A proposal that would make all Florida students eligible to receive taxpayer-backed school vouchers is headed to the full House, after getting some changes Friday. The Republican-controlled House Education Quality Subcommittee approved the proposal (HB 1) in a near party-line vote.
All Else
Two Suspects Fleeing From Cops on US1 Left 2 Dogs in Burning Vehicle. One Died.
The man and the woman fleeing from cops in a stolen pick-up truck Thursday on U.S. 1 abandoned the truck on fire and ran into the woods before being chased down and arrested. But they’d left their two dogs in the burning truck. One died, the other dog disappeared.
The Winner of a Historic Landslide and Prodigal Everyman Get Busy on Diverse Flagler Beach Commission
The Flagler Beach City Commission reconstituted with Scott Spradley and Rick Belhumeur Thursday. As a group, and with Jane Mealy still its reigning dean, the commission combines experience and youth, business, law, academia, real estate, labor and Belhumeur’s Everyman.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 10, 2023
LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, the Blue 22 Forum, a dissent on cheerleaders, Matt Friend.
School Board’s Sally Hunt Claims That She Resigned, Then, Bizarrely, Retracts the Claim
Sally Hunt claimed this evening in her own words that she had resigned her Flagler County School Board seat, four months after her election. It was not necessarily true. Hunt has appeared increasingly conflicted by the glare she’s been attracting recently, glare only likely to intensify after the conduct she exhibited this evening.
Teens-In-Flight Makes Plane-Piloting Dream Come True for Terminally Ill 16 Year Old
Austin Booth has been afflicted with numerous illnesses since birth and was given only eight or nine years to live. He’s now 16, and last week he took off from Flagler County airport at the controls of a Teens-in-Flight Cessna, making a lifetime’s dream come true.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 9, 2023
Rick Belhumeur and Scott Spradley are sworn-in at the Flagler Beach City Commission for three-year terms, the Palm Coast Democratic Club discusses the Legislature’s planned expansion of funding private education with public dollars, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series.
When Asked, Voters Typically Reject School Choice Proposals
Of those 121 school voucher or charter programs in 45 states, only two have been approved by voters. In 16 referendums, the proposals have failed 14 times.
School Board Will Decide Superintendent’s Fate in April as Back-Channel Jockeying Intensifies
The Flagler County School Board agreed to vote on whether to extend or not renew Superintendent Cathy Mittlestadt’s contract on April 18, but each member will have filed evaluations and discussed them by April 4, when the superintendent’s fate should be clearer.
Florida Lawmakers Fast-Tracking Bill Eliminating Unanimous Jury Requirements in Death Penalty
The House measure would require judges to impose death sentences if recommended by at least eight jurors. That differs from the Senate bill, which would require death sentences if at least 10 jurors recommend the death penalty.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Separation Chat, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the public library, Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire speech, Amy Reed’s Nowhere Girls.
Springing Time Forward Is Bad for Your Health
Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects, including an uptick in heart attacks and teen sleep deprivation. In contrast, the fall transition back to standard time is not associated with these health effects, as my co-authors and I noted in a 2020 commentary.
His Sights Well Past Tallahassee, DeSantis Vows to ‘Swing for the Fences’
While the State of the State address is always a high-profile event in Tallahassee, DeSantis’ speech Tuesday drew national attention as he is widely expected to run for president in 2024.
Scott Spradley Wins Big in Flagler Beach, Belhumeur Is ‘Re-Commissioned,’ Defeating Incumbent Phillips
Attorney Scott Spradley won election to the Flagler Beach City Commission by a large margin Tuesday, an unsurprising result from an electorate looking for the analytical cool-headed approach Spradley represents, after a turbulent year in the city and the recent firing of a city manager.
Yet Another Book Survives Ban as 2 Flagler High School Panels Vote to Keep Novel of McCarthy Era
A joint high school committee’s decision today to retain Malida Lo’s “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” was the sixth book in a row in about as many weeks that survived a challenge either on MHS or joint MHS-FPC school-level committees, or at the district-level appeals committee.
Annual Mental Health Summit Set for March 29 at St. Augustine Amphitheatre
The third annual BRAVE Summit, a free event for teens that aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health, will the held on March 29, 2023, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. The event, hosted by Flagler Health+, is free and open to all high school students throughout Florida.
