Palm Coast Observer 12-29-22

Palm Coast siblings Ava Robinson and Jason Robinson, both 12, ride the slide at Maze Dayz at Cowart Ranch and Farms with 3-year-old Julina Robinson.

What will 2023 hold for Flagler County?

Palm Coast to train the workers who will provide it.

soon after Ian, strolling out on the landward end of the city’s truncated pier, viewing seawater-soaked homes and listening to local officials’ appeals for help.

JONATHAN SIMMONS MANAGING EDITOR

With two hurricanes, a primary and general election and an ongoing pandemic, 2022 has been a busy year in Flagler County. Here are five themes from 2022 that will likely affect us in the coming year.

THE 2022 HURRICANES AND FLAGLER’S SAND SAGA

In the race to rework Flagler’s shoreline, Ian and Nicole beat the Army Corps of Engineers. The storms scattered the county’s eroded dunes into the water and gnawed chunks of asphalt out of A1A before the Corps of Engineers could start a dune renourishment project that would have blocked such damaging storm surge.

But the hurricanes also washed away excuses for waiting. Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Flagler Beach

County Engineer Faith Alkhatib has secured $12.6 million to build up a dune near Gamble Rogers state park before the Army Corps of Engineers project begins.

The one beachfront property owner whose opposition has delayed the Corps of Engineers project is in bankruptcy. Attorneys representing the county government hope the county can gain access to her land through the bankruptcy process so the project can begin.

Expect sand projects on Flagler’s coast in the coming year.

NEW HEALTH INITIATIVES ADVANCE AMID PANDEMIC

With a new Flagler Access Center for behavioral health, an AdventHealth hospital under construction on Palm Coast Parkway, and Dr. Stephen Bickel’s pledge of $10 million to support Flagler Cares, a range of people and groups are working to make it easier for locals to get health care.

And universities are coming to

CRIME REPORT

Boy charged with threatening shooting at Buddy Taylor

A 14-year-old former Buddy Taylor Middle School student was arrested on Dec. 21 for allegedly threatening a mass shooting over Instagram.

The teen, who no longer attends school in Flagler County, was messaging a current student on Dec. 20

and threatened to shoot up BTMS on Dec. 21, according to an incident report. That student showed the messages to his mother, who reported the threat to the school.

The 14-year-old had been removed from the school system for disciplinary issues during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies determined there was no active threat to the school, since the 14-year-old was in Volusia County and had no means of transportation.

“Threats such as these are not a joke and will always be taken seriously and quickly investigated,”

The University of North Florida is holding its MedNexus program classes in Town Center, while Jacksonville University has started an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program there.

The changes have come amid increased focus on health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but could impact the community for years.

THE FIGHT OVER LGBT CONTENT IN SCHOOLS

When the House passed a bill restricting school instruction on LGBT-related topics — formally called the “Parental Rights in Education,” bill, but dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents — students in Flagler and other counties walked out of their classes in protest, chanting “Say gay!” and waving rainbow flags.

The demonstrations brought national attention to organizer Jack Petocz of Flagler Palm Coast High School while spurring other local teens to get into politics.

Meanwhile, the law’s supporters have challenged LGBT-related books in Flagler school libraries, prompting the school district to remove some titles from the shelves.

Locally, the opposing sides are

Sheriff Rick Staly said, according to the press release. “We don’t like making these arrests, but we will protect Flagler County students to the best of our ability any time a threat such as this one occurs.”

The teen has been arrested and charged with sending a written threat to conduct a mass shooting, the press release said.

Charges added in condo voyeurism case

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has added nine additional charges against a local condo association

increasingly organized. Expect to hear from them when the School Board debates LGBT-related policies or procedures.

CHALLENGERS OUST INCUMBENTS

Challengers with limited political experience have beaten incumbents for seats on local government boards. Only one local incumbent — County Commissioner Greg Hansen — kept his post through a challenge during the recent elections.

The five-member School Board is most affected. It now has three new members: Will Furry, Sally Hunt and Christy Chong.

Two Palm Coast City Council seats with no incumbent candidates have been filled by Theresa Carli Pontieri and Cathy Heighter.

And on the County Commission, Leann Pennington replaces former Commissioner Joe Mullins.

It’s still early to tell how the newcomers will govern and interact with constituents and colleagues, but their perspectives will shape local policies in coming years.

HOUSING AND WESTWARD GROWTH

Housing in Palm Coast was too pricey for many workers and young professionals before the pandemic.

