Ormond Beach Observer 6-29-23

CITY WATCH

Council to discuss dogs on the beach

In March, the Volusia County Council voted 5-2 to continue exploring a dog-friendly beach pilot program in Ormond Beach. The matter will come before the council again on July 11.

Initially, the council planned a pilot program near Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park in Ormond-bythe-Sea — a decision the Ormond Beach City Commission indicated its support for via a letter to the council.

Summer concert series to begin

Ormond Beach’s free

“Summer Sounds” concert series will begin on Friday, July 14, with the Cool Breeze band, which plays seaside soul music, according to a city notice. There will be two other concerts in the series this summer:

„ The Hindenburgs, Friday, July 21

„ Traces of Gold, Friday, July 28

JARLEENE ALMENAS

SENIOR EDITOR

‘Dangerous dogs’ code updated

The Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved amendments to its code of ordinances regarding dangerous dogs at its meeting on June 6, adding a classification of “aggressive dog” for dogs that severely injure or kill another domestic animal.

The amendments, approved via the meeting’s consent agenda, state that if a dog previously deemed dangerous — one that seriously injures or kills another domestic animal while off its owner’s property, more than once — is found at large, it shall be impounded. The amendments also increase the fines for violations of the ordinance to $5,000.

The ordinance now states that if the dog is impounded, its owners are “responsible for the full cost of impoundment as charged by the shelter.”

City Attorney Randy Hayes stated in a city memo that, in general, the city doesn’t have a “serious problem” with aggressive or dangerous dogs, and that in the last 15 years, the city hasn’t had more than two such cases in the same year, with most years having one or no cases.

But due to concerns about whether the pilot program could imperil the county’s permit allowing beach driving, the council opted to consider an alternate test area in Ormond, outside of a natural beach management area.

Locally, the BMA begins at Granada Boulevard and runs north to the Volusia-Flagler County line.

The council then discussed a proposal to implement the pilot program on either the stretch of beach from Milsap Road to Rockefeller Drive or a shorter stretch from Cardinal Drive to Rockefeller Drive.

The Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce supports a one-year pilot program in Ormond Beach, its board of directors wrote in a June 26 letter to County Council Chair Jeff Brower.

“We believe implementing a dogfriendly beach pilot program in Ormond Beach would enhance our community’s livability and attractiveness as a tourist destination,” the letter states. “It aligns with the values of inclusivity and responsible pet ownership while fostering a stronger sense of community among residents.”

A year, the chamber stated, would give the county enough time to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and address concerns to determine its longterm viability and impact on beachgoers.

Dogs have been largely banned on

Volusia County beaches since the county took over beach regulation in 1987. They are allowed in only two beach parks, both in the southeast of the county: Smyrna Dunes Park, in New Smyrna Beach; and Lighthouse Point Park, in Ponce Inlet.

At a June 6 Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, Commissioner Harold Briley said he had received several emails from unit owners of the Symphony Beach Club, a condohotel located south of the Rockefeller beach approach, expressing concerns about dogs on the beach.

“This is, number one, a county issue,” Briley said.

He asked his fellow commissioners if anybody wanted to revisit their support for the idea, or, particularly, the location of the proposed pilot program.

Mayor Bill Partington noted that the commission had supported the general concept of a dog-friendly test area and recommended Bicentennial Park.

But it’s a county issue at the end of the day, he said at the meeting.

“It’s a strange situation that instead of picking the most logical, commonsense spot for it, they chose (a location) in front of people’s homes,” Partington said. “I don’t think it’s the correct place for it.”

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The concert series is presented by the city’s Department of Leisure Services, and citizens are advised to bring their own lawn chair or blanket. Concerts will take place from 6-8 p.m. at The Casements’ north lawn, at 25 Riverside Drive.

City to celebrate Fourth of July

The city of Ormond Beach will celebrate Independence Day with its free annual event featuring fireworks on Tuesday, July 4, at Rockefeller Gardens, located at 26 Riverside Drive.

The celebration will begin at 8 p.m. Fireworks are scheduled to occur at 9 p.m. Citizens can park for free at the lot behind City Hall, The Casements parking lot and Fortunato Park. The parking area on South Beach St. next to Cassen Park will be closed, according to a city notice.

Those with handicapped parking permits may park at the Bailey Riverbridge Gardens lot on the northeast corner of Granada Boulevard and on North Beach Street.

The city will provide a free shuttle service from 7:30-9:45 p.m. Starting at 7 p.m., the following streets will close: South Beach Street from Granada Boulevard to Mound Avenue; Grove Street from Tomoka Avenue to Division Avenue; and New Britain Avenue at North Beach Street.

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PUBLIC

you plan ahead, you can make your final wishes known and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind.

Planning ahead is simple. The benefits are immense.

File photo by Jarleene Almenas

The Volusia County Council will revisit the dog-friendly beach pilot program at its meeting on July 11.

“Public safety is a priority, especially when it comes to our children.”

County Councilman Danny Robins on banning adults from playgrounds, increasing distance requirement for registered sex offenders. See Page 4A

Shovel-ready

children from other schools for the gifted program, standing in the parking lot every day to greet students.

former building at 999 Old Tomoka Road to make room for the new campus.

“However, this is just a building,” Balgobin said. “The people that make the history of this wonderful community, you’re all here today.”

A GROWING SCHOOL

For 13 years, School Board mem-

ber Carl Persis was principal of Tomoka Elementary. As he looked over the rubble that used to be his school campus during the groundbreaking ceremony for a new, $49.3 million campus on Tuesday, June 27, he pointed to where the main office used to be.

In front of a crowd of community members, school staff and elected officials, he recounted memories of his time at Tomoka: the beginning of the ESOL program at the school, placing a flag up for every different native language spoken, receiving

“I can’t think of 13 more wonderful, gratifying, satisfying, rewarding years, than the years I had right here,” Persis said.

He was principal from 1991 to 2004 and is believed to be the first person to serve as a mayor and a school administrator at the same time in Volusia County, according to the district.

He was elected mayor in 1999 and served until 2002.

As she opened the groundbreaking ceremony, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said it was a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye to Tomoka’s

TOMOKA ELEMENTARY’S ORIGINS

Though Tomoka Elementary opened its doors in 1968, it was the successor to another school that began in 1885, according to Volusia County Schools.

The Tomoka School was a 20-foot by 20-foot structure in an orange grove at the Tomoka Settlement along the Tomoka River, about 4 miles west of present-day Ormond Beach.

A freeze during the 1894-1895 season damaged the orange groves, and the settlement was abandoned.

Records also indicate that another Tomoka School was active from 1911 to 1923, the district reported.

Tomoka opened in October 1968, according to Volusia County Schools. The first principal was W.L. Mullens, and the school had 240 students. It consisted of eight classrooms, a multipurpose room, a temporary library and an office suite. Before the campus was ready for students, Tomoka Elementary operated out of a nearby church for six weeks.

At the end of the 2022-2023 school year, Tomoka Elementary had 734 students. The capacity of the new campus will be 836, and the school is slated to reopen in the fall of 2024. It will also feature an improved parent drop-off area with more space for pick-up lane stacking.

Julie Roseboom has been principal at Tomoka Elementary for the past five years, but she said her connection runs far deeper — her children were raised in the school, and Mullens, who died in 2010, was a family friend when she was a teenager.

“When I got my first principalship, he said, ‘Julie, one day you’re going to be at Tomoka,’” Roseboom recalled. “W.L., I made it.”

‘IT’S A HUGE PART OF OUR HISTORY’

As a child, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington attended Tomoka Elementary. It felt great to return to his alma mater, he said during the ceremony.

“This school is so important to the city of Ormond Beach,” he said. “... It’s a huge part of our history and who we are.”

Public schools are the backbone of our democracy, he added.

“Our public schools have historically made America what it is today,” Partington said. “We live in a fantastic country because of these schools and especially starting with our elementary schools. Ormond Beach has some amazing elementary schools, and we’re very proud of them.”

Megan White, a designer with architectural firm BRPH, said that the celebration was not only a groundbreaking for a new school; it also marked the laying of a “groundwork for a better future for the students.”

“We envision an educational community that thrives on innovation, and embraces diversity, where ideas flourish and creativity knows no bounds,” White said.

The design of the new school is inspired by Tomoka State Park and the surrounding neighborhood, according to the district.

It will incorporate a blue and green color scheme to represent the Tomoka River and pay tribute to historic oak trees.

WELBRO Building Corporation will build the campus. Old-growth trees and several artifacts from the former school, such as the 1979 totem pole, will remain, the district stated.

PERSIS’ ‘BEST DECISION’ School Board Chair Jamie Haynes said the new school will benefit the entire community. She thanked the community for supporting a halfcent sales tax to make the Tomoka project and others feasible for the school district.

“All of you make this possible, and believe it or not, all of you are making this possible today because you believed in Volusia County Schools,” she said. “You supported our half-cent sales tax, and we have a wonderful Half-Cent Sales Tax Committee that oversees that money and ensures that things that we promised to do happen, and this is one of the things that was on that half-cent sales tax promise was that we would rebuild and give Tomoka a new school.”

When Mullens was ready to retire, he called Persis, who was working for the Florida Department of Education at the time. Persis congratulated him, he recalled.

That’s when Mullens told Persis he was the “perfect person” to replace Mullens at Tomoka Elementary and urged Persis to return to Ormond Beach.

“Best decision I ever made,” Persis said.

VCS breaks ground on new Tomoka Elementary campus.

Darick Bennett, WELBRO Building Corporation senior vice president, speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Demolition of the former Tomoka Elementary began on June 7.

Elected officials, Volusia County Schools Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and representatives from BRPH and WELBRO Building Corporation break ground.

Volusia County School Board member and former Tomoka Elementary Principal Carl Persis points to the former location of the main office.

Tomoka Elementary Principal Julie Roseboom speaks at the ceremony.

Scraps of the former Tomoka Elementary School

Mayor Bill Partington, City Commissioner Susan Persis and School Board member Carl Persis

JARLEENE ALMENAS

SENIOR EDITOR

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Sheriff Mike Chitwood files to run for reelection County explores measures to protect children

Chitwood was first elected in 2016, then reelected without opposition in 2020.

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Volusia County Sheriff Mike

Chitwood is hoping the 2024 elections win him a third term in office.

Chitwood announced Tuesday, June 20, on the steps of the historic Volusia County Courthouse that he would be running for reelection. He filed for candidacy on Friday, June 16.

As he stood in front of the courthouse, joined by members of the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, community leaders, his parents and Sen. Tom Wright, Chitwood said he has two missions going forward.

“Mission number one is fighting for, protecting and serving this community that I love called Volusia County,” he said. “The second part of that mission is fighting for, advocating and serving the men and women — a lot of them you see behind me — that make up the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.”

Chitwood was first elected in 2016, then reelected without opposition in 2020. So far, no one has filed to run against him.

BRIEFS

Halifax Humane Society suspends intake services

Halifax Humane Society has suspended intake, adoptions, boarding and grooming services and implemented outbreak management protocols after 15 dogs contracted upper respiratory infections.

The virus has a high recovery rate with rest and medical treatment, but is highly contagious, a news release from the shelter reported on June 22.

On Tuesday, June 27, HHS reported in a news release that the infections were caused by canine pneumovirus.

The shelter is asking for the community’s support to help treat the 15 dogs.

A total of $175 can provide

Before he was elected, Chitwood was the police chief for Daytona Beach from 2006-2016. He began his law enforcement career in 1988 with the Philadelphia Police Department.

During his announcement, Chitwood touted the more than 179 hires he’s added to VSO since he was elected, as well as his agency’s deescalation training, which he said has resulted in 50% fewer use-of-force incidents. He also highlighted VSO’s 60% clearance rate. Clearance rates refer to the percentage of crimes a law enforcement agency solves.

Speakers at the announcement included members of the Jewish community, who praised Chitwood for his battle against antisemitism.

Rabbi Ron Lennick, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties, said that in his 45 years of community involvement, he’s never met a person who better embodies the qualities of “the grace of a generation” — someone who stands up for righteousness, fairness, decency and justice.

“He’s a man of courage, a man of principle, a man of action, a man of flair and style,” Lennick said. “He is strong and firm and kind and compassionate. He is a man for all seasons — one of the greats of our generation.”

medications and supportive care to dogs affected by the illness for 15 days, HHS stated.

“As an open admission shelter, we encounter various challenges and uncertainties when accepting community intakes,” Halifax Humane Society stated in the news release. “It is through our diligent efforts that we have identified canine pneumovirus as the root cause of the URI in our shelter dogs, allowing us to determine its presence in our community.”

While there is no vaccine for upper respiratory infections, HHS issued a reminder that pet owners should contact their veterinarians to establish an annual vaccination protocol for dogs beginning at 6 weeks of age to strengthen the dog’s immune systems to combat viruses and infections.

A proposed ordinance would bar sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet — an increase over the state limit of 1,000 feet.

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Should Volusia County ban adults unaccompanied by children from entering county playgrounds?

On Tuesday, June 20, the Volusia County Council discussed changing playground regulations in unincorporated areas and increasing the distance requirement that buffers schools, child care facilities, parks or playgrounds from areas where sex offenders or predators are allowed to live.

The state mandates that no sex offender or predator reside within 1,000 feet of any of these places; a proposed Volusia County ordinance could increase that limit to 1,500 feet.

County Councilman Danny Robins asked the county to pursue such an ordinance at the April 4 council meeting.

Some members of the council, though, were concerned about unintended consequences.

“In my opinion, the state has already implemented pretty severe sanctions,” County Councilman Don Dempsey said at the June 20 meeting.

Dempsey, a criminal law attorney and former prosecutor, said he’s seen many people go to prison for violating the existing distance requirement because they unknowingly live within 1,000 feet of a park or violate one of the other restrictions.

He also said there are “grey areas” where people make a plea bargain not because they’re guilty, but because they don’t want to risk going to trial and facing life in prison.

“I don’t know what the rationale would be of a 1,000 (feet) versus 1,500, other than just being politically correct, being tough on crime and just pound these people,” Dempsey said. “I get it, but there’s a lot of people who I think are caught in the net and they end up getting severe

sanctions for little stuff like this.”

If the county were to enact the ordinance, Dempsey continued, all of the men up on the dais alongside him would be banned from going to a playground.

The county would be criminalizing an adult who wanted to sit on a swing set, he said.

Robins argued that the ordinance was meant “to keep the creeps away from our children.”

“Public safety is a priority, especially when it comes to our children,” Robins said. “... A lot of these people may never get caught for years, or even identified. So this is an additional layer to make that contact, or ring some bells in the community.”

The ordinance was a “nobrainer” for him, he said. He didn’t see why an adult would be loitering in a playground without a child.

Dempsey said that, while the ordinance may sound good, he didn’t think he’d ever dealt with a case where a child was abducted from a playground and molested. He was also concerned that the proposed ordinance could impact housing and place a burden on landlords.

Councilman Jake Johansson agreed with Dempsey, saying the county can’t protect “everybody from everything.”

“It’s something that can happen on a playground; it can happen in a museum,” Johansson said. “We let 4-year-olds get off the bus and walk two blocks to their house — it can happen there. So are we going to have county School Board people hired to escort these kids home once they come off the bus?”

After Councilman Troy Kent withdrew his second to Robin’s motion to pursue an ordinance with increased distance requirements and a playground ban for adults, Robins amended his motion to include only the distance requirement, asking staff members to bring the council more information, including a map showing where all county parks are located in relation to the homes of registered sexual offenders and predators.

Volusia County maintains 23 playgrounds.

Email Jarleene Almenas at Jarleene@observerlocalnews. com.

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

Emergency Operations intern, 15, accepted into FEMA’s youth council

Emergency Management

Director Jonathan Lord said Isabella Tarsitano has created programs the county government would otherwise have to pay a company to make.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Flagler County’s Emergency Operations Center does not usually have interns who are under 18, Director Jonathan Lord said. But Isabella Tarsitano is the EOC’s secret weapon.

“Some of the stuff she’s done is significantly more advanced than our skill sets, and we would have had to actually pay a company to do it,” Lord said.

At 15, Tarsitano has been an intern at the Emergency Operations Center since September 2022, writing code for WebEOC, the center’s disaster management software system.

Lord said his staff uses WebEOC to see what the community needs during disasters. Since September, Tarsitano has designed an internal dashboard on WebEOC that lets staff collate and direct information from calls received during an emergency.

“She actually built that one from scratch,” Lord said.

Lord said he and the team drew out a design for what they wanted the dashboard to do, and just handed it to Tarsitano and let her run with it. He said he is amazed at what she has been able to accomplish.

“It feels awesome to be able to help, really, anywhere that I can,” Tarsitano said.

Tarsitano was also accepted as a member of FEMA’s 2023 Youth Preparedness Council in early June. The council is national and accepts members from each of the 10 FEMA regions across the United States. It begins with a summit in Washington D.C. in late July.

Lord said he first became aware of Tarsitano from a website she designed, called Hurricane Helpers.

The website, Tarsitano said, acts as a resource guide for residents. Tarsitano said she created it as a onestop resource for Flagler County residents. It includes links to official Flagler County and Florida emergency information guides and emergency contacts.

Emergency Management Planner

Tiffany Islam, Tarsitano’s supervisor, said staff members bring the teen problems or ideas, and in just a few hours, she’ll have solutions and recommendations.

Sometimes, when Tarsitano’s stuck on a problem, Islam said, the two of them will try to talk it out. But just as often, Islam’s reaching out to Tarsitano for advice.

Often, Islam said, Tarsitano solves the problem faster than anyone expects.

“It’s like, the one issue we were stuck on, she had already figured out,” Islam said.

Tarsitano’s coding journey began when she took some classes for Florida Virtual School several years ago, she said.

“I absolutely fell in love with coding,” she said. “So, I just started coding on my own and started teaching myself how to code.”

She started several online and selfdriven courses from the nonprofit Girls Who Code and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which offered free online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She now has beginner to intermediate certifications in Java, HTML and CSS and intermediate to advanced certifications in Python and cyber security.

That’s how she is with her interests, Tarsitano said: Once a subject catches her fancy, she dives right in. Quantum mechanics is her latest one.

Tarsitano became interested in disaster relief after Hurricanes Matthew and Irma hit Flagler County.

She saw that some older residents needed help finding important information during emergencies.

“I realized that this is something that we can fix,” she said. “That it is just being able to get the information out there and being able to better curate volunteers.”

In eighth grade, she said, she applied and was accepted into FEMA’s Region 4 2021-2022 Youth Preparedness Council. Hurricane Helpers was born from a council project, Tarsitano said.

Tarsitano’s father, Ken, said the family couldn’t be prouder of her.

“We’re supporting Isabella,” he said. “She’s an extreme overachiever.”

He said the family has a strong interest in science, and he and his wife have always encouraged their kids to develop their own skills and interests.

Not only is his daughter talented

academically — she’s already taken four AP classes, as a sophomore — she also runs track and swims at Flagler Palm Coast High School.

“I can’t brag on her enough,” Ken Tarsitano said.

Lord said that if he had his way, Tarsitano would continue working with the EOC for a long while.

Tarsitano is not quite sure what she wants to do in the future.

She wants to go to MIT, and coding is her top hobby and passion, but she still has time to figure things out.

For now, she said, she’s happy to help out at the EOC.

“It feels amazing that I can actually contribute to something and help people out in the long term, in the short term, however I can,” Tarsitano said. “That’s really my goal here.”

Photo by Sierra Williams

Isabella Tarsitano, an intern at Flagler County Emergency Services, is going into her junior year of high school.

“It feels amazing that I can actually contribute to something and help people out in the long term, in the short term, however I can. That’s really my goal here.” ISABELLA TARSITANO, EOC intern

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MLS#1108826 $319,500 Call Lyn Gildon 386-466-6100.

p.m. — First block of Laughing Gull Lane Misuse of 911. A Palm Coast man was arrested after calling 911 four times in four hours without an emergency.

After the fourth call, Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the man’s home to speak with him, according to the man’s arrest report.

The deputies asked the man what the emergency was, and the man, 58, said he did not have an emergency and asked why deputies had been to his home earlier.

The man’s first call, at 1:30 p.m., alleged that drugs were being sold at a nearby restaurant, the report said.

Tastefully updated lakeview townhome. This 3 bed/2.5 bath home offers over 2,800 sq feet of living space and a maintenance free life style. The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated. The open floor plan provides plenty of room for entertaining and family gatherings. Plantation shutter & remote control blinds throughout. MLS#1109269 $489,000 Call Lynda Watson 386-334-1233.

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footage testing car doors as he walked down the street, and the residents called 911.

Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the call found the suspect a few streets over, walking along the street with a flashlight, the report said.

The man told deputies that he was visiting a friend in the neighborhood, but could not provide the address, the report said. After searching him, deputies found a variety of items in his pockets, including cash, two different packs of cigarettes, three lighters and marijuana.

The man has been charged with marijuana possession, giving a false name to law enforcement, prowling and three counts of attempted burglary.

While performing field sobriety exercises, which he failed, the man continued to argue with the officer about the officer’s prescription sunglasses.

The man was taken to jail.

JUNE 25

HIDE AND SEEK

6 p.m. — 300 block of Airport Road, Ormond Beach Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. A 37-year-old Daytona Beach woman suspected of breaking into a home was found hiding underneath a bed.

FIRST FLOOR OCEAN FRONT WITH PRIVATE ENTRANCE FROM POOL DECK! This unique unit is one of only four of its kind in the entire building. Separate bedroom and living area with FULL KITCHEN and WASHER AND DRYER! When you are not using it, this unit can be rented daily, weekly, or monthly. MLS#1110647

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The second, an hour later, was to ask why someone came to his home, where he was warned about calling 911 without an emergency. The third was a call and hang up, and the fourth was to ask, again, why someone came to his home. The deputies placed the man under arrest for misuse of 911.

JUNE 23

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

3:38 a.m. — First block of Foster Lane, Palm Coast Burglary. A 51-year-old Palm Coast man wearing orange was caught burglarizing vehicles at 3 a.m., according to an arrest report.

The suspect was allegedly caught on door camera

JUNE 24 ACTING SHADY

6:25 p.m. — Intersection of New Britain Avenue and North Beach Street, Ormond Beach DUI. While being investigated for drunk driving, a 67-yearold Ormond Beach man argued with a police officer because the officer was wearing prescription sunglasses. The man demanded he take them off.

Police had responded to a local parking lot after receiving a call about a crash, according to a police report. The caller said she believed the man was drunk. As police spoke with him, they noted that he smelled of alcohol, was unsteady and had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.

Police were dispatched to the residence after a maintenance worker noticed that a glass door to the patio was broken, according to a police report. Someone had also cut a lock on the gate at the end of the driveway.

Officers contacted the homeowner, who told police he had not given anyone permission to stay at the home.

Officers found the woman under a bed in a second-floor bedroom, a pair of bolt cutters beside her on the floor.

The woman said she had been granted permission to stay in the home with a friend.

The homeowner wanted to

City withholds $1.15 million from Waste Pro

The city says recycle bins belong to residents, and that the company should not have collected the bins when its contract ended.

JONATHAN SIMMONS MANAGING EDITOR

The Palm Coast city government is fining Waste Pro $903,250 for gathering up 7,226 recycling bins when its contract ended in May. The city has withheld its final, almost $1.15 million payment to the waste hauling company amid the dispute.

The Palm Coast government says the recycle bins belong to residents, and that Waste Pro should have left them for locals to use when the city’s new waste-hauling company, FCC Environmental, took over on June 1. Waste Pro says the bins belong to Waste Pro. Both cite sections of official city documents like contracts or RFPs to support their case.

A lawyer representing Waste Pro called the fine “arbitrary and capricious” in a June 23 protest of the $903,250 assessment, writing that Waste Pro would fight to recover attorneys’ fees if the city government takes the case to court.

In a June 23 email to City Council members, the attorney, Amy Shay of Stovash, Case, Shay & Pearce, P.A., wrote that the city had also told Waste Pro that the city government was withholding its final, $1,147,706.94 payment to Waste Pro.

“Given its long-standing partnership with the city, Waste Pro previously offered to engage in prelitigation mediation,” Shay wrote. “This option becomes less attractive in Waste Pro’s eyes when it faces an illegitimate assessment of nearly $1 million and withholding of its final payment for services rendered to the residents of the city.”

Palm Coast Communications & Marketing Director Brittany Kershaw confirmed that the city has not issued Waste Pro’s final payment.

“We notified them that we are

going to withhold the liquidated damages, and that gives them a 10-day period to dispute,” she said.

The 10-day period ended June 23, the date on which Shay submitted Waste Pro’s protest. The city is now evaluating it, Kershaw said.

Waste Pro was the city’s waste hauler for 17 years until FCC won a bid in 2022.

Waste Pro started collecting the recycle bins, which bear its logo, on May 25.

The city holds that because a recycling bin is defined in Waste Pro’s contract as “purchased on behalf” of city residents, the bins are the residents,’ not the company’s, according to City Attorney Neysa Borkert.

City Manager Denise Bevan notified Waste Pro of NE Florida Regional VP Brian Wintjen on June 9 that the city expected to withhold $906,400 from its final, May 2023 payment to Waste Pro — $903,250 for the bins, plus a total of $3,150 for a handful of other alleged infractions, according to a document included in Waste Pro’s protest of the city’s assessment.

The $903,250 assessment, according to the notice, was due to Waste Pro’s “failure to handle waste receptacles carefully, thoroughly empty and return containers or garbage receptacles to original location as per contract.”

A Waste Pro division manager asked Palm Coast Citizen Engagement Analyst Alyssa Roscoe in a March 22 email to point out where the city’s contract with Waste Pro said that the city “owned” the bins.

Roscoe replied, “I am not able to find anything stating ‘ownership’. However in the definitions, section 6.29 and then on page 12 section 3.2, both pictured below, the bins are discussed.”

Roscoe attached photos of those portions of the contract: 6.29 defines a “plastic recycle container” as “any container purchased and distributed by or on behalf of city residents, by the contractor for the intended use as a receptacle of recyclable items,” while 3.2 states, “Recycling containers shall be provided to residents at no cost to the resident.”

Mostly naked man allegedly causes, flees multiple crashes

A mostly naked Port Orange driver and his female passenger were arrested June 21 after the man drove through an intersection, hitting multiple vehicles and fleeing the scene, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The crashes occurred at the intersection of East State Road 100 and South Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife officer saw the crashes and pursued the suspects’ SUV south on Old Kings Road, according to a press release from the FCSO.

The SUV pulled into Old Kings Elementary School and drove around the track before continuing down

“We notified them that we are going to withhold the liquidated damages, and that gives them a 10-day period to dispute.”

In its protest of the assessment, Waste Pro included a photo of Roscoe’s email, with the line “I am not able to find anything stating ‘ownership’” highlighted in yellow.

Waste Pro pointed to text in several city documents to support its case, including a Q&A addendum to the city’s 2011 Request For Proposals. It highlighted the following two questions:

“Question: Does the contractor need to purchase the recycle bins/ toters? Answer: Yes, and the contractor shall retain ownership of all bins/toters/carts. (The cost should be included in the price proposal).

“Question: Will the current hauler retain ownership of the current recycle bins? Answer: Yes.”

At a June 27 City Council meeting, the council authorized Palm Coast’s legal team to enter negotiations with Waste Pro over the assessment.

BRIEFS

Palm Coast motorcyclist, 46, killed in crash

A 46-year-old Palm Coast man died in a three-vehicle crash in Duval County on June 21.

The crash happened at 11:25 p.m. at the intersection of Mustang Road and U.S. 1, also known as Phillips Highway, in Duval County, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

A JTA passenger bus was turning left onto U.S. 1 North when two motorcyclists — one from Palm Coast and one from Jacksonville — riding south on U.S. 1 hit the side of the bus.

The bus’ three passengers were uninjured, but both motorcyclists were taken to Memorial Hospital.

The Palm Coast motorcyclist was declared dead at the hospital. The 53-year-old Jacksonville motorcyclist is in serious condition, the report said.

FHP conducted a traffic homicide investigation, and charges are pending, the report said.

Old Kings Road to the Flagler County landfill and then into a wooded area behind the landfill and Interstate 95, where FCSO deputies formed a perimeter.

The SUV got stuck against a concrete barrier.

When deputies pulled the driver out of the vehicle, he was nude except for a “small covering wrapped around his waist, and socks,” the press release said.

Both the driver and the passenger were charged with trespassing on school grounds and several drug possession charges.

The driver was also charged with fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting an officer.

DSC receives funding for capital, program projects

The Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis have allocated funding for four major projects at Daytona State College, including $4.8 million for a Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Center at the DeLand Campus.

The new center is scheduled to open in fall 2024 and will be the new home of DSC’s Law Enforcement Academy, now housed in the Advanced Technology College in Daytona Beach, according to a news release from DSC.

DSC also received $3.3 million for pedestrian and vehicle safety and amphitheater improvements for the Flagler/Palm Coast Campus.

The legislature allocated $500,000 for DSC to update the Auto Collision program at its Advanced Technology College. The funding will modernize existing space to meet current accreditation standards, including building a new paint booth and upgrading other facility equipment and space.

The college also received $650,000 for a database security, protection and monitoring program.

Courtesy photo

Waste Pro workers gather up recycle bins in Palm Coast. Photos from public record correspondence between city staff and Waste Pro management

BRITTANY KERSHAW, Palm Coast Communications & Marketing director

Flagler Beach struggles to keep up with demand VCS superintendent, attorney rated well by School Board

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The consensus was unanimous: Flagler Beach needs help.

Representatives from all of Flagler County’s municipalities gathered at Flagler Beach City Hall on June 21 to discuss issues facing the whole county. The main topic of discussion was overcrowding in Flagler Beach as more people visit or move to Flagler County.

“You’re right, you’re in trouble,” Beverly Beach Mayor Stephen Emmett said. “We haven’t had a problem yet, but it’s coming.”

Flagler Beach Commission Chair Eric Cooley said the problem came to the commission’s attention as it was looking at the city’s and county’s expected growth over the next five years.

Flagler Beach has little room to expand or change, he said, but the number of people coming to the beach is only increasing.

“This whole county, and then also the surrounding area, is all being funneled into this little, tiny piece right here,” Cooley said.

Cooley and Commissioner Scott Spradley asked their fellow governing officials for potential solutions.

The problem has several layers. The first is a bottleneck: State Road 100 is the county’s only non-toll bridge to the beaches and dead-ends on State Road A1A, amid Flagler Beach’s businesses and across from the pier.

That ties into the city’s parking problem. Parking is limited, Cooley said, and most of the spaces along S.R. A1A serve local businesses that draw tourists looking for amenities as they visit the beach.

But that also means that casual beachgoers — Flagler County residents who are going to the beach, but not necessarily the businesses nearby — take up parking spaces in front of businesses because there is nowhere else to park, Cooley said.

Emmett said his city is already

TRIBUTES

Kendall Graham Williams Sr. Flagler Beach

1933-2023

Kendall Graham Williams Sr. was born on August 11, 1933 in Providence, R.I. and died on June 19, 2023 in Flagler Beach, FL.

He is survived by his youngest brother, Thomas F. Williams, Sister-in-Law, Eileen Kahrs-Wires, Daughter, Anita A. Williams, Son, Kendall G. Williams Jr, two granddaughters, Samantha and Victoria Parker and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Kendall was a man that people would write books about, but his humbleness to stay in the shadows of our nations triumphs and frustrations led to his greatest strength, to quietly encourage others to live for something greater than themselves. His zeal for life started just after his 18th birthday when he joined the US Air Force and deployed to Korea to support the US’s involvement in the Korean War as a USAF pilot. He completed military training and education and served honorably while attached to the US Embassy Japan, US Embassy England, and with other government agencies in Laos, Africa and other places around the world between 1950 and 1961.

After government work, he worked security for Eastern Airlines in Miami, FL

seeing spillover at its beaches.

Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri suggested the city first gather survey data about what draws people to Flagler Beach, specifically. Easy access, lifeguards, nearby shops and amenities — Flagler Beach is the only beach along the county’s coast that offers all of those amenities, she said.

Cooley said the survey suggestion was one of several great proposals from the meeting.

“We don’t have the data about who’s on the beach and why they’re there,” Cooley told the Observer “And it’s low-hanging fruit: It’s easy to do. It’s not expensive, and it’ll give you a wealth of information.”

The group also discussed ways to relieve the pressure on Flagler Beach by directing people to other beaches and parks along the coast.

County Commissioner Leann Pennington said it would be worth talking with county staff about adding lifeguards at county beaches, while County Commissioner David Sullivan suggested looking at how other parks with water access and beaches are marketed.

“You’d think the people that live here a while, they would know,” he said. “But they don’t.”

The group also considered focusing development or economic growth opportunities around those other locations.

Pontieri said that as people arrive to develop or change over businesses, the city should try to direct them to areas where old restaurants or build-

ings sit to the north.

There was also a suggestion to look to state appropriations and potentially ask for funding for another bridge to the coast.

Pontieri said Flagler County may be behind in that area.

“It’s going to get stop-and-go very soon,” she said.

Sullivan said removing the tolls on the Hammock Dunes Bridge, operated by the Dunes Community Development District, would be a faster option, if it is possible.

“That’s a lot easier a project than trying to build a whole new bridge,” he said. “[The Florida Department of Transportation] would be willing to take responsibility for that bridge.”

The group also briefly discussed other topics brought forward by representatives from Beverly Beach, Bunnell and Palm Coast: affordable housing, the state of development in Flagler Beach, the status of the city’s golf course and sea level rise.

Cooley said it has been almost 10 years since a similar joint meeting was held, and much has changed.

The meeting showed that everyone had an appetite to discuss and develop tactics, he said.

“I just think it’s important for us to get out of the silo,” Cooley said.

The group will meet again in a few months and will consider a quarterly workshop.

“[This is] all of us trying to resolve a future problem that’s coming at us,” Emmett said. “It’s not you, it’s not us. It’s Flagler County and the towns.”

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Volusia County Schools’ superintendent and school board attorney both received high ratings in their written evaluations from the School Board.

The board discussed the evaluations at a June 13 meeting.

This is the first year the board has implemented a written evaluation for both its superintendent and school attorney. Previously, only the school board attorney was evaluated.

Superintendent Carmen Balgobin received unanimously “proficient” ratings on 15 objectives. For the remaining 11 objectives — split between seven overall goals — at least one board member marked her as having made “reasonable progress toward expectation.”

Balgobin told the board that out of the four school districts she’s worked at, she’s found that “there’s something special about the people in Volusia County.” Her evaluation, she said, is a reflection of the entire VCS team.

“My goal for Volusia County is to leave a legacy and to have systems and structures in place and a staff well trained, so that for years to come, the students in this county will benefit from those systems and structures and the culture that we’re building,” Balgobin said.

Balgobin was hired as the district’s superintendent in May 2022, though she served as the interim superintendent from July 2020 to February 2021 while former Superintendent Scott Fritz — whom the board later fired — was on medical leave.

School Board member Anita Burnette commended Balgobin at the meeting for her work as superinten-

dent. Burnette said she hears a lot of appreciation for Balgobin from the community.

“I think the overall feel of everything is that Volusia County Schools is being led by a good leader,” Burnette said.

In her written evaluation, Burnette noted that Balgobin assumed the position during a “challenging time” and made “positive strides to help our district get back into a positive position with our VCS team and community.”

But there’s still work to do, Burnette wrote. She explained that Balgobin knows the district needs to increase retention for staff and educators and is aware of educational deficiencies that must be improved to help VCS become an “A” district. Volusia is currently a “B” district, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Unlike Balgobin’s evaluation, the evaluation for School Board Attorney Aaron Wolfe, with the Doran Sims Wolfe and Yoon firm, did have an overall rating. He earned a total of 19 points, the maximum number possible.

Wolfe has been advising the board since September 2022 after he switched with firm partner Ted Doran, who had earned a low evaluation score from the board.

School Board member Ruben Colon thanked Wolfe at the meeting.

“As reflected in this evaluation, we are very happy with the services you are providing,” Colon said.

In his evaluation of Wolfe, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes highlighted the attorney’s communication skills and willingness to step into the role for two of the three years of the district’s contract with his firm.

“I appreciate his professionalism, calmness and well-thoughtout comments when he answers or provides guidance during a School Board meeting,” she wrote.

Wolfe thanked the board members for their comments.

“It’s been a real pleasure representing the board for the last nine months,” he said.

throughout the 60s and 70s. In the 1980’s, after the airline folded, he founded his own private airline business with his wife, who was also a pilot.

During his years of retirement, Kendall relocated to Flagler Beach, Fl where he worked steadily for 31 years at the Flagler Beach Fishing Pier. He was the longest and oldest city employee at age 89 and was known to regale those around him with his little boy wit and mischievous redhead notions.

Kendall’s greatest love was for family. He loved his wife, Ellen Kahrs Williams, dearly for 52 years until her passing on June 20, 2019. He continued on proudly but was overcome by bouts of cancer to which he had beaten three times in just as many years.

There will be no funeral service for Veteran Kendall Williams as per his wishes. His family will celebrate his life privately with friends and loved ones. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to support the VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8696 in Palm Coast, FL. where he would go every Sunday afternoon. You can also support through their website at https://www.vfw.org/ donate/your-supportmatters.

We are saddened to announce the passing of our Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Son, Brother, Uncle, Cousin and Friend.

Randy astounded the Mayo’s medical community with his Strength, his Bravery and his Determination and positive attitude. Cancer DID NOT win ….Complications from medications prescribed on an ER visit caused his untimely passing.

Randy passed away peacefully at his Florida home with his wife of 43 years by his side.

Randy was an avid Fisherman, outdoorsman, gardener, a builder and a Jack of all trades. He was a storyteller, He loved being around nature and was always on the water when ever given the chance. He enjoyed spending time with his family and teaching his Grandchildren how to grow their own gardens, how to Fish and how to cheat at cards. LOL He enjoyed History, a good Debate, He loved Jesus, his country and was baptized by Phil Robertson. Randy loved BIG and if you were lucky enough to be one of the few he allowed to be part of his life, I would consider yourself blessed. ❤

Randy has left behind a beautiful legacy- he is survived by his Wife Vicki “Rinea” of 43 plus years, his Beautiful daughters, Beth Manis - Indiana, Jennifer

Simmons - Florida. Four adorable grandchildren, Lyric Manis, Isaac Manis both from Indiana and Alexander Simmons, Chloe Simmons of Florida, His Mother Deloris “Jeannie” Lynch (Robert Ed Lynch - husband) of Florida, Brothers - Richard

“Rick “Rhonemus (Sherri Spay) of Indiana, Rodney Rhonemus of Florida, Russell Rhonemus of Florida. Brothers in law, Lonny Whitaker (Sandy Whitaker - wife) of Indiana and Paul Whitaker of Indiana and Several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He’s preceded in death by his father Marvin J Rhonemus, both Grandparents, Arthur and Lois Rhonemus, Virgil and Arletta Hill, His Mother in law Shirley Evans, His Sister in law Karen Cox, Brothers in law Mark Whitaker, Troy Whitaker, And his baby boy Christopher Joe who was taken from us before birth.

The family would like to Thank the Doctors and nursing staff at Mayo Clinic - Jacksonville Florida. A very special thank you to Dr Jason Starr, Natasha Wylie, Dr Richard Taylor and the entire Oncology - Radiology team. Also a special thank you to Halifax Health Hospice care team Daytona Beach Florida and Heritage Funeral home Palm Coast Florida for their kindness and compassion during this truly difficult time. There will be a Celebration of Randy’s life announced at a later time.

Randy Joe Rhonemus 1955-2023

Kendall’s greatest love was for family.

Increased visitation is straining the city’s infrastructure, officials said.

This is the first year the board has implemented a written evaluation for both its superintendent and school attorney.

Photo by Sierra Williams Beverley Beach Mayor Stephen Emmett speaks at a joint meeting on June 21.

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Welcome aboard

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Daytona Beach, welcome Avelo Airlines.

Passengers aboard the ultralow-cost airline’s inaugural flight from Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut to Daytona Beach International Airport were greeted with pomp and circumstance on Thursday, June 22, as the airport celebrated the beginning of Avelo’s air service. There was cake, cheers by the Ormond Beach Sandcrabs cheerleaders and a traditional water salute as the Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft landed at DAB.

“This is the beginning of some great things for Volusia County, for the Daytona Beach area, for our community,” said Cyrus Callum, county director of aviation and economic resources, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “And so I’m very excited for this partnership that we’ve started with Avelo Airlines.”

In April, the Volusia County Council voted 4-2 to create a $1 million fund to mitigate the financial risk of Avelo’s startup costs. Avelo would only have access to the fund if the carrier fails to meet revenue projections.

But bookings have been terrific, said Travis Christ, head of marketing for Avelo Airlines. Flights for Thursday and Friday were both full.

“I’ve always thought Daytona was just waiting to emerge as a wonderful opportunity for additional air service, and as Florida’s population has expanded so much in the last few years, the time is really right,” Christ said. “... Other airlines will notice this, too.”

County Council Chair Jeff Brower said this is a “historic time” to be at the airport. He was joined by Councilmen Matt Reinhart, Jake Johansson and Troy Kent. There is demand for additional air traffic at DAB, Brower said, which reaffirms that the county’s investment in bringing the airline was a good move.

“It was well planned, and I have complete confidence that this is the right plan,” he said. “This agreement is an investment in taxpayers’ money. We believe that it is a good

the airline will also fly to Delaware’s Wilmington Airport on Mondays and Fridays, starting June 23.

Callum said he had reported to the council in April that the airport had a $2.1 billion economic impact on the county. A new report by the Florida Department of Transportation stated that the airport now has a $3.2 billion impact.

DAB Director Karen Feaster said the airport’s air traffic is up 14% this year compared to this time in 2022. The Avelo flights, she added,

DAB celebrates inaugural Avelo Airlines flight.

Photos by Jarleene Almenas

Avelo’s inaugural flight lands at DAB.

Passengers are greeted at DAB.

Avelo’s inaugural flight was greeted with the traditional water salute.

Connor Wagner, park services specialist at Blue Springs, with Ranger Blu

Isla Clark, Stella Yost, Leah Davis, Violet Gonzalez and Dylan Garcia, of the Ormond Beach Sandcrabs, are ready to greet Avelo.

DAB Director Karen Feaster

Travis Christ, head of marketing for Avelo Airlines

Cyrus Callum, county director of aviation and economic resources

Joanne Magley, director of marketing and customer experience at the Daytona Beach International Airport

Sponsored by

Q+A TOM HEISER, MANAGING BROKER

Tom Heiser marks 30 years with Coldwell Banker realtors

EDITOR

Tom Heiser says he is one of those rarities who has had just two jobs in his lifetime. He enlisted in the Army two months after graduating from high school in 1972. And 21 years later, he joined his brother’s Coldwell Banker realty franchise in Palm Coast.

Heiser, the managing broker at Coldwell Banker Premier Properties, recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the company’s Palm Coast office. Heiser spoke to the Observer about Flagler County’s changing real estate market during the past three decades, and the Heiser Foundation, which his family established in honor of his nephew, Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Heiser, who was among 19 U.S. airmen killed in the Khobar Towers terrorist bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1996.

How did you start in the real estate business?

This was actually a second thought, because in the Army, I used to maintain computer systems. When I was ready to retire in 1993, I sent out resumes to companies that were doing contract work with the government, but at that time everybody was scaling down their operations.

My brother said, “Why don’t you come on down here and help with the real estate business?” I said, “Sounds good.”

So we packed up our bags and moved down here to Florida.

Your brother owned the Coldwell Banker franchise at the time?

Yes. In 1996, after ... their only son was one of the 19 that were killed in the bombings of Dhahran, he eventually sold the company to an outfit up in Jacksonville, that kept me on as the managing broker. They sold it to some-

body else, and that person kept me on as the managing broker. They sold it to Steve Cupolo, the owner of Premier Properties, who just about two years ago merged with the Schmidt Family of Companies out of Michigan. So, right now, I think they’re the second largest Coldwell Banker franchise in the nation. They have a little over 90 offices and a little over 2,000 agents throughout Michigan, Ohio, Florida and the Virgin Islands.

How has Palm Coast changed in the last 30 years?

It’s grown from one traffic signal to what we have today. It used to take me five minutes to get to the beach, and now it takes me about 30 minutes.

I guess traffic is good for the real estate business. Yes, it is. And we’re still behind what we need for homes here in Palm Coast

and Flagler County. There’s such a pent-up demand for housing. Builders left during the (real estate bust) in 2006 through 2008. They’re now trying to catch up, but we still are short a lot of homes. There are a lot of projects going on within the county, but we’re talking another five, six years from now.

So even with interest rates going up, buyers are still here?

Buyers are still here. People are moving down from up North, where they’re selling their homes for a ton of money, and the cost down here is a lot less, so they’re coming down and paying cash. But we are seeing price reductions every day now in our Multiple Listing Service. So a lot of sellers are feeling the pinch of the interest rates, and they’re reducing their prices.

How did COVID affect the real estate market here?

When COVID first hit, we thought that was the end of the real estate market. But it just blossomed in Flagler County and actually in the whole state of Florida. I don’t want to get too political, but we had we had a good governor that saw that this wasn’t an opportunity to close everything down like in many of the other states. So we were basically open and people from states that were closed down for business were mov-

ing here so that we were seeing 25 to 30% increases year over year in prices.

You mentioned the real estate bust. How did your office survive the turmoil? My office was doing about $10 million a month and we went down the following months to right about $800,000 or $900,000 in closed sales. So that was a very drastic thing. It was like real estate was basically not existent. I became more of a counselor to my sales team. I told my agents: You need to take care of yourself and your family. So if you need to go out there and get a part-time job or whatever it takes to make ends meet, just go ahead and do it, and we’re going to still be here somehow. And the company made it through that time, and since then we’ve been doing quite well.

During the past 30 years, when were the fastest growth periods here?

Back in the early 2000s, we were selling a regular 80-by125 lot for $15,000 to $20,000. Then, within a two-year period in about 2004 to 2006, they were up to $70,000 to $80,000. Today, we’re selling these lots anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000.

What are some projects the Heiser Foundation is involved with? We give out scholarships to high school seniors. We work with Teens in Flight and numerous organizations. ... I’d also like to say thank you to the company, because they didn’t know how to celebrate my 30 years with Coldwell Banker, so they made a $1,000 donation to the Heiser Foundation.

FOXTAIL COFFEE CO. COMING SOON TO ONE DAYTONA

Foxtail Coffee Co. will open soon at One Daytona.

Located next to Pink Narcissus, Foxtail Coffee will offer craft and slow bar coffee, nitroinfused cold brew on tap and made-to-order hot and iced teas through a partnership with Volusia’s Yaupon Brothers American Tea, based out of Edgewater.

Since opening in Winter Park in 2016, Foxtail has opened 53 locations in Florida, one in Georgia, and more in the southeast and the west. This Foxtail Coffee location will serve beer and wine, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, egg bites, quiches, pastries and sweet treats.

“Opening a store in the shadows of the Daytona International Speedway means so much to us,” said Jesse Davis, Foxtail Coffee Co. franchisee.

SMA HEALTHCARE WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Dr. Megan Bagwell, Howard Holley and Quanita May have joined the SMA Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors . Bagwell, of Ormond Beach, is an OB/GYN hospitalist at AdventHealth Daytona Beach.

Holley is a resident of Palm Coast and publisher and chief executive officer of TouchPoint Innovative Solutions.

May is the city commissioner for Daytona Beach Zone 3 and

is also a local business owner and licensed therapist.

STEAKHOUSE, ALE HOUSE COULD JOIN BJ’S

A Longhorn Steakhouse and a Miller’s Ale House could be coming to Palm Coast as part of the BJ’s Wholesale shopping center development.

The BJ’s will be the main feature of the new Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center at the intersection of Seminole Woods Boulevard and State Road 100. The shopping center is expected to include five store fronts along S.R. 100. Flagler County Growth Management Director Adam Mengel confirmed to the Observer in an email that the county has received two applications for two of the five storefronts in front of the future BJ’s: one for Longhorn Steakhouse and the other for Miller’s Ale House.

Mengel wrote that the two applications are in the site plan review stage and have not been approved yet. These would be the first locations for each chain within Flagler County. The county has not received applications for the other three parcels. The Cornerstone is currently on county land and therefore under county purview. But the land is in the process of being annexed into Palm Coast.

CHIUMENTO LAW ADDS TWO ATTORNEYS

Chiumento Law has gained two new associate attorneys: Jared T. Trent and Sydney L. Nix. Trent earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business from Florida State University and his Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law.

Sydney Nix joins Chiumento Law’s estate planning department. She holds a bachelor’s in international business and a minor in German from Rollins College and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law.

Photo by Alexis Miller Fresh espresso at Foxtail.

Tom Heiser

Make yourself at home

Holy earlobes! That had to hurt

A visit to the strange world of Claire’s.

BRIAN MCMILLAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I was shocked when my daughters both eagerly jumped in the back of the car so they could get a ride to Claire’s to get their ears pierced.

As we drove to St. Augustine, I kept looking up at their faces — 13-year-old Ellie and 8-year-old Kennedy — in the rearview mirror, to gauge their state of mind. Did they not realize their earlobes were about to be mutilated? Holes punched through their flesh — permanently?

Then again, I’m known in my family for getting queasy around blood and needles. My wife, Hailey, is aware of my wimpiness. Sometimes, a little too aware.

“You don’t have to come into the store, if you don’t want to,” Hailey said as we parked.

“No, it’s fine,” I said, swallowing hard, following my girls across the blacktop like Caesar crossing the Rubicon. “I can handle it.”

We entered Claire’s, which was, incongruously, adjacent to the food court. Such a brutal rite of passage should be done on a mountaintop, surrounded by the smells of incense, not in a shopping mall surrounded by the smells of Colossal

LETTERS

Development of golf course is a traffic concern

Dear Editor:

Mayor Bill Partington’s letter in the Observer regarding ideas to address traffic concerns states, “I am acutely aware of the importance of community engagement and collaboration.”

I know that many residents have been engaged and collaborating in opposition to a proposed development of 300 homes on the golf course in the middle of Tomoka Oaks development.

YOUR TOWN

FIRST UNITED RAISES $1,500 FOR OBPD

First United has concluded its Adventure Week, a weeklong event filled with activities for children. The event, which took place June 19-23, offered arts and crafts, Bible stories, music, games and science experiments. Over 110 kids attended.

Adventure Week had a focus on giving, and the kids raised over $1,500 to support the Ormond Beach Police Department’s community outreach program for car seats. Many contributed their allowances.

“This community’s dedication to helping others is truly inspiring,” said Caitlin Bookwalter, the director of family ministries at First United. “The funds raised will go a long way in ensuring the safety and well-being of children in our community, and we are proud to have made a positive impact together.”

The event was made possible by 75 adult volunteers and 32 youth volunteers.

Dogs and Burgers.

Somehow, inside a store that’s about the size of some people’s walk-in closets, they fit 5.27 million different pairs of earrings, not to mention false eyelashes, false nails, “skin gems” and hair brushes that fold up to look like boxes of Nerds.

“We have an appointment for ear piercing,” Hailey told the young lady behind the cash register.

Very friendly young lady. Probably a high school student, summer job. But how qualified do you have to be to sell plastic jewelry, right?

With a smile, she walked from the cash register over to the corner of the store (about 8 feet away), which was apparently the ear-piercing corner. She started showing Ellie and Kennedy the options for starter earrings and the bottles of cleaning solution, for aftercare.

Wait, I thought, this is who’s performing the procedure? Somehow, I was expecting someone older, maybe a doctor with white hair and a mustache. At least a lab coat?

And it was all happening here, where everyone could watch them — and me — squirm? A door, a curtain, even an umbrella would give us all a little dignity.

“It’s like an open wound, but it doesn’t feel like an open wound,” Hailey was saying.

It was all happening so fast.

“I pierced an 11-month-old, and she didn’t cry until the second ear,” the teen-like employee said. Then she said, holding up a tablet, presumably loaded with liability waivers, “One of you can fill this out.” She handed it to Hailey, not even pretending to consider me as an option.

“If you’re going to feel squea-

There is a very short road leading out of the Tomoka Oaks development called Tomoka Oaks Boulevard. If homes are built in the middle of the Tomoka Oaks development, traffic will increase and affect the surrounding four developments (The Trails, Talaquah, Escondido Condos and Tomoka Oaks North Condos).

When Tomoka Oaks was built 60 years ago, the quiet roads were not built for 300 more homes, but we are to believe that this short road measuring 450 feet leading out of Tomoka Oaks will handle approximately 600 more cars.

Escondido Condos’ residents also exit onto this short road to travel

PILOT CLUB MEMBER HONORED AS 2023 HOMETOWN HERO

Several members of The Pilot Club of the Halifax Area attended the 25th annual Juneteenth Celebration Banquet held on Monday, June 19, where club member Nancy Lawrence was recognized as a 2023 Juneteenth Hometown Hero.

Lawrence, who holds a doctorate in health service, is an associate professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the College of Aviation, Applied Aviation Sciences Department.

Lawrence volunteers with the Rose Marie Bryon Children’s Center.

Every Friday, she prepares Bags for the Children to ensure children in the community have food for the weekend.

Lawrence’s students from the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals help prepare Thanksgiving baskets for families in need.

Other community services involve organizing and delivering Easter baskets to Volusia County Head Start and creating book fairs for children and backpacks for veterans in college.

Lawrence and her students in the American Society of Safety Professionals also helped families affected by Hurricane Ian.

HALIFAX HEALTH NAMED SPONSOR OF 63RD RIVIERA OPEN

Halifax Health is the title sponsor of the 63rd Annual Riviera Open pro-am golf tournament at Riviera Country Club.

“Halifax Health is proud to be the title sponsor of this year’s Riviera Open as well as the recipient of the event’s proceeds, which will benefit

mish, you really don’t have to stay,” Hailey said to me again.

The Teen was snapping on rubber gloves, picking up The Device, which looked like a cross between a pistol and a staple remover. Ellie was on the chair, looking more and more nervous.

“It’s OK,” I mumbled, forcing a smile. “Will it hurt?” Ellie asked one more time.

“By the time you go to bed at night, you won’t feel it,” The Teen said.

“Will my ears be red?” Ellie asked.

Hailey, the realist, said, “Well, she is stabbing something through your ear.”

Before anyone could ask any more questions, The Teen, with one eye on the line forming at the cash register, lined up The Device and pulled the trigger. A flash of silver plunged into Ellie’s ear and disappeared for a split second. When it was over, a tiny earring remained.

There were tears, there was redness, an expression of shock at the intensity.

I may or may not have seen the second ear pierced. I distracted myself by gazing around the store at the regular-size backpacks made entirely of pink fuzz. Next to those, there were smaller backpacks made entirely of sequins. And then, tiny backpacks on keychains. The orderliness of the descending sizes and utility was oddly calming. It was like a peace offering from the universe — or at least from Claire’s. Kennedy was up next. “Owwwwwwwwwww,” she said, followed by a sincere but illogical prayer: “I wish the other one happened at the

the short distance to get to Nova Road. They will be hard-pressed to work their way onto the road if residential development is allowed in the middle of Tomoka Oaks.

Residents in Tomoka Oaks North Condos and Talaquah will find it more difficult to directly pull out onto Nova.

The Trails will have many more cars coming through their development that do not want to wait in line on a 450-foot road to get onto Nova. The Trails has peaceful winding roads that were not meant for additional traffic.

The mayor speaks of finding “ways to implement innovative traffic management technologies.”

same time!”

Tears were in her eyes as the second ear was pierced.

Now it was time for post-op. Perhaps a hospital bed, a TV mounted high in the corner, perhaps a paper gown, mashed potatoes on a cafeteria tray?

Not at Claire’s. We were all expected to go on with our lives and shop for stuff.

Unfortunately, if you bought three pairs of earrings, you got another three for free. We were going to be here all day.

Trying to be helpful, I held up some attractive pairs. Each time, they were rejected. I was getting a little offended, so I decided to protest by not making any more suggestions. No one noticed.

Hailey finally prodded the girls along by saying, “These are not the last earrings you’re ever going to get.”

“Well,” I said quickly, “they might be.”

Hailey said, “No. Definitely not.”

The stress was getting to me. I continued to wander through the tiny aisles, careful not to sneeze for fear the merchandise would fly into someone’s Chinese food in the food court.

I was looking for something to soothe my nerves. I absentmindedly picked up a keychain made of a plastic globe half full of yellow slime, and a Kirby character floating in the middle, wondering who on earth would ever invent this, let alone buy it. It was out of place, lonely in a crowd of mini fire extinguishers that promised to blast future owners with sour candy powder. I moved yellow-slime Kirby to another rack that contained several of its relatives, back where it belonged. Home.

As I followed my wife and daughters out of the store and across the parking lot, I felt I had made a significant contribution, at least in the life of that Kirby.

Who needs experts? Anyone living in one of the five developments that will be affected by 2,774 additional daily car trips can tell you. The quality of life, depreciation of properties, threat to the species of animals living on the land, challenge for emergency vehicles to enter and exit Tomoka Oaks and Escondido Condos, burden on hospitals and impact on the Tomoka River — which is currently on the impaired water list — are only a handful of reasons why this proposed residential development in the middle of a development is a preposterous and unviable idea.

DARLA WIDNALL Ormond Beach

nTrish Vevera

nJon Stormont

nDon Abbott

This new group will continue OBLC local service projects, including diabetes screenings at the Ormond Beach Farmer’s Market, collection of used eyeglasses and hearing aids and honoring Seabreeze High School student athletes and scholars.

The club will also be introducing vision screenings thanks to the acquisition of a Plusoptix Vision Screener.

