Five new recruits for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and Flagler Beach police got a blunt, unfiltered briefing on how to testify in court from Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis. It was a rare look, witnessed by FlaglerLive, at the dynamic between prosecutors and cops on the usually confidential fringes of court cases, and at how prosecutors prepare, guide and at times admonish police before they take the witness stand, since a cop’s testimony can make or break a case.
All Else
Justice in Palestine Student Group at USF Sues DeSantis Over His Order to Ban It
The University of South Florida chapter of the group National Students for Justice in Palestine has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and state higher-education officials over an order that called for disbanding the organization on campuses.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 22, 2023
The Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State meets, a few thoughts on assassinations, what the evening news commercials say about viewers.
Colonists’ Violence Against West Bank Palestinians Denies Their Right to Exist
The proliferation of armed settlers in the West Bank, the expansion of illegal settler outposts and now the increasing violence and forced displacement all stem from the same underlying policy that led to the 16-year blockade of Gaza: an Israeli policy of ignoring Palestinian national claims altogether.
Attention Drivers: ‘Toys for Tickets’ Campaign Returns to Flagler Beach
The Flagler Beach Police Department is proud to announce that our annual “Toys for Tickets” safety campaign begins this Wednesday! Citizens who receive a written warning for a traffic infraction or a parking offense can volunteer to participate in a program that truly benefits the youth of our community. Citizen participation in this program is 100% voluntary.
Jason Wheeler, Calm and Cheery Spokesman in Flagler School District’s Capharnaum, Is Outta Here
Jason Wheeler, the former television reporter hired eight years ago to build and anchor the Flagler County School district’s communications hub, will be leaving the district at the end of the year for a similar job in the Panhandle. His departure adds to a continuing erosion of veterans with deep institutional knowledge of the district, with a brand new superintendent at the helm.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Random Acts of Insanity at Cinematique Theater, Clay Jones has a few things to say about Trump’s alleged acuity, marking Voltaire’s 329th birthday with Goethe and Theodore Besterman.
Homelessness as a Deprivation of Freedom
Some philosophers have argued that while homelessness is clearly a state of deprivation, it is also a condition in which a person’s freedom is profoundly compromised. These theorists insist a society that cherishes freedom – such as the U.S. – must implement anti-homelessness policy as a way of liberating people who lack housing.
County Approves Captain’s BBQ Settlement, Bringing Lawsuit’s Cost to $1 Million, and Big Changes at Bing’s Landing
The Flagler County Commission this evening unanimously approved a settlement with Captain’s BBQ, ending the restaurant’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county. The settlement would, in Commissioner Leann Pennington’s words, “stop the insanity.” The county administration’s attempts to happy-face the settlement notwithstanding, it is now clear, by the commissioners’ own assessments, that the county would have lost had the case gone to trial, and that accepting a costly, and in some ways humiliating, settlement, was the county’s only choice.
County Not Yet Stoked for Skate Park Improvements But Approves 4 Pickleball Courts at Wadsworth Park
Wadsworth Park, the 45-acre county facility on the mainland side of the Flagler Beach bridge, will soon see a tennis court converted to four pickleball courts, but county commissioners are not ready to approve a plan to renovate the skateboarding park: the county administration is proposing a band aid, while users of the park are advocating for a more ambitious, but also more permanent, renovation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 20, 2023
The Flagler County Commission in a pair of meetings takes up the proposed settlement with Captain’s BBQ and improvements at Wadsworth Park. When Carl L. Stinedurf joined Richard Cory: Guns and Simon and Garfunkel.
Yes, the South Has a Poverty Crisis
By a range of economic indicators — personal income per capita and the proportion of the population living in poverty, for starters – large parts of the South, and particularly the rural South, are struggling. About 1 in 5 counties in the South is marked by “persistent poverty” — a poverty rate that has stayed above 20% for three decades running. Indeed, fully 80% of all persistently poor counties in the U.S. are in the South.
Florida Lawmakers Put Developers’ Interests Ahead of Residents’ Hurricane Safety
In a bill to supply aid to the victims of Hurricane Ian and Idalia, lawmakers told local governments in counties hammered by the storm that they were not allowed to make “burdensome” changes to their land-use or growth plan regulations for three years. No learning from their mistakes and trying to avoid repeating them.
