The Flagler Beach City Commission will not grant a data-center company a perpetual easement over almost a third of Veterans Park in the heart of the city as a landing point for undersea internet cables. The company was attempting to save money at the city’s expense. City commissioners explicitly called out the scheme, tabling the proposal until DC Blox returns with a feasible proposal to use South 6th Street as a landing site, without disrupting the city-owned parking lot there or compromising its future value to the city.
Main Content
Daily Cartoon and Briefing
![Louisiana Schools by Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/guns-commandments.jpg?resize=474%2C324&ssl=1)
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 28, 2024
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
![Some of Airbnb's current listings in Palm Coast, from an online screenshot.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/airbnb-listings.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
DeSantis Veto of Vacation-Rental Bill Opens the Way for Palm Coast Regulations with Flagler’s as Model
Facing pressure, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure a bill that deregulated local control of vacation rentals, saying the proposal would create “bureaucratic red tape” for local officials. Now, Palm Coast has another chance to write its own vacation-rental ordinance, or at least craft some city-specific regulations. City Council member Theresa Pontieri said this morning she intends to open the way for just such a proposal, with caution, as residents increasingly complain of rentals.
![Thursday's Flagler Tioger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every candidate on the local Aug. 20 primary ballot. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/tiger-bay-meet.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Tiger Bay Straw Poll: Richardson Trounces Danko; Derek Barrs and Lauren Ramirez Take Schools, Alfin Hangs On
Thursday’s Flagler Tiger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every local election candidate on the Aug. 20 primary ballot. A straw poll consisting of some 225 votes yielded a few arresting results, such as County Commission candidate Pam Richardson’s trouncing of an absent Ed Danko, and a not-too surprising tight race for mayor in Palm Coast.
![Abbey Cooke at a Flagler Pride event in Palm Coast in 2021. She was fired the next year. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/cooke-settlement.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Two Years Later, Star Teacher Fired Over a TikTok Second Signs Settlement and Hopes to Resume Career
Two years after Flagler County schools ended her stellar 12-year teaching career over a 15-second TikTok video of her dancing with some of her sixth-grade students to the sound of Lizzo and an errant, barely audible four-letter word that many students sing or mouth a dozen times a day, Abbey Cooke has signed a settlement agreement with the state, neither admitting nor denying guilt, and preserving her teaching license.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
![DC Blox, a company planning to build a data center in Palm Coast, wants an easement over the northern segment of Veterans Park in Flagler Beach, beneath which it would "land" undersea internet cables. The city has issues both with the company's terms and its opaque methods. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/veterans-park-dcblox.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Secretive Data Company Getting Stiff Resistance from Flagler Beach Over Perpetual Easement at Veterans Park
DC Blox, the Atlanta-based data company working with Palm Coast to open a data center there, is about to face stiff resistance from some Flagler Beach City Commissioners as it seeks a permanent easement through Veterans Park, one of the city’s iconic treasures. Officials are not happy with the choice they’re being given at Veterans Park, the paltry, one-time compensation the city is being offered–$100,000 per cable landing–or the way DC Blox has attempted to keep negotiations out of the public eye, especially about money.
![july 4 palm coast 2024](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/fireworks-7.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
July 4 Celebration from Flagler Beach Parade to Palm Coast Fireworks at County Airport
Flagler County Government and the Cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell invite all Flagler County residents and visitors to the United Flagler 4th Community Celebration on Thursday, July 4, starting with the Independence Day Parade in Flagler Beah and culminating with a 15-16 minute firework show featuring 3,300 shells at the county airport. All events are free.
![Flagler Tiger Bay's meet-and-greet featuring almost all the local candidates in the August primary election follows in the tradition of similar events, like the former Chamber of Commerce's hob knob of 2018, above, at the Palm Coast Community Center. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/tiger-bay-3.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Flagler Tiger Bay Prepares for Largest Candidate Meet-and-Greet of Primary, Waving Off Fret Over Straw Poll
As of Monday some 40 local and state candidates had confirmed attendance at Thursday’s Tiger Bay Meet and Greet, what is expected to be the largest election gathering of the sort for Flagler County and Palm Coast politics ahead of the Aug. 20 primary. The three-hour free event starting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Palm Coast Community Center will include a voter-registration drive organized by the Supervisor of Elections’ office, and a straw poll, which one candidate is criticizing as a “sham.” He appears isolated.
![Mayor David Alfin at a town hall style meeting at Panera Bread in April. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/alfin-tiwn-hall.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Palm Coast Mayor Alfin’s Sudden Spate of City-Aided ‘Town Halls,’ 2 Months from Election, Raises Red Flag
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin’s decision to hold weekly “Share with the Mayor” gatherings at the City Hall flagpole is drawing criticism from an opponent in the mayoral race and a request by the council as a whole for a legal opinion on the legality of city aided town hall style meetings in proximity to an election. Alfin defends the practice, saying he is continuing the practice of “Share with the Mayor,” in effect throughout his term, by other means.
![Laura Boehmer and Oscar Anderson of Southern Group, Palm Coast's lobbying firm, in a screen capture from one of the firm's videos. Boehmer and Anderson appeared before the Palm Coast City Council this morning.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/southern-group.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Palm Coast Reels Back Talk of Firing Its Lobbyists as Southern Group’s Emissaries Deliver Veto-Proof Defense
A presentation to the Palm Coast City Council today by its Southern Group lobbyists was a response to an inquisition, albeit an inquisition that, by the time the pair of lobbyists had sat down in person in front of the council, had already been sharply dialed down to a sort of Marriage Encounter session. The council critics’ aim was no longer to criticize or threaten dissolution but to learn, recalibrate and grow, especially as the lobbyists twice reminded them of Palm Coast’s record appropriation hauls of the last two years.
![Daniel Hilbert, left, with his attorney on Monday, before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. (© FlaglerLive via zoom)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/daniel-hilbert-sentence.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Convicted Murderer With Prior Stalking History Sentenced to 15 Months for Stalking Girl, 15, in R-Section
It was a disturbing report of a repeat offense by a convicted violent felon several times over: A 15-year-old Matanzas High School student told authorities Daniel Hilbert, 53, a neighbor, had been accosting her, befriending her, then stalking her at her R-Section bus stop, and once assaulting her physically. She had pictures and video. The former convict was sentenced to 15 months in prison and nearly four years on sex-offender probation.
![Even though it struck Flagler County only as a tropical storm, Hurricane Matthew in 2016 left a trail of damaged homes hanging on cliffs at the edge of severely eroded dunes in the unincorporated north part of the county. Those property owners remember well, and some are now urging the county to move forward with a special taxing district, even if they are singled out. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/damaged-homes.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Some Hammock Residents Tell Flagler County: Tax Us for Beach Protection, and a Commissioner Sees Opportunity
Even as cities’ unhappy reactions have forced Flagler County quickly to retreat from a proposal to create a new tax for almost all residents and businesses in the county, Flagler County Commissioner Donald O’Brien is encouraging his colleagues on the commission to consider a special taxing district that would target just the northern 10 miles of the barrier island in the unincorporated part of the county.
![Cody Robert Spiegelhalter.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/Spiegelhalter.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
15-Month-Old Hospitalized After Seizing from Pot Ingestion; Father Charged With Felony Child Neglect
A 15-month-old Flagler County girl who ingested marijuana her father allegedly left unattended was hospitalized at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville for Sunday after seizing and developing a distended stomach. Her 26-year-old father, Cody Robert Spiegelhalter, was booked at the Flagler County jail on a felony charge of child neglect.
![A rendering of a town home at the Hammock at Palm Harbor, a project whose final plat the City Council approved last week.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/rendering-hammock-palm-harbor.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Palm Coast Council Approves Final Step for 51 Town Homes at The Hammock at Palm Harbor
The Palm Coast City Council last week approved the final plat for 51 town homes in The Hammock at Palm Harbor, a 15-acre subdivision on the south side of Clubhouse Drive, about 200 feet west of Palm Harbor Parkway. The new owners are marketing the town homes for $360,000 for a 1,181-square-foot three-bedroom and $427,000 for a 1,853 square-foot three or four-bedroom.
