Ormond Beach Observer 8-31-23

McMillans acquire Observer

OBSERVER STAFF

John Walsh and his brother Matt Walsh have sold the Palm Coast Observer and Ormond Beach Observer. The buyers may be familiar to readers: Former editor Brian McMillan and his wife, Hailey, will take over as co-owners, effective immediately.

“I couldn’t be more comfortable, or more proud, with Brian and Hailey

McMillan carrying the Observer forward,” said John Walsh, who will be retiring as co-owner and publisher. “We’ve built this together, and we know that quality local news will continue to serve our communities.”

Seeing a need for hyper local news in Palm Coast, in 2010, John Walsh partnered with Matt Walsh and Lisa Walsh, co-owners of Sarasota-based Observer Media Group Inc., to start the Palm Coast Observer, with Brian McMillan as editor. The Ormond Beach Observer was founded in 2012. The newspapers went on to win dozens of awards as members of the Florida Press Association.

Brian McMillan left the Observer in 2022. When the opportunity arose, the McMillans formed McMillan Ink LLC and bought the Observers this week. Hailey McMillan, 41, will continue as the newspaper’s awardwinning page designer.

“I’m back because I believe in the mission of these newspapers,” said Brian McMillan, 43. “The Walshes have been gracious and wise mentors, and Hailey and I consider them to be family.”

“It’s a sad day and a great day — sad because my wife and business partner, Lisa, and my brother, John, are sad to be selling the Palm Coast and Ormond Beach Observers. But it’s a great day because we could not be happier to have Brian and Hailey McMillan as the buyers,” Matt Walsh said.

“Family and health circumstances made Lisa and me reach this tough decision to sell. But we do so with great pride in what John, Brian and our Palm Coast and Ormond Beach colleagues contributed to Palm Coast and Ormond Beach over the past 13 years of our ownership.

“They helped make their communities better by keeping people informed and helped make the local economies better by helping local businesses promote their products and services — the essential roles of a local newspaper.

“I know, because of Brian’s and Hailey’s talents and values, they will take the Observers and Observerlocalnews.com to new, higher and better levels,” Matt Walsh said.

Hurricane delays

hearing for local land purchase

FDEP’s Florida Forever to consider 1,200-acre property at a later date. PAGE 5A

Preparing for Idalia

Didn’t get any sandbags this storm? The site at Nova Rec remains open.

PAGE 11A

Tough loss

Seabreeze fights to the end in 14-6 loss to Spruce Creek

PAGE 4B

GIVING GARDENS

Student-led organization provides fruits and vegetables to communities in need.

PAGE 3B

CAMPUS ARREST

Student arrested for bringing gun to school.

PAGE 11A

PUT YOUR PHONES AWAY School Board members want consequences for students who record, share fights to social media.

PAGE 11A

SPORTS SIDELINES

Seabreeze’s volleyball players take self-defense class; DSC hires first flag football coach.

PAGE 6B

‘Horrible, horrific mistake’ ONLINE COVERAGE: Bunnell principal, teacher put on administrative leave as Flagler Schools investigates assemblies targeting African American students.

Flagler Schools Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore answers questions at a press conference Aug. 24.

Freddie Scott (27) receives the kick with the support of Denali Campbell (1) in the game against Spruce Creek.

Photo by Michele Meyers

Photo by Suzanne McCarthy

driver Garrett Smithley joins Kevin Kyle, CEO of Germfree at Daytona

Photo by Lauren Newman

CITY WATCH

FDEP hearing postponed due to hurricane

A public hearing about whether an Ormond Beach property should be considered for the Florida Forever land acquisition program has been postponed due to Hurricane Idalia.

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Ormond Beach prepares for Idalia

As Hurricane Idalia approached the western coast of Florida, Ormond Beach residents prepared for the storm, which was forecast to bring tropical storm-force winds to Volusia County late Tuesday into Wednesday.

The county issued a voluntary evacuation recommendation beginning 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, to residents living in RVs, mobile homes or low-lying areas. Beachfront residents who were significantly impacted by coastal erosion during either of the 2022 hurricanes — Ian or Nicole — were also encouraged to seek safe shelter, according to a county press release.

The city of Ormond Beach offered a self-serve sand pile and fillable bags at the Nova Community Center, located at 440 N. Nova Road, from 8 a.m. until sundown on Tuesday, Aug. 29. The site has been open daily for several weeks.

The storm also impacted Votran routes, which stopped running at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29. Volusia beaches also closed to vehicular traffic in the afternoon, and all coastal parks closed by the end of the day.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Acquisition and Restoration Council’s hearing for the 1,200-acre Tomoka/Ford Marsh property is intended to gather community input, according to a county press release. The hearing was initially planned for Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the County Council Chambers of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center in DeLand; a new date and time will be announced in the future.

The Volusia County Council had approved the Tomoka/Ford Marsh property as a priority for acquisition in April 2022, after the Volusia Forever program identified it as a priority due to its high-functioning coastal and estuarine wetlands, the press release states. But the county needs a funding source to move forward, as detailed in the application to Florida Forever, the state’s conservation and recreation lands acquisition program.

Once the property is added to the Florida Forever list, the Volusia County Forever program would support Florida Forever’s plans to buy the property, the application states.

The Tomoka/Ford Marsh property can only be accessed by water or through Bulow Creek State Park.

It also lies within the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop and Trail, a national and state scenic byway.

“The Ford Marsh parcels are a beautiful intact portion of uplands and wetlands surrounded by State of Florida owned land,” the application to Florida Forever states. “... Historically, the Ford Marshes were mainly saltmarsh but due to mosquito control efforts in the 1950s, some of the

marsh was lost.”

If purchased, the lands would be managed as part of Bulow Creek State Park, and marsh restoration would begin.

Since its creation in 2001, Flor-

City creates fuel farm survey

Hoping to convince the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to reopen its comment period for the permit it issued for Belvedere Terminals’ proposed fuel farm, the city of Ormond Beach released a survey to residents on Aug. 28.

The survey asks residents within a specified radius of the proposed fuel farm if they have ever received, or now receive, the Hometown News — the local weekly newspaper in which Belvedere advertised its pursuit of an FDEP air construction permit.

“As we explore legal measures against the proposed fuel farm coming to our city, this data could prove to be crucial,” the city wrote on its Facebook page.

Officer saves choking student

Last week, Ormond Beach Middle School’s new school resource officer, Marc Pedevillano, saved a sixth grader who was choking. Pedevillano, who started at the Ormond Beach Police Department in 2021, successfully performed abdominal thrusts on the student, according to the city manager’s weekly update. The student was later checked by the school nurse.

ida Forever has bought more than 897,785 acres of land, using $3.3 billion dedicated to land acquisition, the county press release states.

BY THE NUMBERS

School Board member Ruben Colon on ensuring consequences for students recording, sharing footage of fights to social media. See Page 11A

Courtesy of the Volusia County government

Tomoka/Ford Marsh property borders Bulow Creek State Park.

“Our kids need to know that you’re a part of the problem if you’re not a part of the solution.”

Feud fuels up

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

About 500 Ormond Beach residents flooded the Volusia County Council’s Aug. 23 meeting about a proposed fuel depot at 874 Hull Road, unified in their opposition to the project.

Business leaders, retirees, concerned parents and neighbors all denounced the development by Belvedere Terminals Company, LLC, which seeks to construct a fuel terminal facility with 16 storage tanks and several truck loading bays. Workers would load gasoline, diesel, ethanol and biodiesel into trucks at the facility. About 160 trucks would use Harmony Road to Hull Road to reach U.S. 1 in a 24-hour period, at a rate of about seven an hour.

The Ormond Beach site would be part of a $250 million multi-site fuel distribution system. The Mississippi-based company is planning more spurs in Jacksonville and Ft. Pierce.

“Belvedere’s system will offer Floridians safer, lower cost and more reliable delivery of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,” a company statement reads. “In addition, Belvedere’s delivery model will help prevent the interruption of the fuel supply chain during times of weather disasters.”

But Ormond Beach residents don’t want it.

A petition to stop the fuel farm project has been signed over 15,000 times, as of Tuesday, Aug. 29.

“You were voted in to take care of your constituents, the people that put you in office,” Ormond Beach resident Robin Magleora said to the council. “It’s your job to keep them safe. It’s your job to find a way to stop this from going in.”

After about two hours of public comment, the Volusia County Council voted unanimously to direct county staff to meet with state and federal officials and Belvedere Terminals about the project, research case law for legal options, and look into whether there is other land — inside or outside of Volusia County — that would be “better suited” for a fuel farm.

“We need to have this conversation, and we need to help direct the conversation,” County Councilman Troy Kent said. “It’s always better to have a seat at the table than to be on the menu, and I felt like we were

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

The property at 874 Hull Road went through land use and zoning amendments in 2006, initiated by the Florida East Coast Railroad. It’s now zoned heavy industrial.

The FECR acquired the property from the Flagler Development Company for $100,999 in 2005, according to the Volusia County Property Appraiser. The Flagler Development Company was a corporate entity related to the FECR, said Clay Ervin, Volusia County’s director of growth and resource management.

being served on the menu with this one.”

Kent represents District 4, which includes the city of Ormond Beach. He’s a resident as well.

“This location is wildly inappropriate for a fuel farm,” he said. “I think all 42,000 residents of Ormond Beach are against it.”

PUBLIC NOTICE CONCERNS

Belvedere Terminals received an air construction permit approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Aug. 1.

But residents, city officials and county officials said none of them knew the permit had been issued until weeks later.

A public notice for the air permit appeared in the Hometowns News on July 7. Such notices, according to state statute, may be printed in newspapers published at least once a week and with a readership of at least 10% of households in the county.

Resident Lindsey Pate said she and her neighbors, who live less than a half mile away from the proposed site, don’t receive the Hometown News.

“We should have received mailers, just like we do with our property taxes,” Pate said.