Eight Florida Cities Get Perfect Scores in LGBTQ+ Equality Report
Despite enduring a year that advocates have derided as the “most anti-LGBTQ legislative session in history,” a nationwide report gives eight Florida cities perfect 100% scores when it comes to assessing LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, laws, and services. Getting maximum scores of 100 in Florida are: Tampa, Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Oakland Park, Orlando, and St. Petersburg.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 19, 2023
Riverfest Seafood Festival, Deland Fall Festival of the Arts, the Library of America’s edition of William Faulkner’s collected stories, a few words from “Uncle Willy.”
‘From the River to the Sea’: A Historian Interprets the Palestinian Slogan
The majority of Palestinians who use this phrase do so because they believe that, in 10 short words, it sums up their personal ties, their national rights and their vision for the land they call Palestine. And while attempts to police the slogan’s use may come from a place of genuine concern, there is a risk that tarring the slogan as antisemitic – and therefore beyond the pale – taps into a longer history of attempts to silence Palestinian voices.
Tree-Lighting Ceremony in Palm Coast’s Town Center on Nov. 25
The City of Palm Coast is inviting residents and visitors to the 12th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 25, at Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 18, 2023
The Flagler Woman’s Club’s Bunco evening open to all, Live From the Waterworks: Gamble Rogers Folk Festival’s Monthly Concert Series, when teachers learn to fire guns.
Unthanksgiving at Alcatraz: The Annual Celebration of Resistance to American Colonialism
The Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony is an annual celebration that spotlights 500 years of Native resistance to colonialism in what was dubbed the “New World.” Held on the traditional lands of the Ohlone people, the gathering is a call for remembrance and for future action for Indigenous people and their allies.
Flagler Beach Planning New Year’s Fireworks and ‘Surf Board Drop’ in What Could Be Launch of New Tradition
The Flagler Beach City Commission at a special meeting Tuesday will consider approving a $33,600 plan for a New Year’s fireworks celebration triggered by the commemorative drop of a lighted surf board likely blazing with 2024. The 12-minute fireworks show would be produced by My Three Sons, the company that produced last July 4’s countywide show at Flagler Executive Airport, and would be launched at midnight from the stable portion of the pier–immediately after the surf board drop at Veterans Park.
Ex-Bloods Gang Leader Brandon Washington, Serving Life, Duels Again with Prosecutor in Losing Bid for Relief
Brandon Washington was once the local gang leader of the “East Coast Bloods.” He was tried in 2011 and found guilty of a 2007 home invasion robbery and murder on Palm Coast’s on Pheasant Drive, and is serving four life terms. Today, he dueled with the prosecutor who won that conviction as Washington and his attorney argued that he’d had ineffective representation at trial. He did not prevail, but appeared to enjoy himself greatly.
European Village Business Leading Christmas Drive for Toys for Tots
AW Custom Kitchens Inc. is partnering with Toys-for-Tots for a non-profit Christmas toy drive. Donations to the Toys-for-Tots Foundation are accepted through December 23, and may be dropped off at AW’s showroom at 101 Palm Harbor Parkway Unit B113 at European Village.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, November 17, 2023
Brandon Washington, the notorious gang leader sentenced to several life terms a decade ago, is back in court, the Blue Forum 24 meets, a look at the construction of the Margaritaville hotel construction site in Flagler Beach, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Fentanyl: An Explanation
Buying drugs on the street is a game of Russian roulette. From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was originally developed as an analgesic – or painkiller – for surgery.
Palm Coast’s Robert A. Ernst Is Florida Book Awards Gold and Silver Medalist for 4th Children’s Book
The Annual 2023 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards has recognized Harry and the Kidnappers by Dr. Robert A. Ernst, a Palm Coast resident, in the category of Children Grades 4-6, as a Gold Medal winner, and as a Silver Medal winner in the category of Children Grades 3-5.
