The court has begun the process of reconsidering whether changes to Florida’s death penalty-sentencing system should continue being applied retroactively to cases dating to 2002.
All Else
Flagler County Readies to Approve $6 Million Fix of Plantation Bay Utility, Borrowing $3.8 Million
County officials say the entire cost will be borne through Plantation Bay’s utility system and its rate-payers, without affecting county taxpayers at large.
Monday Briefing: ‘Assisted Murder’ Trial, Grady Prather Honored, Plantation Bay Costs, Cpl. Fred Gimbel
A trial in an unusual case of “assisted murder,” in a half-failed double-suicide, begins, the county commission discusses Plantation Bay and sheriff’s space issues, Capt. Gary Prather gets a substation named after him.
What Two Florida Counties’ Elections Supervisors Were Hacked by Russians? FBI Won’t Say, Upsetting Lawmakers.
The FBI has maintained there is no evidence that votes or voter information were altered in the hacking. But such assurances have drawn questions.
Sheriff’s Precinct on Utility Drive? Palm Coast Explores Bailing Out County’s Search for Space
City, county and sheriff’s officials spent Thursday exploring various buildings, among them Palm Coast’s Utility Department building off Old Kings Road, as potential sites for the sheriff’s Palm Coast precinct.
Weekend Briefing: Cycle de Mayo, Bunnell Bonanza, Hazardous Waste, Choral Arts Society, Brown at 65
The Choral Arts Society holds its Spring concert, the 6th annual Cycle de Mayo, or Bike to Work Day, the second annual Bunnell Bonanza is Saturday, “Southern Fried Funeral,” at the Daytona Playhouse.
County’s Intention To Seek Damages Over Sears Building Fiasco Belies Cozy Relations With Broker in Run-Up to Sale
Flagler County today sent letters of intent to sue for damages to the parties involved in the purchase of the mold-infested Sears building, including the real estate broker the county had a very close relationship with for years.
Stabbing Involving 2 Buddy Taylor Middle School Students Just Off the Bus Leads to Charges
A Buddy Taylor Middle School student stabbed another during a fight immediately after the two students got off their school bus Wednesday afternoon near the corner of Chapel and Hope Streets in Bunnell.
An Inside Look at Sheriff’s Confidential Weekly ‘Crimemaps’ Strategy Planning With Command Staff
Every Wednesday, the sheriff and his command and other top staffers meet to map out the coming week’s crime-fighting focuses, analyzing trends, hot spots and raw intelligence. This week, reporters were invited to witness the session.
Thursday Briefing: Inspired Mic, Drug Court Graduation, Lola the Hound Dog, Workshop on Lending
Flagler County Drug Court holds its 35th Drug Court Graduation, Palm Coast Anomal Control holds a special hearing on a dangerous-dog determination, the Inspired Mic is at Hidden Treasures.
FPL Will Use Tax Savings To Cover Hurricane Repair Costs Rather Than Lower Customers’ Bills
The issue involves hundreds of millions of dollars a year in savings from a federal tax overhaul and an estimated $1.3 billion in costs of restoring power after the 2017 hurricane.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: County’s Just-Acquired Sears Building for Sheriff Has Water Intrusion and ‘Substantial Mold’
Flagler County officials discovered today the $1.1 million Sears building they just agreed to buy is plagued by water intrusion and “substantial mold,” just like the sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell.
Palm Coast Wins 1st Place in National Mayor’s Challenge as Residents Pledge to Save 33 Million Gallons of Water
Palm Coast won first place in the 8th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation for cities its size, with 8,022 Palm Coast residents pledging to cut water use by 33 million gallons over the next year.
Wednesday Briefing: Bombing in Ocala Forest, Art Graham at Tiger Bay, Free Legal Clinic on Wills and Estates
Florida Public Service Commission Chairman Art Graham speaks at Flagler Tiger Bay, live bombing in Ocala forest will rattle windows in palm Coast, a free legal clinic on wills and estates.
Flagler School Board Considers Rezoning, Creating 6-8 Middle Schools or K-8 Centers
The Flagler School Board is considering options for its nine schools that may include sending all sixth graders to middle schools, converting all elementary and middle schools into K-8 centers, rezoning, or elements of all three.
Florida Considers Prison Guards as Immigration Enforcers; Counties May Be Next
The state request to launch the federal immigration enforcement program, known as 287(g), came as Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed local governments to implement the program at county jails.
A Memorial for Fallen Deputies Lifts Blue Lights In Shadow of Flagler Sheriff’s Catacomb
The doors to the Sherif’s Operations Center in Bunnell were kept locked Monday evening, and at times, as the crowd held its bluish candles aloft, it looked as if the building too was being memorialized.
