Palm Coast Observer 12-22-22

The FCSO’s new operations building had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19.

Photo by Sierra Williams Maken Harding, Lexi Rausch, Julie Bogdanov

Jessie Seay matched her number as the Bulldogs stretched their unbeaten streak to eight games.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Christmas tree recycling event to return on Jan. 7

The annual Christmas tree recycling event is returning to Palm Coast for its 16th year on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Residents who recycle their Christmas tree on Jan. 7 will receive a free threegallon tree or shrub, while supplies last, according to a press release from the city. The event will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palm Coast Fuel Depot at 22 Utility Drive.

“The Christmas tree recycling event has become part of a holiday tradition for many residents,” Palm Coast Urban Forester Carol Mini said. “It signifies a new year ahead and time to clear the home of the holiday tree and piles of paper.”

The donated trees will be ground down and used as mulch for the parks and trails throughout Palm Coast, the press release said. Residents should remove lights, tinsel and ornaments before donating their Christmas trees.

The city is also offering a free professional papershredding service at the same time for items like expired credit cards, check books, spiral notebooks and more, the press release said.

Council considers housing program options

Palm Coast has spent $571,535 on home rehabilitation this year through the Community Development Block Grant program.

The CDBG program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program that provides money each year to help low- to moderate-income households and areas.

The Palm Coast City Council heard and approved the program’s annual report at its Dec. 13 workshop and business meeting in a 4-0 vote; Councilman Nick Klufas was absent.

The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, or “CAPER,” listed $676,460 used from the last fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022.

HUD allocated $500,000 to the fiscal year’s budget, and the remaining money came from home-lien reimbursements, Senior Planner Jose Papa said during his presentation of the report.

Of that, $571,535 was used for completed single-family home rehabilitations — 20 in total. But only $10,000 in program money was used to assist a single household with a down-payment for a home.

Councilwoman Cathy Heighter expressed concern that only one first-time homebuyer had been assisted.

“I have people constantly asking me, is there a first-time homebuyers program,” Heighter said, “and with the market being in the way that it is right now, there are so many people in this community that have a difficulty purchasing homes so they are looking for these programs.”

The problem, Papa said, is that HUD views first-time homebuyer programs as a public service instead of a housing activity. HUD places a 15% cap that limits the amount of funding that can go to public service programs.

The city was allotted $500,000 for the 2021-2022 fiscal year for the CDBG program, so it must cap the public service program funding at $75,000.

That money funds multiple projects.

The program’s money is also meant

to act as a gap-filler: The buyer is still required to find a mortgage and have a certain amount of the down payment, and the program helps the buyers with the extra amount needed.

The Palm Coast Citizens Advisory Task Force, at its Dec. 7 public hearing, recommended that the Palm Coast City Council approve the CAPER.

The task force consists of the seven members of the city’s planning and development board as well as members of the county’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee who live in Palm Coast, Papa said.

Aside from the planning board members, Papa said, the task force’s memberships float. Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said he hopes other qualified people will volunteer to sit on the committee.

“The allocation of the funding is really decided by the groups that volunteer for these committees,” Alfin said.

The CAPER also funded $13,845 worth of recreational scholarships to help 62 low- to moderate- income students to attend summer camps.

Program administration received $81,079, and Councilwoman Theresa Carli Pontieri asked to see a further breakdown of those funds.

“I think that this program is vital,” she said. “I think that we should take the best advantage of the funds, considering it is HUD funding.”

The annual CAPER only considers

BY THE NUMBERS

$500,000

The total money granted to the CDBG program from HUD for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

$676,460

The city’s total CDBG budget for 2021-2022. The extra funds came from home-lien reimbursements.

$571,535

The cost of all 20 completed single-family home rehabilitations.

$10,000

The cost of one down-payment assistance.

$13,845

The cost of recreational scholarships for 62 low- to moderate-income students.

$81,079

The year’s program administration costs, which funds staff and promotional material for the program.

completed projects, but the CDBG has begun the new round of housing rehabilitation projects, and two more first-time homebuyers are pending funding agreements.

Also among the 2021-2022 fiscal year funds that are pending completion are the two grants that were given to Flagler Cares and the Family Life Center in September. Those grants were applied from CDBG COVID funds that are still being dispersed.

With the council’s approval, the report will be sent to HUD ahead of the Dec. 29 deadline.

Palm Coast launches Virtual Citizens Academy

The city of Palm Coast is launching a Virtual Citizens Academy, an online version of its seven-week Citizens Academy.

The Virtual Citizens Academy is available entirely online on the city’s website. The course can be completed at the individual’s pace, with no set deadline to finish, according to a press release from the city. Both the online and in-person versions are free.

“We are continually looking for innovative ideas to connect with our residents in a meaningful way, and this Virtual Citizens Academy is just one way to help our residents better understand our role as a municipal government,” City Manager Denise Bevan said.

The course has 10 modules detailing each of the city’s departments’ functions, the press release said. Each module should take around 20 minutes, the press release said.

Residents who complete the Virtual Citizens Academy will take a brief quiz after completing the modules in order to receive their Virtual Citizens Academy certificate, the release said.

The in-person Citizens Academy is a seven-week program held twice a year on Mondays. The city just graduated its 52nd class on Nov. 1. The next session in March is already full, but residents can still sign up for the session beginning in September 2023, the press release said.

“If you cannot attend the in-person Citizens Academy,” Bevan said, “this online version is a great alternative that will still allow residents to better understand the inner workings of their city government.”

File photo by Jonathan Simmons

The Palm Coast City Council approved the CDBG CAPER report at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Band of honor

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

People bowed their heads to observe a moment of silence at Volusia Memorial Park on Saturday, Dec. 17, as the sound of passing cars on the nearby road echoed through the otherwise quiet cemetery.

The annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at the park that day was one of over 3,400 held throughout the U.S. to thank and honor deceased veterans and their families. Moments of silence were also observed at ceremonies at nearby Hillside Cemetery and Oak Ridge Cemetery in Ormond Beach and at Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home and Cemetery in Flagler Beach.

“There are millions of Americans gathering safely as one nation to remember, honor and teach,” said Brian Carter, Wreaths Across America location coordinator at Volusia Memorial Park. “We’re all proud to be Americans that live in a free society made up of many people, from many walks of life. The freedom we enjoy today has not come without a price — lying here before us in this cemetery, and throughout

the nation, are men and women who gave their lives so that we can live free, without fear.”

About 2,500 balsam wreaths were laid on veterans’ graves at Volusia Memorial Park in Ormond Beach, costing around $30,000 and funded through a year-long donation effort by Sons of The American Legion Squadron 120.

New this year at the ceremonies was the addition of a ceremonial wreath for the U.S. Space Force.

At Hillside Cemetery, Dee Clark, Wreaths Across America co-chair for the Capt. James Ormond Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, reminded participants that they were not there to “decorate graves.”

“We are here to remember not their deaths, but their lives,” Clark said. “Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a grateful America.”

The DAR placed wreaths on 145 soldiers’ graves at Hillside. The Oak Ridge cemetery ceremony was presented by the Vietnam Veterans of America Daytona Beach Chapter 1048. The ceremony at Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home and Cemetery honored more than 400 veterans.

Jake Montgomery contributed to this story.

Wreaths Across America holds ceremonies in Ormond, Flagler Beach.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Joyce Zuccaro Vernon lays a wreath on the grave of her father, a World War II veteran, during the Wreaths Across America service at Volusia Memorial Park.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Sherman Burres lays a wreath on a veteran’s grave during the Wreaths Across America service at Volusia Memorial Park.

Troop 711 Girl Scouts Samantha Gilliard, Kate Gilliard, Raelynn Crawford and Quinlee Anderson, with Danielle Gilliard, lay wreaths on veterans’ graves at Volusia Memorial Park.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Rondald L. Boisvert stands in silence behind the Navy’s wreath at Hillside Cemetery.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Linda Petrie places a wreath on a veteran’s grave at Hillside Cemetery.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Bear Cub Scout Gabriel Palmer and Gary Benson lay a ceremonial wreath during the Wreaths Across America service at Volusia Memorial Park on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Andrea Rocke lays a wreath on a veteran’s grave during the Wreaths Across America service at Volusia Memorial Park.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Steve Wolfe places a wreath on a soldier’s grave at Hillside Cemetery.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, speaking at Hillside Cemetery, dedicates the day as “Wreaths Across America Day” in Ormond Beach.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Bob Richardson is accompanied by Arthur Shults and Steve Rounds as he lays a wreath at the base of the U.S. Coast Guard’s flag at Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home and Cemetery.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Patty and Enso Hoolehan participate in the Wreaths Across America service at Volusia Memorial Park.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Suzanne O’Meally and husband John O’Meally watch the ceremony at Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home and Cemetery.

Judge upholds rental regulations County manager,

county.”

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

A Volusia County judge ruled on Dec. 12 that Volusia County’s code of ordinances does indeed prohibit short-term rentals of less than 30 days in residential zones. But the property owners of the Vacation Rental Home Alliance of Volusia are not ready to give up, and plan to file an appeal.

The alliance — along with Steven Murray, another shortterm rental owner — filed a lawsuit against the county in June 2021, a month after the Volusia County Council voted 5-2 against loosening its short-term rental ordinance following about three hours of public comments. The council members said they did not want to hurt neighborhoods or lose the ability to regulate short-term rentals.

The county argued that changing its 2004 ordinance would make the ordinance run afoul of a 2011 law that preempts local governments from prohibiting short-term rentals or regulating the duration or frequency of stays. The 2004 ordinance had been allowed to stay in effect despite the conflicting newer law — it was “grandfathered in” because it was passed first — but would lose that status if amended.

The council’s no vote also halted efforts to create a short-term rental advisory committee.

Richard Feller, president of the VRHA, said Judge Kathryn D. Weston’s ruling did not come as a surprise. The alliance felt Weston was “basically a representative of the

“We anticipated this,” Feller said. “We didn’t feel like we were actually going to be able to get an unbiased ruling in the county itself, especially since the county is the defendant, but it was a necessary step for us to take so that we could proceed forward on to the appeal process.”

JUDGE RULES FOR COUNTY

In VRHA’s petition, the group of short-term rental owners disputed the county’s position that it may prohibit vacation rentals through its ordinance for hotels and motels. The ordinance holds that vacation rentals are the same kind of property and therefore cannot be operated in residential zoning districts.

Because the county’s ordinance doesn’t specifically mention vacation rentals, VRHA argued that any restriction of vacation rentals is preempted by state statute.