Local government boards held meet-

ings about housing affordability and formed an advisory task force.

With prices now even higher, the problem is again getting attention. City Councilwoman Cathy Heighter, speaking in a recent council meeting, suggested the city use more grant money to help firsttime homebuyers, while county commissioners at a Dec. 19 meeting considered proposals to change regulations to help reduce prices.

Flagler’s limited number of apartments, duplexes and small houses, along with current residents’ resistance to building new ones, has impeded attempts to relieve the housing crunch.

But Palm Coast is planning to expand west of U.S. 1, potentially adding miles of newly accessible land where there won’t be any established residents to come to City Council meetings and complain about proposals to add apartments or small single-family homes next to their larger houses.

What should be built on the land west of U.S. 1? Business parks and shopping centers? More 2,000-square-foot houses? Apartments and duplexes? Should the city consider “tiny homes”? The city will have to answer these questions as it prepares to open access to what Mayor David Alfin has called Palm Coast’s “frontier.”

president accused of video voyeurism.

The new charges against suspect Robert W. Orr include five charges for video voyeurism charges and four charges for unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Orr, who was originally arrested in September, turned himself in on Dec. 14, according to the arrest report, and has since posted a $45,000 bond.

Orr, 59, now has 12 counts of video voyeurism and six counts of unlawful use charges against him, according to a press release from the FCSO.

“We knew when we arrested

this pervert this was likely not his first time,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Our Major Case Unit has combed through his seized technology and worked hard to bring justice to the victims in this case. I encourage anyone else that thinks they may have been a victim to contact us.”

Orr, president of the Las Brisas Condo Association in Matanzas Shores, was originally arrested in September when a spy camera was found in a house plant facing a woman’s bedroom.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim is urged to contact the FCSO at 386-313-4911.

Look for advances in health care, discussion of westward expansion, and, hopefully, more sand for the dunes.

Year in Review: January

Palm Coast’s City Council agrees to solicit proposals for the dredging of the city’s saltwater canals. The canals have silted over in some places, making them too shallow for deeper-draft boats at low tide.

Year in Review: February

Palm Coast’s City Council votes 5-0 to approve an agreement allowing the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to use the city’s traffic camera footage to solve crimes.

Experts tell the County Commission that reinforcing the county’s beach dune system to prevent flooding will cost an estimated $6 million per year.

Omicron surges in Flagler County, with the number of COVID-19 cases in the county rising from 79 over the course of a week in December 2021 to 1,166 over the course of a week in January 2022. Hospitalizations and deaths are below the numbers seen during the delta variant surge.

Asingle-engine

aircraft crashes onto Interstate 95 in Palm Coast near mile marker 279, clipping a tractor trailer and leaving the pilot and co-pilot with minor injuries.

The school district plans to demolish tennis courts at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club and rename the club.

The School Board approves rezoning for the county’s middle and high schools to level out capacity between schools.

Locals

8

Palm Coast City Council members decide to scrap the city’s concession lease with the Green Lion Cafe at the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Course, saying the $600-per-month lease is too low, especially since the city had been paying the restaurant’s utilities.

The Palm Coast City Council votes 5-0 to make Denise Bevan its city manager. Bevan had been serving as interim city manager since June 2021.

The County Commission decides that the county will enter a partnership with the Whispering Meadows equine therapy ranch and support the ranch’s move to a new location near the Flagler County fairgrounds.

Flagler County and partners SMA healthcare and Flagler Health+ hold a ribboncutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Flagler Access Center at 103 E. Moody Blvd. in Bunnell. The center provides education, screening and connections to behavioral health care services.

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

A saltwater canal in Palm Coast's C Section

Photo by Brian McMillan

A single-engine plane crashed on Interstate 95.

Photo by Brian McMillan

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

Photo by Brian McMillan

Andrew Popov, of Ukraine, shows support for his country in a demonstration in Palm Coast on Feb. 28.

demonstrate for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.

Coast City Councilman Victor Barbosa resigns from the council two days after being trespassed from the local Walmart for allegedly stealing a shirt by “skip scanning” it at the store’s self-checkout. Barbosa maintained his innocence, and the trespass order was later lifted.

The housing inventory in Flagler County and Volusia County plummets because of material and labor shortages.

Students at Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School hold walkouts to protest the state’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which opponents called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Jack Petocz, a junior who organized the protest at FPC and was disciplined by the school, would gain a national profile as a youth LGBT activist in coming months, with speaking appearances and an invitation to the White House.

