Wednesday Briefing: Trump's Impeachment, Singer Pre-Trial, $12,000 Tax Break in Bunnell, Mica at Tiger Bay

Indivisible Flagler's demonstration in Palm Coast in support of the impeachment of President Trump, echeduled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon. The demonstration took place along State Road 100, near Panera Bread, one of 600 such demonstrations across the country. (© FlaglerLive) — Indivisible Flagler’s demonstration in Palm Coast in support of the impeachment of President Trump, scheduled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon. The demonstration took place along State Road 100, near Panera Bread, one of 600 such demonstrations across the country. (© FlaglerLive)

Today: Breezy. Much cooler. Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Tonight: Clear. Lows in the lower 40s. North winds 10 to 15 mph. See the latest National Weather Service-Jacksonville Briefing here.
Today’s document from the National Archives and the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Today’s National Commemorations.
Today’s tides: at the beaches, at the Intracoastal Waterway.
Drought Index: 190
Global Warming: The daily carbon count.
A.Word.A.Day from Wordsmith.org. Today’s word: raguly.
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
Statista’s Chart of the Day
Flagler Beach A1A 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

“The American presidency transcends the individuals who occupy the Oval Office. Their personality becomes part of our national character. Their actions become our actions, for which we all share responsibility. Their willingness to act in accordance with the law and our tradition dictate how current and future leaders will act. Their commitment to order, civility and decency are reflected in American society. Mr. Trump fails to meet the bar for this commitment. He has neither the moral compass nor the temperament to serve. His vision is limited to what immediately faces him — the problems and risks he chronically brings upon himself and for which others, from countless contractors and companies to the American people, ultimately bear the heaviest burden. But this president’s actions are possible only with the craven acquiescence of congressional Republicans. They have done no less than abdicate their Article I responsibilities.”

–From “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated,” by George T. Conway III, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson, The New York Times, Dec. 17, 2019.

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.

Take the 2019 Palm Coast Community Survey.

In Court: Dorothy Singer, the woman accused of murdering her husband in West Flagler in 2017, who was convicted by a jury and is serving a life sentence in state prison, is back in court for a pre-trial after an appeals court overturned her conviction in part, requiring a re-trial, before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse, 8:30 a.m.

Donald Trump, by DonkeyHotey. The House votes on two articles of impeachment today. The vote is expected to carry, setting up a trial in the Senate.

Trump impeachment schedule: Donald Trump could become only the third U.S. president ever impeached, after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, when the majority-Democratic House of Representatives votes on two articles of impeachment late this afternoon. He is expected to be acquitted at trial by a majority-Republican Senate. The Times sums up today’s schedule this way: “In the morning, the House is expected to vote to affirm the rules that the committee hashed out on Tuesday. This will be the first procedural vote by the full chamber to formally impeach Mr. Trump. After that, expect a lot of parliamentary moves by the Republicans to register their opposition and slow the process. The votes we’re all waiting for — on the two articles of impeachment — are expected in the late afternoon, most likely between 4 and 6 p.m.The House will hold a vote on each of the two articles.”

The Flagler County Technical Review Committee meets at 9 a.m. in the First Floor Conference Room, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. 2, Bunnell, FL. See the agendas here.

The Flagler County Tourist Development Council meets at 9 a.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 E Moody Blvd., Bunnell.

Ex-Congressman John Mica is the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s Decemberluncheon speaker at Hammock Dunes Club, 30 Avenue Royale, Palm Coast, at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are required. President’s guest and non-members, $40. Mica served in the United States House of Representatives from 1992 – 2016, representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District. During his service as a fiscal conservative, Congressman Mica chaired several committees, championing initiatives to cut wasteful spending and duplicative programs while protecting the taxpayer dollar. Congressman Mica’s leadership placed a priority on the development of the nation’s counter-narcotics policy, and he was instrumental in authoring landmark legislation for veteran’s preferences and the expansion of healthcare access for military dependents. Known to many Floridians for his work as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee overseeing development of federal policy and projects related to aviation, maritime, highways and bridges, railroads and more, Congressman Mica will share his insights during the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s December meeting, with a question and answer session to follow for members.