In a press release issued Dec. 13 regarding Weston’s ruling, the county quoted a portion of the ruling, which states, “While the county’s definition of ‘hotel/motel’ and the state’s definition of ‘vacation rental’ are not identical, their primary characteristics overlap. Both phrases apply to buildings being rented to the public to be used as transient lodging for periods of less than a month. ... Plaintiffs rely on, but misinterpret, a nonbinding, informal opinion of the Attorney General to argue that a zoning ordinance must use the phrase ‘vacation rental’ or ‘resort dwelling’ to have grandfathered protection.”

VRHA PLANS APPEAL

Municipalities have dealt with the issue of vacation rentals in different ways, Feller said. But he felt that the state under-

stood the importance of vacation rentals when it passed its law in 2011.

“I feel like there’s a number of loopholes that this municipality is trying to use to maintain preemption,” he said. “And preemption rules are pretty cut and dry from the state level, so there’s not a lot to argue there, but yet counties [and] municipalities try and do this.”

He countered the judge’s statement that the VRHA relied on the Attorney General’s opinion. He said the VRHA is relying instead on its belief that the ruling the judge used in its case was “bad law.”

Residents have voiced opposition to short-term rentals in Volusia County, particularly in Ormond-bythe-Sea and Bethune Beach. In Ormond Beach, shortterm rentals are prohibited in residential areas; they’re only allowed in properties that are east of State Road A1A and do not have residential zoning.

During the Citizens for Ormond Beach candidate forum in October, District 4 County Councilman-elect Troy Kent said he and his wife “live the nightmare of three hotels operating around us,” referencing issues with shortterm rentals in his neighborhood.

Feller said that local vacation home rental owners who have lived in their properties and are selective about their guests also want the best for their neighborhoods, while still protecting their property rights.

“I think we’re prepared to take this as far as it needs to go,” Feller said. “But I will say that we’re very, very confident in the appeal process. I don’t think we would be moving forward with the appeal if we didn’t feel so confident in our case.”

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald and County Attorney Michael Dyer will each receive a 4% raise. The Volusia County Council approved the raises in two 5-1 votes on Tuesday, Dec. 20, after discussing performance evaluations.

Recktenwald’s salary will rise from $237,218 to $246,706, while Dyer’s will rise from $221,738 to $230,608.

Only County Council Chair Jeff Brower voted against the raises, saying he did so not because of the men’s job performance, but because he would have preferred to hold his evaluation until after the conclusion of an investigation into Corrections Director Mark Flowers, whom the county is trying to fire.

“For me, I think it’s premature to evaluate and discuss a raise until the results of that investigation are done, because I believe that the county manager and the county attorney are serious about having an independent, fair evaluation, and I believe that’s underway,” Brower said. “I don’t want to give out any false ideas that there’s other underlying problems. I have a very good working relationship with the county manager and the county attorney.”

On Dec. 9, Volusia County issued a press release stating it is seeking to fire Flowers after an internal affairs investigation allegedly revealed he created a hostile work environment and violated inmates’ rights. Flowers, in turn, claims the county retaliated against

him for blowing the whistle on inmate abuse. Brower said that, at Recktenwald’s request, Flowers has been given more time to respond to the county and perform his own investigation.

The rest of the council members proceeded with the evaluations, with the majority saying their evaluations were supposed to cover an entire year and shouldn’t be reliant on one issue.

“I’m going to evaluate them on their overall performance of what I have seen this past year,” Councilman Ben Johnson said.

Council members highlighted some of Recktenwald’s leadership successes, including the county’s increased social media presence, better contracts negotiated for first responders, the pursuit of grants for critical projects, the addition of 41 positions to the county’s public protections department, increasing communication between the county and its municipalities, and Recktenwald’s management of staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have the utmost respect and trust in his ability, and he’s by far one of the most knowledgeable people that I’ve seen here in Volusia County in all aspects of this,” Councilman Danny Robins said.

Recktenwald thanked the council members for their faith in him.

“I’m also grateful to hear you compliment the team,” he said. “When I took this position, for me it was all about the team and the chance to build a team that I knew was coming, and that’s my proudest accomplishment ... the people that I work with every day.”

Council members praised Dyer for always providing comprehensive information,

OUTGOING COUNCIL MEMBERS RECOGNIZED

For four council members, the Dec. 20 meeting was their last time sitting behind the dais. Council members Ben Johnson, Billie Wheeler, Heather Post, Barb Girtman and Fred Lowry — who finished his seventh year of office in November, after he ran unsuccessfully for School Board — were recognized for their public service at the end of the meeting. A video slideshow spotlighted the committees and boards on which they served.

Post, who has represented District 4 on the council since 2017, said the last two years in office were eye-opening for her.

“We put people before profit and people before politics, which is a constant thing to be hitting home,” Post said.

Post will be succeeded by former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Troy Kent.

for his navigation through significant settlements and for making himself available when needed.

“Each time something’s been accomplished, you’ve identified how that was done, who did it and gave them kudos for it,” Councilwoman Barb Girtman said. “And I think that says a lot about a leader.”

The Vacation Rental Home Alliance plans to appeal.

A new council will be sworn into office in January.

COPS CORNER

DEC. 6

EX-BOYFRIEND PROBLEMS

7:40 p.m. — 1000 block of State Road 100, Bunnell Criminal mischief. A man was arrested after allegedly stealing his ex-girlfriend’s car and leaving it at an intersection.

The man was caught on surveillance cameras driving off with the car from a bar in Bunnell, and then returning for his own vehicle, according to an incident report. The stolen car was found abandoned at the intersection of Deen Road and Boundry Street.

When the owner of the car arrived, she told deputies she had been receiving texts from her ex-boyfriend, who’d stated that he took the car and then returned home. She said she kept a spare key to her car in a safe at the home where her ex still lives, but that he didn’t have permission to drive the car since they’d broken up,.

The ex-boyfriend was arrested.

DEC. 10

THE MAN WHO CRIED SWORD 4:19 p.m. — 4600 block of Mahogany Boulevard, Bunnell False report of a crime, misuse of 911. Five Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies across four patrol zones responded to a 911 call about a man with a gun being chased by a man with a sword.

The caller told the operator a man with a bullet proof vest was chasing him with a sword, according to the incident report. The caller said he wasn’t injured and that he had a .45 handgun on him, and told the operator to “step it up and bring a lot of help.”

When deputies arrived, they found a yard sale but no gunwielding man being chased by a sword-wielding man. No

one at the yard sale had seen a sword, the incident report said.

A motion camera recording the yard showed no evidence of a sword, or the accused chasing the caller. When deputies approached the caller and asked him why he’d said he had a gun and was ready to shoot someone, he told deputies “I was just saying that to get you here quicker.”

The man was arrested for filing a false report and misuse of 911.

BARRICADE BUST 6:18 p.m. — Intersection of Division Avenue and South Washington Street, Ormond Beach

Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. An 81-year-old Ormond Beach man drove up to a police barricade, which was in place for the city’s Home for the Holidays parade, and told the community service officer who was on duty that the man was going to get through “no matter what.” The man threatened to run the officer over. His pickup truck brushed the officer’s leg as he spoke, according to a police report.

The man then drove to another barricade and threatened to run over the police officer on guard. He then drove around the barricades, and in doing so, almost hit the officer with his truck. The man lives in one of the streets affected by the road blocks.

Police officers arrested him.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING PRESSURES

8:46 p.m. — 1500 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Grand theft. A 50-year-old Holly Hill woman was arrested for stealing more than $800 worth of merchandise from a local supermarket.

An employee saw the woman placing items into a red plastic tote in her shopping cart, according to a police report. The items included

personal care items, home decorations and groceries. The woman went to a selfcheckout lane and paid for a liter of soda before leaving the store. She had taken $855.28 worth of merchandise.

When detained by police, the woman said she knew stealing was wrong and that she had never done anything like that, but she had wanted to get Christmas gifts for her family. She was arrested.

DEC. 11

DEFYING ORDERS

6:43 p.m. — 100 block of South Nova Road, Ormond Beach

Resisting an officer without violence. Police responded to an ice cream shop after employees called and said they believed a man was vandalizing the restroom.

Arriving officers saw the man walking away in the parking lot. The man, a 47-yearold from Middleburg, looked directly at their patrol car, according to a police report, and an officer activated the overhead lights. The man continued to walk away, and the officer told him to stop.

The man complied, but became “verbally defiant,” the report states. The officer asked him to sit down; the man refused.

The officer took out his Taser and asked him again. The man, again, refused — at least until a second patrol car arrived at the scene. Then he sat down. He was secured in handcuffs.

Police discovered that the ice cream shop’s bathroom had not been vandalized. The man was arrested for resisting the officer’s orders. In the patrol car, he insinuated that he would find the officer once he got out of jail and “become violent” when he did, the officer noted in his report.

The man said the officer was “lucky” the man hadn’t attacked him when the officer first approached him.

The man was taken to jail.

BRIEFS

Locals urged to take ‘internet speed test’

Flagler County officials — on behalf of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity — are encouraging residents to take an anonymous one-minute speed test to help identify opportunities for expansion of broadband services in Florida.

The test, available at www. FasterFlorida.org, can be completed on any device and from any location.

“The recent launch of Florida’s Broadband Speed Test, and the corresponding availability map, is testament to the state’s continues commitment to boosting infrastructure by giving communities like ours the opportunity to provide information to support decisions about broadband internet expansion,” said Deputy Flagler County Administrator Jorge Salinas, who has been working on the county broadband initiative to bring internet access to underserved areas.

The speed test results will populate the “Broadband Availability Map” in real time with the location’s internet speed and responsiveness to help develop the state’s strategic plan for broadband.

Flagler County in November 2021 voted to negotiate

a contract with a

of

Communications to build connections over 187 “route miles.”

The likely timeline for completion of Phase 1 of the three-phased project is the end of 2023, barring circumstances outside of company control like permitting delays.

Edgewell Personal Care earns responsibility ranking

Edgewell Personal Care was recently named one of America’s most responsible companies in 2023 via Newsweek’s list of Statista Inc.

This is Edgewell’s fourth year being honored, and its ranking is up 105 spots from last year, according to a press release.

The company, which has a manufacturing location in Or-

mond Beach, was also ranked eighth amongst 43 consumer goods companies on the list.

“Our inclusion on this list of impressive organizations reflects our dedication to being a people-first company; one that is both mindful and active in the communities we serve and where we operate,” said Rod Little, Edgewell president and chief executive officer. “I could not be prouder of our teams around the world who work tirelessly to grow and operate our business responsibly.”

The selection process ranked the top 500 companies based on corporate social responsibility and publicly available key performance indicators, according to the press release.

Companies were also selected based on an independent public perception survey based on 13,000 U.S. citizens’ evaluations of the companies’ reputations related to corporate social responsibility.

Department of Health to offer free HIV, hepatitis testing on Dec. 28

from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

3

from 1 p.m.

The Health Department is located at 208 Dr. Carter Blvd., Bunnell.

No appointment is necessary.

For more information, call 386-313-7063.

There will be free giveaways in the lobby.

Palm Coast woman, 46, dies in head-on crash on U.S. 1

A 46-year-old Palm Coast woman died in a head-on crash on U.S. 1 the night of Dec. 16 when her sedan was struck by a pickup truck that was driving in the wrong direction.

The pickup truck driver, a 64-year-old Palm Coast man, had serious injuries.

The woman was driving south in the inside lane at about 8:38 p.m. near 5600 N. U.S. 1, about halfway between Palm Coast Parkway and Whiteview Parkway, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol.

The pickup truck driver was driving north in the inside southbound lane and struck the sedan.

Both vehicles came to rest in the roadway.

The woman, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died of her injuries, according to the press release.

Health Department offers Narcan kits

The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County is distributing free Naloxone (Narcan) nasal spray kits to people 18 or older who ask at the department’s front desk, according to a news release from the Health Department. Narcan is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

The kits consist come with two nasal sprays that can be administered without a health care professional present, according to the news release.

It can be administered by a bystander before emergency medical assistance is available, but it is not intended to substitute for professional medical care.

Individuals should call 911 immediately when an opioid overdose is suspected, before administering Narcan.

Persons requesting a kit from DOH-Flagler County must be 18 years old or older and must be individuals at risk of experiencing an opioid overdose, caregivers who may witness an opioid overdose, or others likely to experience or witness an opioid overdose.

The kits are available at the DOH-Flagler County offices at 301 Dr. Carter Blvd., Bunnell. No appointment is required.

Loving Memory of Edward Lebre

subsidiary

Charter

The Florida Department of Health-Flagler will be offering free HIV and hepatitis A, B, and C testing Wednesday, Dec. 28, in honor of World AIDS Day. Testing will be offered

and

to

p.m., according to a news release from the Health Department.

Rod Little, Edgewell president and chief executive officer

School Board in favor of guardian program

The board directed the district to create a survey to gauge staff interest in becoming guardians.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Flagler County School Board is committed to implementing the School Guardian Program. Questions remain on when and how.

At its workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 20, the board directed the school district to create a survey of instructional and non-instructional staff to gauge how many employees would be interested in training as school guardians. Board members would also like to hear from stakeholders on what model of guardian program they would prefer.

The Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program was created in 2018 in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting to train volunteer staff members to carry a weapon to prevent or abate an active assailant incident. State law requires all schools to have a school resource officer or guardian on site.

Flagler’s schools already have School Resource Deputies on each campus. The guardians would supplement the SRDs. Unlike the deputies, the guardians would have no law

BY THE NUMBERS

enforcement authority. Guardians are required to complete a minimum of 144 hours of training.

If a School Board opts to implement the guardian program, the Sheriff’s Office in that county is required to provide the training. In August, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly told the board that his office will provide guardian training only if the guardian program is to supplement the SRDs, not replace them.

Guardian grant funding covering training and equipment is available to sheriff departments. However, next year’s grants won’t be available for training held before July 1, 2023, which would be too late to start the program at the beginning of next school year.

Flagler Schools Safety Specialist Tom Wooleyhan was directed to check on possible timelines.

The two types of guardian programs would be training current employees at the schools, or hiring new employees specifically to be guardians. The former would be the more inexpensive option.

The state provides an allocation for the School Resource Officer Program. In 2022, the district was allocated $1,004,159. The district used $944,064 to fund the the School Resource Deputy Program and the Crossing Guard Program with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The Board will have to decide on qualifications for the guardians, such as whether prospects would have to have previous law enforcement or military training, Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said.

There are 20 districts in the state that currently used guardians to supplement their school resource officers. School Board member Colleen Conklin asked the district to check on the models that those districts use.

BOARD MEMBERS UNHAPPY WITH CLUB’S DEFICIT

The new School Board has come to the same conclusion concerning the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club as the old School Board: The business model isn’t very good.

BOARD SUPPORTS NARCAN DISTRIBUTION

The School Board indicated it is interested in allowing school nurses and perhaps other staff members to store and administer Narcan in the case of possible drug overdoses in the schools.

Narcan can save lives by restoring normal breathing in as little as two or three minutes for a person whose breathing has been slowed by opioids.

The Flagler County Drug Court Foundation and Open Arms Recovery Services have received a grant to provide free Narcan wherever it’s needed in the county and have pledged to provide the district with free boxes of Narcan as well as training and education.

School Board Chair Cheryl Massaro asked district staff to answer

Joshua Walker, the district’s coordinator for community services, informed the board that the Swim and Racquet Club’s projected operating loss for 2022-23 is $169,847. The profits from the district’s extended day program are floating the facility, said Patty Wormeck, the district’s chief financial officer.

The deficit doesn’t even take into consideration capital expenses on the horizon for the 44-year-old facility, said Dave Freeman, the district’s chief of operations.

Board member Will Furry noted that an opportunity to make more money at the club is to renegotiate with health insurance companies who pay the district to provide use of the facilities for their members.

Revenue from the club’s 90 members plus daily use fees will total $21,018 this year. Revenue from insurance companies total $29,829, with the companies paying between $12 and $46 per member. The school district has increased club membership to $47 a month or $300 a year for adults.

some policy questions and bring back a little more structure at a future workshop.

BOARD APPROVES HURRICANE MAKEUP DATE

At its monthly business meeting on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 20, the School Board voted to make up the Nov. 10 school-day cancelation due to Hurricane Nicole. The board unanimously approved a makeup day on March 17, 2023.

The board also honored the district’s teachers of the year, rookie teachers of the year and employees of the year. Also honored were Flagler Schools’ Prinicipal of the Year Marcus Sanfilippo and Assistant Principal of the Year Donelle Evensen, both of Bunnell Elementary School.

A total of 713 insurance members have signed up with the club, but that does not mean that many have used the facility, or use it with any regularity.

Furry said the district might be able to get more money from insurance companies because the facility has a pool in addition to a gym.

Flagler Palm Coast High School’s swim team and two clubs that include Flagler County students use the pool. Furry and board member Sally Hunt questioned whether students get enough benefit from the facility to justify annual deficits.

“We need more revenue,” Furry said. “Whether it’s through membership, through additional services, whether we bring on somebody to lease it ... we need more revenue or we need to justify the loss as an educational benefit, as an investment rather than a loss, right? But based on what I have in front of me today, I’m not seeing it. But I think there is an opportunity to close this gap. But it’s going to take some tweaking.”

County commissioner recovering

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The Flagler County Commission is temporarily short one member as he recovers from a stroke.

Commissioner David Sullivan, 81, is recovering at a rehabilitation hospital in Ormond Beach after having a stroke on Dec. 7. Sullivan said that he is expected to be released from the hospital on Dec. 20. He is expected to make a full recovery, without any permanent damage, Sullivan said.

“I’m looking forward to getting out of the hospital,” he said. “I’m going to be fine.”

He said he was sitting at home on his computer when his left arm went numb. Sullivan said he immediately called 911, and emergency responders brought him to the hospital.

Sullivan spent several days at AdventHealth Palm Coast and then was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Ormond Beach. Thankfully, he said, he never lost his speech, and the minor numbness he still has is expected to fade.

“There are worse strokes,” he said. The commissioner said he’d actually had tests scheduled for Dec. 9 because of some numbness in his left arm about two and a half weeks before his stroke on Dec. 7.

Sullivan said the rehab hospital was helping him re-learn basic tasks for living at home alone, though his daughter will be staying with him for a short time during the holidays. In the meantime, he said, he is keeping up with what is going on at work virtually, since he can’t be there in person.

“I fully intend to be at the next meeting,” he said.

Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen opened Dec. 19’s meeting with a short prayer for Sullivan, and wished him a speedy recovery.

“I went and visited him, and he’s doing great,” Hansen said.

WRITER

After four years of planning and work, the new Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Operations and District 3 building is open.

Sheriff Rick Staly gave tours of the new facility at a grand opening ceremony on Monday, Dec. 19.

The facility will consolidate many Sheriff’s Office roles into one location. The FCSO’s staff has been divided between multiple facilities ever since the FCSO evacuated its

FCSO opens new operations center

nals: Sorry, when we seize your tech, you’re done for,” Staly said.

The building’s address is 61-1 Sheriff E.W. Johnston Drive, behind the Flagler County government services complex. The new road is named after the county’s first sheriff, and 61-1 has two references: 61 because Flagler County was the 61st county formed in Florida, and 61-1 is the sheriff’s call sign.

County Commission Chair Greg Hansen said the sheriff and his team have managed to reduce crime in the county while working from multiple locations.

“It’s been almost two years to the day since we broke ground,” Hansen said.

former Operations Center in 2018 due to concerns about mold.

“I’ve been homeless for four years,” Staly said. “So I’m ready for a home.”

The new operations facility is a two-story building designed by Architects Design Group, of Winter Park, and built by AJAX Construction, of Jacksonville.

Staly said he’s most proud of the built-in Faraday room, which blocks electromagnetic fields so that it’s impossible to hack into devices contained inside. It is made entirely of copper and steel and it is the only such room in Northeast Florida, Staly said. Technology seized as evidence will be stored in the Faraday room until a digital autopsy can be performed, the sheriff said.

“Here’s my message to the crimi-

KEY FEATURES

The new Flagler County Sheriff's Office operations building has many new features for deputies and employees. Here are a few key facts:

„ The two-story building is 51,615 square feet, and there are 30,000 square feet available on the site for expansion.

„

The building was designed to recall the Sheriff’s Office’s history while serving its future. The main lobby is a museum, with historic FCSO gear — hats, guns, radios — lining one wall, and a cabinet filled with trophies along the next. Above the elevators, photos of all of the county’s sheriffs hang in chronological order. A 2013 Harley Davidson FCSO motorcycle is displayed next to the front door.

The operations center will also be able to grow with the county. The building has extra office space built in to allow for increasing numbers of deputies and employees. There are 30,000 extra square feet of space on site so that the building can be expanded.

The building contains a 2,760 square foot multipurpose training room.

„ There are three interview rooms.

„ The vehicle evidence processing area features a vehicle lift, which the old location did not have.

„ The building contains a Faraday room for storing technological evidence.

„ There are two support buildings on the site: one for purchasing and supply, and one for a specialty vehicle garage.

There are multiple offices and conference rooms, a multipurposetraining room with an attached catering room for community events and award ceremonies, locker rooms with showers and a physical fitness center.

The fitness center is named after Sheriff Homer Brooks, who died on the job from a heart attack; Staly said he hopes the center will make it easier for deputies and employees to maintain their fitness. The physical fitness center features $75,000 worth of equipment, which was donated by Duane Sizemore when he sold his gym.

The new operation center also has evidence processing rooms, including an evidence vehicle garage with a lift.

There is more storage for evidence, and more security, with evidence lockers that can only be accessed by evidence technicians once deputies have placed evidence inside.

Three secure interview rooms on the ground floor will be monitored by cameras when someone is inside. The cameras are among the few items not yet installed yet, but they will be ready by the time the facility is in use in January, Staly said.

Staly said the building was a team effort, and thanked everyone who had a part in bringing it to fruition.

“This is a day to celebrate the reunification of our team,” Staly said. “So welcome home, employees, to your new home.”

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF

The $20 million project is over 51,000 square feet and has room for expansion.

Left: The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new operations center was held on Dec. 19. A memorial for fallen officers sits just outside the building.

Below: Sheriff Rick Staly and Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony.

The physical fitness center features a gym on one side and a defensive tactics training area on the other.

The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years.

Staly had his new office designed at the same size as his old one. It is filled with memorabilia.

Sheriff Rick Staly gave a short speech thanking everyone involved.

Make yourself at home

I am the Grinch: a Christmas streaming tale

mischievous smile: “I think he’s kind of cool because he’s scary,” Luke said. “I love that his head can turn all the way around!”

Infrastructure, resiliency stack wish list

BRIAN MCMILLAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One day last week, my 4-year-old son, Luke, was on the couch, his feet barely hanging over the edge of the cushion. He opened Amazon Prime, raised the TV remote to his lips, held down the voice-search button, and said, “Mr. Grinch.” (Actually, he pronounced it “Gwinch,” since he has some lingering trouble with R’s.)

The smart TV couldn’t understand this adorable little-boy version of Cindy Lou Who, so I stepped in to translate.

“Let’s spell it out,” I told him. “First, a G. Then, an R.”

He navigated to each letter and hit search. But when he tried to press play on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the screen said that the Dr. Seuss cartoon, at least the 1966 version, was not available.

“It’s got to be somewhere,” I said. I took the remote and tried Disney+, HBOMax and Netflix. With each search, my own indignation grew three sizes bigger. Why am I paying for all these services, and I can’t even find the Grinch at Christmas time?

Finally, I found it scheduled on “regular TV,” i.e., Hulu Live, the most expensive one of all (and the one I was about to cancel), and I set it to record later that evening, gritting my teeth, muttering about the good old days before streaming.

Joined by my 8-year-old daughter, Kennedy, we settled in to meet the Grinch outside his snowy cave at the top of Mount Crumpet. Luke seemed to take an alarming pleasure in his

We watched the Grinch strap an antler on Max the dog and then steal all the Whos’ roast beast and Who Hash, their snoof and their fuzzles, their tringlers and trappings.

I watched Luke and was a little worried that he wasn’t feeling too sorry for the Whos, even after seeing Cindy Lou Who appear in her pink nightgown-sack, with those impossibly blue eyes.

Back on the top of Mount Crumpet, the anti-Santa Grinch peers down on Whoville below, hoping he has succeeded in stealing Christmas — and silencing their joyful noises. Instead of silence or sadness, he hears the Whos singing: “Christmas Day is in our grasp / So long as we have hands to clasp.”

Then the miracle occurs: The Grinch’s heart grows three sizes larger. I asked Luke what had happened, and he said he doesn’t like the Whos.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because they sing, and I don’t like that song,” Luke said.

I cringed. Luke wasn’t an adorable little Who after all —he was a Grinch just like me!  Then Kennedy saved the day. She said she knew why the Whos were singing, even though their presents had been stolen.

“Because that’s not the true meaning of Christmas,” Kennedy said. “They still basically have everything.”

Kennedy gets it. She’s a Who, while Luke and I are little green men. Next time, I’ll count my streaming services as blessings and not complain. But if there’s hope for the Grinch, I think there’s hope for a change of heart for Luke and me, too, maybe even before Christmas.

Email brmcmillan@gmail.com.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Officials of Flagler County and its municipalities presented state representatives with legislative priority lists for the new fiscal year on Monday afternoon, Dec. 19.

House Speaker Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson sat on the dais at the Flagler County Commission chambers on Dec. 19 for the annual legislative delegation meeting. Representatives from the county, municipalities and organizations had three minutes each to speak about their needs.

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and City Manager Denise Bevan presented the city’s requests, including funding for Palm Coast’s planned expansion to the west.

“I am very impressed and incredibly optimistic,” Alfin said afterward. “They’re looking at not just the short-term, but the long-term.”

Bevan said the planned westward expansion would provide extensive economic opportunities that the city needs. Bevan also listed conservation as a priority consideration.

“My priority [is] to ensure that green-print comes before the blueprint as we continue to grow and as we continue to grow the westward,” she said.

County Commission Chairman Greg Hansen listed five key areas of need.

But the first priority, Hansen said after the meeting, is Flagler’s dunes.

The Florida State Legislature passed a disaster relief bill on Dec. 16 with money for emergency sand, and Hansen said the county is already filling out the paperwork for some of that grant money.

“They’ve got 150 million,” Hansen said. “We need 200 million. But we’re going to get [an] oar in the water to get some emergency sand put out on the beach.”

Hansen said Renner and Hutson have given great support to Flagler County.

“They are the strongest supporters for Flagler County that I’ve seen,” he said. “So we’re very grateful to the both of them.”

COUNTY’S PRIORITIES

FLAGLER

Flagler County’s priorities concern public health and safety and community resiliency.

The county first wants to build up the dunes, and is asking the legislature for funding for “shovel-ready” projects.

In public health and safety, the county wants to consolidate the fire department’s administration and replace the county’s only emergency helicopter, Fire Flight. The county is asking for funding for the construction of a new fire administration and station building and a replacement helicopter.

The county is also asking for funding to expand the current SMA Healthcare Access Center with the

an integrated stabilization unit and a men’s residential treatment program in Flagler County. The county also hopes to see local funding to acquire five properties for a wildlife corridor.

PALM COAST PRIORITIES

The city of Palm Coast sent in a list of 11 items identified for public health and safety, infrastructure growth, conservation and resiliency.

Among its infrastructure priorities, the city wants to focus on westward expansion with a railway flyover and continuing its Old Kings Road construction project into the next phase. The city has also identified five water-related community resiliency projects as priorities.

Those projects include funding stormwater capacity improvements with the London Waterway project, building culverts and updating the flood map for the Blair Drive-Colbert Lane area, and building a rapid infiltration basin to treat wastewater. An analysis of the city’s PEP system is also on the list again this year.

The city also hope to acquire funding and legislative support for its conservation goals, as well as replacing Fire Station 22, which is no longer able to serve the city’s needs.

In Palm Coast, both conservation and infrastructure projects — including the westward expansion plan — top the city’s legislative requests.

Photo by Sierra Williams

Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner shakes Flagler County Commission Chair Greg Hansen’s hand.

a joyful, safe and merry Christmas to all!

I have lived in Venice Park, by the Flagler Beach bridge, over 20 years, and had never been flooded.

PALM COAST

’Tis

the season of gratitude, hope ... and safer streets

Dear Editor:

On behalf of the Safety on Cimmaron Committee, and in keeping with the spirit of the holidays, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all who support our goal of making Palm Coast a more walkable, bicycle-friendly community.

We especially appreciate our neighbors who continue to bring awareness to the dangers cyclists and pedestrians face when they traverse the narrow, 1.2-mile stretch of Cimmaron Drive.

Our Christmas wish is that one day soon, an increasingly hightraffic Cimmaron will become a model for our city’s collector road improvements, featuring sidewalks and other safety features.

Palm Coast’s Pedestrian Accommodation Feasibility Study for Residential Collector Roadways, completed this summer by the Jacksonville engineering firm England-Thims & Miller, was an encouraging step toward our Christmas wish coming true. It provides a blueprint for city leaders to improve pedestrian safety on neighborhood collector streets like Cimmaron.

Let’s keep the momentum going in the coming fiscal year and find the funding needed to at least begin improvements to Cimmaron as a pilot project.

Special holiday greetings to outgoing Councilman John Fanelli. Thanks for attending our meetings and for your interest in our committee’s mission. We look forward to your continued support, both as a C Section resident and as a respected leader in our local school system. You understand how safe streets make for safer kids, and we’re grateful for the insights you’ve shared with our committee.

Best holiday wishes also to incoming Councilwoman Theresa Carli Pontieri. We appreciate the genuine interest and legal knowledge you shared when you met with our committee. You recognize the value of making Palm Coast a more walkable, bicycle-friendly community, and it is encouraging to have an ally in one of our newly elected leaders.

Best wishes to all our supporters,

COUNTY PIO EARNS PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION

AL KRIER Palm Coast

Cheers for another successful boat parade

Dear Editor:

Once again, Palm Coast has produced the best and biggest lighted community boat parade in the state of Florida.

Hats off and in the air to the spectators who overloaded their pedometers getting to the ICW to cheer it on, the dedicated marine and land officers who kept it safe and sane, the journalists and photographers who covered it, Flagler Broadcasting’s enthusiastic on-air talent, but, most important of all, the captains and crews who blew out their dock lights draping their boats with enough miles of lights to outshine Times Square.

Thank you, all, for a historic Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade!

SARAH ELIZABETH ULIS Chair, Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade

Flagler Beach needs drainage fix

Dear Editor:

The Flagler Beach drainage system needs to be fixed before the next hurricane season.

It does allow the excess rain water to drain into the Intracoastal canals, but it obviously does not have any type of baffle system to prevent the canal from coming up into the streets when the tide is too high.

Not long after the system was completed, I had company at 4 p.m. It was a clear and sunny day. We had not recently had any rain, and the streets were dry.