Palm Coast announces plans to expand west of U.S. 1, seeking $3.14 million in state funding to support the expansion.

County commissioners approve an impact fee increase that would direct more fee money from new development to the school district.

FPC student Jada Dotson Courtesy photo

County Commissioner Donald O’Brien

JessalynGutierrez

Photo by Jonathan Simmons Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin

Photo by Jonathan Simmons Flagler County Sheriff

Rick Staly

The Frieda Zamba pool

Photo by Brian McMillan

Consultants warn the Palm Coast city government that the city’s roads are quickly deteriorating, and that it would take an estimated $8.23 million per year

Photo by Brian McMillan

Surfing dogs take over Flagler Beach for the inaugural Hang 8 dog surfing competition.

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Flagler County firefighters Courtesy photo 23

Flagler County decides to buy two new fire engines, pulling $124 million from reserves to do so.

7

Year in Review:

The state government allocates $8 million for a septic-to-sewer conversion project on Flagler County’s barrier island, plus another $6.8 million to extend Commerce Parkway to make the road link State Road 100 to U.S. 1 in southern Bunnell.

The state government allocates $8 million for a septic-to-sewer conversion project on Flagler County’s barrier island and $6.8 million to extend Commerce Parkway to make the road link State Road 100 to U.S. 1 in southern Bunnell.

Palm Coast releases a pedestrian study with options for sidewalk and walkway improvements.

Palm Coast’s City Council votes to allow construction of two new cell towers: one on Clubhouse Drive, and another near the intersection of Town Center Boulevard and Royal Palms Parkway.

28

Caleb Struble, who broke his neck while lifeguarding in July 2021, walks across the stage for graduation accompanied by his father, Michael Struble. FPC and Matanzas both held graduation ceremonies at the Ocean Center on May 28.

18

Construction workers find a human skeleton on a work site at the Toscana development. The Sheriff’s Office works with a team of anthropologists from the University of South Florida to excavate the site and collect the bones.

7

Fireworks over the Runways celebrates America’s independence with live entertainment, speeches and a fireworks display.

Dr. Stephen Bickel pledges a $10 million gift to support Flagler Cares over 10 years. Bickel is the medical director of the Florida Department of Health in Flagler County.

Flagler Schools drops to an overall “B” grade as the state issues its school district grades for the year. Three individual schools in Flagler received an A: Old Kings Elementary, Belle Terre Elementary and Indian Trails Middle School.

A1,200-home community called “Radiance,” planned for the west side of southern Old Kings Road, earns the County Commission’s approval.

The Flagler Beach City Commission votes to cancel the city’s planned Fourth of July fireworks show, citing concerns about the pyrotechnics vendor.

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Dr. Stephen Bickel

Photo by Brent Woronoff

A member of the USF team uses a firehose to sift dirt.

An aquatic engineering firm is selected by the city government to inspect the damaged splash pad at Holland Park.

County Commissioner Joe Mullins, pulled over in his car by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper for speeding, tells the trooper, as the trooper explains the citation process, “I run the county, so I know how it works.” Footage of the incident later goes viral.

File photo

Palm Coast’s City Council votes 4-1, with Councilman Ed Danko dissenting, to keep the city’s property tax rate flat, at 4.6100 per $1,000 in taxable value. (Danko had wanted the city to reduce the rate.) The flat rate would bring in a higher dollar amount than it had the previous year because of rising property values.

N

Palm Coast approves three new storage facilities. The city has seen a series of proposals for self-storage facilities recently — 11 in the space of a few years, five of them on Old Kings Road.

contacts the Sheriff’s Office after a man allegedly texts him an offer to sell him cocaine.

Deputies arrest an 18-year-old suspect.

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Leann Pennington at a Free For All Political Forum

Flagler Schools faces a bus driver shortage, with 10 vacancies near the beginning of the school year.

o more smoking on the beach: Flagler Beach passes a ban on smoking tobacco products in public parks and beaches.

Hurricane Ian near Marineland

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Surfers for Autism catches hearts and waves in Flagler Beach.

Hurricane Ian makes landfall in the Fort Myers area. Many Flagler County residents prepare with sandbags. The storm causes street flooding in Bunnell, Flagler Beach and parts of Palm Coast.

Alocal artist unveils “Jules” in honor of East Flagler Mosquito District Commissioner Julius “Jules” Kwiatkowski.

