CITY WATCH
Volusia County recognized for being ‘green’ Volusia County has been recognized as a certified “Florida Green Local Government” by the Florida Green Building Council, a press release announced July 24. “This honor from the Florida Green Building Council showcases all of the work we do to ensure our county functions with sustainable practices,” said Samantha West, Volusia County Sustainability and Resilience manager. “We could not be prouder to hold this recognition and look forward to maintaining it for years to come.” This is not the first time the county has received this recognition. According to the press release, Volusia first received the honor in 2010 and continues to be recertified since.
“The FGBC certification recognizes Volusia County’s dedication to sustainability across all operations,” the press release states. “The accreditation process involved detailed departmental operations and the alignment of local ordinances with sustainability goals.”
Fourth phase of Plantation Oaks under review
Plantation Oaks’ buildout continues as the Ormond Beach Planning Board is set to review final plats for two new subdivisions.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, the board will review a final plat for an 80-singlefamily-lot subdivision on the west side of Plantation Oaks Boulevard and north of the Pennsylvania Avenue right-of-way. The subdivision, to be known as Bradford Lakes, will span 53.12 acres. Its origins date back to 2002, when the Volusia County Council approved Plantation Oaks to build 1,577 residential units.
Bradford Lakes, the city staff report states, is the fourth phase of Plantation Oaks.
The second final plat to be
reviewed by the Planning Board is that for Bradford Park, a 180-lot townhome subdivision to be constructed on 24.92 acres south of the Pennsylvania Avenue right-of-way, east of I-95 and west of Plantation Oaks Boulevard.
This subdivision is outside of the Plantation Oaks Planned Residential Development, but is being constructed by the same builder: Meritage Homes of Florida. It will also share some infrastructure with Bradford Park, including a sewer lift station, the proposed Pennsylvania Avenue and park amenities.
Also on the agenda for the board’s consideration is a land development code amendment to allow via
“We call it Planetarium 2.0, but there’s more numbers to add to that, too, in the future, and we really are striving to be one of the greatest planetariums.”
a special exception a reduced rear and side yard setback from the standard 100 feet when a church abuts single-family homes. The request is being brought forth on behalf of First United Methodist Church, which seeks to redevelop its campus at 336 S. Halifax Drive.
The board will also continue its review of zoning districts and discuss the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan update, which must be completed by June 2025. This update, a city staff report states, is required by Florida Statutes.
The Planning Board meets at 6 p.m. at the City Commission chambers at City Hall.
Seth Mayo, curator of science at MOAS, on upgrades to planetarium. See Page 1B
OBFD responds to brush fire near Ormond Lakes Firefighters with the Ormond Beach Fire Department monitored a small brush fire near the Ormond Lakes subdivision on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 30. According to a Facebook post on the agency’s page, the fire was located in a marsh area southeast of the subdivision, near the Shockney Drive area. Along with crews from OBFD, crews with Florida Forest Service and the Florida State Park system were on the scene. The fire, OBFD reported, was likely caused by lightning and did not present a threat to the community.
Sport leagues’ registrations are now open
Registration for the city’s 2024 Fall Adult Coed Softball League, Youth Coed Volleyball League and Coed Youth Flag Football are now open. For softball, registration costs $580 per team and it is open through Aug. 16. Games will begin on Sept. 3, with a team meeting on Aug. 19. Volleyball registration fees cost $57 for Ormond residents and $84 for nonresidents. Registration closes on Aug. 23, with a season start date of Aug. 26. This league is for players aged 10-16. Flag football registration fees cost $69 for Volusia
lsregistration.
Email Jarleene@ observerlocalnews.com
Angel Pinkerton, CFP® Holland Adviser
Amy Wiliamson, CFP® Holland Adviser
Miranda Mumma, CFP® Holland Adviser
The fourth phase of Plantation Oaks is on its final plat review process. Map courtesy of the city of Ormond Beach
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
‘A place of hope’
The Conklin Davis Center celebrates $1 million in state appropriations for residential program, repairs to its HVAC.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
The Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired celebrated having received $1 million in state funds with a ceremonial check presentation on Tuesday, July 30.
The nonprofit CDCVI, which serves over 500 visually impaired people every year at its campus at 405 White St. in Daytona Beach, was successful in obtaining $500,000 in funding for its new residential center and $500,000 to repair and upgrade its existing 27-year-old HVAC system. The appropriations request was co-sponsored by Florida Rep. Chase Tramont and Florida State Sen. Tom Wright, the latter of whom attended the presentation.
“The Conklin Davis Center is more than just a building,” Wright said. “It is a place of hope, learning and transformation. This investment will have a lasting impact, benefitting not only the current residents and staff, but also thousands of visually impaired
individuals who will come through these doors in the future.”
Julie Watts, Tramont’s district aide, said that, although they were gathered to recognize the financial contribution, it also meant more than that.
“It’s also a celebration of those
dedicated to the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive, to feel valued and to have purpose,” Watts said. “The Conklin Davis Center enriches the lives of not only those who are served, but for those who are serving.”
In 2021, the CDCVI was born as a result of a merger between the Conklin Center and the Center for the Visually Impaired, which was founded in Ormond Beach in 1988.
In addition to the center, the 42-acre campus houses the Florida Division of Blind Services District Office, the State Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, and the largest braille and “Talking Book Library” in the world, according to its website. The center’s 27,000-square-foot facility sits on 8 acres of the campus, and has 16 dorms, three apartments, a commercial kitchen, as well as classrooms, offices, a nature trail, greenhouses and gardens.
Last year, the CDCVI unveiled its plans to expand its campus for a $4 million wellness center where clients could enjoy fitness, health, music, art and other programs.
CDCVI President and CEO Ronee David said she and the board worked all year with Tramont and Wright for the state appropriations, which were desperately needed — especially the funds for the HVAC upgrade.
Several times, as hurricanes approached, the center had to send its residential clients home because the building’s air conditioning was not functioning. She also recognized Volusia County Government for its $141,000 contribution to purchase a generator for the center. The CDCVI has also been in talks with the county to start a horticulture program to grow sea oats to help with dune recovery.
“It takes the whole community to help keep this organization going and the valuable work that we’re doing,” David said.
Kathy Davis, who founded the Center for the Visually Impaired when she learned she would lose her vision, said one cannot imagine how
“The Conklin Davis Center is more than just a building. It is a place of hope, learning and transformation. This investment will have a lasting impact, benefitting not only the current residents and staff, but also thousands of visually impaired individuals who will come through these doors in the future.”
SEN. TOM WRIGHT
much fundraising goes into an organization as unique as the CDCVI.
“It’s been a big leap, and we’ve gone from a little organization to a great, big facility with incredible programs,” Davis said.
CDCVI employee Mary Ellen Ottman sings the national anthem.
Past Chairman Bill Watson speaks during the check presentation.
Sen. Tom Wright, Kathy Davis, Mary Yochum, Ronee David, Bill Watson, Nancy Epps, Brian Norton and Mahyar Okhavatian. Photos by Jarleene Almenas
Board Chairperson-elect Nancy Epps speaks during the check presentation event.
Julie Watts speaks on behalf of Rep. Chase Tramont.
CDCVI President and CEO Ronee David accepts the ceremonial check from Sen. Tom Wright during the check presentation event.
Kathy Davis, founder of the Center for the Visually Impaired and vice chair for the CDCVI board, speaks during the check presentation.
Volusia County Council at odds over amending heavy industrial zoning
At a recent workshop, four councilmen said they were not in favor of amending the zoning district without exempting the five properties — all near Ormond Beach — currently zoned heavy industrial.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
To amend, or not to amend. When it comes to the county’s “Heavy Industrial” I-2 zoning district, that’s a topic the Volusia County Council is currently split on.
On Tuesday, July 23, the council held a Growth and Resource Management and Permitting workshop, where it discussed the county’s I-2 zoning regulations — namely, the fact that the language is overly broad, a fact brought to light after Belvedere Terminals proposed to build a fuel farm at 874 Hull Road near the city limits of Ormond Beach.
“It is wide open,” Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin said of the zoning district. “I have never seen language like that in a zoning regulation since I started doing this in 1987.”
The county’s current I-2 zoning district allows any industrial use, by right, unless it is identified as requiring approval of a special exception.
“There’s risk involved, but there’s risk involved in just about anything you do. And our residents have spoken loudly and clearly and let us know that they’re OK with that risk.”
There are, to date, five properties that are zoned I-2, all of which are located north of Hull Road in an unincorporated area near the city of Ormond Beach.
During the workshop, the council appeared to be split 4-3: Council Chair Jeff Brower and Councilmen
Troy Kent and Matt Reinhart were in favor of pursuing amendments to the I-2 zoning ordinance. The rest worried the change could bring legal challenges to the county or voiced not wanting to impede on the property rights on the impacted landowners.
Councilman Jake Johansson said he’d be in favor of having staff collaborate with the landowners and let them be aware amendments to the I-2 zoning may be coming.
“I would like to communicate with them and move forward toward a more restrictive I-2 zoning that will cover us from the unknowns in the future,” Johansson said.
On the other hand, Reinhart said the I-2 zoning district needs to be cleaned up.
“The language does need to be more clear,” he said. “We need to be
able to avoid this from happening again in the future.”
To avoid liability, the council was also asked to consider providing an exemption for, or grandfathering, the five properties currently zoned I-2.
Kent, whose district includes Ormond Beach, was not in favor of this. There may be “fear mongering” about consequences on not exempting the five properties, but Kent said the county has a capable legal team and ability to hire outside counsel “to make sure that the nonsense stops because of our wildly inappropriate, crazy, liberal I-2 zoning.”
“There’s risk involved, but there’s risk involved in just about anything you do,” Kent said. “And our residents have spoken loudly and clearly and let us know that they’re OK with that risk.”
In February, the council voted 5-2 against putting a moratorium in place for heavy industrial properties as it considered changes to the zoning ordinance. Kent, who voted for the moratorium, alongside Brower, said this led to an application being filed by Belvedere Terminals for its
“It is wide open. I have never seen language like that in a zoning regulation since I started doing this in 1987.”
CLAY ERVIN, Growth and Resource Management Director
proposed fuel farm.
“Now we have more of a problem, in my opinion,” Kent said.
In June, the state allocated $10 million for the relocation of the proposed fuel farm. Kent asked during the workshop if a provision for those funds could state that Belvedere won’t take legal action against the county.
County Attorney Mike Dyer said it could be a conversation to have.
Kent also tried to convince Johansson and fellow Councilmen Danny Robins, Don Dempsey and David Santiago — all of whom were in favor of providing an exemption to existing I-2 zoned properties — to change their mind. Nobody would want this project in their backyard, he said.
Councilman David Santiago said he believes he’s been clear on where he stands on the issue: He’s not willing to accept the liability if the I-2 zoning is amended. He was in favor of providing an exemption for the properties zoned I-2.
Santiago said none of his constituents have expressed wanting to take on the liability. However, last year, the Deltona City Commission passed a resolution 4-0 supporting the Volusia League of Cities in its opposition of the fuel farm project.