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

Publisher John Walsh, jwalsh@observerlocalnews.com

Managing Editor Jonathan Simmons, jonathan@observerlocalnews.com

Senior Editor Jarleene Almenas, jarleene@observerlocalnews.com

Associate Editor Brent Woronoff, brent@observerlocalnews.com

Staff Writer Sierra Williams, sierra@observerlocalnews.com

Design Editor Hailey McMillan, hailey@observerlocalnews.com

Director of Engagement Kaitlyn Stier, kstier@observerlocalnews.com

Senior Media Specialist Susan Moore, susan@observerlocalnews.com

Advertising Coordinator Jessica Boone, jessica@observerlocalnews.com

Operations Manager Bonnie Hamilton, bonnie@observerlocalnews.com Circulation Coordinator, Draven Owens, dowens@observerlocalnews.com

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FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools, hosted its annual New Student Induction and Senior Recognition Ceremony on May 22 at The Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach.

The event recognized newly selected participants and graduating high school seniors and was sponsored by Dr. Michael and Nancy Suah.

A total of 28 new students were welcomed into the program.

The following Seabreeze and Mainland high school students will be joining the Volusia TSIC program in the 2023-2024 school year: Mainland students Alexa Duffy, Eva Gibbs, Lilly Gibbs, Yasmin Jimenez-Ventura, Brandon Riddick and Ethan Snider; and Seabreeze students Cheala Mannings and Jillian Trainor.

Sixteen members of the Volusia TSIC Class of 2023 who graduated from Volusia County high schools this year also were recognized.

The following three students from area schools are among 10 who will receive a Florida prepaid four-year college tuition scholarship: Mainland students Destiny Cummings and Jah Mya Hilll; and PACE Center for Girls student Alize Smith.

Aaliyah Schaper, of Seabreeze High School, is one of six who will receive a Florida Prepaid two-year college tuition scholarship.

the University of Florida Health Heart and Vascular Surgery program at Halifax Health,” said Joe Petrock, executive director of Halifax Health – Foundation. “This iconic pro-am event, which is played on one of our area’s most beautiful courses, means a great deal to the local golfing community.”

The tournament is held at what is considered the “Grand Daddy of Professional Mini-Tour golf,” and is part of the Florida Professional Golf Tour.

“As a golf enthusiast myself, I am especially pleased to see so many local families supporting the tournament,” Petrock said.

LIONS CLUB ANNOUNCES 2023-2024 OFFICER INSTALLATION

The Ormond Beach Lions Club installed its 2023-2024 officers at its last meeting of the season.

The officers are:

nRobert Armstrong

nHank Lunsford

nDennis Sweeney

nAnn Sweeney

nAndrea Howard

nLinda Trochim

nDon Kraska

To fund its service projects, the OBLC conducts fundraisers throughout the year, including a Kentucky Derby Party each May and a golf tournament and a craft show each October.

To learn more, visit e-clubhouse. org/sites/ormondbeachfl/index, call 941-284-3241 or email ormondbeachfllionsclub@gmail.com.

FUTURES FOUNDATION

CELEBRATES TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN

Take Stock in Children, a statewide scholarship and mentoring program facilitated locally through

HOLLY HILL ARTS FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE IN DECEMBER

Holiday Arts on the Halifax River is seeking fine artists and crafters for the Holly Hill Arts Festival at Sunrise Park in Holly Hill on Dec. 2-3.

This is the fifth festival produced by cofounders Pam Fieldus and Pat Masotti-Abernathy, who have more than 12 years of experience working on local festivals.

The festival is produced in partnership with the city of Holly Hill.

The application deadline is Aug. 1, and the jury fee is $30.

To apply, visit HollyHillArtsFestival. com or email HollyHillArtsFestival@ gmail.com.

Courtesy photos Caitlin Bookwalter, director of Family Ministries at First United

Eric Meyers, Joe Petrock and Ryan Myers

TSIC Volusia graduating seniors from East Volusia high schools, left to right: Joseph Maddox, Atlantic High; Angel Methax, New Smyrna Beach High; Aaliyah Schaper, Seabreeze High; Alize Smith, PACE Center for GIrls; TSIC College Success Coach Jim Neill

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Living large

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The pandemic gave artist Tiffany Urquhart a chance to spread her wings.

Living in Philadelphia at the time, the Ormond Beach native was making a living as a massage therapist, doing art on the side. When the city shut down, she could no longer do massage, but she could paint. And paint she did. Everywhere.

“Plywood was going over doors and buildings and windows, and it was just like a blank canvas,” Urquhart said. “And Philly’s really good about promoting street art, and a lot of people would just go out and paint things or spray paint or wheatpaste or do some type of art. So I got into it, basically, when COVID happened, and I never stopped.”

Urquhart has become an artist in demand. She is known for her larger-than-life murals and her bright, vibrant colors.

Now, she is also known for two prominent Pride month pieces in her adopted city. She produced a Pride window display for the Philadelphia West Elm furniture store. And she painted the Philadelphia Eagles football team’s “Eagles Wings” mural for Pride month.

The Eagles’ mural is a 10-foot tall by 24-foot wide wall in Lincoln Financial Field’s Pepsi Plaza. Artists are periodically commissioned to paint their own “Eagles Wings” interpretation on the wall.

Team officials were familiar with Urquhart, who had participated in the Eagles’ Gameday Poster series, painting a 24-by-36-inch poster of center Jason Kelce for the game against the Washington Commanders on Nov. 14 last year. The Eagles passed out over 200 posters, and Urquhart signed each one at the game.

The Eagles reached out to her again to paint the Pride month mural. Her

mural is full of color, foliage and symbolism.

“Obviously, there’s some synchronicity with the color scheme,” she said. “I incorporated all of the colors of the new updated Pride flag throughout the whole thing, because we’re all one community. It’s all about togetherness and equality.”

There is rainbow foliage throughout, with budding footballs sprouting from the leaves. Philadelphia Eagles wings are featured in the center, with a green background with “Go Birds” written repeatedly in a lighter green. Black X’s and O’s playbook symbols are scattered over the background. But there are more than just Xs and Os.

The mural also features gender symbols — female, male, nonbinary, asexual — mixed in.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Instagram post on June 1, showing a timelapse video of Urquhart painting the mural, has generated 51,500 likes and over 2,000 comments — some positive, others negative.

The West Elm display consists of several paintings of concentric circles.

In her artist statement, Urquhart says, “My paintings of layers of circles represent the LGBTQIA+ community and the chosen circles

of support that surround us. The circles are a symbol of safety, protection, and community. They represent the love and acceptance that we find within our chosen families and friends.”

She is donating four of the paintings to the Trevor Project, which focuses on suicide prevention efforts for LGBTQ youth.

SPLASHES OF COLOR

Urquhart graduated from Seabreeze High School in 2005. She was named the Volusia-Flagler Female Athlete of the Year as a senior. She played soccer and flag football and also ran cross country and track.

She also played soccer for Flagler College in St. Augustine, where she majored in art.

“They tell you, don’t major in art because you’re not going to find a career, but I was so adamant about this being something that I want to do that I never wanted to stop pursuing it,” she said.

Among her other recent works, Urquhart has painted a four-sided mural outside of the Dickerson Community Center in Daytona Beach.

The Dickerson Center is in the final phase of a three-year redesign project, and Urquhart’s tropical mural is a major component, said Brent Cohen, design development product manager for the city of Daytona Beach.

“We saw Tiff’s work on her website and knew her work would help celebrate the idea of a vibrant and active community center by creating a brightly colored four-sided mural near the Dickerson Center’s main entrance,” he said. “The mural adds some much-needed color to the site while also landmarking the Dickerson Center’s main entrance. Our hope is to have her paint more projects around Daytona Beach in the future.”

Urquhart said the Dickerson Center mural was “a super fun one to do,

just because there are so many layers and plants and detail and color. I just love working with color.”

Urquhart’s mother, Lisa, said that has always been the case.

“The pictures she colored as a child reflects her artwork today,” Lisa Urquhart said. “Her style has always been a lot of colors.”

The artistic gene runs in the family, Lisa said. Tiffany’s brother, Nicholas, is also an artist. His sea-life artwork will be displayed in Cajun Beach Boil and Sushi, a new Flagler Beach restaurant that is scheduled to open in July.

CHASING HER PASSION

Urquhart has been living in Atlanta, but she is getting ready to move to New Orleans, where her girlfriend has a job as a nurse. Urquhart plans to continue traveling to Philadelphia monthly “doing murals, visiting and staying part of the community.”

She has painted murals in Atlanta, Florida and West Virginia and expects to be doing some in New Orleans, but the bulk of her work can be found in and around Philadelphia. Her Faces of Philly mural has been displayed in the Philadelphia International Airport since December. Her 45-by-25-foot mural in the area of Temple University incorporates a Medusa head with snakes coming out of its hair.

She has a passion for environmental art, and would like to focus on it more in the future.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to do more in Florida,” she said, “because I do love doing tropical plants and foliage and animals and sea life. So I feel like that obviously fits hand in hand with Florida.”

“I’m just fortunate that I can do this full time,” she added. “I just put in a lot of effort and time and literally never took no for an answer.”

To see more of Urquhart’s artwork, go to tiffurquhart.com.

Tiffany Urquhart’s 25-foot by 7-foot “Faces of Philly” mural at the Philadelphia International Airport was on display from December 2022 through June 2023.

Tiffany Urquhart sits in front of her octopus mural at a house in Daytona Beach.

Tiffany Urquhart’s Philadelphia Eagles’ Pride Month mural in the Pepsi Plaza at Lincoln Financial Field is 10 feet tall and 24 feet wide.

Tiffany Urquhart’s latest artwork includes the Philadelphia Eagles’ Pride month mural.

Courtesy photos

SPIRIT OF AMERICA

LOCAL EVENTS

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

FAMILY ART NIGHT

When: 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast

Details: Attend this free Family Art Night program featuring fun and simple art projects for families to create together. Visit palmcoast.gov/Events/Home/ Details?slug=family-art.

SATURDAY, JULY 1

ART WALK

When: 3-7 p.m.

Where: Ormond Beach MainStreet Arts District, 128 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach Details: Join Ocean Art Gallery, Frame of Mind, Art Spotlight, The Studio by Artist Angel Lowden, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and more on the first Saturday of each month for art openings and art events.

SUNDAY, JULY 2

HAPPY WANDERERS

ORMOND BEACH WALK

When: 8 a.m.

Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Details: Join the Happy Wanderers for a 5K walk. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Costs $3. Walk with the group or at your own pace. Visit happywanderersfl.org.

MOONRISE AT THE BEACH

When: 7:45-8:45 p.m.

Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park, 3100 S Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler

Beach

Details: View the moon rising over the Atlantic Ocean as you learn interesting facts

about the moon and the local coastal ecosystem. Bring binoculars and a camera for photo opportunities. Program is limited to 30. Reservations required. Entrance into the park is $5 per vehicle. Call 386-517-2086 or visit eventbrite.com/e/moonrise-at-the-beach-tickets661232463097?aff=oddtdtc reator.

MONDAY, JULY 3

TURTLE NO. 19 UNVEILING

When: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Hammock Dunes, 2 Camino del Mar, Palm Coast

Details: The Palm Coast Arts Foundation will unveil its latest installment to the Turtle Trail. Free. Open to the public. Parking is available at the Southern States Management Office at 2 Camino del Mar.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

ONE DAY BIBLE CAMP, ‘GONE FISHING’

When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Tomoka United Methodist Church, 1000 Old Tomoka Road, Ormond Beach

Details: Tomoka United Methodist Church is hosting a free Bible camp for rising kindergarteners through fifth grade students. Lunch will be provided with optional water activities during the last hour. Must enroll by July 8. Call 386-672-6722. Visit tomokaumc.org.

ONGOING

SIX-WEEK BEGINNERS PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS

When: Saturday, July 8, 15, 22; Aug. 5 and 12

Where: Art League of Daytona Beach, 433 S. Palmetto Ave., Daytona Beach

Details: Instructor Rafael Torres will teach the basics of photography, lighting and use of equipment. Register by July 7. Visit artleague.org/ classes.

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

RED, WHITE AND BOOM!

When: Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2

Where: Florida Cracker Ranch, 797 County Road 200 Bunnell,

Details: Join the Florida Cracker Ranch for a weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July, with fireworks over the lake at 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 1. Reserve a campsite for the weekend. Tickets cost $45 for ages 13 and up in advance; $65 at the door. Children 12 and under are free.

Visit flaglerbroadcasting. com.

MONDAY, JULY 3

THIRD OF JULY

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Calvary Christian Center, 1687 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: Celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, food, live music, games and more.

TUESDAY, JULY 4

UNITED FLAGLER 4TH

When: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Varies

Details: Flagler County Government, the cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell, and the towns of Beverly Beach and Marineland invite all Flagler County residents and

this all-day com- munity celebration. A celebration 5K is set to take place on the Flagler Beach bridge at 6 a.m., with a parade to follow at 10 a.m. from North 6th Street to South 6th Street along A1A. After the parade until 5 p.m., there will be music and entertainment at Veterans Park, at 105 S 2nd St. The fireworks will be set at the Flagler Executive Airport at 201 Airport Road at 9 p.m. The gates open at 5 p.m. Free event. Visit UnitedFlagler4th.com for more information.

JULY 4TH VETERANS PARADE ON MAIN STREET

When: 10 a.m.

Where: Main Street at Atlantic Avenue to west on Main Street, Daytona Beach

Details: Enjoy the third annual Fourth of July Veterans Parade featuring local military organizations, combat veterans, and the city of Daytona Beach’s police and fire departments. There will also be a special ceremony starting at 9 a.m. by the clock tower between the boardwalk and the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort at 100 N. Atlantic Ave. Free event.

SECOND ANNUAL SPLASH BASH

When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Daytona Lagoon, 601 Earl St., Daytona Beach

Details: Celebrate Independence Day with this familyfriendly event that includes a “Red,

White, and Blue” beach ball drop at 4 p.m. Event is included with the purchase of a waterpark ticket. Visit daytona lagoon.com.

ORMOND BEACH INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Rockefeller Gardens, 26 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach

Details: The city of Ormond Beach will celebrate the Fourth of July with music, food trucks, fireworks and more. Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, JULY 13

‘THE GIRL WHO WORE FREEDOM’

When: 5 p.m.

Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: OMAM will be hosting a community screening of “The Girl Who Wore Freedom” to discover the stories of D-Day from the men, women and children who lived through German occupation and Allied liberation of Normandy, France. There will be a wine and cheese reception at 5 p.m., as well as a chance to meet filmmaker Christian Taylor. The film screening will take place across the street at the St. James Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall at 6 p.m. Free event. Visit ormondartmuseum. org for tickets.

BRIEFS

Firefighters urge residents to celebrate safely

With Independence Day on the way, Volusia County Fire Rescue officials are encouraging residents to leave the show to the pros – and keep personal fireworks off the beach. There are twice as many fires reported on Independence Day as on any other day; half of those are from fireworks.

“The safest way to enjoy fireworks is by watching public displays,” Volusia County Fire Chief Joe King said. “We caution residents against using fireworks because they can cause fires and injuries when used improperly. Fireworks injure more than 10,000 people each year. Even sparklers can be dangerous, King said. They burn at 1,200 degrees. When children hold sparklers close to their bodies, the sparklers can burn their skin or set fire to their clothes. Volusia County Fire Rescue offers these tips for consumers who buy legal fireworks:

„ Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.

„ Never place any part of your body directly over fireworks when lighting the fuse.

„ Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from them quickly.

„ Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy.

„ After fireworks stop burning, douse them with water from a bucket or hose.

„ Pick up all debris and spent fireworks.

“Please keep a watchful eye on the children as we celebrate our nation’s independence,” King said.

SPIRIT OF AMERICA

Flagler 4th promises fireworks, festivities

bounce houses, line dancing, and performances by the U.S. Navy band from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. DJ Vern from SURF 97.3 FM will also provide music and entertainment.

beer garden.

OBSERVER STAFF

A daylong Independence Day celebration in Flagler County will begin with a parade in Flagler Beach and conclude with Fireworks Over the Runways at the Flagler Executive Airport.

The July 4 event is the result of a partnership between the Flagler County government and the cities of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell and the towns of Beverly Beach and Marineland, according to a news release from the Palm Coast city government. The day will begin at 10 a.m. with the Stars and Stripes parade, presented by the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach.

The parade will follow State Road A1A from North 6th Street to South 6th Street.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., events will occur all day at Veterans Park at 101 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. in Flagler Beach, including a dunk tank, contests,

BRIEFS

‘Red, White & BOOM’ festival planned

Flagler Broadcasting and the Florida Cracker Ranch are partnering for the first Red, White & BOOM celebration and fireworks show the weekend of June 30. Come out early on Friday, June 30, with camping gear

Gates at the Flagler Executive Airport, 201 Airport Road in Palm Coast, will open at 5 p.m., and the fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m.

There are two parking options for the fireworks show, according to the news release:

Option 1: Parking for airport access on the north side (front of the airport) will be available at Flagler Palm Coast High School. North-side parking will require a 0.5-mile walk from the school to the airport entrance, involving crossing State Road 100 at the Bulldog Drive and S.R. 100 crosswalk.

There will be no parking on the north side of the airport property. Access to Aviation Drive and Airport Road from SR100 will be restricted beginning at 4 p.m.

On the north side, limited bleacher seating will be available, along with a selection of vendors offering face painting, a trackless train, and various small gifts for purchase. Food vendors will provide dining options, including a

and ATVs to explore over 1,200 acres of backwoods trails and mud holes.

Saturday, July 1, will feature swamp buggy rides, racing pigs, a free kids zone, food trucks, swimming in Spring Lake and live country and rock bands. Local artist Jordan Profitt will be opening, and Jordan Redding will be headlining. A fireworks show over the lake will start at 10 p.m.

“The Florida Cracker Ranch

A main stage will feature a DJ, and at 7 p.m., local dignitaries and elected officials will recite the Declaration of Independence. Melanie DiMartino will perform the national anthem. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Portable restrooms and a handwashing station will be provided.

Option 2: Guests can opt for airport parking, including handicapped parking, on the south side (back of the airport), accessible via Fin Way off Belle Terre Boulevard. The south side of the airport is for fireworks viewing only: No vendors or seating will be available. Guests are encouraged to pack a picnic and bring lawn chairs. There will be portable restrooms and a handwashing station.

Entry, parking and participation in the event are free. Glass bottles are strictly prohibited.

There will be no access between the front and back of the airport during the event. The airport will be operational, except for a temporary closure for the fireworks.

Carpooling is encouraged. Go to UnitedFlagler4th.com.

has become the fastestgrowing family off-road park, in Florida, and we are proud to bring this to Flagler County,” said Swayne Stickland, the owner of Florida Cracker Ranch. Reserve your three-day campsites in advance to stay for the whole weekend. Tents, RVs ATVs and coolers are welcome. Discount reservations and more details can be found at flaglerbroadcasting.com.

Education

Rebecca Peck, MD, earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut with an interest in Geriatrics and Women’s Health. In 2001, Dr. Peck completed her Family Medicine Residency at Halifax Health and is a board-certified family physician.

Professional Highlights

Dr. Peck is a board-certified family physician who has worked in government, private and hospital-employed physician environments as a geriatric specialist and family physician. Dr. Peck is dedicated to providing excellent care and service to her patients and collaborates with other medical staff to devise effective treatment solutions. She is excited to provide a neighborhood doctor's approach combining the best of longitudinal patient relationships with the latest technological advances.

Just West of I-95 off Old Dixie Hwy.

The event will begin with a parade in Flagler Beach and end with fireworks at the airport.

Q+A GARRY PETERSON, AUTHOR

Retired engineer discovers new career as a science fiction author

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

G

arry Peterson earned an engineering degree from Youngstown State University, worked for General Motors in Detroit for 20 years and owned his own business consulting firm for 12 years.

Peterson, 76, and his wife, Vaune, retired to Palm Coast about 12 years ago. His “retirement passion” was to play golf and softball, but after 2,200 softball games he was bored, he said.

Vaune suggested he write that business book that had been talked about for years. He published “Who put me in Charge? Getting to the Next Level” in 2019, and then received a call from Robert Reed of Robert D. Reed Publishing. Reed, who died in 2021, noticed a scene in Peterson’s business book included aliens from the future and wondered if he’d be interested in writing fiction.

Since then, Peterson has written four books in his science fiction series “Stargate Earth,” a fiction book about relationships gone bad titled “Sharks in the City,” and a murder mystery, “Fatal Expressions,” based on the characters in “Sharks in the City.”

The fourth Stargate Earth book, “Battlestar Earth,” is due out in July. He is now working on a movie screenplay for his murder mystery and the fifth book in his sci-fi series. While Peterson still plays senior softball, science fiction writing turned out to be his true retirement passion.

Have you always been a science fiction reader?

I’ve always been interested in science fiction: “The Twilight Zone,” and I also enjoy the Star Wars movies. So, I’ve always been kind of addicted to that.

Who are some of your favorite scifi authors?

Clive Cussler, a little bit, but I don’t have a favorite per se. Every author has a different signature, so I would pick and choose genres. Maybe it was a parallel dimension or a shapeshifter type of fantasy. Where do you get ideas for your books?

I’m an engineer, and I get ideas from researches that are really kind of hard to do anything with but put them down on paper. I dream things and put them right into my books. For example, “Shattered Truth” (the first book in the “Stargate Earth” series) was based on a progressive dream I had over almost 10 years. And I use experiences I’ve had. For example, I’m a scuba diver. My wife and I did a barefoot cruise back in the 1990s aboard an old wooden sailboat. Six months after we took that sail, that boat got caught in Hurricane Mitch and was destroyed. We knew a lot of the sailors. In my book, the aliens from the future rescued the sailors

and put them on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. So, all the sailors that died, didn’t die. It’s fiction, but it was easy for me to write because it was the right thing to do.

How did you go from writing a scifi series to “Sharks in the City”?

My daughter, Sarah, challenged me to write a book about men behaving badly in the city she lived in — San Francisco. This book was supposed to be a one-timer, but it’s been my bestselling book. Barnes & Noble sold almost 2,000 copies. When I got done with the first draft, I talked to Karen Brody (a writer and relationship coach), and she had me create a new character in the book

after her. So, Karen gave me advice to put in the book. The last third of this book is about how you treat those men to see if you could get them to change their behavior.

How much time in a day do you spend writing?

It varies. I get up in the morning at 6, 6:30, I meditate, then I’ll start writing depending on what I have to do that day. I almost never write less than three or four hours because you have to be so focused. I have the complete opposite of writer’s block. I have so many ideas. I started book five in (the sci-fi series). I started book three in the (“Sharks in the City”) series. I’ve

also started a book called “The Fifth Ascension,” about past life regression.

Did you ever envision your retirement looking like this?

No. As a matter of fact, my wife — we’ve been married for 50 years — we were going to retire and travel. COVID was part of the reason we didn’t. I’m just so busy right now. Peterson’s books are available on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in Daytona Beach. For more information, visitgarryjpeterson.com, email garry@garryjpeterson.com or call 407-388-4238.

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“GL VIC FRZO OI HM DRXXV GZ NGLM, AIZBGTME VICEBMNL R BOCTMZO. MPMEV TRV IL VICE NGLM, ODGZS: DIF ARZ G GUXEIPM?” ZGAS ILLMEURZ

“Z GTU GA IFDL ZNYXD XRXU, XMN GLY AMYD GLXG RZKK MAG KYXOY WY XKAMY

XTY GLY AMYD GLXG FKGZWXGYKU YMN

FI LXIIYMZME.” B.B. XPTXWD

Puzzle One Clue: H equals B Puzzle Two Clue: O equals V

“MYBMUY ENBXUA MXDEXY VNCF

FNYW’DY MCEEKBOCFY CPBXF. FNCF

VKUU HCRY FNYH NCMMKYD FNCO

MDYFFW HXTN COWFNKOS YUEY.”

