A DC Blox executive revealed the ongoing construction of a data center in Palm Coast’s Town Center will eventually consist of two buildings totaling 100,000 square feet, not one building of 35,000 square feet, as approved by Palm Coast planners. The disclosure blindsided city officials. The expanded scope should have triggered public hearings before regulatory boards. Future construction phases will face strict city council scrutiny under impending local development code changes.
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Daily Cartoon and Briefing
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 19, 2026
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach Ordered Temporarily Closed Following State Sanitation Inspection
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation temporarily closed the Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach today. An inspection revealed nine total violations. Three high-priority infractions included rodent activity, insects, and improper egg storage. Most issues were corrected on site. The popular pier restaurant generates millions in revenue and recently signed a 32-year lease extension with the city.
Turtle Patrol’s ATV Is Stolen and Building Vandalized in Latest in Series of Criminal Mischief Incidents in Marineland
Thieves burglarized the Marineland Coastal Policy Center, vandalized the facility, and stole the Volusia-Flagler Turtle Patrol’s all-terrain vehicle kept there, alongside a data tablet, forcing Patrol volunteers to conduct morning nesting counts on foot during an especially busy nesting season. The nonprofit organization is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of their equipment. Local law enforcement officials are investigating.
Record-Breaking Walmart Supercenter on SR 100 Clears Palm Coast Planning Board; Nearly 20,000 Car Trips Projected
The Palm Coast Planning Board Wednesday evening unanimously recommended approval for a new Walmart Supercenter and shopping center on State Road 100, what would be the largest single-new commercial development in the city’s history. The project at build-out is expected to add nearly 20,000 daily car trips to State Road 100, which currently handles between 25,000 and 36,000 car trips per day. The site will feature a temporary wastewater facility to avoid stressing the infrastructure of the city, and to avoid getting delayed for lack of city capacity.
More Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local
3 Years in Prison for National Guardsman Nicholas McLean, 22, for Bike Week DUI Crash That Killed Robert Clark on Belle Terre
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols sentenced 22-year-old Nicholas Tyler McLean to three years in prison and 12 years of probation today. McLean pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter for the 2025 Bike Week crash that killed 70-year-old motorcyclist Robert Clark on Belle Terre Boulevard as McClean and three other National Guard members were returning to the armory off Fin Way in Palm Coast. McLean registered a 0.108 blood-alcohol level. The plea conditions include a permanent driver’s license revocation and 50 hours of community service.
Flagler County Commissioners Want Public to Learn How Homestead Tax Amendment Would Gut Quality of Life
If voters in November approve the proposed amendment to raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 next year and $250,000 the following year, Flagler County government would have a $28 million deficit out of its $140 million general fund next year, and a $46 million deficit in 2028, if it were to maintain current services, including fire, policing, judicial and all other government responsibilities. The county is not allowed by law to run deficits. It would have to cut services. County commissioners want the public to know what that would mean.
Two Flagler School Board Members Dismiss Concerns Over UNF Deletion of ‘Sexual Orientation’ Protection in District Agreement
The Flagler County School Board will vote on an altered internship agreement after the University of North Florida removed “sexual orientation” from the nondiscrimination clause. School Board members Christy Chong and Will Furry dismissed the change because district policy lacks that explicit phrasing. Legal counsel noted federal law still applies, extending the protection regardless. The discussion surrounding the wording at last week’s workshop underscored the different ways members of the School Board interpret discrimination and how legally to protect students and others against it.
Palm Coast Council’s Pontieri: Why I Reject Mayor Norris’s Flawed, AI-Generated Austerity Budget Proposal
Responding to a proposed “austerity resolution” Mayor Mike Norris submitted as a “shell” for the city manager and city attorney to develop, Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Pontieri rejects the proposal as flawed and reliant on artificial intelligence. It suggests redundancies, counterproductive schedule shifts, and harmful community cuts. Real governance, the vice mayor argues, requires human diligence and council deliberations.