We went to the back of the house by the pool and the canal. Around 5 p.m. we became alarmed to see that there was an unusually high tide. The canal was over the bulkhead and almost up to the pool screen.

After checking the tide chart we learned it would soon be high tide at 5:30 p.m. We were very much relieved, but not for long.

As my company was leaving at 6 p.m., we were shocked to see the street was flooded, and was a third of the way up into my driveway.

Since the drain system was installed, I have been flooded three times.

Now, when the canal water rises too high in a hurricane, it also rises that high in the streets through the drains. When those waters meet, they actually make this section of the island become part of the Intracoastal. It even has the fast-moving canal currents that run right through our houses.

Something has to be done to fix this problem. I f the canals can’t be stopped from coming up the drains, and into the streets and homes, we should get rid of this drain system.

We were much better off with just too much rain water in the streets, than living in the canal during a storm.

JEAN SBERTOLI Flagler Beach

COVID vaccine ‘grand jury’ an affront to science

Dear Editor:

Bob Snyder and Dr. Stephen Bickel of our Flagler County Health Department have time and again gained our respect for their local efforts in addressing the COVID pandemic.

The department spearheaded the original successful rollout of the vaccine, provided practical science-based COVID information to the public, and did so sometimes against a headwind of false information and outright conspiracy theories emanating from elected officials, a former local School Board member, and even from their boss, the Florida Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo.

Ladapo has pushed unproven COVID treatments, questioned the safety of vaccines, and spread falsehoods about the pandemic, contradicting science. His ideologies are rejected by the majority of medical experts and the CDC.

Now Snyder and Bickel are facing a rather bizarre announcement from our governor, in lockstep with Ladapo, regarding the empaneling of a grand jury to investigate “any and all wrongdoing” regarding vaccines, without any cited evidence or defining specifics.

Is this grand jury really a grand-

standing jury? After all, this is a governor who previously applauded vaccines, putting into question a purely political motivation.

I empathize with Mr. Snyder and Dr. Bickel for once again having to face another affront to science and their continuing efforts to mitigate COVID in our community.

We hope they stand firm in their convictions and continue their good work in support of vaccines.

From what we know of the steadfast integrity of these two valuable and respected gentlemen in our Health Department, I’m sure they will.

ROBERT GORDON Palm Coast

Tackle root causes of panhandling

Dear Editor:

While I agree with a recent letter writer that the city of Palm Coast should take action against panhandling, that action should be aimed at eliminating the need to panhandle in the first place.

Most panhandlers are probably homeless or addicted to alcohol or drugs. Let’s do something to reduce or eliminate those causes.

While it may not be popular, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that panhandling (begging for charitable contributions) is a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Local law enforcement cannot prevent a homeless person from holding a sign soliciting funds from a public sidewalk or easement, nor can they detain or demand an ID unless they have reasonable articulable suspicion that person has, is, or will be committing a specific crime.

They cannot be trespassed off a public sidewalk or easement if they have not committed a crime. Homeless are citizens who have the same rights under the Constitution as you and I.  Especially at this time of year and under these circumstances, it is good to be reminded of the Bible verse, “... whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40-45.

RICHARD DECKER Palm Coast

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

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

Publisher John Walsh, jwalsh@palmcoastobserver.com

Managing Editor Jonathan Simmons, jonathan@palmcoastobserver.com Senior Editor Jarleene Almenas, jarleene@ormondbeachobserver.com

Associate Editor Brent Woronoff, brent@palmcoastobserver.com

Staff Writer Sierra Williams, sierra@palmcoastobserver.com

Design Editor Hailey McMillan, hailey@palmcoastobserver.com

Media Director Holly Oliveri, holly@ormondbeachobserver.com

Senior Media Specialist Susan Moore, susan@palmcoastobserver.com

Advertising Coordinator Jessica Boone, jessica@palmcoastobserver.com

Office Coordinator Bonnie Hamilton, bonnie@palmcoastobserver.com

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VETERAN OF THE WEEK

Kenneth Peckham

Vietnam War,

USS Independence (CVA-62). He received the Navy Unit Commenda-

Flagler County Public Information Officer Julie Murphy has completed the process that awards the professional designation of “Public Information Officer” through the Commission on Professional Credentialing, according to a news release from the CPC.

The designation was conferred on Dec. 5, making Murphy one of 17 CPC-designated PIOs worldwide.

The program uses a peer-review model and recognizes individuals who demonstrate excellence in seven components: experience, education, professional development, professional contributions, association membership, community involvement and technical competence.

This professional designation is valid for three years, according to the news release.

County commissioners congratulated Murphy on the designation during a commission meeting on Dec. 19.

“I thank everybody for your support, because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without going through the FEMA Master Public Information program and all the other things that the county supported me with doing,” Murphy said to commissioners during the meeting.

BELLE TERRE STUDENT KAITLYN WHITFIELD WINS SCHOLARSHIP

A local Belle Terre Elementary School student has been awarded a scholarship that covers school supplies and event fees.

BTES student Kaitlyn Whitfield is this year’s recipient of the Mozella and Kaleigh Williams Memorial Scholarship.

Kaitlyn applied for the scholarship by creating a TikTok video essay to answer the required application questions, said her mother, Saman-

tha Whitfield.

The questions had asked applicants about why it’s important to be unique and what is the best way to be true to yourself.

Kaitlyn had responded that being unique lets her be the best person that she can be, and that the best way be true to herself is to follow the rules, pay attention to her teachers, have fun and want to learn.

The scholarship covers Kait-

lyn Whitfield’s fees for a school yearbook, school shirt, field trips, technology and school dances and provides a backpack with school supplies.

The Mozella and Kaleigh Williams Memorial Scholarship was created in the memory of BTES students Mozella and Kaleigh Williams and their mother Wilma, who died in a car crash in April 2020.

honorable service. Upon separation from the Navy, and after returning home, he became a police officer, a career in which he invested over 30 years. Not one to sit idle, Peckham worked for a fence company and then as a security guard at a Cape Cod campground. He’s been coming to Flagler Beach as a part-time resident for 18 years, and made it full-time in 2016. Peckham is a member of the Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church and a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus. His church recently presented him with an award of recognition for his service as a veteran of the armed forces and a former police officer. At 80 years, Peckham can’t sit still; he actively serves his church and works part-time detailing cars to stay busy.

NEED HELP WITH VETERAN SERVICES?

For information about benefits available to veterans and other support organizations 386-313-4014.

Kenneth Peckham

Branch of military: U.S. Navy

Dates of service: 1964-1966

Rank/occupation: E-3/Fireman

Hometown: Braintree, Massachusetts

is a veteran of the

serving aboard the

tion Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his

and

Kaitlyn Whitfield has been awarded the Mozella and Kaleigh Williams Memorial Scholarship.

Julie Murphy

Courtesy photo

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Island sounds

VOICES OF A CHOIR

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Dr. Jared Allen doesn’t like seeing all the seats filled at a Matanzas High School Blue Steel concert.

He would prefer the audience members get out of their seats, sing, dance and get into the spirit of the Caribbean-inspired music.

“It’s a full experience for the audience,” he said, a few days before the Pirates’ six steel band classes performed “A Holiday Extravaganza” on Thursday, Dec. 15, at Flagler Auditorium.

Allen is one of three full-time public school steel band teachers in Florida. He teaches six classes with over 200 combined students, all of whom performed at the extravaganza.

Encouraging audience participation is not the only thing that sets a Blue Steel concert apart from most other school band concerts.

The advanced Blue Steel band, which leads Matanzas’s steel band program and won a silver medal at the 2022 Virginia international PANFest, performed first at the extravaganza, while the three beginner bands performed last.

“I like to save the beginners for last,” Allen told the audience, noting that most of the beginners walk into the classroom in August having never played an instrument and not knowing how to read music. Through the first semester, they learn how to play individually, and then how to make music as a group.

That progress makes the beginners “super impressive,” Allen said.

Allen has been Matanzas’ steel band director since 2016. Before that, he was the percussion director at St. Petersburg’s Johns Hopkins Middle School, where he taught steel band, percussion, piano and guitar. There are 60 to 70 steel band school programs in Florida, he said.

Matanzas has had a steel band program since the high school opened in 2005. Former principal Chris Pryor introduced the program, and Rachel Palmer was hired as the director. Steel band became so popular that Palmer became a full-time steel pans teacher.

Steel band music originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s as part of the Carnival resistance to government restrictions. The steel pans are the only acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century, said Allen, who earned a master’s degree in Carnival studies in Trinidad.

The pans that make up a steel band imitate the voices of a choir, Allen said. The tenor pans have the highest pitch, like a soprano, and cover the melody. The double seconds are the alto or medium high voice. They strum the chords and play notes at the same time, Allen said.

The guitar pan has the mediumlow voice. And the six bass, which consists of six large barrels played by one individual, has the bass voice.

The result is a very unique Caribbean sound.

“This class was something I hadn’t done yet,” said Newbolt, who plans to major in psychology and minor in music education in college.

While he has learned to play the pans, he asked to play the drums in the beginner band. A lot of steel band directors play the drums themselves, but at Matanzas, it has been a tradition that students play the drums, Allen said. Newbolt had never played drums before, but he is thriving with another new instrument, Allen said.

As the beginner bands played, the other steel band members danced in a line around the auditorium.

Matanzas’ steel bands perform ‘A Holiday Extravaganza.’

Matanzas steel band instructor Dr. Jared Al

len speaks to the audience.

The Blue Steel (advanced) Band performs.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

bands. But the beginner steel band class was the only one that fit his schedule.

Blue Steel (advanced) Band members perform.

LOCAL EVENTS

FRIDAY, DEC. 23

CHRISTMAS SERVICE IN

ORMOND

When: 4:30-7 p.m.

Where: Rockefeller Gardens, 26 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach

Details: Celebrate Christmas with Salty Church. Bring your family and friends, chairs or blankets. There will be activities such as a petting zoo, train and an appearance by Santa at 4:30 p.m. The service will begin at 6 p.m. Visit salty.org.

CHRISTMAS UNDER THE STARS

When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Riverbend Church, 2080 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: Join Riverbend Church for “Christmas Under the Stars,” an outdoor worship service with music, marshmallow roasting and hot chocolate. Bring chairs or blankets. Visit riverbendchurch.

SATURDAY, DEC. 24

CALVARY FAMILY CHRISTMAS

When: 3-6 p.m.