YUBO HXER

Puzzle Three Clue: P equals B

© 2023 NEA, Inc.

Photo by Brent Woronoff

Garry Peterson displays his five fiction books. The fourth book in his science fiction series is due out next month.

UP

MARKETS by Garrett Chalfin, edited by Jeff Chen

To the MAX SPORTS

MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Max Monday” launched the Seabreeze football team into its last week of summer practice on June 26 before the holiday break. It was a day for players to conquer a personal best by bench pressing one repetition at their heaviest weight.

Coach Lester Davis liked what he saw in the weight room. Eighty-seven percent of the players increased their maximum by at least five pounds while 77% increased their maximum by 10 pounds since the last test of strength a month ago in May. Denali Campbell jumped 15 pounds.

“Although we are nowhere near where we want to be, we are climbing Jacob’s ladder,” he said. “We are working our butts off to make sure they are making gains. These kids have bought into, ‘We will not be outworked.’”

Halfway through the practice day, the Sandcrabs headed out to the field for skills training and 7-on-7 games. Coaches broke up into groups for linebackers, wide receivers, offensive and defensive line, running backs and quarterbacks. Coach Victor Campbell Jr. was a week into his new position as linebacker coach after Davis switched him from offensive line coach.

“Seven-on-7 was an eyeopener as far as some culture changes that I had to make,” Davis said. “I moved Victor Campbell to coaching the linebackers. Learning two different positions is going to make him grow as a coach. He is the best man for the job because I know the work ethic. That was an easy move and one that I could see; 7-on-7 helped me recognize that.”

This has been a learning curve for Campbell, whose forte is offensive line. He played right guard at Mainland High School and Fullerton College in California.

“Now, honestly, I am literally learning with the kids of the defensive scheme and the responsibilities of the linebacker,” he said. “It’s a beautiful process because I am transparent with the kids. They know that I am doing the best that I can with what I know, but I’m also getting better as a coach each day by just demanding respect and effort. At the end of the day, I know that there is a lot more I have to learn knowledge-wise of Xs and Os, but in the meantime, I can still have a high expectation for effort and discipline, which is a big requirement right now.”

He has become both coach and student as he masters the new terminology.

“I like it,” he said. “I like to be on my toes. I like new and exciting things. I know offensive line like the back of my hand. For linebackers, it’s a little bit different — that’s on the opposite side of the ball. It’s more of learning the terminology that coach Davis expects from the coaches down to the players. Really, everything comes down to semantics.”

He sees a lot of positivity in his group. Each day, they come to work ready to be the best that they can be. For Campbell, junior Dylan Hayes was a standout, while wide receiver

“Although we are nowhere near where we want to be, we are climbing Jacob’s ladder. We are working our butts off to make sure we are making gains. These kids have bought into, ‘We will not be outworked.’”

coach Mark Lewis touted juniors Denali Campbell and Landon Smith as Seabreeze’s main passing threats.

“By now, more than anything else, we want to see some cohesion,” Lewis said. “We want to see our conditioning come together. We want to see our play steady come together and execution come into focus. It is starting to happen for us.”

He said he does not get ruffled unless attention to detail is lacking— a missed block, missed assignment or a dropped ball: That all translates into stalled drives and not being able to put up as many points as possible.

“Once you start seeing less and less of that, you see more execution, you see a more cohesive unit and you know you’re on the right path,” Lewis said. “That’s basically what we’re seeing right now.”

The Sandcrabs started Tuesday with a day in the classroom studying game footage. Davis said they seemed to grasp what the coaching staff wanted to accomplish.

“The best part was I able to see the transition between the classroom and the field today,” Davis said. “I could see the offense was clicking. They had a better understanding of the concepts we were running. Defensively, we were talking and communicating more, so it’s going to pay off in the

long run.”

The Seabreeze football team held a ‘Max Monday’ practice on June 26, with 87% of the players toppling personal bests.

Photos by Michele Meyers

Seabreeze assistant Kerry Kramer came out of retirement to coach the defensive line.

Senior Mike Shropshire runs defensive line drills.

Freshman Logan Swartz runs through defensive line drills.

Senior wide receiver Gavin Martinez does a little grab-and-go during the 7-on-7 game.

Micah Karr (center) goes for the touch as Johntae Haddock makes the catch in a 7-on-7 game.

Denzel Shropshire (left) and Amari Peoples battle.

LESTER DAVIS, Seabreeze head football coach

REAL ESTATE

House in Toscana tops sales list in Ormond Beach

Ahouse in Toscana was the top real estate transaction for May 14-20 in Ormond Beach and Ormond-bythe-Sea. David and Elaine Hoehn, of Ormond Beach, sold 116 La Toscana Rotonda to Bernard Turi, of Utica, New York, for $1,295,000. Built in 2017, the house is a 4/4 and has a pool, an outdoor kitchen, a hot tub and 3,447 square feet of space. It sold in 2021 for $999,900.

ALEXIS MILLER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Condos

Gary and April Rygg, of Ellijay, Georgia, sold 2850 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 24, to David Robert Coughran and Charlene Marie Coughran, of Ormond Beach, for $276,800. Built in 1980, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,184 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $150,000.

Maria Dulce Monahan, of Ormond Beach, sold 1 Tomoka Oaks Blvd., Unit 131, to Susan Winkler, of Ormond Beach, for $253,000. Built in 1980, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,184 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $159,000.

Sherri Parrett, of Ormond Beach, sold 2898 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 402, to Arthur Stoeke, Jennifer Stoeke, Shawn William Conway and Jodi Renee-Hopkins Conway, of Oviedo, for $400,000. Built in 1985, the condo is a 3/2.5 and has 1,420 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $230,000.

ORMOND BEACH

Breakaway Trails

Franklin and Carol Forbes, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, sold 11 Coquina Lake Way to Halina Maria Strecker and Leopold Ryszard Strecker, of Ormond Beach, for $410,000. Built

in 2010, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,705 square feet. It sold in 2010 for $231,400.

Lisa Marie Gilbert, of Ormond Beach, sold 37 Black Creek Way to Maurice Decker Youngman, of Daytona Beach, for $426,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,970 square feet. It sold in 2004 for $238,800.

Culver John William Fleming and Ellen Fleming, of Ormond Beach, sold 39 Central Ave. to Anthony and Meredith Morales, of Ormond Beach, for $560,000. Built in 1976, the house is a 5/3.5 and has 2,502 square feet. It sold in 1993 for $87,500.

Daytona Shores Paul Green, of Ormond Beach, sold 764 East River Oak Drive to Southwest DeLand Rentals LLC, of DeLand, for $262,500. Built in 1976, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,568 square feet. It sold in 1995 for $85,000.

Melrose James Jacob Niceley, of Daytona Beach, sold 193 South Ridgewood Ave. to Rio and William Riley, of Ormond Beach, for $299,000. Built in 1952, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,200 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $165,000.

Not in a subdivision U.S Bank National Association, as co-trustee, sold 42 Reynolds Ave. to Quinn Moss and Erin Tollison, of Ormond Beach, for $246,000. Built in 1954, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,133 square feet. It sold in 1994 for $64,000.

Oak Forest Scott and Samara Bay, of Daytona Beach Shores, sold 20 Sycamore Circle to Richard Walter Dixon Jr. and Courtney Lynn Dixon, of Ormond Beach, for $525,000. Built in 1984, the house is a 5/2.5 and has a pool and 3,093 square feet. It sold in 2001 for $173,000.

Ormond Oceanside Estates

Wondah Russel, of Ormond Beach, sold 141 Elllicott Drive to John and Roncy Roehm, of Ormond Beach, for $452,000. Built in 1962, the house is a 5/3 and has a fireplace and 2,378 square feet. It sold in 1978 for $54,900.

Ormond Terrace

Melvin Stack, as trustee, sold 460 Andrews St. to Donald Wooden, of Ormond Beach, for $269,900. Built in 1959, the house is a 2/1.5 and has 1,122 square feet. It sold in 1999 for $69,000.

Plantation Bay

Neil and Carol Rickli, of Marana, Arizona, sold 1254 Royal Pointe Lane to Lawrence Koenig, of Palm Coast, for $599,000. Built in 2003,

the house is a 4/2 and has a pool, a hot tub and 2,117 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $345,000.

Tomoka Oaks Janice Keyes, of Daytona Beach, sold 320 Rio Pinar Drive to Taylor Heron and Patrick Heron, Jr., of Ormond Beach, for $460,000. Built in 1981, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace and 2,408 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $280,000.

Tymber Creek Year Investments, LLC, of Ormond Beach, sold 342 Bent Creek Lane to Anna Maria Flagg and Justin Flagg, of Ormond Beach, for $585,000. Built in 1982, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,746 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $252,200.

Winding Woods Arthur Lynch, Jr., as trustee, sold 5 Shelly Way to Robert and Susan Kidd, of Ormond Beach, for $405,000. Built in 1991, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,094 square feet.

ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA

Michael and Marie Schneiders, of Ormond Beach, sold 3394 John Anderson Drive to Carlos and Rhonda Fernandes, of Ormond Beach, for $1,100,000. Built in 1997, the house is a 3/3 and has a hot tub, a boat dock, a boat house and 2,159 square feet.

Richard Jessup, of Loveland, Ohio, sold 37 Palm Drive to Daniel and Susan Wilke, of Ocala, for $355,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 2/2 and has 940 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $240,000.

D&K; Glass LLC, of Ormond Beach, sold 36 Poinsettia Drive to Becki Stockbridge, of Ormond Beach, for $350,000. Built in 1956, the house is a 2/1.5 and has 1,015 square feet. It sold in 2010 for $76,000.

US Alternative Lab Resources, LLC, of Ormond Beach, sold 121 Sand Dunes Drive to Christopher Chesllik and Sky Bridgewater, of Ormond Beach, for $565,000. Built in 1985, the house is a 3/2.5 and has a hot tub and 2,297 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $165,000.

Dieter Weber and Dorothee Hermine Weber, of Stein, Germany, sold 134 Sandpiper Ridge Drive to Emanuel Shamam, of Ormond Beach, for $495,000. Built in 1992, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a fireplace and 1,511 square feet. It sold in 1994 for $140,000.

John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.

any, as in the petition on file more fully appears.

RIGHT TO COUNSEL: If the above named person wishes to have an attorney, but is unable to pay for one, the Court will provide an attorney upon proof of inability to pay. Any such request should be made immediately by contacting the court office where the hearing is to be held.

By Order of the Court Julia Martinez, Clerk June 29, 2023 23-00088G

FIRST INSERTION

State of Connecticut Court of Probate, Waterbury Regional Children’s Probate Court NOTICE TO JOHN DOE, whose identity and last known address is unknown to the court Pursuant to an order of Hon. Fred J. Anthony, Judge, a hearing will be held at Waterbury Regional Children’s Probate Court, 65 Center Street, Waterbury, CT 06702 on July 17, 2023 at 8:45 AM, on a petition for Termination of Parental Rights concerning ABRIANA N. C., a minor child born to SARA CHASSE-FLAGG on APRIL 18, 2007 at San Diego, CA. The court’s decision will affect your interest, if any, as in the petition on file more fully appears. RIGHT TO COUNSEL: If the abovenamed person wishes to have an attorney, but is unable to pay for one, the Court will provide an attorney upon proof of inability to pay. Any such request should be made immediately by contacting the court office where the hearing is to be held.

By Order of the Court Julia Martinez, Clerk June 29, 2023 23-00089G

The house at 116 La Toscana Rotonda has 3,447 square feet of living space.

*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.