Tuesday Briefing: School Board Retreat, Nathaniel Shimmel, Leadership Flagler Grads, ITMS PAL Win
Nathaniel Shimmel, accused of murdering his mother, is in court, the Flagler school board is in a day-long “retreat” at the Hilton Garden Inn, the Palm Coast council’s workshop for today was cancelled.
Faith-Based Southern Correctional Medicine Will Be New Health Provider at Flagler Jail
Southern Correctional Medicine replaces Armor Correctional Health after a breakdown in relations between the sheriff and the company following the death of inmate Anthony Fennick in February.
Tom Bexley: There Really Is No More Room For Sheriff’s Operations in the Courthouse
Flagler County Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, weighing in on the space issues with sheriff’s operations at the courthouse, says clerk operations would be fragmented and jeopardized if further accommodations were made.
Monday Briefing: Emma Stanford, Flagler Cares Coalition, Carver Center, Law Enforcement Memorial
Emma Stanford, Roymara Myrtha Louissaint and Cadence Lasher are terrific kids, the Flagler Cares Coalition meets, how violence and repression is working as a government’s strategy.
T-Bone Crash At CR302 and 305 Leaves 18-Year-Old Brandon Schwartz in Critical Condition
Brandon Taylor Schwartz, 18, of Ormond Beach, in critical condition after a t-bone crash at the intersection of County Road 302 and County Road 305 in west Flagler.
Bethune Cookman University 2019 Consecration: “I Leave You Love”
Hubert Grimes, Bethune-Cookman University’s interim president, delivered his last message as interim to the Class of 2019 at a consecration ceremony, urging students to “overcome the lies and negativity that were unleashed over the past eighteen months about your school.”
Photographic Tour of Courthouse Illustrates Crunch and Tensions Between Sheriff and Clerk Staffs
Here’s the first detailed, photographic illustration of the space issues the sheriff, the clerk and county officials have been wrestling with over the past months at the county courthouse as the three sides try to reach an understanding on future space use.
Homeless Man Known as Marc Smith, 45, Found Dead Near Flagler Plaza Parking Lot
Marc Smith had been living in a lesser-known homeless camp off Old Kings Road and frequently sat beneath the State Road 100 I-95 overpass, where he was recently captured in an image.
Weekend Briefing: ‘Miserables,’ ‘Hand To God,’ ‘Little Whorehouse,’ Textures, DSC and Stetson Graduations
Flagler’s all a stage this weekend with musicals at Palm Coast’s City Repertory, the Flagler Auditorium with FPC’s “Miserables,” and the Flagler Playhouse with “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” plus graduations at Daytona State College and Stetson.
Florida Cities Sue State Over ‘Small Cell’ Wireless Law, Citing Home Rule Violation
The Florida League of Cities and three cities contend the 2017 law infringes on home-rule powers and leads to an unconstitutional “taking” of city property to benefit wireless companies.
FPC’s Epic Student Musical Energizes ‘Les Misérables’ With Song, Fury and Redemption
FPC’s $17,000 production of “Les Miserables,” the musical, opens tonight and runs through Saturday at the Flagler Auditorium, featuring a cast of 57, lavish costumes and music from one of the most enduring musicals of all times.
Thursday Briefing: Mental Health Symposium, FPC’s “Les Misérables,” Beach Access for Dogs
The SMA Healthcare Foundation hosts its 4th Annual Who is Jay? Mental Health Symposium, FPC’s Thespians start their three-day run of “Les Miserables.”
Federal Lawsuit Targets Florida Prisons Over ‘Deliberately Indifferent’ Use of Solitary Confinement
Florida’s prison system is “widely overusing” the practice of solitary confinement to manage inmates, sometimes locking them up in cells that are no bigger than a parking spaces over often-minor infractions, according to a federal lawsuit.
An Alleged Abuser Tracks His Victim Near Domestic Violence Shelter Before Arrest
Dominic Petrillo, 53, is accused of pulling a shotgun on the alleged victim, beating her, then call, text and repeatedly drive by the Family Life Center where she’d taken refuge, before his arrest Tuesday.
Wednesday Briefing: Free Legal Clinic on Social Security, Rotary for Alzheimer’s, Public Safety Council
The Public Safety Coordinating Council discusses homelessness, a free legal clinic on Social Security benefits, the Rotary Club raises funds for Alzheimer’s research, Trump in the Panhandle.
Where Have All The Homeless Gone? Library Campers Scatter to Other Grounds, Some Find Roofs
More than half the homeless who lived near the library have scattered to other encampments while a few have found housing options with friends, family or through county and private help.