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

Details: Attend Christmas Eve communion and see a live nativity with Calvary Christian. There will also be a Christmas Day service at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 25.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT

SERVICE

When: 6-7 p.m.

Where: New Way Church, 293 Old Moody Blvd., Palm Coast

Details: Come join New Way Church for its Christmas Eve candlelight service.

There will also be a Christmas Day service at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 25. Call 386-437-9575.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28

CELEBRATION

KWANZAA

When: 2-6 p.m.

Where: African American Museum and Cultural Center, 4422 U.S. 1, Palm Coast, FL

Details: The African American Cultural Society will observe the Kwanzaa tradition of nguzo saba, learn about the seven principles of Kwanzaa, enjoy food from local vendors and shop for African clothing, jewelry and crafts during this event. There will also be African drumming, spoken word and an African fashion show. Visit aacspalmcoast.org.

in the New Year with a Studio 54-themed disco costume party with live entertainment, poker tables, dining options and a champagne toast. Try some hors d’oeuvres, enjoy the dinner buffet and stick around for a dessert station. Four beverage tickets per person are included with the tickets. Event costs $210 for single tickets and $350 for couple tickets. A family-friendly party will also be held in the Grand Ballroom with food, drinks, dancing and more. Free admission with the purchase of Doc Bales Grill Dinner or New Year’s Eve Party. Walk-in tickets cost $29 per person. Visit DaytonaHilton.com/ NewYearsEve.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4

THE NATIONAL BALLET OF UKRAINE PRESENTS ‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’

events such as a a movie on the lawn, holiday bazaar, Santa sightings and live music concerts. An opening ceremony with a tree lighting will take place at the News-Journal Center on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 5:30-6:3 p.m. Visit RiverfrontEsplanade. com.

SIXTH-ANNUAL MAGIC OF

LIGHTS

When: Through Jan. 1 Where: Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach Details: The popular drive-thru lights extravaganza is back with holiday scenes and more than one million lights. New this year is the premiere of the Barbie holiday light display, as well as the Big Foot Monster Trucks and Prehistoric Christmas. Tickets cost $20 per vehicle in advance through Dec. 8, or $30 at the gate weekdays; or $35 on weekends. From Dec. 9 to Jan. 1, weekday entrance costs $25 in advance or $35 at the gate; or $40 on weekends. Visit MagicofLights.com.

MOAS EXHIBITIONS

FRIDAY, DEC. 30

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH, FLORIDA CRACKER RANCH

When: 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30 through 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1

Where: Florida Cracker Ranch, County Road 200, Bunnell Details: Celebrate the new year over three days at the 1,200-acre Florida Cracker Ranch. Camping, hot showers, bathrooms and ATV wash stations are available, There will be three bands, live music and food, as well as fireworks at midnight on New Year’s. Tickets cost $45. Visit flaglerbroadcasting.com/events/ florida-cracker-ranch-new-yearseve-bash.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31

HILTON DAYTONA BEACH’S STUDIO 54 NEW YEAR’S EVE DISCO COSTUME PARTY

When: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Where: Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, 100 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Details: Ring

When: 7 p.m. Where: FlaglerAuditorium, 5500 State Route 100, Palm Coast Details: See the National Ballet of Ukraine perform “Sleeping Beauty,” the tale of Princess Aurora, who was cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse to sleep for 100 years after Aurora pricked her finger on her 16th birthday. The classical production features music by Tchaikovsky. Tickets cost $44-$54.

ONGOING 2022 CHRISTMAS WALKTHROUGH DISPLAY

When: 5:30-10 p.m. daily Where: 111 Pine Creek Court, Ormond Beach Details: The Schoolcrafts’ 2022 Christmas Display, with over 170 inflatables, is now open, wind and weather-permitting. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. A movie theater plays movies nightly at dusk. Well-behaved leashed animals are welcome. Visit facebook.com/scdecorationsormondbeach.

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER

When: 6-9 p.m., Dec. 7-31 Where: Riverfront Esplanade, 249 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach Details: Start a new holiday tradition while you explore the new Riverfront Esplanade overlooking the Halifax River in downtown Daytona Beach. This multi-day celebration features a variety of community

EXERCISES FOR THE MATURING BODY

When: 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays Where: First Baptist Church Of Palm Coast, 6050 Palm Coast Parkway, Palm Coast Details: Presented by Synergy Senior Fitness, attend upbeat classes with Senior Fitness Specialist Artie Gardella. Classes are ongoing. Insurances that cover fitness are accepted, or a donation for those with no coverage. Visit Synergyseniorfitness.com.

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: Museum of Arts and Sciences, 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach

Details: Want to spend a day looking at fine art? The Museum of Arts and Sciences has the following shows on display: “Minor Masterpieces: Porcelain Painted Scenes from the Collection,” “Magical: The Art of Susan Zukowsky,” “Selections from the MOAS Contemporary Art Collection,” and “Pacific Exotics: The Woodblock Prints of Paul Jacoulet.”

Photo courtesy of Magic of Lights

The popular drive-thru lights extravaganza is back, with holiday scenes and more than one million lights.

Hanukkah festival lights up European Village

The European Village in Palm Coast was transformed into a Hanukkah Village on Monday, Dec. 19.

Chabad of Palm Coast held its seventh annual Hanukkah celebration on the second night of the Jewish festival of lights.

The celebration included train rides, a petting zoo, balloon animals, face painting, latkes and jelly doughnuts, entertainment by Alvaro Gordillo of World Stage Dancers, a contest to guess the number of Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins) in a jar and the lighting of the grand menorah.

Chabad of Palm Coast Rabbi Levi Ezagui and Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin spoke about the meaning of Hanukkah. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly passed on the story of Hanukkah.

Alfin said the event is one of his favorite functions as mayor.

“It’s my honor each year to be a part of the sacred holi-

day that brings us together in peace and strength,” Alfin said. “It reminds us to shine a light on all that’s good and righteous. I urge you to remember your own unique light that illuminates the world around you.”

Rabbi Ezagui, whose wife, Tzivie, organizes the event each year, told the festival goers that every good deed counts. “You have the ability to do a mitzvah (good deed) to light up the world,” he said.

The rabbi said this year’s event was the biggest yet, with an estimated 350 people attending. He said Chabad of Palm Coast, which the Ezaguis started in their living room in 2016, is outgrowing its space at City Market Place and is looking for a new home.

“Our growth is unbelievable,” he said. “Judaism is thriving in Palm Coast.”

–BRENT WORONOFF

Barbra Gary holds up a Chabad of Palm Coast T-shirt.

Chabad of Palm Coast Hebrew School students sing the Dreidel Song.

Alvaro Gordillo of World Stage Dancers shares the stage with a young audience member.

Chabad of Palm Coast member Adam Gruber

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly watch the lighting of the menorah.

Rabbi Levi Ezagui tells festival goers that they “have the ability to do a mitzvah (good deed) to light up the world.”

Photos by Brent Woronoff

“It’s my honor each year to be a part of the sacred holiday that brings us together in peace and strength.”

MAYOR DAVID ALFIN

‘We will be back’

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A day after his Bucs suffered a heartbreaking loss in the state championship game, Mainland football coach Travis Roland received a text from Orlando Dr. Phillips coach Rodney Wells. It said, “Don’t hang your head.”

Wells knows what it’s like to lose a close game in the state final. Dr. Phillips lost to Miami Southridge by four points in 2016 and then got back to the title game in 2017, this time defeating Delray Beach Atlantic to win the Panthers’ first state championship.

Mainland fell to Lake Wales 32-30 in the Class 3S final at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, Dec. 16.

The Highlanders finished the season with an undefeated record at 15-0. Like Dr. Phillips five years ago, Roland expects the Bucs to get another shot at the championship next season.

“We will be back,” Roland predicted. “We will be right back in the same stadium. We’re going to hoist that trophy next year.”

One of the players who won’t be on

the field for the Bucs next season is Ajai Harrell, who carried Mainland on his back throughout the playoffs and finished his senior season with an otherworldly performance against Lake Wales.

Harrell rushed 24 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns and caught nine passes for 139 yards. His 1-yard run with 2:14 left pulled Mainland to within a score at 32-30 with 2:14 left. But, due partly to a controversial defensive holding call, the Bucs didn’t get the ball back until there were just 12 seconds remaining.

“Ajai’s performance was very Vince Young-esc in the Rose Bowl,” Roland said, making reference to the Texas quarterback’s 467 yards of offense and three touchdowns against Southern Cal in the 2006 Rose Bowl game.

“Ajai is one of the best to ever wear a Mainland uniform,” Roland said. “I wore the number 1 (uniform for the Bucs), but I don’t think there has ever been a number 1 at Mainland better than Ajai.”

Harrell’s 38-yard catch from Damarcus Creecy in the first quarter set up Creecy’s 56-yard touchdown toss to James Randle, which put the Bucs up 10-0. Harrell’s 6-yard TD run in the fourth quarter tied the score at 16-16, and his 3-yard run on a direct snap put Mainland ahead 23-22.

But the Highlanders followed with a field goal. And an interception by

Lake Wales’ Dylan Simmons set up quarterback Trent Grot jan’s second touchdown run of the game to make it 32-23.

After Ajai’s 1-yard TD, Main land forced a third-and-10 with less than 2 minutes remaining at Lake Wales’ 42-yard line. Randle bat ted down a pass intended for Diyante Landrum. But Randle was called for defensive holding. The Bucs thought Randle made a good play. Roland said if he had been the official, he would not have made such a close call in that situation, potential ly deciding the state championship.

Because of the penalty, the High landers were able to run the clock down with three more plays. The Bucs got the ball back at their own 10 with 12 seconds remaining and were able to run two plays before time ran out on their season.

“People keep showing the play. There’s a bunch of different views,” Roland said. “My dad has told me, you can’t leave the game in the hands of an official. The guy made a call he thought was correct. He has a tough job. I’m sure Lake Wales is pointing to the first play of the game when a fumble went our way.”

The Bucs were playing in just their second state championship game.

county history. After the game, Roland gave his players a message similar to the one Wells of Dr. Phillips would send to Roland.

“I told them, ‘No words I could give you will make the pain go away,’” Roland said. “‘But you’ve got to take solace in that only one other Mainland team made it this far.’”

“It was a really good game,” Roland said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way the kids fought tooth and nail to stay in the game and had the opportunity to win at the end. That’s all you can ask for.”

A year after losing in the first round of the playoffs and finishing at 5-5, the Bucs won four playoff games — three of them against higher seeded teams on the road — and finished with an 11-4 record. While Mainland will be losing Harrell, Creecy and leading tackler Ty Richmond, among other key players, they will return seven starters on offense and six on defense next season.

