Former state House Speaker Paul Renner on Wednesday launched a 2026 campaign for governor, becoming the first high-profile candidate to take on Congressman Byron Donalds — who has the backing of President Donald Trump — in the Republican primary. Renner, whose district represented Palm Coast and Flagler County, left the House in November after two years as speaker. He issued a statement that drew links with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot run again because of term limits.
Flagler
Ex-Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller Endorses Charles Gambaro in Race Against U.S. Rep. Randy Fine
Former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller has endorsed Palm Coast’s Charles Gambaro in the city councilman’s bid to unseat Randy Fine in next August’s GOP primary for the congressional seat Fine won in a special election. President Trump named Miller acting secretary of defense for the last three months of Trump’s first term after Trump fired his predecessor, Mark Esper.
Registration Open for Flagler County’s 2026 Citizens’ Academy, But Class Size Is Limited to 24
Registration is open for the 2026 Flagler County Citizens’ Academy that will be held on Wednesday mornings beginning February 18, and officials invite residents to treat themselves to this enriching educational endeavor. The course is designed to introduce participants to the day-to-day operations of Flagler County government, inclusive of its elected Constitutional Officers.
5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb at Hammock Beach
The community and media are invited to the 5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb on Thursday, September 11, at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa. This year’s event is a two-part tribute—a ceremony at 8:15 a.m., followed by the climb at 8:46 a.m.—ensuring everyone can participate in remembrance, whether or not they choose to climb.
Randy Fine Wants to Federalize Princess Place, Pellicer Creek and 4.2% of Florida for ‘Massive Increase’ in Tourism
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, whose district includes Flagler County, wants to federalize Pellicer Creek, Princess Place, Crescent Lake, Lake Disston and Haw Creek Preserve, all of which are in Flagler County in whole or in part. In all, he wants to federalize 1.8 million acres or 2,800 square miles of Florida land–4.2 percent of the state’s land mass–between Jacksonville, Gainesville Orlando and Daytona Beach into what he would call Florida Springs National Park.
Would You Favor a Half-Cent Sales Tax Referendum for Beach Protection? Local Governments Consider It.
Representatives of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell and the county agreed at a joint meeting of local governments to consider the possibility of adding a referendum to the November 2026 ballot to raise the sales tax by half a cent and use some of the revenue to pay for beach protection.
Flagler Beach and County Hope to End Uncertainty Over Lifeguard Program Now that Tourism Tax Revenue Can Pay Salaries
State law changed in July to allow counties to use tourism sales surtax revenue to pay for lifeguards. That’s good news for Flagler Beach: last month Flagler County said it was ending the annual contribution that paid for half the city’s lifeguard personnel costs. The county backed down after an outcry from Flagler Beach and from some of its own county commissioners, but only to extend the payment–$106,000 this year–one more year. That left future funding in doubt. That doubt may be removed if tourism tax revenue is used.
FEMA Releases $8.8 Million Long Owed Flagler County’s Beaches After a Campaigning Congressman’s Nudge
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) released $8.8 million due Flagler County for the reconstruction of several miles of dunes from Mala Compra Road to Marineland, after additional pressure from U.S. Rep Randy Fine, who cast a campaign appearance in Flagler County Wednesday as a press conference to announce the delivery of the money.
Palm Coast City Council’s Theresa Pontieri Will Run for Greg Hansen’s County Commission Seat
First-term Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri will be running for the County Commission seat Greg Hansen is vacating in 15 months. Pontieri had planned to announce the run this weeek, but U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who’s not known for his political or rhetorical propriety, upstaged her announcement in her presence, on her own turf, at a press conference today.
Bunnell Approves 6,100-Home Haw Creek Reserve Development 2 Months After Rejecting It as Young Switches Sides
The Bunnell City Commission on a 3-2 vote Monday cleared the way for the 6,100-home Haw Creek Reserve development west and south of the city. The largest single development in Flagler County since ITT platted Palm Coast in the 1960s will surge the Bunnell’s population sixfold by build-out in 20 years. It was a startling reversal from the commission’s 4-1 vote in June to kill the development. The reversal had taken on the shade of a done deal the moment Mayor Catherine Robinson revived the proposal two weeks later, after the developer lobbied commissioners and reduced build-out from 8,000 to 6,100 houses.