Sheriff Staly Blasts Proposed Homestead Property Tax Amendment as ‘Politics’ That ‘Screw Around With the Cities and the County’
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly publicly criticized a proposed Florida constitutional amendment increasing homestead exemptions to $250,000. While local officials fear election-year backlash for opposing tax cuts, Staly characterized the legislation as reckless politics that defunds municipalities. Addressing the Palm Coast City Council this morning, he urged leaders to launch public education campaigns, warning that vague legislative language threatens critical local government operations despite exemptions for public safety services.
Long Delayed and Debated, $801,000 Sale Closes on Flagler Beach’s Ocean Palm Golf Course, at $148,000 Loss
The $801,333 sale of Ocean Palm Golf Club to current leaseholders Jeff Ryan and Tanuj Seoni closed on Monday after financing delays. The city sold the 37-acre property at a loss compared to its $949,000 acquisition cost. Officials plan to direct the proceeds toward capital projects. A deed restriction and an upcoming ballot amendment will protect the site for continued golf course use.
Palm Coast Woman Shoots Former Friend Who Allegedly Broke Into B-Section House Demanding Money
Michael Ishia McDonald, a 33-year-old resident of Freeland Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested Sunday and held at the Flagler County jail on no bond on a life felony charge of burglary with assault after he allegedly broke into a former friend’s B-Section house. The former friend, a woman, shot him, injuring him.
FDLE Says No ‘Quid Pro Quo’ From Raydient to Mayor Norris, Who’d Agreed to ‘Western Expansion’ in Private Meeting
Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris told state FDLE investigators that he falsely promised to support Raydient’s “western expansion” expansion plans during a 2025 meeting. He later accused the company of offering a quid pro quo for his mayoral tenure. An FDLE report concluded no crime occurred because no funds or services were exchanged.
Popular Food Truck Ragga Surf Café Plans Late Summer Return To Marineland on Dolphin Adventure’s Grounds
Ragga Surf Café plans to return to Marineland by the end of summer, setting up at the Dolphin Adventure. The expansion features a refurbished 39-foot bus and will create 30 new jobs. While local officials welcome the end of the area’s food desert, Mayor Buddy Pinder expressed concerns regarding traffic and potential parking issues on A1A. The company will continue its St. Augustine operations.
World Cup Fever
Why do we watch the World Cup? This is a tournament of paradoxes, a too-big-to-fail quadrennial festival of corruption, cheating, profiteering, nationalist chauvinism and mostly crappy soccer. Yet it can hypnotize and transport to a utopia of competition as idealized and convincing as Pelé’s deification of the sport as “the beautiful game.” We watch not so much for the thrill–most games are snoozfests–but for the nostalgia of a game that never existed, but that we reimagine with every match.
Bunnell Police Say Man Broke Into Ex-Girlfriend’s Apartment Masked and Gloved and Raped Her At Knifepoint
After allegedly taking several steps that prosecutors would say underscore the extent of premeditation, including disabling the victim’s internet and wearing gloves and a mask, Antonio Figueroa-Acevedo, a 30-year-old resident of Anderson Street in Bunnell, is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, imprisoning her in her bedroom and strangling her after she screamed for help, then forcibly raping her while holding a knife to her neck, according to an arrest report filed by Bunnell Police Detective Joe Traylor.
The Live Calendar: Today in Flagler
June 2026
Jun 19 2026
‘The Battle of Shallowford,’ at Limelight Theatre
Limelight Theatre
Jun 20 2026
Flagler Beach Farmers Market
In Front of Flagler Beach City Hall
Jun 20 2026
Coffee With Flagler Beach Commission Chair Scott Spradley
Law Office of Scott Spradley
Jun 20 2026
Democratic Women’s Club
Palm Coast Community Center
Jun 20 2026
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
Jun 20 2026
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library
Flagler Beach Library
Jun 20 2026
‘The Battle of Shallowford,’ at Limelight Theatre
Limelight Theatre
Jun 20 2026
Random Acts of Insanity’s Roundup of Standups from Around Central Florida
Cinematique of Daytona Beach
Jun 21 2026
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Presbyterian Church
Jun 21 2026
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Flagler School District Bus Depot
Jun 21 2026
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
European Village
Jun 21 2026
Al-Anon Family Groups
Bridges United Methodist Fellowship
No event found!
The Conversation
Juneteenth’s Reminders
The Biden administration declared Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. Today, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. But the story for formerly enslaved people continued to unfold in complex ways well after Juneteenth, including when it came to their educational journeys. Juneteenth made clear that freedom was not just confined to someone’s physical enslavement, but mental enslavement as well, bound in the laws that barred enslaved people from receiving an education in Southern states.
Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Third Thursday Together in Flagler Beach, a monthly event for residents to interact with Flagler Beach city departments. Today: finance. Marineland Commission meeting, Sabah el-Ward, Cary McMullen on CBS’s devolution.
Violent Spectacles from Nero to Trump
Public combat spectacles from ancient Rome to modern mixed martial arts serve as powerful rituals that trigger identity fusion among spectators. This psychological process merges individual identities into a collective cause, driving a willingness to endure hardship. Political movements and leaders capitalize on these moral dramas to foster deep trust, reinforce civilizational narratives, and build immense solidarity under conditions that defy material logic.
In Free State of Florida, DeSantis Moves To Target Muslim Groups and Critics Under Vaguely Defined Law
Florida is preparing to implement legislation granting top state officials broad authority to designate specific organizations and their supporters as domestic terrorists. Gov. DeSantis indicated law enforcement will target groups including CAIR, the Muslim civil rights organization, and antifa. Critics argue the vague statutes lack requirements for individual criminal convictions. The overreach threatens first amendment rights, inviting widespread state abuse to suppress political dissent and campus activism.
More Florida and Beyond
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meets, Conversations in Democracy, contending with the American message to foreigners during the World Cup, Portugal, England, Ghana are all in action today.
Trump Iran Deal Returns Conflict to Costly Prewar Conditions
The preliminary United States and Iran peace agreement signed in Switzerland resolves immediate maritime blockades to open oil shipping lanes. The underlying causes of the war remain unaddressed. Deferring nuclear enrichment limits, ballistic missile curbs, and regional proxy restrictions for two months preserves the unstable prewar status quo. Decimated diplomatic credibility and unyielding sovereignty positions indicate this agreement functions as a brief pause before subsequent conflict.
New Florida Laws Mandate Driver’s License Tracking Marks For Convicted Habitual Career Offenders
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of law enforcement-related measures Tuesday, with many of them designed to increase penalties for criminals and give police and prosecutors more options to pursue them. The bills range from making it easier for police to identify an individual as a gang member to requiring criminals deemed “career offenders” have the designation on their driver’s license.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
The Palm Coast City Council ,meets at 9 a.m., Switzerland’s multilingual model in danger, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 10-18, at the Flagler County Public Library, John McPhee on “La Place de la Concorde Suisse.”
Was FIFA Wrong to Ban Haiti’s World Cup Jersey?
Ahead of its first match in the 2026 World Cup, the Haitian national soccer team was forced to make a last-minute change. FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, said the jersey design violated its rules, which ban political slogans or imagery. FIFA didn’t elaborate on which components of the jersey were problematic. But the issue almost certainly stemmed from the small image of a group of people holding the Haitian flag that appeared on the right hip of the jersey.
New College Takeover of USF Sarasota-Manatee: The Legislature at Its Worst
Florida legislators used private budget conference negotiations to strip the University of South Florida of its Sarasota-Manatee campus, transferring the property to New College, bypassing public debate through the state’s 72-hour budget review rule. Originally intended to promote legislative transparency, the rule now effectively prevents lawmakers from proposing spending amendments during the final days of the session.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 15, 2026
Clay Jones on Donald Trump’s hypocritical criticism of Graham Platner, the Mosquito Control District meets, the Flagler County Commission meets in the evening, walking out of an interview when challenged.