!["What District am I running for?" Jose Fabiani asked as he was filling paperwork to run as a write-in in a County Commission race on June 13, with his handler, Dennis McDonald, standing by to the right, and Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart looking on. Fabiani had to redo the paperwork. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/fabiani1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Write-In Fraud
Two people who have zero intention to run campaigns have filed to run as write-ins, closing two Flagler County Commission races to 51 percent of the electorate in cynical maneuvers to benefit Ed Danko and Kim Carney in their respective races, against Pam Richardson in one and Nick Klufas and Bill Clark in the other. The write-in fraud takes advantage of a loophole in the law that enables anyone, without paying a dime or showing any intention to campaign, to be a write-in, thus closing otherwise open primaries.
![Then-County Engineer Faith al-Khatib during one of her last public appearances for Flagler County, at a meeting on the beach renourishment project in Flagler Beach. She had worked for the county for 18 years. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/al-khatib-lawsuit.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Celebrated Ex-County Engineer Faith al-Khatib Sues Over Termination, Citing Racism and Illegalities
Faith al-Khatib, for 18 years the Flagler County engineer and public works director repeatedly praised for securing millions in state and federal dollars for county projects, is suing the county for wrongful termination and retaliation, citing favoritism, illegal acts she refused to perform for the administration, and racism. Al-Khatib is of Palestinian extraction. It is the second lawsuit filed against the county by a former employee alleging discrimination in the past year.
The Conversation
![cricket and baseball](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/cricket.jpg?resize=474%2C324&ssl=1)
Should We Care About Cricket?
In what has been dubbed “one of the biggest shocks in cricket history”, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup co-hosts USA beat Pakistan in a pulsating game on June 6. With seven runs needed off the last ball of a “super over” tiebreaker, Pakistan could only manage a single. Cricket is also hardly a mainstream sport in the US. Indeed, the New York Times suggested that many Americans were “oblivious to the magnitude” of the victory.
Florida and Beyond
![Since the mid-20th century, a handful of white journalists have tried to understand the complexity of the Black experience through donning a costume.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/blackface-journalism.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Strange History of Journalistic Blackface
A peculiar desire seems to still haunt some white people: “I wish I knew what it was like to be Black.” This is a presumptive, racially imaginative desire, one that covets not just the rhythm of Black life, but also its blues. Canadian-American journalist Sam Forster is one of those white people.
![The bipartisan measure (HB 133) sponsored by Miami-Dade Democrat Kevin Chambliss and Seminole County Republican Rachel Plakon, would have reduced the time from five years to three years that the Barbers’ Board and Board of Cosmetology could use a criminal conviction as grounds to deny licenses.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/barber-shops.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
DeSantis Vetoes Occupational License Reform Bill Aimed at Broadening Opportunities and Reducing Recidivism
The bipartisan measure (HB 133) sponsored by Miami-Dade Democrat Kevin Chambliss and Seminole County Republican Rachel Plakon, would have reduced the time from five years to three years that the Barbers’ Board and Board of Cosmetology could use a criminal conviction as grounds to deny licenses.
![Trump Biden Debate Prep by Rick McKee, CagleCartoons.com](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/debate-prep-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 27, 2024
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Candidate Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center, with a straw poll, the first Kennedy-Nixon debate, Calvin Coolidge on the kind of America he saw.
Briefs and Releases
DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Release of Balloons Into the Air
Dr. Andrew Weinfeld Appointed Chief Clinical Officer for AdventHealth East Florida Division
Supreme Court Reprimands 7th Judicial Circuit Judge Casey Woolsey Over Misleading Posts
After 14 Years, Sam Perkovich Sells Parkside Realty to Lauren McPherson
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Implements Rapid DNA at Jail with $250,000 State Grant
More Florida and Beyond
![protesters gather near Columbia University on April 30, 2024.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/columbia-protests.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
At Columbia, You May Not Criticize Israel Without Getting Punished
After Editors of Columbia Law Review, a prominent journal run by students from the prestigious university’s law school, published an article critical of Israel, the board, which includes Columbia Law School faculty members and alumni, had the law review’s website taken down. The board soon relented and allowed the website back online on June 6, including the article in question. But it issued a statement accusing the student editors of failing to properly review the article prior to publication.
![Overt, explicitly Christian prayers are routine at the Bunnell City Commission. (© FlaglerLive)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/christian-prayers.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Ocala Prayer Vigil Organized by Police and City Officials to End Violent Crime Ruled Unconstitutional
Nearly a decade after the event was held amid a crime spree, a federal judge Wednesday ruled that the city of Ocala violated the U.S. Constitution in organizing and carrying out a prayer vigil. U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan issued a 50-page decision that sided with atheists, who argued the prayer vigil in a town square violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
![Clay Jones Commandments](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/commandments-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
The Flagler County Public Library Book Club discusses W. Bruce Cameron’s “A Dog’s Purpose,” Separation Chat, Open Discussion, Local Mitigation Strategy Meeting, what St. Paul got wrong about childhood.
