Florida Forever in the past received as much as $300 million a year but for nearly a decade has fallen out of favor among lawmakers and been almost ignored by Gov. Scott.
All Else
Doubling Down on Scott, GOP Senator
An AK-47 Assault Rifle in a Child’s Closet Among Weapons Seized in R-Section Drug Raid: 2 Arrests
Shawn Crawford, 35, and Tariq D. Khawaja, 27, were arrested this morning at 6B Ryall Lane in Palm Coast after a search allegedly uncovered illegal weapons, marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.
Up to 14 Inches of Rain Fall on Already Drenched Flagler, But Damage Is Limited
Weekend rains dumped from 4 to 14 inches on already-saturated Flagler County, flooding streets, overcoming swales and ditches and soaking some areas more than others.
At Flagler’s Pink Army Flag-Raising, Eloquence of Grief and Hope No Matter the Gender
Florida Hospital Flagler’s Pink Army launch of Breast-Cancer Awareness Month with the County Commission was a mostly male production, but no less moving in message and aims.
Monday Briefing: Pink Army Flag-Raising, Decriminalizing Pot, For Puerto Rico, PSC Report
The Pink Army launches the year’s breast-cancer awareness and fund-raising campaign, a report on how utility rates are set, a $15,000 economic incentive package.
`Where the Hell Is the Cavalry?’ As Puerto Rico Suffers, Florida Prepares for Influx
From schools to shelters, Florida is readying for an influx of people struggling for food, water and power in hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico.
Palm Coast Will Spend $200,000 To Add “Palm Coast” Sign On I-95 Overpass, Double Original Estimate
The cost is two to four times more than a previous council was told in 2016, and the money comes out of a fund that pays for street improvements.
Exhaling Excuses, Florida Health Department Will Miss Deadline to Issue Medical Pot Licenses
An official is blaming the delay on Hurricane Irma and a pending challenge to a recently passed law that ordered the Department of Health to expand the number of medical marijuana licenses.
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Hristakopoulos Honored With Greatest Save Award For Closing Child-Sex Case
The Greatest Save is a national award that recognizes police work that protects children from exploitation and trafficking. George Hristakopoulo’s investigation led to the arrest of a 51-year-old man accused of raping a 16 year old.
Sheriff and Bunnell Police Team Up With ATF In Illegal-Guns Sting: Half a Dozen Arrested
Drive-by shootings spurred the Flagler Sheriff’s Office to instigate a four-month federal-state-local operation connecting drugs to illegal guns.
Weekend Briefing: Evita, Family Fun Festival, Ballerina’s Tale, Farm-To-Table Dinner, Disaster Recovery
Evita’s final weekend at the Flagler Playhouse, St. Thomas Episcopal’s annual Family Faith Fun Festival, the story of the first black principal ballerina at the American Ballet, Schiff’s French Suites.
State Agency Seeks $50 Million to Replenish Florida Forever, the Land-Preservation Fund
Florida Forever funding is expected to help the state “acquire rare and sensitive lands that will benefit our communities and environment.” But Florida Forever has been an afterthought in the Scott Administration.
How Palm Coast Manager Landon Used a Director’s Departure To Save His Own Job
When Jim Landon claimed to the city council that uncertainty about his future would cause directors to leave, he already knew that one of them was leaving–but for a $17,000 raise.
Unidos Por Puerto Rico:
Palm Coast’s Hispanic American Club Organizes 2-Day Drive For Devastated Island
The Hispanic American Club of Palm Coast is organizing the two-day drive to fill a container that would be shipped to Puerto Rico from Jacksonville for an increasingly desperate population on the American island.
Thursday Briefing: Recovery Center Opens in Flagler Beach, Sisco Deen in Bunnell, Soderberg in Daytona
A recovery-help center opens for Flagler Beach for three days, Sisco Deen signs his new book, Nancy Soderberg speaks in Daytona, school open houses and curriculum night.
Only a Handful Turn Up at Palm Coast’s 1st Charter-Review Workshop; Public Input Limited
Just 13 or 14 people turned up for the first of four city charter-review workshops, and that public’s chance to weigh in was severely constrained by rules that leave the process largely in the council’s control.
“A Major Disaster Has Taken Place Here”: Flagler Beach Pleads Amid Crisis Affecting Up to 400 Homes
Mold is the growing, silent enemy in hundreds of flooded homes in Flagler Beach, making them potentially unlivable and creating new crises for residents with nowhere to go.