The Social Security Trust Fund on the Brink. Again.
A new financial report projects the Social Security trust fund will face depletion by 2032, when incoming revenue might cover only 78 percent of scheduled retirement benefits. Deeper structural challenges drive the crisis. Declining birth rates, lower net migration, and high national debt complicate potential solutions. Congress must secure a bipartisan compromise soon to protect workers and avoid a severe political emergency.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 14, 2026
Four World Cup matches today, Country Highway’s “2026 Fifa World Cup Events By State,” Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village.
The Trouble with El Niño When Ocean Temperatures Are Already Near Record Highs
Global ocean temperatures are already near record highs, so El Niño-induced marine heat waves could push many sensitive fisheries to a breaking point. Warm water might not seem like a big deal, especially to surfers hoping to leave their wetsuits at home. But for many marine organisms that are highly adapted to specific water temperatures, marine heat waves can make living in the ocean feel like running a marathon.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Gamble Jam, Brazil v Morocco and Haiti v. Scotland, the idiotically parented third grader and the AR-15 hat, a little serenity from Bach.
A Statistical Look at Who Will Win at the World Cup
The result of each match in the World Cup can be simulated. We took into account the official tournament draw and all FIFA rules, including the possibility of overtime and penalty shootouts. We ran the simulation 100,000 times to determine the tournament’s most likely course. The results show that Spain is the favorite for the title with a winning probability of 14.5%, closely followed by England and France, each at 12.4%, and Germany at 11.2%.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 12, 2026
Food Truck Friday at the Farm, Florida Agriculture Museum, United States v. Paraguay, The Battle of Shallowford, a play at Limelight Theatre, Paraguay’s similarities with the United States but for the great Augustin Barrios Mangore.
Commentary
Should You Feel Bad About Rooting Against the US in the World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup promises to be the planet’s most-watched sporting event. It’s also poised to generate its fair share of controversy. The Trump administration is historically unpopular, and its critics are already concerned about sportswashing: when governments use the spectacle of athletic competition to burnish their image and distract the public. It’s natural for fans who are critical of their country’s behavior sometimes feel ambivalent about rooting for their national sports teams.
Florida Property Tax Reform Is a State Power Grab at Your Local Government’s Expense
Florida proposals to eliminate property taxes threaten to dismantle decades of local home rule as state control of funding would strip decision-making authority from counties and cities, making both dependent on Tallahassee. This fiscal structural change shifts tens of billions of dollars onto a state facing its own future deficits. Ultimately, the cost burden moves to consumers and renters through alternative fees.
Soccer or Football? Don’t Let Snobbery Be the Answer.
This disparagement of the word “soccer” is not only petty and tiresome – it is also incorrect. It ignores the roots of the sport and the development of the language of the game. Rather than making the word taboo, the football ecosystem should embrace it. “Soccer” was freely and proudly used in the British press and in public for nearly a century, until the 1980s. The British press continues to use “soccer” and “football” interchangeably to avoid repetitive writing.
Sponsored Content
The Solana Agent Kit and the Rise of Programmable On-Chain AI
A quiet but significant development in the AI and crypto intersection over the past year has been the rise of programmable agent frameworks that run natively against blockchain infrastructure. The Solana Agent Kit, released by Send AI in late 2024 and significantly expanded through 2025 and early 2026, has become one of the most widely used toolkits for building AI agents that interact with on-chain state.
AI in Automation Testing: The Tech Skill Florida Job Seekers Should Know in 2026
AI in automation testing is opening doors for career changers and aspiring tech professionals in Florida. Learn how this in-demand skill helps job seekers enter tech without a programming background.