Fendrick Gabaud, 40, Would-Be Firefighter for Flagler County Fire Rescue Dies During Physical Test at Bunnell Training Tower
Fendrick Gabaud of Ormond Beach, 40, who was being assessed for recruitment as a Flagler County Fire Rescue firefighter, died this morning at the John R. Keppler Jr. Fire Training Center on Justice Lane in Bunnell. Gabaud was part of a group of seven recruits who were going through a standard physical agility test at 10 this morning. The Bunnell Police Department is investigating.
Rookie Marineland Mayor Dew Tries Firing Veteran Town Manager and Town Attorney. His Own Appointee Stops Him.
In another gust of dysfunction underscoring Marineland’s increasingly nonsensical status as a town, rookie Mayor Douglas “Dewey” Dew on Wednesday and Thursday attempted but failed to fire Town Manager Suzanne Dixon and Town Attorney Dennis Bayer, starting with an Aug. 20 email “request” that they resign immediately. He sent the email unilaterally, without the authority of the commission and outside of a public meeting. Jessica Finch, whom Dew unilaterally appointed to the commission in May, refused to go along with the firing and was critical of Dew’s methods.
Flagler County Issues Statement Explaining Letter About New Tax to Be Levied on Barrier Island Property Owners
On Aug. 15, the Flagler County government administration issued a letter to property owners in the unincorporated portion of the barrier island alerting them to a possible special tax the county would be enacting in the future to raise money for beach protection. There would be no levy in 2025-26, but there will likely be one the following year, pending a study. The letter raised concerns among property owners. The county administration today issued a clarifying statement and Q & A.
Flagler County Eyes Land Buy As Jacoby’s JDI Seeks to Offload 35 Acres Previously Slated for Development in Marineland
With Atlanta-based developer Jim Jacoby of JDI Marineland looking to offload properties in Marineland, Flagler County government and three state agencies are working to acquire 35 acres of JDI land in a joint purchase coordinated by the North Florida Land Trust. Flagler County would partner with three state agencies to buy the land, which is zoned for mixed use–housing or commercial. There’s long been rumors and speculation that JDI would build up the place, transforming the character of Marineland.
FPL ‘Settlement’ With Opponents Reduces Proposed Rate Hike from $2.5 Billion to $1.71 Billion Over 2 Years
But other parties in the case have not agreed to the proposed settlement, including the state Office of Public Counsel, which is designated by law to represent utility customers. The Public Service Commission is expected to hold a hearing this fall to determine if the proposal should be approved.
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally Leads ‘Know Your Rights’ Workshop for Local Renters on Aug. 26
Former Assistant Public Defender Regina Nunnally, an inspirational speaker, author, preacher and lawyer with Community Legal Services, will lead a free “Know Your Rights” workshop for renters on Aug. 26 at Flagler Cares’ Flagler County Village at Palm Coast’s City Marketplace. The workshop will offer essential information for renters on their legal protections and responsibilities.
Feral Hogs, A Recurring Flagler Scourge, ‘Desecrate’ Cemetery
Feral hogs have been causing what one visitor called “desecration” of Craig-Flagler Palms’s cemetery grounds. It’s been a recurring problem in Palm Coast and Flagler County, and an increasing one, as development continues to diminish habitats. The cemetery has taken concerted action to bait the hogs off the grounds, but neither Palm Coast (the cemetery is outside the city’s jurisdiction) nor Flagler County will intervene.
Ex-US Attorney Roger Handberg Returns and Oprah’s Stedman Headlines Flagler Tiger Bay’s New Speaker Series
A former U.S. attorney, a human space flight expert, a promoter of business with Israel, and Oprah Winfrey’s besty for the holiday event: that’s the lineup of speakers Flagler Tiger Bay announced Tuesday evening at its annual wine tasting and grand “reveal” evening at the Palm Coast Community Center. The lineup is part of the club’s seventh year.
Commissioner Kim Carney Recasts Decisions in Response to Library Board Chair’s Criticism of Cutbacks
Recasting her decisions in a different light, Flagler County Commissioner Kim Carney Monday took issue with criticism by the chair of the county’s Library Board of Trustees of County Commission decisions about the library system, and about the absence of commission members from Library Board of Trustees meetings all year.
Greg Hansen Will Not Run Again in 2026, Ending Decade of Pragmatism on Flagler County Commission
Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen had somewhat of a surprise for his colleagues and the public at the end of the commission meeting Monday evening: he announced that he will not run again. His term ends in 15 months, and he intends to fulfill it “with a bang.” Then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him the seat in January 2017 following the death of Commissioner Frank Meeker the previous July. As the local political atmosphere got more polarized, Hansen over the years became more pragmatic and moderate.
Flagler County’s and Palm Coast’s Unemployment Rates Hit 4-Year Highs, Housing Inventory at 15-Year High
Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July rose to 5 percent, from 4.8 percent the previous month, the highest jobless rate since July 2021, when it was still trending down from the Covid pandemic slowdown. Palm Coast’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent also matches a four-year high. The housing inventory in the county–the number of houses available for sale–hit a 15-year high, according to the latest available figures.
The Truth About Flagler’s Public Libraries: Doing Far More Than You Realize, with Far Less Than Necessary
The Flagler County Public Library system remains one of the most–if not the most–efficient divisions of county government. Even with the staffing necessary at the new Bunnell library come December, the system’s personnel will have grown by just 20 percent in 20 years, while county government grew 37 percent, Palm Coast government grew 49 percent, and the county population grew by 84 percent. For all that, the library system continues to be the target of criticism without context or evidence, when it should be championed.
A Taylor Swift Tribute Upstages Debby Boone, Gary Puckett and Many Others at Fitz’s 2025-26 Season
For all the great acts and big names filling this season’s lineup at Palm Coast’s Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center (previously, Flagler Auditorium), it’s “Blank Space – The Taylor Swift Tribute” that gets star billing on the Fitzgerald’s home page as the organization seeks to attract a younger crowd. This season’s lineup includes tributes to a number of classic rock bands and music artists from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Raises County’s Hope to Federalize More Beaches and Secure $10 Million for Dune-Rebuild
If U.S. Rep. Randy Fine kept at arm’s length Palm Coast officials’ hopes for federal financial help with the city’s utility infrastructure on Wednesday, he left county officials much more hopeful that he will help them with beach-management and beach-funding possibilities. The county had two major asks. Fine said he’d help with both: clearing $10 million in FEMA money due from Hurricane Milton, and moving forward on a $4 million study, the first step in federalizing the rest of the county’s beaches.
A Disaster Expo at the Palm Coast Community Center Highlights Community’s Prepared Resilience
Flagler Cares, the social services non-profit and coordinating agency, secured a $143,000 Long-Term Recovery Grant from the American Red Cross for Flagler Volunteer Services as part of the recovery efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, enabling a “disaster preparedness breakfast and expo” at the Palm Coast Community Center Tuesday that drew a full house.
Hurricane-Bound Erin, 1st Major Storm of Season, Not Expected to Affect Florida
Tropical Storm Erin, still churning closer to the African coast than the American or Caribbean, is expected to become a major hurricane by the weekend as it moves west. It is not expected to pose a danger to the Florida Peninsula, Flagler County included, Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said today. But he added a word of caution: Erin is too far to rule out a more onerous turn.
With Cuts at Palm Coast Branch, County Pledges to Revisit Library Budget 3 Months After Bunnell Branch Opens
With Palm Coast officials worried that a planned 23 percent cut in library hours and a significant cut in staffing at the Palm Coast branch will hurt patrons and programming once the Bunnell branch opens in December, Flagler County officials are pledging that staffing will be adjusted next spring should usage figures show a need.
Flagler Beach Officer Who Wrongfully Arrested Man Outside Funky Pelican Will Serve 3 Days’ Suspension
An independent investigation of Flagler Beach Police Sgt. Austin Yelvington found him to have violated the city’s arrest procedures last March when he arrested a man who stood outside the Funky Pelican restaurant at the pier, holding a sign supporting homeless veterans. Yelvington is to serve a three-day suspension without pay. The other Flagler Beach police officer involved in the arrest, Emmett Luttrell, was found to have followed procedures and was not penalized.
County and Palm Coast ‘Task Force’ Will Explore Cost of Animal Shelter Separate from Flagler Humane Society
Even as they compulsively speak of “DOGE”-dictated government efficiency and stress over limited budgets, Flagler County and Palm Coast’s governments are setting up a joint task force to study the possibility of building or operating a multi-million animal shelter separate from the Flagler Humane Society, which since 1982 been the only full-service animal shelter in the county.
Flagler County Government Favors Merging Animal Control with Palm Coast, Ending Humane Society Contract
Flagler County government is working toward consolidating animal control services with those of Palm Coast. That would sever the county’s $300,000 contract with the Flagler Humane Society, which currently provides those services to the county. The Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council in a joint meeting on Wednesday did not make a decision to that end, but agreed by consensus to draft a joint agreement (or ILA, an interlocal agreement) that would define the scope and cost of the services Palm Coast would provide.