Kent told Santiago that if the fuel farm project was in Santiago’s district, Kent would be the “guy you want next to you saying ‘heck no’ to it.”
In response, Santiago said that, when the project was first brought to the council’s attention, he supported Kent’s opposition to the fuel farm.
“Do I finish in the same location with you? It’s the details,” Santiago said. “If this were in the center of
Deltona, it would be a lot tougher decision for me, I agree with that.” Brower said the only way he’d agree to grandfather the properties is if the county issued a condition that the landowners could not use their land for a more intense use than what exists today.
“I think we have four companies there now that are good neighbors and I don’t want to hurt them from doing what they’re doing,” Brower said.
He was not in favor, however, of exempting the proposed fuel farm property from amendments to the ordinance.
“I know that’s problematic, but it’s been said really clearly that it’s in the wrong spot,” Brower said. Robins said he felt almost like the county would be “punishing” existing landowners if they modified the ordinance and its allowed uses. He was in favor of exempting all the properties.
He was also worried about the financial risk the county would have to take on if it modified the I-2 zoning district.
“We need to be careful about staying in our boundaries, but the big thing is, to get me to move from that? Spending threshold,” Robins said. “How are we going to pay for it?”
Johansson said property rights are important, but again, he wanted to communicate with the landowners on the changes. And, modifying the ordinance could turn out to be a “bridge too far,” he said.
“We haven’t heard from Belvedere in any substance in months,” he said. “Maybe they’ll never come back. Do they have an obligation to tell us they’re done? It would be nice, but we’ll never know.”
Councilman Don Dempsey said he’d rather not amend the I-2 ordinance at all, nor exempt properties. He’s not convinced it’s a dangerous project, he said.
“I’m not saying I think it’s a great idea to be there ... but I want that to vet itself through the site plan process,” he said.
When you plan ahead, you can make your final wishes known and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind.
Volusia County Councilmen Danny Robins, Matt Reinhart and Chair Jeff Brower listen to county staff speak during the special meeting regarding the proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel depot in Ormond on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. File photo by Jarleene Almenas
TROY KENT, Volusia County Councilman
VCS renews AdventHealth partnership
The partnership naming the private hospital system as the district’s ‘official healthcare champion’ was first established in 2018 and will now be in effect through 2028.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
The Volusia County School Board has renewed its partnership with AdventHealth aimed at addressing student wellness and chronic absenteeism.
On Tuesday, July 30, the School Board voted 3-0 to extend the contract naming the private hospital system as the district’s “official healthcare champion” through June 30, 2028. School Board members Ruben Colon and Anita Burnette abstained from the vote, as they work for AdventHealth and Halifax Health, respectively.
The partnership was first established in 2018, and since then, AdventHealth has provided 5,200 free sports physicals to students, 4,300 free cardiac screenings, and $12,000 in medical supplies.
The contract’s renewal was pulled in February and June of this year as there were concerns that an exclusivity clause takes away opportunities for students with competing hospitals and medical offices.
The contract brought before the board on Tuesday addressed those concerns, outlining that AdventHealth and the school district “do not intend any exclusivity provisions to restrict or interfere with any student’s
opportunity for employment, scholarship, or work-based experience even if offered by a competitor healthcare services provider.”
David Weis, president and CEO of AdventHealth Daytona Beach and the East Volusia Market, said to the Observer that it was never the hospital’s intent to make students feel like they couldn’t access those opportunities.
“That was never AdventHealth’s position or intention, and we’re really just clarifying language to make sure that students have access to any career in healthcare that interests them and intrigues them and gives them an opportunity to best serve this community in the future,” Weis said.
The contract amendment, he added, also gives AdventHealth the chance to make more adjustments to better support some of the athlete health programs in the school district. The contract also clarified that there was no prohibition for students to have field trips, guest speakers, clinicals, internships or job-shadowing opportunities with competing health care providers.
The amendment removed a section in the contract regarding e-care and telemedicine services for the 36 schools with the highest rates of chronic absenteeism. Weis said this was expanded to all Volusia County Schools students during the pandemic, but it hasn’t been highly utilized post-pandemic.
“If students needed to have access to something like this, we would be happy to help provide that, but we’re really trying to clarify within the contractual language that we’re trying to do things that we feel will have a more direct noticeable impact for our stu-
dents and their families,” Weis said.
AdventHealth replaced the e-care section of the contract with a clause that it will instead create a health fund of $10,000 at five schools to be used for resources to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Of the 4,300 free cardiac screenings, 11 students were flagged for follow-up care. Three underwent lifesaving procedures, Weis said. One of those was Brogan Kelly, a Seabreeze High School athlete who underwent open heart surgery.
Weis added that 32% of the students AdventHealth screens do not have primary care coverage.
School Board members Jessie Thompson and Carl Persis said they liked that the contract was now clear in its language.
“I think we’re in a better place now because it’s more clearly understood,” said Persis, who is the only board member who was also in office at the time of the 2018 partnership agreement.
“That was the problem with the original one.”
School Board Chair Jamie Haynes, who voiced her concerns at the June 25 meeting where the contract was pulled for the second time, repeated that she had never seen a contract brought forward that gave one party all the rights to amend. It took away opportunities for students, she said.
Weis told the board this was never the intention for the contract, and Haynes said she appreciated that.
“It’s sad to say that it’s taken six years to clear up this piece, but I do appreciate that there is more clarity in this new agreement,” Haynes said.
Email jarleene@observerlocal news.com.
BIZ BUZZ
Halifax Health breaks ground on new emergency department
Halifax Health held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new emergency department in “Daytona Beach North” on Thursday, July 25.
The event, held at the new location at the southeast intersection of Williamson Boulevard and Hand Avenue, highlighted the community’s support and the importance of the expansion for local healthcare, a press release stated.
“As a community-owned and controlled healthcare system, Halifax Health is dedicated to delivering the highest level of care,” said Jeff Feasel, president and CEO of Halifax Health. “This new emergency department will continue that tradition by enhancing our capabilities in trauma, stroke, and pediatric care, among others. We are grateful for the continued support of our community, which has enabled us to expand our services and facilities.”
Alan Florez, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, underscored the breadth and accessibility of care provided by Halifax Health.
“Our mission is to meet the diverse needs of our community through various levels of care,” Florez said. “This facility will complement our extensive network of primary care, ExpressCare, and specialty services, ensuring that excellent medical care is always within reach for everyone.”
The new facility is scheduled to open in one year.
Avelo adds new nonstop route to Hartford, Connecticut
Avelo Airlines has added a new nonstop route this fall between Daytona Beach International Airport and Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, the airline announced Wednesday.
“Daytona Beach — we’re growing again,” Avelo Airlines
Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said. “We’re excited to continue growth in Daytona Beach and provide a new nonstop destina-
tion showcasing Avelo’s low fares, travel-friendly convenience and industry-leading reliability. This exclusive nonstop service also makes exploring the abundance of experiences Daytona Beach has to offer a fast and seamless journey for visitors.”
Beginning Nov. 8, Avelo will operate this route twice weekly on Fridays and Mondays using a Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft.
Previously, Avelo flew nonstop between DAB and the Tweed-New Haven Airport in New Haven, Connecticut.
“Flights to New Haven and Hartford aren’t just convenient but help boost our local economy,” DAB Director Karen Feaster said. “Avelo flights give our residents and their friends and families more options for easy, convenient air travel close to home, and these flights open the greater Daytona Beach area to more tourists from the northeast. The addition of Hartford and the continued success of the New Haven flights, prove that residents and visitors will use the commercial flight services offered at Daytona Beach International Airport.” Visit AveloAir.com.
Halifax Health breaks ground on its new emergency department near the southeast corner of Williamson Boulevard and Hand Avenue. Courtesy photo
JULY 26
NERVOUS TICKS
6:48 a.m. — intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Braddock Lane, Palm Coast Drug possession. A man and a woman were both arrested after their nervous behavior tipped law enforcement that something was awry.
The two suspects were at a gas station filling up their truck when a Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled into a spot near them. The deputy immediately noticed the two kept looking at his squad car and acting nervous, which caused the deputy to pay closer attention to them, according to an arrest report.
As the two left the gas station, the deputy pulled them over when they did not stop at a stop sign, the report said. The deputy, and two officers who arrived for backup, talked to the couple and saw, through the truck window, meth crystals in a jar in the driver seat.
The deputies searched the truck and found over nine grams of meth, fentanyl, THC vape cartridges and other drug paraphernalia. Both suspects were arrested.
JULY 23
BAGGED TO-GO
3:45 p.m. —Interstate 95, near mile marker 284, Flagler County Possession, intent to sell. A Florida Highway Patrol officer pulled over two men for the tint on their car’s window, only to find over 60 pounds of drugs in the car.
The officer pulled them over on I-95 and, while talking to the two men smelled an “overwhelmingly strong” odor of marijuana and saw marijuana residue on the driver’s shirt. This prompted a search of the car, according to the
men’s arrest reports. When a second officer arrived for backup, the two searched the car and found 129.5 grams of THC cartridges, cocaine, marijuana and LSD. In the trunk, the officer found a large cardboard box and a bag that were filled with separated, smaller bags of THC cartridges. The THC cartridges from the trunk weighed a combined total of 27,329 grams, or just over 60 pounds. Both men were charged with drug possession charges while the passenger — who owned the car — was also charged with trafficking and intent to sell.
JULY 16
SEEKING JUSTICE
10:15 a.m. — 1500 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Criminal mischief. Police arrested a 22-year-old Ormond Beach woman who spraypainted several areas of a big box store parking lot, causing $1,000 in damage. The woman was seen spray-painting the store’s sidewalk and sign, and was yelled at by an employee to leave the premises. And she did, but not before spraypainting some more, according to a police report.
Officers found her at a nearby gas station where she was arrested; she was seen by employees pouring motor oil on the concrete to spell out a sentence.
A police report notes the
woman told police that she was “trying to get her message out” regarding a prior incident where she felt nothing had been done. Her message? She was named someone as a pedophile and wrote down where he worked and what deputy handled his polygraph test, according to the woman’s arrest report.
Employees with both the big box store and gas station wished to press charges. She was taken to jail.
JULY 21
CURIOSITY AND LOCKCUTTING
3:55 p.m. — 700 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Burglary. Police responded to an active construction site after receiving a call that an unknown man was trying to break into the building.
Officers canvassed the area and found a 33-year-old Ormond Beach man crouching down behind construction supplies. He was detained and agreed to speak with police. According to a police report, he told them that he was resting on the property and looking for a place to hide his inoperable scooter.
But, he also admitted to cutting the lock on the building because he was curious as to what was inside. He told police he threw the lock in a 2-feet-deep puddle of water, which police never found.
Police believe the man was in the process of committing burglary on the building. When they conducted a search of his person, they found a gram of methamphetamine. He was taken to jail.