‘Our Ambitious Agenda Is Well Underway,’ Renner tells Joint Legislative Session
House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, made remarks to the House on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session. Sheriff Rick Staly and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard were Renner’s guests.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
The school board and the Palm Coast Council meet, another school-level book-review committee meets, trigger warnings on trigger warnings, Massimo Vignelli’s subway map, Joan Didion’s Salvador.
Drag Show Curbs Likely Violate First Amendment
Republican lawmakers in numerous states, including Florida, seek to restrict or eliminate events like drag shows and drag story hours. These efforts have been accompanied by inflammatory rhetoric not grounded in fact about the need to protect children from “grooming” and sexually explicit performances.
District Appeals Committee Votes Unanimously to Keep Sold on High School and Middle School Shelves
An 11-member district-wide appeals committee this evening voted to uphold two school-based committees’ decisions to keep “Sold,” the fictional story of a 13-year-old girl trafficked into sexual slavery, on the library shelves at high and middle schools.
No Evidence Links Wind Turbines to Whale Deaths, But Ship Strikes May
A string of articles from local and national outlets have linked wind development and dead whales over the past several months, but there is no evidence linking the two. On the other hand, there has been an increase in whale deaths linked to shipping strikes.
Former Matanzas High Student, 16, Charged as Adult in Alleged Sex Assault of Girl During Class
When Marshall Thomas, 16, was arrested on charges of stealing guns and making written threats to kill in January, authorities did not disclose that he had months earlier been arrested on a sexual assault charge involving a 15-year-old student at Matanzas High School. Thomas has now been charged as an adult on all five charges from both incidents and faces up to 45 years in prison.
Challenged in Flagler Schools: McCormick’s Sold, a Review and a Recommendation
Patricia McCormick’s “Sold,” about the experiences of a 13-year-old girl sold into sexual slavery, is among the 22 books that a trio of “moms for liberty” have sought to ban from high school library shelves. A school committee voted to keep the book. The banners appealed the decision to a district committee, which meets on March 6. The following review is presented as a guide.
Florida Legislature Is Set to Push Sweeping Changes to Legal System, Favoring Business and Government at Individuals’ Expense
Paul Renner, the Palm Coast Republican and House Speaker, is enthusiastically leading a House that has lurched further to the right than under any administration in generations as the Legislature seeks to revamp the state’s litigation system, favoring businesses at the expense of individual consumers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, March 6, 2023
A district appeals committee meets to review “Sold,” a novel two residents want banned from high school libraries. The Flagler County Commission discusses its own procedures. The Astronomy and Garden Clubs meet. The Zapruder film’s odyssey.
Republicans Want a Multiracial Right Even as They Stoke White Grievances
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued his crusade against “woke ideology” as Nikki Haley launched her bid for president with a video appealing for racial harmony. What kind of GOP do Republicans want?
Jacksonville Republican Files Bill Targeting Public Sector Unions, With Exceptions
The bill would prevent public-employee union members from having dues deducted from their paychecks. Members would have to separately pay dues.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, March 5, 2023
The Chambers Players of Palm Coast and members of the Flagler Youth Orchestra at the Methodist Church, Farmers’ Market at European Village, David Brooks on himself, The Road Back.
A Little Narcissism Is OK, Until It Becomes Pathological
A pathological narcissist sees everyone else as an extension of self. Like many personality disorders, narcissism manifests itself in intimate relationships through the cycle of idealization and devaluation, creating the concept of the so-called toxic relationship.
Florida Welcomes You. With A Growing List of Exceptions.
Florida doesn’t want you if you’re a lib. That goes double if you’re from California. But if you take pleasure in lib-owning, professor-kicking, book-burning, trans-torturing, forced birth and sanitized history, Florida welcomes you.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Poetry open mic at the county library, Meet Your District 4 Commissioner, Leann Pennington, Sunshine and Sandals social, free SunRail all afternoon and evening, annual Global Day of Unplugging, Erich Maria Remarque.
Beyond Guns: Three Ways to Prevent School Shootings
Much of the public discussion on preventing school shootings focuses on whether and how to limit people’s access to firearms. While these efforts remain important, over the past 30 years, research has identified other strategies that can reduce the risk for violence.
Florida Bill Would Require Bloggers to ‘Register’ With State and Turn Over Financial Accounts
The bill, which has no chance of becoming law, would require bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis and other elected state officials to register with the government and provide monthly financial income reports. The National Review today called the bill’s GOP author a “moron.”