Wednesday Briefing: Charter Workshop, Cmdr. Ferris Retires, Dads Take Your Child To School Day, FEC Rail
Commander Sam Ferris retired after 21 years at the Sheriff’s Office, Palm Coast holds first of four charter review workshops, a Florida East Coast Railway executive speaks to the economic development board.
Corporations Rejecting Racism Is a Low Bar When Many Still Profit Off It
White supremacy can also wear a business suit on Wall Street. Of the top five Wall Street firms, the highest level decision makers are 86 percent white. That’s no coincidence.
West Flagler Event Turns Into Big Post-Hurricane Relief Effort For Hundreds of Households
Food and pantry items were provided to 167 households, 200 backpacks were filled with toiletries, the Red Cross served 300 meals last Saturday.
To Fight Opioids, Gov. Scott Will Include $50 Million In Next Year’s Budget For Drug Treatment
The proposal won;t be considered before January. The $50 million would include money for such programs as substance-abuse treatment, counseling and recovery services.
It Is Done: Sklar And Flagler Beach Sign Settlement Over Marina, Ending Decade Battle
A legal battle that immobilized the Flagler Beach marina since 2010 ended when owner Howard Sklar signed a settlement agreement Monday, and the mayor signed it today.
21-Year-Old Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison For Home-Invasion Killing In Palm Coast’s F-Section
Carl Devore was sentenced for the death of his accomplice, who was shot in self-defense by a resident at the house Devore and his accomplice were invading in July 2016.
Tuesday Briefing: Palm Coast Fibernet, Lobbying and Mosquito Control, Devore Sentence, Freedom From Prayer
Carl Devore, 20, is sentenced for the murder of Victor James Betty in a 2016 home invasion in Palm Coast’s F Section, the Palm Coast council takes on a series of issues, a talk on freedom of thought.
Engineer Likens Flagler Beach Pier to “Congestive Heart Failure” As Reopening Is Again Uncertain
Though it looks structurally sound, the Flagler Beach pier suffered multiple forms of damages not visible to the naked during Hurricane Irma and must again undergo repairs before re-opening.
Historically Low School Tax Will Diminish Effects of Tax Increases in Palm Coast and County
Even though county government, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell are all increasing taxes, homeowners’ bills will not see a steep increase thanks to a lower school tax.
Monday Briefing: Banned Book Week, Bunnell Budget, Stamp and Coin, a 14-Year-Old Violinist Phenom, Immigrant’s Necessity
Sophie’s Choice is shown twice at the public library to mark Banned Book Week, the Bunnell commission holds its budget workshop, setting next year’s tax rate, a 14-year-old stuns you with her violin skills.
How Florida’s Failing Charter Schools Exploit Voucher Program To Stay Alive on Public Dime
Charter schools that fail two years in a row should close by law. Instead, they reopen as private schools and use publicly funded vouchers to keep operating, with the state’s blessing.
The Bombing Begins Friday: 2 Planes Will Spray Entirety of Flagler To Kill Billions Of Post-Irma Mosquitoes
A pair of King Air planes will be sweeping and spraying over the entire county over the next two nights to kill an already rising swarm of mosquitoes bred from standing water left by Hurricane Irma.
Students Can Rejoice: Only 1 Hurricane Make-Up Day, No Disruption of Thanksgiving Week Off
The district will make up one day on Oct. 16, with three days already accounted for in the existing schedule and two days waived by the state.
Trying To Make Up For Mistakes, Florida Health Officials Seek To Speed Up Medical Pot Licensing
The Florida Health Department had until Oct. 3 to issue 10 medical pot licenses to producers, a deadline it will almost certainly miss even as it scrambles to ease the application process.
Weekend Briefing: Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Weimar Berlin at CRT, Evita at Playhouse, Paul Renner, Free Museum, J.S. Bach
Great plays at City Repertory Theatre and the Flagler Playhouse, free museum entry at Agriculture Museum Saturday, Paul Renner visits, Alzheimer’s Walk in Flagler Beach, Andras Schiff plays Bach.
Duel Over Sklar’s Marina Continues Even as Divided Flagler Beach Commission Approves Latest Agreement
The Flagler Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to approve a settlement in the nearly 8-year-old dispute, but not before making still more changes to an agreement that now Howard Sklar may either approve or reject.
