will hold an event that will include discussion about the implementation of the amendment. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center, 1723 Bruton Blvd., Orlando.)

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE: Ten Democratic presidential candidates will appear in the first of two nights of televised debates in Miami. The candidates who will participate Wednesday are U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey; former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; New York Mayor Bill de Blasio; former U.S. Rep. John Delaney of Maryland; U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio; and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; (Wednesday, 9 p.m., Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. The debate will be televised on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo.)

—-Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

In Coming Days in Palm Coast, Flagler and the Occasional Beyond:

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A Twitter List by PierreTristam

Keep Up with Donald Trump’s attacks on the press through the ACLU’s running tab here.

Keep Up with mass shootings in a running database here.

Palm Coast Construction and Development Progress Reports

Here’s a summary of the latest city developments as of June 10, 2019, with a link to the full week in review here.

Click to access week-in-review-june-10-20191.pdf

Cultural Coda

Christopher Atzinger Performs John Knowles Paine’s Romance, Op. 39

And be sure to check out the latest performances at the Netherlands Bach Society.