“The kids were resilient,” Roland said. “We showed that Mainland football is still here, and we’re going to be here for a long time.”

FPC wins sixth consecutive Five Star Conference girls weightlifting title

Seabreeze placed seventh in the traditional competition and eighth in Olympic lifts.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Colleen Haaf said she felt her knee buckle on her final clean and jerk lift. She couldn’t complete the lift, but she did complete the meet and wound up winning a championship at the Five Star Conference girls weightlifting championships on Thursday, Dec. 15, at Flagler Palm

Coast.

Haaf was one of three FPC lifters to win titles in the traditional competition as the Bulldogs won their sixth consecutive conference title. FPC also won the Olympic competition.

Olympic lifts are snatch and clean and jerk, while traditional counts the clean and jerk lift as well as the bench press.

New Smyrna Beach finished second in both competitions.

FPC won Olympic handily, defeating New Smyrna 55-38. But the traditional competition was close, with the Bulldogs topping the Barracudas 48-41.

With his team competing in the

Power of Christmas meet at Live Oak Suwannee the following day, FPC coach Duane Hagstrom held back some of his lifters at the Five Star.

“It almost backfired on me,” he said. “New Smyrna is definitely going to make a lot of noise at the 2A state championships.”

FPC’s Aryannah Rosa (119-pound class) and Brianna Tucker (129 pounds) took first-place medals in both the Olympic and traditional competitions. Tucker did just one lift in each of the three disciplines.

Haaf won the unlimited title in the traditional competition after injuring her knee while attempting a 165-pound clean and jerk. She still

FIVE STAR GIRLS WEIGHTLIFTING

LOCAL MEDALISTS, OLYMPIC COMPETITION

101: Madeline Brinker (FPC), 2nd place, 160 total; Angelis Rosa (FPC), 3rd, 140. 110: Nereyda Campos (FPC), 2nd, 160. 119: Aryannah Rosa (FPC), 1st, 240; Lauren Cruz (Mainland), 6th, 160. 129: Brianna Tucker (FPC), 1st, 260; Camilla Arellano (Seabreeze), 5th 190. 139: Leila Turner (FPC), 2nd, 255. 169: Chloe Long (FPC), 2nd, 260. 183: Midlyne Thomas (FPC), 2nd, 290; Eva Rojas (Mainland), 6th, 190. 199: Rylee Diehl (Seabreeze), 6th, 160. Unl: Zoey Gotera (FPC), 1st, 285. Colleen Haaf, 2nd, 275.

finished second, behind her teammate, Zoey Gotera, in the Olympic competition.

Hagstrom said Haaf had to be helped to the bench for all three bench press attempts. She hit all three, setting a personal record of 160 pounds for a 315 total. Gotera was the runner-up in unlimited traditional, with a 305 total.

The Bulldogs’ Chloe Long (169) and Midlyne Thomas (183) each placed second in both the traditional and Olympic competitions.

Madeline Brinker (101), Nereyda Campos (110) and Leila Turner (139) also took second-place medals in the

TRADITIONAL COMPETITION

101: Brinker (FPC), 4th, 160; Angelis Rosa (FPC), 5th, 155. 110: Campos (FPC), 4th, 170; Rylie Deiter (Seabreeze), 6th, 155. 119: Aryanna Rosa (FPC), 1st, 280. 129: Tucker (FPC), 1st, 275; Ava Warren (Seabreeze), 5th, 185. 139: Turner (FPC), 3rd, 270. 154: Charlotte Lowe (Seabreeze), 5th, 205; JahMya Hill (Mainland), 6th, 175. 169: Long (FPC), 2nd, 275. 183: Thomas (FPC), 2nd, 315; Olivia Williams (Mainland), 6th, 210. Unl: Haaf (FPC) 315; Gotera (FPC), 2nd, 305.

Olympic competition for FPC. Seabreeze finished seventh in traditional, with five points, and eighth in Olympic, with three points. Seabreeze’s Charlotte Lowe (154 pounds) placed fifth in traditional on her birthday.

Mainland placed ninth, with two points, in both competitions.

FPC finished 10th in traditional at the Power of Christmas meet. Reigning 3A state champ Navarre won the title, followed by Clay and reigning 1A state champ Suwannee. Rosa (fourth place), Tucker (fifth), Thomas (fifth) and Turner (eighth) all placed in their weight classes.

FPC’s Leila Turner finished second in Olympic and third in traditional at 139 pounds.

Photo by Brent Woronoff

Bucs battle to the end in state championship football game.

Ajai Harrell runs between two defenders. Harrell amassed 334 yards of offense against Lake Wales.

Mainland’s Clarence McCloud makes a catch.

Photo by Alyssa Kemper

Seay hey kid

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Flagler Palm Coast’s Jessie Seay had never scored four goals in a varsity soccer game before. It was only fitting that she accomplished the feat on senior night at Sal Campanella Memorial Stadium.

Seay’s fourth goal ended the game with 2:11 left because of the eightgoal rule as FPC defeated Matanzas 8-0 on Friday, Dec. 16.

“She’s really an aggressive player. She has a lot of pace,” Bulldogs coach

Pete Hald said of Seay, who was one of six seniors honored before the game along with Emma Swearingen, Ava Houstoun, Hailey Tucker, Ava O’Malley and Isabella Zuller.

Savannah O’Grady, Isabella Kummernes, Erin Hughes and Neveah Battle each added a goal for the Bulldogs (10-2-1), who stretched their unbeaten streak to eight games.

Seay scored four goals in a game as a freshman on the JV team, but never on this level, she said. She scored two goals with her left foot and two with her right.

“Tonight we were definitely good on through balls,” Seay said. “Through balls get us where we need to be.”

The four goals gave Seay 11 for the season, and they came in the first game that FPC was playing without Swearingen, who broke her collarbone in a 3-1 win against New Smyrna Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Swearingen, who plays both center back and forward, led the Bulldogs with nine goals entering the game. She suffered a similar injury two years ago and missed four weeks, Hald said.

Hald doubts that Swearingen can return for the Five Star Conference tournament, which begins on Jan. 7, but he hopes the Bulldogs’ co-captain can return before the district tournament, which begins Jan. 25.

“It’s a huge loss for us,” Hald said. “Some of our other players are going to have to grow up.”

Matanzas fell to 0-4-1. The Pirates are in a rebuilding season, with 13 freshmen and sophomores and just four juniors and seniors on the roster. They are scheduled to host First Baptist Christian Academy at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Check out palmcoastobserver. com to see more photos!

FPC freshmen take leadership roles

It’s not typical that freshmen are named captains of a high school sports team.

But Flagler Palm Coast girls basketball players Alexandria Connerton and Carolyn O’Lear have been leaders since they began participating in the Bulldogs’ offseason program as eighth graders.

WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Titles for Pirates

Matanzas, the top-ranked girls wrestling team in the state, competed in the Let Freedom Ring Invitational on Dec. 17 in Orlando, earnig two individual championships.

Mariah Mills won the 110-pound title to improve her record to 12-0 on the season.

Brielle Bibla won the 130-pound title, and is also 12-0 this season.

Christina Borgmann (8-1) placed third in the 120-pound class. Kendall Bibla (10-1) placed third in the 140-pound class, Gabrielle Proctor (9-5) placed third in the 145-pound class and Ani Brown placed sixth in the 235-pound class.

The Matanzas boys competed in the Johnny Rouse Invitational duals tournament Dec. 16-17. T.J. McLean (106 pounds) went 7-0 in his matched while Dylan Parkinson (152 pounds) went 6-1.

“They’ve really set the tone with their work ethic,” coach Anthony Wagner said. “They’ve worked hard since April, when they were in eighth grade. They work hard with everything they do.”

With senior Naria Hill out with an injury, O’Lear said she and Connerton have become more vocal.

“Our team captain is injured, so we’ve helped her out and stepped in a little bit,” O’Lear said. “We’re trying to lift everyone up, make sure everyone has their heads up.”

“Even though we look up (to the seniors), they look up to us too, because we’re team players,” Connerton said.

The Bulldogs have won four games in a row, defeating each of those opponents by at least 35 points. They are 7-4 heading into the Tampa Christmas Invitational Dec. 28-31 at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex in Wesley Chapel.

Connerton and senior Hannah Clark lead FPC in scoring. Clark had consecutive career-high scoring games last week with 22 points with four 3-pointers in a 54-19 win over Pine Ridge on Dec. 14 and 29 points with five 3-pointers in a 73-22 drubbing of Atlantic on Dec. 16.

Clark is now averaging 10.5 points per game, while Connerton is averaging 10.0 points per game. Junior Brynn Gifford is averaging 7.2 points,

and senior Shy Leblanc is averaging 6.0 points.

Connerton and O’Lear, who has grabbed a team-high 53 rebounds in 11 games, play together on the Flagler United Youth Basketball travel team, which will be joining AAU this year.

The team won three tournament championships over the summer.

Connerton’s moved to Flagler

County from New Jersey before eighth grade. She said she’s been playing on higher-level basketball teams since she was in third grade.

“We have a mix of young girls who are hungry blending with veterans,” Wagner said. “We’re starting to hit our stride.”

Email results and story ideas to brent@palmcoastobserver.com

World-record holder

Bunnell powerlifter Kelly Schlobohm is an all-time world-record holder.

Although the numbers are not yet official, Schlobohm set a new deadlift record of 462 pounds for women age 50-59 in the under-148 pound class with a single-ply suit. She was competing in the King & Queen of the Platform, an RPS federation meet, on Dec. 10-11 in Port Charlotte.

Scholbohm weighed in at 143 pounds. Her other lifts were 430 pounds in the squat, 231 pounds in bench press, and a 1,123-pound total.

“My meet went very well, and I am happy with the lessons learned,” she said.

“There was some very strict judging, and I struggled with my bench press, but I finished top tier.”

Her next meet is April 16, 2023, at The Women’s Pro/ Am, in Cincinnati, which will be on a world stage.

“I will be working hard to bring my numbers up in the meantime, and also be looking for sponsors to help me with the process. It will be an expensive endeavor, unfortunately,” she said.

Jessie Seay scored four goals in FPC’s girls soccer win against Matanzas.

Photos by Jake Montgomery

FPC junior Nevaeh Battle throws in the ball.

Matanzas

freshman goalkeeper Taylor Basiger reaches for a save.