From “I Am A Camera” To Macbeth, City Repertory Launches Seventh Season Of Razor-Edged Theater
City Repertory Theatre continues to go where no other Palm Coast or Flagler theater dares to go, opening tonight its seventh season with “I Am Camera,” a work set in Weimar Berlin, and at the origin of “Cabaret.”
That Last-Ditch Effort By Republicans To Replace ACA: What You Need To Know
While the chances for this last-ditch measure appear iffy, many GOP senators are rallying around a proposal that would repeal most of the ACA.
Irma Insurance Claims Nearing $2 Billion, Exceed Matthew and Hermine Combined
Calculated through Sunday afternoon, Irma’s losses easily exceeded the 119,000 claims and $1.2 billion in losses for Matthew and the 19,700 claims and $139 million in losses from Hermine.
Thursday Briefing: Evita at the Playhouse, Fernando Sor, Office Hours With Nelson Aide, Flagler Budget
Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Evita” is at the Flagler Playhouse, the County Commission holds its final budget hearing to set next year’s tax rates, Fernando Sor’s guitar.
Erin Vickers, 23, Found Guilty of Raping Her 1-Year-Old Daughter; She Faces Life In Prison
Erin Vickers was found guilty on two of 49 charges she faces in connection with rapes and the production of movies and pictures involving her daughter in sexual acts perpetrated by her mother. The case is not over.
Flagler County Appeals Dangerous Dog Ruling, Challenging Judge DuPont’s Interpretation of Law
Circuit Judge Scott DuPont in August quashed the Flagler County Commission’s order declaring a dog dangerous, saying the commission acted improperly. Flagler is appealing.
Wednesday Briefing: New Student School Board Members, Palm Coast Budget, Senior Games
The Palm Coast City Council holds its second and final budget hearing, setting next year’s tax rates, meet the two new student school board members, undercover in the alt-right.
2nd Attempt To Fire Landon Fails as Palm Coast Council Submits to Manager’s Retirement Timeline
The second attempt in two weeks to fire Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon in 60 days failed today, with the council rebuffing Steven Nobile’s push to replace the manager in six months rather than two years.
Clarence Murphy, 41, Charged With 1st Degree Murder in Shooting Death of Cousin On Parkview This Morning
Murphy, a probationer, was “enraged” that the EBT card Ahmad Rashad Laster traded him for drugs was not the amount agreed upon, so he allegedly shot Laster–and confessed doing to to detectives.
Tuesday Briefing: Water Spout in South Flagler, New Lights at FPC Stadium, 615 Homes Off Colbert
The school board plans to replace lights at FPC stadium, better AC at Indian Trails and Bunnell Elementary, Palm Coast Council talks Jim Landon contract. Remember to donate food at Flagler schools for county’s needy.
Irma’s Death Toll in Florida at 34 and Rising
Irma is credited with five deaths by drowning and four deaths involving carbon monoxide, including the carbon-monoxide deaths of a mother and two teenage children in Orange County.
Jury Selected With Unusual Swiftness In Trial of Erin Vickers on Charge of Raping Her Own Child
Erin Vickers, 23, of Palm Coast, is on trial on the first of 49 counts involving accusations of rape, videotaping and transmitting sexual acts involving children.
Nursing Home Where Eight Died Wasn’t On FPL’s Priority List For Power Restoration
FPL placed nursing homes in a second tier of infrastructure — behind “critical” but ahead of residential homes. Local officials gave the Hollywood Hills home that designation using FPL guidance.
How Health Insurers Fuel Opioid Crisis By Denying Claims For Less Addictive But More Expensive Drugs
Insurers limiting access to drugs with a lower risk of addiction or dependence. Why? Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.
Monday Briefing: Welcome Back To Normal, Bunnell’s Fire Future, Alcohol Hours, Erin Vickers Trial
It’s a return to normal after a week of hell, the Bunnell City Commission votes on whether to hand over fire services to the county and extend alcohol sale hours, Erin Vickers goes on trial.
You Cannot Be Serious: Hurricane Maria Sniffs Around Irma’s Wake
Hurricane Maria is expected to become a major hurricane, with a global forecast seeing it veer away from Florida, but the more accurate European forecast seeing it come closer to the coast.
Uninsured Rate Falls To Record Low Of 8.8%, But Florida’s Rate Still 5th Highest in U.S.
Florida’s rate of uninsured would have been lower had Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature not prevented the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid.