Flagler has 8.24 concealed carry permits for every 100 residents. Starting Jan. 1, the Flagler Tax Collector’s office will accept concealed-weapon permit applications for $134 and renewals for $72.
Flagler
Disaster Economics 101: Flagler Businesses Are Made Part of County’s Recovery Plans
Kevin Guthrie, the county’s emergency services director, told some 80 Flagler business leaders what role they must play in the immediate recovery after a disaster to ensure that the local economy returns to normal.
Overselling Flagler: How County Tourism and Government Zeal Lost the Spartan Race Before It Started
An examination of the documents behind the Spartan Race proposed for Princess Place show tourism chief Matt Dunn repeatedly getting ahead of the process, showing little awareness of policy and protocols and virtually no appreciation for the political context that ultimately sank his biggest pet project to date.
Princess Place Saved Again: Flagler Pulls Extreme Race Out of Preserve and Looks Elsewhere
County Administrator Craig Coffey, conceding to the outpouring of opposition to holding such a race at the preserve—and to a majority of county commissioners’ categorical opposition to the event there—informed commissioners Sunday that the race would be pulled.
How County Government Is Pimping Princess Place While Spinning Fairy Tales
Flagler County’s justifications for holding a Spartan extreme-sport race at Princess Place Preserve fails the smell test on all counts and raise questions about how tourism chief Matt Dunn and County Administrator Craig Coffey got the deal so far to start with.
Princess Place Preserve Slated for Extreme-Sport-Type Endurance Race, and 6,000 Racers
The Spartan extreme-sport race in March will cover 8-10 miles and feature nearly 30 landscape-altering obstacles, with 6,000 racers and 2,000 spectators expected. The county is subsidizing the race.
For Fire Chief Don Petito, a Family Matter Escalates Into Confrontations and Complaints
Don Petito was seeking to help his father move out of a house when a deputy forbade either to enter the house, causing the fire chief to become “very animated,” in his own words.
County Government Will Take Over Flagler Tourism Office From Chamber in Latest Expansion
The tourism office’s four employees have been under contract through the Flagler chamber of commerce. By next fall, they’ll be county employees, but their budget will still be underwritten by the 4 percent surtax on short-term rentals.
Boat-Dock Permits Revoked, Flagler Re-Ignites Urgency to Finish Manatee Protection Plan
Federal officials have revoked all boat-dock permits for non-residential homes in Flagler because a manatee protection plan and an additional speed zone are not in place.
House Committee Approves District Joining Flagler, Volusia, Drips of Lake and St. Johns
The shift may be reflective of the weakness of the region’s legislative delegation: neither Sen. Travis Hutson nor Paul Renner, rookies both, has pull in his respective house, neither has bargaining chips to deal with.
3 Weeks After Announcing His Resignation, Airport Director Roy Sieger Says He’s Staying After All
Citing personal and professional reasons, Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger told his airport advisory board this afternoon that he was staying in Flagler County after all, three weeks after announcing his resignation to take a job with the Hillsborough County Airport Authority.
New Congressional Maps Proposed in Face of Criticism, One Restoring Flagler’s Right Tilt
Changes to a proposed map of Florida’s 27 congressional districts emerged Wednesday, a day before key hearings in the House and Senate about how to comply with a court order finding the current map violates the anti-gerrymandering “Fair Districts” requirements.
Sen. Travis Hutson Joins Chorus of Opposition to New Congressional Map, Objecting to Split
Sen. Travis Hutson opposes changes to the congressional district that include Flagler because they would split St. Johns, Hutson’s base, while taking in all of Volusia.
Report on Active-Shooter Exercise at FPC Points to Serious Flaws in Command, Communications and Cooperation
The unvarnished after-action report paints a troubling picture of sheriff’s and fire rescue operations that worked poorly as a coordinated, cooperative and unified response, though they worked well in their individual parts.
Jailhouse Porn
Fort Apache: Flagler
There’s nothing to be proud of in the pornography of incarceration: Flagler had no reason to triple the size of its jail other than to amplify an indefensible architecture of disproportionate punishment.
Ex-Supervisor Kimberle Weeks Billed Taxpayers $12,500 For 3 Lawyers and Misled Media
The bills include $5,000 to defend herself in a state investigation that resulted, after she resigned, in 12 felony counts against her. She charged the bills to taxpayers.
Matanzas Woods Parkway Re-Opening on Monday, 2 Weeks Before School Resumes
Though more lane closures are projected, none will be allowed on Matanzas Woods Parkway between 7 and 8:30 a.m. or between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on days when school is in session.
In Setback for Sea Ray, Flagler Beach Votes 3-2 to Challenge Land Use Change Over Parking lot
A divided Flagler Beach City Commission voted 3-2 Thursday to take a challenge to the state of a county land use amendment enabling Sea Ray Boats to build a parking lot on 24 acres south of its property off Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
In Latest Round of County-City Water War, Flagler Now Objects to 25% Surcharge From Palm Coast
The county is giving Palm Coast 30 days to consider reducing or waiving the surcharge while also exploring importing water from Bunnell to serve the county airport, which is surrounded by Palm Coast.
Flagler’s Congressional District Would Lose Putnam and Most of St. Johns But Pick Up Volusia
The change suggests that the district would tilt left somewhat, compared to its current makeup, which could favor Democrats. A special session of the Legislature will decide the final boundaries in accordance with a Supreme Court Order.
Case Dismissed: No Penalty Against Brian Szmitko, Responsible for Death of Elisa Homen in Whiteview Wreck
Because of a technicality on the careless driving citation, Szmitko walked off free of any penalty or so much as points on his license for the crash, let alone a license suspension.
In Latest Fallout from Factious Weeks Era, Hutson Files Bill to Clarify Attorney Role on Canvassing Boards
The Hutson bill would designate the county attorney as the canvassing board’s counsel absent a two-third vote by the board to appoint a different attorney.
Commissioner Revels Saves 13 Jobs, Rejecting Privatization at Expense of Lowest-Paid Employees
The county administration had proposed to privatize cleaning services for $500,000, allegedly saving $174,000 a year, but employees hired by the private company would have lost all benefits, and many would have lost their jobs outright.
County Seals Final Approval for Sea Ray Parking Plan, This Time With a Caution
The County Commission gave final approval today for Sea Ray Boats’s planned 24-acre parking lot south of its plant off Colbert Lane, but not without words of caution from several commissioners.
Flagler Chamber Launches School For Business-Minded Political Candidates, But Behind Closed Doors
The two-day school, held in private, will train a dozen potential candidates chosen by a secret chamber committee for their business focus. The sessions are scheduled for September.
What Flagler Beach Got Wrong About “Crowd Managers,” and What the Auditorium Got Right
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney misinterpreted and exaggerated a fire code about “crowd managers” to her colleagues. The code does not require such managers at First Friday events, as she suggested.
Lawsuits Accuse Air Traffic Controllers of Negligence in 2013 Crash That Killed 3 On Palm Coast’s Utica Path
The plane was misled to Flagler airport instead of the nearer Ormond airport when the emergency began, the two daughters of the pilot and two sons of a passenger claim in their federal lawsuits.
Flagler Fire Flight Assists in Ocean Search for Missing Teens Amid Conflicting Reports of Effort’s Status
Helicopter pilot Dana Morris and flight medic George Tolbert searched 150 miles of the ocean off the Flagler County coastline and as far out as five nautical miles this morning without success.
County and Bunnell Join Schools and Palm Coast’s Higher Taxes, Flagler Beach Holds Line
The tax increases are generating almost no opposition, in large part because they are tied to benefits taxpayers can see: raises for teachers and cops, additions of firefighters (three this year at the county, three more next year), restoring reserves decimated during the recession, and so on.
State Ethics Commission Finds Sheriff Manfre in Violation on 3 Counts in 6-1 Vote; He Doubles Down
Meeting in Tallahassee this morning, the Florida Ethics Commission voted 6-1 to find probable cause that Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre violated the state’s ethics laws on three counts. The case now goes to the Attorney General’s office for prosecution.
Flagler-Palm Coast Score Most “Fantastic” Month of Home Sales Since Recession
The 247 homes sold in June reduced the county’s supply to just five months’ worth, tilting the market to sellers’ advantage, while prices saw a healthy rise as well.
Florida Loses 47,000 Jobs, Flagler 190, But Shrinking Labor Force Lowers Unemployment
Florida’s labor force shrank by a significant 79,000 and Flagler’s by 325, bringing down their unemployment rates to 5.5 and 6.3 percent respectively.
Rick Look, Long-Time Flagler Sheriff’s Chief Deputy and Cop’s Cop, Dies at 65
Rick Look had been chief deputy for over seven years until three years ago under Sheriff Don Fleming, had two Purple Hearts and 42 years in law enforcement until his last four years’ battle with illness.