9-Building, 216-Unit Apartment Complex Would Line Old Kings Road South of Palm Coast Parkway
The Palm Coast Planning Board in a 5-2 vote that reflected some sharp resistance to the project recommended approval of a master plan for a nine-building, 216-apartment complex lined along Old Kings Road’s two lanes, halfway between Palm Coast Parkway and Town center Boulevard. It would be by far the largest development visible from the road south of Utility Drive, changing the complexion of what had been one of Palm Coast’s last remaining greenways.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Christ the King Lutheran Church hosts its Meals of Hope (and can use your help), the United States accounts for one of the highest proportion of trans individuals murdered in the world, Dr. Phil on trans rights.
The Problem with Offshore Wind Farms
In a recent report, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined whether and how constructing offshore wind farms in the Nantucket Shoals region, southeast of Massachusetts, could affect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Marine scientists weigh in.
Palm Coast Fire Department Secures $45,000 Grant for Mobile Air Trailer
The Palm Coast Fire Department proudly announces the successful acquisition of the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, providing a grant valued at $45,453.63. This significant achievement is a testament to the department’s commitment to enhancing its capabilities and ensuring the safety of both the public and emergency responders
In Settlement, Flagler County Will Pay Captain’s BBQ $800,000 and Allow New, 5,000 Sq. Ft. Restaurant at Bing’s Landing
Four years after Captain’s BBQ sued Flagler County government in a breach of contract claim, a negotiated settlement calls for the county to pay Captain’s $800,000, and clear the way for a new, 5,000 square foot restaurant at the county park. For Flagler County taxpayers, the dispute with Captain’s, just entering its fifth year, will have cost close to $1 million, when the county’s attorneys’ fees are included. The settlement is a huge victory for Captain’s.
Factual Yowls Aside, Palm Coast Says Community Cats’ Trap, Neuter and Release Program Is Working
The Palm Coast City Council heard an enthusiastic report on the city’s partnership with Community Cats and its Trap, Neuter and Release program, which seeks to limit the feral cat population, with volunteer caretakers feeding and caring for the cats. The report contained notable factual errors and some lack of perspective.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
The Palm Coast Planning Board meets, the Flagler County Public Library Book Club talks John Grisham, a few words about Frederick II, Renaissance Man of the Crusades, Rabbit Angstrom on anger.
Dolphins and Manatees Are Getting Poisoned in Miami’s Biscayne Bay
PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live.
Stetson’s Symphony Orchestra to Bring Holiday Magic
Stetson University’s Symphony Orchestra will bring the holiday magic to downtown Mount Dora on Saturday, Dec. 2, providing a spirited musical performance as concertgoers enjoy the town’s dazzling seasonal light display.
Realtors Want Their Signs in Rights of Way. Palm Coast Warns that Hate and Other Signs Would Follow.
Palm Coast Council member Ed Danko is leading the charge on behalf of Realtors and other businesses to open up city rights of way to their advertising signs on weekends. Fellow Council member Theresa Pontieri is warning that doing so would open up rights of ways to every sign imaginable, including hate signs, while overwhelming the city’s Code Enforcement Department. The council is split on an issue it will have to decide soon.
Consultant Says Palm Coast Residents Must Pay Cost of Future Growth With Higher Water Bills. Council Recoils.
Growth is increasing your cost of living as an existing resident of Palm Coast, and you’re going to have to pay for it in higher water and sewer bills, according to a utility-rate consultant Palm Coast government hired. City Council members are not nearly so sure, and are asking for new numbers, possibly sharply raising impact fees on developers and builders.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, November 14, 2023
The Palm Coast City Council will hear the latest utility rate study–usually the precursor to rate hikes, and hear about Community Cats. A few words about the two-state solutions, and a few thoughts from Raja Shehadeh.
What Jail Conditions and Deaths Tell us
Jails are locally managed, and the majority of their populations are being detained pretrial while unconvicted. Data on how many people die while incarcerated is notoriously inaccessible and often unreliable. Relatively high turnover rates, we found, were associated with higher death rates overall, as well as due to suicide, drugs and alcohol, and homicide.