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BRIEFS
FCSO donates $21,520 to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office employees donated $21,520 to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches, bringing FCSO employees’ total donations to the FSYR to almost $180,000 since 2017.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly presented the latest employee donation check to FSYR Executive Vice President Maria Knapp, and Levy County Sheriff and FSYR Board Chair Bobby McCallum on July 22, during the Florida Sheriffs Association semiannual meeting.
“Our agency and I have supported the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches for eight years,” Staly said. “I am very proud of the men and women of FCSO who not only support our children and youth locally but donate to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches as part of the Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities. FCSO firmly supports and truly believes in the organization’s mission to support our youth by ‘mending lives, healing hearts.’”
Staly has served on the FSYR Board of Directors for the past seven years and currently serves as the immediate past board chair.
The FSYR was founded in 1957 and has been improving the lives of at-risk children through several different Florida locations and comprehensive programs. The FSYR is credited with helping more than 173,000 children and families in Florida. Their mission is to support needy and neglected boys and girls by establishing a warm sense of well-being, safety, and guidance.
The FSYR instills a sense of responsibility, strong work values, integrity, and quality by building the children’s characters, and by ensuring that they are given the same opportunities as their peers for school attendance and ex-
tracurricular activity participation. With these values in mind, the mission of the FSYR is to prevent delinquency and develop lawful, resilient, and productive citizens.
To learn more about the FSYR, please visit www. youthranches.org. To support the FSYR with a taxdeductible donation, visit: https://www.youthranches. org/index.php/ways-to-give/ online-donation.html
Massachusetts man is suspect in Bunnell child molesting case
A man from Bridgewater, Massachusetts was taken into custody on July 29 after law enforcement suspects he molested a 15-year-old girl in Bunnell in June.
James Torello, 25, was in Bunnell visiting family in early June when the Flagler Sheriff’s Office reports he molested his young family member. He flew back home to Massachusetts early the next morning, on June 7.
Later that day, the girl told her parents that Torello had molested her, and they immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Office, according to Torello’s arrest report. The girl said Torello had sent her Snapchat messages the night before, asking to touch her chest, but she thought he was joking.
She said he came into her room while she was sleeping the night before his flight and fondled and kissed her breast. The girl said she woke up while he was touching her and saw him leave a vape on her nightstand as he left the room, the report said.
The mother told detectives that she knew Torello “had issues” but thought they had been resolved, the report said. In a recorded call with the girl’s father, Torello admitted to molesting the 15-year-old girl, according to the FCSO. Torello also said he knew he had an “incest addiction,” the report said.
After the investigation, the detective filed a felony molestation charge against Torello with the State Attorney’s
Office. An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest on July 26 and Torello turned himself in to the FCSO on July 29, according to court documents. Torello is being held at the Flagler County Jail without bond.
After recapture, FCSO to review inmate’s escape
For seven hours on July 27, a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office inmate managed to escape custody while at the State Road 100 AdventHealth hospital.
Anthony Romine, 29, was brought to the hospital after he fell at the county jail, a FCSO press release said. At around 6:30 a.m., the FCSO notified the public through social media that Romine had escaped from the hospital. Romine took off on foot form the hospital and was tracked by FCSO’s K-9 unit to the woods by the Amoco gas station near the southbound ramp at Interstate 95 and S.R. 100, where he was hiding under foliage, the press release said. After seven hours, he was taken back into custody. Deputies investigating Romine’s escape later determined that Romine had faked an injury in order to attempt to escape back to Ohio, his home state, the press release said. Now that Romine is back in custody, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said the FCSO will begin a review of the incident to determine both how Romine escaped and how the deputy assigned to Romine was distracted. Romine was originally arrested on July 3 on a felony warrant for petit theft, violation of release, and two counts of counterfeit, the press release said. He was apprehended the second time with an additional felony warrant for his escape, as well as additional charges of battery on an officer and resisting without violence.
Sheriff Rick Staly presenting the employee donation to Maria Knapp, FSYR Executive Vice President, and Bobby McCallum, Levy County Sheriff and FSYR Board Chair
Seabreeze High School, OBMS improve to ‘A’ grades, Florida DOE data shows
Also, Pathways Elementary, Pine Trail Elementary and Ormond Beach Elementary all retained their ‘A’ grade for 2023-2024 school year.
JARLEENE
ALMENAS
EDITOR
MANAGING
Five of Ormond Beach area schools
earned an “A” for the 2023-2024 school year, according to data released by the Florida Department of Education on Wednesday, July 24. And one of those schools was Seabreeze High School, which hasn’t been an “A” school since 2015.
That was a goal of Principal Tucker Harris, a graduate of Seabreeze himself. When he became principal in 2022, Seabreeze was a “C” school. He made it his goal to get the school an “A” grade in two years. His job, he said, was to remind faculty, staff and students that they could really achieve that and to get them to believe in themselves.
“They did what I always knew they could do,” Harris said. “From a motivator or a coach standpoint, anytime you can get your team to recognize how good they really are, and then you just get out of their way. ... I’m just over the moon for them.”
This also is the first year since 2018
that a Volusia County high school has earned an “A” grade; Seabreeze is one of four. The other three high schools are Spruce Creek High School, Deltona High School and Volusia Online.
Seabreeze earned a “B” grade last year, missing the “A” grade by just two points. For the 2021-2022, the school earned a “C” grade.
Seabreeze also reported the highest total points for any VCS school accumulated for student achievement based on the state’s calculation, testing 96% of its student, according to FDOE data.
Harris said he couldn’t be more proud of the faculty, staff and students at Seabreeze, who worked hard for this achievement. As their principal, Harris said he’s honored to be a part of what Sandcrab Nation is achieving.
“In my world, it’s like winning the Super Bowl,” Harris said. “... The feelings are really about the faculty and staff and students and community. I’m just so happy for them.”
Pathways Elementary, Pine Trail Elementary and Ormond Beach Elementary all retained their “A” grade for the 2023-2024 school year.
Ormond Beach Middle School also earned an “A” grade, up from a “B” grade last year. Principal Heather Iannarelli said it’s something the school’s students, families, staff and teachers have been working hard toward.
“We’re really proud and we’re
excited and looking forward to the future,” Iannarelli said.
The community, she said, also played a role, with tutoring initiatives before, during and after school. She is looking forward to continuing that community involvement.
“We’re hoping to continue to work together to help keep Ormond Beach Middle a high achieving and successful school,” Iannarelli said.
Mainland High School also improved, going from a “C” to a “B.”
Hinson Middle School retained its “B” grade, and Tomoka Elementary went down to a “B” from an “A.”
Volusia County Schools earned a district grade of “B,” just three points short of an “A,” according to a press release by the school district.
“Volusia County Schools is thrilled to narrow the gap toward an ‘A’ and continue to see significant academic progress, even with a shift in the state’s grading scale,” Volusia County Schools Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said in the press release. “Our administrators, faculty and staff continue to provide Volusia County Schools’ students with an exemplary public education preparing them for successful postsecondary opportunities. Our focus remains on continuous improvement, and we are excited to build on this success in the upcoming school year. Thank you to our parents, community and partners for their continued support in our educational mission.”
This is the second year that school and district grades were calculated using the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking Progress Monitoring and Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking assessment results. A school’s grade is calculated based on components such as achievement in reading, math, science, and social studies as well as acceleration
REPORT VOLUSIACARDCOUNTY SCHOOLS
and graduation rates, according to FDOE guidelines. The school district states that learning gains and learning gains of the lowest 25% — which measure academic growth or improvement shown by a student from one year to the next — were reintroduced for English Language Arts and math after the 2022-2023 year, when they were not included.
A total of 63% of schools in the district earned an “A” or “B” for the 2023-2024 academic year, up from last year’s 57%. This figure, the district states, includes charter schools.
Overall, 18 schools received a “A” grade, 27 received a “B” grade, 25 received a “C” grade and two received a “D” grade. No schools earned an “F.”
“Volusia County Schools is thrilled to narrow the gap toward an ‘A’ and continue to see significant academic progress, even with a shift in the state’s grading scale.”
CARMEN BALGOBIN, Volusia County Schools Superintendent
A Volusia County Schools bus. Courtesy of VCS
REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
Palm Coast Plantation home sells for
$1.19
Ahouse at 27 S. Riverwalk Drive in Palm Coast Plantation was the top real estate transaction for July 18-24 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The home sold on July 22 for $1,190,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/3 and has a pool and 2,260 square feet.
GRANT MCMILLAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Condos
The condo at 18 Veranda Way sold on July 19 for $279,000. Built in 2002, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,369 square feet. It last sold in 2015 for $160,000.
The condo at 3 Sherbury Court sold on July 24 for $230,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,338 square feet. It last sold in 2004 for $125,000.
The condo at 4600 E. Moody Blvd., Unit 4K, sold on July 23 for $155,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,050 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $122,000.
PALM COAST
Grand Haven
The house at 14 Blue Oak Lane sold on July 24 for $1,137,035. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/4 and has 3,045 square feet.
Pine Lakes The house at 69 Westbrook Lane sold on July 19 for $455,000. Built in 1989, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, heated spa, one fireplace and 2,727 square feet. It last sold in 2012 for $185,000.
The house at 53 Westridge Lane sold on July 19 for $460,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,305 square feet. It last sold in 2017 for $221,000.
Sutton Place The house at 7 Vanderbilt Place sold on July 19 for $457,500. Built in 1994, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool, one fireplace and 2,107 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $262,500.
Sea Colony The house at 6 Nantucket Drive sold on July 19 for
$509,000. Built in 1987, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,622 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for 480,000.
Wynnfield
The house at 9 Winterling Place sold on July 19 for $589,000. Built in 2000, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 2,485 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $230,500.
Palm Coast Plantation
The house at 156 Heron Drive sold on July 24 for $536,700. Built in 2013 the house is 3/3 and has a pool, heated spa and 2,395 square feet.
Ocean Hammock
The house at 26 Cinnamon Beach sold on July 24 for $1,015,000. Built in 2011, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a pool, heated spa and 3,294 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $700,000.
Palm Harbor
The house at 1 Clinton Court S. sold on July 19 for $755,000. Built in 1981, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, boat dock and 2,740 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $450,000.
The house at 18 Clinton Court S. sold on July 23 for $505,700. Built in 1981, the house is a 3/2.5 and has a pool, boat dock and 2,145 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $555,000.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.
House with music roots is Ormond’s top sale
Ahouse at 880 John Anderson Drive in Sunny Shores was the top real estate transaction for June 14-24 in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea. The home, formerly owned by an award-winning American songwriter and producer, sold on June 14 for $1,725,000. Built in 1950 by the late Thurman Gillespy, Jr. and his wife Elaine, who were instrumental in bringing the London Symphony Orchestra to town in the 1960s, the house is a 4/4 with two half-baths and has a pool, three fireplaces, a private dock, boathouse and 3,922 square feet.
GRANT MCMILLAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ORMOND BEACH
Hunter’s Ridge
The house at 33 Laurel Ridge Break sold on June 24 for $610,000. Built in 1991, the house is a 3/3 and has one fireplace, a pool, an outdoor kitchen and 2,305 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $405,000.