Three challengers oust incumbents in the primary elections: Leann Pennington beats incumbent Joe Mullins in the Republican primary for County Commission, While Sally Hunt and Christy Chong defeat incumbents Jill Woolbright and Trevor Tucker in School Board races. County Commissioner Greg Hansen is the only incumbent candidate to keep his seat.

Flagler Schools prepares for news state laws on instructional and media center materials and LGBT issues, rewriting the district’s policies to comply.

Photo by Brent Woronoff

Flagler Palm Coast Homecoming Queen Hannah Kurek and Homecoming King Dylan Toriello

The Flagler County School Board decides not to join Florida’s guardian program, which would place armed staff members in schools to respond to active assailant attacks, in 2022. It will instead consider the program for 2023 or 2024.

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Matanzas Homecoming Queen Gianna Bennici is crowned by Principal Kristin Bozeman.

Fighting a shortage of bus drivers, the Flagler County School Board eliminates a requirement that bus drivers have a high school diploma, opting to let applicants without a diploma or GED take a skills assessment test instead.

Jacksonville University announces that it will offer a new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Palm Coast’s Town Center.

Officials assess Flagler’s beach dune after Hurricane Ian. There’s not much left. A coastal engineering team is scheduled make a more detailed assessment, and city and county crews block

The East Flagler Mosquito Control District plans to expand

in southern and western Flagler County.

Photo by Danny Broadhurst

Theresa Carli Pontieri

tate Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, is sworn in as speaker of the House.

off the damaged pier and dune walkovers.

Individuals affiliated with the Flagler County chapter of Moms for Liberty file challenges to 20 books in local school libraries.

File photo

Incoming Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill

Photo by Jake Montgomery

Apig jumps in a pool during a pig race at Creekside Festival over the weekend of Oct 8-9.

Photo by Sierra Williams

Photo courtesy of the Flagler County government

Hurricane Nicole knocks out sections of State Road A1A in Flagler County. State work crews finish temporary road repairs on Nov. 12.

Photo by Sierra Williams

Santa Claus parachutes onto the beach, opening Flagler Beach’s annual Holiday Parade.

Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte retires. Kyle Berryhill becomes the new fire chief.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visits Flagler County to tour the area’s damaged dunes.

Theresa Carli Pontieri and Cathy Heighter win positions on the Palm Coast City Council, marking the first time in the council’s history that two women serve at the same time. Leann Pennington is elected to County Commission, and Will Furry is elected to School Board.

FlaglerSchools

construction expected in 2026-2027.

Anew restaurant called “Loopers,” by the owners of the Beach Front Grille, wins a bid to replace the Green Lion Cafe at the city of Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Golf Course concession, and the City Council approves a lease agreement with the restaurant.

Palm Coast's 39th annual Holiday Boat Parade

Photo by Sierra Williams

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office opens a new, $20-million operations center after four years without a headquarters following the agency’s evacuation of its previous operations center due to concerns about mold.

The Palm Harbor Golf Club

Photo by Sierra Williams

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly shows visitors the Flagler County Sheriff's Office's $20-million new operations center.

Palm Coast’s 39th annual Holiday Boat Parade is the city’s largest ever, with 90 boats.

11:08 p.m. —

County Road 305 at Cranberry Avenue

Marijuana possession, carrying a concealed weapon, traffic infraction. A deputy saw a blue SUV heading south on County Road 305 with its lights off.

The deputy stopped the SUV and walked up to the car, which smelled of marijuana.

The deputy asked the 20-year-old driver to step out of the car.

The young man did so. He was covered, from his shorts to his neck, with “large amounts of green leafy substance suspected to be cannabis,” according to the deputy’s report. The deputy found a revolver under the driver’s seat.

The young man insisted he didn’t have any marijuana and denied knowing anything about the gun.

The deputy arrested him.

MARCH 16

‘JUST’ METH

11:54 p.m. — 1000 block of Palm Coast Parkway Southwest Possession of methamphetamines, drug paraphernalia and alprazolam. A deputy stopped a car that had

failed to stop at a stop sign.

The driver, a 31-year-old woman, “seemed erratic in her behavior and very talkative,” and kept reaching for things in her car, the deputy wrote in a report.

A deputy had her stand outside a patrol vehicle. She kept adjusting her clothes, and two plastic ziplock bags fell out of her dress.

The deputy asked her what they were. She said they were “nothing,” just someone else’s meth and pills.