On Eve of Legislative Session, ACLU Warns of Brazen Attacks on Floridians’ Civil Liberties
The ACLU offered insight into multiple pieces of legislation on voting, LGBT, free expression and minority rights and they say, without a doubt, those bills will end up on the governor’s desk before the halfway point of this year’s session.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 3, 2023
When Florida Man was born, First Friday in Flagler Beach, Pennington and Furry on Free For All, a few words from Jonathan Schell.
The Cautionary Tale of ‘Dilbert’
Adams failed to grasp that being a social critic means your freedom of expression only goes as far as your audience is willing to accept it. Adams could say whatever he wanted to his YouTube audience because his listeners may have agreed with what he said. Unfortunately for him, what he said on his program did not stay on his program.
Matanzas Assault Case: A Miscarriage of Justice Hardens Before Our Eyes
The public reaction to 17-year-old Brendan Depa’s assault of Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School is mostly compassionate and balanced. The more strident reaction among elected officials–the State Attorney, school board members–is not not. Elected officials are not only exploiting the situation. They’re exploiting Depa. They want blood.
Parents Paying Steep Extended Day Fees Are Subsidizing the Belle Terre Swim Club
The Flagler County School Board is facing a deficit this year of $180,000 at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club. The board continues to agonize over ways to keep the facility or redefine its uses without continuing the deficits, which are being subsidized out of the district’s extended day program–a costly program to working parents.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Drug court, the Young Turks on the catastrophe of Scott Adams, drug court, the rise in internet shutdowns around the world.
Teaching Heroic Musician Graham Jackson’s Story in Florida Could Now Be Illegal
Florida’s “anti-woke” legislation and the state’s recent rejection of the AP African American studies curriculum are well-known examples of a disturbing trend that attempts to criminalize exploring the stories of Black people such as Graham Jackson.
Backers of Recreational Pot Initiative Reach Halfway Point in Signatures for Ballot
The Florida Division of Elections had received 420,072 valid signatures from the political committee Smart & Safe Florida as of Wednesday, according to the division’s website. The committee would need to submit at least 891,589 signatures to get on the ballot.
In Flagler Beach, 5 Commission Candidates Play Forum Softball Ahead of March 7 Election
There were no surprises at the only forum for Flagler Beach City Commission Candidates. The questions–at least the nine that were asked–were generally un-challenging, unspecific and at times corny. The candidates are Rick Belhumeur, Bob Cunningham, Doug Bruno O’Connor, Deborah Phillips and Scott Spradley.
Bunnell Lands a Nearly-All Flagler Team to Build Its City Hall and Police Station
Bunnell will have a nearly all-Flagler County team designing and building its future city hall on Commerce Boulevard, what’s being referred to as an 18,000 square foot Administration/Police Department Complex. It is slated to open in early 2024.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board, Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles at the Auditorium, Patricia McCormick on “Sold,” Bill Bryson on French.
Against Policy, Flagler’s Book-Challenge Appeal Panels Dim Faculty and District Vote to Minority Status
A Flagler County school district-level committee will meet for the first time on Monday to take up the appeal of a decision not to ban the novel “Sold” from school library shelves. The make-up of the committee is not in line with school board policy, giving parents and community members a lopsided presence at the expense of district staff and faculty.
God: Her/Him/They and Why It Matters
Historically, Christian tradition has recognized many pronouns for God, including “he/him,” “she/her” and “they/them.” This is partly because God does not have a gender. Despite the diverse images used for God in Scripture and Christian tradition, male language and images predominate in contemporary Christian worship.
Ride SunRail for Free Saturday From Afternoon to Midnight
SunRail is running a special service on Saturday, March 4, between 2 p.m. and 12:45 a.m., sponsored by Orlando Downtown Development Board. Ride free and save on parking for events in Downtown Orlando.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 28, 2023
The Freedom Readers Club at the Flagler County Public Library takes on For Whom The Bells Toll, The NAACP Flagler Branch’s General Membership Meeting, droning over America, the diversity of Congress, Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind.
Joe Biden, Press Evader
During Biden’s first year in office, he held a total of 10 press conferences. Most of those featured him reading prepared remarks and then leaving without taking questions from reporters. When he does take questions, he tends to call on only preselected reporters from – in his own words – “a list I’ve been given.”
Matanzas Student Who Attacked Aide Was Arrested 3 Times for Battery Before; Other Cases Examined
Brendan Depa, the 17-year-old special education Matanzas High School student whose assault of a paraprofessional at Matanzas High School school last week has drawn international attention, was arrested three times on battery charges when he was 13. His case recalls that other violent incidents that did not draw anywhere near the harshness he faces.