Plantation Bay
The house at 1288 Royal Pointe Lane sold on June 17 for $640,000. Built in 2006 the house is a 4/2 and has a pool, heated spa and $640,000. It last sold in 2014 for $295,000.
The house at 1307 Hans-
berry Lane sold on June 14 for $367,500. Built in 2005, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,551 square feet. It last sold in 2012 for $147,500.
Ocean Gardens
The house at 1715 John Anderson Drive sold on June 18 for $810,000. Built in 1961, the house is a 4/3 and has a pool and 2,413 square feet. It last sold in 2021 for $775,000.
Carrollwood
The house at 1808 Green Place sold on June 21 for $192,000. Built in 1975, the house is a 3/1.5 and has 1,352 square feet. It last sold in 2005 for $125,000
Seaside Homes The house at Seaside Drive sold on June 14 for $409,500. Built in 1957, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,266 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $300,000.
Park Ridge The house at 3 Park Meadow Circle sold on June 24 for $417,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 3/2 and has one fireplace, a pool and 1,470 square feet. It last sold in 2015 for $174,600.
Ormond Terrace The house at 200 Rosewood Ave. sold on June 21 for $460,000. Built in 1974, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,819 square feet. It last sold in 2012 for $115,000.
Avalon By The Sea The house at 138 Via Madrid sold on June 14 for $519,000. Built in 2008, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 1,954 square feet.
Halifax Plantation The house at 1321 Cork Drive sold on June 14 for $348,990. Built in 2024 the house is 3/2 and 1,614 square feet.
Breakaway Trails The house at 5 High Bluff
The oceanfront home is Flagler County’s highest sale, so far.
SIERRA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
A luxury, oceanfront home in Hammock Dunes sold in June for $5.2 million, the highest sale in the county to date.
The home, a four-story, 8,900-square-foot property at 95 Calle Del Sur, closed on June 18. Sale associate Kate Kimberley-Gable, with One Sotheby’s International Realty, told the Observer that the home’s original owners built the home with its own amenities because they wanted to live like they were in “a fivestar hotel.”
“It’s a pretty magnificent property,” she said.
The seven-bed, eight-bath home was built in 2009. It features an indoor sauna, a home theatre, pool table room, Pilates studio, massage room, in-house spa and a meditation room, complete
with a steam shower and rock wall waterfall.
The home also has a pool on its second floor patio, built on pilings for an ocean view.
The living spaces, KimberleyGable said, were also designed so extended family could comfortably stay for visits.
The entire fourth floor, she said, was the owners’ suite.
“They wanted five-star living,” she said. After owners installed Cal-
ifornia closets, she said, the home’s listing was increased to $5.65 million, but sold at the $5.2 million.
One Sotheby’s sells all kinds of homes and properties, Kimberley-Gable said, but primarily specializes on luxury homes.
Most importantly, she said, One Sotheby prioritizes million-dollar service regardless of the property.
The home, if sold at or near the listing price, will “more than double” all previous sales in Palm Coast.
OBSERVER STAFF
An oceanview home for sale at 52 Northshore Drive has been listed at $13.5 million.
If it sells even near the asking price, that will double any other sale in the Palm Coast area, according to a press release from Monocle Public Relations. Brian Moorman and Christy Wenger, with The Moorman Group at One Sotheby’s International Realty, are representing the home.
The two-story home sits on a 3-acre lot in the Hammock Beach gated community. It has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms a six-car garage.
Among its many ameni -
ties are four private guest en suites, a 750-bottle wine storage area and a fire pit. The home’s heated outdoor pool is accessible from both floors through two spiral staircases.
The home also has its own putting green integrated into the turf backyard, the press release said. A walking path on the property provides direct access to the beach and ocean.
Wenger said the listing has already had interest from potential out-of-state buyers
who are arranging travel plans to come see the home in person. She said she and Moorman were very hopeful to get close to the asking price.
“It’s a completely unique property,” Wenger said.
“There’s we looked all up and down the coast when we’re working on pricing... that made sense. [We were] trying to find a property that has all the things that this does, including the size of that the lot was, and it’s nonexistent.”
Hammock Beach home is listed
The 95 Calle Del Sur home sold for $5.2 million. Photo courtesy of One Sotheby’s International Realty
The home on Northshore Drive has a listed sale price of $13.5 million. Photo courtesy of Monocle Public Relations
Make
yourself at home
mentioned it before.
As we followed the stars and stripes, Luke chanted, “Go A-meri-ca!” I’m working on teaching him the much simpler, punchier, “U-S-A!”
BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
While watching the Olympics as a family this week, my 6-year-old son, Luke, asked my wife, Hailey, what I considered a very personal question: “Have you ever competed in the Olympics?”
“No, honey,” she said patiently.
“Most people don’t.”
I remained silent, hoping Luke would maintain the illusion that, maybe, while his mother had failed, his dad had made it but just never
LETTERS
Chamber endorsements for state Legislature
Dear Editor:
The Daytona Regional Chamber ofCommerce proudly announces its endorsement of candidates for the 2024Primary elections in the Volusia County State Legislature. After a thoroughvetting process and careful consideration of each candidate’s qualifications andcommitment to economic growth and community development, the Daytona Chamber is pleased to support the following individuals:
1. Tom Leek for Senate District 7
2. Richard Gentry for State Repre-
YOUR TOWN
The Casements Camera Club presents July Photo Assignment winners
Each year, The Casements Camera Club presents a special assignment to its more than 80 members, with the goal for club members to decide
Hailey clicked on another highlight reel in the Peacock app. My children were used to these tiles of video clips, but to me, it felt fractured — not like when I was a kid, when I clung to the belief that everyone in the world could be watching the same Olympics event at the same time.
The pommel horse puzzled the whole family. As legs flew in every direction like a butterfly knife, it was hard not to wonder who had the idea to try pommelling, and then who had the idea to perform the first flip on dismount.
During the gymnastics events,
sentative, District 27
3. Beckie Sirolli for State Representative, District 27
4. Bill Partington for State Representative, District 28
5. Webster Barnaby for State Representative, District 29
6. Chase Tramont for State Representative, District 30
These candidates have demonstrated a clear understanding of the issues facing our business community and have articulated strong platforms that align with the Daytona Chamber’s goals of fostering economic prosperity, promoting job creation, and advocating for policies that support all businesses.
“The Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to advancing the interests of our local businesses and enhancing the economic vitality of our commu-
which are the five best photos.
This year’s assignment was “surrealism,” according to a press release.
“It was quite an ‘assignment’ to vote on the best of the best,” Club
President Ans van Beek said. “All entries were quite impressive and it was a challenge to just pick the top five. In fact, we had a tie for Fifth Place this year.”
The winners were:
First place: Janet Bernardini Second place: John Mahoney
I was mesmerized mostly by the chalk. Chalk on the hands, on the arms, the thighs — a terrific messy blizzard — chalk on the mats kicked up by gusts of wind as athletes flew over them in superhuman poses.
Skateboarding, surfing, diving, swimming.
“I really don’t want the remote,” Hailey said, feeling the pressure of everyone’s silence. “I don’t want to pick the wrong thing.”
For some reason, we watched Qatar vs. Sweden in men’s beach volleyball, but there are rewards in Paris: the sand and crowd bathed in a gorgeous golden sunset, the Eiffel Tower at center court, armchair tourism.
Luke found something to complain about with each event. He only wanted one thing: more swimming.
nity,” said Nancy Keefer, chamber president and CEO. “We believe these endorsed candidates possess the vision and leadership necessary to drive our region forward and create opportunities for growth and prosperity for all.”
The Daytona Chamber encourages all voters to learn more about these endorsed candidates and their platforms in our Voter’s Guide located on our website: daytonachamber.com.
DAYTONA REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Sierra Club backs Brower
Dear Editor:
The Sierra Club is announcing its endorsement and full support
Third place: Vicki Payne
Fourth place: Neala McCarten
Fifth place tie: Nancy Munier and Ans van Beek
For earning first place, Bernardini was awarded a complimentary club membership for 2025.
All entries can be viewed on The Casements Camera Club’s website at www.casementscameraclub.com under the Events tab.
I suspect he likes it because it’s easy to understand: No judges, no puzzling critiques of form — just go as fast as you can. The drama is self-evident, as swimmers make a push to pass each other in the final stretch for a surprise victory.
“Go A-mer-i-ca!” Luke shouted at the TV.
As I watched him cheer, it occurred to me that, at 6 years old, he is a dreamer, so easily encouraged, so full of hope — a tabula rasa.
The next morning, I caught him breaking the rules, watching TV before anyone else was awake. But I couldn’t help but smile when I saw what he had chosen to watch: the Peacock Olympics app, the same swimming event we had watched the night before.
Email brian@observerlocalnews. com.
for Jeff Brower for Volusia County Council Chairman.
“Mr. Brower has sometimes been the lone voice on the Volusia County Council in support of environmental issues,” said Steve Wonderly, Sierra Club Volusia-Flager Group chair. “He was the only candidate who expressed the desire for having an ongoing relationship with, and collaboration with the Sierra Club as a way to help educate the public about environmental issues coming before the County Council.”
In response to this announcement of his endorsement by the Sierra Club Mr. Brower said, “I am pleased to have this important endorsement as we work together to protect and restore our beautiful environment.”
The Sierra Club through its Florida Chapter is dedicated to ensuring a stronger and healthier Florida for
Publisher Brian McMillan, brian@observerlocalnews.com
Managing Editor Jarleene Almenas, jarleene@observerlocalnews.com
Associate Editor Brent Woronoff, brent@observerlocalnews.com
Staff Writer Sierra Williams, sierra@observerlocalnews.com
Design Manager Hailey McMillan, hailey@observerlocalnews.com
Director of Engagement Kaitlyn Stier, kstier@observerlocalnews.com
Marketing Consultants April Koehler, akoehler@observerlocalnews.com; Jacob Boyd, jacob@observerlocalnews.com
Office Coordinator Kay Raymond, Kay@observerlocalnews.com
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all Floridians. Supporting environmental champions up and down the ballot is vital to protecting Florida from legislation that ignores the basic needs of Floridians.
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Send letters to jarleene@observer localnews.com
The Mainland High School Air Force JROTC squadron achieved a number of firsts this year. According to a press release, Senior Jayda Miller earned a $250,000 Air Force Senior ROTC scholarship to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Miller and junior Erik Farkas were also competitively chosen to attend an eight-week summer flight academy worth $26,000 at two colleges. Both have flown about 40 hours and are close to earning their private pilots’ license. The academic team of Farkas, Sara Bowers, Adrian Fortier, Journey Smith, and Kenny Girlardo competed against 686 other AFJROTC teams and finished in the top 16. Bowers, Fortier, Smith, and Landon Baliles competed at the finals in Washington D.C. in late June in an all-expense paid trip.
In addition, the press release states that the squadron earned the highest ratings possible during their HQ AFJROTC Inspection in November 2023.