One More Hurdle for Sea Ray as Planned Parking Lot Must First Pave Through Rezoning
Sea Ray Boats Tuesday evening again will appear before the Flagler planning board as the luxury boat manufacturer’s plan to expand its footprint south of its plant off Colbert Lane in Palm Coast seeks to advance.
Flagler’s Circuit Judge J. David Walsh, Master of Judicial Temperament, Retiring in February
Circuit Judge J. David Walsh, who addresses the state’s too-harsh sentencing guidelines in an interview, was appointed to the bench in 2001 by Gov. Jeb Bush, and has been in Flagler County since 2012.
John Ruffalo, a Reagan Assemblies Leader, Affronts County Commissioner at Courthouse
Two months after another Reagan Assemblies member had to resign for a public obscenity, a founding member of the group allegedly insulted the county commissioners names at the county courthouse after calling him dishonorable in an email.
Taking Harder Line Against Sheriff Manfre, Florida Ethics Commission Finds Probable Violations on 3 Counts
The Florida Ethics Commission last year had rejected a deal that would have had Manfre admitting to one violation, seeking a deeper investigation that has now resulted in a potentially harsher penalty.
2 More “Ridiculous” Ethics Complaints Against Commissioner Revels and Attorney Hadeed
The complaints, filed by Ronald Reagan Assemblies member John Ruffalo, allege conflicts of interest in the commissioner’s votes and target the attorney’s counsel to the commission.
Flagler Officials Caution Against Beached Debris From SpaceX Rocket Explosion
While it is highly unlikely any of the debris resulting from the explosion of the SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule will reach Flagler County’s coast, emergency officials are asking residents to steer clear of it and notify authorities.
Algal Bloom Observed at the Confluence of Flagler’s Dead Lake and Bull Creek
Algal blooms damage the environment because they replace vital food sources, clog fish gills, prevent sunlight from reaching seagrass and contribute to low oxygen “dead-zones” when they degrade.
Scott’s Veto Pen Hits Flagler’s Top Priority, Sinking $600,000 For Malacompra Drainage
The $600,000 appropriation for the Malacompra drainage project was among the 450 line-items and $461 million he vetoed as he approved a $78.2 billion budget.
Flagler Looking to Raise Tourism Tax For 2nd Time in Four Years Despite Surging Revenue
Flagler County wants to raise the local sales surtax on hotel and motel stays to 5%, from 4%, even though revenue has grown ten-fold over the past decade.
Arson Suspected in Mondex Fire That Demolishes Family Home on Elder Street
Authorities termed suspicious a fire that engulfed a single-family house in the Mondex Friday morning, and brought in arson dogs to sniff for evidence of fuel or accelerants used in the blaze.
Palm Coast’s Jim Landon Retaliates Against County in Series of Accusations, Then Says Conflict Is All But Resolved
Landon put the city’s trust of the county in question, implied the county runs a less professional organization than the city, accused the county of deceiving a state agency, and accused the county manager of using bullying tactics before conceding that all is just about well between the two sides.
Flagler County’s Dust-Bowl Era Soil and Water Conservation Board Is Dissolved For Inaction
Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner ordered the 5-member elected board, established in 1937, dissolved for not complying with reporting requirements. It had not met in years.
Flagler Court Clerk Throws a Switch, and Mass of Criminal and Civil Records Becomes Accessible Online
Flagler County court records, from arrest affidavits to civil, criminal, county and probate court are now all available online, 24 hours a day, in a vast improvement of public record access ordered by the Florida Supreme Court.
Palm Coast Points Finger Back at County Over Airport Water Clash, But Agrees to Executive Summit
Firing back at county criticism, City Manager Jim Landon said the county has always known what to do to resolve a standoff over a water agreement for the airport. But the city and county manager are now likely to meet with the mayor and the county board chairman to resolve the issue.
County Rips Into Palm Coast Government Over Shackled Airport Water Deal
County frustration boiled into outright criticism of Palm Coast’s administration Monday as the city has yet to sign a deal both sides agreed to seven months ago, controlling water service at the county airport.
Flagler Government Embraces Socialized Medicine in Striking Drug Deal with Canadian Rx Company
The Flagler County Commission voted 4-0 Monday to contract with CanaRx to provide prescription drugs to county employees at 50 percent of their U.S. cost.
Mark Richter Files to Run for Ericksen’s County Commission Seat as DeLorenzo Mulls Move
Richter, an ex-felong with a history of obscene and threatening communications to local media, ran on a Ronald Reagan Republican Assembly platform in 2012. Palm Coast Council member Jason DeLorenzo is exploring a move away from the council.