Council members expressed similar concerns about the public notice. The motion they approved — made by Councilman David Santiago — directed staff to investigate the public notice process and determine if the county could place notices on its website in accordance with House Bill 7049, a law signed by the governor last year that revised newspaper public notice requirements.

BELVEDERE’S PERSPECTIVE

Belvedere Terminals COO Mike Benedetto said his company has been thinking about ways to lower fuel costs and avoid hurricane shortages for six years.

“In everything Belvedere does, safety is our number one priority,” he said in an email to the Observer. “We have put together a world class team with decades of experience designing hundreds of facilities like the one proposed at Ormond Beach.”

If the proposed fuel farm moves forward, Benedetto said, Belvedere would aim to make it operational in 2025. The company would create over a hundred local jobs.

Asked his thoughts on the city’s opposition, Benedetto said he

wants the city to be comfortable with all aspects of the project. He said the company is incorporating state-of-the-art technology throughout the design and construction of the fuel terminal and has hired a top fire safety firm.

“Every firm involved is designing a facility that meets or exceeds all state and federal standards for health and safety,” he said. “Belvedere will work closely with all local agencies to mitigate any concerns about traffic flows in and out of the facility. We never want there to be any danger to our employees on the facility or anyone outside of it, and in the unlikely event that there is an emergency, we will be fully prepared.”

Pate pushed back against the statement that no city officials knew about the fuel farm. Ormond Beach’s Site Plan Review Committee met with company representatives in June 2022 to discuss utilities and annexation, and on Aug. 1, the commission unanimously voted to create a new “Heavy Industrial” zoning district.

City staff members said at the Aug. 1 meeting that the city determined in a 2010 Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report that it needed a new zoning designation, and that the designation became a necessity after the city annexed 52 acres owned by Halifax Paving at 860 Hull Road and 1399 Hull Trail. The fuel depot, Pate said, will act in its own best interest. She asked the council to act in the residents’ best interest.

“I feel like we’re setting all of the pieces in place to checkmate us,” Pate said. “You should find that worrisome.”

Back then, trains used the property to drop off aggregates used in asphalt and concrete batching. That stopped in 2007, and while the FECR submitted a site plan to Volusia County that year to expand the property’s use, the recession prevented the expansion, Ervin said.

NO LEGAL STANDING?

At an Aug. 15 meeting, the County Council told staff to look into how the county could object to FDEP’s decision to grant the fuel farm an air construction permit.

Volusia has no standing to appeal the decision to the District Court of Appeal because the county did not challenge the permit before it was issued, staff found. For the same reason, Ormond Beach has not appealed the permit and is reviewing options, said Paola Soria, senior assistant county attorney.

County Council Chair Jeff Brower noted that two members of the public said they were disappointed in the council. And they should be, he added — if the council had been aware of the project.

“I want to know why we don’t have standing, because there was not a notification given to the county on a project that resides within our jurisdiction,” Brower said.

He also asked why the city didn’t tell the county that its Site Plan Review Committee met last year with company representatives on a piece of land under county jurisdiction. Belvedere also recently asked Volusia’s Public Works Department to evaluate a scope of service for a comprehensive traffic impact assessment.

Volusia County Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin said that the city’s committee, like the county’s Technical Review staff, holds close to 400 meetings a year with entities interested in filing a site plan application. Of those, about 50% actually apply, said Ervin, who is also a former planning director for the city of Ormond Beach.

“From a matter of regular, standard operating procedures that everyone’s staff is dealing with, until you actually see someone coming back, all you’ve been asked is, ‘Can I do this?’” Ervins said. “... Here we are, over a year and two months [later], and we still haven’t received the application.”

Resident Karen Delisle said the proposed project is unsafe for residents of Bear Creek, Ormond Lakes, Ormond Grande, the Village of Pine Run and other communities; youths who use the sports complex

Photos by Jarleene Almenas

Volusia County Council sides with citizens against proposed fuel farm in Ormond Beach.

Ormond Beach resident Robin Magleora speaks about the proposed fuel depot.

“It’s always better to have a seat at the table than to be on the menu, and I felt like we were being served on the menu with this one.”

TROY KENT, county councilman

Volusia County Councilmen David Santiago and Troy Kent listen to county staff speak during a special meeting about the proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel depot in Ormond.

Volusia County Council sides with citizens against proposed fuel farm

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3A

and onsite playground for disabled children; and the flight schools that operate from the local airport.

She questioned Belvedere’s plan to put over 160 trucks per day on the I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange, which the Florida Department of Transportation says needs a redesign to

make it safer and more capable of accommodating heavy traffic. The construction phase of the $215.4 million interchange project remains unfunded.

“That is fuel-ish,” Delisle said, playing off the word “foolish” to chuckles from the audience. “... A business deal made in 2006 — 17 years ago, nearly a generation — is

not a good business deal in 2023.”

PROJECT ‘STARKLY AT ODDS’

WITH CITY Ormond Beach stated its “strong opposition” to the fuel farm in a letter to the county on Aug. 21, just days after more than 100 residents voiced objections at a commission meeting. The letter listed the city’s con

cerns, including the project’s proximity to neighborhoods, the Ormond Beach Sports Complex and the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport; wetland and Tomoka River watershed impacts that could cause longterm health effects; and increased demand on local infrastructure and emergency services, since firefighters and hospitals (Ormond Beach has no hospitals) would need specialized training to respond to potential “hazardous situations.”

“While the massive capacity and numerous storage tanks of the proposed fuel farm might align with Belvedere Terminals’ business objectives, it remains starkly at odds with the well-being of our community and all of Volusia County,” the letter states. “Although the promise of expedited fuel access during emergencies might appeal to some, the everyday risks and disruptions such a facility would introduce to our city make it highly incompatible with our activities of daily living.”

The Civic League of the Halifax Area and the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce both wrote letters opposing the project.

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbie Cotton told the council at the special meeting that the chamber represents 650 businesses and their employees and families in Ormond Beach. She said increased traffic on U.S. 1 could endanger pedestrians and motorists and affect businesses that rely on the U.S. 1 corridor for daily operations.

“Ormond Beach has blossomed into a hub of residential, recreational and business activities,” Cotton said. “This is an undeniable threat to Ormond Beach’s overall wellbeing and future growth.”

Florida Rep. Tom Leek, an Ormond Beach resident, also released a statement on his Facebook page opposing to the fuel farm project. He called it “the wrong project, at the wrong time, and in the wrong location.”

“As a vehement opponent of the proposed fuel terminal project in Ormond Beach, I am working every angle to derail this project,” Leek said. “Additionally, I call on the leaders of the Volusia County Council to

join me and make every lawful effort to stop the proposed fuel terminal project in Ormond Beach. This land is currently zoned for industrial use, but that designation was made prior to the current family friendly development in that area, including our youth sports complex.”

HISTORIC ATTENDANCE

Kent said the county needs to speak with Belvedere Terminals. One councilman did — Jake Johansson.

Johansson said Belvedere Terminals Chief Operating Officer Mike Benedetto told him in a phone conversation that Belvedere chose the Ormond Beach site in collaboration with the secretary of Florida’s Department of Commerce, which wants to make the state’s fuel supply chain more resilient.

“His company was asked to come up with a plan with some possible solutions,” Johansson said. “And frankly, with the way the zoning was, this was an easy target.”

Benedetto, the councilman said, did not oppose an alternative plan; his company just hasn’t begun that process.

The council also discussed concerns about the fuel farm’s proximity to the Ormond Beach airport.

Kent commended residents for showing up at the meeting. He said he overheard County Manager George Recktenwald, who has been at the county for over 20 years, say he had never seen a line wrap around the second floor of the building’s rotunda before. Residents filled the chambers and two overflow spaces in the building.

“This council has heard you,” Brower said. “What you did tonight, I’ve never seen happen in this chamber.”

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Circulation

About 500 people attended a special meeting about the Belvedere Terminals fuel depot.

“I am working every angle to derail this project."

TOM LEEK, Florida House representative, R-Ormond Beach

Magistrates could weigh school book disputes

Parents may request a special magistrate ‘to determine whether a school district properly considered a parental objection’ to materials in classroom or school libraries.

RYAN DAILEY

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

State education officials on Wednesday, Aug. 23, approved two rules that could help set the stage for special magistrates to hear disputes about issues such as parents’ objections to school library books.

The rules stem from a controversial new law (HB 1069), which, in part, expanded a prohibition on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The rules, approved by the State Board of Education, also came amid debates across Florida about attempts to remove or restrict access to books in schools.

BIZ BUZZ

INTRACOSTAL

BANK HIRES NEW RISK OFFICER

Robbie Wilson is Intracoastal Bank’s new controller and risk officer and will support the bank with accounting, financial functions and risk management, according to a press release. Wilson comes to Intracoastal Bank with 20 years of business experience in accounting and finance and was previously

Paul Burns, chancellor of the state Department of Education’s Division of K-12 Schools, said the purpose of the rules — one new and one an update of an existing rule — is “to further ensure the health, safety and welfare of Florida’s students.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature, which approved the law this spring, have intensified scrutiny of books and other materials in schools in recent years. The new rule includes laying out a process for parents to request a special magistrate “to determine whether a school district properly considered a parental objection” to materials in classroom or school libraries.

Special magistrates could be administrative law judges or people appointed by the state education commissioner who have at least five years of administrative law experience.

Burns said the special magistrate process would be used “if a dispute could not be resolved locally.”

State Board of Education Chairman Ben Gibson said disputes over library and

principal/owner of RCW Group.

SPHERION OFFERS REWARDS PROGRAM

Spherion Staffing and Recruiting Ormond Beach has launched a new employee rewards program.

The Orange Vault four-week program aims to retain current temporary employees and increase redeployment through weekly cash rewards leading up to a grand prize in conjunction with National Staffing Employ-

classroom materials should be solved at the local level.

“I think the point here with this rule is that we want these decisions to be made locally. We want these decisions to be made in consultation with the parents, the teachers, the superintendent and the school board,” Gibson said.