The squadron was also active with a multitude of extracurricular activities. They presented the colors at over 35 events, to include three at the Speedway, and three for the Orlando Magic. The unit, which has 120 cadets, volunteered nearly 4,000 hours of community service. Five teams competed in four drill meets, winning nine trophies and medals.
In June, Master Sgt. Garthwaite and Maj. Miglioranzi took 12 cadets to The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, to attend a week-long Cadet Leadership Course. This is one of the largest CLCs in AFJROTC and is attended by over 300 cadets from 14 high school AJFORTC programs.
The Mainland High School JROTC cadets. Courtesy photo
The first place winner, by Janet Bernardini. Courtesy photos
The third place winner, “Ghost Town” by Vicki Payne.
The second place winner, “Purrrfect Clouds” by John Mahoney.
Mainland High School JROTC celebrates milestones
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Out of this world
‘Planetarium 2.0’ programming launched at MOAS
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Anew era of the Lowell and Nancy Lohman Planetarium is blasting off at the Museum of Arts and Sciences.
On June 29, MOAS launched its Planetarium 2.0 programming, highlighting a new cosmic topic every week through Sept. 1 as a sneak preview of what the planetarium is now able to offer. Equipped with a new and improved projector, audio and light system, and a Digistar 7 Universe simulator, the planetarium is now able to take audiences on a trip through space within seconds, from the International Space Station to galaxies on the other side of the universe. Want to see what Mount Everest looks like on the other side of Earth? The planetarium can take you there too.
“What’s great about the system too is it shows a lot of live data — things that are happening now,” said Seth Mayo, curator of science at
MOAS. “So the sun, the system actually tries to show us what sunspots are on the sun right now, that they tap into NASA data, which is really awesome.”
The old system couldn’t do that.
The planetarium at MOAS was built in 2014 after the museum’s original flooded in 2009. In 2019, Lowell and Nancy Lohman, of Ormond Beach, donated $2.5 million to the museum’s endowment, which was then tripled by a 2-1 match by Cici and Hyatt Brown.
In 2021, the Lohmans established the Lohman’s Museum of of Arts and Sciences Field Study, a program that has granted, to date, 30,000 fifth and eighth grade Volusia County Schools students the chance to visit MOAS for free. The Lohmans have committed to at least six more years of funding the program.
Later that year, the museum celebrated the dedication of the Lowell and Nancy Lohman Family Planetarium.
“Thanks to the Lohmans, and a gracious gift from them, we were able to enhance the planetarium experience and bring it to the next level,” Mayo said. “That why we call it Planetarium 2.0, the next generation of the planetarium.”
The upgrades to the planetarium extend beyond the domed facility itself — the lobby was also overhauled and now features images from the Hubble Space Telescope and an exhibit of images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The museum also added a video wall screen that staff aims to use to livestream events such as rocket launches or the visuals from their new telescopes during the new monthly Night Sky Festivals.
MOAS also now has a portable planetarium for museum outreach programs and replica space suits on display.
“I think every person who walks in to the planetarium lobby, that leads into the planetarium itself, will have this renewed sense of excitement and wanderlust for what really is out there, and what’s the next thing to explore and discover,” Nancy Lohman said. “I think that sense of what could be and what’s next on our horizon is motivating to everyone and exciting to everyone.”
One of the upgrades she and Lowell are most excited about, she said, is the fact that the new Digistar 7 Universe simulator software, created by Evans & Sutherland, grants MOAS access to Smithsonian content.
The space suits are also one of their favorite additions.
“The space suits are so authentic that it allows students to interact with an astronaut, in concept at least, in real-time,” Lohman said. “We just think that’s a wonderful opportunity for students and children.”
Looking at the bigger picture, she said it’s very exciting to see that the leadership at MOAS shares their vision of taking the planetarium and the museum to “continued new heights.”
The field study is a part of that. The brainchild of School Board member Carl Persis, the Lohmans decided to sponsor the students’ participation because the idea resonated with them: It reminded them of how astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson
UPCOMING PROGRAMMING
WEEK OF THE COSMOS (THROUGH AUG. 2)
1 p.m. — Beyond the Sun (A new children’s show)
2 p.m. — Live Show: Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope
WEEK OF EXPLORATION
(AUG. 5-9)
1 p.m. — Dawn of the Space Age
2 p.m. — Live Show: Lift Off - A Spaceflight Odyssey
WEEK OF ART (AUG. 12-16)
1 p.m. — Beyond the Sun (A new children’s show)
2 p.m. — Sonification of Space
WEEK OF HISTORY (AUG. 19-23)
1 p.m. —Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus & Andromeda
2 p.m. — Live Show: A Brief History of Astronomy
3 p.m. — Galileo: The Power of the Telescope
WEEK OF SCIENCES (AUG. 26-30)
1 p.m. — Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival (A new children’s show)
2 p.m. — Live Show: The Sky Tonight
3 p.m. — Birth of Planet Earth
4 p.m. — Big Astronomy
got his start, and the fact this would be a “field study,” and not a field trip.
“The idea that no child is left behind is very important to us, that this would not cost any child any money,” Lohman said.
The museum is now looking at the planetarium experience at every level, said Mayo, who started working at the planetarium 17 years ago when he was a sophomore at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University. It’s only the beginning, he said, and the museum is continuing to look for ways to improve.
“We call it Planetarium 2.0, but there’s more numbers to add to that too in the future, and we really are striving to be one of the greatest planetariums, we’d like to be in the country, if not the world,” Mayo said. “We want to really show what we can do here in Daytona Beach.”
Lowell and Ty Lohman during a recent celebration of the planetarium’s new upgrades.
Assistant Curator of Science Christian Traverson (second from right) showcases one of the spacesuits during a recent celebration of the planetarium’s new upgrades. Courtesy photos
Seth Mayo, curator of science at MOAS. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Front: Holly Alderman and twins Ally and Dylan Odom. Back: Alex and Rachel Alderman, Ben Alderman, Lowell Lohman, Nancy Lohman, Mark Odom, Treasa Odom, Kristi Odom and Jared Odom.
The upgrades to the planetarium lobby included space themed decoration on the doors. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
See a Doctor Who Specializes in Hearing
•Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) evaluation & management
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LOCAL EVENTS
THURSDAY, AUG. 1
RALLY FOR WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
When: 4-5 p.m.
Where: Northwest corner of Belle Terre Parkway and Pine Lake Parkway, Palm Coast
Details: Members and friends of the Atlantic Coast Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State will gather to rally for women’s reproductive rights. They will protest Florida’s six-week abortion ban and urge voters to vote for Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative. Rally is open to the public. All are welcome. Participants are invited to bring U.S. flags and their own signs promoting religious freedom, separation of church and state, and reproductive rights. For further information, email atlanticcoastau@ gmail.com or call 804-9144460.
ORMOND BEACH LIBRARY RECIPES AND READS CULINARY LAB
When: 3:30 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach
Regional Library, 30 S. Beach Street, Ormond Beach
Details: Participants discuss the culture and history of food. At this meeting, the culinary library staff will share the history of iced tea.
FRIDAY, AUG. 2
MOVIES ON THE HALIFAX
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: Rockefeller Gardens, 26 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a showing of “The Bad Guys,” rated G. Movies are weather-sensitive. Call 386-676-3216 for rainout information.
to take their creations home. This class will teach them to paint three balloons with string art on canvas while also learning about primary colors. Class costs $25. Visit artamongtheflowers.com.
ORMOND ART WALK
When: 3-7 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach
Main Street Arts District, 128 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond
Beach
Details: Join Ocean Art Gallery, Frame of Mind, Art Spotlight, The Studio by Artist Angel Lowden, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and more on the first Saturday of each month for art openings and art events.
PIRATE’S PLUNDER
GAME NIGHT
When: 6-9 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast
Details: Join the Seawolf Privateers for an evening of games like Bounty Bunco, Blackbeard’s Blackjack, Pirate Bingo, and Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly, with chances to win prizes. Evening is open to adults 21 and older. Tickets cost 50 for players; $40 for guests. Visit SeawolfPrivateers.org.
ESPANOLA LODGE BACK TO SCHOOL HEALTH FAIR,
GIVEAWAY
When: 10 a.m.to 2 p.m.
Where: Carver Gymnasium, 206 Drain St., Bunnell
Details: The Espanola Masonic Lodge is hosting a free health fair and back to school giveaway. There will be free food, free backpacks and school supplies, free physicals and free hair cuts.
SUNDAY, AUG. 4
TEMPLE BETH SHALOM
OPEN HOUSE
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Temple Beth Shalom, 40 Wellington Drive, Palm Coast
Details: The free Family Fun Day event is open to the community and will be held next to the Splash Pad. Children who come dressed like a pirate or a princess will receive a special prize and attendees can expect activities like musical entertainment, pirate and princess meet and greets, a treasure hunt and more.
NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS MONTH When: 6-10 p.m.
Where: African American Cultural Society, 4422 N. U.S. Highway 1, Bunnell
Details: An event celebrating Flagler County’s black businesses, with business vendors and presentations. Business vendors are welcome to register for a free booth by emailing info@aaeassociation.org for more details, or calling 800-671-1397.
FRIDAY, AUG. 9
COMEDY DINNER SHOW
When: 6-8:30 p.m.
Where: Second floor of the Southern Recreation Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast
Details: A comedy and dinner theater show, hosted by Redefined Food Co. The headliner act is Mike Lee. Tickets to see the show are $25, not including dinner. Dinner prices vary.
SATURDAY, AUG. 10
DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS FOR FLORIDA GARDENS.
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach Street, Ormond Beach Details: Learn about drought-tolerant plantings from library staff.
ONGOING ORMOND BEACH REGIONAL LIBRARY TODDLER TIME
When: Aug. 1, Aug. 8, Aug. 15, Aug. 22, Aug. 29
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
CARRYING HOPE BACK 2
SCHOOL
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: South Ormond Neighborhood Center, 176 Division Ave., Ormond Beach Details: Access Senior Resources and Consulting presents this back-to-school backpack and school supply giveaway event. There will be educational sessions, free games and free food. Must be an Ormond Beach resident with a valid ID to participate.
SUMMER CLASSES FOR KIDS
When: 12-1:30 p.m.
Details: The congregational family of Temple Beth Shalom in Palm Coast cordially invites all parties interested in knowing about its religious, educational and social activities. Sisterhood and Men’s Club activities now include Bowling Nights, Poker, Mah Jongg, Movies ’n’Pizza Days, day trips and holiday festivities. For additional information, call 386-445-3006, or check the website www.tbspalmcoast.org for updated events.
MONDAY, AUG. 5
HALIFAX HEALTH
Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach Street, Ormond Beach
Details: An interactive, 21st Century literacy program designed for children between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old. Children and caregivers are introduced to basic building blocks of literacy through stories, rhymes, and music; in a fun and educational environment. Programs may end with a brief S.T.R.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) activity.