The deputy arrested her.

APRIL 14

WHEN YOU CAN’T ‘HAVE IT YOUR WAY’

10:52 p.m. — 6100 block of State Road 100

Physical disturbance. A woman who worked at a local fast food restaurant walked into the restaurant on her day off and ordered the employees to make her a meal.

They did so, and she told them that they were doing it wrong. They told her to do it herself, then.

She walked into the kitchen to do so. A manager noticed and started yelling at her, slapping food out of the woman’s hands as she picked it up. She turned to the manager and smacked him.

A deputy arrived. The

had

said the

warned not to come into the

when she was out of uniform and not scheduled to work.

He told the deputy that he just wanted to the woman to leave. She did.

APRIL 24

GUYS SHOOTING AT COUNTY JAIL SIGN GET TAKEN TO COUNTY JAIL

9:37 p.m. — State Road 11 at Old Haw Creek Road

Discharging a firearm from a vehicle. A deputy investigating a call about a suspicious person heard gunshots, then heard a pickup truck motor accelerating north on State Road 11.

The deputy conducted a traffic stop on the pickup. The driver was a local 19-year-old. An 18-year-old Palatka resident was in the passenger seat, a shotgun resting against his leg.

The deputy asked the young men what they’d been up to.

The men said they’d been firing the shotgun. The deputy asked them what they’d been shooting at. The men said they’d been shooting at signs — including a directional sign that said, “County Jail .”

One of the young men admitted, “We were being stupid.”

Both said they’d been drinking.

The deputy took them to jail.

MAY 13 MAN REAR-ENDS SCHOOL BUS, CLAIMS NOT TO KNOW WHAT HE HIT 4:26 p.m. — I-95 near mile marker 273

Leaving the scene of a crash with damage to property. A 75-year-old Ormond Beach man was stopped by deputies on an exit ramp on I-95 after he fled a crash on State Road 100.

According to his arrest report, the man told deputies that he knew he had struck something, “but wasn’t sure what it was.” The man had rearended a school bus, which had been stopped at a red light.

Witnesses told law enforcement officers that the man had been aggressively weaving in and out of lanes until he left the interstate. He was taken to the hospital to be medically cleared, then sent to jail.

JUNE 20

THE TELL-TALE HAT 6 p.m. — 9400 block of State Road 11 Burglary, petit theft. The owner of a convenience store noticed when securing the shop that an exterior door to a storage room had been forced open.

The next day, he realized that several cases of beer were missing. An area of grass near the shop was matted down as if someone had slept there, and there were beer cans and cigars strewn around,

along with a baseball hat.

When deputies checked surveillance footage, it showed a man wearing the same hat stealing booze from the store the previous day.

Deputies recognized the man. He told them that he’d been drunk for several days and had blacked out at the time of the burglary. When a deputy held up the hat, the man admitted it was his.

Deputies arrested him.

SEPT. 2

SHADY DELIVERYMAN 10:45 a.m. — 1400 block of Rymfire Drive, Palm Coast Suspicious person. Someone called the Sheriff’s Office about a suspicious person wearing a black trench coat near a school entrance.

According to an incident report, the responding deputy found an old man not matching the suspicious person’s description, an empty car in the nearby park, and not much else.

After an hour of sleuthing, a review the school’s security system revealed the man in question: the husband of an employee, dropping off lunch for his wife.

The man was then informed of proper lunch drop-off procedures. His actions, according to the incident report, “could be seen as suspicious.”

manager

woman

repeatedly been

kitchen

Meh.

2022

We survived another crazy year. But we are thankful for our loyal readers and advertisers helping us get through the year. Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2023!

Look

Year in Review SPORTS

Year in Sports: FPC boys win weightlifting championship

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

LIFTING THE TROPHY

All season, Flagler Palm Coast’s weightlifting coaches made sure not to mention the words “state championship” to their boys’ lifters. That is, not until after the state meet when the Bulldogs were hoisting the Class 3A championship trophy on April 21. FPC’s boys weightlifters did not win a conference, district or region championship last season, but they won their first state title in school history, defeating runner-up Niceville, 24-21.

FPC also finished third in the new snatch lift competition. Dom Bennett won two individual titles in the 139-pound class — the traditional and the snatch title. Rigens Andre clinched FPC’s team championship with his 219-pound title, tying the school’s clean-and-jerk record for his weight class with a 305-pound lift.