Matanzas senior Mya Barker (18) handles the ball as FPC senior Isabella Zuller (2) defends.

FPC senior striker Jessie Seay (4) pushes forward to score one of her four goals as Matanzas sophomore Maria Martins (12) tries to defend.

“She’s really an aggressive player. She has a lot of pace.”

PETE HALD on senior Jessie

Seay

BRENT

Photo by Brent Woronoff

FPC freshman girls basketball players Alexandria Connerton and Carolyn O’Lear.

MORE PHOTOS

Palm Harbor home draws $1.35 million

Ahouse in Palm Harbor was the top real estate transaction for the week of Nov. 10-15 in Flagler County in the Multiple Listing Service. Robert and Cynthia Desimone sold 34 Old Oak Drive N. to Richard Kolacz, of Palm Coast, for $1.35 million. Built in 2005, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace, swimming pool, boat dock, boat house and 2,871 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $725,000.

GRANT REAL ESTATE EDITOR

Condos

Peter and Jennifer Redmond, of St. Augustine, sold 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 528, to Hanes Property Holdings LLC, of Orlando, for $300,000. Built in 2003, the condo is a 1/1 and has 678 square feet. It sold in March for $345,000.

Craig Hackl, of St. Augustine, sold 36 Sherbury Court to Christine Comitale, of Palm Coast, for $255,000. Built in 1985, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,248 square feet. It sold in May for $235,000.

Bunnell Development Co. Mahler Family Investing sold 810 Marion St. to Debra Franks, of Bunnell, for $247,000. Built in 1997, the

house is a 3/2 and has 1,110 square feet.

Grand Haven

Linda Stitzinger and Jennifer Humphreys sold 21 Flamingo Court to Neal and Marsha Steinbrenner, of Palm Coast, for $550,000. Built in 1996, the house is a 3/2 and has a swimming pool and 1,961 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $262,500.

Hammock Dunes

Craig Nelson and Karen Craft, of Atlanta, sold 4 Monterrey Drive to Daniel and Carol Kerr, of Palm Coast, for $750,000. Built in 1994, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,123 square feet.

Lehigh Woods

Allan Rodriguez, of New Brock-

ton, Alabama, sold 9 Ryberry Drive to Laura Johnson, of Belle Mead, New Jersey, for $298,000. Built in 2001, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,260 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $160,000.

Not in Subdivision

Robert and Antoinette Little, individually and as trustees, sold 16 Sea Flower Path to Paul Gumbrecht, Christine Mangerian and Judith Gumbrecht, of Palm Coast, for $490,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 4/2 and has a swimming pool and 2,235 square feet.

Lisa Goings, of Easley, South Carolina, sold 51 Robinson Drive to Janet Mulcahy, of Palm Coast, for $445,000. Built in 2014, the house is a 4/2 and has a swimming pool and 2,044 square feet. It sold in 2014 for $188,600.

Richard and Staci Rentz, of Palm Coast, sold 46 Fariston Place to Faith Tabernacle Ministries Inc., of Palm Coast, for $410,000. Built in 2002, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,255 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $243,000.

Bryan and Frances DeCinto sold 53 Wood Haven Drive to Bozena Nawalany, of Palm Coast, for $395,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 3/2.5 and has a swimming pool and 1,877 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $226,000.

Candida and Angel Tineo, of Suffolk, Virginia, sold 12 Bill Court to Evelyn and Benny Ogle, of Palm Coast, for $380,000. Built in 1992, the house is a 3/2 and has a boat

dock and 1,540 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $239,900.

Marina Groysman, of Forest Hills, New York, sold 2 Pebble Place to Victor and Marcianna Pusillo, of Palm Coast, for $360,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,185 square feet.

Holiday Builders Inc., of Melbourne, sold 93 Burroughs Drive to Matthew and Paula Macklin, of Palm Coast, for $292,990. Built in 2022, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,806 square feet.

Ocean Hammock Mark and Eileen Weitzel sold 85 Ocean Oaks Lane to Theresa Helmick and Jack Clark II, of Palm Coast, for $1.11 million. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/3 and has 2,915 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $810,000.

Palm Coast Plantation

John Godfrey and Aida Gravlee, individually and as trustee, sold 69 Heron Drive to Piedad and Alfonso Paredes, of Palm Coast, for $720,000. Built in 2013, the house is a 3/2 and has a swimming pool and 2,343 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $446,000.

Palm Harbor Andelmo and Adozinda Martins, of Palm Coast, sold 19 Farson Lane to Jose and Benilda DeSa, of Palm Coast, for $599,250. Built in 2013, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,338 square feet.

Joshua Howell and Katherine Yates, of Dallas, Georgia, sold 117 Cim-

maron Drive to James and Angela Burton, of Palm Coast, for $519,730. Built in 2002, the house is a 3/2 and has a swimming pool, boat dock, boathouse and 1,697 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $390,000.

Peter Loglisci, of Palm Coast, sold 26 Cleveland Court to William and Teresa Wynn, of Palm Coast, for $500,000. Built in 1988, the house is a 3/2 and has a boat dock, boathouse and 1,987 square feet.

CC Commercial Holdings LLC, of Miami, sold 119 Cimmaron Drive to Sergey Kleyman and Tamara Rabinovich, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, for $430,000. Built in 1984, the house is a 3/2 and has a boat dock and 1,793 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $420,000.

Brian Mackie sold 146 Foster Lane to Dean Gissel and Pattyrose Nakashima, of Palm Coast, for $325,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,860 square feet.

Pine Lakes Graham and Patricia Wrigglesworth sold 92 Wellington Drive to Jermaine and Connie Logan, of Palm Coast, for $460,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,308 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $195,000.

Anne Kohl sold 10 Willard Place to Raymond Britton, of Palm Coast, for $330,000. Built in 1988, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,911 square feet.

Wynnifield

Melissa Wos and Carrie Meyer, of Sacramento, California, sold 2 Wellesley Lane to Olin and Johnny Lester, of Palm Coast, for $560,000. Built in 1992, the house is a 4/3 and has a swimming pool and 2,588 square feet. It sold in 2014 for $240,000.

Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.

WAYNE

Courtesy photos

The top transaction in Flagler County has a fireplace, swimming pool, boat dock and boat house.

The house at 2 Wellesley Lane sold for $560,000.

a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the proposed Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date. A copy of all pertinent information this ordinance can be obtained at the office of the Bunnell Customer Service Office, 604 E. Moody Blvd. Unit 6, Bunnell, FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 437-7500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting.

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

ORDINANCE 2023-XX AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR THE REZONING OF REAL PROPERTY TOTALING 6.74 + ACRES, OWNED BY GPR1 LLC, BEARING PARCEL ID: 10-12-30-0850-00180-0000 LOCATED

DIRECTLY EAST OF EAST MOODY BOULEVARD AND ABUTTING CANAKARIS STREET BETWEEN SOUTH CHAPEL STREET AND DR CARTER BOULEVARD IN THE CITY OF BUNNELL LIMITS FROM THE “B-2, BUSINESS DISTRICT” AND “O-1, OFFICE, MEDICAL AND RELATED SERVICES DISTRICT” TO THE “L-1, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT”; PROVIDING FOR THE TAKING OF IMPLEMENTING ADMINSTRATIVE ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF MAPS BY REFERENCE; REPEALING ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR NON-CODIFICATION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE as may be legally permitted on the day of the meeting. Instructions on how to participate by electronic or other means, if legally permitted, would be found on the City of Bunnell’s website at www.bunnellcity.us on the homepage. The public is advised to check the City’s website for up-to-date information on any changes to the manner in which the meeting will be held and the location. The failure of a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the proposed Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date. A copy of all pertinent information this ordinance can be obtained at the office of the Bunnell Customer Service Office, 604 E. Moody Blvd. Unit 6, Bunnell, FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 437-7500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting.

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

FIRST INSERTION

DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that a workshop meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Grand Haven Community Development District (the “District”) will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. at the Grand Haven Village Center, Grand Haven Room, 2001 Waterside Parkway, Palm Coast, Florida 32137. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss matters brought to the board.

Copies of the agenda may be obtained from the District Manager, DPFG Management & Consulting LLC, 250 International Parkway, Suite 208, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, Telephone (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193.

The meeting is open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida law for community development districts. The meeting may be continued in progress without additional notice to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the meeting. There may be occasions when Staff and/or Supervisors may participate by speaker telephone.

Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in the meeting is asked to advise the District Manager’s office at least forty-eight (48) hours before the meeting by contacting the District Manager at (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 711, for assistance in contacting the District Manager’s office.

A person who decides to appeal any decision made at the meeting, with respect to any matter considered at the meeting, is advised that a record of the proceedings is needed and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

Grand Haven Community Development District

David McInnes, District Manager (321) 263-0132, Ext. 193 December 22, 2022 22-00262F

FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF RULE MAKING BY THE GRAND HAVEN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT FOR ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO AMENITY RULES

A public hearing will be conducted by the Board of Supervisors of the Grand Haven Community Development District (“District”) on January 19, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at the Grand Haven Room, Grand Haven Village Center, 2001 Waterside Parkway, Palm Coast, Florida 32137.

The public hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to address proposed amendents to the District’s Rules, Policies and Fees for All Amenity Facilities and including policies and procedures related to service animals and clarifications regarding hostile treatment of District Employees. Specific legal authority for the rule includes Sections 190.011(5), 190.012(3), 120.54 and 120.81, Florida Statutes (2020).

Any person who wishes to provide the District with a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative as provided by section 120.541(1), F.S., must do so in writing within twenty-one (21) days after publication of this notice. The public hearing may be continued to a date, time and place to be specified on the record at the hearing.

If anyone chooses to appeal any decision of the District’s Board with respect to any matter considered at the hearing, such person is required to have a verbatim record of the proceedings including the testimony and evidence upon which such appeal is to be based and should ensure that such a record is made accordingly. Any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Manager at the address and number below.

A copy of the proposed rule may be obtained by contacting the District Manager at 250 International Parkway, Suite 208, Lake Mary, FL 32746, (321) 263-0132 ext. 193, or by email at dmcinnes@dpfgmc.com.

December 22, 2022 22-00261F

State, Tallahassee, Florida. Dated this 1st day of December, 2022. Ozkan Erdem December 22, 2022 22-00259F

GRAND HAVEN COMMUNITY

NOTICE OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WORKSHOP MEETING

PAPER CHAIN by Chris Moss, edited by David Steinberg

By Luis Campos