Where: Art Among the Flowers, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite A114, Palm Coast Details: Looking for something fun for your kids to do this summer? Art Among the Flowers is offering classes for children ages 7-16. All classes will include a tour of the flower shop, exploring and learning about the different plants and flowers, and then hands-on learning a different technique with a professional instructor. Children also get
EDUCATION SERIES When: 1 p.m. Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach Street, Ormond Beach
Details: Halifax Health Educator Annette Tracy, R.N., will discuss aromatherapy.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7
TANGER OUTLETS PIRATE & PRINCESS PARTY
When: 10 a.m. to noon
Where: Tanger Outlets, 1100 Cornerstone Blvd., Daytona Beach
REGISTRATION FOR ART CLASSES, WORKSHOPS
When: Times vary, most classes and workshops begin in October.
Where: Art League of Daytona Beach, 433 South Palmetto Ave., Daytona Beach
Details: Register for fall classes and workshops at the Art League of Daytona Beach. Visit www.artleague. org or phone 386-947-7103. Workshops and classes vary in start time and duration.
Bunnell resident receives 2024 Inspirational Woman of the Year award
Jearlyn “Pastor J” Dennie is the third recipient of the award; Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and State Attorney Ashley Moody were the first two.
SIERRA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
For her work in ministry and community leadership, local pastor and activist Jearlyn Dennie was recognized as the 2024 Inspirational Woman of the Year by a South Florida, statewide awards program.
“I am humbled by this award,” Dennie said.
Dennie is only the third recipient of the award, following 2023 recipient Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and 2022 recipient Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis.
The award was one of several Women of Distinction, a conservative organization, handed out at its
YOUR TOWN
First Baptist Christian Academy will hold ribbon cutting ceremony
First Baptist Christian Academy will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, for its newly renovated facility at 6052 Palm Coast Parkway NW.
The renovated building will serve FBCA’s pre-school, elementary and middle school students.
FBCA serves nearly 600 students and their families from infants through high school and is a ministry of First Baptist Church of Palm Coast at the adjacent property at 6050 Palm Coast Parkway. The high school students have moved into a new wing at the church, said FBCA’s
July 20 gala in Fort Myers. Women of Distinction is a scholarship and awards program of Republican women who recognize and support women who have “set the standard in their chosen profession and community endeavors,” according to the group’s mission statement.
Dennie was the gala’s keynote speaker as well, sharing her story of surviving sexual abuse and then turning to ministry service to be “the light in darkness” in her community.
Women of Distinction founder and President Missi Lastra said in a statement that the group was honored to have Dennie receive the award.
“[Dennie’s] story inspires women that they can achieve great things through God’s grace despite their circumstances,” Lastra wrote.
Aside from her local talk show news program “Today with Pastor J” on WNZF NewsRadio, Dennie runs Jearlyn Ministries, Inc, and is a member of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. She is also the leader of the local chapter of Alliance for Safety and Justice, and founded statewide organization She Leads Florida, an
new Head of School Dr. Max Fernandez.
FBCA had occupied the historic Flagler County courthouse in Bunnell from 2015 through the 2023-24 school year. The newly renovated facility had previously served as the church’s preschool.
The church and school will now be all together on one property occupying the corner of Palm Coast and Pine Lakes parkways, Fernandez said.
Fernandez has been on the job for less than two months. He has served in Christian Ministry for 21 years and Christian education for 17 years. He has a PhD in biblical studies. Fernandez and his family moved to Palm Coast from Middletown, Ohio.
Community Foundation, United Way aid
southeast Volusia
In collaboration with the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties hosted a nonprofit “Lunch & Learn” on July 24, which highlighted HELP Southeast Volusia, a dedicated fund for the New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Oakhill areas that has provided more than $100,000 in grants to nonprofits in these communities.
Previous recipients were in attendance to be recognized and it was announced that this year, almost $40,000 in new grant funding would be made available through the program.
An anonymous donor created HELP Southeast Volusia, which is focused on providing financial support to initiatives in these communities that address the needs of at-risk children, or are to helping to break the cycle of poverty for homeless and economically disadvantaged students enrolled in the public school system.
“Every day, we witness individuals and families struggling to get by,” said Courtney Edgcomb, president and CEO of the Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties. “It is because of the generosity of donors in our community that we can address some of these needs. Thanks to HELP Southeast Volusia, we can better serve the residents of Southeast Volusia and create a thriving community.”
Bev Johnson, CEO and president of Easterseals of Northeast Central Florida was a panelist at the event
and described how HELP Southeast Volusia had provided them with funds for mobile autism screening.
“The funds from this grant help us identify, diagnose, and treat children who would otherwise have fallen through the cracks,” she said. Since 2021, $108,954 has been distributed to 12 nonprofit agencies serving Southeast Volusia County. These agencies include Futures Foundation for Volusia County Schools, Halifax Health Hospice, Gifts of Love Food Bank, Help a Diabetic Child, Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia Counties, Easter Seals Northeast Central Florida, Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties, Good for Girls Initiative, The Hub on Canal, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Avenue of Excellence Early Education Center, and Church Parish Nurse Ministries. Programs funded include a wide range of services such as food
affiliate of the national organization, She Leads America.
For years, Dennie said she also served her community at the local level, through memberships in her local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and, at one time, even sitting on the school advisory committees.
Dennie has had her share of pain — including the death of one of her daughters in 2022 — but, she said, “God never wastes a hurt.”
“I started serving in different areas of my community, just to be the light in darkness,” she said.
Dennie said she hopes her growth and success inspires how other women look at themselves. Other women going through difficult times might not have the same relationship with God as she does, Dennie said, but she said she hopes her story can help them continue to hope.
“As long as you have hope, as long as you begin to shine your light — and it doesn’t matter what the situation, whatever it is —if you have hope you’ll be able to get out of it,” she said.
banks, diabetic supplies for children, books for youth, autism screenings, period products for schools, and art classes for children.
Volusia Public Library Wins 2024 NEFLIN Innovation Award
The Northeast Florida Library Information Network Board of Directors has selected the Volusia County Public Library as the winner of the 2024 Innovation Award for their Pedal Forward Project, a press release announced Friday. “Pedal Forward Project is a new concept for Volusia County’s Social Workers in Libraries program; enhancing it by offering tangible support to program participants who have demonstrated determination and resiliency for reentering the workforce but identify reliable transportation as an obstacle in finding or maintaining newly found jobs,” said Melissa Reynolds, assistant director of VCPL. “Specifically, connecting participants with refurbished bicycles allows them a greater sense of self-reliance and independence, and affords them a wider search area for employment.”
The first set of bicycles to support the program came from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Foundation and the second batch came from VOTRAN. VCPL will accept the award at the NEFLIN Annual Meeting on Friday, Sept. 13, at the UNF Conference Center in Jacksonville.
Jearlyn “Pastor J” Dennie recently received the 2024 Inspirational Woman of the Year Award. Photo by Sierra Williams
First Baptist Christian Academy Head of School Dr. Max Fernandez. Courtesy photos
Jason Stewart, philanthropic advisor from Community Foundation United Way of Volusia Flagler Counties, Bev Johnson CEO/president of Easterseals of Northeast Central Florida, and Tiffany Joubert philanthropic advisor from Community Foundation United Way of Volusia Flagler Counties.
Shopping Claus
Pink flamingos and pinwheels dotted the landscape as Ormond Beach MainStreet hosted its seventh annual Christmas in July celebration on Saturday, July 27.
Forty-nine small businesses participated in the shopping and dining event along Granada Blvd., on both sides of the Granada Bridge, between A1A and Orchard Street.
Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted shoppers as they enjoyed sales, specials, and treats offered by Ormond Beach shops and restaurants. There were familyfriendly activities during the event, which is held to support local businesses and encourage shopping small at local establishments.
The Elf on a Shelf scavenger hunt led visitors to local businesses in search of the elusive Christmas icon. Shoppers who collected six stamps from local
businesses and made one purchase were eligible to win prizes from local shops. For the first time, maps were available at the Ormond Beach Main Street office a week before the event.
“We wanted to give people more time to visit the businesses,” said Chris Wells, associate director of Ormond Beach MainStreet.
The scavenger hunt drawing was held on Monday, July 30 at 10 am. Prizes included a gift basket and gift cards from local shops. More than 50 residents entered, and the winners were The Hatheway Family, Donna Torbey, Rachel Barclay, and Liam Pete.
Prizes can be picked up at the Ormond Beach Main Street office, 44 W. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach. Winners should call the office, 386-492-2938, for a time to pick up their prize.
–SUZANNE MCCARTHY
Angel Lowden and Stephanie Gunter welcome customers to their blended shop, The Studio by Angel Lowden and Novel Tea Book Shop.
Baker Missy Creggar baked sweet treats for Christmas in July.
Sam and Rayna Dunlop, owners of Fern & Fable Books and Ormond Beach residents, enjoyed a busy day.
The artist of Art Spotlight during Christmas in July: Teri Althouse, Barbette Jensen, Alessandra Givens, Thays
Franca, Kelley Watson Howard, Glenda Greenberg and Michelle Corbitt. Photos by Suzanne McCarthy
Johanna Naranjo, of Port Orange, and Liz Berger, of Ormond Beach, enjoyed their first Christmas in July.
Non Sequitur
Nancy
Mother Goose and Grimm
The Duplex
In the Bleachers
Cornered
Ziggy
The Fusco Brothers
SPORTS
Season of success
MICHELE MEYERS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“It’s official — we won the league,” Royal Palms Soccer Club coach Ramtin Amiri said about his women’s team.
Amiri coaches the first Royal Palms Soccer Club women’s team in Palm Coast. They are part of the United Premier Soccer League. Royal Palms launched a men’s team in the league in 2019 and started the women’s team this year. Amiri committed to coaching the team in February.
“It’s new for me coaching girls— women,” he said. “I’ve always coached boys. With boys, it’s dealing with egos and a lot of it. With women, it’s a lot more learner-friendly. They don’t show their egos and they’re willing to learn. They show up to practice and work hard. They are not chatting about how good they are. Coaching them is actually easier for me because of their willingness to learn and get better.”
Tryouts were held on Wednesday, March 27, at the Indian Trails Sports Complex. Amiri said games were initially scheduled to start in May but were postponed until June 23 due to the lack of players or administrative issues that plagued other teams. Three teams competed this season — Royal Palms, Four Corners Football Club and Polk United Football Club. They played each other twice during
“...With women, it’s a lot more learner-friendly. They don’t show their egos and they’re willing to learn. They show up to practice and work hard. They are not chatting about how good they are. Coaching them is actually easier for me because of their willingness to learn and get better.”
a very short season.
The team played the last two games of the UPSL Southeast Conference Florida Central Division season in a double-header on Saturday, July 20 when they split the results. Royal Palms walked away with a 6-0 win in its first game against the Polk United in a blistering 93 degrees and a smothering 80% humidity. That evening the local team lost 2-1 to the Four Corners women.
The team traveled to Polk State College in Winter Haven for their first game. Amiri said it was stressful because of the hot weather and the lack of substitutes who were delayed due to an accident on I-4. For the second game against Four Corners, they traveled to the Northeast Regional Park in Davenport.
