CITY WATCH
Plane parts fall on Pineland Trail yard
JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITORClick It or Ticket campaign begins
The Ormond Beach Police Department is participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign to encourage drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts.
The high-visibility enforcement effort began on Monday, May 22, and will run through June 4, according to a press release. Participating law enforcement agencies, including OBPD, will be writing citations for seat belt violations.
“If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” OBPD stated in the press release. “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of not buckling up. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.”
In Florida, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is a $116 fine.
On Wednesday, May 17, Bob Blankenship came home to see what looked like a windshield in the front yard of his home on Pineland Trail.
Later, when he reviewed his security camera footage, he would discover that the 4-plus-foot piece of plexiglass had fallen from the sky. It was a piece of a plane’s windshield.
“It’s the first time that something’s actually fell out of the sky,” said Blankenship, whose property abuts the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport. “We’ve had a lot of lowflying aircraft, and we’ve had a lot of jets coming in really low.”
In an email to the Observer, Ormond Beach Airport Manager Steven Lichliter said he wasn’t aware of any similar incidents occurring near the airport in recent years.
Over the weekend, two more pieces of plexiglass were found on Blankenship’s property, which is located in unincorporated Volusia County. He and his wife Donna Schleicher also found other plane components. They waited to be contacted for an incident report, but when that didn’t happen, the couple reported the incident on Thursday, May 18, to both the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport and the DeLand Municipal Airport, where the plane landed. Blankenship also notified the FAA and spoke with the plane’s pilot.
“It just makes me wonder, ‘What if we hadn’t initiated the call?’” Blankenship said. “Was anybody going to call and check?... They knew that it happened, but nobody bothered to call the airport.”
It’s a question of safety, Schleicher said. She was on the home’s back deck when the plane flew over, and she recalled hearing a popping sound. She turned to look and found a piece of fiberglass near her.
“The little piece fell on the back deck and I was just like, ‘That was really creepy,’” Schleicher said. Blankenship said he understands he moved next to an airport, but he believes there should be regulations regarding safety and noise — and they should be followed.
“I think the city and the county needs to be involved, because these are county residents here,” Blankenship said. “The city people aren’t going to say a whole lot because most city people aren’t affected.”
Volusia celebrates EMS week
The Volusia County Government is inviting the community to celebrate National EMS Week by recognizing local emergency medical services staff.
“EMS is a highly skilled profession,” Emergency Medical Services Director Kevin Captain said in a press release. “This week is a time to recognize the men and women who render lifesaving care in the field, often in difficult situations, and whose care and rapid transport make a profound difference.”
The county will publish EMS-related posts on its Facebook accounts, the press release states, and two award ceremonies recognizing EMS employees will have taken place by the end of the week: The first was held on Wednesday, May 24, and the second will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 26, at the Volusia County Historic Courthouse at 125 W. Indiana Ave.
LIGHTNING HITS CHURCH STEEPLE
On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 17, the steeple on the Historic New Bethel AME Church caught on fire after it was struck by lightning. According to a Facebook post by the Ormond Beach Professional Firefighters, local crews responded to the fire and were assisted by Volusia County Fire and Daytona Beach Fire. The church was empty at the time of the strike.
Email Senior Editor Jarleene Almenas at Jarleene@ observerlocalnews.com.
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Planning ahead is simple. The benefits are immense.
“There are people out there that will work. We just have to find them.”
School Board Chair Jamie Haynes on filling teacher and support staff vacancies. See Page 4A
‘The thin blue line is strong’
Flagler officers
JARLEENE ALMENAS
SENIOR EDITOR
Five hundred fifty-six names were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington during National Police Week on May 14-20, memorializing officers who died in recent years. The memorial bears 23,785 names, including 36 from Volusia and Flagler counties, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said at the 2023 Law Enforcement Memorial on Friday, May 19.
“The fallen heroes that we are remembering today made the ultimate sacrifice for their community, our cities, our county and our country,” Staly said. “They put themselves in harm’s way to protect others and uphold the law. They deserve our utmost respect and gratitude, and we will never forget their bravery and service.”
That’s what the memorial service is about, said Staly, who was the event’s guest speaker. Held at Daytona Memorial Park, the service honored the 36 officers, as well as two
K-9s, who have died in both counties since 1895. Staly acknowledged the grieving families in attendance.
In 2021, five officers in Volusia and Flagler counties died in the line of duty: Sgt. Justin White, of the Port Orange Police Department; Officer Adam Webb, of the Daytona Beach Police Department; Sgt. Dominic Guida, of the Bunnell Police Department; and Officer Jason Raynor, of the Daytona Beach Police Department. Raynor was shot while on patrol. There were no Flagler or Volusia law enforcement deaths in 2022 or so far in 2023.
Nationwide, 246 law enforcement officers died in 2022, and 42 have died in the line of duty this year, Staly said. The majority of their deaths were from gunfire, Staly added.
Hearts are heavy every day when remembering the fallen, he added, but grow more so as the trial for the suspect in Raynor’s shooting approaches.
“But the thin blue line is strong, and we will be there for each other and the Raynor family, as together, we seek justice for our fallen heroes,” Staly said.
“The fallen heroes that we are remembering today made the ultimate sacrifice for their community, our cities, our county and our country.”
RICK STALY, Flagler County sheriff
Thirteen
PRINCIPAL TRANSFERS
At a May 23 meeting, the district announced the following transfers of principals:
Lynn Bruner — from Beachside Elementary to Longstreet Elementary
at 8am at Heroes Memorial Park.
JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITORVolusia County Schools is wrapping up the 2022-2023 school year with 351 instructional vacancies, the School Board reported during its Tuesday, May 23 meeting.
Of the vacancies, the largest share — 97 — are for ESE teacher positions, while 74 are for core teachers.
The district also reported 372 support vacancies. Of those, 99 are in the custodial department: The district, which previously outsourced custodial services, is switching to in-house custodians at schools and district ancillary sites.
Also included in the 372 support vacancies are 95 paraprofessional positions.
“We are in the process of looking forward to next year,” said Mark West, chief human resources officer for Volusia County Schools. “So we’re going to be bringing information and numbers to you that reflect next year’s vacancies. Fortunately, we’re catching them early.”
So far, 756 people have separated from VCS, including 106 employees who retired.
A total of 102 reported finding employment outside of education as their reason for separation, while 169 listed personal reasons and 72 listed finding a job in education somewhere else in the state.
To address the vacan -
Tracy Buckner — from Cypress Creek Elementary to Sunrise Elementary
Alicia Douglas — from Enterprise Elementary to Manatee Cove Elementary
Virginia Freeman — from Forest Lake Elementary to Orange City Elementary
Carlos Scott — from Friendship Elementary to Coronado Elementary
Charlie Bynum — from Orange City Elementary to Pine Trail Elementary
Michelle Sojka — from Pine Trail Elementary to Forest Lake Elementary
Libby Johnson — From Pride Elementary to Enterprise Elementary
Carrie Devaney — from Spirit Elementary to South Daytona Elementary
Eilene Ahr — from Starke Elementary to Pride Elementary
Laura Figueroa — from Sugar Mill Elementary to Spirit Elementary
Kristina Kania — from Sunrise Elementary to Cypress Creek Elementary
VCS Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said transfers are not easy and are determined on a variety of factors, including current and future vacancies and state expectations.
“I do want to say thank you for all of our administrators for always understanding that bigger vision and always prioritizing and adjusting to meet the overall needs of our district,” Balgobin said.
Some parents spoke at the meeting about losing Bynum from Orange City Elementary. A petition to keep him at his current school has been signed 540 times. School Board member Carl Persis said that as a former principal, and someone who served at six schools over his career, he understood their pain. But, he encouraged them to remember there is also a new administrator coming in.
“You want that transition to be smooth and you want it to be welcoming,” Persis said.
The district also announced 16 assistant principal transfers.
Balgobin said principals and assistant principals all have a lot of respect for each other.
“We all work for the district of Volusia County Public Schools, right?” Balgobin said. “We’re all under that umbrella and when it comes to training, developments and so forth, we all attend those together, so there’s a high level of respect and camaraderie for each other.”
cies, the district is hosting two job fairs: One from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday,
May 30, at the Daytona State College’s campus in Deltona at 2351 Providence Blvd.; and a second one from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, at Horizon Elementary School, at 4751 Hidden Lake Drive in Port Orange.
School Board Chair Jamie Haynes said that while hosting two job fairs is a good start, the district needs to expand its efforts. She’d like to see six more fairs to reach residents in other parts of the county, held at different times.
“We need more options,” she said. “We need more options, because I don’t see my families in Seville or Pier-
son — that very well could want to be working at one of those schools — having the ability to get to Deltona. That’s a long way.”
West said he agreed and that those factors were part of the conversation at the district level.
Haynes also suggested the district go beyond advertising employment on social media, and spread the word to local chambers of commerce, churches, doctor’s offices and community centers.
“There are people out there that will work,” Haynes said. “We just have to find them.”
“We need more options. We need more options, because I don’t see my families in Seville or Pierson — that very well could want to be working at one of those schools — having the ability to get to Deltona. That’s a long way.”
Jamie Haynes, Volusia County School Board Chair
City, police union clash over wages, pension
The union’s proposal would raise the city’s payroll expenses by about $2 million, according to the city government.
JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITORIn negotiations between the city government and the police union, police officers are concentrating on two issues: their pensions and their work week, according to the union’s attorney.
But wages were a point of contention between the two groups earlier this month.
During a May 3 bargaining session, the International Union of Police Associations, which represents Ormond Beach police officers, presented its wage increase proposal: Upping starting pay rate for officers to $26 an hour; a $4.72-per-hour increase for all department employees; a 7.5% salary increase retroactive to Oct. 1, 2022, as well as for the next two fiscal years; and a onetime 0.5% increase per each officer’s number of years of service to avoid salary compression.
The city stated in an email that the union’s proposal would add about $2 million to the city’s payroll expenses. The current base pay payroll costs are around $3 million a year, not including incentive pay, taxes or benefits.
“During this bargaining session, we had our first discussion regarding pay, and this is a standard part of the negotiation process,” the city stated. “We want to make it clear that we have the utmost respect and appreciation for our officers. Historically, through negations, we’ve been able to achieve balance between providing support and resources for our officers and ensuring fiscal responsibility for the city.”
A short clip of the bargaining session surfaced on social media earlier this month, and the video’s caption alleged that Assistant City Manager Claire Whitley said to union repre-
sentatives, “If you were top officers, you’d go and get the top dollar.”
The city’s email stated that Whitley’s words have been misquoted on social media, and that her comment in full was: “We all know there’s lots of reasons you work here, we’re not the top paid. You are the best officers. You could go get the top top dollar, right.”
Bryan Lambert, the attorney representing the union, said in an email that wages were not the focus of the negotiations.
“While a clip has apparently gone viral regarding wages, this is not the focus of the negotiations at this time,” Lambert said. “Rather than rely on one clip and the proposals, I strongly encourage anyone interested to watch the entirety of the negotiations.”
Pensions have been the issue discussed at each bargaining session, Lambert said, since officers want the city to reinstate pension benefits it had previously removed when reducing its pension contributions.
“The city has used the tax money provided by the state, for the benefit of officer pensions, to reduce the city’s contribution to the pension plan by over half of their percentage,” Lambert said. “This was done while also reducing officers’ pension benefits to the minimum required by law.”
Because the union had discussed these pension issues with the city in previous negotiations, the city hired third-party public pension attorney Jim Linn, who said in a statement to the Observer that the police pension plan is being administered as negotiated and agreed upon by the city and police bargaining unit.
The city does use insurance premium tax money allocated by the state to help pay for police pension benefits in accordance with state law, Lewis said. This year, Linn said, the city is using $440,000 to offset its pension contribution, but after applying the police officers’ contributions (of approximately $343,500), the city’s contribution is more than $1.1 million, or 30.8% of payroll.
County OKs strategic
pursuit for ECHO
“The city has endeavored to clarify its actions, emphasizing that everything has been carried out in strict accordance with the law.”
MARK LEVITT, city labor attorney“This averages out to a city contribution of more than $18,650 for each of the city’s 62 active police officers,” Linn said. “State law allows cities and unions to negotiate over the amount of state premium tax revenues that can be used to pay for existing pension benefits by offsetting city pension contributions. This is exactly what the city and police union did in 2018, through a memo of understanding that has been included in every collective bargaining agreement since that time. For the union to now claim that the city has done something improper by following state law as well as its agreement with the union is without any legal or factual basis.”
City labor attorney Mark Levitt added that he believed there is some confusion or misinformation regarding the union’s assertions about pensions.
“The city has endeavored to clarify its actions, emphasizing that everything has been carried out in strict accordance with the law,” Levitt said in a statement to the Observer. “It is somewhat disconcerting that despite these explanations, the union continues to voice these claims. We sincerely hope that a more thorough understanding of the circumstances will lead to a resolution of this matter.”
In addition to pensions, the union is seeking to make officers eligible for overtime pay once they surpass 40 hours a week. Currently, Lambert said, Ormond Beach Police officers are required to work 42 hours a week before they can receive overtime pay.
“This means that officers work 104 hours per year more than a typical employee before earning overtime,” Lambert said.
The bargaining sessions can be viewed at youtube.com/@GregCook-rc1qx.
The strategic plan would create a 2040 roadmap for the voter-approved grant program.
JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITORThe Volusia County ECHO Advisory Board will create a strategic plan in the 2024 fiscal year as it seeks input on identifying future projects and improving the grant process.
The Volusia County Council OK’d the proposal to create the strategic plan in a 5-2 vote at its meeting on Tuesday, May 16, with the caveat that hiring a firm to lead the plan’s development must cost no more than $75,000.
The money would come out of the ECHO budget, which is funded with tax money. ECHO, an abbreviation for Environmental, Cultural, Historic and Outdoor Recreation, was continued for another 20 years after 72% of Volusia County voters approved a referendum in 2020.
“They want to plan for the next 18 years to spend over $100 million — maybe even $200 million — as this county expands,” County Council Chair Jeff Brower said. “And they want to do it right, and I’m going to defer to them when they say, ‘We really would like to have this help in providing and crafting a longterm plan so that they don’t waste taxpayer money.’”
County Councilmen David Santiago and Don Dempsey, who voted no, said they were concerned about the strategic plan’s potential price tag.
Santiago said he believed the committee has done great work on its own so far. Though ECHO is self-funded, he thought an outside consultant would be a waste of those dollars.
“I think they’re fully capable, in my opinion, to do that visionary work and maybe work within staff resources to come up with these goals,” Santiago said. There are talented people on the
plan
committee, Dempsey said, adding that outsourcing the strategic plan’s creation would take away from their responsibilities.
“I just think if we’re going to start coming up in the season of making cuts, the last thing we should be doing is expanding our expenses by doing this,” Dempsey said. “We should see how it goes without current appointments and see what kind of recommendations they come up with first before we start spending more tax dollars.”
Brad Burbaugh, county director of resource stewardship, said that when the county tried in the past to develop an in-house plan for ECHO, the county was not successful with its partners — the municipalities, which tended to be unengaged until it was time to propose projects for ECHO funding opportunities.
“We’ve talked about that, because they’re responsible to elected officials as well,” Burbaugh said. “But how do we get everyone in the room, including elected officials, to develop a 2040 vision for ECHO?”
Burbaugh had initially given an estimate of $75,000 to $125,000 for outsourcing the development of the strategic plan, a process he estimated would take about six months to a year, including a public input process with stakeholders.
MAY 9
MAN REPORTS STOLEN WHEEL AND TIRE, FINDS IT ON FACEBOOK
10:39 a.m. — Palm Coast Residential burglary. A man reported his American Racing wheel and tire stolen, only for a similar wheel to pop up for sale on Facebook marketplace.
The man said he left his $400 wheel outside his house and returned the next day from work to find it missing, according to an incident report.
When a deputy arrived, the man told the deputy that his brother had found what appeared to be his missing wheel on Facebook Marketplace, priced for $40.
The man’s chrome-colored wheel had a scratch on the tire caused by the wheel and the one pictured on Facebook Marketplace also had a similar scratch, the report said.
The deputy looked at the poster’s profile and noted that it appeared to be a spam profile. The theft is under investigation.
MAY 12
OCALA MAN IMPEDES EMERGENCY SAND WORK, TRIES TO BITE OFFICER
2:24 p.m. — 3300 block of North Ocean Shore Boulevard, Flagler Beach Breach of peace. An Ocala man allegedly blocked construction workers placing emergency sand on the beach at a local beach park and tried to bite a law enforcement officer.
The man was visiting the beach with his friends but jumped in front of dump trucks and refused to move.
The man was intoxicated, according to his arrest report, and later tried to bite a Sheriff’s Office commander
Because of the advertising and messaging around hearing aids and hearing care in general, many people tend to think of hearing aids like a commodity; in which regardless of where or how you get one, which one you get, the outcome is much the same. “One size fits all”, right? Actually, that’s NOT right. When it comes to treating your hearing loss, it is not that simple.
Last month we covered how important getting the “right” hearing aid is to your success. This month we are going to talk about how important it is to make sure that your audiologist has the training and expertise to ACCURATELY fit your hearing aids. Specifically, making sure your audiologist is fitting your hearing aid to your prescription, and that he/she is using the proper equipment to VERIFY that the settings in the hearing aids match your prescription.
Many people do not know that hearing aids are fit to a prescription; like your eyes when you get an eye exam, the doctor evaluates not only the overall health of your ears but also determines the prescription that drives the sounds that your hearing aids produce. When you get glasses, the doctor is using the prescription from the eye
exam for your glasses- if you pick up someone else’s glasses, even though they may be very nice, very fancy designer glasses, if the prescription isn’t right, you won’t see very well! Hearing aids are similar except even more complex, because the way that the brain processes sound
is more complex than how it processes vision. Unlike hearing aids, glasses are not constantly changing and adapting to what you see...your eyes do the “focusing”. Hearing aids however, are constantly changing the way the microphones and circuits react, doing most of the “focusing” for you. Also, unlike glasses, today’s prescription hearing aids can be re-fit and adjusted when your hearing changes. You don’t need to get new hearing aids - if your vision changes, you have to get new glasses.
When your hearing aids do not fit properly, it could be as simple as feeling like you aren’t hearing as well as you should. Or
overseeing the construction.
The Sheriff’s Office commander attempted to persuade the man to return to his spot on the beach, but the man refused to move.
The two began to struggle, and the man threatened and tried to bite the commander.
A deputy arrived on scene and helped the commander arrest the man.
MAY 13
MAKING A RUN FOR IT
2:45 p.m. — 500 block of South Nova Road, Ormond Beach Resisting an officer without violence. A 48-year-old Daytona Beach man complained of a previous arm injury while being detained by police.
The complaint gave him a chance to pull away and flee through a parking lot.
The man had spoken to deputies earlier that day regarding a burglary in unincorporated Volusia County, according to a police report. During the investigation, deputies discovered that the man had given them a false name. He was also wanted on other related charges.
As the man ran from local police, a bystander tackeld him to the ground. The man was taken to jail.
MAY 20
TIME TO CHECK OUT
10:20 a.m. — First block of South Beach Street, Ormond Beach Trespassing. Police arrested a 41-year-old St. Augustine man who had been trespassed from a local library but returned anyway.
Police responded to the building, where the man was found using a computer.
He had been trespassed from the library six days earlier.
Police issued him a new trespass warning, according to a police report.
it could be as serious as damage to your hearing and ears (i.e., sore ear canals, discomfort and pain with certain sounds, etc.). Unfortunately, there are no legal requirements for providers who dispense hearing aids to be trained in the proper verification of the hearing aid fitting in the state of Florida. If you are seeing a Doctor of Audiology, then you can be assured that they have had the training and rigorous certification process that includes fitting and verification of hearing aids. They use Real-Ear Measures to fit and verify your hearing aid prescription. Your provider should perform real-ear measures at the time of the hearing aid fitting and every time your prescription changes, to make sure your prescription is correct. Simply connecting your aids to a computer and changing the settings is not real-ear measurement. REM is special test that is done both with and without your hearing aids, so the provider can compare what you are hearing with and without your hearing aids, and they compare those measurements to your prescription. Want to learn more about RealEar Measures? Go to www.newsmyr nahearingcen ter.com/blog. If you already have hearing aids, and you aren’t hearing well, call and sched -
He was then taken to jail.
MAY 21
DRUNK CONFESSIONS
9:04 p.m. — 300 block of Wimette Avenue, Ormond Beach DUI. A 50-year-old Daytona Beach man tried to woo a police officer as the man was being investigated for drunk driving.
Police had received a call about a reckless driver in the area and found the car parked on a sidewalk.
As the reporting officer approached, he could hear music coming from the rolleddown windows. The man was still in the driver’s seat, and the car’s interior smelled of alcohol, according to a police report.
The man appeared to be asleep, but the keys were in the ignition, and the car was running.
When the man finally responded to the officer, the man’s speech was initially unintelligible, the officer noted in his report, but the man did admit to drinking alcohol. He had to be helped out of the car by the officer, and when told to call someone to pick him up, the man started playing music on his phone instead.
The reporting officer soon discovered the man did not have a valid driver’s license.
Two officers arrived to help, and the man turned to the female officer said, “I would be the right man for you,” “You would love me” and “You’re my type.”
He was asked to complete a series of field sobriety exercises, which he didn’t pass.
After officers explained one of the exercises to the man for the third time, the man said, “I’m done. Arrest me,” according to the police report. Police found five bottles of banana-flavored alcohol inside the car. He was taken to jail.
ule an appointment to have real-ear measures performed on your current devices. If you are considering treating your hearing loss, make sure you ask “Do you verify your hearing aid fittings with REM? And where did you get your training?”
Missed the first part of our educational series? Read them all at: www.ormondhearingcenter.com/blog.
At Palm Coast Hearing Center, our mission is to not only provide the best quality hearing care possible, but also to educate the community and help all patients make informed decisions so they can get the care they need and deserve.
Visit our website, www. palmcoasthearingcenter. com to learn more and schedule an appointment. We also have locations to serve you in Ormond.
Retired Army colonel to speak at Memorial Day Ceremony
A retired U.S. Army colonel will be the guest speaker at Flagler County’s Memorial Day Ceremony.
Col. Peggy Hengeveld is a member of the Honorable Order of St. Michael and a Legion of Merit recipient. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 29, at the county’s Government Services Building on Moody Boulevard.
Local Boy and Girl Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance, according to a press release from Flagler County. Daytona Beach singer Shannon Rae will sing the national anthem and later “God Bless America.” Veteran Vince Cautero will once again sing “God Bless the USA.”
Hengeveld has made a career of nursing, in and out of the military.
She served in the U.S. Army from 1978 to 2006 and, in 2002, became the first female soldier from the Pennsylvania Army Nation Guard to graduate from the United States Army War College, the press release said.
“Flagler County has a very strong community of veterans,” Veterans Service Officer David Lydon said. “It is a privilege and an honor to have a distinguished veteran like Col. Peggy Hengeveld help us pay tribute to those who lost their lives in service to our country.”
General surgeon joins AdventHealth in Flagler County
As an AdventHealth Medical Group physician, Marshall joins AdventHealth’s more than 400 physician providers, including 250 primary care doctors and specialists in Volusia, Flagler and Lake counties, according to a press release from AdventHealth.
Born and raised in the Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach area, Marshall returns to the area and will serve as Flagler County’s only female general surgeon.
Her services include laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), breast surgery and colon surgery.
“I am excited to join AdventHealth because of its stellar reputation and am looking forward to being a part of the Palm Coast community,” Marshall said. “The location brings me closer to my hometown, and closer to friends and family, which is very exciting for my family.”
Her office is currently located inside the medical office building at AdventHealth Palm Coast, 61 Memorial Medical Parkway, Suite 3806, in Palm Coast.
After AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway opens in August, her practice will relocate to the new facility, located at 3 AdventHealth Way, Suite 201, in Palm Coast.
Her office can be reached at 386586-1804.
Temple Beth Shalom Shavuot services to feature students
Temple Beth Shalom Palm Coast is planning a “Super Shavuot Weekend” beginning Thursday, May 25, through Saturday night, May 27.
The holiday of Shavuot commemorates Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai close to 4,000 years ago.
Jews have celebrated the holiday for thousands of years by holding evening-long Torah studies and enjoying seasonal fruits and dishes.
On May 25, the evening will start at 7 p.m. with Torah talk and evening-long study and discussion
a “Kid-dish” with a special Oneg — a Sabbath delight — sponsored by the religious school in the form of an ice cream social.
Saturday services will begin at 10 a.m. with YizKor Memorial services, as ordained for this holiday, followed by an Oneg and Torah Talk. Havdalah will be held virtually, accessible via the Temple web page — tbspalmcoast.org — at 7 p.m.
For additional information, contact the Temple office Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9 a.m. to noon or via the website above or hakol@tbspalmcoast.org.
What to expect for hurricane season in Flagler County
Flagler County Emergency Management urges residents to ensure their evacuation information is up to date for the 2023 hurricane season.
There have been changes to the county’s hurricane evacuation information and coastal island bridge closures, according to a press release from the county. Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said there have also been some key changes in how the county will conduct its messaging.
“Last year, evacuation orders included neighborhoods and Zones
A-F,” Lord said. “To communicate with our community more clearly, this year we will only be announcing evacuations using neighborhood names or descriptions.”
The county has a new map to help residents understand who may need to evacuate, Lord said.
It is on Emergency Management’s website under “Hurricane Evacuation Zones.” Residents can enter their address to see if they are in an evacuation zone. Instead of announcing bridge closures, the county will instead communicate with the public about when it is not safe to be on the road or when bridge access is limited, the press release said.
Marine Science Center to unveil new shark exhibit
The Marine Science Center staff will spread the good word on sharks and host activities during Shark Conservation Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at 100 Lighthouse Drive in Ponce Inlet. Staff will also unveil a new shark exhibit at 2 p.m. Speakers will focus on shark conservation efforts, including how water quality in the Indian River Lagoon affects all marine species, how fishermen help provide data and input for fisheries management and how each of us can make a difference.
Visitors may also view the turtle hospital and stroll along the bird boardwalk, which houses recovering birds and permanent residents. For information, visit marinesciencecenter.com or call 386-304-5545.
Prep for the event with these fun facts on sharks:
Sharks are elasmobranchs, which means their body is made of cartilage instead of bones like other fish.
Their average lifespan is 25 to 30 years.
Their skin feels like sandpaper
Their fearsome jaws are made up of hundreds of small teeth. Each tooth lasts about 60 days before falling out, then a new tooth takes its place
When you flip a shark upsidedown, it goes into a trance-like state called tonic immobility.
One of the oldest living species, sharks have been cruising the oceans for more than 400 million years.
Health Department observes National Women’s Health Week
The Florida Department of HealthFlagler observed National Women’s Health Week on May 14-25 with a panel discussion on the Flagler Health Matters radio show, which aired May 20 on WNZF 94.9 FM.
A recording is available at flaglerbroadcasting.com/podcasts.
The panel included Jeannette Simmons of Flagler Cares, Health Department nurse practitioner Carmel Frawley and the department’s Mary Kauffman, who spoke about the department’s Women, Infants and Children program.
Jaffy Lee, the DOH-Flagler’s public information officer and preparedness planner and the host of Flagler Health Matters, said women are often caught in the demands of work and family and forego a healthy lifestyle.
The Health Department team said women should get active, get a regular checkup, eat a healthy diet, prioritize mental health and make daily decisions that make yourself a priority and influence overall health.
“Women’s Health Care Month (in May) is about raising awareness of how a woman can improve her health. … Contact your doctor for a full-body medical checkup and take steps to treat an ailment. Timely medical intervention can save your life,” Lee said. “The (Health Department) encourages you to take the pledge to take the best care of yourself medically, spiritually and emotionally and live the healthy, active life you deserve.”
General surgeon Dr. Jessica Marshall has joined AdventHealth Medical Group and will perform procedures at AdventHealth Palm Coast.
TRIBUTES
Cynthia McIntosh Williams
1949-2023
Cynthia McIntosh Williams, 74, of Hayesville, North Carolina went peacefully in her sleep to be with her Lord and Savior on May 15, 2023. She was a native of Miami, Florida where she also grew up.
She began her career as a bookkeeper with Eastern Airlines. Cynthia later moved to Atlanta, Georgia area where she worked as a bookkeeper for Allgood Productions, Barnett Performance, and in the plumbing industry. Cynthia then lived in St. Augustine and Palm Coast, Florida. She worked as an administrative assistant at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.
Cynthia came to Hayesville in 2016.
Cynthia was a faithful follower of Christ, involved in church wherever she lived. She was a member of Hammock Community Church in Flagler Beach, Florida where she served as choir director. She formed the deaf ministry at First Baptist Church in Lithia Springs, Georgia and taught sign language. Cynthia also taught Sunday School and led the youth choir at Mount Carmel Baptist Church.
Locally, she was a member of the Truett Memorial Baptist Church.
Cynthia enjoyed gardening, working in her flowers,
Families are encouraged to bring their favorite dairy dishes to share and to wear comfy clothes — even pajamas — for relaxed learning.
A modified family service will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by
Lord said residents should take advantage of the upcoming statewide sales tax holiday to restock their disaster kits. The county will provide details on its social media when the holiday is occurring, the press release said.
She never met a stranger and combined that trait with her love of Christ by handing out “Daily Bread” devotionals to whoever she
and developed a love and talent for photography. She also enjoyed travelling and loved the mountains, especially Cade’s Cove. She never met a stranger and combined that trait with her love of Christ by handing out “Daily Bread” devotionals to whoever she met.
She was the daughter of Gert McIntosh of Austell, Georgia and the late Harold McIntosh. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Buddy McIntosh.
Surviving, in addition to her mother, are her husband, Tommy Williams; a son, Ja-
son Roberts and wife, Amber of Atlantic Beach, Florida; two brothers, Greg McIntosh of Winder, Georgia and Bruce McIntosh of Austell, Georgia; and a grandson, Rayden Griffis.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in memory of Cynthia McIntosh Williams to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, Advancement Office, 207 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL 32084.
Ivie Funeral Home, Hayesville in charge of arrangements.
An online guest register is available at www.iviefuneralhome.com.
met.
LETTERS
Tymber Creek decision was coerced
Dear Editor:
On May 16, the City Commission approved the rezoning of 19 commercial acres and a development order for 270 “Tymber Creek Apartment” units behind Walgreens at the S.R. 40 intersection. Beyond the currently allowed 164 units, the Planned Business Development can qualify for density waivers in exchange for voluntary upgrades and community benefits.
Threat No. 1: Adjacent subdivisions were told the existing commercial zoning could allow a big box Target store.
Threat No. 2: The 164-unit plan, if imposed, would construct affordable housing with minimal buffers and setbacks.
Last year, the Planning Board recommended denial of the 270 unit application by a 5-0 vote. The January City Commission hearing was twice delayed until April 18, when elected officials signaled a vote to deny.
Four commissioners asked the developer to consider less density in an area where schools, roads and hospitals are already stressed.
Threat No. 3: Introduced by applicant attorney Mark Watts: SB 102, a new state law signed by the governor on March 29, to take effect on July 1. The “Live Local Act” will allow developers to bypass local land use rules in commercial and
POST OFFICE WORKERS BRING FOOD TO JERRY
DOLINER FOOD BANK
Employees with the United States Postal Service delivered several loads of groceries to the Jerry Doliner Food Bank on Saturday, May 13.
The food bank, located at 470 Andalusia Ave, is an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler Counties and helps feed people in need in Volusia and Flagler regardless of their religion. To learn more about the Jewish Federation, visit jewishfederationdaytona.org.
OMAM OFFERS FREE ADMISSION TO MILITARY PERSONNEL
The Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens is joining a nationwide initiative to provide free admission to current U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.
The 2023 Blue Star Museums program began on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, and will end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.
“We are honored to be a part of this important initiative and have the opportunity to enrich the lives of our military personnel and their families with art and nature,” OMAM Executive Director Stephanie MasonTeague said.
OMAM opened in 1946 with a donation of spiritual oil paintings by artist and decorated World War I veteran Malcolm Fraser.
Two original sculptures honoring veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars are on display in the gardens. OMAM also has commemorative plaques for World War I and World War II.
Since 2010, the museum has provided hundreds of hours of art instruction for veterans through the VA’s Wellness Recovery Program.
In February, OMAM began the Veterans Creative Expression Workshop, which provides veterans and a family member (age 16 or older) an opportunity to explore the museum’s current exhibit and then create an art project.
All veterans are eligible for 100% financial scholarships for any tuition-based classes year-round.
The museum, located at 78 E. Granada Blvd., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 12-4 p.m. on weekends.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO OFFER SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS
Volusia County Public Libraries will offer a variety of programming for teenagers this summer.
This summer’s reading challenge, “All Together Now,” will be held from June 5 through Aug. 11. Teens can track their summer reading online
industrial zones if 40% of the units are set aside for affordable housing.
The state can exercise preemptive power in eliminating local public hearings and assigning a city’s highest allowed density and building heights, potentially 525 units for Tymber Creek. Blindsided, the commission tabled the application until May 16.
Tallahassee lobbyist Jeff Sharkey testified that the new law, providing cash subsidies to developers, was a bold “experiment” aimed at addressing a statewide need for affordable housing. Residents of adjacent Indian Springs and Moss Point, promised larger buffers and setbacks, spoke in begrudging favor of the 270 unit proposal as “a lesser of two evils.”
Commissioner Susan Persis, who had voiced an unequivocal “no” on April 18 , reversed her vote, based on private meetings with the developer and residents of Indian Springs and Moss Point, even though no new adjustments were made to a proposal that caused her “a couple of sleepless nights.”
Other Zone 3 subdivisions and city residents were apparently a nonfactor.
Commissioner Travis Sargent, the lone “no” vote, was troubled by impactful density overloading hospitals, roads, and schools, and refused to yield to the threats or make a decision based on “an experiment.”
Our commissioners took an oath to support, defend, and protect the laws of our city. Why abandon that oath under
threat of a new law that will not take effect until July 1?
JEFF BOYLE Ormond BeachEditor’s note: City Commissioner Travis Sargent voted in favor of the rezoning request for the project, but against the development order.
On volunteering
Dear Editor:
The surgeon general of our country, Dr. Vivek Murthy, caught my attention again very recently when he, in effect, proclaimed that more than half of us are lonely in this day and age, a time with its particular social, economic and political stresses. This loneliness and isolation impacts our physical and mental health in profound adverse ways.
Dr. Murthy goes on to say that one way to ease loneliness is to consider volunteering. I see this as a significant benefit, especially for senior members of our society, of which I am one.
My thinking at this latter stage in my life is an expansion of the dictionary definition of the word “volunteer.” Accordingly, I see several key advantages in this expansion. First, to become more active, which is so important in maintaining our health insofar as possible. As physical therapists say, we need to be as active as we can, even if It’s only by walking. Secondly, the classic definition of enhancing the quality of our community lives by offering
our time and talents. And, thirdly, by the opportunity to develop more friendships which can be crucial during times of need. I’ve seen how utterly grateful friends can be at these times here in Ormond Beach when friends help, since their family is not readily available to help, especially during emergencies.
These latter two advantages of helping our community and developing more friendships auger so well in becoming happier by “stepping out of our shells” and helping others. After all, is this not fundamental to our getting along with each other in a better way?
Wonderful opportunities for volunteering exist here in our Ormond community, including not only helping neighbors, but others who need support at hospitals, schools, senior support service facilities and food banks. Of course, volunteering with organizations that share your interests like garden clubs or historical societies can give one great satisfaction.
As Albert Schweitzer, philosopher and theologian, says, “Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don’t live in the world all of your own.”
JERRY A. VALCIK Ormond BeachSend letters up to 400 words to Jarleene@observerlocalnews.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
ObserverLocalNews.com
ORMOND BEACH Observer
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”
Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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PETS UP FOR ADOPTION
with a link provided when they register for the challenge.
Those who read at least four days a week throughout the summer will earn prizes from the library. Registration for the challenge will begin May 28 at volusialibrary.org/slp.
A lineup of other teen programs, from hands-on maker activities to special presentations, will also be available. Teens and guardians can check their local branch’s calendar for a full schedule. Select library locations will offer breakfast and/or lunch for children 18 and under throughout the summer, beginning June 5. Feeding locations, days and times will be published later this month at volusia. org/summerfood.
New for this summer, teens can stop by any library branch to pick up a free Teen Summer Activity Booklet. With a library card and online account, teens can download free books, magazines, audiobooks, music, movies and more on the library’s website.
BUSINESSES JOIN TO HELP WOMAN WITH PANCREATIC CANCER
available at Donnie’s Ormond Beach location June 1-10, and will also be available at the SeaDrift fundraiser. All proceeds from Donnie’s Donuts and the 50/50 raffle will go toward Sague’s care.
Rusty Wagon Redo Joint will organize a silent auction at the fundraiser, including original art and products from local stores such as Granada Surf Shop, and all of the proceeds will be donated.
“It’s so important for us to come together for our community in any way possible,” said Rochelle Cannon, founder of Rusty Wagon Redo Joint. “We hope there’s a great turnout, and we can really help our dear friend, Kim.”
CHRIS JOHNSON NAMED ACADEMIC DEAN AT CHRIST BIBLE COLLEGE
Chris Johnson, the associate pastor at Crosswalk Church in Daytona Beach for the past 19 years, has
been named academic dean at Ormond Beach’s Christ Bible College and Theological Seminary, according to a press release.
The college and seminary are on the campus of Riverbend Community Church in Ormond Beach.
Johnson was also involved in Christian radio for more than 17 years with Cornerstone Broadcasting in Port Orange. He has been on the teaching faculty for the past year at Riverbend Academy and Christ Bible College and Theological Seminary.
Johnson has an associate’s degree in religion from Liberty University, a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministries from The Master’s University (Santa Clarita, California) and a master’s of divinity from Christ Theological Seminary. He was in the seminary’s first graduating class in 2022. He has also been accepted for the doctoral program at The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California.
Christ Theological Seminary was founded in 2018. It has conferred four-year master’s degrees on two classes (nine students).
Christ Bible College, which grants baccalaureate degrees, held its first classes in 2022.
Johnson and his wife, Stephanie, have four children: Eden, Chris, Levi and Noah.
Milo, a 5-year-old mixed breed dog with a black and brown coat. His adoption fee is $75.
Wendy, a 3-year-old Siberian husky mix with a white and black coat. Call for adoption fee.
Shadow, a 2-year-old mixed breed dog with a white and black coat. His adoption fee is $75.
Ormond Beach businesses are hosting an event on June 10 at SeaDrift Sports Bar and Grill to raise money for a local woman recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The fundraiser for Kim Sague, who moved to the area in 1990, will feature a special dish for which 100% of the proceeds will be donated, according to a press release. The event will also include a 50/50 raffle and treats from local shops. A beloved mother and grandmother, Sague has been a loyal Speedy Mart employee for seven years.
In addition to the event, Donnie’s Donuts is creating a special donut benefiting Sague. These will be
Buffy, a 2-year-old retriever and Labrador mix with a black and white coat. His adoption fee is $75.
To adopt any of these animals, or to see others, visit the Halifax Humane Society’s main campus at 2364 LPGA Blvd. or call 274-4703.
meet the needs of pregnant women, infants, young children and their families by using shared resources to manage and coordinate the services of many programs, including:Healthy Start, MomCare and Healthy Families. Visit healthystartfv.org for more information. PILOT CLUB PRESENTS CHECK TO HEALTHY START
Family Renew Community holds first ice cream social since pandemic
The organization hoped to have 400 attendees and exceeded its goal.
ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
More than 400 people attended Family Renew Community’s ice cream social on Sunday, May 21. This year marked the organization’s return to St. James Episcopal Church for the event since the pandemic began, and turnout — tracked with wristbands provided at entry — exceeded organizers’ expectations.
The event supports Family Renew Community, founded by a group of 18 Volusia churches in 1989. There are 21 churches involved now, along with hundreds of volunteers.
Family Renew Community celebrated its 30th annual ice cream social at St. James before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
The event was moved online for a couple of years, but it was hard to serve ice cream over video chat, said Denise O’Toole Kelly, acting executive director for Family Renew Community. Family Renew Community rebranded the event last year as a family fun event, but many people said they missed the ice cream social.
The ice cream social raises money for Family Renewal Community’s mission — “to provide a safe, stable home for homeless families with children and equip them with the tools they need to be self-sufficient,” Kelly said.
Family Renew Community has 32 apartments in Holly Hill, Daytona Beach and DeLand for homeless families.
The families aren’t expected to pay rent or utilities, but must save 50% of their income to move into permanent housing.
Tenants must be employed or employable, and the organization helps them find jobs, higher positions and job training.
“We are really interested in working on whatever lead them to their homelessness. We want to address this issue so once they leave us, they will never be homeless again,” Kelly said.
There are at least 1000 homeless families in Volusia County.
“We as a community need to support our families in order to be a strong community,” Kelly said. “When families are homeless in our
community, the whole community struggles.”
The event offered ice cream along with homemade cakes and cookies, a silent auction, and a vendor area including a jewelry show, fairy hair booth and pop-up St. James’ thrift store. It also included a DJ, balloon twisting, face painting, a bounce house, and games and activities for all ages.
Mr. Bailey’s Opus
Walter Bailey was the band director of Ormond Beach Middle School (formerly Ormond Beach Junior High) from 1966-1997.
JARLEENE
ALMENAS SENIOR EDITORThe Ormond Beach Middle School
Bands paid tribute to longtime former band director Walter Bailey on Wednesday, May 17, with a special tribute concert in his honor.
The concert, themed “The Stars Come Out at Night,” was held at the Seabreeze High School Auditorium and attended by many of Bailey’s former students as well as current band students’ families and local band directors, both current and former, like band directors Earl Williams, of Mainland High School, and Dave Smith, of Seabreeze High School, who taught during the same decades as Bailey.
Bailey was the band director of OBMS (formerly known as Ormond Beach Junior High) from 1966-1997.
Observer asked what he liked about being a band director, Bailey, 81, said, “It was always about Bailey was presented with a new OBMS band sweatshirt with his nickname, “Uncle Fuzzy,” emblazoned on the lapel. In turn, he gave current OBMS Band Director Sonya Shearer the hoodie his students gave him over 30 years ago.
Bailey also received a proclamation and key to the city from City Commissioner Harold Briley, who played trumpet in Bailey’s band 38 years ago.
“He is a legend,” Briley said during the concert. “It’s an honor for me to be here tonight to present you, Mr. Bailey, with this proclamation from the city of Ormond Beach.”
YOUR NEIGHBORS
AWARDS
DRIFT RACE (CLASSIC)
Derby Ducks
The Rough Riders
Speed Angels
DRIFT RACE (FUTURE)
Ormond Road Runners
We Are Bears
Get Out Of My Swamp
PUSH RACE (CLASSIC)
Derby Ducks
The Rough Riders
Mario Kart
PUSH RACE (FUTURE)
Flaming Slow Bros
The Popo Locos
Hamiltoneers
CREATIVE/ORIGINAL DESIGN
Flaming Slow Bros
We Are Bears Candy Cuties
PATHWAYS SPIRIT
Flaming Slow Bros
Demolition Dudes
American Rodeo Girls
If you build it, they will run
Pathways Elementary hosts its annual derby for the 18th year.
The air was electric at Pathways Elementary on Friday, May 19, as students lined up their cars for the 18th annual fifth-grade derby.
First up was the Derby Car Parade, where teams showed off their derby car creations. Kindergarten through fifth grade students and parents lined the route applauding their favorite teams.
The “Pathways Mega Annual Most Spectacular Awe Inspiring Fifth Grade Derby” consisted of two drift races down a ramp, with each driver taking a turn.
There was also a push race around an oval where the driver and the pusher switched halfway through the course. Students competed in “future” cars, which are new to the derby, and “classic” cars, which have been in the derby in the past.
Race director and Pathways
Teacher of the Year Matt Coleman assisted drivers at the top of the ramp as they drifted down and rolled to a stop. Coleman, who teaches third grade, announced the winners for each race, and the awards for design and spirit.
TEAM SPIRIT
Lilly Little (Get Out Of My Swamp)
We Are Bears
Rylie George (fourth grade assistant)
LOCAL EVENTS
THURSDAY, MAY 25
CHAT WITH A COMMISSIONER
When: 10-11 a.m.
Where: David Hood Plaza at Ormond Beach City Hall, 22 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach
Details: Ormond Beach Zone
1 City Commissioner Lori Tolland will be at the Farmers Market at City Hall. She encourages residents to come and share their thoughts about Ormond Beach.
FRIDAY, MAY 26
HALIFAX RIVER PADDLE
When: 9-11 a.m.
Where: Sanchez Park, 329 Sanchez Ave., Ormond Beach
Details: Look for marine mammals while explor
ing the waters of the Halifax River. Bring a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard, along with a life preserver and whistle, for this free Explore Volusia program. Registration required. Call 386-736-5927.
FAMILY ART NIGHT
When: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast
Details: The city of Palm Coast’s Parks and Recreation Department is starting a new free Family Art Night program featuring fun and simple art projects for families to create together. Visitpalmcoast.gov/Events/Home/ Details?slug=family-art.
SATURDAY, MAY 27
TOUCH-A-TRUCK
When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast Details: The third annual city of Palm Coast Touch-aTruck event will feature more than
75 trucks and vehicles from multiple agencies.
A “horn free” hour will take place from 10-11 a.m. This free event is hosted by the Palm Coast Public Works Department in celebra tion of National Public Works Week.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
SEA TURTLE NESTING IN VOLUSIA COUNTY
When: 2-3 p.m.
Where: Environmental Dis covery Center, 601 Division Ave., Ormond Beach
Details: The Environmental Discovery Center and Volusia County Environmental Management will present Alexa Putillo, sea turtle habitat conservation plan field manager, who will speak on current nesting numbers, the county’s
MONDAY, MAY 29 PALM COAST MEMORIAL
DAY CEREMONY
When: 8 a.m.
Where: Heroes Memorial Park, 2860 Palm Coast
Parkway NW, Palm Coast
Details: The city of Palm Coast will host a Memorial Day Ceremony to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to the U.S. military.
Parking is available along Corporate Drive and at the Flagler County Public Library.
ORMOND BEACH MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCE SERVICE
ONGOING EXERCISES FOR THE MATURING BODY
When: 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays
Where: First Baptist Church of Palm Coast, 6050 Palm Coast Parkway, Palm Coast Details: Attend upbeat classes presented by Synergy Senior Fitness and taught by Senior Fitness Specialist Artie Gardella. Classes are ongoing. Insurances that cover fitness accepted, or a donation for those with no coverage. Visit Synergyseniorfitness.com.
MOAS EXHIBITIONS
The public is invited to our Annual Graduation Sunday Worship Experience on May 28th at 9:30 a.m.
We are honoring our High School and College graduates.
Rayliana Giaccone, a member of our church and current student at Florida State University, will be our speaker.
Aaron Spears - Matanzas High School • Aidan Giaccone - Flagler Palm Coast High School
Nicole Rimstidt - Matanzas High School • Victoria Mannino - Jackson County High School
Joshua Newman - Mainland High School
Also, our Traditional Worship Experience will be held at 8 a.m.
Palm Coast United Methodist Church 5200 Belle Terre Pkwy | Palm Coast, FL 32137 www.palmcoastchurch.org
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Museum of Arts and Sciences, 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach
Details: Want to spend a day looking at fine art? The Museum of Arts and Sciences has the following shows on display: “It’s a Kite Thing: Florida Women’s Arts Association,” “Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope,” and “Caribbean Indigenous Resistance.”
When: 9 a.m.
Where: Rockefeller Gardens, 26 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Presented by the city’s Department of Leisure Services, American Legion Post 267 and American Legion Unit 267. Limited seating available. Call 676-3241 or visit ormondbeach.org.
FLAGLER COUNTY MEMORIAL DAY
CEREMONY
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell
Details: Join Flagler County for its Memorial Day Ceremony featuring guest speaker Retired U.S. Army Col. Peggy Hengeveld. The ceremony will also honor Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, who died in Iraq in 2003.
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MOAS to open exhibit featuring James Webb space telescope images
MOAS Curator of Science
Seth Mayo said the museum aims to show that the images can be appreciated by everyone, both as scientific discoveries and as art.
SENIOR EDITOR
The Museum of Arts and Sciences
opened a new exhibit of cosmic proportions on Saturday, May 20.
The exhibit, titled “Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope,” showcases images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. MOAS Curator of Science
Seth Mayo said the museum aims to show that the images can be appreci-
“When you look at a huge, sweeping view of galaxies, or a nebula where stars are being born, it almost looks like someone painted these images, these places, but they’re real places in space. And so we feel like people can connect with that on many levels, not just scientific, but an artistic, creative level as well.”
SETH MAYO, MOAS curator of scienceated by everyone, both as scientific discoveries and as art.
“When you look at a huge, sweeping view of galaxies, or a nebula where stars are being born, it almost looks like someone painted these images, these places, but they’re real places in space,” Mayo said. “And so
we feel like people can connect with that on many levels — not just scientific, but an artistic, creative level as well.”
In addition to the Webb space telescope images, the exhibit also features interactive activities including an infrared monitor, an audio experience using mirrors, and displays that explain the engineering and technical aspects of the space telescope.
MOAS Interpretation Specialist
John Herman said he feels like hosting the exhibit in the community is a tremendous service.
“We wanted to make this as accessible to everybody as we can,” Herman said. “The fact that anybody of any age, any group or anything can come here and experience this, I think is just phenomenal.”
He and MOAS Science Communicator Christian Traverson created a 3D model of the James Webb space telescope using a 3D printer.
“This is the largest model we have found in our research that any institution outside of NASA themselves has,” Herman said.
One of the images Mayo said he finds impressive is the one of “The
Pillars of Creation,” first captured in an image by the Hubble Space Telescope in the mid-1990s. The Webb telescope captured the nebula in more detail than ever before, Mayo said.
“I always think it looks like giant fingers stretching into space, but then to realize those columns, some of them are seven light years long, is pretty astounding,” he said. “... It’s well known in the public too, as an amazing picture of space, an interstellar space beyond our solar system, thousands of light years away.”
He hopes that those who visit the exhibit will enjoy it and perhaps find a passion for science, technology, engineering and math — as well as art.
“As you look at the night sky, these places are really there for us to explore, for us to understand,” Mayo said. “I hope people get that connection when they come into this exhibit, and just enjoy space and how amazing and beautiful it is.”
The exhibit will be on display at MOAS through Oct. 1.
Wadsworth students participate in food drive, win pizza
Bronx House Pizza’s Brad Beam wanted to teach the kids the importance of helping people in need.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Brad Beam, the co-owner of the Bronx House Pizza on State Road 100 and Bronx House Pizza & Brew in The Hammock, grew up in Palm Coast. He attended Wadsworth Elementary School, Buddy Taylor Middle School and Flagler Palm Coast High School. He has a relationship with the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Daytona Beach and knows that food pantries shut down when they don’t have enough donations.
So, he went back to Wadsworth and spoke to administrators about organizing a food drive.
“I wanted to teach the kids the importance of helping people in need,” Beam said. “(Principal) Paul Peacock pitched the idea of giving a pizza party to any class that has 100% participation with every kid donating one or more (food items).”
As it turned out, every class had 100% participation, and Bronx House gave away pizza slices to all 875 students. Beam also had commemorative T-shirts made for all of the students, with the Bronx House Pizza logo on the front and text on the back reading: “First Annual
Bronx House Pizza Wadsworth Elementary Food Drive.” The kids wore the T-shirts on their field days.
On May 19, Beam drove to the school and loaded up a van with dozens of boxes of food donations and then drove down to the Salvation Army.
“They were blown away with how many donations there were, all from one school,” Beam said. He planned to deliver the 150 to 160 pizzas to students and staff at the school over a four-day period, May 22-25.
It’s Not Goodbye… We’ll See You Around
After 17 years of service to Palm Coast, the city chose a new provider for its residents.
At Waste Pro, we never throw away an opportunity to show our gratitude, so thank you for the partnership. We’re proud of our many years of work and service to the city. Please be patient as the city works through replacing your recycling bins.
You’ll see us around as we continue to serve Palm Coast businesses and folks in Flagler County living outside the city limits.
So, when you see our trucks rolling down the street, be sure to wave!
Thank you for 17 years of service in Palm Coast.
Rising to the occasion
Mainland and Seabreeze track and field teams represented at state championship meet.
MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mainland and Seabreeze High Schools’ track and field athletes gathered at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 19 for the Class 3A State Championship. Both teams represented their schools by recording personal bests and bringing home multiple medals.
Thirteen Bucs qualified for state, with eight bringing home medals. Seven Seabreeze athletes also went to the meet and earned seven medals. Only the top eight earn the right to step on the podium.
Mainland’s Jonathan Williams and Seabreeze’s Zeli Hayworth earned runner-up finishes.
Mainland track coach and athletic director Terrence Anthony said they are ready to build for next year.
“I’m just so proud of these guys,” he said. “These guys have worked their butts off all year. It’s a testament to the hard work that they have put in. There is more to come.”
Williams led Mainland, running a 14.31 in the 110-meter hurdles for second place — a mere 0.19 seconds off the leader’s pace. Teammates Emmanuel Israel finished ninth in the event with Damarcus Creecy placing 11th and 14th in the 400-meter hurdles. Coming into the meet, Williams tried to take it all in as a senior and embrace his last race with the Buccaneers.
“I tried to make it as fun as possible for them,” he said. “All day I had been anxious, ready and excited. It’s a great opportunity to be considered the best of the best. I had a mishap on the last hurdle that cost me the race. It’s just mental mistakes — got to go back to the drawing board and hopefully get a ride to college.”
He is looking at South Carolina State, but his options are still open. He vowed to keep watching his teammates from wherever he attends college.
“To all y’all boys, I love you all with everything in my heart,” Williams said. “I did this for you. I tried to make it the best experience for y’all. I tried to push you all to limits that you couldn’t even see yourself. I’m proud of you.”
After stumbling out of the blocks, Cameron Boatright wrapped up the 400-meter dash in third with a 48.25. He also ran the anchor leg in the 4x400-meter relay, with Seth Sawyer, Logan Camara and Drayden Wood finishing first in their heat and seventh overall in 3.21.47.
“It felt great running the anchor
leg and making the top eight for medalists,” Boatright said. “Shout out to my teammates. We all dogs. We work hard.”
Rounding out the medals for Mainland were Zion Noralus who jumped to third place in the boys high jump event with 1.92 meters and discus thrower Demond Noelien who finished in seventh with a 45.29-meter toss.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” Noralus said. “I just treated it like a normal track meet. I was pretty happy. Making it to states is pretty hard — just getting here (is hard). I treat it as a normal day, but I do eat oatmeal in the morning before track meets.”
Seabreeze javelin throwers Hayworth and Chandler Mitzo, both juniors, finished second and third in the event following a season vying for the top spot. After a 57-meter firstplace throw by Ponte Vedra’s Vincent Jackson, Hayworth launched a 55.14-meter personal best for the second spot on the podium. Last season, he went to the state meet with Flagler Palm Coast and threw for and finished eighth with a 51.15.
“It was great to be back at states and on the podium for the second year in a row,” he said. “There’s always good competition, which helped me compete harder. Was hoping for first place, but happy to hit a PR third meet in a row and take the podium at second. I look forward to my senior year and making big progress.”
Sandcrab Mackenzie Roy ran the anchor leg in the girls 4x800 relay with teammates Nickole Dane, Kirsten Glaenzer and Arianna Roy. The team ran a season best time of 9:36.31 for fifth place with Dane running a PR split her senior year at the state meet. Even though they wound up in 12th amid the fast first leg runners, their third leg runner, Arianna Roy, passed six people, and sister Mackenzie overtook one more runner to give the team fifth place.
“I’m just so grateful for them for always pushing themselves to do their best,” Mackenzie Roy said. “They’re the best teammates anyone could ever ask for.”
Seabreeze coach Jenna MeyersSinett was proud of Roy’s performance. Meyers-Sinett said Roy trusted her race strategy and listened to the pointers given prior to the race. She was also excited to watch Hayworth have his best day ever at the state meet and excel in the event. She expressed pride in all of her athletes.
“I try to encourage an atmosphere of train hard, do your best and support one another, if the results aren’t there,” she said. “I see the athletes who went to states this year returning next year and am excited for the athletes’ futures in the sport. We have many athletes this year I know will be competing at the next level in college in the future and I know they will be successful moving forward.”
“It was great to be back at states and on the podium for the second year in a row. There’s always good competition, which helped me compete harder. Was hoping for first place, but happy to hit a PR third meet in a row and take the podium at second. I look forward to my senior year and making big progress.”
Back in the fold
Evans, Gaines show what Matanzas was missing.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITORWhen four freshmen earn starting spots on your football team through a combination of talent and tenacity, the possibilities over the next four years seem endless.
Cole Hash, Jordan Mills, Dakwon Evans and Sho’Marion Gaines all started as freshmen for Matanzas High School. This fall, they will be seniors. While there have been detours along the way, the optimism is as strong as ever for the quartet.
By the end of the season last year, only one of the four — Hash — was suiting up. Evans fractured his collarbone in the third game of the season. Mills injured ligaments in his right shoulder in October. And Gaines played football last season in Texas.
In the Pirates’ spring game against Nease on May 17 at the Ship, Evans
was back at quarterback leading the offense, Gaines was back making big plays, and Hash — who led Matanzas in rushing, receiving and tackles last season — was solid again on both sides of the ball.
Mills, who also plays on both sides of the ball, had surgery in February and is expected to be back for preseason practice.
Nease won the spring game 35-14, scoring a late touchdown in the fourth quarter with backups playing for both teams. After the game, Matanzas coach Matt Forrest was in good spirits.
“If that was our Kickoff Classic (which is played a week before the season’s opener), I would be extremely pleased. And to have that in the spring game, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Forrest said.
Gaines showed off the big-play ability the Pirates were missing for much of last season. He caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Evans in the first quarter, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter and followed that with an interception before halftime.
“Sho’Marion’s a special football player,” Forrest said. “He had two touchdowns tonight, and we were able to get him the ball in some space and let him make some plays. Just getting him back in and letting him play corner was what we were really focused on this spring, and then in the last two weeks, we fitted him in some different positions — running back, slot, outside receiver. We’ve got to get him more comfortable in the offense, and we’ll be able to do that over the summer.”
Gaines said it feels good to be back with his Pirates’ teammates.
“I missed all my friends and my family,” he said. “It feels good to show off my talents. I’ve kind of been in the shadows a lot because I moved, but I’m ready to do what I’ve got to do. The team looks good, but we have a lot of work to put in.”
Evans passed for over 100 yards and ran for 40 yards.
“It just feels great to be out here,” he said. “We had great energy. The team’s building up. I feel like the team is becoming more of a team right now.”
Forrest was impressed with Evans’ pocket presence.
“Sometimes I had to just look at him and go, ‘Man, you hadn’t played since September?’”
Evans was hitting receivers on rollouts and not just tucking the ball in and running, which he did quite a bit as a sophomore when he was learning the quarterback position.
“He was making some mistakes,” Forrest said. “On fourth down he forgot to tell the offensive line we were running a no-play again, and the ball was snapped, but I think he got a little confident. He said, ‘I’m ready to run the ball, let’s start putting some of that stuff in.’ I said, ‘OK, if you feel comfortable with it.’ Getting the cobwebs out of him was really good, and when he’s playing well, I think our offense is pretty tough.”
FORREST,“Sho’Marion’s a special football player. He had two touchdowns tonight, and we were able to get him the ball in some space and let him make some plays.”
MATT
Matanzas football coach
Matanzas High Pirates award Captains of the Code
The 24 athletes to win for their sports most exemplified the Pirates’ code of five core values.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITORMatanzas High School held its first Captain of the Code banquet on May 16 at the Palm Coast Community Center.
The athletic department awarded 24 student athletes with Captain of the Code awards.
The awards honored the athletes who most exemplify the Pirates’ code of five core values: discipline, positive attitude, commitment, responsibility and relentless effort.
The winners were: Cole Hash (football and boys weightlifting);
CAPTAIN OF THE CODE WINNERS
Football/Boys Weightlifting:
Cole Hash
Girls Basketball: Taylor Boone
Girls Soccer: Katie Polak
Cheerleading: Kenzie Lippke
Boys Bowling: Morgan Naydich
Boys Tennis: Eric Lemmon
Girls Bowling: Olivia Rabat
Girls Tennis: Victoria Arce
Boys Basketball: Peter Austin
Girls Weightlifting: Maria Kelly
Cross Country: Cheyenne
Hulsey
Girls Lacrosse: Ravenna Reed
Boys Lacrosse: Thomas Reilly
Baseball: Zander Zaidel
Flag Football: Avery Gamble
Swimming: Karolina Jaronis
Boys Golf: Ashtin Arlaud
Girls Golf: Arianna Rodrigues
zie Lippke (cheerleading); Morgan Naydich (boys bowling); Eric Lem-
Boys Wrestling: Landon Wright
Softball/Volleyball: Chloe Baker
Boys Soccer: Ben Kopach
Girls Wrestling: Brooklyn Watt
Track and Field: Sierra Howard
Beach Volleyball: Mino Furuta
Coaches: Adam Fys (boys lacrosse), Mike Fires (girls wrestling)
mon (boys tennis); Olivia Rabat (girls bowling); Victoria Arce (girls tennis); Peter Austin (boys basketball): Maria Kelly (girls weightlifting); Cheyenee Hulsey (cross country); Ravenna Reed (girls lacrosse); Thomas Reilly (boys lacrosse); Zander Zaidel (baseball); Avery Gamble (flag football); Karolina Jaronis (swimming); Ashtin Arlaud (boys golf); Arianna Rodrigues; Landon Wright (boys wrestling); Chloe Baker (softball/volleyball); Ben Kopach (boys soccer); Brooklyn Watt (girls wrestling); Sierra Howard (track and field) and Mino Furuta (beach volleyball).
“True leadership is about being
the best for your organization,” athletic director Jordan Butler said in the banquet’s opening remarks. “Leadership, at its core, is about serving others. True leaders are selfless. This what the Pirate Code is about.”
In addition, boys lacrosse coach Adam Frys and girls wrestling coach Mike Fries received Coaches Captain of the Code awards. Fries was also honored for winning the Florida Dairy Farmers Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year award. The Pirates’ girls wrestling team won Matanzas’ first team state championship this year.
Emma Swearingen, Dalton Schell named FPC Athletes of the Year
The Bulldogs honored top teams, coaches and student athletes in each sport.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Emma Swearingen and Dalton Schell were named Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Female and Male Athlete of the Year at the Bulldogs’ annual athletic banquet Monday, May 22, at the
Hilton Garden Inn.
They each received a $500 scholarship.
Both athletes were standouts in two sports throughout their high school careers and both will continue their athletic careers in college.
Schell has received a wrestling scholarship at Quincy (Illinois) University. He also plans to play baseball in college. Swearingen will play soccer at Florida Tech.
Swearingen was also recognized as the Flag Football Athlete of the Year.
Coaches who received Top Dog Awards from athletic director Steve DeAugustino included track coaches Dave Halliday and Alycia Williams, baseball coach Kyle Marsh, softball coach Yessy Paneto, weightlifting coach Duane Hagstrom, boys lacrosse coach Tom Morgello and cheerleading coach Melodye Lewis. The girls soccer team won the team academic award. The team had
a team GPA of 3.83.
The football team won the community service award.
The girls lacrosse team won the sportsmanship award.
Swearingen, Schell, Lucy Noble and Jada Pavlow were recognized as
Rotary Scholar Athletes.
The boys track and field team received special recognition two days after finishing fourth at the Class 4A state championships.
The athletes of the year for each sport were: Anya Subachev (girls tennis), Allessandro Bevacqua (boys tennis), Alexandria Connerton (girls basketball), Madison Heck (girls golf), Wynter Dodson (boys golf), Kole Hannant (boys wrestling), Ana Vilar (girls wrestling), Dylan Toriello (boys lacrosse), Cristina Calidonio (girls lacrosse and volleyball), Emma Swearingen (flag football), Sabrina Da Silva-Carvaheira (girls bowling), Jeremy Batt (boys bowling), Cody Clymer (baseball), Savannah O’Grady (girls soccer), Bailey Holmes (softball), Grayson Ronk (boys soccer), Madeline Sims (cheerleading), Kyra Baldwin (sports medicine student aide), Cassidy De Young (girls cross country), Justin Gilliam (boys cross country), Isaiah Joseph (boys track), Summer Barnes (girls track), Colby Cronk (football), Brianna Tucker (girls weightlifting), Nick Lilavois (boys weightlifting), Lucy Noble (girls swimming) and Alex Hetzler (boys swimming).
Matanzas discus thrower places sixth at state
The Pirates’ 4x400 girls relay team also placed sixth at the Class 3A state championships; two Father Lopez throwers won medals at the Class 1A meet.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On his third and final trip to the FHSAA track and field championships, Matanzas High School discus thrower Bradyn Cox brought home a medal. Cox placed sixth at the Class 3A state meet Friday, May 19, at the University of North Florida with a personal-record toss of 45.96 meters (150 feet, 9 inches).
The senior advanced to state as a sophomore in 2021, finishing ninth, one spot away from a state medal. He had a longer throw at state in 2022 but finished 11th.
Cox will continue his track and field career at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
The Pirates’ 4x400 girls relay team also placed sixth at state. Sierra Howard, Evanne Miller, Luise Sommer and Jordan Youngman ran a personal-record 3:57.39.
Miller ran a PR in the 400 meters, finishing ninth with a time of 57.98. Youngman ran a PR in the 400 hurdles, finishing 13th with a time of 1:05.18. Howard finished 13th in the 800 with a time of 2:22.69.
Father Lopez’s Hailey Bruce and Angelina Stabile each placed in girls throwing events at the Class 1A state championships on Wednesday, May 17.
Bruce, a senior, was fourth in javelin with a throw of 39.1 meters (128 feet, 3 inches). Stabile was fifth in pole vault with a 3-meter throw (9 feet, 10 inches).
Also competing for the Green Wave were Caroline Theriault (12th in girls high jump), Andrew Gazzoli in the boys 800 (12th place) and the boys 4x800 relay team of Andrew Gazzoli, Matthew Gazzoli, Felipe Paredes and Talan Spires (10th place).
New FPC coach pleased with effort in green and white scrimmage
Zyquan Neal had two interceptions, including a pick-six, for the defensive squad.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Flagler Palm Coast High School
football fans got to see a preview of the team under new coach Daniel Fish at the green and white intrasquad scrimmage on Friday, May 19. The Bulldogs will get their first taste of competition against another team in a spring game at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at Riverside High School in Jacksonville.
In the scrimmage, the offense (white) defeated the defense (green) 41-33. The defense was awarded points for touchdowns, turnovers on downs, interceptions and fumble recoveries.
Safety Zyquan Neal scored the only touchdown for the defense with a pick-six. Neal had two interceptions in the scrimmage, while Dylan Bennett had a fumble recovery. Ethan Laupepa and Stacy Mitchell each
had a sack.
Grant Winkler and Dwayne Webb each caught two touchdown passes for the offense. Jordan Gales also had a touchdown catch and Andrew Bass ran for a score.
Rising senior Caden Gonzalez played quarterback for most of the scrimmage, throwing four touchdown passes with two interceptions.
“It was a great effort on both sides of the ball,” Fish said. “There were a lot of good things and some things we need to work on. Both sides were very physical and very resilient.
“We’re very young on defense and pretty young on offense,” he added. “We’re getting them comfortable with the terminology, and we’re trying to eliminate mental mistakes.”
Running back Marcus Mitchell and defensive tackle Charley Perry missed the scrimmage with hamstring strains.
Mitchell, who ran for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a grade 2 hamstring strain. He expects to be at full strength for the start of preseason practice.
Soccer assistant coach hopes Stetson youth camps can help form bond with community
The Flagler Palm Coast grad has returned to his college alma mater.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Former Flagler Palm Coast soccer player Nate Monsanto remembers how much fun he had attending college soccer camps when he was a kid. Now, as an assistant coach at Stetson University, Monsanto is help -
ing to run the Stetson men’s soccer camps this summer. The weeklong camps for boys and girls ages 5 to 13 are scheduled for June 5-9 and July 10-14, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
“When I used to go to those camps, it was a lot of fun meeting other young players and getting a chance to see nice campuses,” he said.
Monsanto is beginning his first year as a full-time Stetson men’s soccer assistant coach, he said. He played for the Hatters from 2015 to 2018. A year ago, he played for Valley United FC of the Independent Soccer
Association.
Coaching soccer, as much as playing, runs in his family. His grandfather played for the Suriname National Team and started coaching after moving to New York. His father, Reg Monsanto, played goalkeeper for Queens College, was FPC’s head coach and is now an assistant coach at Matanzas High.
Nate’s brother, Nick, coaches Jacksonville Football Club (JFC) teams in the MLS Next youth league. This is Nate Monsanto’s ninth year as a player, volunteer assistant
or assistant coach with Stetson. The camps are for all skill levels of players, he said, from newcomers to the sport to players with club experience. Campers will be paired with Stetson coaches and some of the team’s players.
“We want to create a bond with Stetson and the community,” Monsanto said.
For more information on the camps, go to stetsonmenssoccercamps.totalcamps.com.
REAL ESTATE
House in Tomoka Estates tops sales list in Ormond Beach
Ahouse in Tomoka Estates was the top real estate transaction for April 9-15 in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea. Donald Cobb, Jr. and Sheri Cobb, of Ormond Beach, sold 315 Coquina Ave. to Deborah and Margo Chandler, of Ormond Beach, for $925,000. Built in 1995, the house is a 3/3 and has a boat house, a boat dock, a boat lift, a fireplace and 2,713 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $450,000.
ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Condos Gayle Fink, of Ormond Beach, sold 1239 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 12E, to Mirtha and Alfredo Valdes, of Ormond Beach, for $525,000. Built in 1984, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,699 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $315,000.
Ronald Keith Sills, of Plano, Texas;
Valli Jeanne Wright, of Irving, Texas; Lee Hampton, of Douglasville, Georgia; Joshua Sills, of Denver, Colorado; and Jacob Sills, of Lake Jackson, Texas, sold 89 South Atlantic Ave., Unit 603, to Thomas and Janis Helss, of South Lyon, Michigan, for $310,500. Built in 1979, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,200 square feet. It sold in 1997 for $93,000.
ORMOND BEACH
Halifax Plantation
Karen DeBolt, of Ormond Beach, sold 3257 Bailey Ann Drive to Thomas and Carol McHugh, of Ormond Beach, for $415,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,687 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $294,200.
D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 1350 Middle Lake Drive to Abdul
Qadir Jumani, of Ormond Beach, for $368,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,828 square feet.
D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 1346 Middle Lake Drive to Colleen Marie Monday, of Ormond Beach, for $354,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,672 square feet.
D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 1334 Middle Lake Drive to Ronald Dean Lippmann, of Ormond Beach, for $362,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,828 square feet.
Hunters Ridge Laura Zarling, of Ormond Beach, sold 77 Pergola Place to Daniel Young, of Ormond Beach, for $399,000. Built in 2017, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,913 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $250,000.
Not in a subdivision Marilyn Silvers, of Ormond Beach, sold 513 Lakebridge Drive to Thomas and Patricia Massebeau, of Ormond Beach, for $269,000. Built in 1982, the house is a 2/2.5 and has 1,815 square feet. It sold in 1983 for $86,500.
Ormond Terrace
Donald and Cheryl Burke, of Daytona Beach, sold 85 Warwick Ave. to
Thomas and Wilma Faye Potter, of Ormond Beach, for $409,000. Built in 1965, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,332 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $185,000.
Plantation Bay Richard Andrew Degrood and Joann Darby Degrood, of Bloomington, Minnesota, sold 1202 Ashridge Lane to Eric Matthew Cherveny, of Ormond Beach, for $535,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,146 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $326,700.
Rio Vista
Terry Ann Lebaron, of Ormond Beach, sold 826 S. Beach St. to John Gregorio and Jennifer Marano, of Ormond Beach, for $479,000. Built in 1954, the house is a 2/1.5 and has 1,559 square feet. It sold in 1988 for $95,000.
Tomoka Oaks
Norris Bishop Investments, Inc., of Tallahassee, sold 4 La Jolla Court to Tyler Dean, as trustee, for $450,200. Built in 1980, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a pool, two fireplaces and 2,860 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $375,000.
Leonard Marinaccio, as trustee, of Ormond Beach, sold 6 Eagle Drive to Juli Johnson and Gabrielle Didonato, of Ormond Beach, for $450,000. Built in 1979, the house is a 4/3 and has a fireplace and
2,968 square feet. It sold in 1979 for $120,000.
Ormond-by-the-Sea Kathryn Powell, of Ormond Beach, and Carolyn Day, of Palm Coast, sold 56 Aqua Vista Drive to Phillip Eric Sayan and Vickie Yvonne Fisher, of Ormond Beach, for $377,900. Built in 1960, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,203 square feet. It sold in 2000 for $90,000.
Chance and Shea Hobbs, of Boise, Idaho, sold 3373 John Anderson Drive to John and Doreen Altman, of Ormond Beach, for $810,000.
Built in 1986, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a pool, a fireplace and 3,448 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $685,000.
Charles Christopher Mitchell, of Ormond Beach, sold 23 Palm Drive to Joseph Arnone and Victoria Darienzo, of Clark, New Jersey, for $399,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,015 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $250,000.
William Fellows, of Miami Beach, sold 54 River Shore Drive to Richard and Marissa Zimmer, of Deland, for $230,000. Built in 1956, the house is a 2/2 and has 843 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $165,000.
Dina Cormier, of Ormond Beach, sold 152 Roberta Road to Dennys Fradera, of Ormond Beach, for $285,000. Built in 1954, the house
is a 3/2 and has 1,050 square feet. It sold in 1991 for $47,400.
PORT ORANGE
James R. Izatt LLC, of Daytona Beach, sold 971 Sand Crest Drive to Constance House, of Port Orange, for $375,000. Built in 1980, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,464 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $236,500.
Brendan Robinson, of Port Orange, sold 5514 West Bayshore Drive to Jon and Janice Panichello, of Port Orange, for $618,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 3/3 and has a pool, a boat house, a boat dock, a fireplace and 2,016 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $246,000.
Megan and Heather Backman, of New Smyrna Beach, sold 5832 Boggs Ford Road to OCL Investments, LLC, of Orlando, for $375,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,840 square feet. It sold in 1993 for $126,500.
John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.
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OR
OR
RIGHTS,
BE
OF
AND LEVY OF ASSESSMENTS HEREIN DESCRIBED, OR TO BE AFFECTED IN ANY WAY THEREBY, Defendants. TO: The State of Florida and the several taxpayers, property owners and citizens of The Landings Community Development District, including non-residents owning property or subject to taxation therein, and others having or claiming any rights, title or interest in property to be affected by the issuance of not to exceed $37,365,000 aggregate principal amount of The Landings Community Development District (Flagler County, Florida) Special Assessment Revenue Bonds, or to be affected in any way thereby; The above cause comes to be heard upon the Amended Complaint filed herein by The Landings Community Development District (“District”) in the County of Flagler and State of Florida, seeking to determine the authority of said District to issue The Landings Community Development District (Flagler County, Florida)
Special Assessment Revenue Bonds, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $36,365,000 (the “Bonds”), to determine the legality of the proceedings had and taken in connection therewith, and the legality of the provisions, covenants and agreements therein contained, and seeking a judgment of this Court that: (a) the District has power to issue the Bonds and to incur the bonded debt as set forth in the Amended Complaint and has properly approved the issuance of the Bonds; (b) the proceedings essential to the Bonds, the Pledged Revenues (as defined in the Amended Complaint), including, without limitation, the Special Assessments pledged for the payment of the principal thereof, redemption premium, if any, and interest thereon, and the Bond Resolution (as defined in the Amended Complaint) are valid and in conformity with law; (c) upon due issuance of the Bonds in conformance with the Bond Resolution and the Trust Indenture (as defined in the Amended Complaint), the Bonds will constitute valid and binding obligations of the District and will be enforceable by their terms as established by the Bond Resolution and the Trust Indenture; and (d) this Court grant such other relief as is just and appropriate. The aforesaid Amended Complaint having been presented to this Court, and this Court being fully advised in the premises:
IT IS ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the State of Florida, through the State Attorney of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, in and for Flagler County, Florida, and the several taxpayers, property owners and citizens of The Landings Community Development District, including non-residents owning property or subject to taxation therein, and others having or claiming any rights, title or interest in property to be affected by the issuance of the Bonds or to be affected thereby, be and they are each required to show cause if any there be, before the Honorable Christopher A. France, Circuit Court Judge, on the 3rd day of August
2023 at 2:00 P.M. at the Flagler County Courthouse, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 1, Bunnell, Florida 32110, why said Amended Complaint should not be granted and a final judgment entered by this Court as prayed for in said Amended Complaint.
AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND ADJUDGED, that the Clerk of this Court be and he is hereby required to give notice of such hearing by publishing a copy of this Order in The Palm Coast Observer, a newspaper of general circulation of Flagler County, Florida, once each week for two (2) consecutive weeks prior to said 3rd day of August 2023, the first publication to be at least twenty (20) days prior to said date.
AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND ADJUDGED, that by such publication of this Order, the State of Florida, and the several taxpayers, property owners and citizens of The Landings Development District, including non-residents owning property or subject to taxation therein, and others having or claiming any rights, title or interest in The Landings Community Development District, or the taxable property therein, shall be and are made party defendants to this proceeding, and that this Court shall have jurisdiction of them to the same extent as if specifically and personally named as defendants in said Amended Complaint and personally served with process in this cause.
in and for FLAGLER County, Florida, wherein WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR WAMU MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2004-PR2 TRUST is Plaintiff and MARINA FRANCIS; UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF MARINA FRANCIS; HECTOR
GALARCE; UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF HECTOR GALARCE; GABRIELA
ALEJANDRA FRANCIS; UNKNOWN
INC.; LAKESIDE BY THE SEA HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; are defendants. TOM W. BEXLEY, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash BY ELECTRONIC SALE AT: www.flagler. realforeclose.com,
file a claim before the Clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed. This notice is provided pursuant to Administrative Order No.2.065. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to provisions of certain assistance. Please contact the Court Administrator at 200 East Moody Boulevard, Rm.125, Bunnell, Fl 32110, Phone No. (904)4377394 within 2 working days of your receipt of this notice or pleading; if you are hearing impaired, call 1-800-955-8771 (TDD); if you are voice impaired, call 1-800-995-8770 (V) (Via Florida Relay Services). Dated this 18th day of May 2023.
Marc
located
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE as may be legally permitted on the day of the meeting. Instructions on how to participate by electronic or other means, if legally permitted, would be found on the City of Bunnell’s website at www. bunnellcity.us on the homepage. The public is advised to check the City’s website for up-todate information on any changes to the manner in which the meeting will be held and the location. The failure of a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the proposed Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date. A copy of all pertinent information this ordinance can be obtained at the office of the Bunnell Customer Service Office, 604 E. Moody Blvd. Unit 6, Bunnell, FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 437-7500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting.
NOTICE: If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission on this matter a recording of the proceeding may be needed and for such purposes the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. (Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes
COURT, 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2023CP000269 Division Probate IN RE: ESTATE OF SAMUEL SCOTT MCKENNEY III, Deceased. The administration of the estate of Samuel Scott McKenney III, deceased, whose date of death was January 31, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 1769 E Moody Blvd, Bldg 1, Bunnell, FL 32110. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent
and other persons having claims or de-
May 25, 2023
23-00119F
FIRST INSERTION
RADIANCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
NOTICE OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REGULAR MEETING
Notice is hereby given that a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Radiance Community Development District (the “District”) will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town Center Blvd., Palm Coast, FL 32164. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss any topics presented to the board for consideration. Copies of the agenda may be obtained from the District Manager, Vesta District Services, 250 International Parkway, Suite 208, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, Telephone (321) 2630132, Ext. 193.
The meeting is open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida law for community development districts. The meeting may be continued in progress without additional notice to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the meeting. There may be occasions when Staff and/or Supervisors may participate by speaker telephone.
Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in the meeting is asked to advise the District Manager’s office at least forty-eight (48) hours before the meeting by contacting the District Manager at (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 711, for assistance in contacting the District Manager’s office.
A person who decides to appeal any decision made at the meeting, with respect to any matter considered at the meeting, is advised that a record of the proceedings is needed and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.
Radiance Community Development District David McInnes, District Manager (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193
May 25, 2023 23-00129F
FIRST INSERTION SEMINOLE PALMS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
NOTICE OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SPECIAL MEETING
Notice is hereby given that a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Palms Community Development District (the “District”) will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town Center Blvd., Palm Coast, FL 32164.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss any topics presented to the board for consideration. Copies of the agenda may be obtained from the District Manager, Vesta District Services, 250 International Parkway, Suite 208, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, Telephone (321) 2630132, Ext. 193.
The meeting is open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida law for community development districts. The meeting may be continued in progress without additional notice to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the meeting. There may be occasions when Staff and/or Supervisors may participate by speaker telephone.
Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in the meeting is asked to advise the District Manager’s office at least forty-eight (48) hours before the meeting by contacting the District Manager at (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 711, for assistance in contacting the District Manager’s office.
A person who decides to appeal any decision made at the meeting, with respect to any matter considered at the meeting, is advised that a record of the proceedings is needed and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.
Seminole Palms Community Development District David McInnes, District Manager (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193
May 25, 2023
FLAGLER COUNTY LEGAL NOTICES 382171-1 ObserverLocalNews.com
23-00130F
INFORMATION & RATES: 386-447-9723 redpages@palmcoastobserver.com palmcoastobserver.com/redpages
The Palm Coast Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only.
*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.
*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Palm Coast Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.
Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
Items Under $200
DINING ROOM table, Accolade by Drexler, UL style, 4 chairs/leaf good condition $150 386-597-7402
FOLDING STROLLER $8, wheelbarrow $35, rival slow cooker 2 qt. new $12, elephant ear & snake plant $1 and up 814-574-6387
IBM LENOVO T420 laptop, Windows 7 Professional w/IBM carry bag $200 email leonardopag12@gmail.com
OUTDOOR FAN on 3.5’ pole, outdoor pool/shower on stand $30 ea OB 386-615-8230
for classi ed advertising in the June 1st issue will be due on FRIDAY, May 26th at noon
COFFEE TABLE and 2 end tables, brown & black, great condition, can send pics $200 386-793-3155
TOOLS/ANTIQUES FOR Sale tools, house hold items, some are antiques. $200 (386) 246-4275
Antiques/ Collectibles
RARE COIN 1927 "S" Peace Dollar $5,000 (386) 264-2221
Appliances
Furnishings