Nick Lilavois (119 pounds) and Isaiah Rivers (154 pounds) were runners-up. Lilavois also joined Bennett in winning the snatch title in his weight class.

Lilavois had a collision when he ran down from the balcony after the Bulldogs clinched the title.

“I ran into a dude at full speed,” he said. “I said, ‘I’m so sorry.’ Then I ran to the court to celebrate with my team.”

THREE MORE STATE CHAMPS

The FPC boys lifters weren’t the only state champs to represent Flagler County in 2022. Three other high school athletes won individual titles:

n FPC senior Annie Buchanan became the most decorated weightlifter in school history with her second straight dominating performance in the 199-pound weight class at the girls 3A state championships on Feb. 10. She also won the snatch title to give her three state championships in two years.

Buchanan also placed at state as a freshman and a sophomore. She dedicated her 2022 season to her mother, who died in September, 2021. Buchanan’s mother always supported Annie and her three siblings, who were all lifters for FPC coach Duane Hagstrom.

“This means more to me this year, because I did it for my mom,” she said.

n Matanzas freshman Tiana Fries matched one of her father’s many wrestling accomplishments. Fries won the 110-pound girls championship in the first year the Florida High School Athletic Association sanctioned wrestling as a girls sport. She won all four of her state matches by pin.

While her father, Matanzas girls coach Mike Fries, won two state championships and was also a runner-up twice in the 1990s at FPC, Tiana now has her own place in Flagler County wrestling lore as the first girls state champ in county history.

n After finishing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore, Matanzas golfer Alexandra Gazzoli won the Class 2A state girls golf

Flagler Palm Coast won the boys state weightlifting championship. Several Flagler County athletes won individual titles. These are some of the top sports stories for 2022.

BRENT WORONOFF

Photo by Jake Montgomery

FPC’s Alex Aviles (10) lays the ball up as Matanzas’ Ty Smith tries to block.

Photo by Michele Meyers

Bulldog

D’Zirath Steward completes a triple jump.

FPC’s Jace Pasquariello takes a cut. Photos by Jake Montgomery

Annie Buchanan and Emma Wood finish stellar careers; Tiana Fries and Alexandra Gazzoli win state titles for the Pirates.

championship in her junior season.

Gazzoli shot a 2-under par 140 on Nov. 15-16 to win by one stroke. After shooting 3-under 68 on day 1, Gazzoli recovered from a triple bogey on day 2 to win with a par on her final hole. “Alexandra is one of the most competitive people I know,” Matanzas coach Brandie Alred said.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

There were many more memorable moments in 2022:

The Mills family took home three wrestling medals at state. Tyson and Jordan Mills each finished second at the Class 2A boys meet. Tyson, a senior, was the runnerup at 152 pounds, while Jordan, a junior, was the 170-pound runnerup. Freshman Mariah Mills took home the third-place medal in the 105-pound weight class at the girls championships.

FPC’s Jada Williams won a state medal in track and field (fifth place in the 800 meters) to add to her state medal in cross country (sixth place). The 800 was never Williams’ specialty, but she started the season late because of a leg injury

with her lifts.

won a district championship for the fourth time in school history when it defeated Nease 42-28 on Oct. 14.

Rodney Hill clinched the win with a 97-yard pick-six with 1:16 left in the game. The Bulldogs later had to forfeit four games (which included three wins) after self-reporting an ineligible player early in the season. But the forfeits did not affect their district title. They lost to top seed Bartram Trail in a first-round playoff game.

Matanzas senior Emma Wood finished her stellar high school softball career with an astronomical .647 batting average last spring. She was also a 6-4 record with a 2.41 earned run average in the pitching circle. She led off her final game, a regional playoff against Jacksonville Paxon, with a triple to the center field wall. She never got another chance to hit as Paxon intentionally walked her in her next three times at bat.

Matanzas’ boys bowling team

won its first district title in school history. “It’s absolutely amazing,” senior Morgan Naydich said. “I can’t even put words to describe it.” At the state meet, the Pirates finished fourth in qualifying to advance to the round of 16.

Weightlifting coach Duane Hagstrom achieved his 700th victory on Nov. 30. All but 30 of the wins have come at FPC, where he has been coaching for 21 years.

A ball sneaks past FPC’s Steven Birdsong in loss to Creekside. Photo by Jake Montgomery

FPC’s Dalton Schell celebrates with his teammates as they rush the field after his game-winning hit against Matanzas.