“We had to play two games in one day which is basically unheard of in UPSL,” he said. “The second game, unfortunately, we lost a really good defender (Eva Sites) during the warmup due to field conditions. Honestly, it felt like it was green concrete not green turf. We actually ended up losing another player (Caitlynn Lewis) later in the game doing the exact same thing. It was two non-contact injuries. We were already low on subs plus the girls had already played a whole game earlier in the day in 100-degree weather.”
Following the loss, Amiri said that Four Corners would need to win by 15 points or so, in their last game to win the division. Four Corners won 1-0 in their last game against Polk United on Saturday, July 27 which gave Royal Palms the central division championship.
Amiri’s younger sister, Saba, is a midfielder on the team. Both siblings played soccer at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Amiri went on to play one season for Daytona State College then Royal Palms Soccer Club where he played in over 43 games and scored over 30 goals.
Last year, he helped his team win the UPSL Florida State Championship. Amiri also is the FPC boys head soccer coach and has recently been hired to coach the Ormond Beach Soccer Club’s U17 and U11 boys teams.
Saba played for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University while getting her bachelor’s then master’s degree in Human Factors Systems. She said she really enjoys playing with Royal Palms.
“It’s definitely a fun experience after playing in college and high school,” she said. “It’s like coming back to the sport that I love and the people I played with at FPC like Malia (Dalzell). It’s just a good environment. I have a good relationship with everyone regardless of whether it’s on the field or off the field. It
Palm Coast’s new women’s soccer team, Royal Palms Soccer Club, wins league title in first season.
makes it a lot more enjoyable that my brother is the coach. We both are out here playing the sport that we love. It’s both our passions.”
Twenty-three players make up the Royal Palms roster including three current and four former FPC players, three former Matanzas High School players and one player from Seabreeze High School. FPC graduate Savannah O’Grady helps coach the team while she rehabilitates her knee following surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus.
The youngest player on the team is 15-year-old Ivy Chen who will be an FPC sophomore in the fall. She plays midfield. Chen said she has learned from Royal Palms teammates who have played her position, including, Saba, Denise Davalos and Tori Martino.
“I feel like on this team there are a lot of older players, so it’s obviously better to learn from them just like from my high school team last year when I was a freshman. I had a lot of seniors I learned from,” she said. “It feels nice (being part of this team) but also I know I have to work harder because all of these girls are much better than me.”
The most experienced player on the team is former Matanzas player Miracle Porter who scored 238 goals during her high school career and was named Florida’s Miss Soccer in 2017.
Porter played at Florida Atlantic University before signing with the French Division 1 Feminine Stade de Reims professional team in 2021. In 2022, she played for the Lithuanian team FC Gintra then was signed by Glasgow City in 2023.
In August last year, Porter returned home to Palm Coast. She said she had not seen family for three years and, also, had not received a professional contract worth signing. She took six months off and knew she needed to get back into shape. That is when player Alexis Savage and Amiri reached out.
“Honestly, for me, I love it (being back), because I was overseas and my family really didn’t get to see me play at that level,” she said. “Just being home and being able to play in front of them, it’s just like when I was younger when I started playing. It’s really nice to be home. Friends and family come to the games that haven’t seen me play since I left home for college.”
Morgan Long is the lone Seabreeze player on the Royal Palms team. She graduated this year and will be playing soccer for Daytona State College in the fall. She said she wants to play two more years after she graduates from college but is undecided where she would like to go. Her DSC coach, Hope Clark, recommended the Royal Palms women’s team.
“With this team, a lot of the play-
ers are ex-college players so the competition is a lot higher (than in high school),” Long said. “High school is a lot of fun and I played with those girls for four years. When I went in, I only knew one player from FPC so it was kind of intimidating, but I got used to it. I had a lot of fun playing with them.”
She said the players made her feel better about herself. They brought her confidence level up in preparation to play at the college level.
“Before, I feel like I was lacking in confidence,” she said. “They’ve brought my confidence level up. I feel like that has made me a lot better. For them, I play center back and midfield so I like being in those diverse positions because I don’t know what I’ll be playing in college.”
Amiri said the women’s league is an important addition to the community and hopes people can see the progress that was made in a short amount of time.
“For the league, I’d like to see more teams,” Amiri said. “I hope people realize that we’re doing good things on our side for men and women. Our men’s program is the longest lasting UPSL team in Florida. Hopefully, the women will have that same success. The women won a trophy their first summer — the men took a little longer but they did as well. Royal Palms Soccer Club, as a whole, is doing good things and I hope when we start in the fall that we get more women to play for us after seeing what we were able to do over the summer.”
Former Matanzas player Miracle Porter
RAMTIN AMIRI, Royal Palms SC women’s coach
Royal Palms SC player Ivy Chen (center) fights Polk United FC for a shot on goal. Photos by Michele Meyers
Roayl Palms SC goalkeeper Laila Allen (right) warms up before the game
Royal Palms SC player Malia Dalzell, a former Flalger Palm Coast High School player, slide tackles a Polk United FC player.
Football primer: Newcomers and most improved players to watch
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Preseason high school practice started July 29, with kickoff classics just over two weeks away. Here’s a look at some players who can make their mark this season.
FLAGLER
PALM COAST
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Senior quarterback Hayden Hayes. Coach Daniel Fish said the Seabreeze transfer has a 4.0-plus GPA and two college offers. “He’s a great leader on and off the field,” Fish said. “The team really gravitates towards him and are excited about him leading our team. He brings experience and toughness to the position. He’s everything you want in a quarterback and in a human being.”
SEABREEZE
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Dylan Tocci, senior transfer from Father Lopez. The nickelback/ slotback/running back has lots of talent and a great attittude, first-year coach Mike Klein said.
“He’ll probably find his way onto the field in all phases of the game,” Klein said. Tocci was a member of the Orlando Top 100 Showcase for special teams as a long snapper.
him to be a play maker. He is one of our most explosive guys on offense,” Fish said. Nolan Caliendo is a freshman wide receiver and the younger brother of senior tight end Roman Caliendo. “He’s already a great route runner and possesses some of the best ball skills on the entire team. He will be a name to know in the years to come,” Fish said.
PLAYMAKERS
The Sandcrabs will continue to rely on prolific running back Marcus Mitchell and offense and defensive end Colby Cronk, a North Carolina State signee, on defense. With receiver Mikhail Zysek, outside linebacker Corinthians Watson and Romas Caliendo among the returning players, the Bulldogs should be much improved this season.
MOST IMPROVED OVER SPRING AND SUMMER
Will Roberts and Nolan Caliendo. Roberts is a junior wide receiver who has earned a starting spot. “We expect
KICKOFF CLASSIC
Aug. 16, home vs. Deltona, 7 p.m.
SEASON OPENER
Aug. 30 at Lake Howell, 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs start the season with a bye, after Atlantic canceled the Aug. 23 game, and then play 10 games without a break.
MOST IMPROVED OVER SPRING AND SUMMER
Junior Zachary Voltaire broke his hand early in the spring. He returned in the summer and now has a chance to be the starting quarterback in a revamped offense.
“We like him so much, his leadership and intangibles,” Klein said. “He’s been playing quarterback along with cornerback the latter part of the summer, and doing a great job in both positions.”
MATANZAS
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Wylie Connor, sophomore running back, linebacker. While some other freshmen were called up to varsity at the end of last season, Connor remained on JV. Now it’s his time to battle for a position, coach Matt Forrest said. “If he progresses like we think he can, can give us a solid rushing attack,” Forrest said.
QB COMPETITION
The Sandcrabs have had to pivot after senior Hayden Hayes transferred to FPC. Voltaire and Jayce Gainer are battling for the starting spot. Seabreeze, which has a new offensive coordinator in veteran coach Doug Pettit, is transitioning to a spread-option offense.
KICKOFF CLASSIC
Aug. 16, home vs. Astronaut, 7 p.m.
MOST IMPROVED OVER SPRING AND SUMMER
Senior Jeffrey Powell transitioned from wide receiver to defensive back during the spring. “We felt it was a chance for him to get on the field more consistently, and he’s taken advantage of that and has done really well in the offseason,” Forrest said. “We expect him to compete in the secondary.”
YEAR FIVE
“When I took this job, I looked for it to be long-
destination, to plant some roots and build something special,” Forrest said. “Now it’s Year 5 and our first big roster changeover (the Pirates return just three starters on offense and three on defense.) We’re starting new. It’s an exciting time for me, our staff and our players. We’re 21-20 and we felt like we had some successful seasons. I’m excited to see the process continue with a different core of players.”
KICKOFF CLASSIC
Aug. 16, at Orange City University, 7 p.m.
SEASON OPENER
Aug. 23, home vs. Bishop Kenny, 7 p.m.
SEASON OPENER
Aug 22, home vs. Spruce Creek, 7 p.m.
MAINLAND
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Senior wide receiver Jameil Patrick transferred from DeLand. The last two years, Patrick played behind Javon Ross, who tallied over 1,900 yard rushing and receiving last season. “He comes from the talented Patrick family,” Mainland first-year coach Jerrime “Squatty” Bell said.
MOST IMPROVED OVER SPRING AND SUMMER
Junior quarterback Sebastian Johnson ggrew into his own during the 7 on 7 season, Bell said. Junior Cole Walker, who transferred from FPC, could also see time at quarterback.
PRESEASON QUESTION
Bell said he is looking forward to see how the young offensive line jells. Three different offensive linemen — Chevin Davis, Ayden Lewis and Tab Bostic — finished in the top five group at the UCF big man camp. They are all sophomores.
KICKOFF CLASSIC
Aug. 16, at Eau Gallie, 7 p.m.
SEASON OPENER
Aug. 23, home vs. University, 7
August 14, 2024
announced Monday, August 15, 2024
Veteran coach takes over boys team
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Greg Shirley is the third head boys basketball coach that Flagler Palm Coast High School has hired in four years. The Bulldogs would like to see some stability with the program. In Shirley, they hired a veteran coach who has retired as a math teacher, but is not ready to hang up his whistle.
Shirley graduated from Lake Brantley High School in 1981 and began coaching in 1985. He will be in his 40th season as a coach, the last two as an assistant at Mainland High.
He coached for 30 years in the Orlando area, including 19 years at Evans High School (15 as an assistant, four as a head coach), and seven years in Tennessee and Georgia. He is a member of the Metro Conference Hall of Fame and the Evans High School Hall of Fame. He has 341 career wins as a head coach, including 132 in six seasons at Brentwood High in Tennessee.
How did you end up in Daytona Beach?
I spent one year in Georgia when my first grandson was being born in the Atlanta area. Then my wife and I decided to retire. We always
wanted to live on the beach, so we decided to buy a condo. But I still wanted to be involved in basketball. I have a love of basketball. I’ve done it my whole life. I talked to Coach Giddens at Mainland. I knew he ran a great program, and me and Joe hit it off. We’re still going to stay in close contact. We’re friends for life.
