THE HAMMOCK
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
REAL ESTATE PAGE 7 FREE
VOLUME 5, NO. 11
• JUNE 2021
With hurricane season looming, 1 dune holdout remains County Attorney Al Hadeed received the County Commission’s OK to take the property with eminent domain, if necessary. PAGE 4
Whispering Meadows may move west The equine therapy ranch is investigating a shift to County Road 13. JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
The Whispering Meadows equine therapy ranch on John Anderson Highway is preparing for a potential move to land off County Road 13, near the Flagler County Fairgrounds. The proposed move follows complaints from a handful of property owners near the ranch’s current location who felt the ranch should not be operating in a residential area, and pushed the county to make it relocate. The county’s planning board considered the complaints and found in favor of the ranch, and the matter was scheduled for a County Commission vote on June 7. But by then, Whispering Meadows’ leadership — it’s run as a nonprofit by Helene and Richard Davis and their daughter Kristine Aguirre — was in talks with the county about moving west. “It looks like every step is heading in that direction,” county Growth Management Director Adam Mengel said at the June 7 commission meeting. A move to the County Road 13 site would require a number of administrative steps. Mengel suggested that the commission SEE MOVE PAGE 2
Photo by Jake Montgomery
Judy Horowitz, 78 and Mick Valinotti, 83, at the Second Annual Pride Festival on Saturday, June 5 at Central Park at Town Center.
Love makes a family Second-annual Pride Festival draws crowds from Flagler and beyond PAGE 6
Local ham radio clubs to test emergency capabilities
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BCH FL PERMIT #447
The annual Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Drill is June 26-27. ANTHONY CINELLI
Local Postal Customer
PRESIDENT, FLAGLER PALM COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Courtesy photo
Field Day Operations in Flagler County
Local amateur radio operators will be representing our community in the American Radio Relay League’s annual Field Day. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. The local effort will include hams from the Daytona Beach
Amateur Radio Association, the Flagler Emergency Communications Association and the Flagler Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club. They will gather at the Hammock Community Center at 79 Mala Compra Road to operate multiple ham radio stations for 24 hours starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 26. The public is welcome to visit this local Field Day site to learn more about ham radio, local clubs and hams in our own neighborhoods. Opportunities will be available to operate radios under the supervision of Federal Communications Commission licensed radio amateurs. This event is free of charge. No
advance arrangements are necessary. The relatively new emphasis on STEM—science, technology, engineering and math — in education makes this effort even more important as part of the focus of Field Day is to attract more young people to the hobby. Last year, more than 10,000 amateur radio stations participated in our weekend emergency exercise. With predictions for a more active hurricane season, the American Radio Relay League Field Day will help local radio amateurs make sure they’re ready to operate under difficult conditions.