The Flagler Beach Economic Development Task Force holds its quarterly meeting at City Hall, 105 South 2nd Street, at 4 p.m. The task force is made up of Kathy Wilcox, Michael Akialis, Scott Chappuis, Joseph Pozzuoli, John Horan, Daryl Reynolds, Don Davis, and Ex-Officio Members Eric Cooley, Helga van Eckert and Larry Newsom.

Paws to Read at the Flagler County Public Library 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast, in the Children’s Department. The Flagler County Public Library in partnership with the Flagler Humane Society offer the opportunity for kids ages 4-8 to read to a real dog. Every Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. First Come – First Serve. Contact: Alyssa Gilbert or Theresa Ten Eyck at 386-446-6763 or email: [email protected].

The Flagler County Contractor Review Board meets at 5 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 E Moody Blvd., Bunnell.

The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board was to meet at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, City Hall, 160 Lake Avenue. This meeting has been cancelled. The planning board is responsible for recommending land development regulations to the city council. See the agendas here.

The Bunnell City Commission meets at City Hall at 7 p.m., Commission Chamber, City Hall Building 3, 201 West Moody Boulevard. This meeting would have normally been held on Monday, Dec. 23. Because of the holidays, it’s being moved up to tonight. The commission will consider approving an $11,670 tax break over seven years for a company called Premier Food Trucks, which would build a 10,000 square foot building in the city, in the Palm Industrial Park, and create 14 jobs. The commission will consider a $3,500 contract to redesign its website. It will consider reorganizing the city’s police department to create a sergeant’s position and promote from within.

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: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, noon to 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Epic Theaters, 1185 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, 3 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Palm Coast City Hall, 160 Lake Avenue, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: Chick Fil A, 1000 Palm Coast Parkway, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: Sandvik-Kanthal, 1 Commerce Boulevard, Palm Coast, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: Palm Harbor Golf Club, 100 Cooper Lane, Palm Coast, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday: Walmart, 174 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast, 10 a.m. to 6 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.

Statista’s Chart of the Day:

The Long Road to Gender Equality: Based on current trends, the global gender gap will not be closed for another 99.5 years. When looking at particular aspects of the gap, the biggest factor in the current disparity becomes clear. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) it will take 257 years to close the economic gender gap – a disparity which is actually increasing due to: “Lack of progress in closing the Economic Participation and Opportunity gap”. On the more positive side, at the current rate, the educational gap looks set to be almost completely diminished within 12 years.

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: Nov. 18

Segments 1 is complete.

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

The work on the new median curbs and flumes is continuing and is approximately 80% complete. All sidewalks have been poured, and driveways are 75% complete. Work on the southbound roadway continues as the contractor has placed limerock base between 18th and 19th street, with paving for Segment 2 tentatively scheduled for later this month. The traffic separators are 90% complete.

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

Wall construction is complete, and walkover construction will begin once Hurricane Season is over.

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.

COURT MONEY CONSIDERED: The Revenue Estimating Conference will discuss what are known as Article V revenues, which help fund the court system. (Thursday, 9 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

BOARD OF ED HOLDS CALL: The State Board of Education will hold a conference call to discuss an amended budget request for fiscal year 2020-2021. The amended request will reflect Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal. Immediately following will be a meeting about Florida Virtual School. (Thursday, 10:30 a.m. Call-in number: 1-800-353-6461. Code: 9132047.)

SUPREME COURT RELEASES OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to release its regular weekly opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)

GAETZ SPEAKS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., will speak during a Republican Party of Palm Beach County holiday party. (Thursday, 6 p.m., Kravis Center, Cohen Pavilion, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach.)

–Compiled by the News Service of Florida and FlaglerLive

Coming Days:

The Live Calendar is Flagler County’s and Palm Coast’s most complete, detailed and searchable community calendar of events, including culture, the performing arts, theater, government, the courts and justice system and a lot more. If you’re not listed here, you’re not getting the visibility you deserve. To include your event, please fill out this form. Any other issues, email the editor.

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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 Nov. 25, 2019:

Click to access 1-1.pdf

See the full Week in Review here.

Cultural Coda

Alexandre Tansman – Variations on a Theme by Scriabin (performed by Karmen Stendler)