Mainland reached the final four two years in a row during your stint with the Bucs. Why did you decide to take over a team that went 12-13 last year?
I was very proud of what we did at Mainland, but I want to run my own team again. I’m very excited about the FPC job, This is the job I wanted. A long time ago, I was coaching flag football in Orlando, and we came to FPC, and
I thought it was a beautiful campus and a beautiful area. I love the area. And my youngest daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law live within two miles of FPC.
Now that you’ve hired a coaching staff and have had a chance to settle in, what’s your impression so far?
“Several seniors graduated, but they had a very, very strong sophomore class last year and a lot of freshmen in the program. They have very good athleticism, so I’m excited in what we have. In the past I’ve had teams that had great shooters and other teams with great size, so I’ve tried to maximize the potential of the players instead of running just one system. With this team I see a group of young men that really care about each other and have a great work ethic. But we’re still in the midst of getting to know each other. I’m also very excited about my coaching staff. Johnny Hampton (who is assisting his fourth head coach at FPC) is back. Kevin Leslie assisted me at Boone High and played at Flagler College, and Eli Emmanuel played at Ole Miss (1975-77). He played at Bunnell High School in 1973 and went to the state tournament. They’re good men who care about the players. We’re trying to build a family culture. I know there’s been transition each year, but I’m excited to be here and excited to stay here.
Name something about your coaching career that people may not know. One thing I’m proud of is I’ve coached over 50 players who are now coaches themselves.
Coaching Bucs a dream come true
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Under coach Brandon Stewart, the Mainland girls basketball team advanced to the Class 5A state championship game in each of the past two seasons, winning the title in 2023. Stewart leveraged his success to become the head coach at athletic powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale.
Zykia McNair, who was an assistant coach with the Bucs last season, takes over as the new head coach. McNair graduated from Mainland in 2011 after transferring from DeLand following her sophomore year. She went on to play basketball at Eastern Florida State College, Bishop State Community College in Alabama and Concordia College Alabama, where she won a small-school national championship.
Mainland is her first head coaching job, though she also coaches an AAU team — Global Not Local — out of DeLand. The Bucs graduated three seniors, all of whom will be playing college sports this year: Anovia Sheals (Austin Peay State) and Tia Dobson (North Carolina Wilmington) in basketball and Alexandria Key (Barry University) in track. A couple of key underclassmen also transferred, so McNair will be rebuilding the program.
Is it a dream come true to be named Mainland’s head coach?
Yes, but when you trust in God, anything is possible.
Have you always wanted to be a coach?
Yes I have. I’ve been playing ball since I was 5 years old. When I finished I wanted to get everything balanced so I could give back to the community and teach everything that has been taught to me.
Did you learn a lot in your one year coaching with Stewart?
We’ve known each other for a couple of years. He helped me adapt to how to deal with the new generation. He opened my eyes to lot of ways to teaching basketball. He had a big impact on me, so I’m excited.
Who were some of your other mentors in basketball?
Terrence Anthony (Mainland’s current athletic director), was my high school basketball coach (with the Bucs). Renee Bellamy, who is from DeLand, was my coach at Eastern Florida State. I
played for her my first two years in college. My dad said, ‘You’re going to go there and play for her.’ She’s been a mentor of mine ever since. And Derrick Powe, who was my coach at Bishop State.
With several key players gone, will expectations be tempered this year? We still breed basketball players here, so we’re going to be just fine this year.
Are you sorry to see the underclassmen leave the program?
They didn’t know who was going to be the head coach, so they did what was best for them. I’ll still love and support those kids from a distance.
By
Luis Campos
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
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OLYMPIC GAMES by Amie Walker and Rebecca Goldstein, edited by Jeff Chen
FPC boys basketball coach Greg Shirley. Courtesy photo
Zykia McNair is the new girls basketball coach at Mainland. Courtesy photo
CRESSWIND DELAND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2024/2025 BUDGET; NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE IMPOSITION OF OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS, ADOPTION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL, AND THE LEVY, COLLECTION, AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAME; AND NOTICE OF REGULAR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING.
The Board of Supervisors (“Board”) for the Cresswind DeLand Community Development District (“District”) will hold the following two public hearings and a regular meeting on August 22, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., and at 1230 Club Cresswind Way, DeLand, FL 32724. The first public hearing is being held pursuant to Chapter 190, Florida Statutes, to receive public comment and objections on the District’s proposed budget (“Proposed Budget”) for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2024 and ending September 30, 2025 (“Fiscal Year 2024/2025”). The second public hearing is being held pursuant to Chapters 190, 197, and/or 170, Florida Statutes, to consider the imposition of operations and maintenance special assessments (“O&M Assessments”) upon the lands located within the District, to fund the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2024/2025; to consider the adoption of an assessment roll; and, to provide for the levy, collection, and enforcement of assessments. At the conclusion of the hearings, the Board will, by resolution, adopt a budget and levy O&M Assessments as finally approved by the Board. A Board meeting of the District will also be held where the Board may consider any other District business. The District imposes O&M Assessments on benefitted
and
ments
to change at the hearing:
IN A FORECLOSURE ACTION, WHICH ALSO MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF TITLE. Additional Provisions
The public hearings and meeting are open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with Florida law. A copy of the Proposed Budget and assessment roll, and the agenda, for the hearings and meeting may be obtained by contacting the District Manager, Breeze, 1540 International Parkway, Suite 2000, Lake Mary, Florida 32746 (“District Manager’s Office”). The public hearings and meeting may be continued to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record. There may be occasions when staff or board members may participate by speaker telephone. Any person requiring special accommodations because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Manager’s Office at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1, or 1-800-955-8771 (TTY) / 1-800-955-8770 (Voice), for aid in contacting the District Manager’s Office. Please note that all affected
FIRST INSERTION
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF ACTIONCONSTRUCTIVE SERVICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION CASE NO. 2023 11795 CIDL NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, Plaintiff, vs. THE UNKNOWN HEIRS, BENEFICIARIES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHERS WHO MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST IN THE ESTATE OF LORRAINE J. SIWA, DECEASED, et. al. Defendant(s), TO: THE UNKNOWN HEIRS, BENEFICIARIES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHERS WHO MAY CLAIM AN INTERREST IN THE ESTATE OF LORRAINE J SIWA, DECEASED, whose residence is unknown if he/she/they be living; and if he/she/they be dead, the unknown defendants who may be spouses, heirs, devisees, grantees, assignees, lienors, creditors, trustees, and all parties claiming an interest by, through, under or against the Defendants, who are not known to be dead or alive, and all parties having or claiming to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the mortgage being foreclosed herein.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to foreclose a mortgage on the following property: LOTS 9 AND 10, BLOCK 7, PLANTATION ESTATES, UNIT 23, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 23, PAGE 90, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA. has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on counsel for Plaintiff, whose address is 6409 Congress Avenue, Suite 100, Boca Raton, Florida 33487 on or before Sept 06 2024/(30 days from Date of First Publication of this Notice) and file the original with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff’s attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition filed herein.
THIS NOTICE SHALL BE PUBLISHED ONCE A WEEK FOR TWO (2) CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. WITNESS my hand and the seal of this Court at County, Florida, this 24 day of July, 2024.
LAURA E ROTH CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT (SEAL) BY: /s/ Jennifer M. Hamilton DEPUTY CLERK ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC
ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF 6409 Congress Ave., Suite 100 Boca Raton, FL 33487 PRIMARY EMAIL: flmail@raslg.com
THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands
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, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. THESE ARE NOT COURT INFORMATION NUMBERS SOLICITUD DE ADAPTACIONES PARA PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDADES
Si usted es una persona con discapacidad que necesita una adaptacin para poder participar en este procedimiento, usted tiene el derecho a que se le proporcione cierta asistencia, sin incurrir en gastos. Comunquese con la Oficina de Administracin Judicial (Court Administration), 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, (386) 257-6096, con no menos de 7 das de antelacin de su cita de comparecencia ante el juez, o de inmediato al recibir esta notificacin si la cita de comparecencia est dentro de un plazo menos de 7 das; si usted tiene una discapacidad del habla o del odo, llame al 711. ESTOS NUMEROS TELEFONICOS NO SON PARA OBTENER INFORMACION JUDICIAL DATED July 26, 2024. By: /s/ Ian Dolan Ian C. Dolan Florida Bar No.: 757071 Roy Diaz, Attorney of Record Florida Bar No. 767700 Diaz Anselmo & Associates, P.A. Attorneys for Plaintiff 499 NW 70th Ave., Suite 309 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317 Telephone: (954) 564-0071 Facsimile: (954) 564-9252 Service E-mail: answers@dallegal.com 1691-197591 / SR4 August 1, 8, 2024 24-00389I
INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY HEREIN DESCRIBED, Defendant(s). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to an Order or Summary Final Judgment of foreclosure dated July 16, 2024, and entered in Case No. 2024 10094 CIDL of the Circuit Court in and for Volusia County, Florida, wherein FLAGSTAR BANK, N.A. is Plaintiff and ERIC JOSEPH BONNETTE; UNKNOWN TENANT NO. 1; UNKNOWN TENANT NO. 2; and ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING INTERESTS BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST A NAMED DEFENDANT TO THIS ACTION, OR HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY HEREIN DESCRIBED, are Defendants, LAURA E. ROTH, Clerk of the Circuit Court, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash www.volusia.realforeclose.com, 11:00 a.m., on September 3, 2024 the following described property as set forth in said Order or Final Judgment, to-wit: LOTS 22 THROUGH 30, INCLUSIVE, AND LOTS 107 THROUGH 115, INCLUSIVE, AND THAT PART OF SOUTH 1/2 OF FIRST AVENUE, VACATED, LYING BETWEEN THE EAST LINE OF LOT 107 EXTENDED AND THE WEST LINE OF LOT 115 EXTENDED, BLOCK A, CLARK’S SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 4, PAGE 155, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA. 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. THE COURT, IN ITS DESCRETION, MAY ENLARGE THE TIME OF THE SALE. NOTICE OF THE CHANGED TIME OF SALE SHALL BE PUBLISHED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. Pursuant to Florida Statute 45.031(2), this notice shall be published twice, once a week for two consecutive weeks, with the last publication being at least 5 days prior to the sale. REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATIONS BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2024-12583-PRDL IN RE: ESTATE OF MELISSA MARIE MONCRIEF, Deceased. The administration of the estate of MELISSA MARIE MONCRIEF, deceased, whose date of death was February 23, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is PO Box 6043, DeLand, FL 32721-6043. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served, must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: August 1, 2024. CHRISTOPHER MONCRIEF Personal Representative 3317 Pine Tree Drive Edgewater, FL 32141
Robert D. Hines, Esq.
Attorney for Personal Representative
Florida Bar No. 0413550 Hines Norman Hines, P.L. 1312 W. Fletcher Avenue, Suite B Tampa, FL 33612
Telephone: 813-265-0100
Email: rhines@hnh-law.com
Secondary Email: jrivera@hnh-law.com August 1, 8, 2024 24-00392I