Tuesday Briefing: Mayor’s Challenge, Homelessness Task Force, Teachers Union Contract, Hammock Community and Bing’s
Flagler school board talks security–behind closed doors–the homelessness task force meets, Bunnell names a new finance director, and 59 people complete the Palm Coast spring 2019 Mayor’s 90/90 Challenge for Fitness.
All I Want For Mother’s Day Is Equality For My Transgender Child
She wasn’t allowed to use the girls’ bathroom. She had shoes thrown at her head when she wore leggings and lacy tops. She endured public school teachers making the sign of the cross and running off when she walked between classes.
From Vacation Rental Deregulation to School Board Term Limits: 11 Dead Issues from the 2019 Session
When lawmakers hit the road Saturday after ending the 2019 legislative session, they left behind hundreds of bills and issues that did not pass. But there’s always the 2020 session, which will start in eight short months.
Retired Cop Whose Car ‘Reeks of Booze’ Flashes Badge at Flagler Deputy, and Is Arrested for DUI and Drugs
Brenton M. Hodge was in a traffic crash at US1 and Seminole Woods when, asked about smelling of alcohol, he flashed his retired-cop badge, but Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Weaver would have none of it.
Grand Jury Indicts Marion Gavins Jr. on 1st Degree Murder in Killing of Curtis Gray, Will be Tried as Adult
A Flagler County grand jury on Friday indicted Marion Gavins Jr. on a first-degree murder with a firearm charge, a capital felony, in the death of 18-year-old Curtis Gray on April 13.
Monday Briefing: Dunes Project Celebration, Community Health Fair, Flagler County Budget, Amendment 4
Flagler County government recognizes its employees who took part in the dunes restoration project, the county commission holds the first of many budget workshops, Desmond Meade on Amendment 4 now law.
Lawmakers Approve Record $91.1 Billion Budget; 10 Big Issues from the 2019 Session
The budget includes high-profile spending issues such as $680 million for the Everglades and other water projects; a $242-per-student increase in school funding; and $50 million to maintain for at least another year the state’s embattled tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida.
Some 3,700 Students Will Participate in Daytona State College’s 59th Commencement May 13
The Class of 2019 features 550 Bachelor’s recipients and 1,700 associate of arts graduates. Many will continue their studies in a DSC baccalaureate degree program or smoothly transition as juniors to universities.
Weekend Briefing: ‘Hand To God,’ Culture Club, ‘Little Whorehouse,’ Songwriters’ Festival, Heroes Ride, Island Festival
City Repertory Theatre’s devilish “Hand to God” all weekend, The Caribbean Island Festival returns to Nature Scapes, the Culture Club kicks off at AACS, the Palm Coast Songwriters’ Festival returns, Arbor Day in Town center and plenty more.
Latest 2 Proposals for Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing Again Collapse as Sides Harden or Shift Positions
Captain’s BBQ says it won;t pay for a sewer extension even though the extension is needed only because Captain’s wants to expand, and the Hammock Community Association is no longer supportive of a new building site.
Satanic Panic: Devilish and Randy Puppet Invades City Rep Stage in ‘Hand to God’
In Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre production of “Hand To God,” a puppet ministry at a fundamentalist Christian church in a small Texas town takes a life of its own as Tyrone the puppet imposes a reign of terror and sex.
Renner’s Criminal Justice Reform, Including Lesser Punishments and More Work Options, Gets Overwhelming, Bi-Partisan Vote
Florida lawmakers on Friday overwhelmingly approved a criminal-justice package that includes the first change in 35 years to the legal threshold for felony theft and reducing punishment for some non-violent offenders.
3.5% Unemployment Rate Is Lowest Since 1969 as Economy Adds 263,000 Jobs
Wages again increased by 6 cents. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.2 percent, well exceeding the 1.6 percent rate of inflation, which means that the difference lifts the net standard of living.
Jack Howell Calls His Palm Coast Council Colleagues “Four Idiots,” Then Apologizes
Jack Howell called his four colleagues on the city council “four idiots” during an emotionally charged comment period at an open meeting of the Palm Coast Democratic Club Thursday evening.
The Real Threat To Free Speech On Campus
Conservatives complain when student protest hate speech, while progressive professors are the ones losing their jobs for speaking out as people of color and other marginalized demographics are demonized.
Bill Pushing Underground Power Lines Passes, But Higher Utility Bills Are Likely
A key part of the bill would change the way underground power-line projects are financed, a change that could lead to more projects — but also higher bills for utility customers.
A Middle School PAL Coach Is Ordered Off Matanzas High Property for Wearing an FPC Shirt. Disbelief Follows.
Derrick Griffin, a 35-year-old Navy veteran and beloved and respected coach of 50 Indian Trails Middle School PAL track students, was ordered to wear a Matanzas shirt or get off Matanzas’ track the last week of the season.