Advocates Blast FPL’s Request for Nearly $10 Billion Rate Hike as ‘Greed’
Consumer activists said Tuesday that the proposed $9.8 billion rate hike that Florida Power & Light (FPL) is asking for is excessive and should be rejected by state regulators. In February, FPL, the state’s largest public utility servicing approximately 12 million people, submitted a four-year request for the Public Service Commission (PSC) to set new rates once its current base rate agreement expires at the end of this year. FPL is, with rare exception, the only power provider in Flagler County and its cities.
Flagler Commission Ratifies $195,000-a-Year, Open-Ended Contract with County Attorney Michael Rodriguez
The Flagler County Commission unanimously approved an open-ended contract with Michael Rodriguez, the county attorney replacing Al Hadeed starting Aug. 11. One commissioner had a few quibbles but there were no changes to document Rodriguez negotiated with the administration. The commission voted to hire Rodriguez on July 17.
County’s Greg Hansen Accuses Kim Carney of ‘Sabotaging’ Beach Protection Plan; She Accuses Staff of Stumbling
What started as a position statement on beach policy quickly degenerated into accusations–Commissioner Kim Carney accusing the administration of inaction, Commissioner Greg Hansen accusing Carney of “sabotage,” Commissioner Pam Richardson accusing Hansen of making things up (he wasn’t). The discussion uncovered the rifts that led to the collapse of the commission’s long-term beach-management plan, and the county with few options ahead and underscored the inescapable: Flagler County and its cities have no plan to save their beaches beyond a cluster of temporary and thinly funded stopgaps.
County Attorney Al Hadeed, Now a Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy, Is Regaled Into Retirement
The sheriff’s naming of County Attorney Al Hadeed an honorary sheriff’s deputy was among the surprises at Hadeed’s retirement party Thursday evening at the Government Services Building. There were numerous local tributes, a proclamation, the dedication of a bench in Hadeed’s name at Princess Place Preserve, recognitions wrapped in gifts and held-back tears and choked-up memories and overhead screens projecting a lifetime of pictures.
U.S. Job Creation Stalls to Lowest 3-Month Total Since Covid, Bankruptcies Spike 27% in Florida’s Middle District
The national economy added 73,000 jobs in July and 106,000 in the last three months combined, the poorest quarter in job creation since the massive job losses of April 2020 as Covid shut down much of the economy. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2. It has hovered between 4 and 4.2 percent for the past 14 months. In a related trend, personal and business bankruptcy filings rose nationally 11.5 percent in the last 12 months, and 27 percent in the Middle District of Florida that includes Flagler County, from 18,471 last year to 23,442 in the last 12 months. A bankruptcy attorney says the trend is here to stay.
Two Turtle Nests Halt Flagler Beach Pier Construction Until September as Workarounds Prove Impractical
The Flagler Beach pier demolition and reconstruction project is coming to a halt next Wednesday. Two new turtle nests burrowed in the path of the large trestle under construction are stopping work on the $16 million project. It will resume in about two months, after the turtles have hatched. The due date for the newest turtle nest is not before Sept. 10.
Flagler Turtle Patrol and County Fire Rescue Save 5 Hatchlings on A1A
Five leatherback sea turtle hatchlings are in the care of Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience following their harrowing journey across State Road A1A near Beverly Beach and became trapped in two storm drains at the Oceanside Condominiums.
A Perplexed Flagler Beach Hears Vague County ‘Options’ to Pay for Beach Protection After Sales Tax Plan Collapse
Kim Carney, the county commissioner who played a significant role in defeating the proposed sales tax increase to finance a comprehensive beach-protection plan, went to the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday with five options from which the city could choose to protect its own beach. Four of the options would require Flagler Beach to impose a new tax or fee on its residents. The fifth would have the city supporting a 2026 referendum to raise the sales tax–the very option the County Commission could have approved, and that Carney opposed.
Flagler County Cancels ‘Boots on the Ground’ Line Dancing Event at 11th Hour as Sheriff Blasts Permitting Flop
Flagler County government ordered the permit for a “Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition” revoked on Friday, cancelling the event 24 hours before it was scheduled to start. The county did so after the organizer of the event “engaged in serial misrepresentation of the event, continually contradicted by his social media promotion,” according to the email by the deputy county administrator.