Flagler Playhouse Season Will Continue at Matanzas’s Pirates Theater as ‘ReBuild’ Kicks Off at Woody’s
The Flagler Playhouse’s shows will go on: the venerable company’s 150-foot theater in downtown Bunnell was demolished two weeks ago, but in a Phoenix-like turn-around, its next three shows will be staged at Matanzas High School’s Pirates Theater, essentially more than salvaging the bulk of the season. The playhouse is launching its “Let’s Kick Off the ReBuild” campaign at Woody’s BBQ Tuesday evening.
UF Ordered to Pay $372,000 in Legal Fees in Case that Violated Professors’ 1st Amendment Rights
A federal judge has awarded more than $372,000 in legal fees to attorneys who represented professors in a high-profile lawsuit against the University of Florida over being able to serve as expert witnesses in court cases.
Man Destroys a Room in Reckless Shooting Spree at Topaz Motel Before His Arrest at Gunpoint Blocks Away
A 35-year-old man who claimed he was being chased by assassins with AR-15 rifles fired numerous rounds through the door and windows of Room 214 at the Topaz Motel in Flagler Beach, facing State Road A1A, in a shooting spree that destroyed the room.
154 Participants Later, Flagler Cares’ Opioid Recovery Initiative Marks Its First Year, With New Wheels
The Coordinated Opioid Recovery initiative launched in Flagler County a year ago under the umbrella of Flagler Cares, umbrella. It’s a multi-layered approach that shepherds individuals toward recovery through medically-assisted treatment, peer-to-peer counseling, mental health and other services. Last week it marked its anniversary with, among other things, the ribbon-cutting for an outreach vehicle run by Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, November 13, 2023
The Bunnell City Commission discusses an Italian Festival in the city, Brendan Depa and school violence make it onto Bill Maher, it’s trial week, and the Flagler Cares Coalition’s general membership meets.
Government Shutdown, Chapter DCCLXV*
Much of the news coverage of the discussions and negotiations aimed at averting a government shutdown on Nov. 17, 2023, relies on pundits and their unnamed sources, on leaks, speculation, wishful thinking and maybe even the reading of tea leaves. It’s not about to get better.
Condemn Palestinians’ Genocidal Rhetoric–and Israel’s Genocidal War
There’s unquestionably some river-to-the-sea anti-Semitism out there. It should be and is being denounced. But conflating all criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism is itself a form of bigotry that places Palestinian lives beneath contempt and Israeli policy above reproach, even as swaths of Gaza in November 2023 look like Dresden in February 1945 and anti-Palestinian rhetoric in media and government continues to be indistinguishable from the vilest racism.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, November 12, 2023
The Palm Coast Fall Arts Festival in Central Park, the Farmers’ Market at European Village, Donnie Brook’s underwater UFO base near Deerfield Beach, Rachel Carson on the Sea Around Us.
2030 Clutter Odyssey: 1 Million Satellites in Space?
There are currently only about 8,000 active satellites in orbit. But In September 2021, Rwanda announced that it was planning to launch over 300,000 satellites. Three months later, a Canadian company, having previously launched two dozen CubeSats, said it would launch an additional 100,000. Then, a French company did likewise. And SpaceX, which has already launched around 5,000 satellites, now has plans for over 60,000 more. What’s going on?
Controversial PragerU Materials that Distort Science and Whitewash History Gain Foothold in Florida Schools
PragerU, which is not a university, is founded and run by conservative talk-show host Dennis Prager and funded by a number of like-minded philanthropists. PragerU touts its conservative view as a “free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.” But critics say it distorts science and whitewashes unpleasant aspects of historical events.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Veterans Day Parade in Bunnell and subsequent ceremony at the GSB, celebrating the skies in Flagler Beach with the photography of Scott Spradley and Rick Belhumeur, on the magic of books according to Amos Oz.
More Than One Journalist per Day Is Getting Killed in Gaza
At least 39 journalists and media workers had been killed in the month since the war began, the deadliest conflict for media workers since the Committee to Protect Journalists began keeping records in 1992. The victims are mostly Palestinian journalists and media workers killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza, but they include four Israelis, whom Hamas murdered in its initial cross-border raid on October 7, and one Beirut-based videographer killed in south Lebanon.