Photos by Jake Montgomery

FPC’s Taylor Spann wins the 100 meter hurdles.

Photo by Michele Meyers

Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh MHS’ Dakwon Evans (3) gains 5 yards on a keeper in the first quarter.

Photo by Brent Woronoff Matanzas bowlers lift up senior Morgan Naydich after winning the district championship.

JUMBO FREESTYLE 6: WHITE CHRISTMAS by Ryan McCarty and Adrian Johnson, edited by David Steinberg

By Luis Campos

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

Landon Stevens, 18, of St. Augustine, takes on his bull.

Flagler 11U catcher Ryan Busler (22) gets the out at home plate.

Photos by Jake Montgomery

Gerod Tolbert (0) makes a difficult layup against Spruce Creek’s E’Zaiah Shine.

Photos by Kenz Ojeda

PUBLIC NOTICES

FLAGLER SUBSEQUENT INSERTIONS

SECOND INSERTION

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE No. 2021 CA 000434

SUN WEST MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC., Plaintiff, vs. BELL DAWN, et al., Defendants.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to an Order or Final Judgment entered in Case No. 2021 CA 000434 of the Circuit Court of the 7TH Judicial Circuit in and for FLAGLER County, Florida, wherein, SUN WEST MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC., Plaintiff and BELL DAWN, et. al., are Defendants, Tom Bexley, Clerk of The Circuit Court & Comptroller will sell to the highest bidder for cash at HTTPS:// FLAGLER.REALFORECLOSE.COM at the hour of 11:00 A.M., on the 13th day of January, 2023, the following described property: LOTS 6, 7, 8, 10 AND 11, OF BLOCK “B”, ST. JOHNS PARK, UNIT 1, IN SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 12 SOUTH, RANGE 28 EAST, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 8, PAGE 2, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

TOGETHER WITH A 1983 SKYLINE MANUFACTURED HOME, BEARING SERIAL#: 01630289AS AND 01630289BS; TITLE#: 22299913 AND 20527905 Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, must file a claim per the requirements set forth in FL Stat. 45.032.

IMPORTANT

If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to access court facilities or participate in a court proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation, please contact Court Administration in advance of the date the service is needed: Court Administration, 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, (386) 257-6096. Hearing or voice impaired, please call 711. DATED this 15th day of December, 2022.

GREENSPOON MARDER LLP

TRADE CENTRE SOUTH, SUITE 700 100 WEST CYPRESS CREEK ROAD FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309

Telephone: (954) 343 6273 Hearing Line: (888) 491-1120 Facsimile: (954) 343 6982

Email 1: jacob.elberg@gmlaw.com

Email 2: gmforeclosure@gmlaw.com

By: /s/ Jacob C. Elberg Jacob C. Elberg, Esq. Florida Bar No. 1032316 36616.0192 / JDeleon-Colonna

FIRST INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

File No. 2022 12970 PRDL Division 10

IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM S. BROWN, aka WILLIAM STEPHEN VAUGHAN BROWN Deceased.

The administration of the estate of WILLIAM S. BROWN, also known as WILLIAM STEPHEN VAUGHAN BROWN, deceased, whose date of death was August 5, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is P.O. Box 6043, Deland, Florida 32721-6043. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served, must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is: December 29, 2022. Signed on this 2nd day of December, 2022.

Personal Representative 8916 Keats Drive Hudson, FL 34667 Wayne R. Coulter 160I

VOLUSIA COUNTY LEGAL NOTICES

FIRST INSERTION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Notice is hereby given that the following vehicles will be sold at public auction pursuant to F.S. 713.585 on the sale dates at the locations below at 9:00 a.m. to satisfy labor and storage charges. 1997 CHEV 2GCEK19M2V1211630

Total Lien: $1,090.62

Sale Date: 01/23/2023

Location: APEX AUTOMOTIVE INC. 2840 FIREHOUSE RD. DELAND, FL 32720 (386)943-9739

Pursuant to F.S. 713.585 the cash amount per vehicle would be sufficient to redeem that vehicle from the lienor. Any interested party has a right to a hearing prior to the sale by filing a demand for the hearing with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Volusia and mailing copies of the same to all owners and lienors. The owner/lienholder has a right to recover possession of the vehicle by posting bond pursuant to F.S. 559.917 and if sold any proceeds remaining from the sale will be deposited with the Clerk of Circuit Court for disposition. December 29, 2022 22-00130V

WILLIAM ALAN BITHER