Stop the Grift: Florida’s School Vouchers Are Scamming Taxpayers and Sabotaging Democracy
Our public schools are America’s great equalizer, the engine room of our democracy, where kids of different incomes, races, abilities, and beliefs learn side by side. That’s not “just education.” That’s democracy in motion, argues Colleen Conklin, the former School Board member. And that’s precisely why the current voucher experiment—built on selective enrollment, hidden finances, and zero public oversight—is the opposite: it fractures the common schoolhouse, privatizes accountability, and poses a real threat to the democratic fabric that public education holds together.
Flagler County’s Industrial Development Authority Holds Inaugural Meeting and Has Its 1st Interested Client
The Flagler County Industrial Development Authority Board met for the first time today to learn its purpose and limitations as an advisory board to the County Commission. The authority’s primary responsibility is to recommend the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to industry or developers as a spur to economic development. To the group’s happy surprise, its first interested parties were in the slim audience of three: RJ Santore and Rick Gil of Ralph Santore & Sons, the pyrotechnics manufacturer in West Flagler.
Any Hope of Stricter Development Regulations in Palm Coast, Bunnell or Flagler County ‘Dead in the Water’ Until 2027
Forget a building moratorium of any kind. A For the next three years, something closer to a moratorium on regulations is in effect in Flagler County, its cities and across Florida, thanks to a provision in a new state law–what emerged from the Legislature as Senate Bill 180–that local governments are only now beginning to understand. The law ties the hands of local land use regulators, prohibiting any “burdensome” restrictions on developers, while giving anyone the right to sue a local government that appears to violate the law.
County Commission Chair Andy Dance Elected to 2 State Executive Committees, Amplifying Flagler’s Voice
Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance was elected to the Executive Committee of the Small County Coalition of Florida (SCCF) to represent Region 3, and elected to the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) to represent District 7.
Flagler Commission Hires Michael Rodriguez Its Next County Attorney as Al Hadeed Era Closes
The Flagler County Commission Thursday evening voted unanimously to hire Michael Rodriguez, a lawyer with 28 years’ experience, much of it in local government, as its next county attorney, replacing Al Hadeed, who retires in two weeks. The unanimous vote masked reluctance among some commissioners to immediately make the choice, which was made more by default than by acclamation.
Motorcyclist, 62, Is Killed in Crash After Striking Median on A1A Near Surf Club
A 62-year-old motorcyclist died at midday Thursday when he ran his motorcycle into a median, crashing on State Road A1A near the intersection with Old A1A, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Bull Creek Fish Camp Rising Again 2 Years After Demolition as County Secures Leaseholder for New Restaurant
Two years after Flagler County’s Bull Creek Fish Camp was torn down following severe damage from Hurricane Nicole, a nearly 5,000-square-foot building is rising in its place and will be leased to a west Flagler family that will run a restaurant there again. The Flagler County Commission tentatively agreed to leasing the property–which has yet to be built up–to Jessica Norton-Henry and the mother-son team of Pamela White and Joshua White.
Flagler County ‘Awards of Excellence’ for Podcast Series and Writing
Flagler County is the recipient of three National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) “Awards of Excellence,” in the category Audiovisual Podcast Series for the county’s new podcast called Flagler in Focus and two writing features. NACIO, which is an active affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo), made the presentations July 14 during its annual conference in Philadelphia that the county attended virtually.
County Money for Flagler Beach’s Lifeguards Survives for One More Year After Outcry
To Flagler Beach’s relief, the Flagler County Commission today agreed to reverse course from a plan to eliminate paying for half the salaries of Flagler Beach’s lifeguards, as the county has been doing for years. The commission agreed to the one-year extension of what will be a $106,000 payment even as it directed County Administrator Heidi Petito to continue talking with the city to prepare it for an end to the county subsidy. The decision today was part of a budget overview as Petito presented the tentative budget for next year.
Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
Following up on an announcement Wednesday by Google that it would be building a transatlantic cable and land it in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Flagler County for the first time this week disclosed what has been reported since last August–that a company would build a large data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center. But the two governments’ releases provided more boasts than information.
Sean Moylan Withdraws from Contending for County Attorney, Citing Divided Commission; 2 Applicants Left
In a letter remarkable for its grace and sense of service, Assistant County Attorney Sean Moylan on Monday night told Flagler County commissioners he was withdrawing from contention to replace Al Hadeed as the county attorney. He said he “did not did not want my candidacy or appointment to foster division on the commission.” That leaves just two candidates in the running: Marsha Segal-George and Michael Rodriguez. The County Commission interviews them July 15. Scott McHenry had also been short-listed. He withdrew.