![](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/macron-elysee.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
France’s Snap-Election Dare to Right-Wingers: What’s At Stake
French president Emmanuel Macron told French citizens he had “decided to give [them] back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote”. These words, pronounced in reaction to the historic surge of the far-right National Rally at the European elections, triggered the dissolution of France’s parliament and snap elections on 30 June and 7 July.
![florida sales tax holiday recreational](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/fishing-rods.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Sales Tax Is Lifted On Slew of Recreational Items For All of July
Sales taxes won’t be collected in July on many supplies for boating, fishing and camping and tickets purchased for live music events, sporting events, fairs, festivals, theater performances and movies. Last year, the state offered the tax holiday for three months, but it will be limited to July this year.
![Debate Prep by Pat Byrnes, PoliticalCartoons.com](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/debate-prep.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council meets in a budget workshop, the NAACP Flagler Branch’s General Membership meeting is tonight, on inflation in tipping, and a few thoughts on nationalism from Benedict Anderson.
![If your data was used to train an AI, it might – or might not – be safe from prying eyes.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/privacy-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
How Machine Learning Can Violate Your Privacy
Machine learning has pushed the boundaries in several fields, including personalized medicine, self-driving cars and customized advertisements. Research has shown, however, that these systems memorize aspects of the data they were trained with in order to learn patterns, which raises concerns for privacy.
![supreme court trans care](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/fluid.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Supreme Court Will Decide Legality of Transgender Care Bans in Decision That Will Affect Florida Law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a Tennessee law restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender children is unconstitutional, in a closely watched case that is almost certain to affect similar laws in Florida and more than a dozen other states. Justices will hear the case in the fall, with a decision likely coming in June or July 2025.
![clay jones](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/bumpstocks.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 24, 2024
The Bunnell City Commission meets, the Flagler County Beekeepers Association holds its monthly meeting, on Margaret Sanger, the eugenics movement, and some of liberal America’s darker moments.
![Pygmy blue whale subspecies.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/blue-whales.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Blue Whales Beyond the Mysteries
Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only around 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world.
![The killing of bears is about to increase in Florida. (FWC)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/bear-killing.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
DeSantis Protects Left-Lane Laggards and Residents Who Shoot Bears in ‘Stand Your Ground’ Encounters
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a controversial measure that will bolster self-defense arguments for people who kill bears on their property, while vetoing a bill that would have prevented motorists from cruising in the left lanes of highways.
The Live Calendar
The Live Calendar is Flagler County’s most complete list of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Commentary
![A sliver of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/icc-hague.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1)
America’s Duplicitous Hostility Toward the International Criminal Court
President Joe Biden condemned the ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants for Israel’s and Hamas leaders as “outrageous” and accused the ICC of drawing false moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel. just a year ago, when the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another Russian official for alleged international crimes in the Ukraine war, US officials were full of praise for the court. Biden welcomed the action, calling it “justified.”
![René Descartes (Frans Hals, Wikipedia Commons)](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/descartes-2.jpg?fit=250%2C200&ssl=1)
Descartes, the Deep State, Trump and QAnon
Radical doubt or scepticism was famously articulated by the 17th-century French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes in his Meditations on First Philosophy. Realising that many of his previous beliefs were mistaken, Descartes suggested that an all-powerful “evil genius” could be systematically deceiving him about his most basic beliefs – much like how the supposed deep state is apparently deceiving those who believe in QAnon.
![Willie Mays playing stickball in Harlem in 1954.](https://i0.wp.com/flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/willie-mays.jpg?fit=255%2C200&ssl=1)
A Final Goodbye to Willie Mays
Mays, who died on June 18, 2024, at the age of 93, was not only the greatest baseball player of the last 80 years, and quite possibly ever, but he was an enormously important figure in American sports, culture and history. His journey from the segregated Deep South of his childhood to being honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom spans much of America’s racial history in the 20th and early 21st century.