Critics of the rule described it as one-sided, favoring people who have requested that materials be removed from classrooms or libraries.

Amy Perwien, who spoke in opposition to the rule at Wednesday’s state board meeting in Collier County, said she is a parent of public-school students and that her “parental rights are being trampled by lone book objectors who may not even have children in our public schools.”

“This law refers to a parent disagreeing with a school board’s decision. However, the Department of Education has written a rule that only allows the book objector to file an appeal. The proposed rule skews the appeal process to those who have viewpoints based in … limiting speech,” Perwien said.

ee Week, according to a news release.

Spherion employees active on assignment and in good standing with their local office as of Aug. 21 are eligible to receive cash prizes of $100, $200, or $300.

Spherion will select winners from 200-plus offices nationwide each week, with one employee receiving a grand cash reward of $10,000 at the end.

Every local office is guaranteed to have at least three winners.

Esther Byrd, a member of the state board, disputed assertions that the rule is designed to be “one-sided.”

“From my perspective, the decision that is made … could be on either side of the issue,” Byrd said.

To get a special magistrate involved, parents would have to fill out request forms and demonstrate that objections were first filed with their local school boards. Parents also would have to prove that “the school board has either ruled on the objection or has failed to timely process the objection” and describe how the district didn’t properly establish or follow policies to resolve the objection.

Special magistrates would issue recommendations about “whether a parent has demonstrated that the school

Florida limits college bathroom access based on sex at birth

Florida public colleges will be required to update policies on restrooms and changing rooms to have separate facilities “based on biological sex at birth” under a rule approved by the State Board of Education on Aug. 23.

district has failed to create an adequate policy” or a district “has materially failed to follow that policy.” The recommendations would go to the state education board.

Meanwhile, the board on Wednesday approved a rule change that deals with a form parents can use to request special magistrates in “unresolved student welfare complaints.” The form was changed to reflect the 2023 law’s broadening of the prohibition on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity.

The law expanded the prohibition to include grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The law previously barred such instruction in kindergarten through third grade.

The rule stems from HB 1521, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May. Under the rule, college restrooms and changing facilities must be “designated for exclusive use by males or females,” or unisex facilities must be available.

The rule also applies to campus housing.

The measure calls for colleges to establish disciplinary procedures for staff members who violate the rule. It requires that a second violation “must result in a termination.”

Former state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a senior policy adviser for LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida, said the rule “will only worsen the current culture of fear and intimidation against the transgender community.”

— THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

COPS CORNER

continued west, veering in and out of the road. The officer, afraid the woman would cause a head-on collision as the road nar rowed to two lanes, continued following from afar. When the woman approached a tractor trailer, she stopped on the side of the road, and the officer spotted her throwing a cup out of her front passenger window.

Security camera footage showed a group of approximately 10 people — seemingly led by a 60-70-year-old woman — taking turns backing three cars into the home’s garage, possibly loading the stolen items in the trunk.

The next day, the smaller safe was gone.

The missing safe contained $1,400. The manager told Sheriff’s Office deputies that employees were recently upset about the firing of another manager and could have stolen the safe for that reason, according to the report.

AUG. 13

ERRATIC DRIVER

9:08 p.m. — Intersection of State Road 40 and State Road 11, DeLeon Springs Fleeing/eluding police. While driving on Granada Boulevard on the west side of town, a local police officer noticed the car behind him flashing its high beams.

The driver was driving erratically and changed lanes abruptly before passing the officer’s patrol car, according to a police report. The driver was driving at 80-90 mph; the speed limit in the area is 60 mph.

The officer tried to stop the driver, a 34-year-old Daytona Beach woman, but she

An officer who searched her vehicle found eight grams of marijuana. When asked what she had thrown out, the woman said, “It could have been anything. It could have been weed,” according to the report.

The woman admitted that she drank alcohol before driving. Officers retrieved the cup she’d thrown, which contained alcohol.

AUG. 14 AIR B&E

5:30 p.m. — 6900 block of State Road

A1A, Palm Coast Grand theft. Guests at a rental property stole $4,300 worth of miscellaneous items as they checked out from their weekend stay, according to a Sheriff’s Office incident report.

A Roomba, TV, vacuum and iPad Mini were among the items stolen.

A man who looks after the property for its owner called the Sheriff’s Office when he checked the property after the renters had checked out the morning of Aug. 14. He told the deputy the property is rented out through a third-party website.

Working with the rental website, an FCSO deputy tracked the suspect listed on the account to the St. Augustine area.

AUG. 19

BREAK ROOM BREAK-IN

12:55 p.m. — 1500 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Battery touch/strike. Police arrested a 39-year-old Palm Coast man who pushed his way into a big box store’s employee break room, then began taking off his clothes and placing his things in the room’s refrigerator.

An employee took an arriving police officer to the break room, telling her that the man had a pocket knife in his front pocket, according to a police report. As the pair got closer to the break room, they could hear an employee shout that the man was becoming violent with the employees in the room with him: He’d shoved a manager against a door repeatedly, the report states. The officer ordered him to get on the ground, but the man began climbing on the counters and spinning around instead. The officer used a Taser on him, but he still kicked and swung his arms to keep her from detaining him, the report notes. Other police officers arrived and handcuffed him.

Officers took the man to the hospital for medical clearance, then took him to jail.

Penalties considered for students who record fights

Does a new state law banning cellphones in schools cover consequences for students who take videos of fights on campus?

JARLEENE ALMENAS

SENIOR EDITOR

Volusia County Schools continues to update its student code of conduct in the wake of recent legislative changes, but questions remain about the state’s new cellphone law.

In May, the governor signed House Bill 379, which prohibits students from using cellphones or other wireless communications devices during instructional time, unless directed to do so by a teacher. At an Aug. 22 School Board meeting, board members approved advertising updates to 22 of the district’s policies.

Board member Ruben Colon asked if the new law covers students who film fights on

campus — particularly high school campuses, where students are allowed to use cellphones during lunch period.

“We’ve said we hold that student accountable too,” Colon said. “... One of the things that has happened with the recording is that [students] fight like Rocky, because they’re being recorded.” Would that infraction now be a criminal act? Colon asked.

Patty Corr, VCS assistant superintendent for student services, said students who record would likely face con-

CRIME REPORT

Ammunition leads to bomb squad investigation

A St. John’s County bomb squad called out to a house that was the site of a recent homicide in Palm Coast found no explosives.

Family members at the house, at 20 Blare Drive, came across a trunk they believed might contain explosives and called a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detective just before 2 p.m. Aug. 23, according to an FCSO press release.

BRIEFS

OBPD takes part in pedestrian safety program

Volusia County ranks in the top 25 counties in Florida for traffic crashes that cause serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.

To help reduce those crashes, the Ormond Beach Police Department is participating in the Florida Department of Transportation High Visibility Enforcement Program, which teaches motorists, cyclists and pedestrians about traffic laws. Starting this month through May 2024, OBPD will place extra officers in corridors with a high number of pedestrian and bicycle crashes, according to a press release. Officers will look for drivers speeding, failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, conducting improper turns or signal violations and using hand-held devices while driving. Officers also will watch for pedestrians and bicyclists who break traffic laws.

Officers will issue warnings and citations only when appropriate.

Ormond Beach offers sandbags at Nova Rec

In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, the city of Ormond Beach has offered a self-serve sand pile and fillable sandbags at the Nova Community Center, located at 440 N. Nova Road. The city opened the site at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29, an hour earlier than the usual schedule.

The city’s Streets Department assisted residents.

About 200 people filled sandbags on Monday, Aug. 28, according to staff members, and they expected many more to do so Tuesday.

Ormond Beach residents are required to present ID to receive up to 10 bags and must bring a shovel to fill and load the bags into their cars.

sequences, but the consequences may not be as severe as those for students who fight. For example, she said, students who fight may be suspended for five days; a student who records may only be suspended for three.

“That’s part of the discretion of the administrators on the scene processing the event,” Corr said.

Though he acknowledged that recordings might help district staff see what happened during a student fight, Colon said he worried about the videos being shared on social media.

“Our kids need to know that you’re a part of the problem if you’re not a part of the solution,” Colon said. “And I think that the cell phones are leading to those increased fights ... and there has to be a consequence for that.”

School Board Chair Jamie Haynes mentioned a fight at the Seabreeze High School campus, where students positioned their phone cameras to record before the fight began, she said.

“I have real issues with vid-

eotaping of fights, or children being harmed, especially when it’s premeditated,” she said. “... The Seabreeze thing, we saw the cameras sitting right there on the ledge to tape what they were going to do.”

Haynes agreed with Colon that there should be strict consequences for sharing fight videos.

Superintendent Carmen Balgobin directed staff to look into how other school districts handle fight recording by students. She reminded the board that high school students’ use of cellphones during lunch is a privilege.

“I think we addressed that [that] also can be taken away,” she said.

Volusia County Schools has a total of 149 policies. Of those, the district has reviewed 56 in the last three years. The batch of 22 proposed policy changes approved for advertisement on Aug. 22 would put the district on schedule to have all the policies that were created before 2016 updated by the fall of 2024.

firearm to school.

Deputies evacuated six homes, including 20 Blare Drive, and closed Blare Drive from Oak Trails Boulevard to Black Alder Drive. The FCSO called St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office’s Bomb Squad to investigate. The bomb squad found “a large amount of ammunition” in the trunk contained, but no explosive devices, the press release said.

Residents were allowed back into their homes at around 7:45 p.m. The 20 Blare Drive home was the site of a homicide on

Aug. 14 when the homeowner, Charles Kidd Jr., 85, shot and killed his roommate, Mark Ruschmeier. Kidd was known to FCSO deputies as paranoid and a “doomsday prepper,” according to FCSO CAD notes from previous calls to the home.

Kidd has been charged with second-degree murder and remains at the Flagler County jail.

Student arrested for bringing gun to school

A 15-year-old Mainland High School student was arrested Friday, Aug. 25, for bringing a

A Mainland school resource officer was alerted on Thursday, Aug. 22, to an Instagram post that showed a student holding a handgun in a bathroom, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

The officer confirmed that the video was taken in a building at Mainland, according to the boy’s arrest report.

The officer identified the boy with the help of other students, found him in class and arrested him.

Additional arrests may follow, according to the DBPD.

Casino night raises over $12,000 for foster children

Former Ormond Beach

Police Officer Lauren Sanders founded local nonprofit 1 Ohana 1 Community in 2021.

ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lauren Sanders’ life changed forever in 2019 when she unexpectedly became a foster parent to her nephew.

Sanders had served as an Ormond Beach police officer for five years before leaving the force, but she wasn’t done helping the community. While caring for her nephew, the Ormond Beach resident decided to help more kids in the foster system, opening her home to 19 over the past four years. As she stockpiled items for the kids coming in and out of her home — formula, diapers, clothing,

blankets — she wondered if other foster parents struggled with those needs, especially as the pandemic added more strain. So in February 2021, she founded 1 Ohana 1 Community, a nonprofit that provides care items for foster children and parents.

1 Ohana’s first fundraiser, a roaring-’20s-themed casino night held on Aug. 19, raised $12,118.53. The silent auction at the event — hosted by Preferred Business Group and sponsored by S.R. Perrott and Brightway Insurance, The Lester Agency — drew more than 60 business donors, including Texas Roadhouse, Dave and Busters and Sky Zone.

The nonprofit specializes in care packages containing essentials and one or two comfort items to help children as they enter the foster system. Each care package is child-specific, based on the child’s age, gender and situation.

“The impact of letting the children

know that there’s people that don’t know them that care about them, I know puts smiles on their faces,” Sanders said. “Because sometimes I drop the care packages off to them and the kids are overly excited because there’s stuff coming for them after such a traumatic time.”

Sanders thanked the nonprofit’s supporters.

“There were just so many generous businesses, and we wish they could all be recognized for giving back,”

LETTERS

Developments closing in on little Ormond Beach

Dear Editor:

The Aug. 17 article “Three new communities planned” reminds us again how leaders of larger political subdivisions that surround our town are making decisions about developments that become a part of the Ormond Beach community while our own City Commission has no say; it has no control over the impact on traffic and public services.

In the case reported by this article, the Flagler County Commission has approved two housing develop-

YOUR TOWN

BCU PROFESSOR RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR

ments, both adjacent to Hunters Ridge and south of Airport Road. This means a few hundred new residents and cars will come to live in ... what town? Ormond Beach!

The other very current and contentious issue is the proposed fuel farm on the northern border of Ormond Beach. Seems it was approved by Florida state agencies and Volusia County with no notice or consultation with our town’s leaders. Our City Commission must now appeal for the location to be reconsidered.

To the south, there’s the Daytona Beach City Commission, approving numerous high-rise and townhouse apartment buildings right up to the Ormond Beach city line. Drivers along Williamson and Clyde Morris

federal initiative with the 400 Years of African American History Commission.

The initiative was designed to build trust and reduce fear between police and communities of color.

“I am so thankful and honored to have been recognized by the White House with a Gold Presidential Service Award for my work with the 400 Years of African American History Commission, documenting African American college students’ experiences with police,” Yusef said. “My passion for social justice has led to expertise in several areas, including community-police relations, police use of force, student leadership and development, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention and performance management.”

Boulevards will be very familiar with the many construction projects. Could there not be a cooperative commission among the local towns and counties, charged with sharing information and plans regarding the effect of each one’s decisions upon their neighbors?

WG

CHURCHILL Ormond Beach

Property taxes are too damn high

Dear Editor:

I received my annual “Notice of proposed property taxes and assessments” in the mail the other

Sanders said. “We truly appreciate each and every one of our sponsors and donors. It felt amazing having such well-established businesses take a chance on us.”

Brandon Lester, Preferred Business Group’s vice president, said his company likes to support local nonprofits and businesses.

“As my company grows in the city, we want to find ways to give back, and our way is by working with nonprofits to try to help them grow and become financially stable, where they can continue doing what they want to do in the community,” Lester said.

Kristina Sanders, Lauren Sanders’ wife and the executive director of 1 Ohana, said the nonprofit also accepts donations of gently used clothes and shoes and has an Amazon wishlist. She said she’s seen the nonprofits’ impact, both on the Sanders and on the families they’ve helped.

“1 Ohana has changed my life by allowing me to do something to better the community,” Kristina Sanders said. “1 Ohana takes us into the worst times in a kid’s life, and we are able to bring a little bit of joy to them. We also alleviate some of the anxiety and worry for the foster parents when they get a new child.”

day. I haven’t reviewed the Ormond Beach government’s proposed budget for next fiscal year. But if it includes some of the same fund allocation areas as previous years, there are means to offset the proposed 13.7% increase passed by the City Commission (4-1, Mayor Partington voted against).

1. Ending corporate welfare, or “economic incentives,” as they’re sometimes called. Government should not be using taxpayer money to pick winners and losers in a market. If a business wants to stay or relocate to Ormond Beach, they should have the same playing field as other businesses.

2. Florida-friendly landscaping. The St. Augustine grass in our medians requires a lot of watering

ObserverLocalNews.com

ORMOND BEACH Observer

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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and high-frequency cutting, as well as chemicals, to maintain. Using micro-clovers instead will reduce or eliminate all those high-cost concerns.

3. Sponsorships for baseball fields. Sports and advertisements go together like peanut butter and jelly. Selling ad spaces around the field and even naming rights for a field could help offset their regular maintenance and repair costs. After a year of multi-decade record-high inflation, it seems reasonable to me to look at ways to reduce the high rise of future costs.

JOE HANNOUSH Ormond Beach

Members of the Rotary Club of Daytona Beach contributed to the fundraiser. Courtesy photo

Kideste Yusef

Kideste Yusef, Bethune-Cookman

University associate professor and department chair of criminal justice, recently received the President’s Volunteer Gold Service Award for her work on the “I Fear for My Life”

The “I Fear for My Life” initiative established a database of resources to help communities begin working toward transparency and accountability in policing while tackling the fear experienced on both sides. To learn more, visit IFearforMyLife.org.

HALIFAX HEALTH RECEIVES $600,000 DONATION

Jeep Beach has donated over $600,000 to Halifax Health Behavioral Services to support lobby renovations and the development of new mental health counseling programming.

A Jeep Beach mural will be incorporated into the lobby during the renovation, according to a news release.

“Jeep Beach is dedicated not only to celebrating the Jeep community but also to making a positive impact on the lives of those around us,” Jeep Beach executive director and chairwoman Charlene Greer said. “We are proud to support Halifax

ROTARY RAISES $4,000 FOR MAUI

The Daytona Beach Rotary has raised $4,000 to support the Mauibased Rotary Club of Lahaina, which was destroyed during the recent wildfires. Daytona Beach Rotary members raised $2,000, and the

club matched that money with a $2,000 club donation.

“In the spirit of Rotary’s guiding principle of ‘Service Above Self,’ we stand with the Rotary Club of Lahaina during this challenging time,”

said John Guthrie, president of the Daytona Beach Rotary. “Our members have come together, and by matching their contributions with a financial donation, we hope to assist in rebuilding their community and supporting their initiatives.”

Health Foundation in their mission to improve mental health services.

The Jeep Beach mural will serve as a symbol of unity and strength, reminding everyone that they are not alone in their journey.”

71 MVP Foundation and NASCAR Craftsman truck driver Daniel Dye and his father, local businessman Randy Dye, have also committed the proceeds from their annual golf outing to the project.

Daniel Dye has incorporated his “Race to Stop Suicide” campaign into all of his racing endeavors to break the stigma surrounding mental health.

Tamar Lester, Jetoya Mobley and Melissa Pitts sport their roaring ’20’s outfits.

1 Ohana board members Kristina Sanders, Lauren Sanders, Andreina Geallis and Katelyn Atkins

Members of the Halifax Health Foundation and Jeep Beach board of directors

Photo courtesy of Johnny Nomad Media

Photos by Alexis Miller

NASCAR Xfinity driver Garrett Smithley tours Ormond manufacturing facilities

Smithley has been a spokesperson for the FAME program since 2017.

SUZANNE MCCARTHY

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

NASCAR Xfinity driver Garrett Smithley visited Daytona State College’s Advanced Technology Center to meet FAME students, sign autographs and tour classrooms on Thursday, Aug. 24.

The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education program is a nationally recognized paid training experience that prepares students for manufacturing careers. DSC is the first Florida chapter of FAME, a collaboration between DSC and local manufacturers developed to connect students pursuing associate degrees in engineering technology with local jobs.

Smithley has been a FAME spokesperson since 2017, and said his cousin went through the program with Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky.

After the meet and greet at the Advanced Technology Center, Smithley visited three Ormond Beach manufacturers, meeting employees and touring the facilities of Germfree, Ameritech Die and Mold, and ABB Installation Products.

Dennis Dio Parker, developer of FAME, and NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley

Larry Rosenberg, engineering manager at ABB, speaks with NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley.

NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley talks to students in the FAME program’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab.

NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley signs autographs for students and faculty at Daytona State College’s Advanced Technical Institute.

NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley and Steve Rotman, president of Ameritech Die and Mold, in Ormond Beach

Photos by Suzanne McCarthy

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Heart of the matter

AdventHealth promotes cardiac care, donates AEDs to Seabreeze High.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The results of an electrocardiogram might have saved the life of Seabreeze High School junior Brogan Kelly.

An ECG, also known as an EKG, is also credited with detecting former Penn State University football player Journey Brown’s heart condition.

Kelly and Brown were both in attendance as Erik Nason, AdventHealth’s manager of sports medicine for Volusia and Flagler counties, spoke about the importance of ECGs and student health screenings before a Seabreeze High junior varsity football game Aug. 24 at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

Nason also donated two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Seabreeze High’s athletic training program. Nason presented the AEDs to Certified Athletic Trainer Tabitha Thode, the Sandcrabs’ assistant athletic trainer. AdventHealth has been conducting free health screenings at Daytona International Speedway each spring for the past four years for Volusia County students, including athletes, band members and Jr. ROTC members, Nason said. During the past three years, those screenings have included ECGs, which are not required by the state or the county.

ECGs look for abnormal heart rhythms. Kelly’s ECG last April led to the detection of a heart condition.

Kelly, who is a football player, wrestler and baseball player at Seabreeze, underwent open heart surgery in June.

“That (screening) took away a bunch of risk,” said Josh Kelly, Brogan’s father.

“If Brogan didn’t get testing and get screened, we don’t know what could have happened,” Nason said.

DIAGNOSIS LED TO NEW CAREER

Brown, who is now the front tire

changer for Ross Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing team, was in town for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Aug. 26.

Brown was a running back for Penn State from 2017 to 2019. He had planned to play in 2020. Because of COVID, the NCAA required additional testing for athletes that summer, including ECGs.

The ECG result led to a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) for Brown. HCM is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes thickened. The diagnosis ended Brown’s football career, but a sudden hit on the football field could have caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

“I would never have gotten screened if it hadn’t been for COVID,” Brown said. “The ECG made them take notice. Then an MRI proved to me that I had a heart condition.”

After meeting Shaun Peet, Trackhouse Racing’s pit crew coach, at an AdventHealth event, Brown joined NASCAR driver Chastain’s pit crew. AdventHealth is one of Trackhouse Racing’s sponsors. Brown’s new career fills the competitive void he felt after walking away from football.

“Attention to detail and being consistent are two things they harp on in football and in NASCAR,” Brown said.

“The similarities helped me a lot, but in NASCAR you have to be a little more robotic,” in making the same moves during every pit stop, Brown said.

But his flexibility as a football player makes him an ideal candidate to be a pit crew member.

“I’m able to sit back on my knees and contort my body when I’m rolling the tire,” he said.

SEABREEZE’S KELLY EXPECTS TO BE CLEARED SOON

Brogan Kelly expects to play football again for the Sandcrabs next season. He expects to play baseball in the spring and hopes to be able to wrestle beginning in December. He will know more after his next doctor’s appointment on Sept. 26.

“The worst case scenario is I’ll have to wait the full six months (from heart surgery), which is Dec. 16,” he said. “I’d miss a month of wrestling.”

Brogan goes to football practice every day to support his teammates.

“His coach (Lester Davis) has done a great job making him feel like he’s still part of the team,” said Barbara Kelly, Brogan’s mom.

Brogan said he’s been ready to go since August. He said he’s been doing a lot of walking and some jogging when possible, and hopes to be cleared for full contact on or before December.

AdventHealth partners with the Cocoa Beach nonprofit Who We Play For to schedule and help with health screenings.

Jeff Bosset, who works with Who We Play For along with his wife, Lori, also attended the presentation at the sports complex. Their daughter, Julia Bosset, suffered cardiac arrest during a basketball tryout at Seabreeze three years ago.

At the time, ECGs were not part of the free screenings. Julia Bosset, who did have a preexisting condition, underwent surgery and has recovered. The Bossets have been spreading the word about the importance of screenings and ECGs.

AdventHealth provides the screenings at the speedway each April.

Nason wants people to understand how the screenings can help save lives.

“We want to promote cardiac health, prevention and care,” Nason said.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

Erik Nason, Advent Health’s manager of sports medicine for Volusia and Flagler counties, talks about the importance of ECGs and health screenings before a JV football game at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex on Aug. 24. SHS junior Brogan Kelly stands to his right.

Seabreeze Assistant Athletic Trainer Tabitha Thode, second from left, holds one of two automated external defibrillators donated to the school by AdventHealth.

“I would never have gotten screened if it hadn’t been for COVID. The ECG made them take notice. Then an MRI proved to me that I had a heart condition.”

JOURNEY BROWN, former Penn State football player

LOCAL EVENTS

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1

MOVIES ON THE HALIFAX

When: 8-10 p.m.

Where: Rockefeller Gardens, 26 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach

Details: Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a showing of “13 Going on 30,” rated PG-13. Movies are weather-sensitive. Call 386-676-3216 for rainout information.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 2

ORMOND BEACH ELKS

LODGE DUCK DROP

When: 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, and Monday, Sept. 4

Where: Ormond Beach Elks Lodge No. 2193, 285 Wilmette Ave., Ormond Beach

Details: The Elks are hosting a duck drop fundraiser, where rubber ducks will be dropped from a helicopter for a chance to win prizes. Ducks cost $5 each. There will be food, music, games, face painting and more on Saturday, Sept. 2 and Monday, Sept. 4. The duck drop will happen on Saturday, but will be rescheduled

Memorial Art Museum and more on the first Saturday of each month for art openings and art events.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

When: 8 a.m. to noon

Where: Social Hall at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 1000 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: The Father Eamonn Gill Council 13018 Knights of Columbus will serve a pancake breakfast at the Social Hall. The breakfast includes all the pancakes you can eat, scrambled eggs, a sausage link, orange juice and coffee. The breakfast costs $6 for adults, and children under 12 eat free. All are welcome.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

MOVIES IN THE PARK

When: 7:50-9:50 p.m.

Where: Central Park at Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast

Details: Bring your blanket, lawn chairs and picnic baskets and watch “Ghostbusters,” rated PG, at Central Park. This event is presented by Palm Coast Parks and Recreation.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9

REGROW THE LOOP 9:30-10:30 a.m. Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Church, 152 Fairview Ave.,

Daytona Beach

Details: Moms of Pre Schoolers is a free faith-based program for moms, moms-tobe and their preschoolers for support and encouragement. Breakfast is provided, as well as a video with discussion and crafts. Playtime offered for children, with adult supervision. Call 386-255-2588.

‘THE CHOSEN’

When: 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays, through the end of November

Where: Central Baptist Church, 152 Fairview Ave., Daytona Beach Details: “The Chosen,” a TV series on the life of Jesus, will be aired at Central Baptist Church every Thursday, beginning with Season 1. Free admission. Discussion and light refreshments will follow the showings. Call 386-2552588.

EXERCISES FOR THE MATURING BODY

When: 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays

Where: First Baptist Church of Palm Coast, 6050 Palm Coast Parkway, Palm Coast

Details: Attend upbeat classes presented by Synergy Senior Fitness and taught by Senior Fitness Specialist Artie Gardella. Classes are ongoing. Insurances that cover fitness accepted, or a donation for those with no coverage. Visit Synergyseniorfitness.com.

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

Learn how to attract wildlife, pollinators and birds to your yard during this free workshop sponsored by Volusia County’s ReGrow the Loop initiative. Speakers will share landscape design techniques. Registration is required. Visit tinyurl.com/ regrowtheloop.

ONGOING MOMS OF PRE SCHOOLERS

When: 9:30-11:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Friday of the month

Where: Central Baptist

MOAS EXHIBITIONS

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Museum of Arts and Sciences, 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach

Details: Want to spend a day looking at fine art? The Museum of Arts and Sciences has the following shows on display: “Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope” and “Visions of Visionaries: Beaux Arts of Central Florida.”

Student-led group grows fruits and vegetables

Volusia Giving Gardens gives produce to people who have limited access to fresh foods.

EMMA BRUGNA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Spruce Creek High School students and grads have established two community gardens and are working on their third.

Graduates Ella Moore and Lana Jackson and current senior Connor Wiles joined together two years ago to form Volusia Giving Gardens, building community gardens to distribute produce to people in need.

Moore, of Port Orange, said she hopes to mobilize more of the Volusia County community — including Ormond Beach — through the initia-

tive.

“I want to be able to provide more access to healthy food to everyone in the community, not just those in underserved populations, and then also be able to bring in more than just our couple of students that we have now,” Moore said. “We want to be more active in the community and show gardening and its benefits.”

VGG started its garden initiative using grant money to provide pesticide-free produce in food deserts. The group has partnered with Generation Impact from the United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties, raising thousands of dollars for its projects, according to VGG. VGG aims to assist the local population that United Way designates as “ALICE” — “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed” — helping people who have jobs but cannot afford fresh produce gain access to healthy food.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA will hold a Public Hearing as authorized by law at 7:00 P.M. on the 11th day of September 2023, for the purpose of First Reading of Ordinance 2023-09, in the Chambers Meeting Room of the Flagler County Government Services Building (GSB) located at 1769 East Moody Blvd, Bunnell, Florida 32110. ORDINANCE 2023-09

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA

PROVIDING FOR THE REZONING OF REAL PROPERTY

TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 32,583 + ACRES WITHIN THE CITY OF BUNNELL AS DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT

“B” PROVIDING FOR THE TAKING OF IMPLEMENTING ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF MAPS BY REFERENCE; REPEALING ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR NON-CODIFICATION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE as may be legally permitted on the day of the meeting. Instructions on how to participate by electronic or other means, if legally permitted, would be found on the City of Bunnell’s website at www.bunnellcity.us on the homepage. The public is advised to check the City’s website for up-to-date information on any changes to the manner in which the meeting will be held and the location. The failure of a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the proposed Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date. A copy of all pertinent information this ordinance can be obtained at the office of the Bunnell Customer Service Office, 604 E. Moody Blvd. Unit 6, Bunnell, FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 4377500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting.

NOTICE: If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission on this matter a recording of the proceeding may be needed and for such purposes the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. (Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes)

VGG board members Shea Bryan and Reid McComb also assist. Bryan, an Ormond resident and a senior at Spruce Creek, said she’s passionate about environmental science and hopes to become a teacher.

Growing fresh fruit and vegetables for people without easy access to them has made an impact on her, she said.

“The whole goal is to not only help those who need it, but it’s also to mitigate climate change in kind of the best ability that we can,” Bryan said.

Other VGG volunteers help water, weed and maintain the gardens, plant the fruits and vegetables and build the garden beds.

The group works with shelters and community partners to create new gardens and donate the produce efficiently. The organization’s first and most successful is at Beacon Center, a domestic violence shelter in Daytona Beach.

“They have first access to harvest, and then we’ll also sometimes harvest and donate back to them,” Bryan said.

The second garden is at the First Step Homeless Shelter, and the third garden will be at the Port Orange Recreation Center, where VGG hopes to place educational signs and interactive garden simulators and host monthly educational events for children in the community.

Quinn Hemmerle, Ella Moore, Gavin Dain, Lana Jackson and Meghan Cahil donate produce to Hope Place homeless shelter.

Courtesy photos Shea Bryan, of Ormond Beach, harvests collard greens to be donated to Hope Place homeless shelter.

Battle at the nest

Seabreeze fights to the end in 14-6 loss to Spruce Creek.

MICHELE MEYERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Seabreeze went down swinging in the season opener against nemesis Spruce Creek on Friday, Aug. 25. The Hawks won 14-6 in the annual rivalry game played in front of a capacity crowd at “the Nest” in Port Orange.

“My kids are not quitters,” Seabreeze head coach Lester Davis said. “There are some things we have to work on, no doubt, but they fought all the way to the end. They were in a fight.”

The Hawks converted Seabreeze’s opening kickoff to a yardage spree led by Spruce Creek quarterback Luke Smith. With 9:18 left in the first quarter, Derry Norris ran in a touchdown from the 2-yard line.

The Sandcrabs held the Hawks to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter then forced a turnover just before halftime. Defensive end Brody Boda forced Smith to fumble on a pass rush with seconds remaining in the second quarter. Linebacker Dylan Hayes got the scoop and ran for a 77-yard touchdown. A sea of white and red swarmed the field, resulting in a 15-yard penalty against Seabreeze.

“We scored a touchdown, we ran out onto the field — that was the plan,” Davis said. “I want these kids to feel good — celebrated. Regardless of how we scored, we scored and we celebrated it.”

Spruce Creek’s Cam Oxendine ran for a 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the Hawks up 14-6.

Seabreeze quarterback Hayden Hayes scrambled for yards with two seconds left in the fourth quarter but ran out of time.

Hayes suffered a minor injury just before the half but said he and his teammates always keep their heads down and keep working.

“Obviously, there are some things we have to work on,” he said. “I’m glad we fought to the end and didn’t give up. We put a lot of work in for this week. It didn’t come out the way we wanted it to. Just got to put in more work next week and hope for

BUCS WIN SHOOTOUT

Quarterback Dennis Murray Jr. ran for four touchdowns as Mainland defeated DeLand 4331 on Aug. 25.

Murray scored on runs of 2, 53, 45 and 25 yards. Rodney Hill and Khamani Robinson also scored touchdowns for the Bucs (1-0).

Robinson gave Mainland a 16-7 lead with a 44-yard run, and Hill ran 18 yards to put the Bucs ahead 36-17 in the third quarter.

The Bucs will host West Broward on Friday, Sept. 1, at Daytona Stadium.

a different outcome.”

Seabreeze (0-1) heads to Bartram Trail on Friday, Sept. 1. The Bears won 20-17 in their season opener against Ponte Vedra last week. Seabreeze wide receiver, running back and free safety Denali Campbell said his team is going to go back to practice this week and work hard in preparation for Bartram Trail.

“I love all my coaches and teammates,” he said. “We are becoming the family we talked about during the summer. We are just going to take our ‘L’ and keep moving forward. Coach Lester pushed me to be my best. He put me on both sides of the ball and expected big things from me, so that’s what I’ve got to do.”

Photos by Michele Meyers

Spruce Creek quarterback Luke Smith (12) gets a pass off before getting hit by Seabreeze’s Alex Capua (15).

Seabreeze’s Xavier Lucas (6) helps force Spruce Creek quarterback Luke Smith (12) to run wide during the teams’ first game of the season on Aug. 25.

Freddie Scott (27) and Drew Stewart (18) run out with the Sandcrabs.

Seabreeze’s Alex Capua (15), Denali Campbell (1) and Stephen Williams tackle Spruce Creek’s Tony Kinsler.

Seabreeze quarterback Hayden Hayes passes the ball as Spruce Creek linebacker Andrew Halleran applies pressure.

“My kids are not quitters. There are some things we have to work on, no doubt, but they fought all the way to the end. They were in a fight.”

LESTER DAVIS, Seabreeze head coach

Flagler Palm Coast boys second, girls third at Spikes and Spurs

FPC’s Braedyn Wormeck placed fifth among boys, while Arianna Slaughter ran 10th in the girls race.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Last year, Flagler Palm Coast’s boys and girls cross country teams finished among the top three at the Spikes and Spurs Classic for the first time. On Saturday, Aug. 26, the Bulldogs repeated the accomplishment, with the boys finishing second and the girls finishing third for the second year in a row.

This year, the top-three finishes were expected. Both teams are better than they were last year, FPC coach Dave Halliday said. And while some of the Bulldogs’ runners were pleased with their efforts at the 12th annual season-opening meet at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, others were hoping to post better times.

“It was a solid opening weekend,” Halliday said. “Some were displeased, but that’s OK. They’ve got big goals, and they know they can do better.”

Ponte Vedra won the boys 5K race with Lake Mary’s Nathan Henning crossing the finish line first in 16 minutes, 31.7 seconds. Ponte Vedra’s Miles Wicks was second in 16:35.0.

FPC had six runners to finish among the top 30, led by junior Braedyn Wormeck, who placed fifth with a time of 16:55.0.

Last year, Wormeck placed sixth in 17:42 on a muddy course. He ran a personal record 16:51.1 to win the Bulldogs’ next race, but he would miss most of the rest of the season after suffering a burst appendix after the third race. He returned for the state meet and had a great track season, placing third in the 2-mile run at district to qualify for regionals. Now, he’s hoping to make up for lost time in cross country.

“I’m feeling really good now,” he said. “I trained really hard in the summer.”

Wormeck ran out fast, running third at the first kilometer before dropping down to sixth before finishing fifth, about three seconds behind fourth-place Connor Stromberg, of Lake Mary.

“I wanted to get in good position,” Wormeck said. “I love getting out fast, getting my confidence rolling.”

The Bulldogs’ other top-30 runners were Jack Gilvary (13th, 17:30.4); AJ Dayton (21st, 17:57.7); Evan Williams (25th, 18:06.1); Haydon Herndon (28th, 18:13.3); and Justin Gilliam (29th, 18:13.4).

Seabreeze sophomore Hunter Shuler also likes to get out fast, which is important in this event with 17 teams and 265 runners starting in a relatively confined space. Shuler led at the first kilometer and finished 16th with a time of 17:42.4.

“The first mile was really easy. It got tougher toward the 2-mile mark. There were a lot more turns, and it got a little hilly,” he said. “I was going at a very fast pace. I like to stay with the leaders. My breathing was fine, but my legs got kind of weary. But it was not too bad for a first meet.”

Matanzas sophomore Blaine Vogel finished 23rd in 18:01.7.

FPC GIRLS THIRD, MATANZAS

FOURTH

Sophomore Arianna Slaughter led the Bulldogs with a 10th-place finish in

the girls 5K race with a time of 20:55.9.

Cassidy De Young was 17th (21:34.7), and New York State transfer Madison Lagarde was 27th (22:32.8).

Slaughter finished less than two seconds behind Satellite’s Reagan Cancro (eighth, 20:54.1) and Celina Coryell (ninth, 20:54.5).

“I usually kick up at the end, but I didn’t do it,” Slaughter said. “Me and Cassidy started out in front of the pack, then we slowly faded back. We were third last year too (as a team). We were hoping to move up, but I’m proud we placed.”

Matanzas finished one spot behind the Bulldogs in fourth place. Three Matanzas runners finished among the top 25, each earning a medal.

Senior Sierra Howard led the Pirates with an 18th-place finish (21:47.0).

Freshman Lupita Galleano placed 23rd (22:21.20) in her first high school race, while senior Nina Rodriguez was 24th (22:24.6).

“I knew Lupita was solid, but I didn’t know she’d run this well in her first race,” Matanzas coach Tim Kane said. “We were missing two of our top five runners, so our girls are going to be strong. We don’t have anyone who’s going to win a race, but we have a bunch of girls who are going to run together.”

SPIKES AND SPURS

BOYS

Top teams: 1. Ponte Vedra 79. 2. Flagler Palm Coast 92. 3. Lake Mary 126. 4. Satellite 128. 5. Melbourne West Shore 134. 12. Seabreeze 328. 15. Matanzas 354. 16. Mainland 497.

Winner: Nathan Henning, Lake Mary, 16:31.7.

TOP 50 (1-25 RECEIVED MEDALS; 26-50 RECEIVED RIBBONS):

FPC: 5. Braedyn Wormeck (16:55.0). 13. Jack Gilvary (17:30.4). 21. AJ Dayton (17:57.7).

25. Evan Williams (18:06.1); 28. Haydon Herndon (18:13.3); 29. Justin Gilliam (18:13.4). 34. Jevin Luna (18:25.2).

Seabreeze: 16. Hunter Shuler (17:42.4).

Matanzas: 23. Blaine Vogel (18:01.7).

GIRLS

Top teams: 1. Satellite 29. 2. Ponte Vedra 45. 3. Flagler Palm Coast 113.

4. Matanzas 138. 5. Lake Mary 143.

10. Seabreeze 320. 15. Mainland

412.

Winner: Daisy Ross, Ponte Vedra, 19:09.3

TOP 50

FPC: 10. Arianna Slaughter (20:55.9). 17. Cassidy De Young (21:34.7). 27. Madison Lagarde (22:32.8). 32. Isabella Tarsitano (22:45.7). 37. Taylor Novak (22:53.5).

Howard said the only trouble she had was at the tight start.

“We were getting pushed and elbowed. You have to fight for it,” she said. “You have to get out fast. You can’t hope to catch up to people after the first half mile.”

Satellite won the girls race with five runners finishing among the top 10. Second-place Ponte Vedra took the top two places, with Daisy Ross winning in 19:09.3 and Hilaree Vega placing second in 19:28.5.

Matanzas: 18. Sierra Howard (21:47.0). 23. Lupita Galleano (22:21.20). 24. Nina Rodriguez (22:24.6). 41. Maria Phillips (23:08.4). 46. Noemi Malinowski (23:20.7). 49. Mariah Mills (23.28.5). 50. Megan Rhee (23:35.2).

Seabreeze: 44. Riley Hale (23:17.4).

MIDDLE SCHOOL (3K, Aug. 25):

Boys — 1. Douglas Seth, Imagine Town Center, 11:05.4. 2. Owen Stackpole, Imagine Town Center, 11:55.9. 3. George Biedenbach, Indian Trails, 12:44.7. Girls — 1. Peyton Cerasi, Indian Trails, 12:01.4. 2. Lila McGowan, unattached, 13:06.5. 3. Hailey Brennan, Imagine Town Center, 15:08.3.

Matanzas senior Sierra Howard was pleased with her first meet this season.

“I wanted to get in good position. I love getting out fast, getting my confidence rolling.”

BRAEDYN WORMECK

Seabreeze runners Madison Burch, Noelle Harris, Ginger Feigenbaum and Madison Wilson stay together in the girls race.

FPC’s Evan Williams received a medal after finishing 25th.

Matanzas’ Nina Rodrigues and Lupita Galeano finished within three seconds of each other and placed 24th and 23rd, respectively.

FPC’s Jack Gilvary (1059) fnished 13th overall with a time of 17:34.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

SIDELINES

FPC weightlifting coach inducted into Hall of Fame

McGuire gives Pirates an added dimension

Micah McGuire took a handoff in practice and mowed down teammates. It was a sight not recently seen on the Matanzas High practice field. Not from a full-time running back.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a big back, a big punisher like that,” said Matt Forrest, the Pirates’ fourth-year head football coach.

Seabreeze team learns ‘defense’

Defense is important in sports as it can be in life.

Seabreeze High School’s volleyball players took part in a team bonding activity on Aug. 24 by taking a selfdefense class together. The Sandcrabs participated in the SLAP (Self defense for Ladies and Assault Prevention) program at the Ormond Beach Police Department.

Two days earlier, the Sandcrabs opened their volleyball season with a 3-0 loss at Pine Ridge. Emily Glass and Sarah Noel Randolph led Seabreeze with eight kills apiece. Kira Shurbin had a total of five blocks. Freshman Lilli Litz had 10 digs. Seabreeze (0-1) was scheduled to host Matanzas on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m.

Flagler Palm Coast High School weightlifting coach Duane Hagstrom has been inducted into the Florida Strength and Power Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame’s Rick Bucinell wrote a letter to Hagstrom informing him of the honor.

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for induction in the Florida Strength and Power Hall of Fame,” the letter stated. “On behalf of the Strength and Power Hall of Fame, we acknowledge

In his first game as a Pirate on Aug. 25, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound McGuire ran for 98 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns as Matanzas trounced Groveland South Lake 30-8 on the road.

“He’s a heavy runner,” said quarterback Dakwon Evans, who was practicing for the first time on Monday, Aug. 28, since suffering a wrist injury during summer weightlifting.

“It’s exciting to have somebody like Micah.”

McGuire, a senior, moved to Florida from Danville, Illinois, during his sophomore year. He played for Mainland last sea-

your efforts as a prominent Strength Sports Athlete. We welcome you to the rolls.” Hagstrom set a plethora of state, national and world records as a competitor. He has also led his high school girls and boys weightlifting

son but carried the ball just 12 times for 51 yards as the Bucs had three players who rushed for more than 500 yards. His family moved to Palm Coast earlier this summer and joined the Pirates in preseason camp. He’s still learning the plays.

“We’re just trying to catch him up,” Forrest said. “Our offense is simply complex. Once you know it, you know it.”

McGuire said he’s almost there.

“Just give me a couple more weeks and I’ll have it down pat,” he said.

McGuire will try to build on his performance at South Lake when Matanzas (1-0) plays at Tocoi Creek (1-0) on Friday, Sept. 1, pending the weather.

“It was pretty cool to show what I can do,” he said. “I love it out here. I love the coaches. I love Coach Forrest. I just love the game of football.”

Forrest said McGuire and running back Zach Furey

teams to 11 conference championships, six district championships, three regional championships and a state championship. He has been involved with strength training since the age of 9. He has been coaching since 1996, but didn’t begin competing until he was in his 30s and was inspired by one of his athletes.

“I have competed in every aspect of strength sports including strongman, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding,” he wrote in his Hall of Fame bio. “Olympic weightlifting is what I am most passionate about, having competed in over 50 competitions over a 15-year span including eight state championships and six national/American

complement each other with Furey running outside of the tackle box and McGuire running between the tackles.

“Having two good running backs is not a luxury we’ve had,” Forrest said. “Micah gives us a different dimension. He’s just a steady presence, an every-down guy if he has to be. He gets us into a flow. We may run an air raid offense, but we still want to run the football.”

Although Evans is practicing this week, there is no guarantee he will suit up against the Toros, Forrest said.

“We’re not going to rush him,” Forrest said. “We’re not going to risk a kid’s long-term health. If there’s any question, we’ll start Jackson Lundahl. He’s had a lot of experience. He’s started eight games for us now.

Lundahl passed for 125 yards against South Lake, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel DeFalco.

championships.”

In a post on its Facebook page, the Strength and Power Hall of Fame wrote: “The leaders, legends, and heroes of the Strength and Power Hall of Fame are honored to induct Duane Hagstrom into the class of 2023 as a prominent athlete in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting.”

DSC hires flag football coach

Daytona State College named former Mainland High assistant coach Brian Colubiale as its first women’s flag football coach. Colubiale coached both football and flag football at Mainland. He was the flag football team’s wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator from 2019 to

FPC LOOKS FOR A QB STARTER

The Flagler Palm Coast football team will try to find a starting quarterback during its early bye week.

The Bulldogs again played three quarterbacks in their 33-13 seasonopening loss at Live Oak Suwannee on Aug. 25.

Caden Gonzalez had the most success of the trio, which also includes starter sophomores La'Darius Simmons and Cole Walker. Gonzalez led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives. He put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mikhail Zysek. Jai'Quan Grimes scored the other TD on a 3-yard run. FPC will host Orlando Bishop Moore on Sept. 8.

2023. The Bucs advanced to the state final four in his final season.

DSC will begin its junior college women’s flag football program in 2024-25.

“We are happy to welcome Brian to our Falcon coaching family and look forward to him getting to work recruiting our first flag football team,” DSC athletic director Will Dunne said in a press release.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity Daytona State College has given me to start up this program,” Colubiale said. “Girls flag football has grown so much over the last few years, and it’s only just getting started.”

Email Associate Editor Brent Woronoff at Brent@ observerlocalnews.com.

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Courtesy photo

The Seabreeze volleyball team participated in a SLAP self defense class at the Ormond Beach Police Department on Aug. 24.

File photo

FPC’s Duane Hagstrom was inducted into the Florida Strength and Power Hall of Fame.

REAL ESTATE

House in Hammock Dunes tops sales list

Ahouse in Hammock Dunes was the top real estate transaction for July 13-19 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. Karl Holly, of Palm Coast, sold 7 Valencia Court to Lisa Watts, of Palm Coast, for $1,555,600. Built in 1999, the house is a 5/5 and has a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and 4,275 square feet of space. It sold in 2019 for $710,000.

ALEXIS MILLER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BUNNELL

Grand Reserve and Golf

Club

Lois Duncan, as trustee, sold 61 Birdie Way to Debra and Ronald Brown, of Bunnell, for $400,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,986 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $309,000.

Cory and Tiffany Strickland, of Dallas, Georgia, sold 34 Grand Par Court to Roger Douglas Cowie and Karen Elaine Cowie, of Bunnell, for $375,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,858 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $350,000.

Sawmill Estates

Michael and Krista Drock, of Ormond Beach, sold 917 Galberry Court to Matthew and Carrie Van Name, of Bunnell, for $439,000. Built in 1987, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,286 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $325,000.

Condos

Robert Allen Robertson, as

trustee, sold 400 Cinnamon Beach Way, Unit 355, to Christopher Malone and Patricia Karen Malone, of New Hope, Pennsylvania, for $875,000. Built in 2005, the condo is a 3/3 and has 2,003 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $570,000.

W & H Lohse Holdings, LTD, of Ontario, Canada, sold 11 Ave. De La Mer, Unit 1506, to The Eileen Alexon Living Trust and The John Alexon Living Trust, of Ponte Vedra Beach, for $530,000. Built in 1992, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,490 square feet. It sold in 1993 for $242,000.

Tammy Narcho, as trustee, sold 1601 North Central Ave., Unit 902, to Elisa Jannes, as trustee, for $995,100. Built in 1984, the condo is a 3/3 and has 2,430 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $788,300.

FLAGLER BEACH

Fuquay

John Walter Cody and Linda Hall Cody, as trustees, sold 1339 South Daytona Ave.

to Thaddeus and Augusta Slocum, of Flagler Beach, for $626,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 1,675 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $282,900.

Sunrise Beach

Donna Bright and Christopher Kikelhan, of Flagler Beach, sold 2000 North Central Ave. to Slade and Tynsley Smith, of Flagler Beach, for $1,175,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 3/3 and has an elevator and 2,768 square feet. It sold in 2011 for $480,000.

PALM COAST

Beach Haven

Richard Hall and Lisa Howell, of Bean Station, Tennessee, sold 48 Sandy Beach Way to Tim Schmachtenberger Jr. and Michelle Lea Schmachtenberger, of Palm Coast, for $615,000. Built in 2015, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,656 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $327,200.

Cypress Knoll

Carol Lazzano, of Palm Coast, sold 188 Eric Drive to Donna and Joseph Venuti, of Palm Coast, for $440,000. Built in 1999, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,026 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $50,000.

Easthampton

Sergey and Anna Nevod, of Orlando, sold 16 Edgemont Lane to Jonathan Man gano, of Boynton Beach, for $525,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,123 square feet.

Grand Haven

Linda Turner, of Sterling Heights, Michigan, sold 11 North Waterview Drive to Robert Brightman and Mar sha Cargill, of Palm Coast, for $549,900. Built in 2006, the house is a 4/3 and has a hot tub and 2,558 square feet.

Gary Archer Carson and Sue Berta Carson, of Marathon, sold 46 Riverbend Drive to David and Samantha Nacrelli, for $645,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 4/3 and has a pool, a fireplace and 2,831 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $400,000.

Hamptons Opendoor Property Trust 1, of Tempe, Arizona, sold 2 Tucahoe Way to John Klar and Marcy Elaine Klar, of Palm Coast, for $375,000. Built in 1994, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a pool and 2,164 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $423,100.

Lehigh Woods Nicola Erica Walker Hawkins and Leslie Hawkins, of Frederick, Maryland, sold 10 Ryan Drive to Randall and Jennifer Boss, of Palm Coast, for $340,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,236 square feet. It sold in 2007 for $230,000.

Matthew and Gail O’Malley, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, sold 33 Raleigh Drive to Rachel and Brandon Spear, of Palm Coast, for $292,500. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,968 square feet.

Richard and Patricia Cox, of Ontario, Canada, sold 6 Raleigh Drive to Glenn and Randi Jones, of Palm Coast, for $301,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,342 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $186,000.

Marineland Acres Cody Jon Schouten and Amber Schouten, of Palm Coast, sold 5 Rollins Drive to Tron Equity LLC, of Winter Springs, for $850,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/2.5 and has 2,098 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $699,000.

Palm Harbor William Bird, as trustee, sold 53 Cottonwood Court

the house is a 3/2.5 and has a boat dock and 2,910 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $432,500.

Quail Hollow Maronda Homes, LLC, of Jacksonville, sold 14 Zelda Court to James William Lund and Lisa Kay Lund, of Palm Coast, for $351,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,052 square feet.

Sawmill Creek Joseph Nicastro Jr. and Maria Nieter, of Palm Coast, sold 93 Oakleaf Way to Diane Iacone, of Palm Coast, for $330,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,602 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $296,500. Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com,

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REAL ESTATE

House in Plantation Bay sells for $2.2 million

Ahouse in Plantation Bay was the top real estate transaction for July 16-22 in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea. Andrew John Olsen and Cheryl Klobe, of Ormond Beach, sold 1241 Castlehawk Lane to Michael Swaim, of Ormond Beach, for $2,200,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 4/4 and has a fireplace, a pool, a hot tub and 5,273 square feet of space.

ALEXIS MILLER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Condos Gerald Londal, as trustee, sold 1295 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 2020, to Kevin Stephen Pardew, of Beilevue, Washington, for $425,000. Built in 1991, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,061 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $262,000.

James Haley and Terry Eby, of Altamonte Springs, sold 2750 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 22, to Lynn Pannell, of Overland Park, Kansas, for $362,000. Built in 1973, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,184 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $150,000.

Eugene Maule, of Edmond, Oklahoma, sold 1051 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 604, to Eugene Saladna, of Orlando, for $456,500. Built in 1980, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,200 square feet. It sold in 2002 for $175,000.

Shirley Ann Antonio, Samuel Antonio and Robert Antonio, as trustees, sold 89 South Atlantic Ave., Unit 1206, to Ruby Sta Romana Phan, of Orlando, for $310,000. Built in 1979, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,200 square feet. It sold in 1988 for $89,000.

Gail and Joseph Jancsar, of Apollo Beach, sold 2290 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 4060, to David and Kerry Mast, of TegaCay, South Carolina, for $397,500. Built in 1984, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,121 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $389,900.

ORMOND BEACH

Bosarvey Estates Jennifer Hart and Jonathan Macker, of Ormond Beach sold 95 Wye Drive to Charles and Angela Little, of Fleming Island, for $265,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 2/1 and has 1,060 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $134,000.

Breakaway Trails John and Diane Rodriguez, of Ormond Beach, sold 18 Coquina Lake Way to Claude Soto, Jr. and Karen Louise Carter, of Overland Park, Kansas, for $565,000. Built in 2012, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,035 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $271,400.

Chelsea Place

Marjorie April Thurlow, a personal representative, sold 452 Nottinghill Street to Craig Harner and Kathy Fiscus-Harner, of Ormond Beach, for $750,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 4/3 and has a fireplace,

a pool, a hot tub and 2,876 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $635,000.

Halifax Plantation

Paul English, of Ormond Beach, sold 1440 Carlow Circle to Nicolle Dawn Marx, of Ormond Beach, for $335,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,684 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $195,500.

Taylor Morrison of Florida Inc., of Maitland, sold 1380 Arklow Circle to Ian Denali Barrick, of Ormond Beach, for $755,600. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/4.5 and has 2,921 square feet.

D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 2786 Fermoy Drive to Andrew Nabil Boshra Guindi, of Wappingers Falls, New York, for $399,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,828 square feet.

D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 1370 Cork Drive to William Christopher Plantamura, Jr. and Leigh Marie Plantamura, of Ormond Beach, for $356,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,504 square feet.

Not in a subdivision Travis and Nicole Hackney, of Ormond Beach, sold 7 Carmel Terrace to Joanne Pinzone and Mia Chirafesi, of Fort Lauderdale, for $460,000. Built in 1979, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,668 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $265,000.

Cleo and Antony Beaulieu, of Ormond Beach, sold 133 Shady Branch Trail to Ian Scott Altes and Shauna Leigh Altes, of Ormond Beach, for $694,000. Built in 1980, the house is a 5/3.5 and has a fireplace, a pool and 3,145 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $485,000.

Park Place

Gary Snerson, as trustee, sold 19 Park Place to Aleksej Legovod and Liza Petonio Dacian, of Staten Island, New York, for $260,000. Built in 1983, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 1,459 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $61,000.

Plantation Bay

Margaret Curtis, of Charlottesville, Virginia, sold 417 Long Cove Road to Frontierland Development, LLC, of Mount freedom, New Jersey, for $400,000. Built in 1992, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,175 square feet. It sold in 1999 for $161,500.

Gregory and Angela Chrones, of Ormond Beach, sold 1320 Hansberry Lane to Jon Hall and Sherri Lynn Hall, of Candler, North Carolina, for $363,000. Built in 2010, the house is a 2/3 and has 1,604 square feet. It sold in 2010 for $172,780.

Rio VistaGerry Vogt, of Tampa, sold 703 Buena Vista Ave. to Kristin Marie Mollo, of Ormond Beach, for $300,000. Built in 1950, the house is a 2/1 and has a fireplace and 1,064 square feet. It sold in 1994 for $61,000.

Tymber Creek

Taylor and Julie Unger, of Daytona Beach, sold 274 Bayridge Court to Edward Joseph Schoenig and Jamie Alyson Miner, of Ormond Beach, for $345,000. Built in 1984, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,645 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $205,000.

Woodmere South Debra Scudder, of Ormond Beach, sold 119 Sanchez Ave. to Victor Manuel Ruiz, of Ormond Beach, for $345,000. Built in 1972, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,757 square feet. It sold in 2011 for $142,000.

ORMOND BY THE SEA

Briana Karson, of Washington, DC, sold 29 Palm Drive to Jennifer Lynn Mollo, of Ormond Beach, for $339,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 2/1 and has 955 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $299,500.

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

NOTICE OF SALE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 45 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA

CIVIL ACTION CASE NO.: 2022-CA-000631

mortgage being foreclosed herein.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to foreclose a mortgage on the following property:

LOT 8, BLOCK 7, OF PALM COAST,

MAP OF BELLE TERRE, SECTION 11,

ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF

RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 6 PAGE(S)

59-67, INCLUSIVE OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY

FLORIDA, AS AMENDED IN OFFICIAL RECORDS BOOK 35, PAGE 528, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR MERRILL LYNCH MORTGAGE INVESTORS TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-HE1, Plaintiff, vs. SUSAN E. MUNGERSON-MALONE A/K/A SUSAN E. MUNGERSON, et al, Defendant(s). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN Pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated August 14, 2023, and entered in Case No. 2022-CA-000631 of the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in and for Flagler County, Florida in which U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, successor in interest to Bank of America, National Association, as Trustee, successor by merger to LaSalle Bank National Association, as Trustee for Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors Trust, Mortgage Loan AssetBacked Certificates, Series 2007-HE1, is the Plaintiff and Susan E. MungersonMalone a/k/a Susan E. Mungerson, Laddy Cyril Malone, are defendants, the Flagler County Clerk of the Circuit Court will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash in/ on online at www.flagler.realforeclose. com, Flagler County, Florida at 11:00AM on the September 22, 2023 the following described property as set forth in said Final

Judgment of Foreclosure: LOT 21 OF OAK RIDGE ACRES UNIT 2, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 26, AT PAGE 37, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. A/K/A 354 BRIDLE PATH LN, ORMOND BEACH, FL 32174 Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim before the Clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed. ATTENTION:

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Court Administration, 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, 386-257-6096, within 2 days of your receipt of

HO Trains and Accessories $10 (386) 446-8391

LE CREUSET 3.5 Braiser, Enamel

Cast Iron New, never used Cool Mint $200 (607) 644-7519

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

EARLY DEADLINE

The Observer will be closed on September 4th in observance of Labor Day

Deadline for classied advertising in the September 7th issue will be due on FRIDAY, September 1st at noon

Items Under $200

KENMORE VACUUM cleaner $8, new crockpot $7, elephant ear, snake and variety of plants

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